Full Build Friday - Inuyasha

I remember my brothers watching this back in the day but I had to do some research to bring the build to life. 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.

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Let's get into the build for Inuyasha from, well, InuYasha!

INUYASHA

SOURCE InuYasha

BUILD GOALS

o    He is a half-dog demon, which grants him enhanced physical capabilities and senses. He has a notably heightened sense of smell and hearing

o    He can also change into a more demonic form, enhancing some of his other powers

o    Additionally, he is able to use these powers to fly or at least jump good enough to seem like he’s flying

o    Part of his physiology includes sharp, blade-like claws that are strong enough to shred steel

o    He can solidify his blood and often does so to launch it as a bladed projectile called Hijin Kesso

o    In addition to his claws, he is an adept swordsman and a surprisingly cunning tactician

o    Wields a heavy sword made from his father’s fang that can unleash a cone of slashes, launch shards of diamonds, or even unleash a cut that carves a path to the underworld

o    Furthermore, the sheath of his sword could deflect energy attacks

o    His mother taught him limited medical knowledge that he had nevertheless made use of to care for others

Summary of Goals: There’s a lot to Inuyasha, but he is most notably a highly capable swordsman that is able to manifest demonic powers such as enhanced senses, superhuman might, and even the ability to fly. He can turn his blood into blades, wield his claws in steel-rending slashes, and unleashing slicing winds from his sword.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Nephilim Human

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Dexterity

o    Ancestry Feat: Bestial Manifestation – Claws

Background: Warrior

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Charisma

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (T), Warfare Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Intimidating Glare

Class & Subclass: Exemplar

o    Class Ability Boost: +Strength

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Athletics (T), Medicine (T), Religion (T), Survival (T)

o    Class Feat: Vow of Mortal Defiance

o    Body Ikon: Gaze Sharp as Steel

o    Weapon Ikon: Barrow’s Edge

o    Worn Ikon: Pelt of the Beast

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +0, Cha +2)

We’re going pretty straightforward in regards to Inuyasha’s ancestry by making him a Nephilim human, reflecting his demonic daddy and human mother. Given his own claws, he obviously uses the Bestial Manifestation ancestry feat to gain a claw Strike with which to rend foes. I had some trouble settling on a background but I think warrior suits the character with its use of Intimidation. For his class, I initially considered barbarian, but there was some suggestions on exemplar and after taking another look through the class, I thought it was a fantastic fit. His katana becomes a much larger blade in his hands, so I wanted something that could be one or two-handed and had to choose a fitting weapon ikon. Between this and his healing capabilities, I settled on using Barrow’s Edge with its Drink of my Foes ability granting him some additional means of restoring his health. Gaze Sharp as Steel provides him with some extra damage but also sharpens his senses with a bonus to vision as I struggled to find a way to cover his sense of smell or hearing within the build. Finally, the Pelt of the Beast is inspired by the fire-rat robe that he wears with this letting him gain fire resistance (and a few other types of it) from this ikon. With all his ikons picked out, all the remains is his class feat, which will be Vow of Mortal Defiance based on all the demons and other quasi-deities that he battles.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Red-Gold Mortality

o    Skill Feat: Quick Jump

o    Gear: cloak of feline rest

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Natural Ambition – Energized Spark (Air)

o    Root Epithet: The Brave

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (E), Occultism (T)

o    Gear: +1 bastard sword, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Steel on Steel

o    Skill Feat: Powerful Leap

o    Gear: bracelet of dashing, +1 bastard sword, 2, cloak of feline rest

LEVEL 5

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +4.5, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +3)

o    Ancestry Feat: Bestial Brutality

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (E)

o    Gear: +1 striking bastard sword, bracelet of dashing, cloak of gnawing leaves, necklace of knives, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion

With a lack of better options at second level, Inuyasha takes Red-Gold Mortality as his first class feat for this block, making it harder for enemies to heal from the wounds that he inflicts. A bit closer to the feel of the character is a whole chain of feats starting with Ancestral Paragon leading into Natural Ambition and then leading into Energized Spark for air – which lets Inuyasha convert spirit damage dealt by his exemplar abilities into slashing damage. In combination with the likes of Steel on Steel, it will allow him to create a cone that deals sonic and slashing damage, which is one of a few ways to recreate his Wind Scar Slash. With his flight-like jumping capabilities, he uses Quick Jump and Powerful Leap for this block. Expanding on his claws, he uses Bestial Brutality to grant the deadly trait and critical specialization effect to them. Additionally, as an exemplar, Inuyasha gains a root epithet and given his speed and tenacity, The Brave seems a solid selection.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Flow of War

o    Skill Feat: Battle Medicine

o    Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 striking bastard sword, lifting belt, bracelet of dashing, necklace of knives, Jack’s tattered cape

