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Santa Monica Studio's God of War franchise has followed its powerhouse protagonist Kratos from the very beginning. Players quickly grew attached to the son of Zeus as he stormed across Greek and Norse mythology, bringing gods to heel through a mix of bloody carnage and overwhelming aggression. Because of his widespread appeal, many players may want to base a Dungeons & Dragons characters on the brutal and powerful god-slayer.

Luckily, the tabletop game system has a number of classes, sub-classes and mechanics that work quite well with Kratos' archetype, providing a plethora of options for those who want to role-play as the God of War himself. Here's how to create Kratos using Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.

Kratos Build Summary

Race

Variant Human

Class

Barbarian (Path of the Totem Warrior or Path of the Zealot)

Background

Soldier or Folk Hero

Ability Scores (in order of importance)

Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma

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The Best Race for Kratos

Kratos And Atreus Embark On A Journey

The first and easiest choice for Kratos' race is Variant Human, which helps showcase that he's a man who has spent his entire life training in what he does best. Variant Humans get to assign a +1 to two different Ability Scores, as well as pick a free feat and skill of their choice. The Ability Scores should be focused on either Strength, Dexterity or Constitution, and the Tough feat can better showcase Kratos' status as a demigod thanks to the increased boost to his health pool. For skills, Intimidation or Athletics could work quite well.

For those who don't want to play as a human, reskinning the Goliath class would also work. This provides a boost to Kratos' Strength and Constitution scores while also providing the ability to weather a nasty blow with Stone's Endurance. Goliaths also count as one size larger when determining their carrying capacity thanks to Powerful Build. Another option is the Aasimar. These are mortals with a touch of celestial power, which mimics Kratos' status as a demigod. While the +2 bonus to Charisma may not be particularly helpful for Kratos, it would still help him make better use of his Intimidation skill.

The Best Background for Kratos

Kratos

In terms of background, the ideal choice depends on whether the players wants to base their Kratos on his appearance in the original games or the 2018 reboot. For those who want to emulate the original trilogy, Soldier or Folk Hero would work best due to his experience leading an army of Spartan soldiers under the servitude of Aries. However, Hermit or Far Traveler are better for a build based on 2018's God of War, as this Kratos is older and more solitary. These can better convey his low-profile lifestyle with his son Atreus and his travels in a new, unknown land.

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The Best Class For Kratos

While Fighter could also work, Barbarian is the best and most obvious choice for Kratos, as he is lightly armored and could benefit from the Barbarian's Unarmored Defense. The Barbarian's Rage mechanic is also a good parallel to Kratos' Spartan Rage. There are a number of Barbarian subclasses that would work well for Kratos depending on what the player wants to focus on.

For a tankier Kratos, pick the Path of the Totem Warrior and take the Bear Totem Spirit, which grants Kratos resistance to all damage while raging aside from psychic. For a Kratos that will get pulled into the fray, fly into a rage and deal a lot of damage, Path of the Berserker is a better option. This allows Kratos to throw out an extra attack as a bonus action, he can't be charmed or frightened while raging.

Finally, for those who want to play with Kratos' demigod side, Path of the Zealot is a great option that allows Kratos to unleash the divine fury of the gods. The first creature he hits on each of his turns while raging takes additional damage (with the player being able to choose between necrotic or radiant), and the effects of a revival spell on Kratos won't cost a material component.

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Kratos' Ability Scores

Any Kratos build, regardless of class or subclass, needs to prioritize Strength, with Dexterity and Constitution also being important. Strength will allow Kratos to land heavier and more accurate strikes, while Constitution will grant him a larger pool of health and allow him to better defend against poisons and other effects that require CON saving throws. Since a Barbarian's Armor Class is determined using the character's Constitution and Dexterity modifiers thanks to their Unarmored Defense, boosting both of these core stats will make Kratos harder to hit.

The Best Feats For Kratos

Outside of Tough, there are other feats that work well with Kratos' skillset. Sentinel is great for a character that wants to doggedly pursue their enemies and test their guard. When Kratos hits a creature with an opportunity attack, their speed becomes zero for the rest of the turn. Creatures also provoke an opportunity attack even if they use the disengage action. If that wasn't enough, Sentinel also allows Kratos to make an attack of opportunity against a target within range as long as that target attacks someone else other than him.

Charger is a great feat for when Kratos needs to run into the thick of battle and make an immediate impact. As part of the Dash action, Kratos can make a melee attack with a +5 bonus to the roll provided he's moved at least 10 feet before the attack. Fighting Initiate is also extremely useful, as it allows Kratos to learn a single Fighting Style from the Fighter class, allowing him to increase his skill with his chosen weapon or style of combat.

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