In celebration of Veteran's Day (and my birthday), today's build is for my single favorite Cybertronian from the Transformers franchise - Soundwave! If I was ever to be approached and given the opportunity to write for any franchise, I would easily pick Transformers and Soundwave would 100% be a major player. I think it's his loyalty in a group practically defined by their willingness to backstab that really makes me appreciate him as a character as well as his army of minions. And I can't forget to mention the fantastic voice provided by king of voice actors himself, Frank Welker! I'll stop gushing and get back to your regularly scheduled programming - 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 Soundwave from Transformers!
SOUNDWAVE
CHARACTER Soundwave
SOURCE Transformers
BUILD GOALS
o Soundwave is a Cybertronian whose alt modes have traditionally been a cassette player, satellite, armored truck, predator drone, or more typical cars
o In some cases, he is an outlier with the power of limited telepathy
o He is often depicted as one of the most loyal Decepticons in Megatron’s forces, serving as a close confidant as well as the communications officer
o In instances where Soundwave’s backstory has been delved into, he is commonly seen working as, for, or alongside politicians
o A defining feature for Soundwave is a veritable army of minicons with the condor-like Laserbeak and jaguar-like Ravage being two of the most prominent
o Soundwave’s traditional armaments include a shoulder cannon, sonic blaster, and concussion blaster gun though he often demonstrates considerable unarmed combat capability
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Mage Automaton
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Arcane Communication
Background: Emissary
o Ability Boosts: +Intelligence, +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Society (trained), Kaon Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Multilingual
Class & Subclass: Outwit Ranger
o Class Ability Boost: +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Crafting (trained), Deception (trained), Nature (trained), Occultism (trained), Stealth (trained), Survival (trained)
o Class Feat: Animal Companion – Bird
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 14, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10)
As with others, the plan is to represent Cybertronians with the automaton ancestry, selecting the mage heritage to grant him an ability to communicate telepathically via the message cantrip. Arcane Communication does something pretty similar but is shorter ranged while being more action efficient by my understanding of it. Given his work alongside politicians, or occasionally as one, emissary is a solid background fit though gladiator could also fit given some of his backstories. Finally, for a character who works with a multitude of beasts (in form if nothing else), relies on his information of enemies to thwart them, and fights from afar, ranger felt like the best fit. The Animal Companion feat gives him a pet bird to fill the role of Laserbeak while the outwit hunter’s edge resembles his tactical ability when it comes to taking down foes rather than unleashing a flurry or a single powerful strike. As his single most frequent companion, Laserbeak is the obvious first choice for his allies.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Beastmaster Dedication – Cat
o Skill Feat: Courtly Graces
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Arcane Eye
o Skill Increase: Society (expert)
o Gear: +1 blunderbuss, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Mature Beastmaster Companion
o Skill Feat: Connections
o Gear: golden legion epaulet, +1 blunderbuss, hat of disguise, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 12)
o Ancestry Feat: Reinforced Chassis
o Skill Increase: Nature (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking blunderbuss, golden legion epaulet, pendant of the occult, hat of disguise, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
Using the Beastmaster Dedication, Soundwave picks up his second most common companion – the jaguar-like Ravage represented by a cat companion. To make sure that they remain useful, he also takes Mature Beastmaster Companion to advance them both. Courtly Graces and Connections both reflect his political work. Using Ancestral Paragon allows him to grab Arcane Eye so that he can see in the dark while Reinforced Chassis points more to his bulkier build in comparison to other Cybertronians and his ability to take considerable punishment. As most of Soundwave’s foes are fellow Cybertronians, the Society skill (or maybe Crafting) seemed to make the most sense for his skill increase but other options may make better sense for certain campaigns.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Monster Hunter
o Skill Feat: Quick Contacts
o Gear: +1 reinforced chassis, +1 striking blunderbuss, belt of good health, golden legion epaulet, hat of disguise, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Society (master)
