Full ReBuild Friday - Graves the Outlaw

I went into this build with the intent of using the same class that I originally built this character with. However, that plan went completely out the window and this is actually a pretty heavily Starfinder build. I think the character can still work in a Pathfinder game, but you'll definitely have to work it out with your GM to figure things out, especially when it comes to weaponry. 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.

The Graves build never had a video before, but it does now! I've also got the vote for the next rebuild on the posts over there.

Let's mosey on over to check out this build for Graves the Outlaw from League of Legends!

Classic Graves

GRAVES, THE OUTLAW

CHARACTER Malcolm Graves

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o    Raised in the wharf alleys of the pirate haven Bilgewater, he quickly fell into a life of crime aided by a stolen blunderbuss

o    Capable gambler who has a partnership with Twisted Fate, but also has a sense of honor

o    Graves is a ranged specialist who predominantly serves as a jungler

o    His shotgun is New Destiny, which sprays pellets in a cone and can knock back non-champion enemies

o    End of the Line releases a blast that leaves gunpowder upon the floor which will then ignite and deal damage in the area shortly thereafter

o    With Smoke Screen, Graves fires a smoke canister at the target to deal minor magic damage while creating a cloud of smoke that reduces the sight radius of creatures within it

o    When using Quickdraw, he dashes to a location while reloading and gaining True Grit, which grants him bonus armor

o    Closing out the build is Collateral Damage. This fires an explosive shell that knocks back Graves and deals high damage while releasing the blast in a cone

Summary of Goals: Graves has an interesting array of abilities but at his core, he’s a pirate turned cowboy who uses a heavy firearm whose attacks hit in an area. He seems to make his own explosives, which range from sight-stifling smoke to more explosive options. On top of all that, his Quickdraw gives him some mobility while also increasing his tankiness through True Grit, which is an interesting mix.

LEVEL 1 

Ancestry & Heritage: Ancient-Blooded Dwarf

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Constitution, +Wisdom, -Charisma, +Dexterity

o    Ancestry Feat: Dongun Education – Explosive Lore (T), Firearm Lore (T)

Background: Prisoner

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Dexterity

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (T), Underworld Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Experienced Smuggler

Class & Subclass: Bombard Soldier

o    Class Ability Boost: +Constitution

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (T), Crafting (T), Intimidation (T), Thievery (T)

o    Class Feat: Quick Swap

o    Gear: microcord armor, scattergun, stellar cannon

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +1, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +0)

Every single pre-master ABC has changed for Graves, so let’s get into that. I went from using the human ancestry to dwarf, which Graves actually kind of resembles if you can ignore his height. However, this has a lot of the stats he likes, keeps him at Medium sized, and has a whole slew of gun-related feats. For example, Dongun Education gives him scaling proficiency in Explosive and Firearms Lore to make use of, which does suit him quite nicely. I opted for the prisoner background this time around because after thinking about it some more, his time spent imprisoned led to the vast majority of his character arc and the Experienced Smuggler fits some of the heists he’s pulled off. Finally, inspired by the spray of bullets from each of his attack as well as the bigger blast of his End of the Line, he uses soldier class. This Starfinder-based class might exceed the typical time period of his typical setting, but its use of Area Fire weapons and the scattergun in particular is a fantastic fit for the shotgun that he wields. Admittedly, some of the other options here aren’t quite as solid. He takes the Bombard fighting style mainly so that he doesn’t end up hurting allies caught in his Area Fire as friendly fire is (regrettably) not a thing in League of Legends. I’m also not terribly impressed with the 1^st-level feats of the soldier and after tossing out a couple of them, I settled on Quick Swap. This one he could at least make some use of, letting him start a fight with his stellar cannon and blast foes at range and then switching to his scattergun once they close the range on him. Speaking of, he includes the stellar cannon in the first place as it will be part of some of the other things that he’ll be using.

Level 1 Graves, Page 1

Level 1 Graves, Page 2

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Shot on the Run

o    Skill Feat: Tech Crafting

o    Gear: ring of discretion

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Fleet

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (E), Explosives Lore (E), Firearms Lore (E)

o    Gear: tactical scattergun, predictable silver piece, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Shoving Shot

o    Skill Feat: Quick Jump

o    Gear: jump jets, tactical scattergun, tactical stellar cannon, ring of discretion

LEVEL 5

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str +2, Dex +4, Con +4.5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +0)

o    Ancestry Feat: Blast Resistance

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Athletics (E)

o    Gear: advanced scattergun, jump jets, backfire mantle, tactical stellar cannon, predictable silver piece, ring of discretion

