Back in the day, Jubilee was one of my favorite X-Men, largely influenced by that old cartoon and so I had fun actually trying to build her! As is the standard for caster builds, I don’t dive into every single spell choice even if I pick spells to fill in the slots on the sheet. Instead, this write-up includes spells that are automatic such as bloodline spells and the ones that specifically feel appropriate to the character. 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 Jubilee from Marvel comics!
JUBILEE
CHARACTER Jubilation Lee
SOURCE Marvel Comics
BUILD GOALS
o Born to affluent parents, Jubilation Lee demonstrated a talent for gymnastics and a penchant for troublemaking, which led to her discovering her powers while fleeing from mall security
o When her parents died in a car crash, she took to hiding in a Hollywood shopping mall where she encountered the X-Men and followed them through their portal, hiding in their base for a time
o With the X-Men, she formed a close bond with Wolverine but remains cheerful and good-humored
o She has served on several iterations of the team, including Generation X
o When Scarlet Witch altered reality and decimated the mutant population, Jubilee was one of those that lost her powers. During this time, she used a strength-enhancing power suit to operate as the heroine Wondra
o She was made a vampire by the son of Dracula and wielded unnatural strength and speed, enhanced senses such as night vision, and the ability to turn into mist
o During a dire situation, a student sacrificed a fragment of the Phoenix Force to cure her vampirism and restore her powers
o Jubilee can generate dazzling explosions of light and force, which she refers to as fireworks, and the upper limits of her power allow her to detonate matter at a sub-atomic level
o Her mind possesses a natural defense against telepathic detection and attack, making her difficult for mental beings to track
o She suffers from dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects her ability to do arithmetic
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Versatile Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Skill – Crafting (trained), Stealth (trained)
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
Background: Acrobat
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Circus Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Steady Balance
Class & Subclass: Janni Bloodline Sorcerer
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained), Deception (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Society (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – dancing lights, detect magic, infectious enthusiasm, produce flame, prestidigitation; 1st – color spray, illusory disguise, magic missile
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18)
Despite her later transformation into a vampire, starting out as a flatscan human feels more appropriate for Jubilee. An excitable young woman, Incredible Initiative is a nice little hint at her adventurous nature whereas Natural Skill will help give her some more skills as she is somewhat starved for them – and is a surprisingly skillful character. For her background, there was an option to use something to reference her affluent background but I instead leaned into her training as a gymnast with the Acrobat background. Finally, sorcerer always feels like a good way to represent mutants, and to get the spells that Jubilee needed, she had to use the arcane list. This limits her to Draconic, Genie, and Imperial and of those three, the Genie bloodline at least seemed to have options that she could make use of. Of the subtypes for the Genie bloodline, the scintillating pattern of the Janni sold me on using that particular option. There are a few spells that stand out in particular for this build, but for the rest of them, options that behave like fireworks, have explosions, or release dazzling bursts of light feel appropriate.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Firework Technician Dedication
o Skill Feat: Bargain Hunter
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – color spray*; 2nd – confetti cloud, create food, ignite fireworks*
o Gear: +1 staff, everburning torch, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Coughing Dragon Display
o Skill Feat: Additional Lore – Fireworks Lore
o Gear: staff of fire, +1 staff, brooch of shielding, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 19)
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Nature
o Skill Increase: Crafting (expert), Fireworks Lore (expert), Thievery (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – enthrall, firework blast*, pyrotechnics
o Gear: +1 striking staff, flaming star, staff of fire, brooch of shielding, everburning torch, ring of discretion
This block introduces the first of two spells that inspired this – ignite fireworks! This is a fun little spell that doesn’t scale great, but deals a mix of damage types, leaves the target dazzled, and can light them on fire with a critical failure. Her next level of spells gives the other spell that inspired this build, firework blast. This is essentially a weaker fireball that can also blind and deafen creatures affected by it. Both of these spells are arcane only, locking us into using that list. Pyrotechnics also works well for this concept, being another source of fireworks.
However, spell slots run out, so she also grabs the Firework Technician Dedication. Her fireworks use her spell DC, which is handy as that will eventually get to legendary. These fireworks should be flavored as her unleashing more bursts from her hand to really fit the character. She will try to rush through this archetype, immediately taking Coughing Dragon Display as a follow-up. Jubilee has a wide range of skills based on a wide variety of traits, but the first option we’ll look to is Diplomacy and Bargain Hunter as she is something of a shopaholic. She’ll need expert in Crafting to take another feat, so the next increase goes there. Beyond that, Jubilee has almost always been part of a team and Cooperative Nature helps represent her familiarity with operating alongside others.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Expert Fireworks Crafter
o Skill Feat: Slippery Prey
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd - sparkleskin
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking staff, cloak of repute, flaming star, brooch of shielding, stone of encouragement
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Deception (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – call the blood*, chromatic ray, creation
o Gear: ringmaster’s staff, +1 explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs I, +1 striking staff, flaming star, backfire mantle
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Vampire Dedication
o Skill Feat: Experienced Smuggler
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – gaseous form
o Gear: energy robe (fire), cassisian helm, ringmaster’s staff, +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking staff, cloak of repute
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Soul
o Skill Increase: Deception (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – banishment, cloak of colors
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, energy robe (fire), clockwork heels, ringmaster’s staff, cape of illumination, +1 striking staff
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Daywalker
o Skill Feat: Slippery Secrets
o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained)
o Gear: sanguine fang, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, lightweave scarf, energy robe (fire), ringmaster’s staff, +1 striking staff