o Gear: ring of the ram, +1 reinforced chassis, cunning weapon rune, +1 striking blunderbuss, golden legion epaulet, pendant of the occult
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Incredible Beastmaster Companion – Bird (Nimble) & Cat (Nimble)
o Skill Feat: Biographical Eye
o Gear: boots of bounding, choker of elocution, ring of the ram, +1 reinforced chassis, +1 striking blunderbuss, belt of good health
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Lesser Augmentation – Arcane Communication
o Skill Increase: Nature (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient reinforced chassis, boots of bounding, gloves of storing, ring of the ram, cunning weapon rune, +1 striking blunderbuss
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Dexterity, +Wisdom (Str 18, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Beastmaster Bond
o Skill Feat: Read Psychometric Resonance
o Gear: collar of empathy, +1 resilient reinforced chassis, thundering weapon rune, boots of bounding, ring of the ram, +1 striking blunderbuss
So that Soundwave can be of use to his companions in battle, Monster Hunter is a handy option but for those looking to play more into his telepathy powers might consider Beastmaster’s Trance as he has been able to communicate with his minions over long distances. Laserbeak and Ravage are both some of the more nimble of Soundwave’s allies, and so they will both take up that advanced option. Aside from the sharing of senses, I feel that Beastmaster Bond better reflects Soundwave’s connection to his companions rather than the trance feat. Quick Contacts expands on his political affiliations while Biographical Eye is intended to lean deeper into his mind reading powers, which is the inspiration by both Read Psychometric Resonance and the Lesser Augmentation for Arcane Communication to increase the range of his telepathy.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Thorough Search
o Skill Increase: Occultism (expert)
o Gear: +2 striking blunderbuss, collar of empathy, greater sleeves of storage, +1 resilient reinforced chassis, boots of bounding, gloves of storing
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Master Monster Hunter
o Skill Feat: Aura Sight
o Gear: +2 resilient reinforced chassis, +2 striking blunderbuss, golem stylus, collar of empathy, Cordelia’s construct key, thundering weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Astral Blink
o Skill Increase: Occultism (master)
o Gear: +2 greater striking blunderbuss, +2 resilient reinforced chassis, bag of holding (type III), golem stylus, collar of empathy, greater sleeves of storage
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Specialized Beastmaster Companion – Bird (Ambusher) & Cat (Tracker)
o Skill Feat: Cognitive Crossover – Nature & Occultism
o Gear: greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking blunderbuss, greater Cordelia’s construct key, +2 resilient reinforced chassis, golem stylus, barding of the zephyr
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Dexterity, +Wisdom (Str 19, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 12)
o General Feat: Expeditious Search
o Skill Increase: Nature (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient reinforced chassis, greater ring of the ram, boots of speed, +2 greater striking blunderbuss, bag of holding (type III), greater brooch of inspiration
By picking up the Master Monster Hunter feat, Soundwave is able to pass on the benefits of Monster Hunter with a regular success instead of needing a critical success. Leaning into the most frequent roles of Laserbeak and Ravage, they are mostly intended as spies or combat support. As such, the ambusher and tracker specializations, respectively, feel like the best choice. But of the two, ambusher is easily the better choice, so some players might prefer making Ravage an ambusher as well. Aura Sight further represents Soundwave’s telepathic powers. Cognitive Crossover is a function over form type feat that lets him try to save a poor roll on a Monster Hunter Nature check with a second roll. The Search feats are to help capture the intelligence officer aspect of Soundwave that he is sometimes associated with. Astral Blink is particularly exciting as the ability to cast dimension door serves as a fantastic reference to the Transformers Prime version of Soundwave who could open up ground bridges (effectively teleportation gates) at will.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Lead the Pack
o Skill Feat: Disturbing Knowledge
o Gear: greater thundering weapon rune, +2 greater resilient reinforced chassis, 14, greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking blunderbuss, greater Cordelia’s construct key
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Greater Augmentation – Reinforced Chassis
o Skill Increase: Occultism (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking blunderbuss, dragonscale amulet, greater thundering weapon rune, +2 greater resilient reinforced chassis, boots of speed, greater ring of the ram
