In talking with friends, they pointed out that for a character such as Geralt, I could build him as a different class every Friday for a month and all would be different yet still true to at least some aspect of the character. My take probably isn’t too crazy but does feature a class that I am at least partially using because I don’t have a single build for it yet. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher series!
GERALT OF RIVIA
CHARACTER Geralt of Rivia
SOURCE The Witcher
BUILD GOALS
o Geralt is the son of a sorceress who was left with the School of the Wolf, where he was trained and made into a witcher – a wandering monster slayer
o Witchers gain their abilities through mutagens and rigorous training. Geralt proved particularly tolerant to these mutagens. The masters at the school subjected Geralt to experimental mutagens that enhanced him beyond the norm for a witcher
o Roaming from place to place, Geralt often relies on transport from a horse named Roach although this is a legacy name that several steeds have carried over the years
o Highly skilled in mortal forms of combat, Geralt seems to prefer a longsword. He carries two, one made of steel for humans and one made of silver for monsters
o Among his powers of resiliency, he is particularly resistant to poisons and drugs
o Geralt has learned several spells that he can cast by tracing signs in the air
o Igni unleashes a fiery burst that ignites enemies, Quen creates a protective shield, Yrden makes a mystical trap, and Aard unleashes a telekinetic burst that can stun and knock back foes
o His training is drilled into him a vast, almost encyclopedic knowledge of various monsters and their weaknesses, which is one of his greatest strengths
o Geralt also crafts bombs, oils, and other substances to aid him in his fights
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Arcane Tattoos – Abjuration (shield)
o Skill Increase: Survival (trained)
Background: Molthuni Mercenary
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained), Mercenary Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Experienced Professional
Class & Subclass: Thaumaturge (Weapon Implement)
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Crafting (trained), Intimidation (trained), Esoteric Lore (trained), Nature (trained), Occultism (trained), Religion (trained), Stealth (trained)
o Class Feat: Scroll Thaumaturgy
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18)
Despite extensive alterations to his being by the mutagens, human felt like the right ancestry for Geralt though I could see the argument for fleshwarp though I personally think that is going too far. As a human, Geralt can pick up Arcane Tattoos to gain access to the shield cantrip, mimicking the idea behind Quen if nothing else. Given his job as a monster hunter, Survival felt important for the sake of tracking down the beasties he faces and so picks it for his skilled heritage. There are several backgrounds that could fit the character such as Hunter, Bounty Hunter, or even Slayer of Scions, but none are simply ‘monster hunter.’ The mercenary background matches with the paid muscle that witchers ultimately are and the Experienced Professional feat kind of fits into this. Finally, the thaumaturge felt like a natural fit for a witcher with the only drawback being its lowered combat ability from not having Strength as a key ability score. Since Geralt is a very capable warrior, he’ll start with the weapon implement to try to bring an end to foes when they try their tricks against him. With his ability to utilize several different spells, Scroll Thaumaturgy made the most sense from among his first level options.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Sorcerer Dedication – Imperial Bloodline
o Skill Feat: Alchemical Crafting
o Skill Increase: Medicine (trained), Society (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – produce flame, warp step
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Ride
o Skill Increase: Crafting (expert), Esoteric Lore (expert)
o Gear: +1 longsword, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Survey Wildlife
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – gust of wind
o Gear: tracker’s goggles, +1 longsword, necklace of knives, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 19)
o Ancestry Feat: Witch Warden
o Second Implement: Wand (Fire)
