It's October, the month of spooks and scares and to celebrate all that, I have a whole host of thematic builds voted on over in the Monster Monday Discord channel. To start us off, we have a character from Dead by Daylight using the relatively new magus class. This is another laughing shadow magus though I do have plans for other hybrid studies in the future. I showcased a new format for the Goals and Conclusion last week that were positively received, so this week I'm featuring an entirely new format for the entire post. I really hope that you like the new format here because I've gotta be honest - it's way easier on me. As always, I want to mention that this build and the gear for it is picked in a vacuum without consideration for what adventure it may be in, so certain options might be better in specific situations.
With that out of the way, let's get into the build for Sally Smithson, The Nurse, from Dead by Daylight!
THE NURSE
CHARACTER Sally Smithson
SOURCE Dead by Daylight
GOALS
o Housewife turned widow turned nurse at an asylum who was convinced into murdering patients and coworkers alike
o She disappeared, plucked by the Entity to its realm to hunt survivors
o Wields a bonesaw in combat
o With Spencer’s Last Breath, she can leap through the spirit world, teleporting great distances before appearing to attack her victims. Usually has two charges of this ability
o Stridor causes the sounds made by survivors to be more obvious
o A Nurse’s Calling reveals the aura of healing survivors
o Thanatophobia inflicts a penalty on the speed of survivors’ actions for each one of them that is injured, dying, or hooked
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Liminal Fetchling
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Intelligence
o Ancestry Feat: Slink
Background: Barber
o Ability Boosts: +Wisdom, +Dexterity
o Skills: Medicine (trained), Surgery Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Risky Surgery
Class & Subclass: Magus with laughing shadow hybrid study
o Class Ability Boost: +Dexterity
o Skills: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Crafting (trained), Intimidation (trained), Survival (trained)
o Spellbook: 1st – echoing weapon, fear, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp; Cantrips – ghost sound, gouging claw, detect magic, prestidigitation, produce flame, read aura, tanglefoot, telekinetic projectile
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10)
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Rogue Dedication. Gives the Nurse the Battle Medicine skill feat and makes her trained in Thievery and Deception
o Skill Feat: Experienced Tracker
o Spellbook: 1st – hydraulic push, snowball
o Gear: psychopomp mask
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Deception (expert)
o Spellbook: 2nd – acid arrow, telekinetic maneuver
o Gear: +1 dogslicer, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Distracting Spellstrike
o Skill Feat: Alchemical Crafting
o Spellbook: 2nd – obscuring mist, see invisibility
o Gear: skinsaw mask, +1 dogslicer, necklace of knives, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 12)
o Ancestry Feat: Extinguish Light
o Skill Increase: Medicine (expert), Occultism (trained)
o Spellbook: 3rd – magnetic acceleration, organsight
o Gear: +1 striking dogslicer, skinsaw mask, grim sandglass, necklace of knives, cantrip deck (5-pack), ring of discretion
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Basic Trickery – You’re Next
o Skill Feat: Continual Recovery
o Spellbook: 3rd – impending doom, time jump
o Gear: +1 leather armor, +1 striking dogslicer, bag of holding (type I), skinsaw mask, necklace of knives, hand of the mage
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Deception (master)
o Spellbook: 4th – blink, chromatic ray
o Gear: wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), +1 leather armor, instructions for lasting agony, +1 striking dogslicer, skinsaw mask, grim sandglass
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Sneak Attacker
o Skill Feat: Ward Medic
o Spellbook: 4th – dimension door, phantasmal killer
o Gear: boots of bounding, staff of necromancy, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), +1 leather armor, +1 striking dogslicer, mask of mercy
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Lightless Litheness
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Spellbook: 5th – black tentacles, blink charge
o Gear: +1 resilient leather armor, boots of bounding, wounding weapon rune, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), instructions of lasting agony, +1 striking dogslicer
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 14)
o Class Feat: Dimensional Disappearance
o Skill Increase: Society (trained)
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
o Spellbook: 5th – invoke spirits, shadow walk