As I said, I want to work in some mobility into his kit, which is most easily accomplished through feats that grant action compression with some sort of movement. To that end, he takes Shot on the Run, which kind of feels like it does the opposite of what his Quickdraw normally does – it’s a move and attack instead of a move and reload. While that covers one of his abilities, Shoving Shot is about covering the passive effects of his New Destiny, which knocks back non-champions hit by it. This gives him the chance to knock back the primary target of his Area Fire, so we’ll need to keep an eye out for options that make this more of an area effect. Given that he makes most of his own explosives, I like Tech Crafting (or Alchemical Crafting if you’re playing in a lower tech setting that still lets him use the soldier) since that will allow him to assemble his own grenades. Of note, smoke grenades would be particularly valuable to recreate the effects of his Smoke Screen. He also uses Quick Jump, which is partially inspired by his Quickdraw as well as the push back that he receives from his Collateral Damage. Supplementing this with Fleet will allow him to Jump farther and also just helps add to his low Speed as a dwarf since he will want to close the distance on foes given the short range of his scattergun. He closes out this block with Blast Resistance, a nifty dwarven feat that grants him some fire and sonic resistance as well as improved saves against dazzled and deafened effects given his familiarity with such devices.

Cutthroat Graves

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Fog of War

o    Skill Feat: Powerful Leap

o    Gear: tactical microcord, advanced scattergun, advanced stellar cannon, jump jets, tactical undermounted grenade launcher, necklace of knives

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (M)

o    Gear: vaultbreaker’s harness, tactical freebooter armor, thunder helm, advanced scattergun, jump jets, backfire mantle

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Run Hot

o    Skill Feat: Quick Setup

o    Gear: flaming module, schematic scanner, vaultbreaker’s harness, tactical freebooter armor, advanced scattergun, advanced stellar cannon

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Smoke Sight

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (M)

o    Gear: advanced freebooter armor, boots of bounding, smuggler’s sack (type II), vaultbreaker’s harness, thunder helm, advanced scattergun

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom (Str +3, Dex +4.5, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +0)

o    Class Feat: Brutal Barrage

o    Skill Feat: Specialty Crafting – Engineering

o    Gear: greater charlatan’s gloves, advanced freebooter armor, flaming module, boots of bounding, advanced stellar cannon, advanced scattergun

Fog of War is an obvious fit for his Smoke Screen, which resembles it a bit more closely when he uses his stellar cannon rather than his scattergun. Before taking a look at his other class feats, I want to quickly point out Smoke Sight, an ancestry feat that will allow him to attack the primary target within the smoke of his Fog of War without any issue since this smoke does linger until the end of his next turn. Meanwhile, Run Hot allows him to blast an area twice, which is my attempt at recreating his End of the Line since it features an initial blast followed by a burst of damage in the same area. Meanwhile, Brutal Barrage lets him unleash a bigger blast, per his Collateral Damage, which means we’ve at least covered the basics of his abilities already! However, we’re going to keep going and see if we can’t narrow in on stuff a bit further or provide alternate options. For his skill feats, Powerful Leap extends the distance of his jumps, working nicely with Quick Jump and another feat that I have planned for down the line. There’s also some Crafting focused feats so that he can better build his bombs and bullets with Quick Setup and Specialty Crafting. As a quick aside, this block does get him armor specialization with medium and heavy armor, which grants him some resistance depending on what sort of armor he’s wearing – which matches his True Grit quite nicely. However, to further sell his durability, he does take the Toughness general feat, giving him more Hit Points and making him harder to kill.

Level 10 Graves, Page 1

Level 10 Graves, Page 2

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Breath Control

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (E)

o    Gear: superior scattergun, greater charlatan’s gloves, armbands of athleticism, advanced freebooter armor, boots of bounding, smuggler’s sack (type II)

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Bullet Hell

o    Skill Feat: Underwater Marauder

o    Gear: superior freebooter armor, superior scattergun, superior stellar cannon, greater charlatan’s gloves, flaming module, loudener

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Demolitionist

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (M)

o    Gear: elite scattergun, superior freebooter armor, greater alchemist goggles, superior stellar cannon, greater charlatan’s gloves, armbands of athleticism

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Rocket Jump

o    Skill Feat: Say That Again!

o    Gear: elite force field, elite scattergun, elite stellar cannon, superior freebooter armor, advanced undermounted grenade launcher, charlatan’s cape

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str +4, Dex +5, Con +5.5, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +0)

o    General Feat: Diehard

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (L), Deception (T), Explosives Lore (L), Firearms Lore (L)

o    Gear: elite freebooter armor, elite force field, smuggler’s sack (type IIV), elite scattergun, greater alchemist goggles, bravery baldric (stone)

Bullet Hell is another attempt to cover his End of the Line by instead turning the ground into effectively hazardous terrain and generating some measure of zone control. Inspired by the way that his Collateral Damage pushes him back, he uses Rocket Jump which will allow him to bound after unleashing an Area Fire and get some extra distance from Powerful Leap on top of that. Unfortunately, this requires him to use an area (burst) weapon, which brings his stellar cannon back to the forefront. He takes a few feats inspired by his life growing up in Bilgewater, such as Breath Control and Underwater Marauder, whereas Demolitionist covers some of his more criminal pursuits and the explosives he uses in the pursuit of them. He also grabs Diehard to make him even a bit more durable and harder to permanently put down – which is especially appropriate after everything he’s survived.

