Overwatch D&D sounds like a pretty bizarre combination of things. After all, one’s an FPS shooter, while the other is a tabletop RPG that’s very, very heavy on the roleplaying side of things. What both games do have in common is the range of characters and roles that you can play in them. And there’s nothing more fun than trying to imagine what one character in one game would be like in another! So here’s what classes we imagine each of the Overwatch characters would be, if the game universes were swapped.

For simplicity’s sake, all D&D classes are from the official 5th edition. Most of them can be found in the Player’s Handbook, but a few archetypes were taken from the Unearthed Arcana.

Ana

If that doesn’t describe Ana, the resident healing and killing grandma of Overwatch, then I don’t know what does. With her history as a sniper for Overwatch, she’s seen lots of combat. She knows more than most the sacrifices, the ugliness, as well as the heroism and goodness that can be found in it.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Ana:

• Channel Divinity: Guided Strike
  • “You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy.”
  • Given that Ana is a sniper, Guided Strike’s “supernatural accuracy” makes perfect sense!
• Channel Divinity: War God’s Blessing
  • “When a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, you can use your reaction to grant that creature a +10 bonus to the roll.”
  • Does this, or does this not sound like “You’re powered up, get in there!” Sure, Ana’s Nano Boost doesn’t increase the accuracy of whoever’s boosted (even if we wish it did), but it does buff other players, like War God’s Blessing does.

Bastion

Bastion? A druid? Sure, it sounds strange when you think about it, but it makes sense! In The Last Bastion, we saw how Bastion prefers the solitude of the forests. Understandable, given his background. Sure, Rangers are the ones with animal companions, but druids are also great with animals. So Bastion could totally wander around the forests as a druid with Ganymede as his companion, just like in The Last Bastion. Well, until something happens and he ends up going into Tank- sorry, Wild Shape, that is.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Bastion:

• Wild Shape
  • “You can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before”
  • A beast isn’t exactly the same as Bastion’s Tank or Sentry configuration, but given that these animals have devastating damage potential, Wild Shape is totally the D&D version of Bastion’s configurations.
• Natural Recovery
  • “You can regain some of your magical energy by sitting in meditation and communing with nature.”
  • Basically Bastion’s self-recovery, but for Spell slots instead of health.

And a bonus spell that Bastion would definitely have:

• Conjure Woodland Beings
  • You summon fey creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range.
  • *insert Ganymede chirping here*

D.Va

The knight is a subclass of fighters introduced in the Unearthed Arcana in May 2016. D.Va’s mech is probably the closest thing to a steed that we’ll get in Overwatch. The only thing we’d have to tweak is to give her the Paladin spell Find Steed. To match her Call Mech skill, of course!

Class-specific skills that particularly fit D.Va:

• Born to the Saddle
  • Mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
  • Call Mech? Call Mech.
• Hold the Line
  • You master the ability to harass and slow your enemies.
  • Before she got nerfed, D.Va was one of the best heroes to harass the back line of the enemy team. She still kind of is, even if she’s not as damage absorbing as before.
• Defender’s Blade
  • You respond to danger with extraordinary vigilance.
  • Count the number of times you’ve saved, or been saved, from an enemy Reaper’s ult by D.Va’s defense matrix. If that doesn’t count as Defender’s Blade, then what does?

Genji

Unfortunately, there’s no default D&D class for “Cyborg Ninja,” which would’ve been perfect for Genji. There is, however, an assassin subclass for rogues that fits pretty well.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Genji:

• Assassinate
  • You are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies.
  • With his ability to wall-climb, Genji can quite literally get the drop on his enemies. And boy, is he deadly!
• Death Strike
  • You become a master of instant death.
  • You know all those Play of the Game clips with Genji just wiping out an entire enemy team with his ult? Yep.

