There is a trend of doing builds for character from games I haven't played/don't play, but it is not continued with those one! I've played at least a little bit of every numbered Borderlands though in my initial Borderlands game, what I did play was as Brick. Anyway, I've had this suggestion for a while and figured that it was a fun concept to explore. 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 Roland from Borderlands!
ROLAND
CHARACTER Roland
SOURCE Borderlands
GOALS
o Former soldier of the Crimson Lance, a highly trained private military company, who favors shotguns and combat rifles
o In-game, he is a vault hunter upon the rugged planet of Pandora in search of a hidden cache of alien technology
o He has access to a Scorpion Turret, an automated sentry gun that he is able to periodically deploy
o Like most playable characters from the Borderlands franchise, he has access to three skill trees that all primarily work to support his turret
o The Infantry skill tree focuses on enhancing base combat abilities, increasing the turret’s damage and granting it guided missiles
o With the Support skill tree, the turret grants ammo regeneration to nearby allies and will also periodically release supply packs
o The final skill tree, Medic, causes allies close to the turret regenerate health and can even revive those that have been gravely wounded
o He eventually joined with his friends to form the Crimson Raiders, a militia defending Pandora that he leads
o Notably, Roland lacks a way to boost his melee capabilities unlike the other characters of his game
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Versatile Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Intelligence, +Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Nature
o General Feat: Toughness
Background: Martial Disciple
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained), Warfare Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Quick Jump
Class & Subclass: Construct Innovation Inventor
o Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Crafting (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Intimidation (trained), Medicine (trained), Society (trained), Stealth (trained), Survival (trained)
o Class Feat: Variable Core - Electricity
Construct Innovation: Scorpio Turret
o Ability Bonuses: Str +3, Dex +3, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha +0
o Attacks: Fist 1d8 bludgeoning; Spike 1d6 piercing (agile, finesse), Autocannon 1d4 piercing (propulsive, range increment 30 feet)
o Initial Modification: Projectile Launcher
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12)
Martial Disciple feels appropriate for a more disciplined type of character such as a trained soldier with Athletics being the more important skill for future aspects of the build. As with many characters, Roland is obviously a human with the versatile heritage giving him some extra HP since he neglects his Constitution slightly. Given the multiplayer nature of Borderlands and Roland’s former membership in an army, Cooperative Nature feels appropriate. With the inventor class, Roland is a capable warrior able to wield a variety of weapons, while the construct innovation is going to serve the role as his scorpio turret. To start with, Roland isn’t going to have bombs to stand in for his grenades and as such will have to rely on his Explode ability, so Variable Core will give him some variety on damage for that aspect. Initially, the ‘turret’ isn’t going to be much of a turret but projectile launcher is the first step.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Gunslinger Dedication – Way of the Vanguard
o Skill Feat: Battle Medicine
o Skill Increase: Thievery (trained)
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Crafting (expert), Medicine (expert)
o Gear: +1 blunderbuss, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Advanced Construct Companion
o Skill Feat: Ward Medic
o Construct Ability Bonuses: Str +4, Dex +4, Con +3, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha +0
o Attacks: Fist 2d8 bludgeoning; Spike 2d6 piercing (agile, finesse), Autocannon 2d4 piercing (propulsive, range increment 30 feet)
o Gear: golden legion epaulet, +1 blunderbuss, brooch of shielding, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 14, Cha 12)
o Ancestry Feat: Sense Allies
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking blunderbuss, crafter’s eyepiece, golden legion epaulet, brooch of shielding, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
Initially, the Gunslinger Dedication isn’t going to do much for Roland but it will allow him to more proficiently use his firearms down the line. This build naturally takes all the feats to improve his turret, so I’m not really going to dive into them unless they do anything different. To explore Roland’s Medic skill tree, he takes several Medicine feats, starting with Battle Medicine and Ward Medic so that he can restore his allies in combat and patch up multiple allies at once. As a trained soldier, Incredible Initiative lets him get the drop on enemies while Sense Allies can help him pinpoint where his friends are before unleashing explosive attacks.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Basic Shooting – Munitions Crafter
