Many fans of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition are also fans of the popular card game Magic: the Gathering. This is partly due to the nerdy tendencies of both hobbies, but also because Wizards of the Coast have encouraged lots of cross-pollination between their two major properties.

D&D has appeared in Magic: the Gathering sets, while Magic: the Gathering settings like Ravnica, Theros, and Strixhaven have been adapted for the world’s most popular TTRPG.

With how well-liked many Magic: the Gathering‘s characters are, they provide natural inspiration for D&D 5e characters. Although there obviously aren’t one-to-one conversions given the different rules and universes, you can get pretty close.

An obvious disclaimer: Short of the most generous DM in the world, you can’t replicate Planeswalking. Travelling between the planes of existence in D&D 5e requires a high-level spell with expensive components. You can’t do it just by suffering trauma and thinking about it.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of Magic: the Gathering builds for D&D 5e that can replicate things other than Planeswalking well.

Spoiler Warning: This article is going to contain spoilers for the Magic: the Gathering storyline up to March of the Machine: The Aftermath. If that’s your thing, and you’re not caught up, go read that first.

Ajani Goldmane Suits Combat Support Classes Well

Race/Lineage	Leonin
Class	Cleric
Subclass	Peace Domain

Ajani Goldmane is one of Magic: the Gathering‘s more recent prominent Planeswalkers. He joins the Gatewatch team as another White and Green Planeswalker, having already become well-known in settings like Alara and Theros.

Ajani is also one of Magic‘s few non-human protagonists, instead being a Leonin. This leads to an important build point. Leonin exist in D&D 5e, first introduced in Mythic Odysseys of Theros. As a result, they’re the natural choice. Features like Hunter’s Instincts, Daunting Roar, and bolstered movement speed are all invaluable.

Although Ajani is a capable warrior in Magic: the Gathering lore, his magic and mana tend toward support and life-giving first and foremost. Many of his Planeswalker cards focus on healing the player or buffing their creatures.

Consequently, Cleric is the best class for a D&D 5e Ajani Goldmane build. Clerics are capable of handling themselves in a fight, but they also have some of the best support magic in D&D 5e. A Cleric build for Ajani Goldmane can keep allies fighting fit with spells like Bless and Healing Word, all while blasting enemies with their own magic.

The Peace Domain D&D 5e Cleric subclass fits Ajani’s personality and traits best. Its innate buffs (all of which are exceedingly good) are a good match for putting +1/+1 counters on your teammates in combat. Its bonus spells also reflect White and Green mana well.

There is a downside. Peace Domain is one of D&D 5e‘s least martial Cleric Domains. It lacks heavy armor, martial weapons, or Divine Strike.

Players looking to include combat prowess in their Ajani Goldmane D&D 5e build should consider Order Domain Cleric. Although it’s a slightly worse flavour fit, it can wear heavy armor and fight well with Divine Strike. Its Voice of Authority, Embodiment of the Law, and Order’s Wrath all suit a combat-heavy support playstyle well.

Liliana Vess Fits a Classic Archetype Perfectly

Race/Lineage	Variant Human
Class	Wizard
Subclass	School of Necromancy

Liliana Vess, aside from being one of Magic: the Gathering‘s single best characters, has a very archetypal powerset. She’s the classic Black mana necromancer, summoning hordes of zombies and casting magic that interferes with the opponent’s life total and hand.

Interestingly, Wizards of the Coast’s own attempts at statting Liliana for D&D 5e made her a Warlock. This likely reflects her many deals with demons and powerful artifacts like the Chain Veil. This makes sets thematically, but it’s not the best fit for her mechanics.

Obviously, a Liliana Vess D&D 5e build should be a Human. Like most Magic characters, Liliana is at least theoretically human (the immortality and Planeswalking aside). For mechanical efficiency, Variant Human is a solid pick. Good feats include War Caster, Resilient: Constitution, and Shadow-Touched (for both mechanics and flavour).

For class and subclass, there is only one real option for an abilities-accurate Liliana Vess build in D&D 5e. The Wizard’s School of Necromancy subclass is there to summon vast hordes of undead like the one Liliana (and myself) like to bury their opponents in.

The School of Necromancy makes spells like Animate Dead much more effective. A Necromancer Liliana can make more zombies (or skeletons) than other spellcasters, while also making them better in a fight.

As an aside: do be limited when using spells like Animate Dead in D&D 5e. Few other people around the table want to see you move eighteen thousand miniatures on a map. Instead, consider pairing a few zombies and skeletons with more powerful undead like Summon Undead Spirit or high-power targets of Command Undead.

For other spells, Liliana’s abilities in Magic: the Gathering lean more toward single-target debuffs than anything else. However, at least a handful of damage spells are always a good thing to have.

Dack Fayden Has to Wait a Long Time For Payoff

Race/Lineage	Variant Human
Class	Rogue
Subclass	Thief

Dack Fayden is (or was) renowned in Magic: the Gathering as the greatest thief in the multiverse. As a result, it’s not a long walk to find the ideal class and subclass for him.

Obviously, any D&D 5e class can be a criminal, even one with light fingers. However, Dack Fayden suits a Thief Rogue better than anything else due to its high-level abilities matching his own skills perfectly.