Hanzo

“The wolf hunts for its prey” and “The dragon hunts for its prey” should make it pretty clear what class Hanzo would be. Sure, having a dragon as an animal companion is probably overpowered as heck, but a giant cyclone of death coming at you in Overwatch sounds overpowered in theory too.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Hanzo:

• Primeval Awareness
  • Focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you
  • Pretty much Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow, except it lasts longer than Sonic Arrow’s 10 seconds.
• Bestial Fury
  • Your beast companion can make two attacks when you command it to use the Attack option
  • Two attacks, two dragons/wolves. It all makes sense now!

Junkrat

Overwatch’s resident explosives expert is as manic and unpredictable as they come. Which makes him pretty much par for the course when you think of the eccentric wizard stereotype. Conjuration spells in particular would make sense for him, as they have the potential to be very destructive.

Conjuration spells that Junkrat would definitely have:

• Ensnaring Strike
  • The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack before this spell ends, a writhing mass of thorny vines appears at the point of impact, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained.
  • A thorny version of Steel Trap, essentially.
• Conjure Barrage
  • You throw a nonmagical weapon or fire a piece of nonmagical ammunition into the air to create a cone of identical weapons that shoot forward and then disappear.
  • If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a Junkrat spamming grenades into a choke point, this spell probably sounds very familiar.

Lucio

This was pretty much a given. If this amazing bard-Lucio fanart by xfreischutz on tumblr isn’t enough to convince you, here are some bard skills that will.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Lucio:

• Bardic Inspiration
  • You can inspire others through stirring words or music
  • “Come on, let’s bring it together!”, “Look at this team! We’re gonna do great.” Admit it, hearing a Lucio on your team saying this helps take away some of the inevitable salt.
  • Also, Bardic Inspiration can be added to attack rolls to increase your chances of hitting an enemy. Lucio’s speed-boost lets you catch up to enemies and hit them. Pretty much the same thing, eh?
• Song of Rest
  • You can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies
  • Or, as Lucio puts it, “Audio medic!”
• Battle Magic
  • You have mastered the art of weaving spellcasting and weapon use into a single harmonious act
  • What else would you call Lucio’s ability to attack and heal at the same time?

McCree

While every other class on this list comes from the Player’s Handbook or the Unearthed Arcana, McCree’s gunslinger subclass is the exception. There are a few reasons for this, like most vanilla ranged non-magical weapons being limited to bows, crossbows, and thrown items. Mostly though, it’s because McCree’s voice actor, Matthew Mercer, is the DM for Critical Role.

For those of you who don’t know, it’s a weekly D&D stream starring voice actors you’ve probably heard before in some video game or other. Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, and Matthew Mercer himself are probably the most well known voice actors. Even if you don’t know who they are, you’ve probably heard their voice work before. You’ve definitely heard McCree’s voice, if you’re reading this article!

The gunslinger subclass we’ve linked is therefore the only homebrewed one on this list. For added veracity, it’s also the one that Matthew Mercer came up with.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit McCree:

• Deadeye
  • The Gunslinger can spend 1 Grit point to gain Advantage on the next Attack roll
  • If you thought that McCree’s ultimate was called “High Noon”, we don’t blame you. However, its proper name is actually Deadeye, just like the name of this Gunslinger skill!
• Trick Shot (specifically, trick shots aiming at the legs)
  • On a hit, the target takes normal damage and must make a Strength saving throw or get knocked prone.
  • McCree’s Flashbang stuns its target, which is pretty much the same effect as being knocked prone in D&D

Mei

Naturally, Mei would be an evocation wizard who specialises in ice-based attacks. Seriously, just look at her spell list down below. They’re pretty much her skills in D&D form.

Also Mei being a wizard just like Junkrat would add a whole new level to their in-game interactions. From her words, it doesn’t seem like she’s a huge fan of him, and if they’re both wizards from very different schools, that animosity makes perfect sense!

