

‘You have hundreds of champions to protect a few land masses. I protect the other seventy percent of the world… and there is only one of me. I have responsibilities you cannot even dream of. ‘

The tide is rising Buildies, and the ruler of Atlantis shall rise to meet it! Welcome back to the world’s premiere source of word vomit regarding fictional characters and how to create them in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. Today, we’ll be bringing Arthur Curry, the Aquaman, to the gaming table.

Stow your fish jokes, any comic book fan knows that Aquaman is the baddest thing in any ocean, and even on land he’s capable of going toe-to-toe with DC Comics’ biggest bruisers. So take that fish schitck and shove it! Let’s build this aquatic titan, and prove once and for all who’s king!

Born to a human father and Atlantean mother, Arthur Curry is the bridge between the surface world and Atlantis. The rightful heir to his mother’s throne, Arthur has had to fight a nonstop war on every possible front. From assassination attempts, to global threats, and even just everyday prejudice, Arthur can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to enjoying a moment of peace. Thankfully, his wife Mera and his friends in the Justice League are always there to have his back (even if he does butt heads with them sometimes).

Some of Earth’s worst supervillains come from under its oceans, and Aquaman has suffered the scars of battle time and time again. There was a bit in the 90’s where he lost a hand and had it replaced with a totally rad harpoon hand! We won’t be building him with a harpoon hand (although I’d flavor it as a prosthetic off-hand 1d4 piercing weapon if we did), but we will be bringing the flavor of all of the majesty and power due to the king to his avatar in D&D.





RACE

Will you be ready when I roll up with the crew?

For race, there’s not a whole lot of official options for an Atlantean. We could be boring and go with our standard Human if we wanted to represent the more… well, human side of Arthur Curry (and you can if you want to keep this build Adventure League legal, because we’re gonna be stretchin’ a bit).

Instead, we’ll be looking to some supplemental materials for this build. In Aquaman’s case, we’ll be going with the Triton!

This race was practically made with Aquaman in mind, and I don’t know a better way to get all of that awesome Aquaman flavor in a D&D build without it. Here’s what it does for Arthur:

Ability Score Increase: We’ll be getting an interesting array of bonuses, a +1 to Strength, Constitution, and Charisma. This is excellent for Aquaman!

Languages: In addition to Common, we can speak Primordial (and re-flavor it as Atlantean). Fun for flavor.

Swim Speed: For most player characters, swimming is a chore that takes up twice your movement. Not for Aquaman! You get a swim speed of 30 ft., making you twice as fast in the water as any of your peers!

Amphibious: Breathing both air and water is the absolute baseline Aquaman power. It’d be pretty embarrassing if you built a character all around aquatic combat, then ended up drowning…

Control Air and Water: Aquaman isn’t as much of a mystic as his wife is, but he is still attuned to the sea, capable of making it do his bidding. Manipulating water particles into a Fog Cloud, whipping mist into Gusts of Air, and even shielding himself with a Wall of Water are all child’s play for the King of the Seven Seas!

Emissary of the Sea: He… erm, he can talk to fish. The best use of this, IMO, is the way that Aquaman himself uses it; to persuade ocean life to come to his aid. Talk to your DM and see if you can use your social skills to sway the less-humanoid subjects of your domain to lend a helping fin. Or set of Jaws.

Guardian of the Depths: Even if you hide in the crushing depths of the ocean, Arthur can find you. This gives you a welcome cold resistance, and you can’t be damaged by water pressure. Very thematic!

ABILITY SCORES

Okay, even if we’re not doing the movie version, we gotta admit that Jason Momoa is an awesome Aquaman.

While we won’t be able to get that “able to stagger Superman with a punch” power level, we can still get the flavor. Here’s how I’d use a standard 27 point buy to stat Arthur up:

STR: 15(+1) Aquaman is one tough customer! Like we mentioned above, a blow from Aquaman is capable of knocking down even Kryptonians, and he needs that raw strength to wield that mighty trident. Boost this!

DEX: 10 While he is very fast (especially in the ocean blue), Aquaman isn’t notably more agile than his other Super Friends.

CON: 13(+1) Arthur is built to take a beating, so we need to have at least a +2 to our HP every level.

INT: 10 Aquaman isn’t dumb, but like many of our other builds he’s not a noted scholar or intellectual. He’s smart enough to do what he needs to do.

