Let’s Play D&D With Imperator Furiosa
If you wanna get through this, do as she says. This week we’re playing D&D with Imperiator Furiosa from Mad Max.
It’s been nearly ten years since Mad Max: Fury Road came out, but we’re still very into this movie. So it’s very exciting that by-a-long-shot best character in the movie, Imperator Furiosa will be back in just a few days for her own, self titled film.
Fury Road was a wild movie from start to finish, with lots of aspects and themes that would fit into most D&D games. Doof Warrior? That’s a bard. Battle rigs? There are any number of steeds, mounts, or vehicles that we can boost up to the nth degree. And Furiosa? I’ve got some thoughts. So this week we’re playing D&D with…
Imperator Furiosa
There are so, so many directions you could go in while making a Furiosa inspired D&D character. There’s an argument for something melee heavy with no magic like barbarian or Fighter. Rogue would either be a great pick, either for Mastermind or Thief. And Immortan Joe would definitely say that she’s stolen a few things from him. But I went with a Paladin / Artificer combo.
To start, we made a Redemption Paladin because it’s perfect for Furiosa’s story as of Fury Road. She starts as one of Immortan Joe’s top ranking officers, but ultimately betrays him to save his ‘five wives’ and bring them to safety. This also gives us access to all sorts of useful adventuring abilities like healing and smites.
Next up, we took a few level in Artificer. She has the mechanical arm, and a working ability to maintain her war rig. The Battle Smith specialization gives us a Steel Defender, and in a D&D setting, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think of her rig as a Steel Defender on steroids. Y’know, because most DMs won’t let you get away with having a heavily armed and armored tractor tailer at your character’s disposal.
Sometimes when we make sheets inspired by popular characters, finding the middle ground between ‘recognizable’ and ‘an off the walls sheet your DM would slam dunk into the trash’ is key.
For her background I opted for Gladiator, which I realize probably sounds like a weird pick. But being an officer in Immortan Joe’s army only has so many backgrounds that would work, and I thought this was a bit closer of a fit than “knight.” And the benefits and proficiencies were right, which is almost more important.
I took feats that would be useful for somebody who’s being constantly pursued by someone they’ve wronged. Gunner and Sharpshooter are similar enough, but make sure she’s at her best in a firefight. And Alert will help the group never be surprised or jumped.
How would you make Furiosa for a D&D setting? Will you be checking out her standalone movie this week? What movie, show, book, comic or game should we make sheets for next time? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
