I have a remastered build this week that comes straight from the grave! 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.
Check out his video if that's more your speed. You can also vote on the next build I remaster!
Let's get into the remastered rebuild for Sion, the Undead Juggernaut from League of Legends!
SION, THE UNDEAD JUGGERNAUT
SOURCE League of Legends
BUILD GOALS
o Sion was a brutal warlord and general for Noxus who died gloriously – only to be brought back by his nation’s hemomancers to serve as an undead minion
o He is a melee vanguard who focuses on disrupting foes
o Wields a massive axe
o Glory in Death causes Sion into a frenzy upon dying, resorting to his fists while striking faster and harder. He can cast Death Surge in this state to gain a burst of movement speed
o Decimating Smash charges up a strike before bringing his axe down, damaging and then slowing or knocking up enemies depending on how much he’s charged
o Passively, Soul Furnace gives Sion extra health when he kills an enemy. He can activate it to gain a shield that explodes to deal damage around him
o His Roar of the Slayer releases a shockwave that damages, slows, and reduces the armor of the first enemy hit. If it hits a minion, it knocks them back, applying these effects to enemies it passes through
o Fitting for a juggernaut, his ultimate is Unstoppable Juggernaut. He becomes immune to crowd control and picks up speed as he charges. He damages enemies he runs into, stunning or slowing them
Summary of Goals: Sion is an undead brute brought back against his will. A mighty warrior, he hits with enough force to launch foes skyward, send them flying backwards, and crashes into foes with a stunning force. He can surround himself in a shield to enhance his durability and continues to fight even in death.
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Badlands Orc
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Constitution
o Ancestry Feat: Tusks
Background: Revenant
o Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Strength
o Skill Increase: Religion (T), Boneyard Lore (T)
Class & Subclass: Spirit Instinct Barbarian
o Class Ability Boost: +Strength
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Athletics (T), Intimidation (T), Society (T)
o Class Feat: Sudden Charge
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +1, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +1)
This build sticks with the orc ancestry of the pre-master build, but forgoes the dhampir ancestry. It didn’t quite fit him and was mainly to get the feel of being undead, but we can do that with the revenant background this time, better reflecting his character. The badlands heritage allows Sion to Hustle longer than normal, calling to mind his ‘Always marching’ line and then he uses the Tusks ancestry feat based on the crown that’s been affixed to his jawline. He sticks with the barbarian class but swaps over to the spirit instinct, better reflecting his Soul Furnace and the way that it empowers him. Speaking of which, the temporary HP granted by Rage resembles the shield granted by his ability though it lacks the explosive effect for the time being.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Mauler Dedication
o Skill Feat: Titan Wrestler
o Gear: psychopomp mask
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Orc Ferocity
o Skill Increase: Athletics (E)
o Gear: +1 butchering axe, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Slam Down
o Skill Feat: Additional Lore – Warfare Lore
o Skill Increase: Warfare Lore (E)
o Gear: crushing weapon rune, +1 butchering axe, brooch of shielding, psychopomp mask
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +4.5, Dex +1, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +2)
o Ancestry Feat: Defy Death
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (E)
o Gear: +1 striking butchering axe, bracelet of dashing, crushing weapon rune, brooch of shielding, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion
The Mauler Dedication offers a nice selection of feats for Sion, but it looks like it might have a not of use at first – however, it allows him to treat a butchering axe as a martial weapon. This is a great weapon for him, resembling a greataxe with the addition of the shove trait, which he’ll make some considerable use out of with his Athletics proficiency. Building out of mauler is Slam Down – knocking people into the air as he does with Decimating Smash is difficult to replicate in Pathfinder so instead, we’ll look for ways to knock people down. We can’t quite capture Sion’s innate immensity (he’s certainly larger than a normal human), so he’ll use Titan Wrestler so that he can bully around even titans such as Galio. Additional Lore for Warfare Lore reflects his history as a renowned general for Noxus even if he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed otherwise. He gets two ancestry feats this block thanks to the Ancestral Paragon feat. I wanted to take Orc Ferocity at first level, but Tusks can only be taken at first level, meaning that he had to take it then. This is based on his Glory in Death passive allowing him to survive beyond when he should, lashing out and drawing the focus of foes when he should be dead. Furthermore, Defy Death reflects his inability to rest and pass on.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Clear the Way
