Full Build Friday - Yorick, Shepherd of Souls (Patreon)

THE FIRST NECROMANCER BUILD IS HERE!!! I'm pretty hyped for this and tried to build Yorick a few times, but I think this is the best way I could come up for him. I'm excited, so let's get into it!

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.

Empty the graves and get the dead walking with this build for Yorick, Shepherd of Souls from League of Legends!

YORICK, SHEPHERD OF SOULS

CHARACTER Yorick Mori

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o    Able to see spirits from a young age, Yorick was brought into a religious sect on the Blessed Isles, but was the only survivor of the ruination that slew his nation. He seeks to free the Isles of the dead spirits

o    Within League, he is a melee juggernaut, a durable and damage-dealing tank, that wields a shovel like an axe

o    As the Shepherd of Souls, he can create graves by slaying foes. He can consume these graves to summon Mist Walkers, undead minions that gain bonus movement speed when near Yorick

o    He delivers Last Rites through an empowered blow of his weapon that also heals him. This can leave behind graves, which Mist Walkers can be summoned from through Awakening

o    Dark Procession summons spirits into a ring that form a solid wall, entrapping enemies within

o    He can launch a Mourning Mist at enemies to deal magic damage, slow, and curse the targets, which reduces their armor and hastens his minions towards them

o    Finally, the Eulogy of the Isles summons the Maiden of the Mist, a powerful phantom who marks enemies to increase the damage of Yorick’s attacks against them

Summary of Goals: While Yorick is a beefy boy that can take and deal damage alike, him being a minionmancer seems to be a larger aspect of his overall design. He especially has a multitude of undead that he controls with one larger one, but he can be a heavy hitter. The idea behind a wall is pretty easy, a simple ranged effect shouldn’t be too hard for Mourning Mist, and then the big thing I’m looking for after that is some ability to restore himself on an attack.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Borai Dwarf

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

o    Ancestry Feat: Dwarven Weapon Familiarity

Background: Final Survivor

o    Ability Boosts: +Intelligence, +Strength

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (T), Ruination Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Terrain Stalker – Rubble

Class & Subclass: Reaper Necromancer

o    Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Athletics (T), Undead Lore (T), Medicine (T), Occultism (T), Religion (T), Survival (T)

o    Dirge: Cantrips – guidance, haunting hymn, void warp; 1st – harm, summon undead

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str +3, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +3, Wis +1, Cha -1)

As a means of representing Yorick’s durability as a juggernaut, I felt that the dwarf was rather appropriate option, since it also includes the limited mobility that is supposed to be the weakness of the class in League. However, to represent his state following the Ruination, I liked the looks of the borai heritage as somebody in between the realm of the living and the dead. I wanted to take a second before exploring it, as I do want Dwarven Weapon Familiarity for him. He might be looking to use a dwarven war axe as his weapon of choice, letting him switch between one-handed and two-handed attacks as necessary. As some further fitting for his lore, the final survivor background feels rather appropriate. I think the Stealth skill is a little out of place for him though Terrain Stalker for rubble does match nicely with what’s left of the Blessed Isles. We finish off his first level with the brand-new necromancer class, which also provides us with the opportunity to use the reaper fatal method. This is the gish of the necromancer, providing him with martial weapon and medium armor training, which does mean that he can use the dwarven war axe, since Dwarven Weapon Familiarity allows him to treat it as a martial weapon. He is still a caster, which means that he doesn’t get a first-level feat, but he does gain a grim fascination. Honestly, almost all of them could fit him and be argued for – blood has healing that he makes use of aplenty, bone is faster just like the speed boost he provides his minions with, but I ultimately settled on flesh as the enhancement allows them to operate as difficult terrain, calling to mind the wall created by his Dark Procession. Furthermore, the dead weight focus spell lets him launch one to slow and make an enemy more vulnerable. Aside from damage, this is very much akin to his Mourning Mist. None of spells are really speaking to me for him here, so while I included some fun thematic suggestions, take your preference. Necromancers can learn spells, so your only real limit is what you can get your hands on and jot down in your dirge.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Undead Master Dedication – Ghost

o    Skill Feat: Deadlift

o    Gear: psychopomp mask

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Religion (E)

o    Dirge: 2nd – osseous cage

o    Gear: +1 dwarven war axe, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Mature Beastmaster Companion

o    Skill Feat: Pilgrim’s Token

o    Gear: grim sandglass, +1 dwarven war axe, boots of the dead, psychopomp mask

LEVEL 5

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

o    Ancestry Feat: Void Blood

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (E), Performance (T)

o    Dirge: 3rd – magical fetters, vampiric feast

o    Gear: +1 striking dwarven war axe, grim sandglass, pendant of the occult, boots of the dead, psychopomp mask, ring of discretion

