Thankfully, it was a short hiatus and I'm back in business! Gonna start out with a build with a character from a franchise that I remember playing at a friend's house back in the day in middle school. I think Tekken Tag might still might be my first fighting game, but for a time, Soulcalibur was my favorite. Figuring out unique builds from fighting games can be difficult at time as many of them simply end up being monks though Soulcalibur, with its focus on weapon wielders, definitely expands the options for classes. 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 Tira from Soulcalibur!
TIRA
CHARACTER Tira
SOURCE Soul Calibur
BUILD GOALS
o Tira is a loyal servant of the evil sword, Soul Edge, who fights with a bladed hula hoop called a ring blade
o She was raised as an assassin, forced to kill her mentor, and eventually was separated from her squad and taken in by a family – who she murdered in a fit of rage
o She has two fighting stances, which are separated by the two sides of her personality created from murdering her mentor – Jolly and Gloomy
o In-game, Tira starts out in her Jolly Side but can swap to Gloomy Side with certain attacks and when her health is reduced to certain percentages
o After she has undergone a sufficient number of moodswings, she will enter into a more powerful mode
o Her highly acrobatic fighting style is called the Dance of Death and it makes use of her ring blade known as Eiserne Drossel. Her moves incorporate dance moves as well
o Her Jolly Side attacks are slightly weaker and sometimes considerable predictable while Gloomy Side attacks are more damaging – while also having a tendency to hurt her
o Her kit also includes a number of counterattacks that she can employ to ensure that she gives as good as she gets
o Grim Reaper is an attack that requires careful use but deals both high damage and restores a portion of her health. It involves her pinning a foe down and spinning her hoop on her arm as it carves into them
o Her Critical Edge is Discord Parade, which she uses to knock foes down and then unleash a series of slashes upon the down target. If in Gloomy Side, she will then leap and drive the blade into the victim
o Tira’s moves make considerable use of her spinning blade – either doing so herself or occasionally catching foes in it and spinning them. She will also sometimes leap through the blade to deliver unarmed strikes
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Charisma, +Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Unconventional Weaponry (bladed hoop)
o Skill Increase: Performance (trained)
Background: Hired Killer
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Stealth (trained), Underworld Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Terrain Stalker – Rubble
Class & Subclass: Fury Instinct Barbarian
o Class Ability Boost: +Strength
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Deception (trained), Intimidation (trained)
o Class Feat: Raging Intimidation, Sudden Charge
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14)
Tira is going to be a rather peculiar build. She starts off as a human so that she can pick up Unconventional Weaponry for the bladed hoop, an advanced weapon she normally wouldn’t have access to. The skilled heritage to pick up Performance serves as a reference to many of her moves being named after dances. The background is an easy choice – while hired killer doesn’t quite have the same connotations as ‘raised in an order of assassins,’ it feels close enough. However, what is probably the most peculiar is her use of the barbarian class despite being a Dex user, which better fits the character. The barbarian Rage is meant to resemble her Gloomy Side, its lowered defenses sort of serving as a stand-in for her self-damaging attacks while also allowing her to pull off higher damaging moves. She’ll have slightly lower damage than most barbarians and is relying on the amp from Rage to boost it slightly, but does have some fun versatility with her hoop and is very flavorful. In either mode, Tira loves throwing out taunts and threats, which will be represented through Raging Intimidation and the Intimidating Glare it grants.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Furious Finish
o Skill Feat: Juggle
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Adopted Ancestry – Catfolk
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Gear: +1 bladed hoop, ring of discretion, everburning torch
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Wounded Rage
o Skill Feat: Acrobatic Performer
o Gear: bracelet of dashing, +1 bladed hoop, necklace of knives, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 16)
o Ancestry Feat: Catfolk Dance
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert), Performance (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking bladed hoop, bracelet of dashing, dancing scarf, necklace of knives, ring of discretion, everburning torch
