How to build Nicol Bolas?

[Elandris Kajar]

So I just finished the latest Magic story installment, which reaffirmed the sheer awesomeness that is Bolas. So naturally, I thought of building him in D&D. Clearly we start with something along the lines of a Great Wyrm Gold, but I think there are probably a few other things that would more fully model his greatness. So, what other feats/ classes/ prestige classes/ whatevers are most Bolas?

[Lord Raziere]

Nicol Bolas?

He is a Red/Black/Blue Planeswalker of godlike power. His out for himself and himself only, he is ancient, experienced as both a dragon and as a planeswalker at using magic. Of all the planeswalkers he is the one who survived:
-Yawgmoth
-Time Spiral
-the reset to planeswalkers getting weaker
-and apparently is still going strong despite the Eldrazi and new Phyrexians popping up

I haven't kept up with Mt:G since Time Spiral much, but from what I've heard, I'd just take the oldest most powerful dragon you can find then slap 20 levels or more of wizard, then slap on all the necromancy spells for black mana, slap on all the evocation spells for red mana, and all the abjuration and divination spells for blue mana, then add in any remaining spells you think are appropriate to him, such as spells to go to other planes.

by the time your done, that should model the threat of Nicol Bolas all by himself as I know of him.

[Buufreak]

Typing this with a broken finger, bear with me...

Nicol Bolas is perhaps the oldest living thing in the M:tG universe, and also perhaps the most powerful, rivaled by very few including Urza and Ugin (the later is also a really really old dragon). Oh, that's also an important distinction. To date, there have been 10 elder dragons. The ones that lead the clans of the new timeline on Tarkir, and Bolas with his 4 siblings. One of these sets is vastly older and more powerful, I'm sure you can guess.

Exposition aside, lets talk about all the things he does, and allow me to preface that everything about to be listed is canon to his story: flight, but not by his wings, because magic. He also resists flame, natural or otherwise, because dragon. He also was the only elder dragon to survive the war on Dominaria, and went to war and defeated Ugin, resulting in the original timeline of Tarkir. In combat, he boasts the usual melee capabilities you would expect from the oldest dragon categories, but also can drive anyone insane with a single touch. Though recently, as shown with his mental "dispute" with Jace (dispute, because calling it an actual fight would be a mockery of the word), he can completely shatter a person's mind with a single thought. Without effort, and in an incredibly weakened state after the mending, he overthrew and reprogrammed all 8 gods of Amonkhet. His plans really know no bounds, as even the most subtle of motions have been able to fall into place with his grand schemes, most of which aren't even revealed yet. He has a fairly major foothold on nearly every plane currently known, and many that are not, including Kamigawa, New Phyrexia, Kaladesh, and Theros. His agency seems to know no bounds, as those thought loyal to many others all fall under his banner.

And really, I'm not even scratching the surface. So yea, lets take some dragon, most likely red or black, because despite his blue usage he never really does anything cold related, and age it to hell and back. That ELH class of Colossal+ would work. Then the dragon's innate casting ability isn't nearly enough, so we need to tack on a fair many levels of wizard AND psion, probably generalist and telepathy respectively. So if I am doing all this correctly, we will end up with something like 45d12 + 40d4 + 935 (1327 hp) just to start with, and all the wonderful stuff that comes along with it. Then we apply planeswalker on top as a template, which allows an at will Su plane shift ability, along with other less clear benefits as they seem to vary by the individual.

And again, that's just a start. We could go steps further and throw on theurge classes to boost CL and ML, grab other caster PrCs for well practiced and well known Tier 1 BS. You name it, Sensei Ryu has probably done it, or plans on doing it. I wish you the best of luck sorting out exactly what you wish to do with such a character, and I feel sorrow and pity for any party that would be on the receiving end. Unless that party is the Gatewatch, because I am tired of Wizard's version of the Mighty Morphing Mary Sue Rangers.

[Gildedragon]

So he's a dragon.
Start with that. Guessing fire breath, yes? and out for only himself?

That's pretty Red Dragon territory

Next: Probably has that "Spell Hoarding" dragon psychosis so as to cast as wizard

[ATHATH]

Yeah, I actually think that he might be able to be modeled accurately by just a really old Red Dragon. Those feats that were rattled off all sound like things that a creature with reasonably high level Sorcerer spellcasting can/could do.

[ViperMagnum357]

Nicol Bolas is the oldest living thing in the MTG universe aside from the Eldrazi, and resurrected himself after being completely destroyed. I would stat him up as an Elder Evil, albeit with Dragon HD and the Spellhoarding Psychosis, and add 13 levels of Dragon Ascendant to more accurately represent his long road to ultimate power. As for a base race, He does not neatly fit into any categories, so I would probably lean towards an Advanced Great Wyrm Purple Dragon with at least 64 Racial HD and the corresponding Colossal+ size. That seems appropriate for the Eldest dragon, since the most powerful specific dragon officially statted out was the Dragon Overlord Malystryx the Red at 63 HD. For these purposes I would ignore the three types of Epic Dragon (Force, Prismatic, Time) since they are closer to cosmic forces in the shape of dragons. At 77 HD he should be able to hold his own anyway.