While the necromancer is a solid means of representing the Mist Walkers through the thralls they create, they aren’t quite as solid a fit for the Maiden of the Mist. To recreate the concept of her, Yorick uses an Undead Master Dedication to gain a ghost companion and can swiftly enhance her abilities with the Mature Beastmaster Companion, which will allow the ghost to have an action of her own even if left not commanded. This actually manages to represent his ability to send the Maiden of the Mist down a lane on her own. The use of Deadlift totally isn’t just so I could make a pun regarding the character while Pilgrim’s Token is perhaps a little bit more appropriate and could be the Waters of Life that he wears around his neck. Naturally, he needs Toughness so that he can be a proper juggernaut and will take Void Blood to demonstrate his resistance to the mists of the Shadow Isles. Also notable at this level is the Inevitable Return of the necromancer, which lets him create a thrall when an enemy dies, akin to how his Last Rites can create graves. While we are building Yorick as a martially focused, he’ll stick make use of spells where he can, such as with osseous cage. This is probably one of the best ways to represent his Spirit Procession as a way to entrap enemies. The shape of it is honestly a little hard to find, so this is a good get. The likes of bonewall bulwark or the more powerful wall of flesh are both limited to forming straight lines. He can find a solid slowing effect with magical fetters, which also makes enemies more vulnerable by virtue of making them clumsy and lowering their AC. While I actually have a feat lined up for the healing of his Final Rites, I still think picking up vampiric feast and similar spells will be handy.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Bind Heroic Spirit

o    Skill Feat: Rapid Mantel

o    Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 striking dwarven war axe, lifting belt, grim sandglass, necklace of knives, boots of the dead

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Robust Health

o    Skill Increase: Religion (M)

o    Dirge: 4th – deathless march, dirge of remembrance

o    Gear: undertaker’s manifest, +1 breastplate, grim ring, +1 striking dwarven war axe, pendant of the occult, grim sandglass

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Incredible Beastmaster’s Companion – Nimble

o    Skill Feat: Consult the Spirits

o    Gear: ghost scarf, greater thirsty chalice, undertaker’s manifest, +1 breastplate, +1 striking dwarven war axe, lifting belt

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Heroes’ Call

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (M)

o    Dirge: 5th – wall of flesh

o    Gear: +1 resilient breastplate, ghost scarf, boots of bounding, undertaker’s manifest, grim ring, +1 striking dwarven war axe

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +4.5, Dex +1, Con +3, Int +4.5, Wis +3, Cha +0)

o    Class Feat: Draining Strike

o    Skill Feat: Break Curse

o    Gear: greater shining symbol, +1 resilient breastplate, tyrant’s writ, ghost scarf, greater thirsty chalice, +1 striking dwarven war axe

Bind Heroic Spirit is pretty important for a reaper necromancer build, as it increases Yorick’s ability to make attacks at the cost of a single thrall. Furthermore, his crits can create more thralls. That will be followed with Incredible Beastmaster’s Companion enhancing the effectiveness of his ghostly Maiden of the Mist. The last of his class feats for the block is Draining Strike, which I think is pretty neat. It’s only a single action and you only have to destroy your thrall if you succeed on the Strike, which then grants you extra damage and heals you. It’s a pretty perfect fit for the main effects of his Last Rites even if it does count as two attacks. On the skill side of things, Rapid Manel  will help with his ability to Grab an Edge and get back after being knocked down, since his Reflex will be a little lacking. Consult the Spirits is inspired by his background of being able to see spirits, and then Break Curse is what he wants to do to the Shadow Isles but is him starting small so that he can work up to that. Robust Health enhances his survivability and sturdiness, which Heroes’ Call can also do if he’s at half health or lower when he uses it. It’s otherwise another way to create an effect akin to Bind Heroic Spirit though only if he doesn’t have the focus points to spare for it. There is a fun spell in the form of deathless march as a means of hastening the undead he creates, which is something he does within League itself. As I mentioned earlier, wall of flesh is limited to a straight line, but I think that it is a very fun way of representing his Spirit Procession as it is just one of my favorite wall spells.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Diehard

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (E)

o    Gear: +2 striking dwarven war axe, greater shining symbol, armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient breastplate, ghost scarf, boots of bounding

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Thick Skin

o    Skill Feat: Read Psychometric Resonance

o    Gear: +2 resilient breastplate, +2 striking dwarven war axe, dinosaur boots, greater shining symbol, astral weapon rune, tyrant’s writ

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Mountain’s Stoutness

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (M)

o    Gear: +2 greater striking dwarven war axe, +2 resilient breastplate, holy weapon rune, greater endless grimoire, greater shining symbol, armbands of athleticism

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Specialized Beastmaster Companion – Ambusher

o    Skill Feat: Calm and Centered

o    Gear: greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking dwarven war axe, brilliant weapon rune, +2 resilient breastplate, greater endless grimoire, dinosaur boots

LEVEL 15

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

o    General Feat: Numb to Death

o    Skill Increase: Intimidation (T), Religion (L)

o    Gear: +2 greater resilient scale mail armor, greater ring of the ram, propulsive boots, +2 greater striking dwarven war axe, holy weapon rune, sturdy neck stock

