Back to the classics with a League of Legends build! I don't have much to say about this, so let's get into it. 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 Jayce from League of Legends!
JAYCE, THE DEFENDER OF TOMORROW
CHARACTER Jayce Talis
SOURCE League of Legends
BUILD GOALS
o A champion from League of Legends, Jayce is a scion of a family of tool makers based in Piltover, the City of Progress
o An encounter with a mage in his childhood caused Jayce to become fixated with magic and harnessing it for the average person to make their lives better
o When he found success in his endeavors, thanks to this work with Viktor, he was promoted to a position in council of Piltover and sought to improve life for all, even willing to negotiate with Zaunites
o His primary weapon in combat mercury hammer, a personal invention that can shift between a hammer form and ranged cannon form, and he is classified as an artillery champ
o Jayce uses a stance system, changing abilities depending whether he is wielding his hammer or cannon, which is triggered by his ult and also empowers his next few attacks
o His passive, Hextech Capacitor, is also based on his changing stances as it speeds him up whenever he does
o His first hammer ability is To the Skies! He leaps to a location and smashes his hammer to deal damage in an area
o With Lightning Field, he surrounds himself in a field of electricity that damages nearby enemies
o His final hammer ability is Thundering Blow, dealing extra damage and knocking his foe back
o The first ability of his mercury cannon is Shock Blast, which fires an electric bolt that damages nearby enemies. If it passes through an Acceleration Gate, it goes further and deals more damage
o Hyper Charge greatly increases the speed of Jayce’s next three attacks and increases the damage they deal
o Jayce can deploy an Acceleration Gate, which increases the movement speed of all allies that pass through it
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Versatile Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Intelligence
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition
o General Feat: Toughness
Background: Mechanic
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity
o Skills: Crafting (trained), Engineering Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Quick Repair
Class & Subclass: Weapon Innovation Inventor
o Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence
o Skills: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Athletics (trained), Deception (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Society (trained), Stealth (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Class Feat: Explosive Leap, Variable Core – Electricity
o Skill Feat: Inventor
o Initial Modification: Segmented Frame
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 12)
Building switch hitters is always difficult and it grows even more difficult with the inventor class, but no classes fit Jayce better than the inventor. His ability scores are adjusted to account for that, meaning he’s starting with less than max Int and is still behind on his Dex. He isn’t able to invest anything in Constitution but still wants to be capable of mixing it up in melee, so he uses his versatile heritage to pick up Toughness for some extra health. Obviously, a background that grants Crafting makes the most sense and of those options, mechanic seems to be the best fit. As an inventor, the weapon innovation is used to represent his Mercury Cannon/Hammer thanks to the hammer gun combination weapon. None of the innovations at 1st level seem particularly well-suited to Jayce aside from possibly hampering spikes to represent his abilities with slowing effects, but segmented frame is a generally good one. In this early level, Jayce is able to simulate his Lightning Field ability with Variable Core (Electricity) turning his Explode action into electricity damage. He also uses Explosive Leap to cover his To the Skies ability, at least in theme if not quite in effect.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Gunslinger Dedication – Way of the Triggerbrand
o Skill Feat: Specialty Crafting – Blacksmithing
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Society (expert)
o Gear: +1 hammer gun, cantrip deck (5-pack), ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Megaton Strike
o Skill Feat: Courtly Graces
o Gear: crafter’s eyepiece, +1 hammer gun, hand of the mage, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 18, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 12)
o Ancestry Feat: Courteous Comeback
o Skill Increase: Arcana (expert), Stealth (trained)
o Gear: +1 striking hammer gun, crafter’s eyepiece, backfire mantle, hand of the mage, cantrip deck (5-pack), ring of discretion
