(Artwork by Jessica âOwleyCatâ Oyhenart and Victor â3rdColossusâ Maury. Made for Riot Games.)
You know I find it funny that I havenât made a build for Kayle yet, given that I made Morgana awhile ago sort of as a spur of the moment thing. Despite the fact that I main support I really donât play Morgana (canât hit skill shots omegalul), but meanwhile I really like Kayle. She was one of the first champions I played along with Sona since I was told she was very similar to Terrorblade who was one of my favorite carries in DOTA 2. I dropped her for a bit after her rework but I picked her up again and sheâs still super fun! I mean, shame sheâs kinda trash in the meta.
Anyways itâs about time I make a build for her since Morgana was alone for so long, especially since sheâs coming back along with Pentakill! Kayleâs probably the perfect character to play if you want to go Lawful Stupid, but out of respect for everyone else please donât play her Lawful Stupid.
GOALS
On wings of fire, hope ascends - Itâs the quest of all champions to eventually transcend mortals. Hopefully weâll at least be able to fly after this.
Fire reveals truth - Kayle is also well-known for her Zealous attack speed, so weâll need to be able to get out as much DPS as possible.
The worthy survive! - A little bit of Divine Judgement goes a long way. An explosion of flaming swords helps too.
RACE
This may come as a surprise to you but Kayle is an Aasimar. More specifically a Protector Aasimar, which is rather fitting seeing as sheâs seen as The Protector in Demacia. As an Aasimar your Charisma increases by 2, but Iâm going to increase your Constitution instead of the typical Wisdom increase from Protector Aasimar, for a bit more lane sustain.
You have Celestial Resistance to both your own Radiant damage and your sisterâs Necrotic damage, have the Light Bearer feature for the Light cantrip, and can give yourself or an ally a Celestial Blessing thanks to Healing Hands. It only heals up to your level but it certainly helps!
You also get Darkvision and the Celestial language, and Radiant Soul at level 3 thanks to your Protector subrace, Weâll discuss that when we get to level 3.
ABILITY SCORES
15; CHARISMA - League of Legends body types, am I right? Sure you have a bit of an âevil must be purgedâ personality, but D&D Paladins like that a lot.
14; DEXTERITY - Something something medium armor. I would call what you wear Half Plate, which means that for once the choice of Medium Armor is accurate!
13; STRENGTH - This feels strangely familiar...
12; CONSTITUTION - Kayle is very squishy in League but I like not dying so...
10; INTELLIGENCE - You may have lived through history but most of that time was spent up in the stars. Basically we need everything else more.
8; WISDOM - Yeah I didnât increase Wisdom with your racial increase because I was planning to dump it. Kayleâs fatal flaw is that sheâs blinded by her sense of justice, which is a sign of poor Wisdom and critical decision making.
BACKGROUND
There isnât a great background for âHalf of the Aspect of Justiceâ but Celebrity Adventurerâs Scion works fairly well. You get proficiency with Perception as well as Performance (you were in Pentakill, after all!), a Disguise Kit (but Iâd maybe replace that with something else or ditch it entirely), and two languages of your choice. (Pick your poison.)
Your background feature Name Dropping lets you tell people that your mom was actually a god. You might be able to find people who knew your mom (or more realistically worshiped her before... you know... you became half of her?) and folk might recognize that youâre... half a god, and give you free stuff.
(Artwork by Alvin Lee and Kan Liu. Made for Riot Games.)
THE BUILD
LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1
Starting off as a Sorcerer because Kayle is about as useless as a level 1 Sorcerer at level 1. (Also because CON saves are nice.) But you can also grab proficiency with Religion (you are a god, after all) and Intimidation. (Because you arenât exactly nice.)
Sorcerers get to choose their Sorcerous Origin at level 1 and Divine Soul is like being a Cleric but you get to dump your Wisdom because youâre blind to morality. You get one free spell from your Divine Magic and I guess Bless makes sense since its attached to Law? Honestly there are other spells Iâd recommend (Protection from Evil and Good would be helpful, and you canât go wrong with either Healing Word or Guiding Bolt) but itâs honestly easier to just take Bless and call it there.
But of course since you get Divine Magic that means you get Spellcasting! You learn 4 cantrips from the Sorcerer list at level 1 such as Firebolt to smite the wicked, Sacred Flame for enemies with a lot of armor (but hopefully bad Dexterity), Thaumaturgy to make sure your words are heard, and Guidance because itâs good to provide aid to those who need it.