Praetorian Graves

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Fan the Hammer

o    Skill Feat: Craft Anything

o    Gear: tactical flaming module, elite freebooter armor, greater boots of bounding, elite force field, elite scattergun, elite stellar cannon

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Forge-Blessed Shot

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (L)

o    Gear: ultimate scattergun, tactical loudener, tactical flaming module, elite freebooter armor, elite force field, smuggler’s sack (type IIV)

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Scattering Fire

o    Skill Feat: Cloud Jump

o    Gear: artificial immortalizer, ultimate scattergun, ultimate stellar cannon, tactical flaming module, elite freebooter armor, greater boots of bounding

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Feather Step

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (L)

o    Gear: ultimate freebooter armor, artificial immortalizer, greater armbands of athleticism, ultimate scattergun, tactical loudener, tactical flaming module

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +5, Con +6, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +1)

o    Class Feat: Hybrid Technique

o    Skill Feat: Impeccable Crafting

o    Skill Increase: Society (T)

o    Gear: paragon scattergun, ultimate freebooter armor, greater ring of maniacal devices, artificial immortalizer, superior undermounted grenade launcher, ultimate stellar cannon

There’s another double fire effect inspired by his End of the Line in the form of Fan the Hammer, letting him follow up an Area Fire with another blast. This is good if you want to lay down an effect such as Fog of War or Bullet Hell and fit in another blast – or don’t want to overheat your weapon as Run Hot does. Following that, he grabs Scattering Fire so that he can finally knock back all targets in the area rather than just his primary target, better befitting his New Destiny. His class feats close out on Hybrid Technique as it allows him to combine two of his two-action Area Fire effects, such as Shoving Shot, Fog of War, Bullet Hell, or Rocket Jump. It is a super neat class feat. He takes Craft Anything and Impeccable Crafting just to close out on his Crafting investment and also grabs Cloud Jump so that he can bound impossible distances. Forge-Blessed Shot might seem like something he can’t get much use out of, but soldiers are uniquely able to Strike their primary targets, which will allow him to take advantage of this feat for a more accurate shot!

Level 20 Graves, Page 1

Level 20 Graves, Page 2

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: While this build predominantly uses Starfinder content, the archetypes for it are a little lacking. So, he has to rely on some Pathfinder archetypes, such as gunslinger or alchemist for now. He doesn’t use gunslinger as his base class because they don’t really interact with Area Fire all that well, but he can still make some use out of its feats. Running Reload might be a better fit than Shot on the Run for his Quickdraw, and he could also use Munitions Crafter to make his bombs and the like. Or he could also take a look at the Alchemist Dedication! Aside for providing him with resources to create daily explosives and ammunition, he could make his bomb use easier with the likes of Quick Bomb and other options that increase their range.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Graves the Outlaw is an ancient-blooded dwarf bombard soldier with the prisoner background, calling to mind the time that he spent incarcerated and how it shaped his character. He reaches further into his background with Breath Control and Underwater Marauder referencing his rearing in Bilgewater. Delving into the Thievery skill helps bring to mind his criminality as does the Underworld Lore from his background. The scattergun and soldier class let him make the most out of New Destiny, blasting enemies in a cone in front of him while Shoving Shot and Scatter Fire give him the knockback effect he needs to complete this concept. For the two-part effect of End of the Line, I managed to figure out a few options - Run Hot lets him blast an area twice, Bullet Hell can turn the ground into hazardous terrain, or Fan the Hammer can follow up an area fire with yet another. As for his Smoke Screen, we simply have Fog of War though he could also look into getting an undermounted grenade launcher and a smoke grenade. Switching to a stellar cannon before using Fog of War might actually better resemble his Smoke Screen, given its range and area. Shot on the Run ends up kind of the reverse of Quickdraw, but it does create the action efficiency we're looking for whereas his True Grit comes from the armor specialization effect granted by the soldier class itself. That leaves us with his Collateral Damage, which again probably best suits his stellar cannon and can cover the enhanced damage through Brutal Barrage and capture the leap through his Rocket Jump.

This buff and brusque bombardier blasts belligerents with bountiful bullets, blinding them with billowing brume before burning the battlefield and bringing bane with each boisterous boom.

Porcelain Graves

Please let me know what you think and what other 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 a YouTube channel filled with video formats of these blog posts. You can vote on the next build to be remastered over on the Discord, but next Friday continues the trend of Starfinder builds that I hope you don't find too triggering.

Have a fantastic Friday!