To get the most use out of his combination weapon, Jayce is going to tip into the Gunslinger Dedication for the way of the triggerbrand though it doesn’t do much to help initially. Megaton Strike is a powerful hit but lacks the knockback effect of his Thundering Blow – at least initially. Fleet somewhat helps fill in the role of his Hextech Capacitor, granting him enhanced speed. This block has some focus on Jayce’s diplomatic abilities, matching his role as a superhero of sorts for Piltover, his ability to influence the council, and even his attempts at negotiation with Zaun. While Jayce is enamored with technology and using it to harness magic, he does have some origins as a smith, which is represented through his Specialty Crafting for blacksmithing.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Clockwork Celerity (retrain for Basic Shooting – Munitions Crafter at 18th level)
o Skill Feat: Magical Crafting
o Gear: +1 chain shirt, +1 striking hammer gun, bag of holding (type I), crafter’s eyepiece, hand of the mage, flask of fellowship
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Improvised Repair
o Skill Increase: Society (master)
o Breakthrough Modification: Manifold Alloy
o Gear: hauling weapon rune, +1 chain shirt, diplomat’s badge, +1 striking hammer gun, crafter’s eyepiece, backfire mantle
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Slinger’s Readiness
o Skill Feat: Connections
o Gear: clockwork heels, ring of the ram, hauling weapon rune, +1 chain shirt, +1 striking hammer gun, bag of holding (type I)
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Clever Improviser
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Offensive Boost: Jolt (electricity)
o Gear: +1 resilient chain shirt, clockwork heels, winder’s ring, hauling weapon rune, diplomat’s badge, +1 striking hammer gun
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Gigaton Strike
o Skill Feat: Crafter’s Appraisal
o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient leather, shock weapon rune, clockwork heels, ring of the ram, +1 striking hammer gun
Picking up Clockwork Celerity is highly impactful in these early levels in part because the extra action it grants can be used to Strike or Interact or reload, helping his action economy slightly. This quickened state is meant to resemble the enhanced speed granted by his Hyper Charge. Slinger’s Readiness nets Jayce the Spring the Trap free action so that he can immediately draw his hammer gun and then avoid AoOs on his first turn, but another solid option for this level is Gadget Specialist to play into his inventor nature. This block also sees the completion of his Thundering Blow by adding Gigaton Strike to his repertoire so that his unstable Megaton Strikes launch foes backwards. He will also take an offensive boost for electricity to further play into that aspect of his theme. Again, none of the innovations seem like automatic choices and manifold alloy is handy for facing a variety of foes. Rope Shot is also an option, using the ranged trip trait for some of his slowing effects. Magical Crafting was an obvious fit with his fixation on harnessing arcane energies through technology and Connections fits well given his relationship with Clan Medarda and Clan Kiramman. As intelligent and quick-witted as Jayce is, the Clever Improviser ancestry feat felt like a solid fit.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Pick Up the Pace
o Skill Increase: Arcana (master)
o Gear: +2 striking hammer gun, armbands, greater hat of the magi, +1 resilient leather, clockwork heels, winder’s ring
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Megavolt
o Skill Feat: Quick Contacts
o Gear: +2 resilient leather, +2 striking hammer gun, impactful weapon rune, armbands, Cordelia’s construct key, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Incredible Improvisation
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Gear: +2 greater striking hammer gun, +2 resilient leather, greater crafter’s eyepiece, impactful weapon rune, armbands, greater hat of the magi
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Practiced Reloads
o Skill Feat: Impeccable Crafter
o Gear: greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking hammer gun, greater Cordelia’s construct key, +2 resilient leather, impactful weapon rune, greater choker of elocution
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 14)
o General Feat: Bon Mot
o Skill Increase: Occultism (trained), Society (legendary)
o Revolutionary Modification: Enhanced Damage
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather, greater ring of the ram, bag of holding (type IV), +2 greater striking hammer gun, greater crafter’s eyepiece, ring of maniacal devices
As an area attack that deals electricity damage, Megavolt is meant to resemble his Shock Blast ability with the unstable function of it potentially standing in for its ability to be enhanced by his Acceleration Gate. Another big get this block is Practiced Reloads. This allows Jayce to get off a shot and then for a single action, Step up to a foe, reload, and switch to hammer mode so that he can deliver a smackdown. When using Clockwork Celerity, he could even potentially Strike in gun mode, Touch and Go to get up close and personal, and then deliver a Megaton Strike. Making all of this even deadlier is the enhanced damage modification to his innovation, which was probably the easiest choice out of all of them though given his fascination with magic, rune capacity could also make sense. Pick Up the Pace is the closest this build gets to the effects of his Acceleration Gate, at least in regards to enhancing the speed of his allies.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Unstable Redundancies