Tira will pick up Furious Finish so that she has a means of switching back to her Jolly Side at the expense of being locked out of Gloomy – at least for the time being. As previously mentioned, Tira is able to enter Gloomy Side when she is reduced to certain health thresholds, which will be represented by the Wounded Rage feat. Fitting her circus style, she’ll be picking up both Juggle and Acrobatic Performer. The Adopted Ancestry for catfolk might seem strange, but after reading that in early concept art Tira was depicted as a cat girl, which I then tracked down, verified, and included, it felt like a solid fit that also allowed Tira to pick up Catfolk Dance. This fun little ancestry feat is a favorite of a monk in one of the games I run and allows her to use fancy footwork to throw a foe off-balance while also fitting nicely into her dance battler status.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Swashbuckler Dedication – Battledancer
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Prowess
o Skill Increase: Thievery (trained)
o Gear: +1 studded leather, +1 striking bladed hoop, demon mask, bracelet of dashing, Jack’s tattered cape, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Gear: lesser dread armor rune, +1 studded leather, goggles of night, +1 striking bladed hoop, bracelet of dashing, dancing scarf
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Finishing Precision
o Skill Feat: Kip Up
o Gear: wounding weapon rune, clandestine cloak, lesser dread armor rune, +1 studded leather, +1 striking bladed hoop, demon mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Evade Doom
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient studded leather, cloak of elvenkind, wounding weapon rune, lesser dread armor rune, boots of elvenkind, +1 striking bladed hoop
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Come and Get Me
o Skill Feat: Triumphant Boast
o Gear: greater dancing scarf, +1 resilient studded leather, alluring scarf, wounding weapon rune, lesser dread armor rune, +1 striking bladed hoop
Further exploring the multitude of moves that Tira has named after dances, she takes the Swashbuckler Dedication with the battledancer style, which mostly earns her a skill increase and panache. She expands on its aspects with Finishing Precision, giving her another potential damage amp along with her rage that will stack alongside it. Come and Get Me further plays into the self-endangerment aspect of Gloomy Side with the temporary HP it grants from trading blows fitting her Grim Reaper move. Toughness helps Tira hang out in melee a bit better and health is her main resource given the penalties to AC she takes from raging (and potentially from Come and Get Me). Triumphant Boast is a recent discovery that is very fun and fits together well with her nature as a performer along with her multitude of taunts and cruel jibes.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Performance (master)
o Gear: +2 striking bladed hoop, greater dancing scarf, mask of the banshee, +1 resilient studded leather, cloak of elvenkind, wounding weapon rune
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Basic Flair – You’re Next/Swipe
o Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat
o Gear: +2 resilient studded leather, +2 striking bladed hoop, daredevil boots, greater dancing scarf, alluring scarf, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Stubborn Persistence
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Gear: +2 greater striking bladed hoop, +2 resilient studded leather, greater goggles of night, daredevil boots, greater dancing scarf, mask of the banshee
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Vengeful Strike
o Skill Feat: Fascinating Performance
o Gear: keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking bladed hoop, moderate dread armor rune, +2 resilient studded leather, daredevil boots, greater demon mask
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 19, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 19)
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient studded leather, keen weapon rune, bag of holding (type IV), +2 greater striking bladed hoop, greater goggles of night, greater boots of elvenkind
The first class feat from this block isn’t quite going to match Tira as either option is about facing multiple opponents, which isn’t something you do in Soul Calibur. From her swashbuckler archetype, Basic Flair is going to help set up a later feat for Tira and You’re Next fits well with the Intimidation that she’s been building towards. For those that don’t want to go that way, Swipe meshes nicely with Tira’s sweep weapon. Vengeful Strike builds out of Come and Get Me and allows Tira to trigger her counterattacks against foes that dare to strike her. Fleet and Feather Step build towards her acrobatic moves and general agility while she continues to expand on her Performance and Intimidation skills. Stubborn Persistence is a feat I had never considered before, but is a fantastic fit for a human barbarian. With it, Tira can use Furious Finish for some gnarly damage, try to trigger Stubborn Persistence to avoid fatigued, and then Rage again, dipping in and out of Jolly Side and Gloomy Side.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Advanced Flair – Flamboyant Cruelty
o Skill Feat: Quick Jump