A D&D 5e Dack Fayden build from Magic: the Gathering urgently wants to be a Variant Human. This is because the Magic Initiate feat is all but essential from the off. By taking Magic Initiate: Bard, a player can get Identify to learn about their stolen artifacts, cantrips like Mage Hand and message to help with crime, and a spellcasting ability. More on that later.

D&D 5e‘s Thief Rogue subclass unsurprisingly lends itself to thievery. Alongside their class abilities, players should support themselves with high Charisma and Expertise in social skills. Dack Fayden is a charmer far more than he is a cutpurse, preferring to get close to his targets with a wink before stealing their belongings.

The main draw for a D&D 5e Dack Fayden build is the Use Magic Device feature that Thief Rogues get at 13th level. This lets the character attune to and use any magic item in the game, ignoring things like race, class, or feature prerequisites.

This isn’t just a fantastic ability in its own right. It also echoes Dack’s ability to gain magic from items he steals. Your D&D 5e Dack Fayden build will still need to use the item, but it’s pretty damn close.

This also pays off Magic Initiate and high Charisma. Use Magic Device lets a D&D 5e Thief Rogue wield things like spell scrolls and Wizard-exclusive staves. However, they need to have a spellcasting ability modifier to get the best use out of them. Without Magic Initiate, a D&D 5e Dack Fayden build needs a level in Bard or similar.

Elspeth Tirel Has Returned Fitting a New Mould

Race	Aasimar
Class	Paladin
Subclass	Oath of the Ancients

Elspeth Tirel is one of Magic: the Gathering‘s iconic White mana Planeswalkers and the multiverse’s favourite chew-toy. Her storyline in the game has been defined by failure and loss time and time again until the most recent plot twists.

Before Phyrexia: All Wil Be One and March of the Machine, Elspeth is a relatively straightforward human knight archetype in Magic: the Gathering. However, her near-death to the Sylex and subsequent return have changed her significantly.

You can’t play as an Archangel in Dungeons & Dragons. As a result, a D&D 5e Elspeth Tirel build has to settle for Aaismar. Nonetheless, this fits her divine heritage, White mana magic, and general combat excellence.

In particular, either the Protector Aasimar from Volo’s Guide to Monsters or the Radiant Soul Celestial Revelation from the Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse version suit her best.

As a side note: backgrounds aren’t too important for these D&D 5e Magic: the Gathering builds. Nonetheless, Elspeth is a dead ringer for Haunted One, due to the universe’s dunking on her starting from a young age.

An Elspeth Tirel build in D&D 5e wouldn’t fit without the Paladin class. Elspeth is the single most Paladin-themed character in Magic: the Gathering, even moreso than figures like Gideon Jura.

For subclasses, Oath of the Ancients probably works best after March of the Machine. She is dedicated to protecting the multiverse from existential threats like the Phyrexians, much like an Oath of the Ancients’ goal of protecting the light. Furthermore, features like the Aura of Warding suit the protective nature of many of her cards.

Oath of Devotion can also work well for an Elspeth D&D 5e build, particularly given her history as a knight of Bant and a champion of Heliod.

Jace Beleren Straddles Two Different Magic Schools

Race	Variant Human
Class	Wizard
Subclass	School of Enchantment

Jace Beleren is the closest thing Magic: the Gathering has had to a single protagonist for a long time, not least due to being a founding Gatewatch member. This is despite him being ethically dubious, slightly creepy, and a bit of a jerk.

Fortunately, his ethically dubious and creepy methods are widely available in a D&D 5e build for Magic: the Gathering.

Like many Magic: the Gathering Planeswalkers, Jace suits D&D 5e‘s Variant Human above all else. Good feats for him include War Caster, Resilient: Constitution, and even Keen Mind.

Jace’s magic covers two main schools according to D&D 5e‘s magic system: Enchantment and Illusion. Everything he does messes with people’s minds, often taking the form of them seeing things that aren’t there.

As much as Jace uses illusions in Magic: the Gathering, however, he is the infamous Mind Sculptor first and foremost. The School of Enchantment is far and away the best Wizard subclass for a Jace Beleren build in D&D 5e.

Features like Hypnotic Gaze and Enchantment Savant map very closely to abilities Jace has demonstrated in the Magic: the Gathering storyline. This extends to higher-level abilities, with Split Enchantment and Alter Memories fitting his highest-power exploits.

When it comes to spells, however, players should lean into the School of Illusion. Jace does use illusions frequently in Magic. As a result, do consider spells like Minor Illusion, Silent Image, Major Image, Hallucinatory Terrain, and far more.

For other spells, Jace can take many of the more sinister Enchantment spells like Charm Person, Tasha’s Mind Whip, and Modify Memory. You can’t have too many qualms about the sovereignty of people’s thoughts if you want to build Jace Beleren in D&D 5e.

Do still take some combat spells, however. Even better if they fit the vibe. Mind Sliver is a top-tier cantrip, both in general and for a Jace build.

These have been five characters from Magic: the Gathering that players can build in D&D 5e if they feel like doing Wizards of the Coast’s advertising work for them. But do check out ‘Five Pitfalls of Recreating Your Favourite Characters in D&D 5e‘ and try and take inspiration from them, rather than outright copying.

If you’re a D&D 5e DM also hoping to mine inspiration from other properties, then ‘Five Things D&D 5e DMs Can Learn From Baldur’s Gate 3‘ has you covered.

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