Making the mcu hulk

[Spacehamster]

What classes would you use to make the Hulk in d&d 5e? Perhaps tortle open hand STR monk with barbarian dip?

[nickl_2000]

Are you just wanting the hulk, or are you wanting the Bruce Banner piece of it as well?

[dreast]

A wizard with Tenser’s Transformation speings to mind.

[Spacehamster]

Are you just wanting the hulk, or are you wanting the Bruce Banner piece of it as well?

To quote Hulk in Thor Ragnarok “No banner only Hulk!”. :)

[Vogie]

Primeval Guardian Ranger 3 / Monk X? That way you can get huge and beat the hell out of everything

A wizard with Tenser’s Transformation speings to mind.

Yep - Bladesinger would be best, so you have an extra attack mixed in there, and can get in melee earlier.



Or actually, something like a Valor Bard? They can grab Tenser’s Transformation via magical secrets, have an extra attack, but can hang out being a skill monkey & pseudo-warlord for the rest of the time

[nickl_2000]

To quote Hulk in Thor Ragnarok “No banner only Hulk!”. :)

Well that was it exactly, it's a completely different character if you are planning on going Hulk only or Banner and Hulk


If you are going Ragnarok it makes it a lot easier since Hulk is dual wielding weapons. He appears to be Dual Wielding an Axe and a Warhammer in the arena.


So, you will need to have the Dual Wielder Feat and likely a level or two in fighter for the two weapon fighting style. It would probably be best to go 4 levels in fighter for the feat/asi and take the brute UA class. Then you need bear totem barbarian for unarmored defense to get dex + con for armor and damage resistance while raging. Drop int, drop wis and boost the heck out of all physical stats and you should be good to go. A Goliath would likely be the best choice for race, and the variant entertainer, Gladiator would be perfect.

[willdaBEAST]

This thread deals with the same topic and might have some useful ideas: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...-from-the-Hulk

Between Joe the Rat and I, it's suggested that a Moon druid/barbarian might capture the dynamic of the Hulk fairly well.

-Flavor brown bear or whatever as a hulk transformation, you have the duality of relatively fragile druid vs massive creature and you can tack rage on to capture the Hulk growing stronger as he gets angrier.

[Sariel Vailo]

http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2015/05/war-hulk.html?m=1

So here you go. A hulk of a hulk to hulk the hulk of hulks.

[Vogie]

http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2015/05/war-hulk.html?m=1

So here you go. A hulk of a hulk to hulk the hulk of hulks.

You probably wanted the Redux, which actually allows the Barbarian to grow...

http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2016/0...ulk-redux.html

[Warpiglet]

I personally enjoy this method: take barbarian for a level. Put your highest scores in strength and con! Con and dex determine AC for a barbarian. Unless you rolled like a god, this will fit better than wisdom and dex...

You can use strength instead of dex for monk attacks. Use a monk weapon (like a shortsword or spear) and your fists of huld fury!

Half orc gets bonus points for greenish hue and strength and con bonus!

Last step: go shirtless, rampage and beat things into the ground! Flurry of blows with strength mod for damage...

[Falcon X]

If you are open to homebrew, DawnforgedCast made a really solid Alchemist that has a subclass that is effectively a hulk/Mr Hyde type situation.

Besides that, just reflavor Barbarian. Maybe use the UA shifter race if you want a mechanical shift to the physical as well.

[Avigor]

Zealot Barbarian, at least 14 levels as the Hulk doesn't die. Of course his level of Strength only makes sense IMO for a level 20 Barbarian's +4 Strength, and since when does the Hulk ever run out of rage? Never, at least when he's at the top of his game (i.e. level 20). The only thing I wish could be changed would be to make the Zealot Barbarian's Divine Fury bonus damage be Force instead of Radiant or Necrotic; Necrotic might fit better for a gamma radiation analogue, but ultimately that's up to you. The questions are then:

