Full Build Friday - Lelouch [Lashuna Psychic] (Patreon)

I'm not the biggest on anime, but I had this request come across my desk and wanted to give it a fair try. I hope you'll let me know how well I managed to do with it, and how much I messed up the pronunciation in the video!

As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in my best attempt to fit the character. These choices may not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.

Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to check out this build for him!

LELOUCH LAMPEROUGE

CHARACTER Lelouch vi Britannia

SOURCE Code Geass

BUILD GOALS

o    The eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, he was banished to Japan after blaming his father for the events that killed his mother and crippled his sister

o    When the empire conquered Japan, Lelouch and his sister went into hiding until he met the mysterious figure, CC, who gifted him with a Geass

o    He became a rebel under the identity of Zero to make a safer world for his sister, but also to reform Japan as an independent nation

o    His Geass grants him ability to command any person that he makes eye contact with

o    A commanded person will answer any questions he asks as best and truthfully as they can, and will forget the effects afterwards

o    Equally important is his genius-level intellect and his knack for tactics and strategy, which he can adjust on the fly, and he is further talented in a wide array of domestic skills from tending to his sister

o    He is physically underwhelming and is a passable pilot of Knightmares, his setting’s mecha

Summary of Goals: Lelouch’s two main things are his ability as a commander and tactician along with his ability to control the minds of others through eye contact. It’s a rather straightforward concept, but one that should certainly be fun to explore.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Unbound Lashunta

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Charisma, +Intelligence

o    Ancestry Feat: Psychic Talent

o    Innate Spell: Cantrip – vague idea

Background: Royalty

o    Ability Boosts: +Intelligence, +Dexterity

o    Skill Increase: Society (T)

o    Background Feat: Courtly Graces

Class & Subclass: Psychic. Precise Discipline Subconscious Mind and Silent Whisper Conscious Mind

o    Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence

o    Skill Increase: Arcana (T), Computers (T), Deception (T), Diplomacy (T), Intimidation (T), Nature (T), Occultism (T), Piloting (T)

o    Spell Repertoire: Cantrip – daze, forbidden thought, guidance, message; 1st – command, mindlink

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +2, Con +0, Int +4, Wis +1, Cha +2)

I think there are two ways to go about building Lelouch and I’m going to focus a bit more on the fantastical for my take on the character. This includes building him as an unbound lashunta with a psychic talent to explore the mental powers granted to him by his Geass. While there is a rebel background that I think could absolutely suit Lelouch in his identity as Zero, part of me thinks that royalty is better option. That’s more of his ‘background’ while rebel is more his current life. Then, for his class, we do keep with the concepts I planted with the lashunta ancestry and use the psychic option. While I have no desire to overuse, his ability to command and control others best suits the silent whisper conscious mind. I do think that either Intelligence or Charisma could suit Lelouch as his key ability score, but I do think Intelligence suits him just a bit better leading to the use of the precise discipline conscious mind. One particular thing I like from the silent whisper is the amp effect on message allowing him to command and direct his companions as he often does on the battlefield. In a very similar vein to that is command as his first-rank spell though this is what he’ll be using to control the actions of his enemies rather than his allies. It does fortunately not have the incapacitation trait, which means that it will remain useful even when he gets to level twenty.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Commander Dedication

o    Skill Feat: Additional Lore – Warfare Lore (T)

o    Skill Increase: Genealogy Lore (T)

o    Tactics: Gather to Me!

o    Gear: ring of discretion

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Incredible Initiative

o    Skill Increase: Warfare Lore (E), Society (E)

o    Spell Repertoire: 2nd – charitable urge*, stupefy

o    Gear: tactical semi-auto pistol, darkvision visor, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Ancestral Mind

o    Skill Feat: Bon Mot

o    Spell Repertoire: 2nd – mind games

o    Gear: ventriloquist’s ring, tactical semi-auto pistol, commercial smuggler’s grip, ring of discretion

LEVEL 5

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +3, Con +0, Int +4.5, Wis +2, Cha +3)

o    Ancestry Feat: Psychic Bully

o    Skill Increase: Deception (E)

o    Spell Repertoire: 3rd – heroism*, ring of truth

o    Gear: mentalist’s staff, golden legion epaulet, ventriloquist’s ring, commercial smuggler’s grip, darkvision visor, ring of discretion

As is tradition, this build will use an archetype for second level and I was briefly torn between the envoy or commander. I ultimately settled on the Commander Dedication, which is why I focused on Intelligence for the build. This gets him started with a tactic, which I do think can depend highly on the composition of your party. However, I think Gather to Me is a good get for him and lets him gather up his enemies for a retreat or assault. Additionally, since we take Additional Lore for Warfare Lore at the same level, he can use the skill increase from this archetype to become trained in Genealogy Lore based on his background. He does snap back to the psychic for Ancestral Mind, which will let him scale his innate spells off of his Intelligence, which helps to make offense options a bit more useful and will be something that we’ll be exploring plenty of in his ancestry feats – as you can see with Psychic Bully. As already noted, command is a great spell to represent his Geass, making this a solid pick-up. His other skill feat for the level is Bon Mot, which he can use to debuff and weaken enemies so that it’s easier for his allies to take out their foes. When it comes to spells, charitable urge fits in with the nature of his powers while mind games is more just a solid fit with his character and how he operates. With his commands in show requiring its victims to answer him truthfully, ring of truth seems on point to me but I’d still take heroism as his signature spell for the rank as it does have greater use when ranked-up and it can be flavored as him commanding his companions to reach greater heights.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Tactical Excellence

o    Skill Feat: Leverage Connections

o    Tactics: Reload!

