I've been sitting on a concept to build Hel ever since the Player Core released and am happy to finally present it. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in my best attempt to fit the character. These choice may not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Naturally, you can check out a video on the character over here on YouTube.
Let's get into the build for Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld from Smite!
HEL, GODDESS OF THE UNDERWORLD
SOURCE Smite
BUILD GOALS
o Hel is the daughter of Loki who at birth was half cast in shadow and half cast in light, marking her as both living and dead
o She was given charge of the underworld where they souls of the sick and old went when they died and while she tended to the kind-hearted, those deemed evil were hurled into the frozen depths of her domain
o She is a ranged, magical mage. This class relies on their abilities to deal burst damage but lacks durability
o Hel is based around her ultimate Switch Stances, which allows her to switch between Light Stance and Dark Stance. In the former, she projects an aura that increases the protections of her allies. In the latter, she unleashes an aura that increases their power
o Stance Attunement causes her to gain increased effects the longer she spends in a stance. Light Stance creates an aura the decreases the power of her enemies while Dark Stance bolsters her own damage
o Her first ability in Light Stance is Restoration, which launches a projectile that damages an enemy or heals an ally. If it heals an ally, the projectile returns to Hel, healing her
o Its counterpart in Dark Stance is Decay that simply fires a bolt of decay that detonates in an area
o Light Stance’s Cleanse removes crowd control from enemies in an area while Dark Stance’s Hinder slows and reduces the protections of enemies in the area
o She rounds out her abilities with Light Stance’s Inspire, which heals allies and speeds them up. Alternatively, her Dark Stance has Repulse, which damages nearby enemies
Summary of Goals: Hel is a caster who can switch between two different states, one light and one dark, with different powers and focuses in each state. Her light state can restore and protect her friends while her dark stance focuses on dealing damage and afflicting her foes with conditions.
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Nephilim Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Angelkin
o Skill Feat: Multilingual
o Skill Increase: Society (trained)
Background: Cursed
o Ability Boosts: +Charisma, +Wisdom
o Skill Increase: Occultism (trained), Curse Lore (trained)
Class & Subclass: Distant Grasp Psychic with the Emotional Acceptance Subconscious Mind
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Intimidation (trained), Medicine (trained), Society (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – telekinetic hand, telekinetic projectile, telekinetic rend; 1st – bane, kinetic ram
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +4)
Hel’s core ancestry actually isn’t super important. As long as she takes something that doesn’t have a penalty to Charisma or Wisdom, she’ll be set and that is because she will be focusing on the Nephilim heritage, starting with the Angelkin lineage feat. This felt like it made the most sense but any of the lineages could potentially work for what this build hopes to achieve. With prophecies foretelling that Hel and her siblings would bring about terrible calamities during Ragnarok as well as her being born half-dead, the Cursed background slotted in well for her though something that more calls to mind her role as a psychopomp would be preferred. She rounds out her ABCs with the psychic class, which as its Unleash Psyche and the extra damage from this ability to represent her Dark Stance and its increased damage from her passive. She seems better suited for one of the Charisma-based subconscious minds and with the healing of Emotional Acceptance and her own Restoration, it won out from among those options. Her conscious mind was harder to decide and was mostly the result of me crossing off options – the oscillating wave has some nice dichotomy but she’s not fire and ice-based, she lacks the mobility to warrant the unbound step, she doesn’t seem to use the mental manipulations of the silent whisper, and she isn’t really manifesting anything for the tangible dream. This left her with the distant grasp or infinite eye, and the former seemed better for her more combat-focused capabilities. Regrettably, I think this combination of minds has been used before, but they will not be the focus of the build this time around.
