What Class is Loki?

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Hello GitP. Recently I decided to make a character modeled off of Loki who is a follower of him. So I wanted to know what class would Loki be if he was a made into a PC. I was thinking along the lines of a arcane trickster with some levels of bard or Trickster cleric but I don't know what combination if any of these classes fits. I am basing this off the lore of the norse myth and a bit of the MCU.

[Specter]

In my Social God guide, I did a lazy attempt to stat him. IMO, Trickery Cleric along with Druid for shapeshifting are fundamental.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Hmm. The druid would be useful for shapeshifting. I originally planed to just use polymorph a lot. It is a bit of a waste of a 4th level spell slot.

[Amdy_vill]

Hello GitP. Recently I decided to make a character modeled off of Loki who is a follower of him. So I wanted to know what class would Loki be if he was a made into a PC. I was thinking along the lines of a arcane trickster with some levels of bard or Trickster cleric but I don't know what combination if any of these classes fits. I am basing this off the lore of the norse myth and a bit of the MCU.

so levels in arcane trickster, cleric, a little wizard or sorcerer, and maybe one or two in fighter.

[Randomthom]

Either Arcane Trickster or Trickster Cleric seem to fit quite well.

Not as good a fit but Illusionist Wizard could pull a lot of the same tricks.

My personal choice to build an MCU-esque Loki would be as a Sorcadin, choosing mostly illusion/transmutation spells. This would also give you the armour & weapon proficiencies and the high charisma for diplomacy/persuasion/bluffing etc.

[nickl_2000]

What race is he? Fallen Aasimar? Silver or White Dragonborn?

[Ivor_The_Mad]

What race is he? Fallen Aasimar? Silver or White Dragonborn?

I was planing on going half elf for the fey ancestry and bonus skills.

[Unoriginal]

Do you mean Marvel Loki or Norse myth Loki?

[Vogie]

Loki is literally a god, so trying to mortal-ize him seems like a terrible idea.

However, there could be a litany of deity-adjacent classes you could use:

A Champion of Loki would be a Treachery Paladin
A Cleric of Loki would be a Trickery Cleric
A Thaumaturge or Adept of Loki could be a Wizard, probably Conjuration or Illusion, but Transmutation could also work
A Herald, Speaker, or Envoy of Loki would be a Bard, Probably Glamour or Whispers, but Lore could also work.
A Disciple or Initiate of Loki would be a Arcane Trickster Rogue

[smcmike]

Shapeshifting is his most defining characteristic, I think, so it’s hard to get away from Druid.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Do you mean Marvel Loki or Norse myth Loki?

I was aiming for norse myth but on areas that are not as clear then I use marvel because in the marvel movies you can see him and his powers rather than read it in a book (i have nothing against books) which helps fill in some blanks.

[Beleriphon]

Do you mean Marvel Loki or Norse myth Loki?

I'd go with the Marvel Loki, specifically the Tom Hiddleson version of Loki.

[Unoriginal]

I was aiming for norse myth but on areas that are not as clear then I use marvel because in the marvel movies you can see him and his powers rather than read it in a book (i have nothing against books) which helps fill in some blanks.


I'd go with the Marvel Loki, specifically the Tom Hiddleson version of Loki.

If you want something close to Tom Hiddleson's Loki, then go for Wizard, school of illusion, with a bit of Rogue.

[Grim Portent]

I was aiming for norse myth but on areas that are not as clear then I use marvel because in the marvel movies you can see him and his powers rather than read it in a book (i have nothing against books) which helps fill in some blanks.

I'd probably consider Changeling Moon Druid the absolute minimum for making him according to his mythical depictions. He was known for changing into humans of both genders in the myths in addition to a variety of animals, and occasionally giving birth which requires a more physical transformation. Just using illusions to change humaoid shape wouldn't really capture him even if possessing the ability to turn into animals.

[Sception]

myth vs. mcu has some noticeable divergence. At the very least, myth loki needs a heavy emphasis on fire, while mcu loki doesn't do fire at all. And myth loki does way more of the shape changing, while mcu loki is all about those illusions.

For MCU, I'd say Lore Bard, maybe multiclassed rogue. Cha based casting is essential. Fair selection of enchantment and illusion spells (using bonus spells to pick up wizard enchantments and shapechange spells he might otherwise be lacking. Race-wise, probably changeling, for more shapechange & cha boost.

