How to Play Westley in Dungeons & Dragons (Princess Bride Build for D&D 5e)

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Today we're building Westley from the Princess Bride in Dungeons & Dragons. If you want to play a cool rapscallion that also is pretty much immune to dying in D&D 5e, this build is a skill expert that is deceptively tanky.
Twitter: / tulokthe
Patreon: / tulok

[@1Ring42]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the advantage on tracking your marked enemy which really helps with hunting down the scoundrels that kidnapped buttercup.

[@Kal-213]

I would like this more than once if I could.

[@darkclawgreatonenas]

the only problem is that Hunters Mark actually sucks, taking Crossbow Expert is a far better option since you can then ignore 3/4 and 1/2 cover at range, ignore the loading action, and fire a hand crossbow after a successful attack with a one handed weapon. the damage from Hunters Mark craps out at 5th level if you are lucky and with this build you would be picking it up a long time before that, not worth the 65 paid to Miracle Max, not to mention it ties up your Bonus Action moving the thing when the terget get smoked by the rest of the party before you can even hit it. ive played plenty of Rangers and i never use Hunters Mark just because it really is THAT bad...

[@erikwilliams1562]

It's inconceivable!!

[@1Ring42]

@@darkclawgreatonenas that's alot of salt for a reply to a comment that's basically saying "Tulok missed a step by not mentioning the extra effect of hunters mark one of the only times it applies to a character"

[@darkclawgreatonenas]

@1Ring 42 I happen to disagree to the value of Hunters Mark, with everything else that this build is using the Bonus Action for, and the fact that the feature is being gained long past the point that it's actually useful...well, like I said...it's sub optimal to even mention it, it's a trap, Crossbow Expert Feat just does a lot more...

[@Ardith50]

There’s a shortage of perfect builds in this world. Would be a pity to ignore yours.

[@chrischeckerslara3441]

*"AS YOU WIIIIISSSSSSSH!"* as your hero falls and tumbles down the steep hill after he rescues the princess from the a small band of rogues. And now, I'm going to ask for you to do a saving throw. Lmao

[@TheMARStudios]

First build of the year and it's from an absolute classic. Seeing this makes me wonder how close Inigo's build would mirror Westley cause who doesn't love a mirror match.

[@gehmli]

I feel like Indigo would be largely a Battle Master fighter, with a dip into kensei Monk (and maybe vengeance paladin?). He's skilled but laser-focused on one specific skillset. He's also nowhere near as crafty as Westley or Fezini, so I feel like he wouldn't have rogue levels.

[@TheMARStudios]

@@gehmli Barbosa was a samurai despite being a swashbuckler, so I guess Inigo would be "How to make a master fencer without Rogue levels"

[@grantbaugh2773]

He's got to have levels in Vengeance Paladin. He was guided to the correct knot on the tree, did a little "lay on hands" to keep from dying during his final fight, and I'd classify that final strike as a critical hit smite (Rugen was at near full HP, with only a few minor wounds). Multi-classing would be difficult though since Inigo definitely needs a sky-high dex due to 0 armor.

[@gehmli]

@@grantbaugh2773 I was thinking of the final fight as him using Second Wind, but lay on hands could work too. He drops pretty quick when he is hit, so multiclassing could be handled by have con be one of his lowest (I'm thinking starting at Dex15, Wis14, Cha13, Str12, Con10, Int 8. +1dex/str for variant human)

[@grantbaugh2773]

@@gehmli ooh, second wind is pretty good too. I mostly picked lay on hands since he literally has his hand on the wound.

[@MegaPokefan97]

Inconceivable! This movie is a timeless classic. Highly recommended

[@ILockhartI]

You keep on leaving that comment. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[@mattbriddell9246]

A Princess Bride build? Inconceivable!

[@MagusAgrippa8]

I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

[@coltenrice9509]

I literally wrote stat blocks for R.O.U.S.'s on Sunday. Now this.

