13th Age Character Builds: Dilettante Demonologist

Demonologist

By ASH LAW

The demonologist is the class for players who like things a little risky—who like playing close to the edge. Sure, you get to raise demons and bind them to your will, but if you falter you’ll unleash something very nasty into the world (and potentially against the party).

Demonologists get three talents, and how those talents are spent determine the path or paths that your demonologist is on, and the benefits that those grant.

Dilettante Demonologist

Download Dilettante character sheets here.

This demonologist refuses to be bound to any one path, instead drawing power and using it as they choose. This makes for a character with a lot of flexibility, but at the cost of some of the benefits that fully committing to a path would grant. An initiate of all paths, master of none.

This build concentrates on keeping effects going, and trying to get extra actions. To that end the build focuses more on curses and dealing ongoing damage than on summoning demons.

As an initiate of all three path’s you’ll get: resist poison 12+, ignore poison resistance 14+ or lower, resist fire 12+, ignore fire resistance 14+ or lower, and resist melee damage 10+.

You also get these bonus spells: summon corruption demon (1x daily), summon fire demon (1x daily), and summon slaughter demon (1x daily)

Additionally, as a slaughter path initiate your base AC in light armor is 13 and your base AC in heavy armor is 14 with a -2 attack penalty.

Talents

Contagion

Transfer a save-ends effect from a dead enemy to a new enemy.

Flare Up

When an enemy saves with an odd roll against an effect you caused, move the effect to a new enemy.

Sacrificial Blade

When one of your attacks drops a non-mook enemy (or the last mook in a mob), roll a save to get an extra standard action.

Race

The wood elf’s elven grace gives a good chance of extra standard actions, a nice synergy with sacrificial blade.

Attributes

Charisma is vital, Constitution is secondary, and we don’t want to skimp in too many other areas so we’re going for a fairly balanced build: Str 14 (+2) Con 16 (+3) Dex 10 (0) Int 10 (0) Wis 10 (0) Cha 17 (+3).

1^st level

Attributes: Str 14 (+2) Con 16 (+3) Dex 10 (0) Int 10 (0) Wis 10 (0) Cha 17 (+3).

Racial Power: Elven Grace

Talents: contagion, flare up, sacrificial blade

Path bonus spells (daily): summon corruption demon, summon fire demon, and summon slaughter demon

Demons on the roster: demon toad, burner, claw demon

Path of Corruption spells: stab in the soul

Path of Flame spells: feed the flame demons

Path of Slaughter spells: the rending

Resistances: resist poison 12+, resist fire 12+, resist melee damage 10+

Ignores resistances: ignore poison resistance 14+ or lower, ignore fire resistance 14+ or lower

Feats: sacrificial blade

2^nd level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul), flame spells (feed the flame demons), slaughter spells (the rending), new feat (stab in the soul). Demons on the roster: demon toad, burner, claw demon.

3^rd level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please), slaughter spells (the rending), new feat (keep burning please). Demons on the roster: hopping imp, hellhound, hungry maw.

4^th level

+1 to three attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Charisma), corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please), slaughter spells (the rending), new feat (misfortune). Demons on the roster: hopping imp, hellhound, hungry maw.

5^th level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction), new feat (sacrificial blade). Demons on the roster: vulture demon, big burner, frenzy demon.

6^th level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune, killing doubt), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please, golden claw), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction), new feat (elven grace). Demons on the roster: vulture demon, big burner, frenzy demon.

7^th level

+1 to three attributes (Constitution, Dexterity, Charisma), corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune, abyssal bargain), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please, golden claw), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction), new feat (keep burning please). Demons on the roster: hezrou, pincer demon, laughing demon.

8^th level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune, abyssal bargain), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please, golden claw), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction), new feat (sacrificial blade). Demons on the roster: hezrou, pincer demon, laughing demon.

9^th level

Corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune, herald of the apocalypse), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please, golden claw), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction), new feat (keep burning please). Demons on the roster: boar demon, lesser balor, marilith.

10^th level

+1 to three attributes (Strength, Constitution, Charisma), corruption spells (stab in the soul, misfortune, herald of the apocalypse), flame spells (feed the flame demons, keep burning please, golden claw), slaughter spells (the rending, implacable destruction, blood for blood), new feat (blood for blood). Demons on the roster: boar demon, lesser balor, marilith.