Full Build Friday - Shen, the Eye of Twilight

This is another request and one that I had a lot of fun building. There aren't really 'taunts' in Pathfinder except for kind of the swashbuckler's Antagonize, but it wasn't really a good fit for this particular build. I think I still managed to at least capture the heart of this concept with the choices made, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. 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.

I had some fun putting together the video for Shen, so I hope you enjoy it.

Now, let's get into the build for Shen, the Eye of Twilight from League of Legends!

SHEN, THE EYE OF TWILIGHT

CHARACTER Shen

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o Shen is a melee champion from League of Legends who fills the role of tank and specifically a warden – a subclass that focuses on receiving damage and disrupting enemies rather than inflicting damage

o His passive Ki Barrier grants him a shield whenever he uses an ability

o When Twilight Assault is activated, Shen calls his spirit blade to his location and empowers his next few attacks. If the blade passes through enemies, it slows them

o Spirit’s Refuge creates an area around Shen’s spirit blade that blocks the basic attacks of enemies for those within

o Shadow Dash causes Shen to dash forward, taunting enemies that he passes through

o His ultimate is Stand United, which causes Shen to channel and shield an ally. After completing his channel, he and his spirit blade teleport to his ally

o In Legends of Runeterra, he grants barriers to supported allies and then empowers any allies that gain a barrier after leveling

o In the lore, Shen is the leader of the Kinkou Order, an organization dedicated to preserving the balance between the physical world and spirit realm. To serve this role, he must suppress his emotions

o He has a deep connection to the Spirit Realm, which allows him to see spiritual connections and move between the Physical Realm and Spirit Realm

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Aphorite Human

o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Dexterity

o Ancestry Feat: Natural Ambition

Background: Perfection Seeker

o Ability Boosts: +Wisdom, +Strength

o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Warfare Lore (trained)

o Background Feat: Cat Fall

Class: Monk

o Class Ability Boost: +Strength

o Skill Increase: Athletics (trained), Nature (trained), Occultism (trained), Religion (trained)

o Class Feat: Ki Rush, Monastic Weaponry

Details

o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12)

Aphorite may seem an odd choice, but I’ve been enjoying using versatile heritages for characters where they may be applicable and Shen’s dedication to balance between the physical world and spiritual world, as well as his ability to pass between the two, feels like a good fit for him. This grants him low-light vision, but he will actually start with the Natural Ambition ancestry feat because this build needs a whole bunch of class feats. The Perfection Seeker feels like the best fit for Shen’s training to become a member of the Kinkou Order though as somebody that tried to stay out of the war against Noxus, Warfare Lore seems like an odd fit. The rest of the background outweighed this discrepancy. Finally, with his focus on spiritual balance and a number of these more esoteric abilities, Shen uses the monk class, taking up Monastic Weaponry so that he can wield a temple sword to simulate the blades that he wields. He'll also use Ki Rush, which is the ‘Dash’ part of Shadow Dash. However, taunt as a mechanic doesn’t really exist in Pathfinder. Some have suggested grappling as a sort of ‘taunt,’ which is something Shen could certainly do with his Strength and the free hand since his temple sword is one-handed. Ki Rush additionally makes Shen concealed, which lends itself, at least marginally, to his Spirit’s Refuge.

LEVEL 2

o Class Feat: Ki Strike

o Skill Feat: Root Magic

o Gear: psychopomp mask

LEVEL 3

o General Feat: Toughness

o Skill Increase: Occultism (expert)

o Gear: +1 temple sword, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o Class Feat: Stand Still

o Skill Feat: Aura Sight

o Gear: bracers of missile deflection, +1 temple sword, Jack’s tattered cape, psychopomp mask

LEVEL 5

o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 19, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14)

o Ancestry Feat: Know Oneself

o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)

o Gear: +1 striking temple sword, bracers of missile deflection, bracelet of dashing, Jack’s tattered cape, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion

By taking Ki Strike, Shen can enhance a Flurry of Blows, akin to Twilight Assault whereas Stand Still could possibly be skipped – conceptually, it is meant to resemble the taunt portion of Shadow Dash by preventing enemies from engaging Shen’s allies, keeping them next to him. In this particular build, he takes it because he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for the feat that he does want yet. As the Eye of Twilight, Shen has an ability to peer into the spiritual world, which is represented by his Aura Sight skill. Root Magic is him harnessing these forces while also giving some protection to his allies – which fits well with Shen. In his role as the Eye of Twilight, Shen is forced to remain impartial and Know Oneself can help with that, keeping him from critically failing an emotion effect at least once per day.