Evocation spells that Mei would definitely have:

• Ray of Frost
  • A frigid beam of blue-white light streaks toward a creature within range. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 cold damage, and its speed is reduced.
  • Basically Mei’s primary attack, down to the freezing and slowing effect.
• Ice Storm
  • A hail of rock-hard ice pounds to the ground in a 20-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range.
  • Ice Storm is basically a different way of saying Blizzard, isn’t it?
• Wall of Ice
  • You create a wall of ice on a solid surface within range.
  • Wall of Ice, Ice Wall, there’s no difference, really
• Heal
  • A surge of positive energy washes through the creature, causing it to regain 70 hit points.
  • Mei’s Cryo-Freeze heals her for 150 health points, but other than the numbers, the effect is pretty similar. Cryo-Freeze even removes Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord, just like how Heal removes a whole assortment of ailments.

Mercy

This one was pretty much a given. Debates about Mercy’s viability in competitive aside, Mercy is pretty much the character most people think of when asked to name an Overwatch healer. Her past as a doctor only cements her position as a Life Domain cleric.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Mercy:

• Disciple of Life / Supreme Healing
  • Your healing spells are more effective / When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore hit points with a spell, you instead use the highest number possible for each die
  • Statistics wise, Ana and Lucio can potentially outheal Mercy in small bursts, but generally speaking, Mercy does the most consistent and constant healing. Makes sense, for a cleric of the life domain!
• Blessed Healer
  • The healing spells you cast on others heal you as well
  • Mercy’s self-healing, in a nutshell.

Orisa

It might be a little odd to classify an omnic as a Paladin who’s sworn the Oath of the Ancients, given these paladins’ connection to nature. It makes sense, however, given her optimism and gentle nature. Also her resemblance to a cow.

Jokes aside, what we’ve seen of Orisa (and Effi) in Overwatch lore so far makes it clear that she’s an incredibly joyful individual. She pretty much embodies the four central principles (Kindle the Light, Shelter the Light, Preserve Your Own Light, and Be the Light) of this Oath already. We’ve all seen Orisa helping old ladies cross the road, right. Right?

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Orisa:

• Channel Divinity: Nature’s Wrath
  • Invoke primeval forces to ensnare a foe
  • While not technically the same as her Halt! skill, it has a similar effect, which is to throw off her enemies’ movement.
• Aura of Warding
  • You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have resistance to damage from spells
  • An AoE version of Orisa’s Protective Barrier, basically
• Undying Sentinel
  • When you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead
  • Fortify! Well, more on the reduction of damage side than the part about not being affected by action-impairing effects. Still works.

Pharah

With Pharah’s military discipline and background, it makes perfect sense for her to be a Champion. The raw physical power of her rockets also speaks to the power of the Champion archetype. Okay, rockets aren’t a weapon in D&D, but I’m sure she’ll come up with something!

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Pharah:

• Remarkable athlete
  • When you make a running long jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier
  • Rocket jump? That sounds dangerous
• Improved Critical / Superior Critical
  • Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 / Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18 – 20
  • Her rocket launcher does splash damage, so even if you’re not directly hit to the face, it’s painful. Kind of like getting critical damage even though the enemy didn’t roll a natural 20.

Reaper

It was either this, or a warlock who made a pact with an Archfey. Necromancers have a Grim Harvest skill though, which made the decision. Either way, we all know Reaper would totally have a super dramatic set of robes.

Skills and spells that particularly fit Reaper:

• Grim Harvest
  • You gain the ability to reap life energy from creatures you kill with your spells.
  • What do you do with a harvest? You reap it. The name of Reaper’s passive skill? The Reaping. Both Grim Harvest and The Reaping give health on kills, just to cement the similarity.
• Circle of Death
  • A sphere of negative energy ripples out in a 60-foot-radius sphere from a point within range. Each creature must make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes 8d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  • Die, die, die! Do I need to say more?

As a bonus, here’s a spell that’s technically from the Conjuration school, but which Reaper would totally have anyway. You’ll know why when you read it.

