Full Build Friday - The Thing [Minotaur Guardian] (Patreon)

I had to swap in this idea because some ideas I originally had fell through, but I'm pretty happy about what I did with this one and that I ultimately did it! I definitely went for some weird options, but I promise that they all work out if you give them a chance.

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.

Get ready to rock with the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing!

THE THING

CHARACTER Benjamin J. Grimm

SOURCE Marvel Rivals

BUILD GOALS

o    A longtime friend of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm served as the pilot for the trip that took them into spaces and changed their lives forever as it turned him into the rocky but ever-loving Thing

o    Hard as stone, he is a vanguard who has an Unyielding Will that makes him immune to displacement

o    In a fight, he lays out Rocky Jabs for quick blows but can also charge up a Stone Haymaker that knocks down flying foes and can give him Bonus Health

o    His kit features some interesting mobility, first expressed through Yancy Street Charge, which has him dash forward while knocking up enemies before slamming the earth and grounding foes at the end of it

o    He can make an Embattled Leap to an ally to grant them and himself some damage reduction or bound at an enemy with Battle Blitz to apply vulnerability

o    Clobberin’ Time is naturally his ult and has him slam the ground to knock up enemies in a cone in front of him

o    Teaming with Hulk empowers his fist to grant Bonus Health, he can lob Wolverine in a Fastball Special, or let Human Torch drop him into an area like a meteor

Summary of Goals: The Thing is a bulky and burly bruiser that can charge or leap to the frontlines to defend his allies or set up enemies to be knocked down by his team. He has a lot of durability, a lot of ability to knock down and debilitate enemies, and a surprising amount of mobility between his leaps and charges.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Oread Minotaur

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, -Charisma

o    Ancestry Feat: Steady on Stone

Background: Spacefarer

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Strength

o    Skill Increase: Piloting (T), Drift Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Express Driver

Class & Subclass: Guardian

o    Class Ability Boost: +Strength

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Athletics (T), Diplomacy (T), Society (T)

o    Class Feat: Punishing Shove

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0)

I want to reflect the size and strength of Benjamin Grimm and I think one of the best ancestries to do so is the Minotaur. Aside from the immensity that this provides him with, it also has a number of feats that fit the character fantastically. However, to make him the rocking dude that he is, he uses the Oread heritage and takes Steady on Stone from it. While Ben has feet of clay, his head is in the clouds as the original pilot for the ship that took him and the rest of the Fantastic Four into space. He represents this through the Spacefarer background, which is also the only Starfinder background with Piloting for some reason. At least the only one on Pathbuilder. He does round out his first level with the Guardian class, which has some solid options for the Thing right off the bat. Firstly, it provides him with guardian’s armor and constant physical resistance while he’s in heavy or medium armor. Now, technically, he doesn’t wear armor. But I think we’re just going to have to accept that as a flavor thing. In addition to that is Intercept Attack, which takes some obvious inspiration from Embattled Leap as he moves to defend an ally and reduce the damage they would take. With his ability to knock enemies around, I’d probably just go for Punishing Shove as his class feat, which actually builds into a fun little combo down the line.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Kineticist Dedication – Geokineticist

o    Skill Feat: Hefty Hauler

o    Skill Increase: Nature (T)

o    Gear: cloak of feline rest

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Adopted Ancestry – Dwarf

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (E)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1), cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Through the Gate – Armor in Earth

o    Skill Feat: Deadlift

o    Gear: medal of gorilla’s might, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), boots of the dead, cloak of feline rest

LEVEL 5

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +4.5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +0)

o    Ancestry Feat: Treacherous Earth

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (T), Piloting (E)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), medal of gorilla’s might, polished pebble aeon stone, boots of the dead, cloak of feline rest, ring of discretion

If you didn’t want to have armor that the Thing had to wear, there is a way to fix that! It takes a little bit of work, but Thing can use a Kineticist Dedication for earth and then follow that up with Armor in Earth, which fits him quite well and the rock that composes his body. To then further represent the superhuman strength that this form has left him with, he takes both Hefty Hauler and Deadlift, the latter of which the Thing can use to lift 26 Bulk at the level he gets it. He then adds even more ancestry feat options to his list with Adopted Ancestry for the dwarf even if he doesn’t make use of it just yet. The ability to create difficult terrain through Treacherous Earth, especially in a 5-foot burst, is a nice option for his mobility limiting effects.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Flying Tackle

o    Skill Feat: Stunt Maneuver

o    Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), lifting belt, polished pebble aeon stone, boots of the dead, trusty helmet