[@OldGreyGryphon]

One of the very few ‘perfect’ movies for me. An inconceivably good build!

[@Morathor]

An extremely fun build, without being incredibly complicated. Kicking off the new year strong with this one.

[@bryanalexander7571]

For swashbucklers like Westly, I've always liked Rogue (Swashbuckler) paired with Fighter (Battle Master or Scout) for supremacy dice shenanigans.

[@Drowmerc]

Honestly just a really solid, and pretty accurate build. I say this with Princess Bride being one of my favorite movies.

[@Olbric_Hayward]

Noticed there were a few unaccounted spells from Ranger. I'd grab Cure Wounds at Ranger 3, as Westley has always been a quick healer. At Ranger 5, I would grab Enhanced Ability (which is perfect for a guy who can outperform a vengeful Spaniard, a giant from Greenland, and a Sicilian when death is on the line), swapping it with Jump so he can still get that Protection from Poison as early as possible. Finally, I'd take Snare of all things at Ranger 7 -- it focuses on a Dexterity save instead of Strength like Entangle or Ensnaring Strike, and is possibly the best shot Westley has for restraining Fezzik.

[@MiniatureAcademy]

Wow, a pirate. Tulok should make another one. Like Hondo Onhaka from The Clone Wars.

[@jamescampbell2353]

I smell profit!

[@stephenboshears4832]

Definitely should, Hondo is hilarious

[@erikwilliams1562]

Amazing how well this movie has held up 6:50 - no lies detected. Still one of the most intimidating things I've ever heard

[@SuperEagle112]

Happy New Year. Man I just realized. Robin Wright treats all of the men she cares about like trash. Be it Forrest Gump or Wesley.

[@ourkeving]

What a sweeping generalization. Just to be sure, are you stating an actress playing two different roles, written by two different men, is how she treats men in reality? Please clear this up for us.

[@Alliclare]

@@ourkeving whoosh!

[@aaronsirkman8375]

@@ourkeving Have you heard of the concept of...a joke?

[@ourkeving]

Did I ? Then I apologise and retract my statement.

[@aaronsirkman8375]

@@ourkeving It can be hard to tell when something is meant sincerely and when something is meant as a Joke, especially on the internet. It happens to all of us.

[@whitmanbarber2548]

I think this build misses some points if you don't have decent strength or an athletics skull. He successfully wrestles fezik and holds on to the cliffs of insanity with no rope

[@jasonreiyn9311]

His Ranger level is high enough that he has a climbing movement speed. As far as Fezik, his health got him through that challenge. He tanked getting slammed into the rocks repeatedly. If he was better at grappling, perhaps he could have dodged.

[@grantbaugh2773]

Climbing could potentially use acrobatics, and like Tulok says in the video, he doesn't really wrestle Fezzik so much as he just hangs on and takes punishment.

[@Americanbadashh]

He got good rolls

[@Technodreamer]

@@grantbaugh2773 Nah, dude, literally the first example given for Athletics in the PHB is "You attempt to climb a sheer or slippery cliff, avoid hazards while scaling a wall, or cling to a surface while something is trying to knock you off." Acrobatics is "stay on your feet in a tricky situation, such as when you're trying to run across a sheet of ice, balance on a tightrope, or stay upright on a rocking ship's deck". It's feats of dexterity and balance, not sheer bloodymindedness to haul yourself up a cliffside.

[@WhimsicalINTP]

There's a combat option in the Dungeon Master's Guide called *Climb onto a bigger creature* that really fits how Westley fought Fezik.

[@whymihere86]

Was right on the fighter and rogue, makes sense with fencing. The gloom stalker threw me but makes a lot of sense with the spells and concept of the Roberts persona.

[@burrito9327]

Bro it's unfair how hot Westley looks with and without the mask, like come on man, you can have one or the other but not both.

[@warryck5909]

The scream at the end got my like. Another great video, Tulok

[@Mary_Studios]

Yes I'm so excited to see this being built.

