So, writing this out now just after having seen Jurassic World: Dominion, I'm kind of irritated with myself for not thinking of this sooner. This may be the no-brainer-est of all no-brainer character builds that I've ever done thus far.
Burt Macklin, Raptor Trainer!
I kid, of course, it's Owen Grady from the Jurassic World films. An animal behaviorist, a former Naval officer, and all around rough and tumble badass, Owen has survived three dinosaur-related incidents to date, which puts him head and shoulders above most - especially Donald Gennaro! Today, I'm gonna make him a character in Dungeons & Dragons using the 5th Edition ruleset.
For him, we're going to be using the standard point array from the Player's Handbook. As always, I would suggest rolling for your own stats and using this as a guide as to where to put them.
Wisdom: 15
Owen is very intuitive and observant about the animals that he works with, which works very well in trying to not get eaten by said animals, particularly the raptors.
Dexterity: 14
Owen is in pretty good shape and is able to run like Hell from the many prehistoric terrors he faces.
Constitution: 13
As I said, Owen is in pretty good shape and that would naturally translate to his physical health as well.
Charisma: 12
Owen does demonstrate himself to be a natural leader as well as having a strong enough force of personality to intimidate not one but three raptors at a time. No small feat.
Strength: 10
Strength could be a little higher, but Owen is regularly dealing with things that are far stronger than he could ever hope to be and thus outsmarting them is the way to go.
Intelligence: 8
...which is ironic when I say we're dumping intelligence for this build. It is an important skill and Owen is definitely not a dummy, we just need everything else a little more.
For race, Owen is a Human. Specifically, we're going to go with Variant Human. You get an Ability Score Increase of +1 in two scores, go for Wisdom and Constitution. You also receive a free skill, we're going to go with Intimidation since we can't get it anywhere else in the build and we'll get our free feat and we'll be taking Alert. Alert gives you a +5 to Initiative rolls, you can't be surprised while you're conscious, and other creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being hidden from you.
For Background, I was tempted to go with Soldier, but the Sailor background better fits Owen's origins within the Navy. The Sailor background gives you Athletics and Perception skills as well as navigator's tools and proficiency with water vehicles. You also receive the feature Ship's Passage, which lets you get a free ride on a boat to anywhere you need to go... although it may not necessary be 100% what you need at the DM's discretion. Plus, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage. So if Owen needs to get to Isla Nublar quickly, he... hopefully can.
Now for class, we're going for Ranger (1). Rangers get light and medium armor and shield proficiency as well as simple and marital weapons. They can choose three skills from the Ranger list, we're going to go with Animal Handling, Nature, and Survival.
Starting off at first level, you pick a Favored Enemy. Dinosaurs fall under the "Beast" category in 5e, so that's what we're going with. You also, in addition to having advantage on Survival checks to track them and Intelligence checks to recall information about them learn one language of your choice that your Favored Enemy speaks... but dinosaurs don't talk.
No, we don't talk about the Jurassic Park III scene.
First level Rangers are also Natural Explorers, meaning that they pick out a Favored Terrain. I detailed the Natural Explorer Ps and Qs back in the Dean Winchester build, but you get a lot of cool things that work with your specific terrain. Check it out either there or on page 91 in the Player's Handbook. I'd say jungle would probably work well for Owen.
Second level Rangers (2) must choose a Fighting Style. I debated back and forth about this for a bit, given that Owen uses both guns and bladed weapons with some regularity. However, for much of the most recent film, Owen carries a knife for most of the film and so that's what I've decided to go with. The Dueling fighting style means that whenever you're wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 to damage rolls with that weapon. Right on!
Second level Rangers also unlock Spellcasting, and with two slots as well as two options for spells, we'll be taking Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals. They'll be useful later.
Third level Rangers (3) choose a Ranger Archetype and for Owen we're going with Beast Master, which I feel best exemplifies Owen's bond with the Raptors. A new Beast Master gains an Animal Companion that is a beast that is no larger than Medium and has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower... and guess what animal fits that criteria perfectly?
Oh, yes. Burt Macklin, Raptor Trainer time!