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Ancestral Paragon – Stocky Frame

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (M)

o    Gear: ring of the ram, +1 explorer’s clothing, diplomat’s badge, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), polished pebble aeon stone, medal of gorilla’s might

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Advanced Element Control – Tremor

o    Skill Feat: Powerful Leap

o    Gear: boots of bounding, crown of the companion, ring of the ram, +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), lifting belt

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Goring Charge

o    Skill Increase: Piloting (M)

o    Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, boots of bounding, bravery baldric (healthful), ring of the ram, diplomat’s badge, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +3, Con +4.5, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +1)

o    Class Feat: Armored Courage

o    Skill Feat: Hobnobber

o    Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater rhinoceros mask, boots of bounding, ring of the ram, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)

To start off this block, I went for the guardian’s Flying Tackle. The Thing can bound towards an enemy with this and lay them low with a Trip attempt, which is a solid means of representing his Battle Blitz. It doesn’t make them target more susceptible to damage but does still make them more vulnerable by knocking them prone. While the save is a little bit lower than I’d like, Thing can use Advanced Element Control to take Tremor and gain the ability to smash the ground so hard, he makes quakes. The difficult terrain and area effect that this creates could call to mind either the end of his Yancy Street Charge or maybe even Clobberin’ Time. To finish out his class feats for the block, he can use Armored Courage to gain temporary Hit Points on a semi-regular basis, based off of the Bonus Health that his abilities grant him. He gets a healthy mix of skill feats in this block with Stunt Maneuver reflecting his abilities as a Pilot, Powerful Leap aiding him in extending the range of his Flying Tackle, and then Hobnobber because we can’t forget that he is the ‘ever-lovin’ Thing. Through Ancestral Paragon, he can take the dwarf’s Stocky Frame and become harder to move about by others based on his Unyielding Will. He also gains a minotaur ancestry feat, using Goring Charge as another means of mobility to resemble his Yancy Street Charge with this one in particular having some expanded mobility as it lets him Stride twice and Strike once for only two actions.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (E)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), armbands of athleticism, advancing armor rune, +1 resilient half-plate armor, boots of bounding, bravery baldric (healthful)

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Martial Artist Dedication

o    Skill Feat: Bon Mot

o    Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, greater rhinoceros mask, crown of the fire eater

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Friendly Fling

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (M)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, implacable armor rune, impactful weapon rune, armbands of athleticism, advancing armor rune

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Scattering Charge

o    Skill Feat: Entourage

o    Gear: rock-brace armor rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), immovable armor rune, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, impactful weapon rune, fire-jump ring

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5.5, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +2)

o    General Feat: Robust Health

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (L)

o    Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, rock-brace armor rune, shockwave weapon rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater rhinoceros mask, bravery baldric (greater healthful)

A Martial Artist Dedication comes into play to finally provide Thing with a solid punch. He’s had his horns to rely on previously so I wasn’t rushing to pick this up, but I do think it’s important for the overall build. Scattering Charge is the build-up of a fun little combo. From first level, the Thing has had Punishing Shove to deal damage when he Shoves, which doubles on a crit. Through Stocky Frame, his successful Shoves become critical successes. Finally, this lets him Shove three enemies at once without increasing his multiple attack penalty. While it doesn’t have the cone effect, I think this works solidly as his Clobberin’ Time with both the displacement and damage it delivers. While the Thing isn’t quite as acerbic as the likes of Spider-Man, he has some good zingers that makes Bon Mot feel like a fun fit while Entourage can bring to mind his association with the Yancy Street Gang and his effort to reform them. His general feats enhance his durability through Toughness and Robust Health, and he then gains Friendly Fling to resemble his Cosmic Fastball team-up with Wolverine.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Clobber

o    Skill Feat: Push It

o    Gear: earthglide cloak, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding, rock-brace armor rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), immovable armor rune