o Skill Feat: Continual Recovery
o Gear: +1 leather armor, +1 striking blunderbuss, healer’s gloves, golden legion epaulet, brooch of shielding, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Crafting (master), Medicine (master)
o Breakthrough Modification: Turret Configuration
o Gear: ring of the ram, +1 leather armor, goggles of night, +1 striking blunderbuss, crafter’s eyepiece, golden legion epaulet
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Incredible Construct Companion
o Skill Feat: Paragon Battle Medicine
o Construct Ability Bonuses: Str +6, Dex +6, Con +5, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha +0
o Gear: gloves of storing, energizing weapon rune, ring of the ram, +1 leather armor, +1 striking blunderbuss, healer’s gloves
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Cooperative Soul
o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)
o Offensive Boost: Vitriol (Acid)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather armor, boots of bounding, gloves of storing, ring of the ram, goggles of night, +1 striking blunderbuss
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 12, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Practiced Reloads
o Skill Feat: Titan Wrestler
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained)
o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient leather armor, shock weapon rune, gloves of storing, ring of the ram, +1 striking blunderbuss
The gunslinger archetype finally starts paying off with this block of feats, starting with Munitions Crafter, which Roland can use to make the grenades featured in Borderlands while Practiced Reloads gives him the option of reloading his weapon while creating some distance between himself and enemies. Munitions Crafter also slightly plays into the Support skill tree with it granting Roland the ability to make ammunition and other supply packs. However, Practiced Reloads isn’t as reflective of anything in particular for Roland, but it will help the character function. It is also in this block that Roland gains the ability to actually have his little body transform into a turret. He continues to improve his Medicine abilities with Continual Recovery and Paragon Battle Medicine. Titan Wrestler simply improves the function of Practiced Reloads. Finally, the Diehard feat references the extensive time it takes for a Borderlands character to actually fall, increasing the chances they have of coming back.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Gear: +2 striking blunderbuss, armbands of athleticism, greater healer’s gloves, +1 resilient leather armor, boots of bounding, bag of holding (type III)
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Lock On
o Skill Feat: Group Impression
o Gear: +2 resilient leather armor, +2 striking blunderbuss, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, greater backfire mantle, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Bounce Back
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Gear: +2 greater striking blunderbuss, +2 resilient leather armor, greater alchemist goggles, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, greater healer’s gloves
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Paragon Companion
o Skill Feat: Godless Healing
o Construct Ability Bonuses: Str +7, Dex +7, Con +6, Int -4, Wis +5, Cha +0
o Construct Attacks: Fist 3d8 bludgeoning; Spike 3d6 piercing (agile, finesse), Autocannon 3d4 piercing (propulsive, range increment 30 feet)
o Gear: boots of speed, +2 greater striking blunderbuss, greater lucky draw bandolier, +2 resilient leather armor, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 21, Wis 16, Cha 14)
o General Feat: Prescient Planner
o Skill Increase: Crafting (legendary), Medicine (legendary)
o Revolutionary Modification: Runic Keystone
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, necklace of fireballs (type V), +2 greater striking blunderbuss, greater alchemist goggles, bag of holding (type III)
Lock On is an inventor feat that does something other than merely enhance the turret’s base stats, being an action that Roland can spend to bring his turret’s attack bonus on par with other martials – or even fighters if he meets certain requirements. Additionally, Roland picks up Runic Keystone for his companion’s final modification with the intent being that players can further modify it to get the feeling of the wide variety of weapons in Borderlands. After leaving the Crimson Lance, Roland became a leader of the Crimson Raiders and the aim was to represent that a little bit with an investment into Diplomacy along with some of its skill feats, starting with Group Impression. Meanwhile, Roland very much lives in a world that makes Godless Healing feel highly appropriate for him though he possibly could’ve grabbed it earlier. Fleet is one of those general feats that is always handy while Prescient Planner plays into the Support tree, even if it’s a little more mundane than his other options. Finally, Bounce Back allows Roland to return from going down with vigor, akin to Fight For Your Life though something like an orc’s ferocity might represent this idea better.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Gadget Specialist