o    Gear: tactical flight suit, advanced semi-auto pistol, mentalist’s staff, ventriloquist’s ring, commercial smuggler’s grip, masquerade scarf

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Untrained Improvisation

o    Skill Increase: Society (M), Warfare Lore (M)

o    Spell Repertoire: 4th – rewrite memory, suggestion*, telepathy

o    Gear: crown of the companion, tactical flight suit, diplomat’s badge, mentalist’s staff, golden legion epaulet, ventriloquist’s ring

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Tactical Excellence (Expert)

o    Skill Feat: Eye for Numbers

o    Tactics: Slip and Sizzle

o    Gear: greater masquerade scarf, crown of the companion, phantasmal doorknob, tactical flight suit, advanced semi-auto pistol, mentalist’s staff

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Nonnegotiable Command

o    Skill Increase: Deception (M)

o    Spell Repertoire: 5th – subconscious suggestion*, synaptic pulse

o    Gear: advanced flight suit, fearless sash, greater masquerade scarf, phantasmal doorknob, pristine epaulets, advanced semi-auto pistol

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +5, Wis +3, Cha +4)

o    Class Feat: Basic Field Training – Adaptive Stratagem

o    Skill Feat: Biographical Eye

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (T)

o    Gear: humbug pocket, advanced flight suit, greater mentalist’s staff, greater masquerade scarf, phantasmal doorknob, advanced semi-auto pistol

We have two uses of Tactical Excellence affording four extra tactics in the build, including some expert tactics. I maintain that you should tailor your tactics to your squad, but given the commonality of firearms in his setting, I like Reload while Slip and Sizzle can help casters get in on the fight. With this wide array of tactics, Adaptive Stratagem is a great addition that will demonstrate Lelouch’s nimble mind that swiftly adjusts his plans to whatever struggles he faces. He gets a bit more out of his Leverage Connections due to his royalty background and I think his intellect warrants the use of Eye for Numbers. This is by no means a great feat, but Paizo definitely tried to beef I up a bit in the remaster, including letting him use Society to Feint or Create a Diversion. He is admittedly still investing in Deception, but his Society will stay higher due to his Intelligence. Untrained Improvisation than further helps his adaptability while representing his broad base of knowledge, and then he can even capture his commanding capabilities with the Nonnegotiable Command ancestry feat. When a standard tactic won’t do, he can send out a simple order to his troops through this ability. The use of suggestion and subconscious suggestion alike lean into his Geass as does his rewrite memory though that is based on the memory manipulation and loss that his power causes.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: A Home in Every Port

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (E)

o    Spell Repertoire: 6th – dominate*, sending, zealous conviction

o    Gear: greater phantasmal doorknob, humbug pocket, greater ventriloquist’s ring, advanced flight suit, fearless sash, greater masquerade scarf

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Advanced Field Training – Efficient Preparation

o    Skill Feat: Sign Language

o    Gear: superior flight suit, superior semi-auto pistol, greater phantasmal doorknob, humbug pocket, wand of dumbfounding doom (3rd-rank), greater mentalist’s staff

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Psychic Mastery

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (M)

o    Spell Repertoire: 7th – visions of danger

o    Gear: major mentalist’s staff, superior flight suit, mind’s light circlet, greater phantasmal doorknob, humbug pocket, greater ventriloquist’s ring

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Conscious Spell Specialization

o    Skill Feat: Confabulator

o    Gear: propulsive boots, elite semi-auto pistol, major mentalist’s staff, superior flight suit, wand of dumbfounding doom (4th-rank), greater phantasmal doorknob

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +5.5, Wis +4, Cha +4.5)

o    General Feat: Incredible Investiture

o    Skill Increase: Society (L)

o    Spell Repertoire: 8th – uncontrollable dance

o    Gear: elite flight suit, communication pendants, propulsive boots, major mentalist’s staff, mind’s light circlet, greater spectacles of understanding

