News from PaizoCon!

Legendary Games (one of my publishers) received a letter from someone currently being held by Oregon State Corrections. Among other games they mentioned Hypercorps 2099 as one of the influences that helped them make friends in prison, overcome problems with drug addiction, and come out of their shell (so that in the future after release they’ve got a healthy coping mechanism and way to create a social network to fall back on).

I think it goes without saying that the entire Hypercorps 2099 team is incredibly touched and overwhelmed that our work effected someone in such an important way. I’m sure that they join me in thanking you for reaching out to us and encouraging you to keep on gaming!

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Hello and welcome to my website! I have a bunch of different character builds (Afro Samurai, Aku and Samurai Jack, weird PCs), a blog series of Marvel super hero statblocks built using rules from Hypercorps 2099 (Hyper Score Marvel), and then the same for Street Fighter D&D 5e (using mechanics from Mists of Akuma). For the most part everything you find is built as a PC would be built to demonstrate what all you can do with the material inside each campaign setting.

It was with that in mind that I set out to make Venger in D&D 5e using some of the evil playtest rules (deformity feats, grafting feat, vilespawn template, background, sorcerer bloodline) from Book of Exalted Darkness. Have fun with Venger! If you think this can be improved in any way don’t hesitate to speak up (@MikeMyler2 on Twitter, over here on Facebook, and also on Google+) and let me know!

Venger by Douglas Cheri

Venger

Large monstrosity (human, vilespawn), neutral evil sorcerer (fearmongerer) 18
Armor Class 17 (mage armor, natural)
Hit Points 146 (18d6+72)
Speed 40 ft.; Sin Points 24/24

Saving Throws Con +10, Cha +10
Skills Acrobatics +3 (advantage), Arcana +8, Deception +10, Insight +8, Perception +8
Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning
Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Undercommon, Vilespeech
Challenge 20 (25,000 XP)
Background Feature: Natural Sinner (Unholy Witness). Whenever Venger spends a Sin point, he rolls 1d20 and on a result of 19 or 20 he does not have to expend the Sin point to benefit from it. In addition, his Sin increases by 1.
Inherent Heresy: Envy. Venger is at disadvantage on Insight and Persuasion checks when buying or selling items, his Wisdom increases by 1, and he began with a Sanctity of 10 and Sin of 4. As a bonus action, he may burn 1 Sin point to gain advantage on a Wisdom ability check or saving throw.

Aura of Fear. Each creature of Venger’s choice that is within 60 feet of him and aware of him must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Venger’s Aura of Fear for the next 24 hours.
Deformity Feat: Gaunt. Venger gains advantage on Acrobatics checks, increases his speed by 10 ft., and increases his Dexterity by 2.
Deformity Feat: Unlocked Limbic System. Venger gains advantage on saving throws to resist the charmed, frightened, and stunned conditions, and increases his Charisma by 2.
Feat: Sinful Magic. Each day when Venger prepares spells, he chooses 4 spells. He gains a +1 bonus to spell attacks and spell save DCs with these spells and they leave an evil aura in their wake. In addition, while casting a spell Venger may expend 1 Sin point per spell level to gain advantage on the spell attack roll or cause a creature targeted by the spell to make its saving throw to resist it with disadvantage.
Feat: Sinful Spellcasting. Venger gains advantage on Arcana and Religion checks regarding evil. When he successfully hits with a spell attack, he can spend Sin points to deal extra damage. He deals 1d8 necrotic damage for every Sin point spent this way (maximum 3d8). The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. Any spell cast using this feature leaves an evil aura.
Feat: War Caster. Venger has advantage on Constitution saving throws that he makes to maintain his concentration on a spell when he takes damage. He can perform the somatic components of spells even when he has weapons or a shield in one or both hands.
Font of Magic (18 sorcery points/long rest). Venger can use sorcery points to gain additional spell slots, or sacrifice spell slots to gain additional sorcery points. Transforming unexpended sorcery points into one spell slot as a bonus action on his turn. The Creating Spell Slots table shows the cost of creating a spell slot of a given level. Venger can create spell slots no higher in level than 5th. Any spell slot he creates with this feature vanishes when he finishes a long rest. As a bonus action on his turn, he can expend one spell slot and gain a number of sorcery points equal to the slot’s level. Venger recovers 4 sorcery points at the end of a short rest.
Frightful Gaze (5/long rest). When a creature that can see Venger’s eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of him, he can spend his bonus action or reaction to force it to make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw if he isn’t incapacitated and can see the creature. If the saving throw fails, the creature is frightened for 6 rounds.
Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw from this feature at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it can’t see Venger until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the creature looks at him in the meantime, he may spend his reaction to cause it to immediately make the saving throw.
Grafting Feat: Devil’s Arm. Venger’s Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2 and he is able to conjure flames to use as ranged attacks. He is at disadvantage when making non-Intimidation Charisma ability checks against creatures able to see his true form.
Metamagic (Distant Spell – 1 sorcery point). When Venger casts a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, he can double the range of the spell. When Venger casts a spell that has a range of touch, he can spend make the range of the spell 30 feet.
Metamatic (Extended Spell – 1 sorcery point). Venger doubles the duration of a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer (maximum 24 hours).
Metamatic (Subtle Spell – 1 sorcery point). Venger casts a spell without any somatic or verbal components.
Metamatic (Twinned Spell – 1 sorcery point per spell level, minimum 1 point). When Venger casts a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, he targets a second creature in range with the same spell. To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell’s current level. For example, magic missile and scorching ray aren’t eligible, but ray of frost and chromatic orb are.
Nameless Gift: Dragon Summoner. Venger is able to use instant summons to summon a skeletal dragon (Redditor scsoc), a helix dragon (as a Red Dragon), a volcano dragon (by AngryGM! or Unknown), and other dragons at the GM’s discretion. Instead of its usual effect, when Venger casts gate he can choose to summon the Demodragon (a monster that will appear in a future blog post 😀 ). Dragons conjured this way operate as the conjure elemental spell though a summoned dragon does not require Venger’s concentration and should one be slain, Venger is never able to summon it again.
Nameless Gift: Minions. Venger is accompanied by a Shadow Demon from the Negative Plane that spies on his behalf (but otherwise does not engage enemies in any way). He also rides a Nightmare.
Nameless Gift: Sculpt Spells. Venger can create pockets of relative safety within the effects of his evocation spells. When he casts an evocation spell that affects other creatures that he can see, Venger can choose a number of them equal to 1 + the spell’s level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.
Nameless Gift: Smite Good. When Venger hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can expend one spell slot to deal necrotic damage to the target in addition to the weapon’s damage. This feature only affects creatures of good alignment. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8.
Nameless Gift: Unkillable. Venger’s body explodes when he is reduced to 0 hit points, dealing 55 (10d10) necrotic damage to any creature within 50 feet (a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw halves this damage). Afterwards his body reforms at one of his many castles within 1 weeks time (usually on a Saturday morning). Only Tiamat or the Iconic Weapons^ are able to kill him. He also gains immunity to nonmagical weapons, damage and condition resistances, a claw natural weapon attack that deals 4d8 damage, and has extra known spells* from other spell lists.
Spellcasting.  Venger is an 18th-level spellcaster that uses Charisma as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19; +11 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following spells prepared from the sorcerer’s spell list:

• Cantrips: acid splash, fire bolt, mage hand, ray of frost, shocking grasp, unholy gaze
• 1st (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, shield
• 2nd (3 slots): alter self, invisibility, mirror image
• 3rd (3 slots): animate dead*, counterspell, dispel magic, fear, fireball, lightning bolt
• 4th (3 slots): polymorph
• 5th (3 slots): cone of cold, conjure elemental*, telekinesis*
• 6th (1 slot): instant summons*
• 7th (1 slot): teleport
• 8th (1 slot): control weather*, earthquake
• 9th (1 slot): gate

Treasure. Venger has the following items on his person: amulet of health, bead of force, cape of the mountebank, elemental gem, and 2d4 magic items of varying rarity (the fewer found the more rare they are).
True Terror and Thing of Horror. Venger’s features and spells that cause the frightened condition are able to affect creatures that would otherwise not know fear. Targets that usually have advantage on saving throws against fear effects do not gain advantage against when making saving throws to avoid being frightened by you. In addition, when a creature that is normally immune to fear is targeted by a feature or spell that would make it frightened of you, it loses its immunity but gains advantage on their saving throw. Other creatures are at disadvantage when making saving throws against your fear (if it would normally have advantage, it rolls normally instead).
Vulnerability: Heart Stones. When Venger is able to see or is within 50 feet of a Heart Stone, at the start of his turn he must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be incapacitated for 1 round.
Vulnerability: Pact with the Nameless One. Venger has made a dark pact for his power with the Nameless One, changing him into a Vilespawn (a template in the Book of Exalted Darkness: Evil Primer). Though he has gained potent sorcery in the exchange, Venger traded away his humanity, the essence of his true self locked within a cenotaph somewhere at the edge of the Realm. Should anyone ever find the enchanted key needed to unlock it, Venger would be redeemed, stripped of evil and transformed back into a human.

ACTIONS
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d8+2) magical slashing damage.
Devil Flame. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 150, one target. Hit: 16 (4d8+2) fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried, it also catches fire.

REACTIONS
War Caster. When a hostile creature’s movement provokes an opportunity attack from Venger, he can use his reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.

^For folks interested in seeing 5E items inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon that I think are ideal for vanquishing Venger ( 😉 ), get on EN5ider (as low as $1 a month) and check out A Present for Every Class: Spellcasters and A Present for Every Class: Warriors.

EDIT Redditor DrakeSylvan says that Venger knew shield so it’s been added on there (and counterspell, and I need to fix all my HP totals. Doh! :p). If there are any other spells YOU know that Venger should be able to cast, tell me!
EDIT DOS Over on Facebook I was called out on flay skin by Rod Edwards and he added that Venger should have magic missile, and Preston Hall seconded a request for fire bolt and asked for telekinesis. Furthermore over on Google+,  Aaron McLin was the first person to point me to 3E stats for Venger from the D&D Cartoon DVD box set, so he’s gotten some extra stuff to reflect that official build as well.

Notes on Venger’s Build

About 80% of the way through I ran into the actual 2E stats for Venger and though I found a lot of what I had already pieced together through research was spot on, he had wizard levels. I liked the skeleton of what you see above though so I stuck with it and figure if anything else, it provides an alternative to other Venger D&D 5e builds (like this one and this one) ALTHOUGH it seems his official 3E build was a sorcerer so I don’t feel too bad about it now (a day later 🙂 ). All in all with the dragon summoning and self-destruct features, I think his low hit points are not enough of an issue to stop from a CR increase.