The bond between the film versions of Owen and Blue and the D&D view of Owen and Blue are a little different, though. In D&D, Blue gains Owen's proficiency bonus to AC, attack rolls, damage rolls, and any saving throws or skills. It's hit point maximum is equal to either its hit point number in its own stat block (which can be found in Volo's Guide to Monsters) or four times Owen's ranger level, whichever is the higher number.
The Animal Companion acts on your initiative and can be directed without taking an action, obeying you as best as it can. For the full details, check out page 93 of the Player's Handbook.
At third level, Rangers also receive Primeval Awareness. Using a Ranger spell slot, a ranger can focus their awareness on the region around them for 1 minute per level of the spell. They can sense within 1 mile (or 6 miles if they're in their favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elements, fey, fiends, and undead. However, this doesn't tell them the location or number, just that they are in the area.
Third level also grants us a new spell and new spell slot. Goodberry gives you a bit of cheapy healing as well as making sure you and your party stay well-fed, which may be a problem if you're stuck on a tropical island filled with killer dinosaurs and trying to make your escape.
Fourth level Rangers (4) get another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Lucky grants you three luck points that be used when you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw in order to roll another d20 and accept whichever of the two results you wish, doing so before the outcome is determined. You can also spend a point when an attack is used against you, rolling a d20 and making the attacker use whichever one you wish. If you go up against someone who also has this feat, they can use it to cancel out yours, so no dice get rolled. You get back all the luck points you used when you finish a long rest.
... c'mon, Owen's a Jurassic Park protaganist. He's got luck to beat the Devil!
Fifth level Rangers (5) gain an Extra Attack, meaning that Owen can attack twice instead of just once in combat. Fifth level Rangers also get access to second level spells. Animal Messenger is a pretty good option.
Sixth level Rangers (6) see improvements to Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer. In this case, they can pick an additional enemy (Monstrosities, maybe?) and another favored terrain. Maybe forest or mountain to go with that jungle?
Seventh level Rangers (7) who also happen to be Beast Masters gain Exceptional Training. When your beast companion doesn't attack, you can take a bonus action to command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn. Tell Blue to run up and intimidate another raptor that's trying to eat Claire. Boom.
Rangers also get a new spell at Seventh level, Locate Animals or Plants would be very appropriate, I think.
Eighth level Rangers (8) get yet another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Mobile is a fun one that we covered back in the Moon Knight build, but the main draw this time is the ability to deny opportunity attacks outright, whether our melee attack hits a target or not. Owen can get in, stab a dilophosaurus in the jaw, and waltz backwards like the wind.
They also receive Land's Stride, which allows them to ignore nonmagical difficult terrain in terms of causing extra movement, being able to pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed, and not taking damage from any hazards they may have as well as having advantage on saving throws against planets magically created or manipulated to impede movement. Definitely good to not worry about getting caught on thorns while you're hunting the Indominus Rex.
Ninth level Rangers (9) don't get any special features beyond a new spell and access to 3rd level spells. Conjure Animals allows a ranger to summon one beast of challenge rating 2 or lower, two beasts of CR 1 or lower, four beasts of CR 1/2 or lower, or eight beasts of CR 1/4 or lower.
Once again, raptors count as 1/4 beasts.
The creatures are considered fey and don't get any of the bonuses of your Animal Companion, but are otherwise friendly toward you and your group and will obey any command issued by you. Using a higher spell slot, more creatures can appear (twice as many with a 5th level slot, three times as many with a 7th, and four times as many with a 9th - although Rangers only go up to 5th), although that is a ways off. They stick around for up to an hour depending on your Concentration.
Tenth level Rangers (10) get a Natural Explorer improvement, which means it's time to pick a third and final favored terrain. Go with either forest of mountain depending on what you didn't pick at 6th. Rangers can now Hide in Plain Sight, an ability we all know all too well thanks to our old buddy Michael Myers! Owen doesn't use it much, but you never know when a hungry dino comes along and he may need to vamoose.
Eleventh level Rangers (11) who take the Beast Master archetype receive Bestial Fury. Now, Blue can attack twice instead of once. Neat! Also, they gain a new spell. Beast Sense allows you to see through the senses of a friendly creature that you touch, though you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings while you do this.