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient studded leather, greater boots of bounding, keen weapon rune, +2 greater striking bladed hoop, moderate dread armor rune
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Ten Lives
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking bladed hoop, dragonscale amulet, greater boots of bounding, +2 greater resilient studded leather, keen weapon rune, bag of holding (type IV)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Vicious Evisceration
o Skill Feat: Terrifying Resistance
o Gear: anklets of alacrity, +3 greater striking bladed hoop, speed weapon rune, greater boots of bounding, +2 greater resilient studded leather, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Performance (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient studded leather, anklets of alacrity, dread blindfold, +3 greater striking bladed hoop, dragonscale amulet, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Advanced Flair – Targeting Finisher
o Skill Feat: Distracting Performance
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained)
o Gear: +3 major striking bladed hoop, +3 greater resilient studded leather, mercurial mantle, dread blindfold, greater talisman cord, speed weapon rune
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed Flamboyant Cruelty before but it is a perfect fit for Tira’s sadism as well as the variety of status she can inflict – including those provided by Vicious Evisceration and Targeting Finisher. Tira forgoes taking a barbarian capstone feat as invulnerability, spontaneous earthquake generation, and the like don’t quite fit her. Annihilating Swing could possibly make sense, but Targeting Finisher ends up fitting much better with her Flamboyant Cruelty and gives her another finisher. By increasing her Intimidation to legendary, Tira automatically gains Scare to Death, which is fun but not quite necessary to her character. Tira uses Ten Lives to escape death as she has done every time her schemes have been foiled.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: An easy pick for the Tira in a free archetype game is the Swashbuckler Dedication, making many of the same choices made here. Other options she could look into picking up are Swashbuckler’s Speed, Tumble Behind, and maybe even Leading Dance. But while waiting to pick up those feats or the feats already featured in this build, Tira may benefit from the Acrobat Dedication. If nothing else, this will grant her scaling Acrobatics proficiency so that she can pick up other skills appropriate for an assassin, such as Stealth. With the freed up barbarian feats, an easy choice is Swipe, which meshes nicely with her blade hoop. Sudden Leap can work with mid-air attacks that fighting game characters are able to make and Renewed Vigor can help keep her in the fight given the danger that she put herself in.
BUILD CONCLUSION
From her rearing as an assassin, Tira uses the hired killer background and for her ring blade, Eiserne Drossel, she uses Unconventional Weaponry to gain proficiency with the hoop blade. For her two sides, Jolly and Gloomy, she relies on the Rage class feature of the barbarian. Normally, she’s Jolly but upon raging puts her in her Gloomy Side, increasing her likelihood of taking damage and dealing damage. Tira will often switch between states multiple times in a fight, which isn’t quite achievable in Pathfinder, but to get close to that concept, she has Furious Finish to switch from Gloomy Side to Jolly Side. She can try to avoid the fatigued condition from Furious Finish with Stubborn Persistence, potentially allowing her to go in and out of her sides. Tira also naturally switches to Gloomy Side at certain health thresholds, which will be represented by her Wounded Rage feat. Come and Get Me more specifically is based on the self-damaging aspect of Gloomy Side with the temp HP it grants even specifically reflecting her Grim Reaper move. Given her acrobatic and dance-based fighting style, she focuses on Acrobatics and Performance among her skills, takes the Swashbuckler Dedication for the battledancer style, and uses Catfolk Dance to throw foes off-balance. Speaking of Catfolk Dance, the Adopted Ancestry that allows her to take it is based on the fact that at one point during the concept for her character, she was designed as a catgirl. For Tira’s considerable sadism, she takes Flamboyant Cruelty, which she seeks to activate on her own with the likes of Vicious Evisceration, Targeting Finisher, and by delivering the frightened condition with a lucky Demoralize. Finally, this build probably features the most reactions I’ve ever built on a barbarian to play into the counterattacks she employs. Now, does this build do anything better than a normal barbarian does? Nnnnnooo, not really. But it’s chock full of flavor, which is mostly the point!
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would 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 up is a build using some new options from Impossible Lands that is gonna slither onto the blog here.
Have a fantastic Friday!
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