[@JJPoiesidion99]

6:21 “Call that Wesley Power, who cares about Will?” Me, I am Will😢

[@rebecca7948]

Super glad we got to see this amazing build! Perfect as always!

[@ethanfisher5414]

In love with this build. Awesome job! The Dread Pirate Roberts will certainly be sailing through my setting someday soon

[@_malprivate2543]

Hmm, interesting. Gloom Stalker is a bit weird since Westley isn't really a ranger typ nor does he use magic but it did allow you to get Wisdom Saving throw proficiency without having to go to Rogue 15. You could probably get pretty much everything you want with Swashbuckler 15/Battle Master 5 (and relying on Con saves for the poison resistance) but getting that Protection from Poison was a clever way of doing it. Nice build!

[@KevinVideo]

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favourite movies, and seeing this build really made me smile. Best way to start the year. And now I need to go watch this movie for the thousand time. Inconceivable.

[@christopherbacon1077]

I've been hoping for this build about as long as I've been watching you

[@GroovyLemming]

Interesting take! I probably would have gone Oath of Glory Paladin/Swashbuckler Rogue, for adding Cha bonus to saves and a little more athletic ability.

[@kevinphiggins]

1:44 Tulok my dude that is a world-class shirt you’ve got on there. Love it.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Great build Never would have thought of this one

[@johnpozorski5026]

Love this one, keep up the amazing work!

[@enyoskyy]

I love this. I hit like before I even watched the video BC this is my favorite Christmas movie and my favorite character I've ever played was based on a mix between Wesley and jack sparrow

[@andrewpowers2249]

I've been looking forward to this since the poll in November. I even rewatched the movie recently, making my son watch it for the first time. I guessed the Rogue subclass he would use, but was wondering what would be done for the poison immunity... I had wondered if it would be Monk.

[@robbinridunk]

almost spit my drink over the ending joke. This is an AWESOME build!

[@ryangriffin1998]

Those playing at home could always make him a Yuan-Ti Pureblood for a full on immunity to poison (In Volo's rules, resistance if you're using Monsters of the Multiverse) and you'd only need to give him a little bit of snakeitude. You wouldn't get the Defensive Duelist feat, but as mentioned in the cons section, he already has numerous reaction options

[@oscarwind4266]

I suppose you're DM could be cool and give everyone a feat.

[@remick0]

The final ROUS gag was perfect!

[@kierantobin4553]

So simple. So fun. I may put this together sometime.

[@DvirPick]

One thing about Rakish Audacity that people forget is that you need to not have another creature within 5 ft of either you or your target, so allies right behind you or enemies right behind your enemy foil that plan.

[@petersimon2619]

Fantastic build, would be very fun to play in sure.

[@BaltimoreJak]

Great Job!

[@djharper1233]

I love how different you manage to make your various swashbuckling heroes (Zorro, Puss n' Boots, etc - who I just realized are played by the same guy).

[@shanelilly9673]

Great video!

[@MatthewDragonHammer]

Glorious. Let’s see Inigo next!

[@JaelinBezel]

I actually rewatched this movie the other day so this is quite timely

[@openmoose]

thumbs up for them wavy locks!

[@danc6167]

A little surprised it took so long to get a Princess Bride build but you didn't disappoint

[@erios8522]

Can't wait for the Inigo build

[@deanospimoniful]

Rodents of unusual size do exist: Capybaras.

[@alinkinthechain]

Me: *rolls up Dread Pirate Roberts in a campaign* My DM: "Enjoy this metric *Fuckton* of Dire Rats."

[@G-Blockster]

I like this video more every time I watch it.

[@EliteWarrior1026]

Fezzik: Goliath, Fighter, Tavern Brawler Feat. For Subclass, either Champion (it's not his fault he's the biggest and the strongest. He doesn't even exercise.) or Battle Master (though his Maneuvers focus on fighting groups so he may struggle against single opponents).

[@lockwoan01]

Giant rats are worse than Kobolds and Goblins - you can bribe the last two easier.