You also learn two spells from the Sorcerer list: weâll be taking Mage Armor for the same reason you buy Doranâs Shield as a top laner (because laning phase sucks and youâre weak as hell at level 1), and weâll also grab Healing Word for your Celestial Blessing. As a treat.
You are also Favored by the Gods, so if you miss an attack roll or fail a saving throw you can add 2d4 to the roll to potentially turn it into a success. Given that youâll likely be making a lot of attack rolls later in this build itâs very useful to be able to give yourself some insurance.
LEVEL 2 - SORCERER 2
Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points equal to your Sorcerer level. For now all you can really do with them is get one of your spell slots back, but theyâll be more useful later on.
For something thatâs useful right now take Ice Knife for the AoE burst of your Starfire Spellblade. Yes it does Cold damage, but you also shouldnât have an AoE E by level 2. Hell you technically shouldnât even be a ranged champion yet. We have to make compromises here.
If you want a single target Starfire Spellblade Guiding Bolt is a decent choice I suppose.
LEVEL 3 - SORCERER 3
Third level Sorcerers gain the power of the Aspects thanks to Metamagic. You learn two Metamagic options to change your spells in various ways: Quickened Spell will let you increase your attack speed to slay the unjust with Zealous fervor, and while itâs perhaps not the most practical choice Transmuted Spell will let you wield holy fire, instead of holy ice or whatever other damage type you pick up.
If you donât care about doing specifically fire damage than Empowered Spell is a good choice to more effectively maximize damage.
As a Protector Aasimar your Radiant Soul lets you sprout wings as an action. For 1 minute you have a 30 foot flying speed and can add your Charisma modifier as Radiant damage to one target whenever you deal damage. It might not be much at level 3 but the extra damage from Starfire Spellblade adds up when you get more AP! Oh and to top it off you can also learn another spell like Misty Step, for Flash.
LEVEL 4 - SORCERER 4
4th level Sorcerers get the first of many Ability Score Improvements. Increase your uneven Charisma score as well as your Constitution score for nice, even, Lawful stats.
You can also learn another cantrip like Message to keep in team chat, as well as a leveled spell like Spiritual Weapon. Kayle summons hundreds of swords for her ultimate so I think itâs fine if you summon one sword for some more DPS.
LEVEL 5 - SORCERER 5
Normally I wouldnât go out of my way to get 5th level spells but we kinda need Fly more than once per Long Rest. Sprout those wings or grant the gift of angelic ascension to an ally!
The bad witch Tasha also gave Sorcerers Magical Guidance, letting you spend a Sorcerery Point to reroll a failed ability check.
(Artwork by Zeen Chin. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 6 - PALADIN 1
I swear it wasnât my intention to make two casters with Paladin levels one after another, but weâre doing it anyways because itâs not like Kayle wouldnât be a Paladin. First level Paladins get Divine Sense to know of any villains who need justice, and Lay on Hands to save the righteous.
LEVEL 7 - PALADIN 2
Second level Paladins get to choose their Fighting Style. Normally Iâd take Blessed Warrior for a character whoâs more-or-less a pure caster but you kinda get too many Cleric cantrips as is, so weâll settle for good olâ Defense because you canât go wrong with +1 AC.
Protection and Interception are also fine to help your friends if youâre willing to hold onto a shield (no reason not to), and if you want to do a funny joke you can take Blind Fighting because Justice is Blind.
But of course what weâre mostly here for is Spellcasting: sure you got the entire Cleric list at your disposal but Sorcerer spells known is very limited, so take the following from the Paladin list:
Command to force evildoers to grovel at your feet.
Detect Evil and Good to... detect evil and good.
Protection from Evil and Good to... yeah this is fairly obvious too.
Heroism to empower heroes.
Shield of Faith to protect the righteous.
You also get Divine Smite, which sure would be nice if you used your sword as a melee weapon. I mean if you want to hit someone in melee you can turn a spell slot into damage but I kinda have to wonder why would you.