Twelfth level Rangers (12) get an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Skilled nets you proficiency in any combination of three skills or tools of your choice. We're definitely getting Vehicles (land) so that Owen can have his motorcycles as well as proficiency with Insight and Acrobatics.
That, honestly, is where we could stop the build and pretty much have everything about Owen nicely covered (plus a little extra). However, since we're already here, let's keep going to Level 20!
Thirteenth level Rangers (13) don't get a new class feature, but they do unlock fourth level spells. Freedom of Movement is never not a good spell to have! Once again, already covered in the Moon Knight build! If you can get it, get it!
Fourteenth level Rangers (14) can pick a final Favored Enemy (take your pick) as well as gaining the ability to Vanish, which allows the Ranger to use the Hide action as a bonus action on their turn and render themselves unable to be tracked by nonmagical means. Again, I don't see Owen using this a lot, but it's not a bad option to have in the back pocket.
Fifteenth level Rangers (15) on the Beast Master path gain the ability to Share Spells, meaning that their beast companion can benefit from any spell the Ranger casts that targets them so long as they're within 30 feet.
Sixteenth level Rangers (16) get an Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Sentinel is a great feat that is detailed on pg. 169-170 of the Player's Handbook that basically serves as the reverse of the Mobile feat. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, it's movement drops to 0 for the rest of the turn. Creatures also provoke opportunity attacks even if they take the Disengage action before moving away. In addition, a creature within 5 feet of you that makes an attack against a target other than you (and doesn't have this feat), means you can use your reaction to get a free attack against it!
So, Owen can literally not only deny opportunity attacks to creatures, but also get some of his own in with ease before moving away himself!
Seventeenth level Rangers (17) get no features, but do get a new spell as well as access to 5th level spells. Locate Creature from the 4th level spells will let you... well, locate a creature within 1000 feet. Simple enough, really.
Eighteenth level Rangers (18) get Feral Senses, where the inability to see a creature no longer imposes disadvantage on fighting it. A Ranger with these senses is also aware of any invisible creature within 30 feet of them, provided it isn't hidden from them and they aren't blinded or deafened.
Nineteenth level Rangers (19) get a final Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Surprise! We're going with the Tough feat. Tough gives you 2 extra hit points for every level you have and every level you get. Handy to have for any build, high Con or no! We can also pick up a final spell here, Tree Stride is a fun one that will give you a quick escape route from one tree to another kind of tree within 500 feet and can keep doing this for up to 1 minute with concentration.
Our capstone is a twentieth level Ranger (20), which makes us a Foe Slayer. Once on each turn, you can add your Wisdom modifier to an attack roll or damage roll made against a favored enemy, declaring your intention to do so before the result of the attack or damage is called.
Now that we've hit level twenty, let's talk about our pros and cons!
Pros:
- Summons! Summons! Summons! You have your raptor animal companion and then, if you use your 5th level spell slot, you can summon sixteen more to the battlefield. Your DM is going to hate you... wait, this is supposed to be a pro, right?
- High Wisdom means, even if you don't have proficiency in the saving throw, you have a high save for one of the most called for saving throws in the game. That's pretty nice.
- You have a bunch of skills and some tool proficiencies that can be put to use. If it is runs on the land or floats on the water, you can pilot it.
Cons:
- You're limited by spell slots. Once they run out, your ace in the hole is pretty much gone until you finish a long rest. Concentration is a problem with Conjure Animals as well, so you can't do anything else while you're doing that.
- Your damage potential isn't looking all that great, capped off by the fact that none of your abilities give you anything magical to help deal with threats and there are plenty of things out there that can resist normal damage.
- Foe Slayer is a fantastic capstone ability... and it only really works against your favored enemies, which you aren't necessarily going to be fighting. It's honestly one of the weaker 20th level abilities and it's frankly just kind of sad.
But hey, you're Owen Grady. Hop on your bike, call for your raptors, and go out to save the day from the evil corporation(s) you used to work for. Just keep on your toes around the beasts that you're training. It's their world, man's got nothing but a Fallen Kingdom, and they're likely to assert Dominion over you very, very quickly...
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