Eldritch Knight 3/Tempest Cleric 17 = Thor.

[Windrammer]

I wanted to make a level 20 Thor. Mechanically-cosmetically speaking.

So he needs to be able to fly, do thunder, and have a bonded weapon he can recall at any time.

Eldritch Knight gets the weapon pact at 3, Tempest Cleric gets flight at 17.

Coincidence? I think not.

Yes, I'm sure a build that has extra attack in it is more true to Thor's combat prowess but come on

[MaxWilson]

That's hilarious. :) Good observation there.

[pwykersotz]

I like it! It's elegant. Alas it misses the lovely Cleric capstone, but I think it's worth it for the theme.

[Giant2005]

Warlock is better than EK.
Pact of the Blade has the same ability you need from EK and the Mask of Many Faces Invocation is necessary to facilitate transforming between Thor and Donald Blake.

[Windrammer]

Warlock is better than EK.
Pact of the Blade has the same ability you need from EK and the Mask of Many Faces Invocation is necessary to facilitate transforming between Thor and Donald Blake.

I already considered Warlock but beyond the latter suggestion it offers nothing more save for thematically discordant features of debatable usefulness.

Pact of the Blade is not the same ability, because it doesn't fulfill one crucial Thor quality that you find in Eldritch Knight's: Summoning as a bonus action. Warlock creates it as a standard action. You can't toss it around and call it back with proper Thor ease. And again, it's freakin Warlock. Grody and very un-Thor.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I like it! It's elegant. Alas it misses the lovely Cleric capstone, but I think it's worth it for the theme.

Wouldn't that just be him calling himself?

[Person_Man]

I've always thought of Thor as a Barbarian who has two artifacts (his famous hammer Mjolnir, and his less famous belt of strength Megingjoro) playing a race with high level adjustment (Asgardian).

Thor basically has six-ish super powers; the ability to go into a warrior's madness/berserker rage, superhuman strength, superhuman endurance/invulnerability, call lightning/storms, flight, and dimensional travel. His ability to do the last three vary dramatically depending on who is writing him, but for the most part he usually can't do anything D&D we would consider magic in a D&D setting without Mjolnir, and he does not have anything close to the full range of spells that a D&D cleric gets. (Although in fairness, like every comic book character that has been written for decades, Thor has demonstrated all sorts of crazy super powers at different times. If you do stick with a Cleric, then I would say that you're probably closer to playing a Silver Age Thor or Superman).

So my suggestion is strait Barbarian, start at a high level, and ask the DM for Mjolnir as your starting Legendary magic item.

[pwykersotz]

Wouldn't that just be him calling himself?

Nah, technically Odin. Still, calling yourself WOULD be hilarious roleplay.


I've always thought of Thor as a Barbarian who has two artifacts (his famous hammer Mjolnir, and his less famous belt of strength Megingjoro) playing a race with high level adjustment (Asgardian).

Thor basically has six-ish super powers; the ability to go into a warrior's madness/berserker rage, superhuman strength, superhuman endurance/invulnerability, call lightning/storms, flight, and dimensional travel. His ability to do the last three vary dramatically depending on who is writing him, but for the most part he usually can't do anything D&D we would consider magic in a D&D setting without Mjolnir, and he does not have anything close to the full range of spells that a D&D cleric gets. (Although in fairness, like every comic book character that has been written for decades, Thor has demonstrated all sorts of crazy super powers at different times. If you do stick with a Cleric, then I would say that you're probably closer to playing a Silver Age Thor or Superman).

So my suggestion is strait Barbarian, start at a high level, and ask the DM for Mjolnir as your starting Legendary magic item.

Yeah, Cleric's have some cool tangential powers that work thematically, but flight is tough to come by. Tempest Domain gives the lightning and 7th level spells provide Plane Shift, though technically in D&D Plane Shift is unnecessary, especially if he knows Yggdrasil's paths. I agree the strength, rage, and durability is probably best expressed by a Barbarian though. Buffs don't quite cut it.

Still, if you're just trying to play something *similar* to Thor, I think the original build with a Tempest Cleric works pretty nicely assuming your DM doesn't want to hand out Legendary weapons right away.

[Windrammer]

I've always thought of Thor as a Barbarian who has two artifacts (his famous hammer Mjolnir, and his less famous belt of strength Megingjoro) playing a race with high level adjustment (Asgardian).