LEVEL 8 - PALADIN 3
Third level Paladins get to choose their Sacred Oath. Honestly just about any Paladin Oath would work for Kayle, but an Oath of Redemption would probably be best after you failed to upkeep justice the first time. Along with adding Sanctuary and Sleep to your spell list you also get two Channel Divinity options: if you go for Emissary of Peace you can add a flat +5 to all your Persuasion checks for 10 minutes. But Rebuke the Violent works great as a recreation of Divine Judgmentâs damaging effect! When a creature within 30 feet of you damages someone other than you they must make a Wisdom saving throw after you use this reaction. If they fail they will take the same amount of damage they dealt as Radiant damage, and if they succeed they will take half. This has no maximum limit so you can use it when an enemy nukes your allies to have them experience retribution! "Drown in holy fire!"
The vial witch Tasha also lets you Harness Divine Power with your Channel Divinity to regain a spell slot equal to half your proficiency bonus once per Long Rest. And finally you get Divine Health, because justice doesnât take sick days.
(Artwork by John Yucedag. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 9 - PALADIN 4
4th level Paladins get another Ability Score Improvement so cap off that Charisma modifier, because weâre building AP in this build. Maxed out Charisma also means more prepared spells, but weâre going to wait for...
LEVEL 10 - PALADIN 5
5th level Paladins get an Extra Attack which sure would matter if you were actually swinging that sword instead of shooting Fire Bolts and Sacred Flames.
But what does matter is that you get second level Paladin spells! Along with Hold Person and Calm Emotions from the Redemption spell list (you should perhaps cast Calm Emotions on yourself at some point?) you can prepare spells like Aid to boost yourself and your allies, and Warding Bond (Tashaâs work once again) to take some damage for an ally. (Which is almost like making them immune to damage?)
LEVEL 11 - PALADIN 6
The only reason to multiclass into Paladin as a caster would be for Aura of Protection. Seeing as your Charisma modifier is maxed out already that means that you (and your allies within 10 feet) can add +5 to all their saving throws! I really donât think I need to explain why thatâs useful: your Constitution saves are now a +11 (meaning that if you take 22 damage or less you automatically succeed the Concentration check) and even your lowest save is still a +4!
You can also prepare one last spell but Iâm actually going to take this time to remind you that Paladins are prepared spellcasters. Even though you have a relatively limited amount of Paladin spells be sure to swap them around to whateverâs the most useful for your task at hand. But if you must pick up a spell Detect Magic is never bad to have?
(Artwork by Alex âalexplankâ Flores. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 12 - SORCERER 6
Now that the obligatory Paladin levels are done itâs time to go back to Sorcerer. Hope your party didnât expect you to be the support because youâre only now getting Empowered Healing to spend a Sorcery point and reroll any healing that you or an ally within 5 feet performs. I mean by total level 12 healing numbers will actually get pretty big, so this becomes a lot more useful!
But speaking of healing weâll be getting not that but Haste instead. While you canât use it too well (can only use it to make a weapon Attack, Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object) you can turn your allies into an avenging angel! As long as you can keep your Concentration which I mean... you have a +11 to your CON save.
LEVEL 13 - SORCERER 7
Unfortunately thereâs no spell to make someone completely immune to damage for one round (while also still letting them move as normal except the 9th level spell Invulnerability that you can only cast on yourself) so weâll just have to settle for Death Ward keeping the target you cast this on alive after reaching 0 HP. No rain of holy swords either unfortunately.
LEVEL 14 - SORCERER 8
8th level Sorcerers get an Ability Score Improvement and I think itâs about time for us to grab Metamagic Adept for 2 more Sorcery points to use on your Metamagic options like Twinned Spell to spread your wrath amongst all, and Careful Spell to avoid hurting those allied to your cause.
Speaking of AoE damage Vitriolic Sphere may do Acid damage but itâs a great recreation of the AoE damage of a high level Starfire Spellblade.
LEVEL 15 - SORCERER 9
Behold the might of 5th level spells! Remember how I was a little disappointed that you didnât have the ability to make flaming swords rain down from the sky? Here you go:Â Flame Strike! Sure it basically does the damage of Fireball (and hey feel free to grab Fireball if youâre so inclined) but it has the holy flair thatâs to be expected of Kayle.
If you want something more interesting than âRadiant damage Fireballâ Dawn is also a good spell choice.
LEVEL 16 - SORCERER 10
10th level Sorcerers get another Metamagic option! Seeing as weve already got plenty thanks to Metamagic Adept one of the few options left is Heightened Spell to make sure your foes tremble beneath your might! You can also grab another cantrip like Prestidigitation for more generalized divine power.
