Villains are an integral part of any story, whether it be notorious super villains from DC Comics to evil masterminds in Dungeons & Dragons. The drive the heroes to their goals and stand in their way from completing them. Fighting villains can be difficult, but creating them can be a lot of fun.
The DC Universe is filled with many iconic super villains that have challenged the greatest heroes among them. Bringing them into the world of D&D may be difficult, especially if they are to be player characters. But for those that really want to see their favorite DC villain in their D&D campaign in one form or another, here's some advice on how to build 10 of them.
The Joker
Swashbuckler Rogue 12/Brute Fighter 8
The Joker is easily the most iconic villain in DC Comics, and is also surprisingly easy to bring into the world of D&D. The main thing to focus on is getting points into Swashbuckler Rogue. Joker is a vicious yet charismatic villain, so this class lines up with his style perfectly. It also lets him get several stealth abilities, like sneak attack.
Joker is also a tough opponent in combat, so invest some points into Brute Fighter. Not only will this get Joker access to Second Wind, but it will also allow him to get Tasha's Hideous Laughter, which can be used to replicate Joker's infamous Joker Venom.
Scarecrow
College Of Whispers Bard 19/Monk 1
Scarecrow is one of Batman's earliest villains, as well as one of his scariest. While the focus for this build will be on increasing his ability to make people afraid, it's important to also invest 1 point into the Monk class so he has at least some hand-to-hand combat ability.
However, the big thing to invest in for this Scarecrow build is in College Of Whispers Bard. This lets the build get multiple fear inducing spells and abilities, including Cause Fear, Words of Terror, and just plain Fear. To use the abilities to their fullest potential, make sure that Charisma is the main focus to boost up for use in Intimidation. Scarecrow needs to dish out as much fear and despair as possible, and focusing all efforts on abilities that can do this is essential to making this build work.
Doomsday
Barbarian 2/Champion Fighter 18
Doomsday died too soon in the comics despite his incredible power. And, while it may seem like Barbarian is the best class for Doomsday, only 2 points are needed in that class to get abilities like Rage and Unarmored Defense.
Instead, focus on building up as many points as possible into Champion Fighter. Doomsday needs to attack with as many attacks as fast as possible and deal as much damage as possible. Therefore, grab as many powers that increase critical damage and allow multiple attacks, including Action Surge, Improved Critical Attack, and Tavern Brawler. Doomsday is strong and tough, so also make sure that his Strength and Constitution Stats are as high as possible.
Gorilla Grodd
Enchantment Wizard 19/Fighter 1
Grodd has yet to appear in a live action DC movie, and when it comes to making him in D&D, other than 1 point added to Fighter for better combat, throw everything else into Enchantment Wizard.
Not only is Grodd strong, but his mind is powerful, able to take control of almost anyone he wants. Therefore, when it comes time to choose spells, grab as many mind control related powers as possible. Charm Person, Suggestion, Hypnotic Gaze, Hypnotic Pattern, and Enemies Abound are all great spells to choose for this. As for the 1 point in Fighter, be sure to grabbed Unarmed Fighting so that, if things get physical, Grodd still has a chance to survive.
Mr. Freeze
Armorer Artificer 11/Evocation Wizard 9
Mr. Freeze's chilling powers can be easily replicated in D&D - just get as many ice powers as you possibly can. For that, multiclass in Armorer Artificer and Evocation Wizard.
Armorer Artificer gives access to abilities like Ray of Ice and Frostbite, as well as Enhanced Defense to simulate Mr. Freeze's incredibly powerful armor that he usually wears. As for the Evocation Wizard class, this once again allows for many icy powers to be used to fully embrace playing this character. Try getting spells like Ice Knife and Sniloc's Snowball Swarm, and especially get ready to grab Ice Storm and Sleet Storm once the build has progressed into the later levels.
Bane
Rune Knight Fighter 3/College Of Valor Bard 15/Warlock 2
It may seem odd to not use Barbarian for Bane, but this build really helps to play into the character's more cunning side as well as play into the Venom side of his powers more.
While Rune Knight Fighter is important for some things like Unarmed Fighting and Giant Might, College of Valor Bard gives Bane access to multiple enlarging spells such as Enlarge and Tenser's Transformation. Adding in an Expertise in Athletics also can give off a better Athletics check than with Barbarian. Throw a few points into Warlock to grab Hexblade and ensure that Strength and Constitution are the stats focused on, and the conniving Bane from nearly all of Batman history is born.
Ra's Al Ghul
College Of Swords Bard 19/Rogue 1
Ra's is a villain with a strict code of honor, but when it comes to D&D, that no longer matters. Start with a single point in Rogue to get bonuses to Athletics, Acrobatics, and Deception. After that, focus everything else into College of Swords Bard.
College of Swords Bard gives Ra's several sword related feats, like Blade Flourish and Slashing Flourish. Extra Attack is another good ability to unlock, as well as Fear to show off intimidation. Skill Empowerment also increases more skills. Ra's is skilled in just about everything, so be creative with this one. But the key for this build is to get Resurrection to simulate the Lazarus Pit. Finally, be sure to keep getting more flourishes to really show off how great of a dueler Ra's is.
Deathstroke
Assassin Rogue 4/Champion Fighter 16
DC's best mercenary is a hardened soldier, but also a lot of fun to build in D&D. A few points should first be put into Assassin Rogue, mainly to get Assassinate and Steady Aim, but the main focus should be on Champion Fighter.
Deathstroke is a master of all weapons, so putting him in the Fighter class makes perfect sense. As for what feats and abilities to go for, there should be a focus on increasing attacks and critical strikes, so get Archery for a ranged bonus and then get things like Action Surge, Improved Critical, and Extra Attack. Unarmed Fighting is another good one to have, but there are better feats as mentioned before that are more important to grab before getting Unarmed Fighting.
Brainiac
Artificer 2/Enchantment Wizard 18
With Brainiac, it's important to focus on mind related spells and abilities. While Artificer is used to grab Infusions and Enhance Defense, the key class to focus on here is Enchantment Wizard.
Much like Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac needs several spells related to the mind, like Charm Person and Hypnotic Gaze in the early stages and Mass Suggestion and Mental Prison later on. Intelligence related abilities like Tongues is also good to have, given the character's intelligence. But, thanks to starting with Artificer, Brainiac can eventually get Heavy Armored, making him nearly unstoppable. With how many spells and abilities this build has that can stop attacks or charm others altogether, getting to attack this build at the end will be extremely hard.
Lex Luthor
Mastermind Rogue 4/Armorer Artificer 16
Lex Luthor's Intelligence is his greatest weapon, so be sure that his Intelligence stats are as high as they can go. Start with Mastermind Rogue and get a few abilities like Cunning Action and Master of Tactics. But, as Intelligence doesn't really help Rogue all that much, the other class to focus on is Artificer.
Artificer lets Luthor get Booming Blade and bring out Infusions, as well as Enhanced Weapon and Enhanced Defense. As an Armorer specialty, this allows Luthor to get heavier armor, replicating his war suit in this instance. Add other feats like Flash of Genius and Armor Modification for the character himself and attack spells like Lightning Bolt to simulate the suit's projectile's, and Luthor is ready to bring his cunning and ruthlessness to the world of D&D.
Source:gamerant.com