Captain America: Civil War has been out since May 6th and has already made over a billion at the box office worldwide. Whenever a superhero movie comes out, I can’t help but think about how I would build the heroes and villains. Trying to create super hero player characters for D&D has its flaws (but they’re still fun to build like the 6 Avengers I built last year).

This week on the Campaign Trail I thought I’d offer DMs some premade characters to use or for players to look at for ideas when creating their next PC.

These builds are inspired by the heroes and focus on being playable in a combat focused, mid level one-shot campaign versus exactly recreating the heroes.

These are not level 20 multiclassed, min-maxed builds that try to replicate the exact powers of each hero (but those are awesome too and please share them), but they are all really good at hitting stuff.

I used base stats (27 point buy). I would have liked to have been able use 40 points.

Don’t forget magic is just advanced technology in the Marvel cinematic universe, so bring on the magic in a sci-fi setting too.

I gave each hero 2 magic items and a starting feat to make them feel more like the hero they are inspired by. I gave 3 magic items to Falcon (1 to Redwing) because… Beast Master.

There are better systems out there for a super hero game such as Champions, Mutants & Masterminds, Villains and Vigilantes, Marvel Super Heroes and many others, but these might work for your D&D 5e fantasy game.

I’m just a guy with dice and a pencil, so what do I know. If you have a better build idea share it in the comments! Love it or hate it… here it goes.

Bucky / Winter Soldier

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes had his physiology enhanced like his best friend Steve Rogers, but Bucky’s enhancements are the result of HYDRA experiments. While Cap (and his magic shield) controls the battlefield, the Winter Soldier attacks his enemies before they know what hit them using ranged and melee attacks. At first I thought an assassin/shadow monk build might work. I changed my mind and went with the assassin, but started Bucky with 2 levels of fighter to match up with his experience in World War II, fighting alongside Cap and the Howling Commandos. I think Bucky’s alignment was changed pretty drastically when he became the Winter Soldier, but I’m not sure he is back to being good and heroic yet. The Winter Soldier is strong and nimble, providing lots of variety in the weapons and ways to attack available to you.

Fighter 2, Rogue 10 (Assassin) Human, Soldier, Lawful Neutral

Armor Class 17 (Studded Leather Armor +1)

Initiative:+4

Speed: 40 ft.

Hit Points: 90 (2d10, 10d8) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 10 (+3) Features, Traits and Skills: Skills. Athletics +11, Intimidation +4, Stealth +12

Athletics +11, Intimidation +4, Stealth +12 Feats. Mobile

Mobile Soldier Background. Military Rank, Proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation Key Attacks: Melee Attack: Mithril Arm +10, damage: 1d6+6 bludgeoning

Mithril Arm +10, damage: 1d6+6 bludgeoning Range Attack: Heavy Crossbow +10, damage: 1d10+4 piercing Fighter Build: Second Wind, Action Surge

Fighting Style. Archery Rogue Build: Expertise, Sneak Attack (5d6), Thieves’ Cant, Cunning Action, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion



Assassin Archetype. Assassinate, Infiltration Expertise Magic Items: Studded Leather Armor +1 .

Mithril Arm +3. The Winter Soldier’s arm uses magic and strong alloys to provide super human strength. Bucky has advantage when using this arm to perform any skill that uses Athletics (Strength).

Falcon

Sam Wilson, is Cap’s new best friend and a highly trained Air Force paratrooper. The cinematic version of Falcon employs mechanical wings and a jet pack to fly and a bird like drone for surveillance named Redwing. For this build you’ll see that I use Aarakocra stats to get Sam his wings and flight. For the connection to Redwing I thought a simple homebrew magical item might work better than having Falcon take levels in Ranger. But I changed my mind and you’ll see this Sam splitting ranger and fighter levels pretty evenly. If you are a DM or have a DM who does not care too much I would swap out the unarmed strike and Aarkaoka language to put his speed back up to 30 feet.

Ranger 5 (Beast Master), Fighter 7 (Battlemaster) Aarakocra, Soldier, Lawful Good

Armor Class 19 (Studded Leather +1)

Initiative:+5

Speed: 25 ft., Fly 50 ft.