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Prowess
o Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 striking butchering axe, rhinoceros mask, crushing weapon rune, brooch of shielding, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Diehard
o Skill Increase: Athletics (M), Warfare Lore (M)
o Gear: ring of the ram, +1 breastplate, bravery baldric (fleet), +1 striking butchering axe, bracelet of dashing, crushing weapon rune
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Renewed Vigor//Furious Bully
o Skill Feat: Terrifying Resistance
o Gear: ash gown, ring of the ram, hauling weapon rune, +1 breastplate, +1 striking butchering axe, rhinoceros mask
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Undying Ferocity
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (M)
o Gear: +1 resilient breastplate, ash gown, boots of bounding, hauling weapon rune, bravery baldric (fleet), +1 striking butchering axe
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +1, Con +4.5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +2)
o Class Feat: Scouring Rage
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry
o Skill Increase: Occultism (T)
o Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient breastplate, frost weapon rune, ash gown, ring of the ram, +1 striking butchering axe
Clear the Way is a sort of take that crosses between Sion’s Roar of the Slayer and Decimating Smash, being an area effect that can send foes flying backwards. I initially took it with the thought of looking at another archetype afterwards although I think it still fits the concept of the character. As for his eighth level feat, there are two options that stand out and I want to present them both. I personally prefer Renewed Vigor to represent the shield of his Soul Furnace, which is also a fantastic third action option. On the other hand, Furious Bully adds some nice functionality to the build by giving him a +2 bonus on Athletics attack actions, which is going to help him disrupt enemies. The Rage already kind of gives him the shield of his Soul Furnace, so he might want to skip it. Either way, he gets the damage for his Soul Furnace with tenth level’s Scouring Rage letting him explode in the spirit damage of his instinct. This gives him another reason to hold off on using Rage, waiting until he’s in a place to get the most advantage of it. Another reason is to take advantage of the Intimidation investments that he makes in this level with the likes of Intimidating Prowess, Terrifying Resistance, and Battle Cry. He can’t Demoralize while raging due to the concentrate trait, so he needs to do it before Rages. Diehard and Undying Ferocity have a similar idea, making him harder to actually put down with the latter hopefully giving him enough HP to survive until he can get some proper healing in him.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Numb to Death
o Skill Increase: Religion (E)
o Gear: +2 striking butchering axe, armbands of athleticism, guise of the smirking devil, +1 resilient breastplate, ash gown, boots of bounding
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Crashing Slam
o Skill Feat: Too Angry to Die
o Gear: +2 resilient breastplate, +2 striking butchering axe, instinct crown, armbands of athleticism, frost weapon rune, greater rhinoceros mask
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Lifeblood’s Call
o Skill Increase: Religion (M)
o Gear: +2 greater striking butchering axe, +2 resilient breastplate, greater hauling weapon rune, instinct crown, armbands of athleticism, guise of the smirking devil
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Knockback
o Skill Feat: Powerful Leap
o Gear: greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking butchering axe, moderate grub gloves, +2 resilient breastplate, dinosaur boots, instinct crown
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5.5, Dex +2, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +3)
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Athletics (M), Warfare Lore (M)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater ring of the ram, propulsive boots, +2 greater striking butchering axe, greater hauling weapon rune, greater ash gown
Crashing Slam enhances his Slam Down and actually removes the Athletics check, which might be a reason to not go for Furious Bully. Knockback builds into the idea of his Roar of the Slayer, but another option I want to posit is Hammer Quake, a feat from his mauler archetype, which gives him an area Trip effect – resembling the large area of his Decimating Smash. It’s a hard choice for me and he already kind of has Slam Down, but the fact that it is only a single target makes it a little rough. On the other hand, Too Angry to Die is a much easier choice, better reflecting Sion’s fury and referencing his passive. Numb to Death is also good for this and as long as your GM lets you use the revenant background, you qualify for this feat. Toughness both makes him tankier and decreases his recovery check DC to 8 + his dying value thanks to a combination of this and Defy Death. Keeping Sion dancing on the razor’s edge of life and death lets him take advantage of his Lifeblood’s Call, which calls to mind the extra damage that he gains while in Glory in Death.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Awesome Blow
