MadCap's Table Top Tales - Spike Build (5e)

Building. A. D&D. Character.

...bitch.

Okay, so that's technically six words, but bite me. And now, you can! Last year, we ended Horror Month with a Champion, so it's only fitting that we start off this year's Horror Month with one! It's Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

So, as always, we're using the standard point array from the Player's Handbook. Roll for the stats if you like and use this as a guide, just keep either Strength or Dexterity in mind for multiclassing, depending on which you choose to go with.

Charisma: 15

James Marsters has, as The Passion of the Nerd has put it, a "stupid, sexy smolder" about him. Plus, it'll be perfect for some of our skills to come.

Constitution: 14

Constitution is next, Spike endured horrendous torture at the hands of Glory in order to protect Dawn from her and all he got was getting covered in sexy wounds.

Strength or Dexterity: 13 or 12

As a vampire, Spike has both supernaturally-enhanced speed and strength beyond that of a normal human. As such, you can put either one of these in either position and they will work just as well for both the character and for the multiclassing minimums we will need later. For the purposes of this build, however, I will be treating Strength as 13 and Dexterity as 12. You'll see why soon enough.

Intelligence: 10

Spike was a poet and a thinker before being turned into a vampire and he has kept up with his reading if he prefers the rough and tumble to the late night burning the midnight oil.

Wisdom: 8

Spike actually has a fantastic amount of willpower (see the previous mention of Glory torture) as well as being very keenly observant. However, he's known for being a bit of a hot head and looking before he leaps - sometimes literally. He's a hedonistic daredevil, not a careful planner.

For race, we're going with Dhampir from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, seeing as it's the closest we can get to vampires proper in D&D without homebrewing. Because we're taking this race at first level, we gain two proficiencies in skills of our choice. We'll go with Athletics and Deception. You also gain a walking speed of 35 feet, Darkvision out to 60 feet. Deathless Nature assures that you do not have to breathe. Spider Climb gives you a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and, at 3rd level, you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings. All of this while leaving your hands free! Neat!

Of course, the most prolific ability of the Dhampir is the Vampiric Bite. It's a natural weapon, counting as a melee attack in which you're proficient. The only difference between them is that you use your Constitution modifier to attack and damage rolls when you use it. Plus, your attacks have advantage when you're missing half or more of your hit points. If your target isn't a Construct or Undead, you can choose one of the following advantages:

• Regain hit points equal to the piercing damage of the bite.
• Gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make; the bonus equaling the piercing damage dealt by the bite.

You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all the uses on a long rest.

By the way, the attacks do 1d4 damage + your Constitution modifier. So now you know why I went for such a high Constitution modifier... apart from just having a high Constitution modifier.

For background, we'll be taking Entertainer. Sure, William the Bloody was so named because of his bloody awful poetry, but it never said you had to be a good entertainer, now did it? Entertainer nets Spike Acrobatics and Performance skills as well as proficiency in the Disguise Kit and one musical instrument of your choice.

For first level, we're going with - shock of shocks - Bard (1). Besides getting proficiency in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws, Spike has proficiency with all simple weapons, crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords, along with light armor, and three musical instruments of your choice. I'll leave you to pick those out yourself. I hear Buffy already has the triangle-err, drums covered. She's hell on the old skins, I hear...

You can also choose any three skills. Let's go with Arcana, History, and Intimidation. Spike has some knowledge of magic, is well-read on demonology (and also lived for almost two centuries), and can be quite intimidating when the need arises. As a first level Bard, Spike gets access to Spellcasting, in this case two cantrips and four 1st level spells.

For cantrips, I'd go with Vicious Mockery and Friends. Spike is known for cutting into people where it hurts the most and for being an expert manipulator, both of these fitting those perfectly.

For spells, we're going to go with Bane. Spike can impose a d4 penalty on a target after they fail a Charisma saving throw on their next attack or skill roll for up to 1 minute depending on concentration.

