How to Build Isabela from Dragon Age 2 in DnD
Isabela was a fan favorite in Dragon Age 2, and for good reason: she was probably the funniest companion character in the game, and she was an absolute badass in battle. She couldn’t take the hits like Aveline or a warrior Hawke, but against a single opponent or a small group, she would annihilate them. If you want to build a character like this pirate queen, there’s a great class and subclass for that. Read on!
Picking a Class and Subclass
If you’re familiar with DnD classes, you know where I’m going with this. Swashbuckler. Isabela would totally be a Rogue Swashbuckler. Not only thematically but mechanically as well, this is a great match.
Rogues take advantage of every distraction or drop in guard for an opponent. They get most of their damage from their sneak attacks, which they get if they have advantage on an attack or if an ally is standing right next to the opponent. Usually, this means hiding and striking from the shadows or attacking an opponent that an ally is already engaging, but the Swashbuckler adds a new way of getting your sneak attack.
When you pick the Swashbuckler subclass at level 3, you get a few useful features. Fancy Footwork lets you slip away from an opponent without them taking a swing at you, useful for hit and run tactics. You get a bonus to your initiative based on your Charisma score, making it more likely that you’ll act before an opponent. Third and most important, if you’re engaging an opponent one-on-one (no ally or opponent is standing next to them), you get your sneak attack.
The optimal weapon for a Swashbuckler is a rapier, but there’s only a negligible difference between that and a more classic pirate weapon—a scimitar—since Rogues get most of their damage from sneak attack. (Seriously, the difference between the average damage of both is 1 per turn.) There’s nothing stopping you from wielding two scimitars, which gives you another chance to get your sneak attack if you miss with your first attack.
These features make Swashbucklers exceptional duelists, able to rush in, get a devastating attack, and slip away without getting hit. It also encourages a high Charisma score—something Isabela would definitely have.
Picking a Race
Race is honestly pretty flexible for this character, but there are a few standouts.
A Lightfoot Halfling would work really well here. Getting to reroll 1s is a huge benefit, especially in a class where all of your damage comes from one attack. Being able to hide behind your teammates can help if you’re trying to avoid ranged attacks. Having advantage on saving throws against fear attacks plays into the bold pirate theme as well. One downside would be the slower movement speed, which is a detriment on a class that uses mobility, but the benefits outweigh the downsides.
A Half-Elf would be a great Swashbuckler as well. Extra skill proficiencies are always welcome, which gives more options when the Rogue gets expertise in some of their skills. Getting +1 in an additional stat is really useful in a class that benefits from three (Dexterity, Charisma, and Constitution).
Picking a Variant Human as your race would allow you to start with the Mobile feat, giving you some extra movement each turn—very useful for a Swashbuckler. You do get fewer ability score bonuses to start with, so weigh that option carefully.
Thematically, any of these three races would work well as a daring pirate duelist like Isabela, so these are great roleplaying options too.
Background, Alignment, and Personality
There are official backgrounds for Pirate and Sailor, so those are easy picks for this character.
For alignment, Isabela is a hard Chaotic alignment. She feels trapped when her freedom is threatened, as is evidenced with her reluctance to commit to a relationship with Hawke and her tendency to save herself even when her friends have to pay the consequences. This leads to some amazing character moments where she goes against her alignment when she finds a good enough reason—the party ultimately leads her to be more of a team player as she grows to care for them more. On the morality scale, Isabela starts as Neutral, but slowly moves up to Good as the story progresses. Either would be a good fit, with Neutral being a better fit for self-preservation and Good being a better fit for looking out for the little guy.
Isabela is a character who values her freedom, but as she grows to be more selfless, she seeks to give that freedom to others as well. I could see this character being mad at a local lord for oppressing his citizens, but whether she would step in to help or not would be a hard thing for her to choose. Isabela is quick to accept the faults with her way of thinking, and even grows to love the rivalry between her and some of the other companions. Her chaotic bent often puts her at odds with guard captain Aveline, though, and there are some pretty tense moments between them. Make sure to work with your party and DM to see how much dissent they want in their game—you don’t want to derail things for your group unless they’re all on board with it.
About the Author
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a web developer and writer in the Kansas City area. He's been playing TTRPGs since 2020 and is involved in the disability-related TTRPG podcast Tales from the Crips. He's into classic movies, mental health, and, of course, DnD. Also, he's in a band. One time, they rocked so hard it killed a man.