o Skill Increase: Occultism (expert), Survival (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking longsword, tracker’s goggles, pendant of the occult, necklace of knives, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion
While his interaction with her is limited, Geralt is the son of a sorceress and to simulate his ability to cast spells, he takes up the Sorcerer Dedication with the imperial bloodline. Taking the produce flame cantrips is a solid fit for Igni and from Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting, he gets gust of wind, which is the closest fit for his Aard. Given his use of mutagens, oils, and other poultices, Alchemical Crafting slots nicely into the build. Several of his feats focus on his aspect as a hunter of monsters, such as Survey Wildlife. Ride allows him to more ably command his horse, Roach, though as he doesn’t particularly use his steed for combat, he doesn’t invest much deeper into more feats for him. Given his familiarity with magic, curses, and those that wield such powers, Witch Warden felt an easy choice for him to pick up. To further replicate the effects of Geralt’s Igni, he grabs the wand for his second implement and chooses the fire element for it.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Scroll Esoterica
o Skill Feat: Experienced Tracker
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – blur
o Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 striking longsword, frightful hag eye, tracker’s goggles, holy steam ball, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Implement Adept: Wand (Cold)
o Skill Increase: Crafting (master), Esoteric Lore (master)
o Gear: spiritsight ring, +1 breastplate, cunning weapon rune, +1 striking longsword, tracker’s goggles, pendant of the occult
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Bloodline Breadth
o Skill Feat: Magical Crafting
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – fear*, 3rd – haste
o Gear: boots of bounding, lesser midday lantern, spiritsight ring, +1 breastplate, +1 striking longsword, frightful hag eye
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Multitalented – Alchemist Dedication
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained), Mercenary Lore (expert), Occultism (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient breastplate, boots of bounding, detector stone, spiritsight ring, cunning weapon rune, +1 striking longsword
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 19, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Expert Alchemy
o Skill Feat: Disturbing Knowledge
o Gear: greater tracker’s goggles, +1 resilient breastplate, brooch of inspiration, boots of bounding, spiritsight ring, +1 striking longsword
Scroll Esoterica builds upon the Scroll Thaumaturgy feat that Geralt took at 1st level. From his archetype, he grabs Bloodline Breadth to allow him to more regularly wield his spells and also focuses mostly on buffing spells, such as blur and haste. As a human, Geralt can pick up Multitalented for the Alchemist Dedication, further exploring his ability to create various mutagens and similar items. At this point, he could retrain the Alchemical Crafting he took at 2nd level for a simple feat such as Quick Jump to aid in his mobility. He then immediately takes Expert Alchemy so that he can create more powerful alchemical items. With his pronounced resistance to poison and disease, he takes Fast Recovery. Geralt is a rather standoffish individual despite his innate Charisma and his knowledge of the horrors he faces arms him with Disturbing Knowledge that he can use to discourage foes.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Toughness
o Second Implement Adept: Weapon
o Skill Increase: Survival (master)
o Gear: +2 striking longsword, greater tracker’s goggles, greater pendant of the occult, +1 resilient breastplate, boots of bounding, detector stone
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Schooled in Secrets
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – loose time’s arrow, 4th – weapon storm*
o Gear: +2 resilient breastplate, +2 striking longsword, talisman cord, greater tracker’s goggles, brooch of inspiration, smokey hag eye
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Bounce Back
o Skill Increase: Mercenary Lore (master)
o Gear: +2 greater striking longsword, +2 resilient breastplate, greater brooch of inspiration, talisman cord, greater tracker’s goggles, greater pendant of the occult
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Master Alchemy
o Skill Feat: That’s Not Natural!