[@rcschmidt668]

Wonderful to see the Dread Pirate Roberts build here. To the pain! 😂 Would also enjoy seeing Humperdinck’s character. He expects everything is a trap. That is why he has stayed alive for so long… 🤓

[@LocalMaple]

Funny thing: Wisdom was the actor’s dump stat. Miracle Max was so funny, the directors had a dummy of him made to do that scene for him.

[@socraticgambler]

New year, same favorite joke. Rippy dip dip!! 😂

[@ViscountGames]

You should try out death dealer from shang chi as a dnd build. A combo of maybe monk and maybe rogue for sneak attack? curious what you would be able to build with it

[@chriscarlson5146]

Always appreciate a Chromeo reference

[@tetrapteron4461]

I literally looked this build up yesterday and was sad that you didn't have one lol

[@moosenavy2002]

Almost on episode 500🎉🎉

[@harley3211]

wow, tulok! your hair is looking fantastic! and that shirt looks great on you. overall you look happy and healthy and that makes me happy 😊 also what a classic character, i think older movies are a gold mine for these videos. what do you think about jareth from labyrinth? anyway! hope you had a good day. thanks for the upload!

[@sotpseamus]

You should build Santa from Violent Night. Hammer wielding barbarian with a large bag of holding.

[@razuharada6209]

Came for the Princess Bride. Stayed for Tulok at 1:45. He knows what he's doing.

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

REALLY hoping we get Inigo Montoya next.

[@1411bat]

R.I.P. Andre The Giant

[@thetribunaloftheimaginatio5247]

"It's possible. pig. I might be bluffing. It's conceivable, you miserable vomitous mass, that I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. Then again... perhaps I have the strength after all. Drop. Your. Sword."

[@BJGvideos]

Nat 20 deception/intimidation roll

[@thetribunaloftheimaginatio5247]

@@BJGvideos He still had a level or two of exhaustion, but he still made that check like a BOSS.

[@kissshot1414]

Sword Bard would also be a good option if you wanna focus more on charisma. On the other hand no Protection from Poison if we choose that route.

[@theovernight1915]

Been waiting on Wesley for quite a while! After all... there's a shortage of perfect characters. It seemed a pity to skip this one!

[@nicolasvillasecaali7662]

Let me tell you a story of love, no one of a man for a Tangle the lemur build from Sir Tulok (btw, please?) But the one of a man in black and the many adventures to reach his loved one. Westley went from farm boy into a voyage with pirates, bandits, a miracle pill and a duel to the death, all to achieve the most passionate and pure kiss there is, love is not just romantic stuff, but also the passion to achieve even the impossible. Happy new year to all, Sir Tulok and everyone who feed the algorithm in his name, i wish you all blessings of good luck in your life.

[@aaronsirkman8375]

It's Westley! Otherwise, still admiring the hustle, and the heart.

[@nicolasvillasecaali7662]

@@aaronsirkman8375 is a way to show the love to character building this channel have, thanks for the correction mate.

[@aaronsirkman8375]

@@nicolasvillasecaali7662 No worries; I appreciate your efforts, even if I'm very tangentially a fan of/aware of Sonic Lore, and I'm always here for pedantic corrections when needed.

[@Technodreamer]

I love most of this build, but...one of Westley's impossible feats is climbing a long rope up sheer cliffs. You can't do that with Acrobatics - that is a pure-and-simple Athletics check. That said, there are enough skills in here that you could easily swap one out for Athletics, maybe even get him Expertise in it, too. That would neatly sidestep the low-Strength issue for climbing.

[@AZDfox]

Ranger gives him a climbing speed

[@Technodreamer]

@@AZDfox A climbing speed, yes, but the Cliffs of Insanity aren't just tall, they're difficult. That calls for an Athletics check.

[@articusramos808]

Inconceivable

[@AZDfox]

Jesse Faden is also bulky and has a high mobility, with plenty of options for reducing, avoiding, or healing off damage.