Hit Points: 88 (12d10) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 20 (+5) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) Features, Traits and Skills: Racial. Fly 50′, Proficient with Unarmed Strikes (Talons: 1d4 slashing)

Fly 50′, Proficient with Unarmed Strikes (Talons: 1d4 slashing) Skills. Animal Handling +10, Athletics +4, Intimidation +5, Perception +7, Stealth +9

Animal Handling +10, Athletics +4, Intimidation +5, Perception +7, Stealth +9 Feats. Crossbow Expert



Crossbow Expert Soldier Background. Military Rank, Proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation Key Attacks: Melee Attack: Talons +9, damage: 1d4+5 slashing



Talons +9, damage: 1d4+5 slashing Range Attack: Heavy Crossbow +11, damage: 1d10+5 piercing



Heavy Crossbow +11, damage: 1d10+5 piercing Range Attack: Hand Crossbow (x2) +11, damage: 1d6+5 piercing

Ranger Build: Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, Primeval Awareness, Extra Attack



Fighting Style. Archery



Archery Proficiency in Animal Handling, Perception and Stealth

Beast Master Archetype. Ranger’s Companion, Exceptional Training

Ranger’s Companion, Exceptional Training Spells. Wisdom DC 15 or +7 Spells Known (4): Hail of Thorns, Hunter’s Mark, Cordon of Arrows, Pass without Trace

Wisdom DC 15 or +7 Fighter Build: Second Wind, Action Surge, Extra Attack

Fighting Style. Defense

Defense Battlemaster Archetype. Combat Superiority, Student of War, Know Your Enemy

Combat Superiority, Student of War, Know Your Enemy Superiority Dice. 5d8 – Save DC 17 Disarming Attack Distracting Attack Precision Attack Maneuvering Attack Commander’s Strike

5d8 – Save DC 17 Magic Items: Visor of Seeing. Provides darkvision and advantage on Perception (Wisdom) checks that use sight.



Provides darkvision and advantage on Perception (Wisdom) checks that use sight. Studded Leather +1

Legband of Eagle’s Might.

Wonderous item, rare

A bird, no larger than small, can wear this item and gain a +1 bonus to AC, attack and damage rolls made while wearing it. This legband has 5 charges. While wearing this legband, a Ranger’s Companion with a beak attack can expend 1 charge to increase its beak attack to 2d4 piercing attack. The legband regains 1d4+1 expended charges daily at dawn. Ranger’s Companion: Redwing + Legband of Eagle’s Might See stats for Hawk (Falcon) in Monster Manual or Player’s Handbook

See stats for Blood Hawk in Monster Manual

Stat improvements AC: 17 Hit Points: 20 Perception +8 Beak: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4+7 piercing damage (or 2d4+7 with charge) Talons: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+7 (with charge)

Using the legband will enhance Redwing to be a little more useful

Pack Tactics let’s Redwing fight effectively with Falcon or with other allies

Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, grew up as an orphan with her twin brother, Pietro, which you will see reflected by her Urchin background. In an effort to help stabilize their purge their country of Sokovia, the twins agreed to undergo experiments. Wanda attaining various telekinetic, telepathic and energy manipulating abilities. After a bunch of stuff in Avengers 2 the twins switched sides and joined the Avengers, but Wanda’s twin Pietro was killed and her country was devastated. I thought a warlock was the best way for Wanda to gain telekinetic, telepathic and energy manipulating abilities. The war caster feat reflects Wanda’s training with the Avengers and her experience casting spells while in combat.

Warlock 12 (Pact of the Old One) Human, Urchin, Chaotic Good

Armor Class 17 (Mage Armor, Ring of Protection)

Initiative:+2

Speed: 30 ft.

Hit Points: 99 (12d8) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 9 (-1) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 11 (+0) 20 (+5) Features, Traits and Skills: Skills. Arcana +4, Deception +9, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7

Arcana +4, Deception +9, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7 Feats. War Caster

War Caster Urchin Background. Proficiency in Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Disguise Kit, Thieves Tools, City Secrets Key Attacks: Spell Attack: Witchbolt +9, damage: 5d12 lightning damage, range 30 ft.