LEVEL 6

o Class Feat: Champion Dedication – Redeemer Cause

o Skill Feat: Read Psychometric Resonance

o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained), Society (trained)

o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking temple sword, lifting belt, bracers of missile deflection, brooch of shielding, Jack’s tattered cape

LEVEL 7

o General Feat: Diehard

o Skill Increase: Occultism (master)

o Path to Perfection: Will (master)

o Gear: lesser grub gloves, +1 explorer’s clothing, lesser boots of free running, +1 striking temple sword, bracers of missile deflection, bracelet of dashing

LEVEL 8

o Class Feat: Abundant Step

o Skill Feat: Consult the Spirits – Occultism

o Gear: boots of bounding, crown of the companion, spiritsight ring, +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking temple sword, lifting belt

LEVEL 9

o Ancestry Feat: Lemma of Vision

o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)

o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, boots of bounding, ethersight ring, lesser grub gloves, lesser boots of free running, +1 striking temple sword

LEVEL 10

o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom (Str 20, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14)

o Class Feat: Champion’s Reaction

o Skill Feat: Quick Jump

o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, warcaller’s chime of refuge, boots of bounding, crown of the companion, +1 striking temple sword

With the recent ability increase, Shen can take up the Champion Dedication. While he should probably be Lawful Neutral or maybe true neutral, the redeemer cause at least uses the neutral component. Abundant Step and Champion’s Reaction are both essential to this build and could be taken in either order. The former mimics the teleportation effect of his Stand United whereas the latter pulls double duty. It can reflect the shield from Stand United, blocking damage normally whereas enemies that want to avoid becoming enfeebled deal no damage from the Glimpse of Redemption, like the dodge granted by his Spirit’s Refuge or the barrier from his LoR card. Feats like Read Psychometric Resonance and Consult the Spirits further delve into his spiritual side and the connections that he can see when viewing things in such a way. Supposedly, Shen is a ninja but he fills the role of a tank within League. His Toughness and investment in Constitution help with that and Diehard during this block also aids that. This build ends up including a few vision-based abilities given the sight-based powers that he demonstrates with Lemma of Vision being one of those options.

LEVEL 11

o General Feat: Fast Recovery

o Skill Increase: Nature (expert)

o Second Path to Perfection: Fortitude (master)

o Gear: +2 striking temple sword, armbands of athleticism, greater bracers of missile deflection, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, boots of bounding, ethersight ring

LEVEL 12

o Class Feat: Divine Ally – Blade

o Skill Feat: Wall Jump

o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, +2 striking temple sword, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, lesser clarity goggles, warcaller’s chime of refuge

LEVEL 13

o Ancestry Feat: Impose Order

o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)

o Gear: +2 greater striking temple sword, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, ki-channeling beads, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, greater bracers of missile deflection

LEVEL 14

o Class Feat: Align Ki

o Skill Feat: Water Sprint

o Gear: dancing weapon rune, +2 greater striking temple sword, bring me near, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism

LEVEL 15

o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom (Str 21, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 14)

o General Feat: Fleet

o Skill Increase: Occultism (legendary)

o Third Path to Perfection: Will (legendary)

o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, dancing weapon rune, boots of speed, +2 greater striking temple sword, bravery baldric (stoneskin), ki-channeling beads

The primary reason for taking Divine Ally and choosing a blade ally is so that Shen can grant his blade the ghost touch property with it being a way to at least somewhat represent his spirit blade. At first glance, his Ki Barrier passive seemed like it would be very difficult to replicate but with the character’s focus on ki spells, he can take up Align Ki. This actually heals him rather than providing a shield and is limited to once per hour, but is otherwise a fantastic representation of this part of his kit. It is a sad ninja that cannot Wall Jump or Water Sprint and given that Shen is the leader of his order, it is safe to assume that he has mastered both. Feather Step aids his mobility and the Impose Order ancestry feat was a fun way to play into his focus on maintaining balance and order between the realms.