1. Does he merely have the Brawler feat, or does he have a Monk dip? I'd personally argue for the Brawler feat, as the Hulk isn't some karate boi. Think very carefully before dipping anything at all. Those level 20 powers being lost would hurt the build 7 ways to Sunday IMO, so be very careful with any multiclassing considerations. If you go with Tortle, you can ignore Brawler vs Monk debates outright. Beyond this, get melee powerhouse feats; just remember that he would seem unlikely to use Sentinel + Polearm Master, even if it is more mechanically effective then Savage Attacker. You can either rely on Brawler all the time, dual-wield, grapple hand + Versatile weapon, or go with a Greataxe, and any option should work fairly well, just choose one early on and stick with it.
2. What is his race? While variant Human has the feat and matches Banner's origin, that's no fun and doesn't look like the Hulk at all! Half-Orcs and Orcs are, by some traditions at least, green-skinned and can be pretty potent for Barbarians, but using a Goliath and a can of green spray paint may ultimately be more mechanically effective. As for the Tortle, while that does give claws and an innate AC of 17, that boost to Wisdom isn't going to help much unless you dip Monk or get an odd number for Wisdom, and the hiding in the shell thing should be refluffed as curling into a fetal position or something if you truly want to use the Tortle and ever decide to use that feature.
3. What are his abilities? Obviously Strength and Constitution are his top focus, Dexterity may be mechanically potent but the Hulk really doesn't seem to dodge very often, Intelligence is obviously his lowest dump stat, and between Wisdom and Charisma it's a toss up as he doesn't seem to have much defense against mental manipulation but he isn't very personable either.
4. What is his background? While you can always just ignore the Hulk inspiration at this point, IMO it might be more fun to slip the Banner side in here for the background. He was a scientist, so give him proficiency in Arcana, Nature, Alchemist's Tools, and Tinker's Tools, a variant of the ability of the Dragon Casualty for his odd appearance, and whichever equipment set you favor (preferably he should carry as minimal as possible, the Hulk isn't a packrat after all). I'd give him a Bond that he is being pursued by whoever funded the experiments that created him. Boom, you now have your Hulk.

[Spacehamster]

Zealot Barbarian, at least 14 levels as the Hulk doesn't die. Of course his level of Strength only makes sense IMO for a level 20 Barbarian's +4 Strength, and since when does the Hulk ever run out of rage? Never, at least when he's at the top of his game (i.e. level 20). The only thing I wish could be changed would be to make the Zealot Barbarian's Divine Fury bonus damage be Force instead of Radiant or Necrotic; Necrotic might fit better for a gamma radiation analogue, but ultimately that's up to you. The questions are then:

1. Does he merely have the Brawler feat, or does he have a Monk dip? I'd personally argue for the Brawler feat, as the Hulk isn't some karate boi. Think very carefully before dipping anything at all. Those level 20 powers being lost would hurt the build 7 ways to Sunday IMO, so be very careful with any multiclassing considerations. If you go with Tortle, you can ignore Brawler vs Monk debates outright. Beyond this, get melee powerhouse feats; just remember that he would seem unlikely to use Sentinel + Polearm Master, even if it is more mechanically effective then Savage Attacker. You can either rely on Brawler all the time, dual-wield, grapple hand + Versatile weapon, or go with a Greataxe, and any option should work fairly well, just choose one early on and stick with it.
2. What is his race? While variant Human has the feat and matches Banner's origin, that's no fun and doesn't look like the Hulk at all! Half-Orcs and Orcs are, by some traditions at least, green-skinned and can be pretty potent for Barbarians, but using a Goliath and a can of green spray paint may ultimately be more mechanically effective. As for the Tortle, while that does give claws and an innate AC of 17, that boost to Wisdom isn't going to help much unless you dip Monk or get an odd number for Wisdom, and the hiding in the shell thing should be refluffed as curling into a fetal position or something if you truly want to use the Tortle and ever decide to use that feature.
3. What are his abilities? Obviously Strength and Constitution are his top focus, Dexterity may be mechanically potent but the Hulk really doesn't seem to dodge very often, Intelligence is obviously his lowest dump stat, and between Wisdom and Charisma it's a toss up as he doesn't seem to have much defense against mental manipulation but he isn't very personable either.
4. What is his background? While you can always just ignore the Hulk inspiration at this point, IMO it might be more fun to slip the Banner side in here for the background. He was a scientist, so give him proficiency in Arcana, Nature, Alchemist's Tools, and Tinker's Tools, a variant of the ability of the Dragon Casualty for his odd appearance, and whichever equipment set you favor (preferably he should carry as minimal as possible, the Hulk isn't a packrat after all). I'd give him a Bond that he is being pursued by whoever funded the experiments that created him. Boom, you now have your Hulk.