Witchbolt +9, damage: 5d12 lightning damage, range 30 ft. Spell Attack (3 Beams): Eldritch Blast +9, damage: 1d10+5 force damage, range 120 ft.

Warlock Build: Proficiency in Arcana, Deception

Pact Boon – Pact of the Tome : 3 additional cantrips while your ‘Book of Shadows’ is on your person

: 3 additional cantrips while your ‘Book of Shadows’ is on your person Invocations (6): Agonizing Blast, Bewitching Whisphers, Dreadful Word, Misty Visions, Armor of Shadows, Repelling Blast

Mystic Arcanum: Choose one 6th level spell

Spellcasting Focus

Patron – Great Old One: Awakened Mind, Entrophic Ward, Thought Shield 1st: Dissonant Whispers, Tasha’s Hideous Laugh 2nd: Detect Thoughts, Phantasmal Force 3rd: Clairvoyance, Sending 4th: Dominate Beast, Evard’s Black Tentacles 5th: Dominate Person, Telekinesis

Awakened Mind, Entrophic Ward, Thought Shield Spells. Intelligence DC 17 or +9. Spells Known 11. The following are some suggested spells in addition to those granted by her patron to choose from. Cantrips (3+3): Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Friends 1st: Hex, Witch Bolt, Featherfall, Jump 2nd: Crown of Madness, Hold Person, Suggestion 3rd: Major Image, Fear, Counterspell, Dispel Magic 4th: Hallucinatory Terrain 5th: Dream 6th: Mass Suggestion

Intelligence DC 17 or +9. Spells Known 11. The following are some suggested spells in addition to those granted by her patron to choose from. Magic Items: Ring of Protection +1 to AC



+1 to AC Ring of Evasion

Black Panther



T’Challa has a brilliant mind and is physically gifted, being a master martial artist and acrobat. Like so many of the marvel heroes, there are not enough points to give T’Challa all the abilities he deserves. This build will attempt to create a PC that is fun and matches up with the Black Panther we saw on screen. While I didn’t have the Winter Soldier go with any levels of monk, T’Challa seemed like a really great fit for monk. I was planning to take levels as a shadow monk, but I’m crazy and decided open hand monk and hunter matched his background and single minded hunt for the Winter Soldier. T’Challa’s noble background reflects his position as King of Wakanda and experience with diplomacy and statecraft. His 18 AC can represent both his ability to dodge attacks and his suits abilities to absorb some damage too.

Monk 8 (Open Hand), Ranger (Hunter) 4 Human, Noble, Lawful Good

Armor Class 18 (Unarmored Defense)

Initiative:+5

Speed: 40 ft.

Hit Points: 79 (8d8, 4d10) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) Features, Traits and Skills: Skills: Acrobatics +9, Athletics +5, History +5, Persuasion +5, Stealth +9

Acrobatics +9, Athletics +5, History +5, Persuasion +5, Stealth +9 Feats: Athlete



Athlete Background: Proficiency in History, Persuasion and Position of Privilege Key Attacks: Melee Attack: Claw +11 hit: 1d6+7 slashing damage

Monk Build: Proficient in Acrobatics and Stealth

Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts, Ki, Deflect Missiles, Slow Fall, Extra Attack, Stunning Strike, Ki-Empowered Strike, Evasion, Stillness of Mind

Monastic Tradition. Open Hand Open Hand Technique Wholeness of Body



Open Hand Ranger Build: Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, Primeval Awareness



Fighting Style. Two Weapon Fighting



Two Weapon Fighting Proficiency in Athletics

Hunter Archetype. Hunter’s Prey: Horde Breaker

Hunter’s Prey: Horde Breaker Spells. Wisdom DC 15 or +7 Spells Known (3): Animal Friendship, Hunter’s Mark, Jump

Wisdom DC 15 or +7 Magic Items: Claws +2 (x2). Set of 2 Vibranium claws, 1d6 slashing damage.



More Avengers & Villains?

Can’t get enough Avengers, try creating some of the other heroes such as Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Vision and War Machine (or even some of the villains). Check out my Guardians of the Galaxy PCs or Fantastic Four NPCs.

Let us know what you think of the builds above and how you’d improve them in the comments below (and please link to your own superhero builds).

The Avengers and all characters mentioned in this article are the property of Marvel.