The necromancer grants Yorick access to Thick Skin to further enhance his durability whereas the Specialized Beastmaster Companion can turn the Maiden of the Mist into an ambusher to enhance her general ability in combat. I had Yorick take Read Psychometric Resonance inspired by his ability to see spirits whereas Calm and Centered is inspired by his religious learnings and his background as a monk. Calling back to his Thick Skin, he also has the Mountain’s Stoutness from the dwarf, which means that he now has three feats that each give him a number of Hit Points equal to his level. If somebody, or something, manages to chew through all of that, he has Diehard to help keep him alive and with that and his heritage, he should qualify for Numb to Death. This feat will have a fun combo in just a few levels, so let’s get to them.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: March of the Dead

o    Skill Feat: Disturbing Knowledge

o    Gear: greater astral weapon rune, +2 greater resilient scale mail armor, major endless grimoire, propulsive boots, +2 greater striking dwarven war axe, brilliant weapon rune

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Undying

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (L)

o    Dirge: 9th – undertaker

o    Gear: +3 greater striking dwarven war axe, antimagic armor rune, greater astral weapon rune, +2 greater resilient scale mail armor, greater ring of the ram, propulsive boots

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: The Hallowed Dead

o    Skill Feat: Trick Magic Item

o    Gear: bracers of strength, +3 greater striking dwarven war axe, quickstrike weapon rune, greater astral weapon rune, +2 greater resilient scale mail armor, major endless grimoire

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Fleet

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (L)

o    Gear: +3 greater resilient scale mail armor, bracers of strength, greater phylactery of faithfulness, +3 greater striking dwarven war axe, antimagic armor rune, greater astral weapon rune

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +4, Cha +2)

o    Class Feat: Final Union – Additional Lore (Warfare Lore)

o    Skill Feat: Divine Guidance

o    Gear: +3 major striking dwarven war axe, +3 greater resilient scale mail armor, true endless grimoire, bracers of strength, quickstrike weapon rune, major thirsty chalice

With these final class feats, I’ll acknowledge that they’re a little less necessary for this particular build. The daily limitation of March of the Dead is a little rough but the way it allows him to send his minions to swarm a foe does bring his Mourning Mist to mind. I think The Hallowed Dead at least fits him thematically, but I’m just taking it a little late for the build overall. I will say that Final Union is probably a better fit overall as it provides a constant effect of bind heroic spirit for him so that he always has that +2 on attack rolls and the ability to create more thralls. The ability to fight on after death is another good feature of this. I do kind of like Disturbing Knowledge on him as it means he can nonchalantly comment on death and its state and inadvertently disturb adversaries. Trick Magic Item can take advantage of his Religion skill, which his Divine Guidance feat will make further make use of. Fleet finally fixes his low Speed as a dwarf, and his final ancestry feat is Undying. This ability to come back once per hour is pretty sick and with the ability to will himself back to life through this, it meshes nicely with his Numb to Death. This means that he can bring himself back with Hit Points equal to his level rather than just 1.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: A very fun archetype option for Yorick would be the exorcist. I’d have loved to work it into the baseline build, but Undead Master takes up quite a bit of room and the necromancer had a lot of good options. I personally think it’s weird that the necromancer doesn’t have access to undead companions natively, but it is what it is. I think those two archetypes are more than enough to work with, but you could also take a more martial archetype to make Yorick a mightier warrior.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Yorick Mori, the Shepherd of Souls, is a borai dwarf reaper necromancer with a background as a final survivor, representing how he is the last of his order who is kept alive only by his Waters of Life, which is represented through a Pilgrim’s Token. His ability to see and converse with spirits is well-represented by his class as well as his Consult the Spirits feat. To make him a juggernaut with an eight Hit Die class, he uses Toughness, Mountain’s Stoutness, and the necromancer’s Thick Skin while also investing in his Constitution. A dwarven war axe should be a good stand-in for his shovel, and as a necromancer, he can use Inevitable Return to create thralls in place of graves when enemies die, per his Shepherd of Souls. These thralls are a solid means of representing his Mist Walkers, who he can speed up with a deathless march. The empowered blow and healing of his Last Rites is covered through the necromancer’s Draining Strike while spells such as osseous cage, bonewall bulwark, or even wall of flesh can create the entrapping Dark Procession. The damage and slowing effect of his Mourning Mist is a little hard to cover, but magical fetters comes with a slow and clumsy condition. As a more regularly usable option, there’s also the dead weight grave spell that he gains as a flesh fascinated necromancer. Fittingly, the end of this build comes with a Eulogy of the Isles, which calls forth his ghost companion that is granted and empowered by his Undead Master archetype.

With a ghostly gal and ghouls galore, this gentle guy guides gruesome groups from the graves, granting grotesques a grasp on the green and garrulous.

Have a fantastic Friday!