Expert Fireworks Crafter is mostly taken to fill in a slot as there don’t seem to be any fireworks for her to actually make, but with that feat out of the way, she can take Vampire Dedication for her next feat, representing her fate in the X-Men versus vampires arc. While she was apparently eventually cured of this condition, which I didn’t find out until I was doing research for the build, it was important aspect for a time and one that deserves representation. For functionality, she then picks up Daywalker so that she isn’t immediately slain in the sun and also gains darkvision. Back when she was living in a mall, Jubilee rather capably avoided security and capture by them, leading to the use of Slippery Prey. She also starts building up her Deception during this block so that she can pick up Slippery Secrets, representing the natural psionic resistance that she possesses.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – true seeing, vampiric exsanguination
o Gear: +2 striking staff, moderate cape of illumination, sanguine fang, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, energy robe (fire), clockwork heels
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Turn to Mist
o Skill Feat: Fleeing Diversion
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – vibrant pattern
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, +2 striking staff, sun sight, sanguine fang, lightweave scarf, wand of dazzling rays (3rd-level)
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Group Aid
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – energy aegis, fiery body*
o Gear: +2 greater striking staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of refracting rays (4th-level), greater staff of evocation, moderate cape of illumination, sanguine fang
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Goblin Jubilee Display
o Skill Feat: Bon Mot
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – prismatic spray
o Gear: hellfire boots, +2 greater striking staff, greater ringmaster’s staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of dazzling rays (3rd-level), sun sight
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 21)
o General Feat: Keen Follower
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – scintillating pattern*
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, hellfire boots, necklace of fireballs V, +2 greater striking staff, greater alchemist goggles, wand of refracting rays (4th-level)
Possessing a host of powers as a vampire, the most obvious is her ability to turn to mist, which she picks up from the vampire’s Turn to Mist. In the comics, Jubilee possessed claws and fangs as well as the supernatural strength to make the most use of them but that’s not entirely doable in Pathfinder, not without sacrificing things that felt more important to the character. As such, those vampire feats will be skipped and she’ll instead grab Goblin Jubilee Display because its more fireworks and she’s named after them. While the damage doesn’t scale, it is a nice burst that can dazzle and deafen for a full minute. With her investment in Deception, options that enhance her ability to Create a Diversion feel nice and play into her generation of dazzling bursts. In the interest of demonstrating new feats, she picks up Fleeing Diversion, again a reference to her multiple escapes from mall security during that time in her life. As one of Wolverine’s original tagalong kids, she’ll naturally pick up Keen Follower.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Scintillating Spell
o Skill Feat: Shameless Request
o Gear: wand of refracting rays (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major staff of evocation, hellfire boots, +2 greater striking staff, greater ringmaster’s staff
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking staff, greater thunderblast slippers, wand of refracting rays (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, hellfire boots, necklace of fireballs V
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Quickened Casting
o Skill Feat: Legendary Negotiation
o Gear: troubadour’s cap, +3 greater striking staff, radiant prism, wand of refracting rays (6th-level), +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major staff of evocation
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 10th – cataclysm
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, troubadour’s cap, greater daredevil boots, +3 greater striking staff, greater thunderblast slippers, wand of refracting rays (6th-level)
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 22)
o Class Feat: Bloodline Perfection
o Skill Feat: Escape
o Skill Increase: Performance (trained)
o Gear: greater robe of the archmagi, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater ring of maniacal devices, troubadour’s cap, staff of power, radiant prism
In this final block of the build, Jubilee finally picks up a few feats from her actual class. For those spells that aren’t spent to create fireworks, Jubilee grabs Scintillating Spell so that she can always dazzle her foes. So that she can set off multiple fireworks in a round when in dire straits, she’ll take Quickened Casting. With nothing else particularly standing out, she rounds out her build with Bloodline Perfection simply so that she has even more spells to cast. She finally gets to increase her Stealth a little bit to reflect the time she spent living in the mall and the X-Men base without being found. Jubilee feels a bit more diplomatic to be than deceptive, which saw me going in that direction for her skills, but I could see going the other route as well.
OutroFREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: In a free archetype game, Jubilee is freed up to use her class feats for actual class feats. Options to consider are Dangerous Sorcery to give her some extra damage, Widen Spell to increase the area covered by her fireworks, Energy Ward for some protection, and Spell Shroud to allow her to surround herself in smoke from her fireworks. I could also see Detonating Spell, but I couldn’t think of many single target spells that stood out for her.
BUILD CONCLUSION
For this explosive mutant, Jubilee is built as a human sorcerer with the acrobat background. This background reflects her training as a gymnast in her youth while her penchant for troublemaking is represented by her investment in Deception, Stealth, and eventually Thievery. I would have liked to increase her Stealth more for her build to reference her time hiding both in a shopping mall and an X-Men base, but other skills took precedence. I could potentially see swapping out Diplomacy increases for Stealth to reference this. Jubilee was one of the first of Wolverine’s teenage sidekicks and she represents this with Keen Follower, Cooperative Nature, and other feats about working alongside others since that also reflects her time with various teams. After losing her powers, Jubilee was transformed into a vampire and while the build couldn’t fit in the Strength to represent her might, she does use the Vampire Dedication to gain darkvision and Turn to Mist. She eventually regained her powers, the ability to generate dazzling explosions of light and fire, which she mainly relies on ignite fireworks, firework blast, and pyrotechnics to generate. By dipping into the Firework Technician Dedication, she gains even more fireworks that she can spontaneously create. Any DCs for these fireworks uses her spell DC, which gets up to legendary as a caster. For her innate defense against telepathic detection and attack, she uses the Slippery Secrets skill feat.
This build creates a caster who supplants her explosions, both magic and mundane, with dazzling flashes while she remains surprisingly slippery thanks to her talent for trickery and vampire powers allowing her to transform into mist.
Lemme 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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