• Misty Step
  • Briefly surrounded by silvery mist, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see

Reinhardt

Reinhardt as a paladin was pretty much a given. Reinhardt as a paladin who swore the Oath of Devotion was even more of a given. Sure, the knight class which we assigned D.Va might sound like Reinhardt’s class, but hear us out. For Reinhardt, we focused more on the paladin tenets that he embodies, as the Oath of Devotion paladin skills are honestly, kind of pretty bland…

(Sorry, paladins who swore this oath!)

Tenets of Devotion, along with Reinhardt quotes that fit them:

• Honesty
  • (To D.Va) “I was wondering if you’d sign something for me. It’s…*clears throat, whispers* for a friend”
  • Alternatively, “I’m not as young as I used to be”
• Courage
  • “I will fight to my last breath”
• Compassion
  • “Don’t worry my friends. I will be your shield”
• Honor
  • “Justice will be done”
• Duty
  • “I will not give up the fight”

Roadhog

What totem animal would Roadhog have? Hm…A tough question. It’s not like he has an animal in his name. Or that same animal’s motif tattooed on his belly. Or like his ultimate has an animal in it.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Roadhog:

• Reckless Attack
  • You can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation.
  • When ulting with Whole Hog, Roadhog is unable to defend himself, and he attacks pretty dang recklessly.
• Relentless Rage
  • Your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds
  • Roadhog’s Take a Breather ability has probably saved his life more than a few times.

Solder: 76

As the leader of Overwatch before it got disbanded, Soldier: 76 aka Jack Morrison would have the same kind of leadership capabilities and tactical skill that Battle Masters have. We’ve picked out maneuvers that fit with his skillset.

Battle Master maneuvers that particularly fit Soldier: 76:

• Evasive Footwork
  • Fitting for the only character in Overwatch who can sprint without cooldown
• Precision Attack
  • “Tactical Visor, activated!”
• Pushing Attack
  • The knockback effect of his Helix Rockets count as a push, right?
• Rally
  • His Biotic Field sure does rally allies during battle.

Sombra

D&D doesn’t always have to be fantasy-based. There are some pretty cool tabletop RPGs out there that utilise a more modern setting. In the meantime though, let’s just go with Sombra as having magic to supplement her sneakiness in place of tech.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Sombra:

• Magical Ambush
  • If you are hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn
  • I think disadvantage is a nice way to put how terrifying an Sombra popping up right beside you can be.
• Versatile Trickster
  • You gain the ability to distract targets with your mage hand.
  • Getting hacked by Sombra is pretty much the same as getting so distracted that you can’t use your skills, right?

Symmetra

The Vishkar corporation that Symmetra works for utilises photon-light technology to (supposedly) bring order and peace to troubled neighborhoods. Whether or not you believe in them, like Symmetra does, or doubt their intentions like Lucio, there’s no denying that Symmetra has skill. She would totally be the kind of lawful-neutral wizard who focuses on her craft.

Abjuration spells that Symmetra would definitely have:

• Circle of Power
  • Divine energy radiates from you, distorting and diffusing magical energy within 30 feet
  • The full description goes on to describe how Circle of Power buffs allies within its radius. It’s essentially a portable version of Symmetra’s shield generator!
• Pass without Trace
  • A veil of shadows and silence radiates from you, masking you and your companions from detection
  • It’s not exactly Teleport or Teleportation Circle, which are closer to what Symmetra’s Teleporter does. However, Pass without Trace is essentially what Symmetra’s Teleporter lets you and your allies do! Pass without Trace to the backlines of the enemy team, that is.
• Shield
  • An invisible barrier of magical force appears and protects you
  • Symmetra’s Photon Barrier is a lot more visible, but it has a pretty similar effect
• Glyph of Warding
  • You inscribe a glyph that harms other creatures, either upon a surface or within an object that can be closed to conceal the glyph
  • Symmetra’s turrets would totally be glyphs. Imagine stepping into a room only to see glyphs of warding everywhere. Probably just as terrifying as stepping into one of Symmetra’s kill-rooms.