Thor basically has six-ish super powers; the ability to go into a warrior's madness/berserker rage, superhuman strength, superhuman endurance/invulnerability, call lightning/storms, flight, and dimensional travel. His ability to do the last three vary dramatically depending on who is writing him, but for the most part he usually can't do anything D&D we would consider magic in a D&D setting without Mjolnir, and he does not have anything close to the full range of spells that a D&D cleric gets. (Although in fairness, like every comic book character that has been written for decades, Thor has demonstrated all sorts of crazy super powers at different times. If you do stick with a Cleric, then I would say that you're probably closer to playing a Silver Age Thor or Superman).

So my suggestion is strait Barbarian, start at a high level, and ask the DM for Mjolnir as your starting Legendary magic item.

Barbarian is tempting for a norsebro like Thor but traditionally, in DnD, as far as I know, he's never been considered one. He never really goes into full on beserker rage from what I've read of his comics anyways, it's just the same kind of fighting passion that any martial person could fall into.

In your defense, the abilities he derives from the cleric in this instance he is supposed to derive from Mjolnir, except he had some control over thunder prior to obtaining it in the comics so idk.

Mechanically cleric/fighter is most appropriate.

[Windrammer]

Nah, technically Odin. Still, calling yourself WOULD be hilarious roleplay.



Yeah, Cleric's have some cool tangential powers that work thematically, but flight is tough to come by. Tempest Domain gives the lightning and 7th level spells provide Plane Shift, though technically in D&D Plane Shift is unnecessary, especially if he knows Yggdrasil's paths. I agree the strength, rage, and durability is probably best expressed by a Barbarian though. Buffs don't quite cut it.

Still, if you're just trying to play something *similar* to Thor, I think the original build with a Tempest Cleric works pretty nicely assuming your DM doesn't want to hand out Legendary weapons right away.

You can't make a perfect Thor in Next, that wasn't my intention. Of course this is only "similar" to Thor lol, Thor doesn't have magic utility spells. If I were to acutally play this it would be a Thor worshiper who wants to emulate him.

My thought process with this character was that I wanted to make a character that does things that make observers think "Wow that's Thor!". He lacks Extra Attack, he has no Barbarian levels, and he has random spells that have nothing to do with actual Thor, but the effect is the same if you play it right.

[Person_Man]

He never really goes into full on beserker rage from what I've read of his comics anyways, it's just the same kind of fighting passion that any martial person could fall into.

Not recently. But part of his origin story is that Thor was basically a norse berserker that needed to be taught humility. And during the Dark Age of Comics (ie, the 90's) when I was growing up, it was not uncommon for him to go into a rage, both in and out of combat. (Although in Thor's defense, pretty much everyone in 90's comics were made more "hardcore" - often for no good reason. (Anyone else remember the absurdity that was 90's Aquaman? If so, I'm sorry).

[Kyutaru]

Thor can fly? I thought he just swung Mjolnir around and let the momentum of the densest and heaviest hammer ever made just pull him along. He's strong enough to swing it in circles till he releases its stored up kinetic energy.

So the whole flight thing isn't needed. Just the legendary artifact that weighs a metric ton.

[MaxWilson]

Thor can fly? I thought he just swung Mjolnir around and let the momentum of the densest and heaviest hammer ever made just pull him along. He's strong enough to swing it in circles till he releases its stored up kinetic energy.

If this were the case, you'd see him bobbling up and down while he was "building up momentum", because being strong doesn't keep you attached to the earth when you're hanging onto something with lots of momentum pointed in the upward direction...

[Kyutaru]

I don't think that's how centripetal force works.

[pwykersotz]

I don't think that's how centripetal force works.

And Gamma Rays have no potential to grant super powers at all! :smallwink:

But yeah, that stuff is cleanly locked away beneath "suspension of disbelief".

[Windrammer]

Thor can fly? I thought he just swung Mjolnir around and let the momentum of the densest and heaviest hammer ever made just pull him along. He's strong enough to swing it in circles till he releases its stored up kinetic energy.

So the whole flight thing isn't needed. Just the legendary artifact that weighs a metric ton.

Thor can very much fly and it's not due to some silly concept of physics. It's part of his power. He says outright "I can fly". He zips back and forth across the face of various worlds, and across the universe.

Also, Mjolnir is only like 40 pounds, the reason no one can pick it up is because of magic. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to put the thing on a table lol