That being said, kinetic ram is a handy 1st-rank spell with its three-action form helping to represent her Dark Stance’s Repulse ability though yet lacking its damage. Another effect she can surround herself with is bane, its penalty representative of the power-reducing effects of her Light Stance’s Stance Attunement.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Cleric Dedication
o Skill Feat: Stitch Flesh
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained), Religion (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – soothe
o Gear: psychopomp mask
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Continual Recovery
o Skill Increase: Medicine (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – soothe*; 2nd – restoration*, telekinetic maneuver
o Gear: wondrous figurine (onyx dog), psychopomp mask, cloak of feline rest
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Basic Cleric Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – noise blast
o Gear: grim sandglass, stone of encouragement, wondrous figurine (onyx dog), psychopomp mask
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +4.5)
o Ancestry Feat: Scion of Many Planes – Grimspawn
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained), Intimidation (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – protection*, levitate
o Gear: healer’s gloves, grim sandglass, spider lily tattoo, wondrous figurine (onyx dog), psychopomp mask, cloak of feline rest
While the psychic pretty much covers everything that Hel needs, there are a few things of note that she can pick up with a Cleric Dedication, not the least of which is some extra skills and more spells thanks to her Basic Cleric Spellcasting. While she will be keeping her Wisdom competitive, it is still lagging a bit behind, so I would save her cleric spell slots for buffing and restorative spells. Having a bless going with a bane could be fun while also being similar to the enhanced power that she shares with her allies in Dark Stance. As a goddess of the underworld, she would naturally be able to tend to her subjects through Stitch Flesh and can spend her first general feat on Continual Recovery for the sake of expedience. Opposite these restorative abilities is her focus on the Intimidation skill and its Intimidating Glare ensure that all manner of creatures feel the deathly chill of her dark gaze. This is intentionally done to foster a contrast in the character that may be helped by roleplaying her to use more restorative functions in her Light Stance and the debilitating glares to her Dark Stance, even if this isn’t entirely reflective of their differing abilities. This concept is more directly explored by taking Scion of Many Planes to pick up a fiendish lineage – I went with Grimspawn as I think Hel being half-dead should likely make her harder to slay.
Soothe grants Hel the healing aspect of her Light Stance’s Restoration ability while the spell restoration removes debilitating effects, akin to her Cleanse though regrettably, restoration is not a combat capable spell given its casting time. She can pick up noise blast to create an area akin to her explosive Decay from Dark Stance though by the name of the spell, it might not match the flavor. Then she can take protection as a third rank spell to cast on herself and exude an aura that bolsters her allies’ protections – matching the aura of her Switch Stances when she’s in Light Stance.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Basic Dogma – Communal Healing
o Skill Feat: Battle Medicine
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – slow
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, staff of healing, healer’s gloves, grim sandglass, wondrous figurine (onyx dog), stone of encouragement
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Medicine (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – fly, haste*
o Gear: wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, wand of contagious fraility, +1 striking weapon, grim sandglass, spider lily tattoo
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Dark Persona’s Presence
o Skill Feat: Terrifying Resistance
o Gear: ash gown, lantern of empty light, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, healer’s gloves, staff of hearing
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Celestial Magic – revealing light, share life
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – synaptic pulse*, telekinetic haul
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, ash gown, boots of bounding, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), wand of contagious fraility, staff of healing
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +1, Wis +4, Cha +5)
o Class Feat: Divine Breadth
o Skill Feat: Advanced First Aid
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – repelling pulse
o Gear: greater healer’s gloves, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater grim sandglass, ash gown, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), staff of healing
At level six, Hel gains a second rank spell slot from her Cleric Dedication that she can fill with heal, which will allow her to make use of Communal Healing, gained from her Basic Dogma, which represents the healing that she receives when she bolsters an ally with Restoration. Directly opposite that is Dark Persona’s Presence to help make Hel’s disparate personalities more distinct and give her yet another aura – so that’s four you could potentially have running between this, bane, bless, and the 3rd-rank protection. She can be a bit more supportive by taking Divine Breadth to get an extra 1st-rank spell slot for the cleric, which she will likely fill with bless or heal to help bolster her teammates. While this has minimal benefits now, we will expand upon it in a few levels. I’m honestly taking alternating Medicine and Intimidation feats at this point to explore the different aspects of the character but Advanced First Aid is notably important with its ability to reduce conditions in the midst of combat, based on her Cleanse. Given all her auras that either buff allies or debilitates enemies, Incredible Initiative is very useful in helping her go first to lay out these effects before everybody else starts rolling the dice that would be affected by them. She demonstrates her Light Stance through some Celestial Magic, of which I think revealing light and share life make the most sense from both a representation of her character aspects as well as just functionally the most useful since the other spells don’t rank up.