For myth... maybe draconic sorcerer instead of bard for more fire focus? Maybe still rogue multiclass & changeling race. Lore bard still works, though, with just different choice of bonus spells.


Hard to get the right amount of shape-changing for myth loki without going druid, but druid is otherwise very lacking for loki. Not enough fire, not enough illusion. Plus druid would have you investing in wisdom and dumping cha which is literally the opposite of what either version of loki should be doing with their stats.


If your DM would let you homebrew a cha based druid with the warlock skill list and either the bard or the sorcerer spell list depending on if you're going for mcu or myth respectively, then that would fit just about perfectly, but that's a lot more homebrew than most DM's go for.

[Unoriginal]

Myth Loki wasn't really linked to fire, it's a conflation with Logi, who was a different character.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

This is tough. I still can't decide Im tempted to go with Illusion wizard and trickster cleric but the rogue is important. If I go Wizard 12 rogue 8 or something like that I get 8th level spells and I can get the illusions, and polymorph spells. Yet I still miss out on some other stuff that works for him.

[Spore]

I think with all those class ideas and class combos flying around a good thing to know would be the targetted level. Because an arcane trickster/bard/trickery cleric class combo is all well and good but if you can be Lv 2 at max, you have to focus on a certain aspect of him.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

I think with all those class ideas and class combos flying around a good thing to know would be the targetted level. Because an arcane trickster/bard/trickery cleric class combo is all well and good but if you can be Lv 2 at max, you have to focus on a certain aspect of him.

You have a point. At first I would probably start as a rogue 1 then after reaching 5th take a 5 in wizard. Starting off with the trickery and some combat skill then adding more and more powerful illusions and other spells.

[KeilFX]

At first glance I would go with a healthy mix of Whisper College Bard, Trickery Domain Cleric. Something can be said for Spore/Moon Circle Druid, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Gloomstalker Ranger, or even some sort of Warlock (I would lean towards Spore Druid, or not at all myself).

Clerics are one of the most versatile and powerful classes in DnD, and it's hard to pin down what they *can't* do. Yes, a Wizard can out-cast them, and a Fighter can out...fight them *cough*, but they are a mixed bag of DPS, Tank, Caster, and they're the best healers in the game. Trickery Domain gives you the power to create an illusory duplicate of yourself (lvl2), 3rd level spell slots for things like Animate Dead (lvl5), as well as being able to turn invisible(lvl6). Very Loki-like.

Never played a Bard, but College of Whispers Bard seems really cool! You can turn someone into a frightened conspiracy theorist just by talking to them for a minute (lvl3), and you can disguise yourself as someone who died in front of you--as well as gain a fair amount of information about them (lvl6).

Now, I love Druids, and something can be said for Loki-flavour as a Moon or Spores Druid, but if we can that dank Fly speed from wildshape, that's 8 whole Druid levels. In comparison, our Multiclassed Loki-guy will have Polymorph at level 7. By level 9, we'll have three lvl4 spellslots, so unless we're going 8 levels of druid right off the bat, then I would argue not going druid (if wildshape is your only reason for going Druid).

[Sception]

The problem with cleric is the same as druid: wis should not be among loki's favored stats.

Again, I would argue in favor of bard. Consider this evidence:

https://78.media.tumblr.com/7700176eb362b32b7244f9f90e33853c/tumblr_oqwi2v38WG1wr1wkyo1_1280.jpg

Look at the sorts of curveballs different character classes tend to bring to a campaign, and tell me that bard isn't the class most known for tilting game narratives in a loki-esque direction.

[Spore]

Oh, my Loki would definitely be a Lore or Glamour Bard. :smallamused:

[Vogie]

The problem with cleric is the same as druid: wis should not be among loki's favored stats.

That's only due to game mechanic requirements, and would be "required" if you wanted to start shapeshifting at low levels. If the character is starting at higher levels, Polymorph will do the trick.

Of course, all tables are different. If you can convince your DM to play a Cha-based caster that happens to have Moon Druid/trickery cleric mechanics, more power to you.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

At this point I wish I could just take what I want from all the classes and go on my merry way. For example I could go arcane trickster and then replace some of the abilities with ones from illusion wizard and multiclass with trickster cleric. Maybe even throw some bard abilities into the mix.

[Talionis]

Two classes I haven't seen mentioned that would make a lot of sense.