Good points altho I think maybe fighter 2 for action surge for when he gets really pissed would be too fitting to pass up on, the abnormal STR could be portrayed by having a 29 STR belt in the end game. :)

[Vogie]

I'd personally argue for the Brawler feat, as the Hulk isn't some karate boi

No one is saying he's a "Karate boi", but monk happens to have a bunch of things that the Hulk typically does - stronger unarmed attacks, ability to grab missiles out of the air (not just arrows, literal missiles), ability to jump huge distances, and run up walls. Also, being really, really fast. Mechanically, in 5e, those are all things that monks do.

In the description of the Monk ability Martial Arts, it says "You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attacks and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes..." but you don't HAVE to. If the OP wants a Hulk that is always in Hulk-mode, a la the beginning & end of Ragnarok, but isn't wearing armor, you could just as easily grab a level of Barbarian for the rage bonus & resistance, and better Unarmed Defense, and go the rest full monk, focusing on just Strength and Con with a hint of Dex for defense.

[Avigor]

No one is saying he's a "Karate boi", but monk happens to have a bunch of things that the Hulk typically does - stronger unarmed attacks, ability to grab missiles out of the air (not just arrows, literal missiles), ability to jump huge distances, and run up walls. Also, being really, really fast. Mechanically, in 5e, those are all things that monks do.

In the description of the Monk ability Martial Arts, it says "You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attacks and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes..." but you don't HAVE to. If the OP wants a Hulk that is always in Hulk-mode, a la the beginning & end of Ragnarok, but isn't wearing armor, you could just as easily grab a level of Barbarian for the rage bonus & resistance, and better Unarmed Defense, and go the rest full monk, focusing on just Strength and Con with a hint of Dex for defense.

True, but he wouldn't survive as much punishment as a Zealot would if he went Monk, and the Hulk is basically unkillable.

As for the bigger unarmed hits vs Brawler (assuming in rage and same Strength bonus and Extra Attack): 1d10+2 Bludgeoning with 1-2 extra attacks per turn depending on Ki usage vs 1d4+4 Bludgeoning with 1d6+10 Radiant or Necrotic on the first hit each turn + Feral Instinct and Brutal Critical, and I'm not completely convinced that it's a massive pro-Monk swing, even if Monk is a strong contender if you don't want to use a weapon.

As for jumping and running, Barbarians do get at least some Fast Movement, and can jump their Strength in feet horizontally before requiring extra boosts; a pair of boots would maximize his jumping ability with one attunement if desired. Granted, Barbarians don't get Deflect Missiles, but the 5e Monk version is tied to Dexterity, which again I'd argue is not necessarily the Hulk's strong suit (beyond Feral Instinct and Danger Sense, which IMO make sense for him), so yeah again I'm not convinced it's a swooping win for pure Monk.

In the end, I'd probably say that a proper Hulk could be built as a Gestalt of Zealot Barbarian and Open Hand Monk (with the Open Hand Technique fluffed as the pure power of the blow doing whatever, and ignore Tranquility and Quivering Palm, maybe giving him the Berserker's Intimidating Presence and/or the Totem Spirit + Aspect of the Beast Bear powers instead). Yeah, he's OP, so trying to build him while following the rules is a bit hard at best.

[Ganymede]

You are much better off modelling the Hulk as an NPC or monster as class levels will not allow you to duplicate his unique abilities. Remember, PC classes are a conceit for creating a sense of development in a platform designed to balance the strengths of different party members.

The Hulk, on the other hand, seems more like a legendary tier challenge for the party to overcome rather than something balanced as a PC.

[supergoji18]

Goliath Barbarian seems like the most obvious choice. If you want to get more creative, a Monk/Barbarian multiclass human, goliath, half-orc, or orc would work. Specifically, Path of the Berserker and Way of the Open Palm.