To cover her Dark Stance’s Hinder, Hel first takes slow and then follows it up with a signatured synaptic pulse, which is a better area effect. Opposite of slow, she takes haste, which she can combo with a single action heal to create the effects of Inspire for a singular adjacent creature. She can also take repelling pulse from her 5th-rank spells to better mimic her Repulse ability.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Religion (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – awaken entropy*, poltergeist’s fury
o Gear: wand of teeming ghosts (4th-level), greater healer’s gloves, wand of overflowing life (3rd-level), +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, ash gown, boots of bounding
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Psi Catastrophe
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, voice from the grave, wand of teeming ghosts (4th-level), greater healer’s gloves, greater staff of healing, greater grim sandglass
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Fiendish Magic – invisibility, paranoia
o Skill Increase: Religion (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – shock to the system*, telekinetic bombardment
o Gear: purgatory emissary’s staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of overflowing life (4th-level), wand of teeming ghosts (4th-level), greater healer’s gloves, wand of overflowing life (3rd-level)
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Expert Cleric Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Ward Medic
o Gear: wand of overflowing life (5th-level), major grim sandglass, purgatory emissary’s staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater demon mask, wand of teeming ghosts (4th-level)
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +4.5, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +4.5, Cha +5.5)
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained), Medicine (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – falling sky, undermine reality*
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater desolation locket, wand of overflowing life (5th-level), purgatory emissary’s staff, greater ash gown, wand of overflowing life (4th-level)
The psychic unfortunately doesn’t seem to have a Quicken Spell feat, but Psi Catastrophe isn’t a bad grab for giving her another emanating blast akin to her Repulse though between the two ‘Psi’ feats, I do personally prefer Psi Burst, given its usage in the three-action economy. However, this fits Dark Stance Hel a little bit better. Expert Cleric Spellcasting at fourteenth level gives her slots for 4th- and 5th-rank spells as well as getting her bonus slots for 2nd and 3rd, thanks to her Divine Breadth. This will most likely be filled with supportive spells, with vital beacon being a standout option with the way that it calls to mind her Inspire though it isn’t quite fast healing – there’s something for that next block. However, when she gets 6th-rank spells, she can take field of life to generate an area of continual healing to better represent that aspect of her Inspire. She continues to alternate between her skill feats though starts increasing Religion for the sake of her archetype and on the topic of the divine, she takes up Fiendish Magic – again, playing into her Dark Stance and using invisibility and paranoia as probably the most useful options and ones not left behind due to not being heightened. Inspire also gives Hel some extra move speed, represented by her Fleet feat while Feather Step references the fact that she’s floating above the ground – difficult terrain shouldn’t be too bothersome for her.
There’s some very solid spells in this block – awaken entropy is probably the truest representation of her Decay, matching both the theming while also being a burst. The only downside is that it’s a sustained effect rather than a one-and-done blast, but she picks up shadow blast in these ranks, which could better serve that particular purpose. As she gets into 7th-rank spells, Hel no longer has to try to combo heal and haste to try to emulate the effects of Inspire and can instead go Frankenstein on her friends with shock to the system, healing and hastening all in one tidy little package. This isn’t exact since Inspire actually creates a field of healing around her, but I feel like this captures the spirit of the concept if nothing else. Undermine reality is a big get at 8th-rank with its ability to reduce the damage of an enemy resembling her Light Stance’s Stance Attunement to decrease the power of nearby enemies. Regrettably, this is a single target, but this might be the best way to achieve the effect.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Constant Levitation
o Skill Feat: Legendary Medic
o Gear: wand of overflowing life (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of teeming ghosts (6th-level), wand of overflowing life (5th-level), purgatory emissary’s staff, major grim sandglass
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Divine Declaration
o Skill Increase: Religion (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – implosion, synesthesia*
o Gear: true staff of healing, busine of divine reinforcement, wand of overflowing life (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater desolation locket, wand of overflowing life (5th-level)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Master Cleric Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Battle Prayer