Unfortunately, Lelouch is limited to a single tactic traditionally. Fortunately though, Lelouch can use Efficient Preparation to increase the number of tactics that he has prepared. Between this and Adaptive Stratagem, he should be well-equipped to handle any situation that he comes across. In a similar vein, he can use Conscious Spell Specialization, which gives him some extra spell slots for his conscious mind spells. This could be particularly useful for debilitating enemy casters with stupefy while bolstering his own allies with heroism, which he has signatured. Sign Language might be a bit odd, but apparently one of his friends mentions that he made a secret sign language of his own when they were children, warranting this. Confabulator will also help him weave his deceptions together, which he absolutely has to do if he wants to pull off his rebellion. Between his powers and his ability to form bonds with others, A Home in Every Port is a solid fit for him and lets him secure a hideout after a mission. He also gains Incredible Investiture and this was inspired simply by the fact that he actually has a Geass, compared to the otherwise normal people of his setting. Psychic Mastery is another fairly obvious choice and I think you can take a number of spells with this though I liked laughing fit as another means of just him controlling people. Speaking of, he finally acquires dominate from his spells, which is probably the best spell when it comes to demonstrating his ability to control others.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Officer’s Expertise

o    Skill Feat: Legendary Codebreaker

o    Skill Increase: Genealogy Lore (E)

o    Gear: major phantasmal doorknob, elite flight suit, wand of dumbfounding doom (6th-rank), propulsive boots, elite semi-auto pistol, major mentalist’s staff

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Psychic Paragon

o    Skill Increase: Deception (L)

o    Spell Repertoire: 9th – telepathic demand*

o    Gear: ultimate semi-auto pistol, tactical entropic destabilizer, major phantasmal doorknob, elite flight suit, communication pendants, propulsive boots

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Officer’s Mastery

o    Skill Feat: Reveal Machinations

o    Skill Increase: Genealogy Lore (M)

o    Gear: crown of intellect, ultimate semi-auto pistol, major staff of impossible visions, major phantasmal doorknob, elite flight suit, wand of dumbfounding doom (6th-rank)

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Fast Recovery

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (L)

o    Spell Repertoire: 10th – fabricated truth

o    Gear: ultimate flight suit, crown of intellect, greater humbug pocket, ultimate semi-auto pistol, tactical entropic destabilizer, major phantasmal doorknob

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +0, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +6, Wis +4, Cha +5)

o    Class Feat: Unlimited Potential

o    Skill Feat: Legendary Troll

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T)

o    Gear: paragon semi-auto pistol, ultimate flight suit, archivist’s gaze, greater humbug pocket, wand of dumbfounding doom (7th-rank), major staff of impossible visions

I’ve suggested a few tactics by this point, but you might find yourself wanting to use some of the tactics that force saving throws from your enemies. As such, I included Officer’s Expertise and Mastery in this build, but in the case that you don’t take any tactics that require a saving throw, I would consider options such as Rapid Assessment or Tactical Expansion to help him figure out the weakness of his foes and to gain even more tactics. He can finish off his class feats with Unlimited Potential. Psychics have a very limited number of spell slots, and this will help to save on them and there’s a good range of spells among these, such as command, stupefy, and mind games. Legendary Codebreaker mostly makes use of his Society skill, and then he takes both Reveal Machinations and Legendary Troll to mess with, manipulate, and debilitate his foes so that those under his command can more easily eliminate them. I don’t entirely understand where it comes from, but he apparently gained some heightened healing abilities that led to the inclusion of Fast Recovery. The use of Psychic Paragon is an obvious choice and could lead to an extra casting of dominate though given the incapacitation trait of it, it might be better to take something like zealous conviction.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Honestly, using this build in a free archetype game does change quite a bit about it. It would allow Lelouch to invest way more in his psychic class, which I mainly used as a vehicle for mind-controlling spells in my build. In a highly similar vein to his commander class, you could also likely look at an Envoy Dedication. Thematically, the Hellbreaker Dedication could work, but it doesn’t quite suit him mechanically, which might lead to you looking at the Captivator Dedication for more power to control others – though this hasn’t been remastered. One final quick option I might consider is the Vigilante Dedication to cover his masked identity of Zero.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Lelouch Lamperouge, nee vi Britannia, is an unbound lashunta psychic with a precise discipline subconscious mind and a silent whisper conscious mind. As a child of the emperor, he obviously uses the royalty background though his exile could warrant a rebel background as an alternative. He has ties to positions of power as part of this, lending to the usage of feats such as Leverage Connections and A Home in Every Port. In the course of his exile, he gained a Geass that allowed him to command and control others, which is expressed through his psychic spells such as command, suggestion, and dominate. He can even demonstrate this a bit when it comes to commanding his companions, pushing them beyond their usual limits with heroism or his amped message spell as a silent whisper psychic. He can force truthful answers from others with ring of truth and cause them to forget the effect with rewrite memory, leaving his manipulations almost unknown. In addition to these powers, his Commander Dedication and the wide array of tactics he employs represents his strategic genius and his ability to adjust and shift them around comes through in the form of Adaptive Stratagem. I considered investing more in Piloting given the mecha of his setting, but we don’t have mecha in Starfinder Second Edition yet or an idea as to how they will work, so we’ll stick with that trained proficiency for the time being!

Teeming with tons of tactics, this talented, technical terrorist takes tyrants to task, and turns towering tides even in the toughest of times.

Have a fantastic Friday!