o Skill Feat: Craft Anything
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding, greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking hammer gun, greater Cordelia’s construct key
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Stubborn Persistence
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Gear: +3 greater striking hammer gun, greater shock weapon rune, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient leather, greater ring of the ram, bag of holding (type IV)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Advanced Shooting – Triggerbrand Salvo
o Skill Feat: Shameless Request
o Gear: belt of giant strength, +3 greater striking hammer gun, speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather, belt of giant strength, clockwork helm, +3 greater striking hammer gun, greater shock weapon rune, dragonscale amulet
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 16)
o Class Feat: Full Automation
o Skill Feat: Legendary Negotiation
o Gear: +3 major striking hammer gun, +3 greater resilient chain shirt, titan’s grasp, clockwork helm, greater talisman cord, greater shock weapon rune
Between Clockwork Celerity, Megavolt, and Megaton/Gigaton Strike, Jayce gets considerable use out of Unstable Redundancies though it doesn’t resemble anything specific in his kit. At 18th level, it is worthwhile having Jayce retrain Clockwork Celerity, as he begins to get quickened from other sources, into Basic Shooting for whatever option feels best. Munitions Crafter makes sense and fits in with his general theme as a builder and inventor, which is why it’s listed up above. However, upon acquiring a feat with Basic Shooting, Jayce qualifies for the Advanced Shooting feat, which he can use to pick up Triggerbrand Salvo, an absolutely massive get for combination weapons as it will let him smash and shoot at the same MAP and even grant a bonus to his ranged Strike. Stubborn Persistence matches Jayce’s refusal to let his research go despite numerous setbacks and matches the way he pushes himself in his work. Shameless Request and Legendary Negotiation respectively reference his appeal before the council despite his crimes and his attempt at reconciliation with the Zaunites. Feather Step is meant to help further emulate his Hextech Capacitor, giving him some enhanced movement options.
FREE ARCHETYPE: It’s nice when I do a build that already uses an archetype because I already know what I’m going to suggest for the free archetype. In this case, the Gunslinger Dedication with a free archetype is hugely freeing. It will allow him to grab the likes of Basic Shooting and Advanced Shooting much sooner and also, very importantly, frees up some inventor feats for him. Aside from keeping Clockwork Celerity, Jayce will also want to look into picking up Gadget Specialist and Ubiquitous Gadgets simply to capture the feel of his craftiness. Devastating Weaponry is also a decent ability although it doesn’t particularly resemble any of his abilities. Once you have enough feats from the gunslinger archetype, it may be worthwhile taking the Acrobat Dedication solely so that Jayce becomes capable at tumbling to mimic the ghosting effects of his Hextech Capacitor.
CONCLUSION
Starting off as a simple mechanic, Jayce employs his brilliance as an inventor to become a hero to the people of Piltover. His political affiliations and attempts at peace with the Zaunites is reflected in his Diplomacy and Society focuses and feats. Fortunately, Pathfinder added just the weapon to represent the Mercury Cannon/Hammer with the hammer gun, which Jayce uses as his innovation! Fleet and Feather Step help to capture that speed up of his Hextech Capacitor, but he is unfortunately reliant upon Acrobatics to Tumble Through for its ghosting effect. He makes use of Explosive Leap for his To the Skies!, launching himself into battle from a distance. The AoE Lightning Field is covered early on in the base class feature of the inventor’s Explode coupled with a Variable Core for electricity damage. Megaton Strike covers the increased damage of Thundering Blow, but he doesn’t achieve its knockback effect until he picks up Gigaton Strike. For the Mercury Cannon’s abilities, Megavolt is a ranged AoE of electricity, matching a bit of his Shock Blast, even including a means of enhancing its damage by making it unstable, akin to shooting it through an Acceleration Gate. At earlier levels, Jayce relies on Clockwork Celerity to become quickened for the effects of Hyper Charge, but eventually abandons that in favor of Full Automation. The team-wide speed buff of the Acceleration Gate is the most difficult ability to replicate and the closest that Jayce gets is only through overland travel with the Pick Up the Pace feat.
Lemme know what you think and if there's any other particular builds you'd 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. Next week is a build that takes a dive into the deepest and darkest of dungeons. Have a fantastic Friday!
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