Because aren’t you just dying to know how your taste in Taylor Swift songs could be reflected in your next PC? Well, my friend, I’ll tell you. After undertaking a rigorous investigation into the sound, aesthetic, and overall aura of each of T. Swift’s albums, I have created a line up of PCs that I believe reflect the best and most memorable qualities of their respective records. While I occasionally reference the numbers of these builds, let it be known that I was willing to sacrifice stats-related advantages for the Vibe.
- Taylor Swift/Debut–Human Barbarian (Path of the Berserker)
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Humans are an approachable, easy to understand race in 5e, and they make a great foundation for all sorts of different classes. To the new player, a Human Barbarian lets you really get into all of the fun of combat without having to worry about the complications of the spell system. This is a strong and powerful combination, and the Path of the Berserker will give you a healthy and effective outlet for all of your frustrations. Your ex-boyfriend never let you drive his stupid old pickup truck? Did he say yes when he should have said no? No problem–just grab your battle ax and rage.
- Fearless (Taylor’s Version)–HalfLing Cleric (Knowledge Domain)
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Halflings have an energy that perfectly embodies the country vibes on this album. Fearless is all about learning about the world and relationships, and the Knowledge domain reflects this in its emphasis on the role-play aspect of Dnd and its buff to intelligence checks. This subclass is defined by curiosity and a deep love of discovery, and in the right hands could be a fantastic build in a roleplay-heavy campaign with lots of social interaction. Also, this isn’t going to change anything on the character sheet, but this PC 100% wears cowgirl boots.
- Speak Now–Half-Elf Artificer (Alchemist)
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Half Elves are like humans, but more chaotic and charismatic. Speak Now is absolutely a chaotic album, spanning whatever range of human emotion lies in the cavern between “Better than Revenge” and “Never Grow Up.” It is also an album defined by its creativity, as the entire record was self-written by Taylor Swift when she was twenty-one years old. The Artificer is a creative class, which makes it a perfect fit for this build, along with the Alchemist subclass. With some creativity and a little bit of magic, this PC is ready to breathe life and energy into the world around them through their inventions.
- Red–Changeling Wizard (School of Abjuration)
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This build took me the longest. I could not decide for the life of me what combination of race and class would be able to represent this whiplash inducing album. I mean, the transition from “All Too Well” to “22” to “I Almost Do?” Jarring. After some serious googling and consulting of the sacred texts (the PHB, mostly) I finally landed on the Changeling, which is capable of morphing its appearance and mannerisms based on its circumstances and needs. The School of Abjuration is a defensive class, which I think vibes well with the carefully guarded energy of this album. But don’t let its protective nature fool you–this PC, like Red, is more powerful than you think.
- 1989–Elf Bard (College of Glamour)
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Elves are beautiful, powerful, and timeless, just Like this album. The College of Glamour is all about captivating performance and stage presence, production and presentation. The heart-stopping charisma and otherworldly aura of this class lends itself nicely to the Pop Goddess vibes of 1989. This PC has a glass of white wine in one hand and a sword in the other. This PC is an artist, darling, and they want everyone else to know it. It is this PC’s world, and we are all. Just. Living. In it.
- Reputation–Tiefling Warlock (Archfey Patron)
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Tieflings are objectively the coolest race and that’s why I picked it for this album. I’ll be taking no questions and I’ll hear no criticism. Having the Archfey as a patron means you’ll be tapping into ancient power and settling debts. You can strike fear and awe into the hearts of mortals. You can become immune to the charismatic charm of others. Needless to say, this PC is insanely powerful. How they wield that power is up to the player.
- Lover–Aasimar Cleric (Life Domain)
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Aasimar have a keen sense of fairness, but retain a human sense of free will. Their celestial power is a means to spreading goodness throughout the realm. This album is about healing and reinvention on one’s own terms and the Life Cleric Domain pushes these themes even further with its renewing powers and illuminating abilities. There is a lot of role playing flavor available in a build like this, maybe they are working towards a bright future or learning to have hope in the face of a tumultuous past. Regardless of the angle you decide to take, this PC can bring a healing presence to any table.
- folklore–Firbolg Druid (Circle of the Land: Forest)
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We’re going full granola for this build in order to fully encapsulate the vibes of this album. Firbolgs are mysterious and secretive guardians of the forest, and have a natural inclination to magic related to the forest. This means they make good druids and protectors of nature, and the Circle of the Land means that this PC will get their power directly from the woods. They are mindful of their pasts and have strong values related to community and peaceful living. The somber mood of folklore is perfectly suited to the dedication of the Firbolg Druid to their loved ones and their homes. They’re also eight feet tall, which is awesome. Side note: People should play Firbolgs more often.
- Evermore–Gnome Wizard (School of Divination)
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Creative, check. Magical, check. Thematically cohesive, check. The gnome wizard is a solid build with lots of room for narrative roleplay. Gnomes are also associated with the forest, and they are known for their inventive nature and varied skill sets. The Wizard’s School of Divination is about looking to the future and uncovering the past to form a greater understanding of one’s path, which makes it a good fit for evermore’s themes of reflection. On a metagame level, this player is totally the one who gives the DM twelve pages of detailed backstory for a level one PC two weeks before the game is even supposed to start.