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Fleet

o    Dominion Epithet: Dancer in the Seasons (Void)

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (M)

o    Gear: lesser grub gloves, +1 breastplate, lesser rending gauntlets, +1 striking bastard sword, bracelet of dashing, cloak of gnawing leaves

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Rejoice in Solstice Storm

o    Skill Feat: Intimidating Prowess

o    Gear: boots of bounding, lesser grub gloves, lesser dread armor rune, +1 breastplate, +1 striking bastard sword, demon mask

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Multitalented – Sorcerer Dedication (Demonic)

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (M), Nature (T), Stealth (T)

o    Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – divine lance, void warp

o    Gear: +1 resilient breastplate, boots of bounding, cloak of thirsty fronds, lesser grub gloves, lesser rending gauntlets, +1 striking bastard sword

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +4)

o    Class Feat: Additional Ikon – Gleaming Blade

o    Skill Feat: Battle Cry

o    Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient hide armor, flaming weapon rune, boots of bounding, lesser dread armor rune, +1 striking bastard sword

I closed out talking about the last block with some words on Inuyasha’s speed and swiftness, which is also why he uses the Flow of War feat. The Dancer in the Seasons epithet expands on this idea of speed while also providing him with some temp HP based on his own healing. Following this, he can take Rejoice in Solstice Storm to unleash a vortex akin to his ‘Backlash Wave.’ He also picks up an Additional Ikon, for which there are a few options. People that are more familiar with the series told me that Gleaming Blade is a fantastic fit for his ‘Tetsusaiga,’ but I also like Scar of the Survivor for the potential fast healing it provides him with. You could also consider Thousand-League Sandsls to capture some more of his speed. In addition to these options expanding on his core class, as a human, he can take the Multitalented feat so that he can grab a Sorcerer Dedication. By taking a demonic bloodline, he can further explore the heritage granted by his fiendish father and will use the spells from it to capture a few further aspects of the character that exemplar can’t quite manage. I liked void warp to at least reference his sword’s ability to cut a path to the underworld, unleashing a burst of void energy.

From the medicine his mother taught him, he knows some first aid with Battle Medicine, but otherwise focuses more on Intimidation skill feats. Intimidating Prowess means that he’ll have a better chance at succeeding or better on checks to Demoralize and Battle Cry lets him unleash a cry before battle even begins. Fleet also simply increases his speeds, which is an important pick-up especially if you don’t have him using the Thousand-League Sandals.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Religion (E)

o    Gear: +2 striking bastard sword, armbands of athleticism, bravery baldric (haste), +1 resilient hide armor, boots of bounding, cloak of thirsty fronds

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Wall Jump

o    Spell Repertoire: 1st – protection; 2nd – blood vendetta*; 3rd – heroism

o    Gear: +2 resilient hide armor, +2 striking bastard sword, greater demon mask, armbands of athleticism, crown of the fire eater, flaming weapon rune

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Nephilim Eyes

o    Skill Increase: Religion (M)

o    Gear: +2 greater striking bastard sword, +2 resilient hide armor, skirmisher’s coat, greater demon mask, armbands of athleticism, thunderblast slippers

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Too Angry to Die

o    Spell Repertoire: 4th – bloodspray curse; 5th – blink charge; 6th – heroism

o    Gear: propulsive boots, +2 greater striking bastard sword, moderate grub gloves, +2 resilient hide armor, greater demon mask, serrating weapon rune

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5.5, Dex +3, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +4.5)

o    General Feat: Incredible Initiative

o    Sovereignty Epithet: The Last Ruler

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (L)

o    Gear: +2 greater resilient studded leather, keen weapon runes, propulsive boots, +2 greater striking bastard sword, greater ash gown, skirmisher’s coat

The decision to take up a Sorcerer Dedication may seem weird, but by taking Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting, he can learn blood vendetta. The phrasing is wrong, but this allows him to inflict a creature that makes him bleed with persistent bleeding. This is of course based on Inuyasha’s ability to turn his blood into blades, carving wounds into the bodies of his attackers. Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting lets him potentially heighten this spell, since he signatures it, but I also picked up options like heroism so that Inuyasha can draw upon depths of power he didn’t realize he had or even bolster his allies. His two skill feats for the block empower each of the skills he’s been primarily focusing on, with Religion being tacked on for the sake of his sorcerer spells. Wall Jump feels very anime to me with it allowing him to swiftly ascend between two planes. Too Angry to Die also feels in-character from what I’ve seen or heard about him. While Incredible Initiative is great for starting a fight, Toughness will help him hang in the fight a bit longer and make it easier for him to recover and maybe take advantage of his Too Angry to Die feat. He gains a final epithet from his class and takes up The Last Ruler mainly because of the investment that he’s made into Intimidation.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Warped by Rage

o    Skill Feat: Cloud Jump

o    Gear: greater astral weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, platinum fortune’s coin, propulsive boots, +2 greater striking bastard sword, moderate grub gloves

