Creating the Character: Deathstroke

[yosimba13]

So for a while I have wanted to create a character based on an already existing outside character that I really like. I chose Deathstroke(DC) because he's just unbelievable badass.
The hard part of this is creating a character that is as versatile and resourceful as Deathstroke himself. Him being a tactical genius, always being prepared, exploiting enemy weaknesses both physically and emotionally, and near superhuman brain capacity are the main factors that make bringing this character to the table a challenge. His extensive arsenal also make for some complications.

(For those unfamiliar with the character: http://www.comicvine.com/deathstroke/29-3588/)

The idea is to make a good character that resembles the original as much as possible within the D&D setting.
So far, I was thinking maybe using the Fighter class with an emphasis on dual Automatic Pistols and Unarmed combat.
I was also hoping to give him some form of Damage Reduction and Fast Healing to simulate his armor and healing factor. If at all possible, I would like the character to remain as human as possible but I do value the general theme of the character over the race.

Any and all help is appreciated since I am still fairly new to the game. Thanks in advance :D

[yosimba13]

Bump :smallsmile:

[Waddacku]

A Factotum/Warblade comes to mind. Powerful warrior that puts a high Int score to very good use. Maybe with Troll-blooded for regeneration. Otherwise, acquire fast healing from somewhere. Feral template, maybe. Don't remember how it works.

DR is mostly pretty uninteresting. Not sure what sources of actual substantial amounts there are.

[Zonugal]

Honestly a Mystic Ranger Sword of the Arcane Order Ranger with Favored Enemy (Arcanist) dropping in levels of Warblade might be a good representation (or even just Warblade).

For the fast healing and stat boosts try out the Slithar grafts.

[Fable Wright]

The hard part of this is creating a character that is as versatile and resourceful as Deathstroke himself. Him being a tactical genius, always being prepared, exploiting enemy weaknesses both physically and emotionally, and near superhuman brain capacity are the main factors that make bringing this character to the table a challenge. His extensive arsenal also make for some complications.

Sounds like a Factotum with a lot of cash, to be honest.

I mostly know him as Slade, from the animated Teen Titans series. Always having one gadget that gets him out of trouble (spellcasting), can psychologically break someone into nonaction (Imperious Command), and has some really impressive martial art skills (Cunning Brilliance, for when he needs it). His healing factor can be Silthilar Blood combined with Opportunistic Piety, giving him some pretty incredible endurance. If you don't want him to have to be level 19 to get incredible martial arts skills, gestalt him with Unarmed Swordsage, from Tome of Battle. While it has the most magical disciplines, having him focus on Diamond Mind and Stone Dragon maneuvers keeps him relatively mundane. Staggering in some Warblade levels with Unarmed Swordsage (specifically, on the level a Factotum doesn't gain BAB) gives him a perfect BAB, ridiculously high Int, potent unarmed combat, and if you allow the Falling Star (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10707) homebrew discipline, he can pull off some awesome gunwork.

[Dusk Eclipse]

For Gunslinging I would actually suggest the Black Rain Discipline (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5471518)

[Tokuhara]

Depending on the universe and who the writer is, Deathstroke/Slade could be a multitude of things. For this explanation, I will use his Teen Titans incarnation: Slade.

But to fully grasp Slade here, we need to look at the "Party" he faced in Season 1 and Translate that to a low-tech fantasy setting.

Robin: Here, I'm going to say that Teen Titans is a Gestalt game, so Robin in this case is a Batman Wizard//Swordsage with a decent charisma score, a good Intelligence, and a moderate Wisdom. Robin (along with the rest of the team) is roughly 6th level, so by the final showdown with Slade, he is generously optimized for both melee and buff/debuff/crowd control. He's very much the most optimized party member, but he is purposely using his abilities to accent the rest of the party.

Cyborg: Again, using Gestalt and roughly 6th Level, Cyborg is an Artificer (likely a Blastificer)/Renegade Mastermaker//Warblade focused on being equally useful in melee and at a distance. Definitely the "gish" of the group.