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Running Reload
o Skill Feat: Automatic Writing
o Gear: anklets of alacrity, +3 greater striking blunderbuss, speed weapon rune, greater thundering weapon rune, +2 greater resilient reinforced chassis, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: True Perception
o Skill Increase: Deception (expert)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient reinforced chassis, anklets of alacrity, clockwork helm, +3 greater striking blunderbuss, dragonscale amulet, greater thundering weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Dexterity, +Intelligence (Str 20, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Legendary Monster Hunter
o Skill Feat: Consult the Spirits – Occultism
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained)
o Gear: +3 major striking blunderbuss, +3 greater resilient reinforced chassis, mercurial mantle, clockwork helm, greater talisman cord, speed weapon rune
It isn’t infrequent for Soundwave to unleash his entire horde of minions, which makes Lead the Pack a perfect fit. As a character that uses a firearm, I would have wanted Soundwave to pick up Running Reload earlier for efficiency purposes but it contested too much with other options. On the other hand, there isn’t a good capstone feat for an animal companion ranger or even one that seems to particularly work for the outwit ranger. Something along the lines of the cavalier’s Legendary Rider where you’re quickened to Command an Animal would be a huge help in that regard. But since there is nothing of that sort, Soundwave continues to be an information collector who highlights the weakness of foes for his allies. In most settings, Soundwave is regarded as unnerving, which is particularly announced in the Transformers Prime show, and Disturbing Knowledge allows him to play into that without relying on his Charisma as he would have to with Intimidation. His Greater Augmentation will apply to Reinforced Chassis but Axial Recall could make sense taking into account the Prime version of Soundwave.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: The free archetype is the blatantly obvious choice of the Beastmaster Dedication, which will free up many of Soundwave’s feats. With these freed up feats, he will be grabbing options such as the Monster Hunter line and Running Reload. Additional feats that Soundwave could make use of are Additional Recollection, Monster Warden, and Masterful Companion. From the Beastmaster Dedication, Soundwave will look to pick up options such as Side by Side because in instances when facing an enemy that doesn’t have an AoO, getting up close with foes is a good way to have them be flat-footed to your ranged attacks. The downside of this is the scatter trait so when considering such a plan, also consider a different weapon. And maybe swap out the blunderbuss in general so you don’t hurt your companions. Soundwave could certainly make use of Additional Companion (arboreal saplings for Rumble, badger for Frenzy, ape for Beastbox, etc.), as well as Beastmaster’s Trance, Beastmaster’s Call, and additional Specialized Beastmaster Companions.
BUILD CONCLUSION
The automaton ancestry serves admirably for the purpose of representing Cybertronians though it lacks the ability to give him an alt mode (excluding hunter automaton, which doesn’t fit). I wanted to include some proficiency in Performance to reference his classic alt mode but felt that I couldn’t spare the skill proficiencies I already took. His focus on intelligence gathering and communication makes the outwit edge feel like the best fit for him and is further expanded with the Monster Hunter line of feats. Emissary serves as a good reference to his political careers that can be found largely in the IDW universe. I found a surprising number of options to cover Soundwave’s telepathic powers from Arcane Communication, a number of skill feats including Read Psychometric Resonance and a reinterpretation of Biographical Eye, as well as Beastmaster Bond. On the topic of Beastmaster, Soundwave picks it up along with the ranger’s Animal Companion to gain his two most common companions – Laserbeak the bird and Ravage the cat. Many of his feats are spent keeping them effective, limiting his other class feats to the Monster Hunter line of feats to supply vital information to allies so that they can overcome enemies. At first, I liked the blunderbuss to represent his array of weapons, but realized that it could seriously mess up his minions. I still kind of prefer it over others weapons and once his animal companions have their advanced maneuvers, they have a lot of mobility without putting themselves in danger. Gear is probably the easiest thing to alter about the build, so I will delve any further into it.
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, I continue this accidental trend of cybernetic builds with a character that might leave some of you wide-eyed.
Have a fantastic Friday and a happy Veteran's Day!
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