Charm Person will force a humanoid to make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, it is charmed for up to 1 hour or until Spike or his companions do something to harm it. During that time, the creature will regard Spike as a friendly acquaintance. After the spell is over, as with Friends, the target will know that they've been manipulated and will likely not be very happy about it at all.

Comprehend Languages allows Spike to understand the literal meaning of any spoken word that he hears. He can also use this spell to comprehend any written language so long as he's touching the surface that the language is written on. This can't be used to break a secret message or a glyph, however. It is just a literal 1:1 translation of the text as printed.

Feather Fall will slow the descent of Spike and four other creatures if they are falling to about 60 feet per round for up to 1 minute. If the target lands before the spell ends, they take no fall damage.

Identify will allow Spike to identify magical objects that he comes across, learning how to use it, whether it requires attunement, and how many charges it has (if any).

First level Bards also receive Bardic Inspiration at a d6, allowing Spike to give Buffy a free d6 to add to one of her ability checks, saving throws, or attack rolls as she sees fit. Spike can use this ability a number of times equal to his Charisma modifier, but any target can only have one d6 to use at a time. Expended uses come back on a long rest.

Second level Bard (2) gains a new spell and a new spell slot. Detect Magic will let Spike sense what the connection between Ben and Glory is... whatever that is. It also allows Spike to sense the presence of magic in 30 feet around him for up to 10 minutes depending on his concentration. 

Second level Bards become a Jack of All Trades, allowing them to add half their proficiency bonus (rounded down) to any ability check that doesn't already use their proficiency bonus. They also pick up the Song of Rest ability at d6. In addition to their spending of hit dice during a short rest, any character that hears the song can get an additional 1d6 points.

Going to the third level, Bard (3) must choose a Bard College. In this case, we're going with the College of Lore. Right off the bat, College of Lore Bards gain three skill proficiencies of their choice that they don't already have. Insight, Perception, and Stealth will be our three.

Third level Bards also gain Expertise in two skills, allowing them to double their proficiency bonuses for those skill checks. We're going with Deception and Intimidation. They also gain a new spell and have unlocked second level spells. In this case, Spike will get Suggestion. On a failed Wisdom save, a creature feels compelled to complete an action that the caster suggests so long as that action is not immediately or obviously harmful to them. So he couldn't, say, make a vampire run headlong into the sun with absolute glee. However, he could perhaps pit the Slayer and her friends against one another and keep them against each other for up to 8 hours depending on his concentration.

Last, but certainly not least, Bards at the third level get Cutting Words. Using a Bardic Inspiration roll, instead of giving an ally a boost, they can force a weakness on their opponents in much the same way. However, a creature is immune if they can't hear the bard or are immune to being charmed.

Into the fourth level, Bard (4), we get our first Ability Score Improvement or Feat. In this case, we're going to go with Tough. Tough gives you two hit points for every level you have and every level you get from here on out. It's one of the best feats in the game. Period.

Fourth level bards also get another cantrip, in this case we're going with Mending, and another spell - Locate Object. Might have been useful for him to both repair and find the Gem of Amara, just saying, William.

Pushing a little further into Bard (5), the Bardic Inspiration gets bumped up to a d8. The bard in question also receives Font of Inspiration, meaning that they regain all expended uses of their Bardic Inspiration after a short or long rest. So Spike will be ready to inspire the Scoobies or the Angel Investigations team for another fight.

Also, fifth level Bards get a new spell and unlock 3rd level spells. Dispel Magic is definitely a fun little spell that ends magical effects of 3rd level or lower instantly and can end spells of 4th level or higher with a spellcasting check of DC 10 + the level of the spell. Success ends the effect.

Popping into 6th level Bard (6), we get the ability of Countercharm, Spike getting the ability to disrupt mind-influencing effects with his music or with his words. It's detailed more extensively on page 54 of the Player's Handbook. Spike actually does do this on the show, by the way... technically. "Once More With Feeling...", check it out. Great musical episode.

Sixth level bards also get one more spell. We're gonna go with Fear. Spike conjures up the greatest fears of the target(s) and, if they fail a Wisdom save, they must take the Dash action to run away from it as quickly as possible and avoid taking any other action.

