The Starks of Winterfell
Playing the Stark children in D&D
At the heart of Game of Thrones is the story of one family and it's children: the Starks. As a fan of the show and books, I've often wondered how to turn all six Stark children into characters for D&D5e. In fact, since I first had this idea, I've had to rework some of these builds to transition from the 2014 rules to 2024.
Before we get stuck in, here are a few general built notes:
All six characters below are human and use the standard array of ability scores.
I have not kept to a set character level, as I thought different family members had powers that suggest different tiers of play.
I've largely based these builds on the events of the TV series, but the books are also an inspiration where not contradictory.
My notes below are not intended to be full build guides, but hopefully offer enough guidance to inspire you.
Right, let's get started. Winter is coming.
The oldest Stark is one of the simplest to build. I would happily hear calls for a Battlemaster instead, but I felt the champion better reflected Robb's heroic status and overall skills.
The noble background is a given, granting Robb the Skilled origin feat and choose Tough as your extra human origin feat (EHOF for short - this comes up a lot). At level 4 pick up Inspiring Leader so you can lead all those men of the north into battle.
When I first dreamt up this build I was looking at the 2014 version of the Zealot who could be resurrected without material components (I didn't see Melisandre’s diamond worth 500gp). With that feature dropped in 2024 I almost made the switch to Paladin, but I think Jon is a little too reckless for that path. He certainly has strong convictions though, making Zealot a good choice.
Give Jon the Soldier background, as he was always destined for a life in service, which grants him the Savage Attacker origin feat and like his brother, choose Tough for his EHOF. At level four collect the Barbarian’s favourite feat, Great Weapon Master, and have fun swinging Longclaw around like a toddler attacking a pinata.
The inspiration for this build is later in the story, when Sansa finally gets her revenge on her enemies and is named the new Queen in the north.
While not a magic user herself, many of the Bard abilities and spells will bring to life Sansa’s ability to outwit her opponents, see through lies and inspire her people. The college of Glamour is not chosen because of Sansa’s appearance, but because the Mantle of Inspiration will allow her to empower her subjects and Beguiling Magic will give her the presence to deal with friend and foe.
The Noble background makes sense again and gives the Skilled origin feat, while you can choose Musician for your EHOF. I would probably re-flavour this as short speeches and inspiring words, but it's not unthinkable that a Lady of Winterfell might have mastered an instrument or two.
Begin Arya’s build as a Warlock, choosing the Pact of the Blade - because Needle is a Hexblade. Its origin may not be mythic, but it is a named weapon of huge importance to Arya’s identity, signifying her connection to home and her family.
After a few levels of dancing lessons with Syrio Forell, Arya will multiclass as a Rogue, learning how to stick them with the pointy end. The 2014 Swashbuckler subclass would be perfect, but until it returns in 2024 (fingers crossed), Arcane Trickster is mechanically the strongest choice, unless you can choose the Unearthed Arcana Scion of of Three. Then return to Warlock to collect the Devil’s Sight and Mask of Many Faces Invocations, which grant the powers gained from the Many Faced God.
Wayfarer seems like a better choice for Arya’s background after spending a childhood on the road, but also offers the Lucky origin feat. Combined with the EHOF of Alert, Arya should always be able to stay ahead of danger.
Honestly, Bran the Broken is the build that I struggled with the most. I would argue that he is the most powerful spellcaster in the world of Game of Thrones, displaying the greatest range and strength of magic, which is why his D&D level is so much higher than his siblings.
To give you some insight into the choice of a Warlock/Druid multiclass I came up with a few key fifth edition abilities based on the powers we see Bran display:
‘Warging’ - Bran is able to experience the world through Summer's eyes for long periods (Find Familiar) and at range (Beast Sense) as well as controlling Summer's actions (Dominate Beast or Dominate Monster). He is also able to control Hodor (Dominate Person).
‘Omniscience’ - Bran is able to perceive events in the present (Scrying) and past (Contact other Plane or Legend Lore).
‘Telepathy’ - Bran is able to communicate though thought (Message cantrip or Telepathic Feat) and read the thoughts of others (Detect Thoughts).
I won’t waste your time with every combination of classes that offer these spells and abilities, but believe me when I say that Pact of the Archfey Warlock will give you almost all of them. I also don't mind casting the Three Eyed Raven as an Archfey.
Choose Pact of the Chain for an enhanced familiar, as well as Voice of the Chain Master, and have it take the form of a three eyed raven, although I would use the Pseudodragon, Imp or Quasit statblock.
Your multiclass dip in Druid will give you the Beast Sense spell along with Summon Beast, which is probably the most effective way to bring Summer into battle, especially if you upcast the spell. I also think you could flavour your wildshape as Warging animals, which could be interesting.
To round out some details the Noble Background makes sense, offering the skilled origin feat and take Lucky as your EHOF, flavouring luck points as visions of the future. You'll be able to take two general feats and Telepathic is a must, while Skill Expert will earn you expertise in History checks as you uncover a few family secrets.
Poor, poor Rickon. If Bran was a headache because I had so many skills to fit in, Rickon gave me so little information it felt more like writing fan fiction.
That said, we know he survived with Osha in the wild for a long time, so it seems reasonable that he might have learned a few skills from her, which leads me to Ranger. We also know that Shaggydog was one of the most long lived dire wolves so Rickon must have had a natural knack for Animal Handling, leading us to the Beastmaster. We also know he couldn't zigzag or dodge, so a Wisdom based build instead of Dexterity seems logical.
Rickon barely spent any time in the castle, so Guide seems like a good background choice, which gives the Magic Initiate Druid origin feat to enhance your spell casting. For your EHOF, pick your favourite as long as it’s not Lucky.
