So you want to play Mario in Dungeons & Dragons? Well, that’s weird, but here’s how you could do it.
Combining Mario and Dungeons & Dragons seems like a bizarre intersection of two gamer cultures, but both Mario and D&D are so huge now that there’s basically no way to avoid these two groups from becoming one. Frankly, we’re surprised that Nintendo and Hasbro haven’t already gotten together to make their own Mario-themed D&D sourcebook.
However, until that sourcebook arrives, we’ll have to homebrew our own versions of Mario using the D&D rules. Luckily, those rules are robust enough that it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out how to make Mario the fantasy adventurer that he always deserved to be.
Let’s get to it. We’re going to create Mario as a D&D adventurer.
Picking Mario’s Race
This part should be easy. Mario is an Italian plumber from New York, he’s got two arms, two legs, ten toes and ten fingers, so he’s a human. This will make creating D&D Mario much easier if we use the Variant Human rules that provide a starting feat.
Picking Mario’s Class
Here’s where we’re going to run into some problems. Mario has such a diverse arsenal of powers that it can be really hard to nail Mario down into a distinct D&D class.
I think we can all agree that Mario’s primary ability is his jumping. He jumps, and things die. Mario has also shown some proficiency in the martial arts, with kicking, punching, and throwing being a staple of both Mario 64 and his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. With that as a starting point, you’d clearly label Mario as a monk.
But not so fast! Mario is more than just a martial artist. He also has magical powers. Various objects allow Mario to turn into alternate versions of himself, such as a Bee Mushroom allowing him to turn into Bee Mario, or a metal hat allowing Mario to become Metal Mario making him virtually impervious to damage.
Games like Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG also showcase Mario’s magical prowess, usually in the form of conjuring fireballs. That can be explained either through wizardry, sorcery, or Druidry.
And we’re still not done! Mario is also a celebrated athlete in games like Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Super Sluggers, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He’s also an accomplished driver in the Mario Kart series, and a game show contestant in Mario Party. I’m not sure just what D&D class best translates into being a game show contestant, but fighters are best known for their athletic prowess.
Plus, Mario has been known to wield hammers and other weapons that aren’t very arcane or monk-like, so fighter is a class option that simply cannot be ignored.
Unless you’re a fan of multi-classing, there’s really three different directions you can take Mario.
Mario The Monk
This is definitely not my work, but it’s basically got everything you’d want in a monk Mario. Way of the Four Elements subclass means that Mario has some innate magical ability to control the elements, in this case, the element of fire. This explains Mario’s ability to huck fireballs and strike with flaming fists. Additionally, the Magic Initiate Feat provides Mario with two druid cantrips, in this case Produce Flame and Gust, both of which are very on-brand.
Personally, I’d have put more into Wisdom and Dexterity during character creation, but that’s the min-maxer in me talking.
Mario The Druid
Druid Mario is obviously all about those transformations, hence Circle of the Moon. With enhanced abilities to turn into inexplicably mustachioed animal versions of himself, we can focus on Mario’s skills. The Athletics feat provides Mario with his trademark mobility, but surprisingly does not actually give him the Athletics skill, which we’ll need to take as one of our human skills. Proficiency with potter’s tools is about as close to being a plumber as one can get in a fantasy setting, and proficiency with land vehicles means he can drive a car if one were to become available.
As for spells, Produce Flame and Flaming Sphere seem like good substitutes for Mario’s fireball abilities, while Erupting Earth is a druid’s best non-concentration damage-dealing spell. You can explain it away as just Mario jumping into the ground really hard.
Mario The Fighter
If you think Mario is a fighter and not a lover, then this is probably the direction you’d want to take your D&D Mario. He’s got the same Mage Initiate feat as monk Mario, but now he has Jump to make up for the lack of movement that comes with being a Fighter.
Mario is a Champion subclass since he’s obviously the champion of the entire Mushroom Kingdom. Mason’s tools are another good way to show Mario’s plumber heritage, although I’m frankly not too clear on what masonry actually entails.
And finally, you might be wondering about Mario’s choice in weaponry. The warhammer is pretty self-explanatory as Mario is commonly featured wielding a hammer in Mario Maker, but the greataxe is a bit of a deep cut. Technically, Mario sends Bowser into the lava of his castle using a big ax to cut the bridge on which he’s standing. Hence, greataxe.
Other Options
If you really want to go all-in on mage Mario, Wizard or Sorcerer are perfectly fine. Just remember to take a bunch of fire spells, the Jump spell, and pick athletics as a skill. Folk Hero background provides you with Land Vehicle proficiency as well as proficiency with a toolset that can represent Mario’s vocation as a plumber.
Want a more support-style Mario? Dr. Mario is basically a cleric. Super Mario Sunshine’s bizarre watering apparatus is basically like being an alchemist, and you can make the argument that Mario has a celestial patron in Super Mario Galaxy if you’d prefer going warlock.