o Gear: greater ventriloquist’s ring, +1 resilient leather armor, greater grim sandglass, boots of bounding, wand of teeming ghosts (2nd-level), +1 striking dogslicer
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Thorough Search
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Spellbook: 6th – disintegrate, teleport
o Gear: +2 striking dogslicer, greater healer’s gloves, greater ventriloquist’s ring, +1 resilient leather armor, boots of bounding, wounding weapon rune
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Advanced Trickery – Dread Striker
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry
o Spellbook: 6th – mislead, necrotize
o Gear: +2 resilient leather armor, +2 striking dogslicer, cape of the mountebank, greater healer’s gloves, greater skittering mask, greater grim sandglass
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Skirt the Light
o Skill Increase: Survival (expert)
o Spellbook: 7th – mask of terror, shadow raid
o Gear: +2 greater striking dogslicer, +2 resilient leather armor, bag of holding (type III), cape of the mountebank, greater healer’s gloves, mask of the banshee
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Hasted Assault
o Skill Feat: Quick Coercion
o Spellbook: 7th – inexhaustible cynicism, power word
o Gear: boots of speed, +2 greater striking dogslicer, major grim sandglass, +2 resilient leather armor, cape of the mountebank, greater demon mask
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 16)
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Deception (legendary)
o Spellbook: 8th – polar ray, power word stun
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking dogslicer, bag of holding (type III), cape of the mountebank
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Conflux Focus
o Skill Feat: Forensic Acumen
o Spellbook: 8th – disappearance, maze
o Gear: greater corrosive weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, wand of teeming ghosts (6th-level), boots of speed, +2 greater striking dogslicer, major grim sandglass
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Pierce the Light
o Skill Increase: Survival (master)
o Spellbook: 9th – massacre, power word kill
o Gear: +3 greater striking dogslicer, dragonscale amulet, greater corrosive weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, boots of speed, keen weapon rune
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Skill Mastery
o Skill Feat: Planar Survival
o Skill Increase: Medicine (master), Occultism (expert)
o Spellbook: 9th - unspeakable shadow, weird
o Gear: anklets of alacrity, +3 greater striking dogslicer, speed weapon rune, greater corrosive weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather armor, wand of teeming ghosts (6th-level)
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Scare to Death
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Spellbook: 9th – divinity leech, foresight
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather armor, anklets of alacrity, dread blindfold, +3 greater striking dogslicer, dragonscale amulet, greater corrosive weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 22, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Supreme Spellstrike
o Skill Feat: Paragon Battle Medicine
o Spellbook: 9th – prismatic shield, upheaval
o Gear: +3 major striking dogslicer, +3 greater resilient leather armor, mercurial mantle, dread blindfold, speed weapon rune, wand of teeming ghosts (7th-level)
CONCLUSION
o Housewife turned widow turned nurse at an asylum who was convinced into murdering patients and coworkers alike (barber background, Medicine skill, Alchemical Crafting skill feat for poisons representing the draught she used to murder the people)
o She disappeared, plucked by the Entity to its realm to hunt survivors (fetchling ancestry)
o Wields a bonesaw in combat (dogslicer weapon)
o With Spencer’s Last Breath, she can leap through the spirit world, teleporting great distances before appearing to attack her victims. Usually has two charges of this ability (dimensional assault focus spell)
o Stridor causes the sounds made by survivors to be more obvious (Thorough Search general feat, Experienced Tracker skill feat, Liminal Fetchling heritage)
o [Failed] A Nurse’s Calling reveals the aura of healing survivors
o Thanatophobia inflicts a penalty on the speed of survivors’ actions for each one of them that is injured, dying, or hooked (You’re Next class feat)
o [Bonus] Bad Man’s Last Breath causes The Nurse to become undetectable after hitting a survivor with a blink attack (Dimensional Disappearance class feat)
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build and the new format!
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 nerd, 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. Coming up next week, we continue exploring our Halloween horrors with a more heroic revenant!
Have a fantastic Friday!
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