[@thomasdevine867]

Still pulling for Eglentine Price (Bednobs and Broomsticks), Winifred Sanderson (Hocus Pocus), Doctor Dolittle, Councilor Troi (Star Trek: tNG), Mary Poppins, the Reverend Doctor Syn (The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh), and Sir Dragonet King Arthur's jester (le Morte d'Arthur/ Idylls of the King).

[@teddypunch]

Alright, now you have to make inigo montoya

[@joshuarawlins7793]

MORE PRINCESS BRIDE BUILDS!!!!!!

[@jackalope2302]

How about Jim Hawking from Treasure Planet? Artificer/Rogue?

[@Khlaylav]

YES

[@Agent719]

Because of this video, I've learned my brother has never seen The Princess Bride. I will be fixing that soon.

[@moosenavy2002]

At this point you have to do Inigo Montoya which I know is probably just swashbuckler and such

[@Irrationaaaaal]

I had the biggest crush on Westley as a kid

[@GratiaVOD]

Wesley kind of "dies" twice in the movie. If your DM allows you to play a "Reborn" it will give you "advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage."

[@BlandoGaming]

This build was great, but I was honestly so into his plug at the start that I was kinda hoping for more food reviews from him and got a little jarred when it jumped back into the build. Lol

[@shinykitsunelive]

finally, a build for a character i actually recognize! (idk anime sorry)

[@deathbykonami5487]

Would Westley be a rogue or a Dex based finesse fighter? Maybe a multiclass of both? I mean his fight with Inigo Montoya pretty much screamed battle master fighter. But how he was able to evade and outwit Viccini's men also screams rogue.

[@Shatterverse]

Wait... was that a dig at Wil Wheaton @ 6:20?

[@MichaelJones-rz5sw]

Was Westley's actor the same guy in Robinhood Men in Tights?

[@yeoldendummy7304]

Can you do tricky the clown from madness combat?

[@johnathanbailes5542]

I would have multiclassed into fighter battlemaster for all the maneuvers but oh well..

[@shinyvictory1272]

Andddddd of course my phone has been listening to the TV

[@EndiXIV]

I literally just watched princess bride last night, what are the odds

[@boitata2617]

Barely began here and I am just surprised you didn't just pick the pirate background...

[@cteal2018]

For the algorithm? "As you Wish...."

[@fitnessandfandom]

Tulok is related to Eddie from Stranger Things and you can't change my mind.

[@predoarantes4641]

I'm sure princess bride was just a dnd campaign that they turned into a movie

[@bodenking]

It does have the quintessential Nat 20 Intimidate check

[@JeffersonMills]

Nah, it’s a novel. You should really read the unabridged version by Morgenstern, if you can find a copy.

[@ericmichels2858]

Always love a good Princess Bride connection! Although, I'm still trying to figure out why you have dipped into the treasure trove of characters from League of Legends.

[@emcee5922]

Will you do mystery Inc? (Scooby Doo)

[@cteal2018]

To the death?....No, to the PAIN!

[@puddlel1ama327]

Calling Swashbuckler Rogue/Battlemaster Fighter now Edit: Didn't see Gloomstalker coming, but I otherwise got it right. this seems like a really solid build

[@rayquanthomas8137]

can you do thorfinn next from vinland saga

[@mothersuperior3181]

If you believe in yourself and with a tiny pinch of magic, all your dreams can come true

[@StinkerTheFirst]

Not expecting the Ranger levels. I wasn't thinking about the Iocane powder scene, and I don't think it is worth so many levels in Ranger. I figured "take an antidote" would be enough. But all the movement buffs are good, too. I guessed the Rogue main, but I was thinking mastermind, because he is a pirate captain and also because the bulk of what he does after reviving is advising his party members. Also, Fighter, Champion or Battle Master. I was considering Champion for the feats of athleticism that he pulls off, but then I leaned toward Battle Master for the sword skill. Not expecting the ranger levels.

[@platniumdragon115]

I would love to see a brook from one piece build