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – wails of the damned
o Gear: bangles of crowns, Miogimo’s mask, true staff of healing, wand of overflowing life (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of teeming ghosts (6th-level)
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Scare to Death
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, bangles of crowns, wand of overflowing life (7th-life), true staff of healing, busine of divine reinforcement, wand of overflowing life (6th-level)
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +6)
o Class Feat: Twin Psyche
o Skill Feat: Divine Guidance
o Gear: wand of overflowing life (8th-life), +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, mask of allure, wand of overflowing life (7th-life), true staff of healing, Miogimo’s mask
As mentioned, Hel floats around the battlefield regardless of what stance she’s in and Constant Levitation will allow her to do exactly that. She fills out more of her divine list with Master Cleric Spellcasting, netting her more spells all across it thanks to Divine Breadth. She rounds out her class feats with Twin Psyche, letting her remain in Dark Stance a little longer and letting her two sides share the spotlight a bit more equally. She picks up all of the legendary skill feats for her Medicine, Intimidation, and Religion skills, and also slips in Battle Prayer because it is a nice third action when she’s in her Dark Stance. Divine Declaration is great for getting her another emanation spell and one that specifically only targets enemies, dishing out damage and potentially enfeebling them.
While we have explored the slowing effect of Dark Stance’s Hinder, we haven’t really touched on its debuffing of protections, which we pick up in this block through synesthesia, targeting up to 5 creatures and hopefully leaving them clumsy 3 for at least one round – ripe for a teammate’s fireball. As for wails of the damned, it just feels right for the Goddess of the Underworld to have.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: By switching Hel’s Cleric Dedication to her free archetype, she is freed up to take feats such as the aforementioned Psi Burst as well as Signature Spell Expansion, Target of Psychic Ire, and similar options. Amusingly, Hel could also likely make use of a Bard Dedication to gain even more auras and specifically pick up options such as Hymn of Healing for the fast healing of her Inspire as well as the various buffing and debuffing effects that it can provide. As a goddess of the Underworld, she should probably grab Dirge of Doom, but Rallying Anthem is an even better effect to bolster her allies’ defenses than protection is.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld, is a nephilim human distant grasp psychic of the emotional acceptance subconscious mind and the cursed background. This subconscious mind helps represent how she counsels the souls of the kind that make their way to her domain while the background references both the prophecies surrounding her as well as her half-dead state. The contrast of her character, the differing aspects of her Light and Dark Stances, are thematically explored through her heritage and its Scion of Many Planes feat allowing her to net both a celestial and fiendish lineage that is further explored through their respective magic feats. Her ability to Switch Stances comes in the form of the psychic’s Unleash Psyche with the extra damage resembling the enhanced magical power of Switch Stance and the heightened damage of her Stance Attunement. Her Light Stance relies on spells for its aura, with 3rd-rank protection resembling her defensive aura and bane covering the decreased power that she inflicts on others. She looks for bursts such as noise blast, shadow blast, and awaken entropy to create her Decay or even the damaging aspect of Restoration but has soothe and heal for its more restorative properties. She can even heal herself a little bit when using it through her Communal Healing feat. Her focus on Medicine with Advanced First Aid can help her remove conditions in the midst of battle while restoration outside of a fight helps to recreate her Cleanse ability. Its opposite, Hinder, can come from any number of debuffing spells, such as synesthesia, with slows effects coming from slow and synaptic pulse. On the other hand, Hel can quicken her allies with haste, representing a mere facet of Inspire, which can be further covered with shock to the system featuring both healing and hastening or field of life to generate an area of continual healing. The last of her abilities is Repulse, a very simple emanation of damage she initially tries to represent through kinetic ram and eventually builds into repelling pulse. This build depicts Hel as a caster able to swap between her aspects through her Unleash Psyche and further explore her dichotomy by her heritage. While not necessarily restricted in casting spells in either state, she has a variety of spells to represent the effects that she can create.
This bipolar baddie bolsters buds with bountiful benefits and blessings but blights bullies with blasts, bringing bane with a bit of bluster.
Let me know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!
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Have a fantastic Friday!
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