o Skill Feat: Advanced First Aid
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater boots of bounding, necklace of fireballs (type V), +2 greater striking blunderbuss, greater lucky draw bandolier
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Athletics (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking blunderbuss, dragonscale amulet, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, necklace of fireballs (type V)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Advanced Shooting - Munitions Machinist
o Skill Feat: Legendary Medic
o Gear: anklets of alacrity, +3 greater striking blunderbuss, speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Prescient Consumable
o Skill Increase: Survival (expert)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather armor, anklets of alacrity, greater armbands of athleticism, +3 greater striking blunderbuss, dragonscale amulet, greater shock weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 16, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 22, Wis 18, Cha 14)
o Class Feat: Full Automation
o Skill Feat: Craft Anything
o Skill Increase: Nature (trained)
o Gear: +3 major striking blunderbuss, +3 greater resilient leather armor, mercurial mantle, greater armbands of athleticism, greater talisman cord, greater frost weapon rune
Gadget Specialist and finally snagging Munitions Machinist rounds out the idea behind the Support skill tree even if they are gained very late. Full Automation helps ensure that Roland can fight alongside his turret while still using abilities like Lock On, giving him an extra action that can be used to Command his turret. Heroic Presence plays into the Medic and Support skill trees alike, giving ‘shields’ to his allies while he rounds out his investment in healing feats and then grabs Craft Anything just cause. Prescient Consumable is simply the natural progression of Prescient Planner and allows him to provide more varied and possibly useful items to his allies.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: As might be expected, Roland would want to grab the Gunslinger Dedication for his free archetype, which would let him pick up feats such as Munitions Machinist much sooner and might allow him to slip in feats such as Risky Reload to manage his action economy better. He can use these freed up class feats to pick up some options earlier than he otherwise would such as Gadget Specialist and even Ubiquitous Gadgets. Other good gunslinger feats may include Alchemical Shot (to get the feel of elemental damage on your weapons), Advanced Shooter (to pick up superior weapons such as the dwarven scattergun), Grit (since that is literally a skill he has), or Running Reload (to give an alternate and useful means of reloading). Other inventor feats to consider are Collapse Construct since the turret is something he deploys, Megaton Strike to enhance the turret’s damage per the Sentry/Guided Missile skills, and Contingency Gadgets simply to further emulate the Support skill tree.
CONCLUSION
Martial disciple covers Roland’s military training under the Crimson Lance while the inventor class gives him access to weapons that are the closest analogues to his favored shotguns and combat rifles. Inventor also gives him a construct companion that fills in the role of his Scorpio Turret, especially as he picks up the Projectile Launcher and Turret Configuration modifications. This build can deploy it a bit more regularly and his feats to enhance it, including Lock On, fit in with the Infantry skill tree. If he is able to fit Risky Reload into his build, it works well with the Metal Storm skill in general concept. Meanwhile, several feats help net the effect of the Support tree, which focuses on providing support to himself and allies. Munitions Crafter can be used to make ammo and bombs, ala Stockpile and Grenadier, while Heroic Presence grants a shield of sorts akin to the Defense skill. Prescient Planner and Prescient Consumable provide other useful supply drops as does Gadget Specialist. Finally, Roland explores the Medic tree with a heavy investment in Medicine skill feats allowing him to patch up his allies, even in battle thanks to the Battle Medicine skill feat. Toughness also helps gain the effects of Roland’s Fitness skill. Outside of his skill trees, as a leader of the Crimson Raiders, a slight dip into Diplomacy and its skill feats should help make Roland a leader that people actually want to follow.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build and who else you might like to see!
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Until then, have a fantastic Friday!
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