LEVEL 16

o Class Feat: Basic Devotion – Desperate Prayer

o Skill Feat: Schooled in Secrets

o Gear: major rooting weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding, dancing weapon rune, +2 greater striking temple sword, bring me near

LEVEL 17

o Ancestry Feat: Channel the Godmind

o Skill Increase: Athletics (legendary)

o Gear: +3 greater striking temple sword, greater fan of soothing winds, major rooting weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, dancing weapon rune, boots of speed

LEVEL 18

o Class Feat: Enlightened Presence

o Skill Feat: Cloud Jump

o Gear: belt of giant strength, +3 greater striking temple sword, headbands of translocation, major rooting weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding

LEVEL 19

o General Feat: Feather Step

o Skill Increase: Nature (master)

o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, belt of giant strength, greater boots of free running, +3 greater striking temple sword, greater fan of soothing winds, major rooting weapon rune

LEVEL 20

o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 22, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 16)

o Class Feat: Golden Body

o Skill Feat: Morphic Manipulation

o Gear: +3 major striking temple sword, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, titan’s grasp, greater boots of free running, headbands of translocation, speed weapon rune

Shen makes considerable use of ki spells within his build and while it seems small, using the champion’s Basic Devotion to take Desperate Prayer nets him one extra Focus Point per day when times are tough. Enlightened Presences fits well with Shen’s focus on equilibrium while also matching his ability to defend his team. Golden Body is probably just the best monk capstone feat but it is uncommon. If it gets nixed by the GM, Enduring Quickness is probably the best option just by virtue of it making Shen permanently quickened. In some instances, the Kinkou Order has been described as secretive, leading to the use of Schooled in Secrets whereas Cloud Jump is very ninja-like. Finally, Shen delves into Nature solely so that he can take Morphic Manipulation, based on the tree that he helped grow in The Lesson animatic. Again, Shen has a minor focus on sight and seeing things invisible to the normal eye, which Channel the Godmind fits in nicely to, giving him precise motion sense, the ability to see invisible creatures, and even the effects of true seeing.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Unfortunately, Shen can’t take his Champion Dedication until he increases his Charisma at 5th level. But because his ki spells are focus spells, he can take the Soulforger Dedication to start with, choosing his sword to represent his spiritual blade. Bounding Spirit is probably the best to represent his ability to move his spirit blade though Pull of Stasis could represent the slow inflicted by his spirit blade when it passes through an enemy with Twilight Assault. He’ll take Soul Flare and Rapid Manifestation quickly so that he can dive into his Champion Dedication. He can take it at eighth level and then still get Champion’s Reaction at tenth. With the freed up monk feats, Shen could take Ki Cutting Sight to represent his ability to see spiritual connections, Peafowl Stance for some extra mobility, and Wholeness of Body to keep himself healthy. For extra champion feats, Divine Health and Inspiring Resilience stand out and Litany Against Wrath would be hard to pull off but could be a fun way to discourage enemies from attacking, ala Spirit’s Refuge.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Shen is an aphorite human monk of the Perfection Seeker background, representing his rigorous training as a member of the Kinkou Order. A melee champ in League, he stays true to that by wielding a temple sword through Monastic Weaponry and can tank with his investment in Constitution, Toughness, and similar feats. Align Ki heals Shen rather than providing a shield but is otherwise a fantastic fit for his Ki Barrier. He can represent his Twilight Assault with ki strike, which can be used to make a Flurry of Blows with, befitting the multitude of empowered attacks that he gets to make. The full negation of damage by Glimpse of Redemption from his Champion’s Reaction is probably the best way to represent Spirit’s Refuge with its ability to block attacks though he can personally generate the effect for himself with ki rush, which will make him concealed. This ki spell also helps with his Shadow Dash, allowing him to Stride or Step twice for a single action. As mentioned, there isn’t really a taunting mechanic in Pathfinder but getting up in the faces of enemies and using feats like Stand Still can help force them to focus on him. Stand United is a two-parter to achieve – first off, he can teleport to his allies (or anywhere really) with abundant step and can then protect them with his Champion’s Reaction, which also fits in well with his Legends of Runeterra card. As the impartial Eye of Twilight for the Kinkou Order, Shen can stifle his emotions with Know Oneself while his spiritual sight and connection can be found in feats such as Aura Sight, Read Psychometric Resonance, and Enlightened Presence. In particular, we can see his ability to encourage the growth of trees as shown in The Lesson through his Morphic Manipulation.

Shen is a solemn and stoic shinobi set on serving scales of spirit and substance while saving squad mates from scoundrels, slicing at sinister shadows with swords of steel and soul.

Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!

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Have a fantastic Friday!