Torbjorn

The artificer is a classed introduced in the Unearthed Arcana. We all know that Torbjorn would be a dwarf if he were a D&D character, and now we know that he’d be an artificer too. He certainly seems to think that his turret is a Wondrous Invention, going by his Highlight Intro.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Torbjorn:

• Wondrous Invention
  • You gain the use of a magic item that you have crafted
  • As artificers level up, the type of items that they can craft get better. With Torbjorn though, we all know he would just be going from a Level 1 turret to Level 2 and finally, Level 3.
• Mechanical Servant
  • Your research and mastery of your craft allow you to produce a mechanical servant.
  • Again, Torbjorn’s turret would technically count. It’s even a construct!

Tracer

Speedy and hard-hitting but also kind of fragile, Tracer would totally be a rogue. If Genji is an Assassin type of rogue, and Sombra is an Arcane Trickster, then Tracer would be a Thief.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Tracer:

• Fast Hands
  • You can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make a dexterity check
  • With how fast she reloads, Fast Hands would definitely be a skill of Tracer’s
• Thief’s Reflexes
  • You can take two turns during the first round of any combat
  • Pretty much what her Recall action does: gives you a second chance to get in damage before dying.

Widowmaker

Before we get to the class, we have to make it clear that Widowmaker would absolutely be a drow. I mean, darkvision? Blue(ish) skin? Her being a warlock would fit her ranged, damage-heavy role in Overwatch.

If you want to make yourself sad, think about what could have possibly caused Widowmaker to make a pact with her patron. Something like the death of her husband, perhaps?

Eldritch Invocations that Widowmaker would have:

• Ascendant Step
  • You can cast levitate on yourself at will
  • Other than dimension door, levitate is probably the closest thing we’ll get to Widowmaker’s grappling hook.
• Devil’s Sight
  • You can see normally in darkness, both magical and non-magical, to a distance of 120 feet
  • “I have you in my sights,” even in magical darkness!
• Eldritch Spear
  • When you cast eldritch blast, its range is 300 feet
  • Range like that is probably the closest we’ll get to Widow’s sniper rifle in D&D

Winston

As much as Winston is a scientist and not just a raging gorilla, he does have a rather primal side to him. He would be the cutest, most civilized barbarian ever. Also one of the very few barbarians with a positive intelligence modifier.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Winston:

• Rage
  • Do we even have to explain this one?

Zarya

For Zarya, as with Reinhardt, the Oath of Vengeance paladin path was picked mostly for lore reasons. As someone who swore from a very young age to protect her people, especially against the omnics who devastated her homeland, Zarya would absolutely be the kind of paladin to swear an Oath of Vengeance.

Tenets of Vengeance, along with Zarya quotes that fit them:

• Fight the Greater Evil
  • (To Zenyatta) “I’ve got my eye on you, omnic”
• No Mercy for the Wicked
  • “No Mercy”
• By Any Means Necessary
  • “Perseverance is the key”
• Restitution
  • “Never forget the fallen”

Zenyatta

Zenyatta as a monk is pretty intuitive. He is, after all, technically already one! Of all the characters, he’d probably be the only one whose wardrobe will cross over perfectly fine with a traditional D&D setting.

Class-specific skills that particularly fit Zenyatta:

• Quivering Palm
  • You gain the ability to set up lethal vibrations in someone’s body
  • Basically his Orb of Discord, but somehow even more terrifying than it is in Overwatch.
• Wholeness of Body
  • You gain the ability to heal yourself
  • Zenyatta’s self-healing isn’t technically healing, but the regeneration kinda counts!
• Tranquility
  • You can enter a special meditation that surrounds you with an aura of peace
  • I mean…Experience tranquility…

What do you think? Agree with our class choices, or think you have a better one? Let us know!

The post Overwatch D&D – What Class Would Each Character Be? appeared first on Reboot Reload.