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Blessed Blood

o    Skill Increase: Religion (L)

o    Gear: +3 greater striking bastard sword, greater astral weapon rune, greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, keen weapon runes, propulsive boots

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Master Sorcerer Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat

o    Spell Repertoire: 7th – regenerate; 8th – shadow blast

o    Gear: sandals of the stag, +3 greater striking bastard sword, quickstrike weapon rune, greater astral weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, greater boots of bounding

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Fast Recovery

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (L)

o    Gear: +3 greater resilient studded leather, sandals of the stag, vorpal weapon rune, +3 greater striking bastard sword, greater astral weapon rune, greater flaming weapon rune

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +6, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +5)

o    Class Feat: Seven-Colored Cosmic Bridge

o    Skill Feat: Scare to Death

o    Gear: +3 major striking bastard sword, +3 greater resilient studded leather, titan’s grasp, vorpal weapon rune, major crown of the fire eater, quickstrike weapon rune

Its effects are off, but I like Warped by Rage to cover the times that his demonic side surges forth and becomes a more monstrous figure. He makes sure that he can make the most out of his spells with Master Sorcerer Spellcasting, which features regenerate for his enhanced healing factor and can then go for shadow blast to deal a range of damage in different areas based on the effect he’s trying to replicate – whether that be his Wind Scar Slash, Backlash Wave, or his cut into the netherworld. The immanence of Seven-Colored Cosmic Bridge might replicate his speed where as Transcendence is another way to demonstrate his Wind Scar Slash as he can convert the spirit damage into slashing damage with his Energized Spark (Air) and pack it with the slashing damage of his weapon. For his skill feats, Cloud Jump nearly gives him the ability to fly, especially when he has Quick Jump. He finished up with Intimidation feats to send feeble foes fleeing with Terrified Retreat or even cause Scare them to Death. I considered on Heroic Presence, but settled on Blessed Blood for his ancestry feat as another way to have his blood deal damage to foes that harm him. He then lands on Fast Recovery based on his own regenerative capabilities and closes the build out with that block.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: A free archetype game might save Inuyasha from having to take Multitalented as he instead builds on the sorcerer archetype through this rule. I think the big get here is Occult Breadth to give him more spell slots. He could also consider a Martial Artist Dedication and take Tiger Stance to better explore his claw Strikes and give him the ability to rend flesh. Or you could focus more on his swordplay with a Mauler Dedication, letting him use options such as Vicious Strike or other ways of meting out powerful blows.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Inuyasha is a nephilim human exemplar of the warrior background who is armed with the Barrow's Edge, Gaze Sharp as Steel, and Pelt of the Beast ikons. The second of these, his Gaze Sharp as Steel, enhances his Perception score to reflect his enhanced senses though he lacks the imprecise scent I would have liked to work in. For his enhanced regeneration, the Transcendence of Barrow's Edge heals him and he can also gain regeneration and Fast Recovery. Warped by Rage reflects the admittedly minor transformation he undergoes when tapping into his demonic side though you might touch on this with some of his sorcerer spells as well. He could pick up fly from those or simply use all his jumping feats, from Quick Jump to Cloud Jump, to get as close as he can without actually doing so. Bestial Manifestation gives him claws that he can enhance with his Gleaming Blade ikon to make the most out of its Transcendence. For his Hijin Kesso, he can unleash blood vendetta while an Energized Spark for air comboing with Steel on Steel or Seven-Colored Cosmic Bridge recreates his Wind Scar Slash. For his Backlash Wave, my intent is to use Rejoice in Solstice Storm or maybe slip in a shadow blast with how adaptive it is. The Dancer in the Seasons epithet allows him to harness void damage and potentially use some of these same abilities to cut a path to the netherworld. Finally, from his mother's teachings, he practices just a bit of Battle Medicine.

Descended from a demon doggy daddy, this deft and darling duelist dude doles out devastation and dire dread to dastardly doers, devils, deities in droves.

Please let me know what you think and what other builds you'd like to see!

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Have a fantastic Friday!