Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves promises a swashbuckling fantasy adventure with the expected party of bumbling heroes. As expected, this has reinvigorated hype among the fanbase and has even inspired quite a number of new players to get into the hobby.
Shows like Andor and Star Wars: Visions showcase a new era of stories. That being said, people have nostalgia for the Clone Wars. So much so that they may want to build these characters in the ever-so-modular 5e system. While games like Scum and Villainy and the Star Wars 5e system are great it’s nice to have builds for the Forgotten Realms.
Anakin Skywalker - Vengeance Paladin 7/Psi Warrior Fighter 3/Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 10
Before his fall from grace, Anakin was always a vengeful and unstable Jedi. He just happened to have good people around him curbing his darker tendencies. Still, his vengeful massacre of the sand people lends him perfectly to the role of a Vengeance Paladin. Start as a V.Human Vengeance Paladin with the Slasher feat. For Fighting Style, Dueling makes the most sense with Anakin’s aggressiveness.
The Vengeance Paladin’s features ensure that no foe escapes Anakin’s wrath. The smites can be flavored as Anakin empowers his strikes with the Force. After the 7th level, switch over to Psi Fighter for 3 levels. Psionic Power should cover most of the baseline telekinesis needs. Afterward, switch over to Aberrant Mind to reflect his overwhelming power with the Force. The extra spell slots for smiting don’t hurt either. Priority stats are Dexterity and Charisma.
Ahsoka Tano - Rogue 2/Psi Warrior 18
Despite Anakin’s own hotheadedness, he did prove to be quite the effective teacher. Ahsoka Tano is an accomplished Jedi, showcasing impressive lightsaber and force combat skills. Start with a Fierna Tiefling Rogue, to reflect Ahsoka’s slippery nature in combat, and tendency to strike first. The charm spells gained from the Fierna bloodline (along with Expertise in Persuasion) can be seen as “Jedi Mind Tricks”.
From there, switch over to Psi Warrior. As before, Psionic Powers cover the baseline Jedi abilities pretty well. Pick up the Two-Weapon Fighting style since that is Ahsoka’s preferred method of lightsaber combat. For the feats, take Dual Wielder and Mobile to further evoke Ahsoka’s fighting style. Priority Stats are Dexterity and Charisma.
Darth Maul - Zealot Barbarian 3/Psi Warrior Fighter 17
Darth Maul was so full of hatred and wrath that he managed to survive even being cut in half. Start as a V. Tiefling (Devil’s Tongue) Psi Warrior Fighter for two levels. Vicious Mockery is quite fitting with Maul’s bitterness, while the rest of the spells can be flavored as mind tricks. Start with two levels of Fighter and pick up the Great Weapon Fighting, since polearm weapons are Maul’s specialty. Priority stats are Strength and Intelligence.
From there, shift to Zealot Barbarian to evoke Maul’s rage and uncanny ability to survive fatal encounters. Afterward, go back to Psi Warrior for the rest of the progression. Psi Warrior covers all the necessary Force powers Maul would need. For feats, pick up the Polearm Master feat to reflect Darth Maul’s aggressive mastery over his two-bladed polearm.
Hondo Ohnaka - Mastermind Rogue 3/Swords Bard 17
Hondo Ohnaka is the charismatic and deviously tricky leader of the Ohnaka Gang. Start as a Lizardfolk Mastermind Rogue. Expertise should be put towards Intimidation, befitting of a pirate captain. Master of Tactics allows Hondo to delegate tasks to his “crew,” i.e. the rest of the party, as a bonus Help action. For feats, pick up Inspiring Leader, for obvious reasons.
After the 3rd Rogue level, switch over to Swords Bard. Hondo was an impressive duelist, and Swords Bard’s features perfectly reflect that. Blade Flourish and Extra Attack are fantastic for Hondo’s swashbuckling ways, especially when paired with the Dueling Fighting Style. For spells that aren’t too magical, focus on ones that could easily be flavored as “stolen technology’.
Asajj Ventress - War Cleric 4/Psi Fighter 3/Gloomstalker Ranger 13
Asajj Ventress is Count Dooku’s esteemed protege and a constant thorn in the Jedi’s side. A former Nightsister, Asajj has an unorthodox yet aggressive style of fighting. Start as a Wood Elf Nature Cleric to reflect Assaj’s past as a Nightsister. After the 4th level’s ASI (pick up Telekinetic feat here), pick up Psi Fighter levels for the usual Force arsenal and Action Surge. Afterward, go straight to Gloomstalker.