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – glyph of warding, 5th – flowing strike
o Gear: keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking longsword, greater quick runner’s shirt, +2 resilient breastplate, greater demon mask, talisman cord
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 21)
o General Feat: Diehard
o Third Implement: Chalice
o Skill Increase: Crafting (legendary), Deception (trained), Esoteric Lore (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient breastplate, boots of speed, keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking longsword, greater brooch of inspiration, bag of holding (type III)
Largely for the sake of keeping his spell attack and DCs up for the sake of his produce flame, Geralt will take Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting though many of his other spells focus more on buffs or other utility – flowing strike grants him some movement and an attack with extra damage. Master Alchemy allows him to craft more potent alchemical items and grants him scaling for items as he levels. The adept benefit of his weapon implement plays slightly into his skill as a warrior, allowing him to deal damage even when he misses with its reaction. There are many options for his third implement that could fit but the healing properties of chalice felt like a solid choice for him. Geralt has no compunctions about slaying humans when the need calls for it and Schooled in Secrets helps him take out cults and the like. That’s Not Natural is simply a perfect match for a hunter of monsters, allowing him to gain advantage against creatures that don’t belong in the natural world. He takes up glyph of warding to potentially mimic the effects of Yrden, being a trap made from magic.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Instructive Strike
o Skill Feat: Craft Anything
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – freedom of movement, 6th – stoneskin
o Gear: dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater boots of bounding, keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking longsword, greater quick runner’s shirt
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Implement Paragon: Weapon
o Skill Increase: Occultism (legendary), Survival (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking longsword, dragonscale amulet, antimagic armor rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, boots of speed, keen weapon rune
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Master Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Root Magic
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – banishment, 7th – true target
o Gear: belt of giant strength, +3 greater striking longsword, speed weapon rune, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expertise)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient breastplate, belt of giant strength, major brooch of inspiration, +3 greater striking longsword, dragonscale amulet, antimagic armor rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 22)
o Class Feat: Wonder Worker
o Skill Feat: Pilgrim’s Token
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – true seeing, 8th – power word stun
o Gear: +3 major striking longsword, +3 greater resilient breastplate, titan’s grasp, major brooch of inspiration, speed weapon rune, greater talisman cord
Fitting in with his ability as a combatant, Geralt can use Instructive Strike to make a blow while also gauging his foe. On the other hand, he uses Master Sorcerer Spellcasting to enhance his magic capabilities. He doesn’t qualify for any other capstone thaumaturge feats, leaving Wonder Worker as the only real option for him that fits in with the other magic he’s gathered. Choosing the weapon implement to gain its paragon benefit allows him to disrupt victims of his Implement’s Interruption with only a hit instead of requiring a critical hit.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Depending on what the GM permits, taking the Sorcerer Dedication to capture his handful of spells in conjunction with Alchemist Dedication is likely the best bet. For some extra archetype feats, Geralt should consider Poison Resistance and Quick Alchemy. This ends up freeing up an ancestry feat, which he could potentially use to explore other multiclass archetypes with Multitalented, but I’m not sure which other options would be a good pick for him. As a hunter of monsters, he could look into the Ranger Dedication (though this would require increasing his Dexterity) and benefit from choices such as Monster Hunter and Monster Warden.
BUILD CONCLUSION
To fit his role as a slayer and hunter of various monsters, Geralt is built as a thaumaturge though he makes liberal use of archetypes. This gives him the vast knowledge of monsters that he wields in combat through options such as Exploit Vulnerability. With the Sorcerer Dedication and the imperial bloodline from it, we capture the fact that his mother was a sorcerer and use the spells from it to mimic the handful of spells he knows. Produce flame and the wand implement work for Igni, shield serves the role of Quen, glyph of warding with a deadlier spell forms Yrden, and gust of wind fills in for Aard. Given that his abilities as a witcher originate from mutagens and experimentations as well as his own use of bombs, oils, and the like, Geralt uses Multitalented for the Alchemist Dedication, and then takes options such as Expert and Master Alchemy. The closest the build gets to his resistance to poisons and drugs is with the Fast Recovery general feat while he uses the Ride general feat for his command of his horse, Roach. My take on Geralt builds him as a slayer of monsters who relies on his knowledge of foes to gain an advantage against them, which he can then exploit with spells, alchemy, or martial prowess!
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!
If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerds, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog and are trying to get some milestones made up for. Starting in March, I'm going to take a bit of a hiatus just to give myself a break and try to get ahead of stuff, but the last build before that should be pretty wild.
Have a fantastic Friday!
Comments