Let’s Play D&D With Magneto
Consider leaving the heavy armor at home for this battle. We’re playing D&D with the master of magnetism himself: Magneto.
We’re all watching X-Men 97, right? It’s one of those rare times where (almost) everybody agrees that the thing is just good. The end of the season is practically upon us, and I’m going to be a little sad when there isn’t consistently a new episode to look forward to!
Magneto has been a breakaway highlight of the series so far, working as a hero, antihero, villain, and everything in between. And even the show itself seems more than aware that he’s not really wrong… In fact, he’s almost always proven right. So let’s all show the master of magnetism a little more appreciation when we play D&D with…
Magneto
But what if you want to play a Marvel character in a Marvel game and not D&D? Games exist for that! Like 2002’s Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game! I’m a pretty big proponent of playing the right system for your game, playstyle, and enjoyment. But today we’re specifically looking at a working within D&D.
That said, Magneto can’t be a player character. I mean, he can I guess, but you wouldn’t get even a fraction of his abilities, even with a lot of multiclassing and creative character creation. And even if you could get a reasonable enough approximation, would you really trust a player with that power? Overpowered characters can be fun in fiction but at the table …
Plus, Magneto is more often than not some sort of antagonist- even when he is totally and completely right. So we opted for a monster sheet.
Unfortunately, Magneto’s powers are the equivalent of a note that says, “I can do what I want,” so it’s hard to get it all down on paper. Sure, messing with the magnetic pole of a planet can have some fun effects. But I instead opted to just go for some of the greatest hits. Which is metal and magnetics. If you want to get creative with that, I would love that, and more power to you.
What that means for us is that we’re moving, throwing, crushing, altering, effecting, and generally controlling all of the metal on the battlefield. You know, the battlefield where the armor and the swords are. And maybe the Steel Defenders and Warforged, too!
I tried to make a potential enemy (or friend… or frienemy) that would be annoying, but not completely impossible within the scope of D&D. Getting a hit in would be difficult with a high AC and forcefields. But he doesn’t have an absurd number of hit points. That said, he can toss everyone on the field around in one swoop, and shut other characters and weapons down completely for an entire round.
Most of the damage he’ll deal out here is an effect of being tossed, thrown, dropped, or having something thrown at you. Or unless you’re full of metal for some reason. I bet he could do some damage then. But in general, much like Magneto himself, this is a sheet that wants you to be creative.
How would you make Magneto for a D&D setting? What have you thought of X-Men 97 so far? What movie, show, game, comic, or book should we make sheets from next time? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