Gloomstalker reflects the blend of Assaj’s Sith and Nightsister training. Dread Ambusher and Umbral Sight reflect her specialties as a saboteur. Iron Mind makes sense, as Obi-Wan notes her incredible willpower. Stalker’s Flurry and Shadow Dodge showcase her aggressive yet elegant style. Pick up Two-Weapon Fighting Style, alongside the Dual Wielder feat to evoke her mastery of Jar’Kai.
Cad Bane - Hexblade Warlock 2/Scout Rogue 18
The premiere badass Bounty Hunter of a post-Jango Fett galaxy, Cad Bane has always been a force to be reckoned with. To reflect his trusty blasters, replace them with Eldritch wands. His “Patron” in this case would be the people who hired him and provided his gear. Warlock spells could very easily be flavored as sponsored technology.
The Hexblade features fit the single-target specialties of a bounty hunter. For invocations, Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast are a must. After 2nd level, switch over to Scout Rogue. Bounty hunters are well-traveled and specialize in ambushes. Scout Rogue covers that very well with its features. For feats, pick up Spell Sniper to further the range on Eldritch Blast.
General Grievous - War Cleric 3/Astral Self Monk 17
A Kaleesh warlord and general of the Droid Army, Grievous was a very unorthodox opponent for Obi-Wan thanks to his cybernetics and sinister mind. Start as a Bugbear War Cleric to gain proficiency in martial weapons. The longer reach and powerful build of Bugbears closely resemble Grievous’ physicality. War Cleric’s bonus attacks and Guided Strike showcase Grievous’ mastery of lightsaber combat. Focus on Wisdom and Dexterity for ASIs.
After 3rd level, it’s time to gain Grievous’ iconic arms. Astral Self grows spectral arms on Grievous, both of which are capable of making their own attacks. They are easily flavored as extra “lightsabers”, despite being unarmed strikes. Thanks to Bugbear’s longer reach, Grievous now has an impressive reach of 15 feet. Pick up Dual Wielder as a feat, for obvious reasons. Since monks can’t wear armor, take the Tough feat to make up for it and still reflect Grievous’ “armor”.
Captain Rex - Hexblade 2/Battle Master Fighter 18
Captain Rex is an excellent military leader and soldier, with a penchant for blasters. Start as a V.Human Hexblade with the Spell Sniper feat. In place of blasters, use Eldritch Blast with Agonizing and Repelling. As with all clones, their patron would be Palpatine himself, albeit unknowingly. From there, start on Battle Master Fighter.
Maneuvers were obviously learned from their time in the academy. Captain Rex has shown himself one of the most impressive clones in the entire army, thanks to his adaptability and martial prowess. For the Fighting Styles, pick up Superior Technique and Defense styles, as Rex is a bit more tactical-minded than Anakin. Charisma and Dexterity should be primary stats.
Count Dooku - Psi Warrior 4/Swords Bard 16
Count Dooku was the ambitious right-hand man of Emperor Palpatine, and is widely considered one of the best single duelists in the entire galaxy. Start as a Psi Warrior to gain the usual array of baseline Force powers. For Fighting Style, pick up Defense, because Dueling can be picked up in the Swords Bard progression.
Afterward, go straight to Swords Bard, to further reflect on Count Dooku’s mastery of one-on-one lightsaber combat. Blade Flourish and Extra Attack are very powerful features to have. Bardic Inspiration could simply be flavored as delegating to his pawns. There’s no need to take any feats, focus on getting Dexterity and Charisma maxed out, with Intelligence as a third priority.
Obi-Wan Kenobi - Psi Warrior 4/Bladesinger 16
Obi-Wan is Anakin’s level-headed master, who also happens to be the greatest practitioner of Soresu in the galaxy. Start with V.Human Psi Warrior 4 for the Force powers, and pick up the Defense fighting style. Pick up the Lucky feat for rerolling misses and potentially canceling critical hits (flavored as “defensive maneuvers”).
Lucky is the only feat needed, so make sure to use ASIs to max out Dexterity and Intelligence. After 4th level, go straight to Bladesinger. In many ways, Bladesinging is the Soresu of Dungeons and Dragons. Both are focused on minimizing damage with graceful defense and punishing mistakes with sharp strikes. For spells, focus on utility spells such as Shield, Haste, Mirror Image, and Shadow Blade.