o Skill Feat: Sacred Defense
o Gear: greater frost weapon rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, propulsive boots, greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking butchering axe, moderate grub gloves
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Rampaging Ferocity
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (L)
o Gear: +3 greater striking butchering axe, greater frost weapon rune, earthglide cloak, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater ring of the ram, propulsive boots
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Silencing Strike
o Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat
o Gear: avalanche boots, +3 greater striking butchering axe, greater dinosaur boots, greater frost weapon rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, propulsive boots
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Religion (L)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient breastplate, avalanche boots, greater impactful weapon rune, +3 greater striking butchering axe, greater frost weapon rune, earthglide cloak
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +6, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +4)
o Class Feat: Unstoppable Juggernaut
o Skill Feat: Battle Prayer
o Gear: +3 major striking butchering axe, +3 greater resilient breastplate, greater dread armor rune, avalanche boots, greater dinosaur boots, quickstrike weapon rune
If you go with Knockback at fourteenth level, you’ll want to follow it up with Awesome Blow, which unfortunately doesn’t really work with Furious Bully again. The other option, if you went for Hammer Quake, is to take Knockback here and then just skip Awesome Blow because he needs Silencing Strike to complete the design of his Unstoppable Onslaught. He’s got the charge and the speed from his feats and features, Furious Footfalls and Fleet for the win, but Silencing Strike has the stun that he needs to finish off this ability. On the topic of Unstoppable Onslaught, I felt compelled to take the capstone feat that’s a combination of his epithet and ultimate’s name in the form of Unstoppable Juggernaut. Based on his undead nature, he takes some Religion increases to get Sacred Defense, another way to gain the shield of his Soul Furnace, and Battle Prayer as another thing that could be labeled as the damaging bellow of his Roar of the Slayer. His use of Terrified Retreat is largely made in reference to his classic ‘Cowards!’ line. Rampaging Ferocity gives him a way to smash at foes when they think they’ve brought him low, better resembling his Glory in Death.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: By taking this build into a free archetype game, Sion can assuredly grab Hammer Quake and might also get some use out of Vicious Swing. He could use a proper undead archetype but I looked at them and didn’t really find anything particular useful or fitting for him, which is why I ended up only using the revenant background to represent that aspect of him. However, he could get some use out of the Golem Grafter Dedication, which makes him tankier with the base feats, gives him some gnarly unarmed blows with Accursed Clay Fist, and Legs of Stone making him harder to push around. With his freed up barbarian feats, he could look at Brutal Bully and Reactive Strike to take advantage of how he knocks down others – though he’ll want to save his reaction for Orc Ferocity when he’s running low on health.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Sion, the Undead Juggernaut is a badlands orc barbarian with a spirit instinct and a revenant background. His Warfare Lore calls to mind his past life as a warlord while the revenant background and his negative healing bring him into the realm of undead. We represent his nature as a vanguard with the health of the barbarian and Unstoppable Juggernaut - which also nicely references his title and ultimate. Orc Ferocity stands in for his Glory in Death passive, letting him survive when he shouldn't and by the time that he gains Rampaging Ferocity, he even gets to lash out against enemies when using it. Furious Footfalls and Fleet lead into his Death Surge when he is in such a state. Slam Down and Crashing Slam knock enemies down instead of up but still works nicely for his Decimating Smash. Toughness grants him the extra HP of his Soul Furnace's passive while he has the temp HP from Rage and Sacred Defense for its shield - and Scouring Rage for its explosion. The spirit instinct also fits the flavor of this nicely. Some Intimidation investment fits with the idea and armor reduction effects for Roar of the Slayer, but for the knockback effect, he has Clear the Way or Knockback and Awesome Blow. As I said around the start, it's a two parter to make Unstoppable Onslaught, starting with a Sudden Charge to get into the enemies and then dishing out a Silencing Strike against a vulnerable foe to leave them stunned.
Broken from his burial, this bellowing berserker battles belligerents with barbaric bravado, bashing and bullying brigands and beyond with bountiful brutality.
Please let me know what you think and what other builds you'd like to see! You can vote for the next rebuild over on the Discord or YT channel.
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Have a fantastic Friday!
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