Fire Emblem: Building the Three Houses Lords in Dungeons and Dragons

2022-10-15 11:28:05 By : Mr. Eric Zhou

The main characters of Fire Emblem: Three Houses can easily be created in Dungeons and Dragons, and would make the perfect fit for any campaign.

Between Stranger Things, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, and Critical Role, Dungeons and Dragons has seen unprecedented mainstream success over the last several years. With Dungeons and Dragons currently developing its evergreen One D&D system, and the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie releasing on March 3rd, 2023, fans of the tabletop RPG have a lot to look forward to.

It is a time-honored tradition of Dungeons and Dragons players to take inspiration from their favorite media to bring back to their table. As a franchise, Fire Emblem is practically begging to come to TTRPGs with its high fantasy and class-based gameplay. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is especially perfect due to its dynamic characters, political intrigue, and unique weapons. Here are some ways players can create the major characters of Fire Emblem: Three Houses in Dungeons and Dragons.

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The Black Eagles house leader Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg is known for her strength of mind and body, as well as her imperious leadership and unwavering determination. As such, the Oath of Conquest Paladin is the perfect Dungeons and Dragons class for her. As a Paladin, Edelgard supports her allies with her Aura of Protection, Lay on Hands, and Spellcasting, and the Oath of Conquest allows one to dominate the battlefield, striking fear in the hearts of those with the audacity to raise a hand against her. As a princess, the Variant Human with the Noble Background works well for Edelgard.

Edelgard’s minor Crest of Seiros can be replicated with the Paladin’s Divine Smite. For feats, War Caster or Sentinel can allow her to maintain control of the battlefield, either with spells or opportunity attacks, while Heavy Armor Master or Shield Master can make her even harder to defeat. Alternatively, Inspiring Leader can be a great way to represent her peerless leadership skills. For players wishing to delve deeper into Edelgard’s conniving side, a Mastermind Rogue multiclass allows her to get additional skills and leadership abilities, as well as proficiency in disguise kits to help players pull a Flame Emperor stunt of their own.

Though Edelgard’s axe, Aymr, varies in abilities between games, it can deal extra damage to dragons in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. As such, obtaining a Dragonslayer battleaxe or greataxe would be the best option.

Dimitri Blaiddyd is the intense leader of the Blue Lions in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Dimitri has two aspects: the noble prince and the wrathful conqueror. As such, multiclassing as a Cavalier Fighter and Zealot Barbarian is the best way to show both of these faces. The Fighter levels allow him to defend himself and his allies while riding down enemies atop his steed, while Zealot Barbarian allows him to become an unkillable force of destruction. Like Edelgard, Variant Human of the Noble Background would fit, though the Haunted One background from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft could also fit, given his traumatic backstory.

To represent Dimitri’s minor Crest of Blaiddyd beyond the devastating strikes from the Zealot’s Divine Fury, the Great Weapon Master Feat would allow Dimitri to annihilate foes with mighty blows and cleave through enemies. Mounted Combatant would help him to excel at combat on horseback even more so than is normal for a Cavalier, while Polearm Master could be a powerful D&D feat choice with his typical choice of weaponry.

Areadbhar, the Heroes’ Relic wielded by Dimitri, is a fearsome glaive with the ability to deal effective damage against any creature. As such, many weapons could be used to represent it. A Certain Death, Sharpness, or Vicious Glaive - or even a simple +3 one - would be solid picks if one did not homebrew a custom Dungeons and Dragons weapon of their own for Dimitri to wield.

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Claude von Riegan, the leader of the Golden Deers in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, is a cunning-yet-laid-back archer who often fights from the back of a wyvern. As such, the Drakewarden Ranger is a natural pick for him. The Ranger class already has fantastic support for bow-wielding classes, and the Drakewarden’s drake companion can eventually take to the sky, making it an ideal combat mount. Like the last two, Variant Human Noble works well for Claude’s Race and Background.

The Crest of Riegan gives Claude the ability to occasionally restore hit points - an ability easily replicated with the Ranger’s spellcasting abilities in D&D. The Sharpshooter feat can allow Claude to hit any target and make it count, while the Mounted Combatant feat is also a great pick by providing his drake companion added protection. Also known as the Master Tactician, players can take some levels in Mastermind Rogue or Lore Bard if they want to dabble more in Claude’s cunning side.

Failnaught, Dimitri’s Heroes’ Relic, is a powerful bow which also deals bonus damage to dragons. Any magical bow with Arrows of Dragon Slaying in D&D could represent this, but an Oathbow would be perfect for players lucky enough to get one.

The player character of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a taciturn tactician known for their mastery of combat. With its versatility, the Battle Master Fighter is a natural fit for Byleth. Battle Masters have dozens of maneuvers via the Combat Superiority feature, which can be customized to control the flow of battle. As a mercenary, the Mercenary Veteran is a great Background for the Ashen Demon, and while Variant Human is the obvious first pick for race, the Reborn Ancestral Legacy could be an interesting choice, given Byleth’s unique origin.

While there are no feats that perfectly replicate the Crest of Flame, Sentinel can mimic its ability to prevent counterattacks, and the Martial Adept feat gives them more Superiority Dice with their Battle Master levels. As a highly-customizable character, any number of multiclassing options in Dungeons and Dragons could be fitting for Byleth - they are one of the most versatile units in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. As such, Eldritch Knight or even a Bladesinger Wizard could be interesting alternatives for more magically-inclined Byleths.

The legendary Sword of the Creator is the Heroes’ Relic wielded by Byleth in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The weapon can extend to strike creatures at range, making a whip a more accurate weapon to use than a longsword, unless the DM homebrews a special longsword with the reach property. In either sense, like many other Heroes’ Relics, the Sword of the Creator can deal devastating damage to dragons, making the Dragonslayer weapons of Dungeons and Dragons fame a strong fit for it.

Dungeons and Dragons 5e is available now.

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An MMORPG-focused video game writer for GameRant for one year and counting, Eric cut his teeth on gaming since he was a wee lad watching his father play Lands of Lore. Equipped with a +1 Bachelor's Degree of Creative Writing, he seeks to spread his love of characterization, world-building, and inclusivity far and wide. His nerd specializations of choice are Dungeons & Dragons and narrative-focused RPGs.