Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves just released its newest trailer, and obviously, many fans of the tabletop franchise are very hyped. There's also exciting news about the upcoming Batman: The Doom adaptation. With both those things in mind, it’s easy to get some wires crossed and start building tabletop characters from DC.
A great source of builds to pull from would be the Batfamily. Whether it's Red Hood's ruthlessness or Nightwing's flippant and flippy fighting style, there are a ton of options to consider when building a member of the Batfamily in Dungeons and Dragons.
Dick Grayson, The Nightwing - Scout Rogue 3/Drunken Master Monk 17
The first Robin and the most likely to be handed down the mantle of Batman, Dick Grayson is the most athletically gifted of the Batfamily. He’s trained as an acrobat from a young age, so Expertise in Acrobatics is a must. Performance proficiency is gained freely from Drunken Master as well. Scout Rogue also gives Nightwing some extra mobility in combat and Cunning Action for saving Ki points early-game.
For the Variant Human feat, Athlete is the best choice, as it enhances Nightwing’s already impressive agility. Drunken Master makes Nightwing a fantastic off-tank, dodging blows left and right with little effort. Another feat to consider is Inspiring Leader, to reflect Nightwing’s experience as a mentor to the Teen Titans and his fellow Robins.
Jason Todd, The Red Hood - Assassin Rogue 3/Battle Master Fighter 17
Jason Todd is the resurrected second Robin. Unlike his family (except Damian and Cass), Jason has no hesitation in killing if he deems it necessary. Since guns aren’t prevalent in 5e Forgotten Realms, the closest analog would be crossbows. For this, the Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter on a Variant Human is a must. This combo makes Red Hood deal obscene amounts of firepower with crossbows.
To mitigate the accuracy debuff from Sharpshooter’s +10 feature, pick Precision Attack as one of Red Hood’s maneuvers. Archery should be your fighting style, as it provides an additional +2 bonus to hit with ranged weapons. Assassin Rogue is there to give Jason a bit of his “Batman” training. The automatic advantage against enemies isn’t too bad either.
Tim Drake, The Young Detective - Inquisitive Rogue 5/Drakewarden Ranger 15
Tim Drake isn’t as agile as Nightwing nor as ruthless as Jason Todd. However, Tim is by far the smartest of the Robins when it comes to technology and detective work. At nine years old, Tim was able to deduce Batman’s secret identity. This alone convinced Batman to take him under his wing. A good feat to take would be Observant, to reflect his deductive intelligence. Expertise is obviously in Investigation.
Inquisitive Rogue features are all geared towards making Tim a master detective, spotting things that nobody else would do both in and out of combat. Outside of his analytical skills, Drakewarden is a great way to flavor his gadgets and iconic Redbird. The gadgets could easily be represented by Ranger spells, while his "vehicle" becomes a dragon, Crimson Drake. Considering how combat-ready the Redbird was, making it a dragon just made perfect sense. The fact that Drakewarden is also a pun is just a bonus.
Damian Wayne, The Assassin - Assassin Rogue 3/Kensei Monk 17
The fourth and most precocious Robin, Damian was Bruce Wayne’s unknown son, and he was raised under the vengeful eyes of Talia and Ra’s al Ghul. Thanks to this, Damian was raised as a dangerous assassin, with none of the morals that hold Bruce back from killing. Thankfully, Damian’s arrogance and ruthlessness have toned down since his father rescued him.
Of course, that training never leaves Damian, and it’s reflected in his martial abilities. He is particularly deadly with ninja weapons such as swords and bows, making him a perfect fit for Kensei. Assassin Rogue is self-explanatory, showcasing his stealth training from the League of Assassins. Expertise in Stealth is an obvious choice, but his kinship with Goliath proves that Animal Handling makes sense too.
Terry McGinnis, The Bat of Tomorrow - Armorer Artificer 20
Terry McGinnis may have joined the family quite late in Batman Beyond, but he’s family nonetheless. He arguably has the most advanced suit out of any of them too, and this is reflected best with the Armorer Class. Arcane Armorer’s Infiltrator model perfectly replicates the electricity attacks of the suit well, and its cloaking ability.
After the 9th level, Armor can be infused with the Artificer’s special feature. While all have their versatile uses, the infusion that Terry will want is to Replicate Magic Item and choose Winged Boots. This will give Terry his much-needed Flight at will ability. As more Artificer levels are gained, so too does Terry's suit improve, reflecting just how cutting-edge his armor is compared to every Batsuit before it.