A member of the College of Lore gains access to Magical Secrets. You can pick any two spells off of any list in the game or a cantrip and it counts as a Bard spell for you while not counting against the number of spells that you know. Neat! We're limited to 3rd Level spells and below, so I had to think hard about this for a bit. Haste off of the 3rd level Wizard spell list and Longstrider from the 1st level of Wizard. Again, both count as Bard spells for you.

You might be wondering, why all the speed and movement spells? Well...

For seventh level, we're dropping Spike into Fighter (1), which we can do because we have a Strength or Dexterity of 13. Multiclassing into Fighter nets you medium armor proficiency (which we won't be using) and shield proficiency (which we won't be using). Instead, first level fighters must pick a Fighting Style. In this particular case, we're going to go with Unarmed Fighting. Unarmed fighting boosts your unarmed attack to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't using weapons or a shield, it becomes a d8 instead of a d6. At the start of your turn, you can also deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature that you are grappling. Just for those keeping score, that means you can do 1d6 + 1d4 + your Strength mod in damage every turn... and that's just to start!

You also gain a Second Wind, allowing you to regain 1d10 + your fighter level once per short or long rest. Handy in a tight spot indeed, say if you need to beat up your sire for a magic goblet. Angel has always been a bit of a pain in your ass, hasn't he?

Eighth level sees us go up to Fighter (2) and gain one use of Action Surge, which gives you an additional action on top of your regular and bonus action. Once you've done this, however, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.

Ninth level does not see us going up to the third level of Fighter, but instead to the first level of Barbarian (1). An odd choice? Not at all! Spike is known for being a brawler and has been known to give into his Rage one time too many, sometimes to his determent. So, naturally, he can now Rage twice per long rest. Rage is detailed on page 48 of the Player's Handbook, but it basically makes you majorly strong when you use it. Of particular note for this build is that you gain a bonus to the damage rolls of a melee weapon attack (yes, your fists count) of +2 and that will increase as you take more levels in Barbarian.

Of note also is Unarmored Defense. Spike, after all, often wears little more than his street clothes and his prized leather coat he took from Nikki Wood's still warm corpse in the 1970's.  Your Armor Class becomes 10 + your Dexterity Modifier + your Constitution modifier. So, no points for guessing what skills we'll be beefing up as we go along through the rest of this build.

Tenth level Spike is once again a Barbarian (2). Spike gains the ability of Reckless Attack, throwing aside defenses to boost his assault power. He gains advantage on Strength-based melee weapon attacks, but attack rolls against him also have advantage for the next turn as a result.

Second level Barbarians also gain a Danger Sense, allowing them advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that they can see, be they magical like spells or mundane like traps. Of course, they can't be blinded, deafened, or otherwise incapacitated.

Eleventh level Spike is a Barbarian (3) and we get to choose a Primal Path. After not much deliberation at all, I chose the Path of the Zealot for this build. True, Spike is not by any means a man chosen by the gods... but he is a Champion of the Powers That Be, so I would say it qualifies.

Zealot Barbarians gain the ability of Divine Fury, which can empower their melee weapon strikes against the first opponent they hit in combat with extra damage equal to 1d6 + their Barbarian level and they can do either radiant or necrotic damage as chosen when the feature becomes unlocked. So your first strike, for all intents and purposes, is magical. Neat!

Zealot Barbarians are also Warriors of the Gods, meaning that a resurrection spell to bring them back from the dead doesn't require material components. Maybe they just need a necklace. Seriously, will they ever let Spike rest in peace?

Twelfth level Spike dips once more into Barbarian (4) and gets his first ability score improvement. We'll bump up Strength and Constitution for harder hitting and the ability to take harder hitting, respectively.

Thirteenth level Spike keeps on the Barbarian (5) train and gets an Extra Attack, meaning he can have two attack actions instead of just one each round. Think of all the damage you'll be doing!

Fast Movement also increases Spike's movement by 10 feet whenever he isn't wearing heavy armor... which, as we established, he doesn't wear. So, free 10 feet of movement to bump you up to 40.