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Begin Stampede

o    Skill Increase: Piloting (L)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), earthglide cloak, greater thundering weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, rock-brace armor rune, shockwave weapon rune

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Grievous Blow

o    Skill Feat: Fly Anything

o    Gear: avalanche boots, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater advancing armor rune, earthglide cloak, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, greater boots of bounding

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Fleet

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (L)

o    Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, avalanche boots, greater impactful weapon rune, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), earthglide cloak, greater thundering weapon rune

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +6, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +3)

o    Class Feat: Juggernaut Charge

o    Skill Feat: Legendary Negotiation

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (T)

o    Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 major striking), +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, sandals of the stag, greater impactful weapon rune, greater advancing armor rune, quickstrike weapon rune

While it ironically isn’t a fit for his Clobberin’ Time, there was no way this build wasn’t using Clobber. I will admit that I’m a little unsure of the reaction between this and Stocky Frame giving critical successes on the accompanying Shove action, but the effects are still too good to pass up. This build expands on the martial artist archetype just a bit with Grievous Blow. There’s a number of guardian feats that can dish out extra damage dice, but I like this for its ease and regularity of use. To finish out his class feats is Juggernaut Charge, which is honestly the ultimate displacement effect in Pathfinder as it just lets him haul away a creature without any seeming restriction on size. It’s a far cry from any of his abilities, but I still feel like it fits him. He can close out on his skill feats with Push It and Fly Anything for his role as a pilot and then Legendary Negotiation as this is a character that has managed to sit down and have talks with the Hulk. Though that was a more mutual thing in the latest instance. Fleet should help his various charges, including his Begin Stampede. It’s another charge, but it’s one that empowers and enables his allies as he literally leads the way into the fray, which is admittedly what a vanguard should be doing.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: The first option I would look at for a free archetype game is honestly the Barbarian Dedication. This has feats like Bashing Charge, Barreling Charge, and while weird, he could even use Dragon’s Rage Breath to create the cone effect of his ultimate. As long as he takes a dragon instinct, likely selecting the adamantine dragon as his source of draconic might. Further exploration of the Kineticist Dedication could also eventually lead into Spike Skin as a way to actually grant damage reduction to an ally. Admittedly, unless you change the order, he’ll need to finish out the martial artist before considering either of those, so he might just want some earlier feats from it. Notably, Gorilla Stance is actually one of the few stance feats that don’t have an unarmored requirement, so that might be a good place to start even if it isn’t in the remaster.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Benjamin J. Grimm, also known as the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing, is an oread minotaur guardian with a background as a spacefarer as the primary pilot for Marvel’s first family. His oread heritage should help to reflect his rocky nature, which is further covered by his Armor in Earth, while the minotaur ancestry helps sell his enhanced size and bulk. His guardian’s armor class feature and range of tanky general feats make him a proper vanguard while something like Stocky Frame makes him much harder to displace, per his Unyielding Will. He can lay out Rocky Jabs with a martial artist archetype, which can also lead into a Stone Haymaker through Grievous Blow. He has a number of charges to represent his Yancy Street Charge, ranging from the minotaur’s Goring Charge to the guardian’s Flying Tackle or maybe Scattering Charge. For the mobility-limiting effect, he can create an area of difficult terrain through Treacherous Earth as well as the kineticist’s Tremor. One of the reasons I went for guardian in the first place is the Intercept Attack and its ability to resemble his Embattled Leap as he literally reduces the damage an ally would take by taking it for them instead. He can instead close on an enemy, which he again has plenty of options for, and lay them low, looking at the likes of Flying Tackle again or Begin Stampede and making them vulnerable by lowering their AC instead of increasing damage against them. Unfortunately, Clobber doesn’t quite work for Clobberin’ Time, but I think Scattering Charge, or Tremor once again, suits it quite nicely aside from its lack of a cone. But when combined with Punishing Shove, this charge lets him deal damage and knock around multiple enemies. This build does stumble a little bit when it comes to his team-ups though through the minotaur’s Friendly Fling, he can throw an ally towards a foe and give them a chance to strike at them, much like his Cosmic Fastball.

This rocky roustabout revels in roughhousing, regularly rolling and rumbling into riotous and rancorous roughnecks.

Have a fantastic Friday!