WIS: 12 On the other hand, he does need a bit of Wisdom to make the best decisions. He is a king, after all. Much rides upon his command.

CHA: 13(+1) As we just stated, Arthur is a king. Having a regal presence is something he has cultivated, and although he isn’t a terrifying or imposing figure, his quiet confidence has earned him the loyalty of many Atlanteans. Although, if this was higher, maybe he wouldn’t be dealing with rebellions all of the time…

BACKGROUND

There’s always a man, there’s always a lighthouse… wait, wrong franchise.

Arthur grew up on the water, being raised by his father, a lighthouse keeper. This meant that not only were his natural abilities easily discovered and encouraged, but he gained much practical knowledge of the ocean as well. For this reason, I think the Sailor background gels best for Aquaman.

Skill Proficiency: Athletics makes sense for Aquaman, as he does a LOT of swimming. If you need to fight high tides, this will come in handy. Perception is always a welcome skill, and also one that’s fairly thematic as Arthur is able to pinpoint enemies in the murky depths.

Tool Proficiency: Navigator’s Tools and Water Vehicles go hand in hand. If for some reason Arthur needs to stay atop the water instead of under it, his party members can rely on him to get them where they’re going.

Ship’s Passage: There aren’t many sailors that don’t know and respect the name of Aquaman. If the League needs to commandeer a vessel, they’ll find many willing volunteers.

CLASS/FEATURES

Alex Ross art is always a treat.

This was a little tricky, as my first thought was to go with a few levels in Fighter, coupled with the Unearthed Arcana Sea Sorcerer. And you totally can if you want to! However, I think I’d probably reserve Sea Sorcerer for a Mera build, and we try not to use UA unless there’s nothing else that will do. With that in mind (and the knowledge that there’s no wrong answers!), I’ll be building Aquaman as a Paladin/Sorcerer multiclass.

Now, you can totally go with the Adventure League legal version of this build: Variant Human, Oath of Devotion Paladin & Storm Sorcerer. But, if your table allows it, try the Oath of the Crown Paladin 13, coupled with Storm Sorcerer 7.

Arthur is a king, trained with his Atlantean armor, his mighty Trident of Poseidon, and is rocking a lot of ocean-themed abilities that complement his combat ability. Less of a hydrokinetic than Mera, but much like the Saber build before him, this Sorcadin uses his magic to level the playing field and make way for his martial might. Let’s see how this looks on paper:



Weapons/Armor Proficiency- Starting with Paladin nets us all of the armor proficiencies, and you can flavor plate as his iconic orange Atlantean fish scale armor. If that doesn’t sit right with you, he has worn heavier armors in war time in the comics, so it’s pretty justified in-canon. Martial weapons are great, except…

Let’s talk about tridents for a second. In D&D, they suck pretty hard. You might want to wield a ‘tri-pronged glaive’ instead, aesthetically similar but much better mechanically. There is one notable exception in all editions of D&D so far- Wave, the legendary trident. Feel free to pester your DM for this weapon (or at least a quest to earn it one day), as it’s a perfect compliment to Aquaman.

Saving Throw Proficiency- Just like with Maleficent, we’ll be getting Wisdom & Charisma. Wisdom is excellent as always, and thematic as a representation of the will of Atlantis’ king. Charisma matters for when some pesky surface dwellin’ wizard wants to banish you back to the plane of water!

Skill Proficiency- What king would be found without Persuasion as a skill? Go ahead and select that for when you need to bend the ear of the people to heed your edicts. Insight is also a skill that Arthur has earned the hard way, having been betrayed many times in the past. He’s gotten better at determining whose motives are sketchy.

Divine Sense- Talk with your DM and maybe see about flavoring this as a preternatural sense that is connected to your bond with the natural world, letting you know if something… alien is nearby.

Lay on Hands- Water has always been an element of renewal, and as Aragorn can tell us: “The hands of the king are the hands of a healer.”

Fighting Style- Take Great Weapon Fighting if you’re going to be using that good old ‘tri-bladed glaive’. Pole weapons work well with this feature.

Spellcasting- We’ll get to some fun abilities that will round out Aquaman’s kit in that particular section.

Divine Smite- With the gleam of sunlight bouncing off of your mighty trident, channel the wrath of the seven seas into your blows!

Champion Challenge- You want to enter Arthur’s house and wreak havoc? Then face him in single combat! Your challenge makes it hard for enemies to focus on your subjects, inviting them instead to take a crack at you.