Fourteenth level Spike is still a Barbarian (6) and receives a new ability from Zealot Barbarian, namely Fanatical Focus. While raging, Spike can reroll a saving throw that he fails, but he must accept the new roll. He can also only do this once per rage, of which he has 4 now per long rest.

Fifteenth level Spike remains Barbarian (7) and gains Feral Instinct, meaning that he gains advantage on Initiative rolls and can act normally on a surprise round so long as he enters Rage.

Sixteenth level Spike gets an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat as a Barbarian (8). We'll be taking Resilient, which gives him a +1 to an Ability Score of his choice to a maximum of 20 (in this case, we're going with Constitution) as well as proficiency in saving throws involving that Ability Score. Congrats! Your death saves and your concentration just became a lot easier and you are heartier!

Seventeenth level Spike in Barbarian (9) gets a Brutal Critical die. He can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. So there's the potential for even more damage!

Eighteenth level Spike as a Barbarian (10) on the path of the Zealot gains a Zealous Presence, allowing him to call out a battle cry that will cause up to ten creatures within 60 feet around him to gain advantage on saving throws and attacks until the beginning of his next turn, regaining it after a long rest.

The nineteenth level sees Spike as a Barbarian (11), gaining Relentless Rage. When Spike drops to 0 hit points (probably because of that damn necklace), he can roll a DC 10 Constitution save to pick himself back up at 1 hit point. This increases by 5 every time it gets used after the first one, resetting to 10 after a short or long rest.

Our capstone is Barbarian (12) and a final Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Up the Strength/Dexterity and Constitution one last time.

Now that we've hit Level 20, let's talk about how good this build is.

Pros:

• You can run a ridiculous amount of damage. Your unarmed strikes can, under the right conditions, pull off 1d8 + 1d4 + 1d6 + 12 +3 damage at the start of your turn, giving you an average of 27 damage without adding your Strength modifier and a max of 33 damage that is either necrotic or radiant damage. Not too shabby, especially when you can set yourself up to attack with advantage. And you can attack twice in one round... technically three times with action surge. And you get to roll an extra damage die on a critical hit for even more damage!
• You have a lot of beef in that beefcake. With a high Constitution, the hit dice from Barbarian, and the Tough feat, you've definitely got the body to body a heck of a lot of damage. You also have advantage on Constitution saving throws. Not bad!
• You do have magic to bewitch the mind and to find out information you need about magical objects and the like as well as increase your mobility, which is already at 45 feet normally thanks to both your Barbarian status and your Dhampir origin. Your bard skills also allow you to support your party and yourself and even take a few jabs at your opponents.

Cons: 

• The flip side to multiclassing a spellcaster with a Barbarian is, as always, the fact that you can't cast spells or concentrate on spells while you're raging. Not many of Spike's spells are made for use in combat, but who knows what might happen? You also miss out on some of the best abilities of the Barbarian in the Zealot Barbarian Path, particularly Rage Beyond Death or (as my D&D group affectionately calls it) the "I didn't hear no bell" ability, which is a big bummer.
• Your spell selection isn't great, only going up to the third level as neither the Fighter nor Barbarian classes give you any help there. While the spells you have are largely utility based and can be very helpful, many of them see your opponents having advantage against them when you're in combat... and given the other levels of this build that aren't Bard, you're sort of built around that.
• In addition to a low Wisdom score (y'know, one of the most called for saving throws in the game), you really don't have too much to offer in the way of damage variety. Your punches are bludgeoning and Dhampir bite gives you piercing... that's it as far as damage. Sure, your first strike every round can bring you some necrotic or radiant damage to an opponent, but you otherwise have nothing in terms of magical attacks by any natural class abilities.

But hey, you're Spike, the other vampire with a soul. Get on your leather coat, put on some Sex Pistols, and get ready to help Buffy out (because you're free if that bitch dies!) in her fight against evil. Just be careful where you stand on the Hellmouth, just because you want to see how it ends doesn't mean you have to find out today...