Barbara Gordon, The Oracle - Inquisitive Rogue 12/Knowledge Cleric 8
Barbara Gordon is a tricky person to port into 5e, but it’s possible to evoke the spirit of her skills in the fantasy world. Barbara started her career as arguably the most iconic Batgirl, proving herself a capable vigilante in her own right. Expertise in Investigation and Perception is a must. On the Oracle side, the Knowledge Domain perfectly encapsulates the vast information at her fingertips.
Instead of the internet and hacking, it's tomes and divination. Plus, it synergizes well with analytical Inquisitive skills, as Clerics use Wisdom as their main stat. Ritual spells such as Divination, Augury, and Identify are great stand-ins for her information expertise. Class features such as Blessings of Knowledge give her Expertise in Arcana and History. Must-have feats would be Observant and Alert, given that Oracle should have experience being the "eyes and ears" of the Batfam.
Cassandra Cain, The Martial Prodigy - Open Hand Monk 8/Battle Master Fighter 12
Cassandra Cain is without question the best martial artist in the DC Universe. Not only was she trained from birth to be a killer, but she was also trained to communicate purely through body language. During her youth, she couldn’t even speak. For Cassandra, martial arts isn’t just a fight, it’s a debate. Open Hand Monk reflects her martial arts expertise, as well as her understanding of the human body.
Battle Master Fighter reflects just how versatile and overwhelmingly effective she is when it comes to physical combat. The maneuvers just come naturally to her. Athlete is a must-have feat to reflect her disciplined physique. Another feat to take should be Martial Adept. Coupled with Superior Technique fighting style, Cass won't be running out of ways to end her foes anytime soon.
Stephanie Brown, The Spoiler - Swashbuckler Rogue 12/Lore Bard 8
Stephanie Brown isn’t quite as skilled as her fellow Batfamily members in any specific area. She’s not a martial monster like Cassie nor is she an analytical genius like Barbara. However, she’s been called the “Jack of All Trades” of the Batfamily, capable of fulfilling most roles given to her with gusto. Reliable Talent perfectly reflects that ability.
Swashbuckler with a bit of Lore Bard is the perfect class for Stephanie, especially due to her past as Spoiler. Her whole identity was ruining the elaborate plans of her villainous father by insulting his second-rate riddles. This is exactly what Rakish Audacity and Cutting Words are. As for her “Jack of All Trades” qualities, Lore Bard has this covered too, literally, with the Jack of All Trades feature. The various Bard spells are easily flavored as being a bit of everything learned from her senior Batfamily.
Alfred Pennyworth, The Combat Surgeon - Thief Rogue 3/Way of Mercy Monk 17
Alfred was a combat medic and special forces agent before he became the Waynes’ trusted butler. When Bruce’s parents died, he became Bruce’s caretaker, in more ways than he expected. When one’s adopted son refuses to go to a doctor for injury treatments, learning their way around a surgeon’s table becomes a necessity. Way of the Mercy is the perfect subclass.
All of the class features allow Alfred to be proficient in Insight and Medicine. Hands of Healing allows Alfred to restore health in the heat of battle. Physician’s touch lets them cure status debuffs as well. When out of ki points, the Healer feat is a must. This allows Alfred to heal allies with their Fast Hands feature from Thief as a bonus action. A truly efficient healer.
Bruce Wayne, The Dark Knight - Armorer Artificer 5/Arcane Trickster Rogue 15
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The Dark Knight himself shouldn’t have much trouble moving over to the fantasy world. A Variant Human with the Athlete feat to represent his honed physique, and Alert for his rational paranoia. His expertise should be Investigation and Insight, for "World's Greatest Detective" reasons. Reliable Talent showcases Batman's consistency. Arcane Trickster fits Batman to a tee because he "always has something for every situation". Plus, it focuses spellcasting on Intelligence, which is important when multiclassing.
As for Armorer, being geared towards Infiltrator is the choice here. The stealth and mobility bonuses for armor greatly help Batman here. Infusions such as Returning Weapon could make his daggers more like “batarangs” as well. Alternatively, the Guardian armor is a tanky variant for facing bigger opponents such as Superman or Bane. It's advised to get Armorer to level 5 ASAP because Extra Attack is always good for Rogues.