Turn the Tide- Besides being hilariously punny, this variant of Channel Divinity gives the feeling of a military leader rallying his forces in battle. Do not let the line be broken!

Divine Health- Diseases are for the weak, you have no time for the sniffles when all of the ocean requires your attention.

Extra Attack- No explanation needed, whack ’em twice!

Aura of Protection- When Arthur is among his allies, his very presence inspires them, making it harder to afflict them with negative effects.

Divine Allegiance- Even better, if your ally is in danger, substitute your own health for theirs! Arthur is nothing if not self-sacrificing.

Aura of Courage- The master of the seven seas does not make fear part of his vocabulary. Neither should any that follow him.

Improved Divine Smite- The divine right of kings is not just to rule, but to look totally rad when they shish-kabob enemies with their majestic power!

Cleansing Touch- Building off of the healing touch, this will round out our kingly abilities by letting us put the hand of mentorship on an ally and dismiss a negative effect that plagues them.

Wind Speaker- Unnecessary with our Triton race, but if you go Human this will be handy.

Tempestuous Magic- Dolphin leap up out of the water when you manipulate it, propelling yourself forward with the stormy magic of the seas!

Font of Magic- Using your powers will feel a lot less like Wizardly spellcasting, and more like using superpowers with spell points.

Metamagic- I would take Heightened Spell and Empowered spell. Aquaman’s hydrokinesis is limited, but when he needs to bring the fury of the ocean to bear, it’s a sight to behold!

Heart of the Storm- Resistance to thunder and lightning damage is awesome, and Arthur has spent much time in tempests and fighting electric-themed villains. Stands to reason he would have some thick skin where the elements are concerned. Also, channeling some of that lightning through your trident and shocking the enemy is a bonus.

Storm Guide- The ocean, its weather, and all water around you are yours to command. Use your power wisely, O king.

FEATS

Fork’d up.

If your stats are solid, then Aquaman could use a few feats in the right places to round him out as the ultimate marine warrior. Take a look!

Polearm Master- Pretty sure this needs no explanation. Use that bonus action for a free spearbutt attack, and maximize your attack options.

Alert- A king is always in danger from some angle, so it makes sense for Aquaman to have his head on a swivel… or he’d soon find it on a pike.

Inspiring Leader- Arthur is an inspiring figure, a mentor to young heroes like Aqualad, and a veteran member/founder of the Justice League. When he speaks, people listen and take heart.

War Caster- Master of both the stormy sea and wielder of Poseidon’s Trident, Aquaman is the total package.

SPELLS

Water, lightning, oh so frightening.

Both the power that Arthur’s oath to his people and his natural Atlantean abilities are powerful, and when you put a legendary trident in his hands, he becomes even more of a force of nature. In no particular order, here’s some spells that mimic his powers, and really lend to the flavor of the king.



(Just realized that both Saber and Aquaman are Sorcadins named Arthur. Huh.)

Command- Access that little part of the foe’s brain they have in common with the ocean creatures, and force them to obey a brief command.

Heroism- An encouraging word from a hero of Arthur’s stature can invigorate anybody.

Purify Food and Drink- That’s some fun poison you’ve got in my cup of wine. It’d be a shame if I separated the molecules of poison from the wine because, you know… liquid.

Elemental Weapon- Gather the freezing depths of ravine water, or the potent crackle of sea storm lightning to imbue your weapon with power.

Spirit Guardians- You can flavor this as Atlantean artillery, airstriking an enemy for the sake of their regent.

Find Greater Steed- Cheesy? Yup. Classic? Also Yup.

Shape Water- Along with Lightning Lure and Ray of Frost, it’s a good foundation of elemental power to unleash at any time.

Fly- Aquaman can fly, but doesn’t always get the chance to. When you’re on land, keep up with the rest of the Justice League!

Lightning Bolt- Channel the wrath of Poseidon at your enemies!

Tidal Wave- Take Bikini Bottom and move it somewhere else.

Wall of Water- This wall won’t cost 5 billion dollars, but it will keep enemies away.

Water Walk- For when you want to flex on Michael Phelps. Just take a stroll, bro!

Look to the seas, and give your best war cry: The king has arrived! Click HERE for the D&D Beyond character sheet, and let me know what you think. Tune in next time where we’ll be building…

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! Stay tuned, and keep Building Character!