Raven: Raven is the hard call here, since she actually uses spells. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that she is an Illusionist/Shadow Adept//Archivist, considering that she NEVER gets in melee range if she can avoid it. IMO, she's optimized just a hair below Robin here.

Starfire: Starfire is a Blaster Sorcerer//Barbarian focused on pure damage output. Obviously, she is the "least" optimized of the party, but she has a job that she is immensely good at and in this example has a refluffed Cloak of Flight.

Beast Boy: Beast Boy is a Druid//Transmuter. He's excellent in combat, using his Wildshape ability to fit the situations, though his need for 2 good casting scores and constitution leave his stats slightly under the rest of the party.

So where does this leave Slade. Well, clearly he is the BBEG for the campaign, but allow me to explain how he has a counter to each of the team's unique tricks.

Alignment: Clearly, Slade is evil, but he still has ethics. He has an agenda that in and of itself is both selfish (wanting to groom a prodigy) and selfless (make a better world by any means necessary). So here, I label him Lawful Evil.

Class:

Side 1 - Slade is a talented and skilled person, with a vast collection of knowledge and tricks at his disposal. So let's give him a level in Factotum to represent that. He also is a helluva fighter, able to outskill Robin on many occasions. Finish out him as a Warblade.

Side 2 - Here's where I get controversial. He has an answer to each of their tricks. He can counter Robin's raw talent and "magic," Cyborg's growing immunities and long-range capability, Raven's Unique focus on Illusions and solid utility, Starfire's raw damage output, and Beast Boy's physical brutality. Here, I give him a higher level set of the Batman build that Robin has. Here's the difference: he has custom tailored his spell choices to optimally counter each of the tricks. Even with the numbers advantage, he has an answer to counter even that (see Season 2 and the early fights in Season 1).

So the final totals:

Slade is a:

Lawful Evil Factotum 1/Warblade 12//Batman Wizard Build 13

[Kuulvheysoon]

Starfire: Starfire is a Blaster Sorcerer//Barbarian focused on pure damage output. Obviously, she is the "least" optimized of the party, but she has a job that she is immensely good at and in this example has a refluffed Cloak of Flight.

Beast Boy: Beast Boy is a Druid//Transmuter. He's excellent in combat, using his Wildshape ability to fit the situations, though his need for 2 good casting scores and constitution leave his stats slightly under the rest of the party.

I'd have to disagree with these two.

I'd probably place Star as a gestalt Warlock (X'Hal pact)//Barbarian, while Beast Boy... is a Druid (low Wis)/MoMF//Scout. While obviously not the (most) skilled one in the group, he's well suited to the wilds, and seems to to his best while moving then attacking.

[drax75]

I would Say Psion or Psychic Warrior....

They Say he uses 90% of his brain. He can use his abilities to buff himself. He can use his abilities to give himself regen. He just has really high ability score

Normal human has a average score of 10 down the board his would likely be 15-20 and be a Psion/PsyWar.

Few feats to round out the combat and boom good to go.

[Fable Wright]

Depending on the universe and who the writer is, Deathstroke/Slade could be a multitude of things. For this explanation, I will use his Teen Titans incarnation: Slade.


First off, no, Robin and Slade are not Batman Wizards, despite their connection to the guy. They keep to melee combat, don't spend rounds buffing, and don't use diverse types of magic that shut down opponents. Robin is a Mundane who uses Alchemical items (refluffed tanglefoot bags, for example, for the ice disks) and, if he had to have a caster-type class, would be an Incarnate over a Wizard.

Also, Raven is a straight Wilder focusing on Telekinetic Thrust. Her random 1-shot powers are Power Stones, she focuses on a few really powerful effects, and is competant at melee combat, though she avoids it if possible. That makes sense, given a low HD. Starfire is a Warlock whose DM allowed archery feats to be applied to Eldritch Blasts, or perhaps a Soulbow. Robin is probably a straight Unarmed Swordsage, minus the really supernatural disciplines. Beast Boy is a Wildshape Ranger/Master of Many Forms. Cyborg is just a melee artificer/renegade mastermaker.

[Zonugal]

In an E6 campaign setting inspired by comics I had built Deathstroke as a Human Ranger 1/Warblade 4/Assassin 1.