Today in Mythological Figures we’re circling back to Ancient Greece with one of history’s most famous inventors—Daedalus! I think we’re all familiar with his larger achievements (the hubris myth of Icarus flying too high, the creation of the labyrinth for the minotaur) but did you know he was credited with inventing carpentry and was murderously petty? Daedalus took on his nephew as an apprentice and after the lad invented the saw (and made two compasses) he was pushed off the Acropolis to a plummeting death! Even if you think you know his tale it’s worth brushing up on.
Design Notes: There was a lot of “should I/shouldn’t I” going on here and it took a bit to settle on his archetype and background. I wasn’t feeling confident on the rogue class even until I finally figured on this premise: Daedalus is rolling 20s and has a hella-cool GM. He doesn’t really ever use magic, instead constructing things that are so sublime and perfectly-made that they move of their own accord—sounds like a classic case of “wow that’s a high check! The god of ______ takes notice and ____.” To that end I poured all the mechanical oomph I could into his carpentry and mason tool kits so at the very least he should be rolling a +10 on any of given check with them. When he’s not doing his thing (making stuff) he’s savvy, has a crossbow (which is technically late-era Greece but as a master of the mechanical arts, not outside of the realm of possibility for him), and can figure some things out quickly but Daedalus is definitely not a combat-oriented character (outside of being good with pot shots). Also if you're interested in more encompassing 5E Ancient Greece action, I have a thing for that which posts weekly on Sundays.
Daedalus
Medium humanoid (human), neutral good rogue (genius) 9
Armor Class 14 (studded leather)
Hit Points 36 (8d8)
Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +9
Skills History +9, Insight +10, Investigation +13, Perception +6, Religion +9, Stealth +6
Tools carpenter’s tools +8, disguise kit +4, forgery kit +4, dice set +4, mason’s tools +8
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common and two others
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Background: Advisor - Master. Daedalus is frequently made to take on apprentices, training them in the ways of the mechanical arts. His subordinates obey his commands and believe what he tells them (within reason).
Cunning Action (1/turn). Daedalus can take a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, Help, or Hide action.
Evasion. When Daedalus is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if he fails.
Fast Learner. After Daedalus has heard a creature speak for 1 minute or longer, he can mimic its manner of speaking as long as he knows the same language as the creature (allowing him to seem like he is local to a given region).
Sneak Attack (1/turn). Daedalus deals an extra 17 (5d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Daedalus that isn’t incapacitated and Daedalus doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Tactician. Daedalus is able to use the Help action to aid an ally attack a creature as long as the target of the attack is able to see and hear Daedalus and is within 30 feet of him.
Tactician’s Insight. After Daedalus has observed or interacted with a creature for 1 minute, he learns whether or not it has higher or lower Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores than him. In addition, he learns if the target has more or fewer class levels than him. Daedalus also knows when he and the target have equal scores in one of these categories.
ACTIONS
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or thrown 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Daedalus can see hits him with an attack, Daedalus can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against him.
Design Notes: There was a lot of “should I/shouldn’t I” going on here and it took a bit to settle on his archetype and background. I wasn’t feeling confident on the rogue class even until I finally figured on this premise: Daedalus is rolling 20s and has a hella-cool GM. He doesn’t really ever use magic, instead constructing things that are so sublime and perfectly-made that they move of their own accord—sounds like a classic case of “wow that’s a high check! The god of ______ takes notice and ____.” To that end I poured all the mechanical oomph I could into his carpentry and mason tool kits so at the very least he should be rolling a +10 on any of given check with them. When he’s not doing his thing (making stuff) he’s savvy, has a crossbow (which is technically late-era Greece but as a master of the mechanical arts, not outside of the realm of possibility for him), and can figure some things out quickly but Daedalus is definitely not a combat-oriented character (outside of being good with pot shots). Also if you're interested in more encompassing 5E Ancient Greece action, I have a thing for that which posts weekly on Sundays.
Daedalus
Medium humanoid (human), neutral good rogue (genius) 9
Armor Class 14 (studded leather)
Hit Points 36 (8d8)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) |
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +9
Skills History +9, Insight +10, Investigation +13, Perception +6, Religion +9, Stealth +6
Tools carpenter’s tools +8, disguise kit +4, forgery kit +4, dice set +4, mason’s tools +8
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common and two others
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Background: Advisor - Master. Daedalus is frequently made to take on apprentices, training them in the ways of the mechanical arts. His subordinates obey his commands and believe what he tells them (within reason).
Cunning Action (1/turn). Daedalus can take a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, Help, or Hide action.
Evasion. When Daedalus is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, he instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if he fails.
Fast Learner. After Daedalus has heard a creature speak for 1 minute or longer, he can mimic its manner of speaking as long as he knows the same language as the creature (allowing him to seem like he is local to a given region).
Sneak Attack (1/turn). Daedalus deals an extra 17 (5d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Daedalus that isn’t incapacitated and Daedalus doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Tactician. Daedalus is able to use the Help action to aid an ally attack a creature as long as the target of the attack is able to see and hear Daedalus and is within 30 feet of him.
Tactician’s Insight. After Daedalus has observed or interacted with a creature for 1 minute, he learns whether or not it has higher or lower Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores than him. In addition, he learns if the target has more or fewer class levels than him. Daedalus also knows when he and the target have equal scores in one of these categories.
ACTIONS
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or thrown 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker Daedalus can see hits him with an attack, Daedalus can use his reaction to halve the attack’s damage against him.