And finally thereâs also plenty of great spells you can take but Dispel Evil and Good probably fits Kayle the best. Now is a great time to remind everyone that youâre more than welcome to make your own Kayle, and while what I take may be âaccurateâ itâs not even necessarily what Iâd build if I was making the character.
(Artwork by West Studio. Made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 11
11th level Sorcerers can finally ascend! I hope you kept your Paladin weapons because itâs time for Tashaâs Otherworldly Guise! Calling upon the power of the Upper Planes (or lower planes too I guess if youâre awful) you get:
Resistance to Radiant and Necrotic damage (which you already have. Oops.) (I mean Lower Planes would make you immune to Fire and Poison damage...)
Immunity to the Charmed condition.
A 40 foot flying speed.
+2 AC
The ability to use your Charisma to attack, meaning that you can finally swing a sword well!
And the ability to attack twice, which you already have.
And the cool part is that unlike Tenserâs Transformation you can cast spells and donât Exhaust yourself after using this spell! If you want to finally use your Paladin levels to bright the fight to your opponents you finally have the power to do so!
LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 12
12th level Sorcerers get another Ability Score or Feat and Iâm simply going to suggest the Tough feat. Even if Kayle doesnât usually build health in League you can, and d6 hit die suck when it comes to actually surviving.
What? Did you expect another spell known? Nah fuck you lmao WoTC says no to Sorcerers having spells.
LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 13
13th level Sorcerers can learn 7th level spells and while this may seem like a copout I have none that I really want for Kayle. Pick whatever you think would be the coolest since you can make your own choices by level 19. (My personal vote for Kayle would be Fire Storm but you are kinda loading up on AoE spells.)
LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 14
Our final level is the 14th level of Divine Soul Sorcerer to finally ascend. You have Otherworldly Wings for a permanent 30 foot flying speed! You did it! You reached max level as Kayle! Youâre now unstoppable!
FINAL BUILD
PROS
Kneel before the light! - Your spells known go up to 7th level, and your spell slots go up to 9th. I really donât think I have to explain that a full leveled caster is extremely powerful.
What is dark in me, I will illuminate - Even your non-spellcasting has great utility. Both your Channel Divinity options are extremely useful, and a little bit of Lay on Hands healing never hurt anyone. Not to mention your Aasimar transformation providing a flat +20 to damage every turn while itâs active!
I am your salvation! - Even if you arenât running up in melee range Paladin levels do help a ton for staying alive. +5 to all saves is no joke, especially when it means that your Concentration save sits at a whopping +13! (You have to take more than 26 damage to even have a chance at failing your Concentration check!)
CONS
Why have we wings, sister, if not to fly? - Youâd think a high Charisma would at least make you good at socializing but... no youâre not even that. Proficiency in the âmeanâ Charisma skills and mediocre ability scores in everything other than Charisma means youâll contribute very little other than divine wrath.
Wings of Immortal Flame, lift me from mortal temptation! - How much flight is too much flight? Between your Radiant Soul, Tashaâs Otherworldly Guise, and you know... the Fly spell you have quite a lot of ways to take to the skies which all become near-completely redundant by level 20.
Celestial justice, guide my blade - Ironically enough one of the biggest issues with this build is how long it takes to get online. The Paladin dip may keep you safe but itâs not making you stronger, and I doubt youâll be sitting beside your friends like a support. If you donât mind praying to darker powers Genie Warlock is actually a great choice to get considerably more damage (and âattack speed!â) with Eldritch Blast and easily accessible flight by level 6 in Warlock. (Celestial Warlock also exists if you want more healing utility and want to stay in flavor.)
Of course weakness is something to shed as you come closer to divinity, but remember that even if mortality makes you weak mortals are not. Your allies will fight by your side and its your duty to protect them, as they shall no doubt protect you. Treat them with respect and vanquish evil together! Because no one likes a lawful stupid top laner.
If youâre looking to appease or avenge a family member, try some of these steps:
1. Figure out who the spirit is
Do they bear similar clothing to the person in life? Maybe ask them a few identifying questions such as fatherly advice or favorite battles theyâve won. (NOTE: make sure the spirit is not the devil to assume a pleasing shape, as he is most potent in grieving spirits)
2. Find out what the spirit wants
Obviously they need you to do something if they are still hanging around this dump of a life. Also - make sure the task is easy and not a real hassle. Negotiate down if you have to: perchance you could just kill your uncleâs social life, instead? (NOTE: this tip has been unsuccessful for me)