I think you could make an interesting Loki like character out of Warlock. Warlocks get disguise self and later alter self at will. They have the ability to make illusions all day long with their invocation and the cantrip. Which makes for a good one two punch.

You might dabble in Sorcerer for Subtle Spell metamagic.

I think these classes make excellent dips or dives for some or most of a Loki like character.

[Citan]

Hmm. The druid would be useful for shapeshifting. I originally planed to just use polymorph a lot. It is a bit of a waste of a 4th level spell slot.
Maybe then the Wizard school that gives a free Polymorph per short rest would suit you?

Otherwise fluff-wise I'd see Sorcerer instead of Cleric simply because Loki does not depend on a god, he is actually a god.
So it seems fair that he's "his own source of power".
Divine Soul Sorcerer may actually be great, maybe paired with a few levels of Bard for the manipulative/charming side.

[Zonugal]

For an MCU Loki build, I'd probably do something like:

Tiefling 'College of Whispers' Bard 16/'Draconic' Sorcerer 4

[Laserlight]

Class God , subclass Puny.

[Snowbluff]

Loki is a 3e Beguiler

[GAZ]

According to the official 3e stats in Deities & Demigods, Loki is 20 Rogue/20 Sorcerer.

[Malifice]

Arcane Trickster/ Illusionist surely.

I can also get with Trickery cleric. His deity is... himself.

His alignment hovers between CN and CE depending on the depiction (much like his historical counterpart).

[CircleOfTheRock]

Do you mean Marvel Loki or Norse myth Loki?
Or any of the other versions out there?

[Ivor_The_Mad]

If I was to go Rogue with him what subclass would he be? I assumed arcane trickster but along with a spellcasting class like wizard or cleric it may be a waste.

[Vogie]

If I was to go Rogue with him what subclass would he be? I assumed arcane trickster but along with a spellcasting class like wizard or cleric it may be a waste.

Probably Inquisitive, mechanically, in a solo situation. However, in a group, Mastermind may also work.

[Malifice]

If I was to go Rogue with him what subclass would he be? I assumed arcane trickster but along with a spellcasting class like wizard or cleric it may be a waste.

Why would it be a waste?

The caster levels stack.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Why would it be a waste?

The caster levels stack.

What I meant by that was that i could be getting some other useful features out of a different subclass that might be more useful than the extra spells.

[Mercurias]

This really makes me want to think about a Nomad Mystic with a 1-3 level dip in Rogue. You get a lot of social and magic options to make people REALLY react to your presence, and Rogue Expertise mixed with Nomad stuff would make you a pretty impressive skill monkey.

As for what you're looking at? It sounds like manipulation is more important than shanking someone with a knife. You could try running as a Fey or Seeker Warlock. Fey have more direct social control skills, while Seeker Warlocks have tricksy defenses. A dip into Bard, Rogue, or Sorc could help round out the concept.

[Nifft]

Looking at MCU Loki...

- Uses trickery to break apart heroic union.
- Partners with autocratic foreign military to subdue innocent natives.
- Hostility against working man with hammer even though they should be brothers.

Loki's class is clearly bourgeoisie.

[RSP]

I played a trickster type recently as a Lore Bard and it worked out very well. I'd recommend using it for any Loki-models.

High Cha with Expertise in Deception and Persuasion, coupled with Enhance Ability (Cha) if needed.

They get a lot of the illusion spells, though I'd probably (and did) pick up Nystul's at 6th level to enhance the character's illusion abilities. Grab Mislead at 9th and you're essentially Hiddleson's Loki.

[Asmotherion]

We're trying to go for a Character that is at the very least a level 15 Character, and a Deity.

The best thing you can try is "Imitate his Iconic Abilities" and go for a Character Concept.

Loki is mostly a Spellcaster, specialising in Transmutation, Illusion and Conjuration(summons/teleportations) Magic, with the occasional Evocation Cantrip for more Direct Combat. He is more than capable of Melee Oriented combat, he just chooses not to, making him a Gish of sorts.

He is a Trickster God, and also has high affinity with Magic.

My take on Loki would be an Arcane Trickster/Hexblade Multiclass. That is not however the only way to build Loki, and he can work just as well as a Divine Soul Sorcerer (Chaos)/Hexblade and the Charlatan Backround, focusing on taking the right spells for your character.