Building a Champion of Desna?

[Darkmoon250]

Howdy. Was inspired by what I read in Divine Mysteries to try out a Champion in the church of Desna, and I've been trying to think up a build that's both thematic to the faith and effective at doing what Champions are meant to do.

I know I want to go with the cause of grandeur or liberation, and I'd like to make use of that Acrobatics divine skill once I get some butterfly or azata wings, but beyond that, I'm not sure what I want to do. Do I want damage and defenses with Str/heavy armor, or reflexes and mobility with Dex/medium armor? Is Lay on Hands or Shields of the Spirit nicer to have? Are there any core ancestries that have some feats that synergize with the class (besides the universally useful human)?

Thanks a bunch to anyone who replies.

[Sir Belmont the Valiant, II]

Doesn't Desna have the Star Knife as her favored weapon? Try a high dex/throwing build.

Lay on Hands seems more usefull to me, but not everyone will agree.

Note that a Tengu gets limited flight as a 5th level Ancestry feat, and full flight at 9th level.

[Easl]

I tend to think of these things more in thematic terms than mechanical. Lean in to the edicts in your roleplay. Maybe pick up Performance because it's an obvious fit to "express yourself through art and song." She's got a few good domain spells so that might be another way to express your Desna-ness. But in terms of Str/heavy vs. Dex/med, I'd go whichever way you want. A Str/heavy with Agile Feet for that supernatually light dancing step is IMO as thematically valid as a Dex/med who just is nimble via Dex.

[dirkdragonslayer]

Sir Belmont the Valiant, II wrote:

Doesn't Desna have the Star Knife as her favored weapon? Try a high dex/throwing build.

As someone pointed out to me the other day, a champion with dex can wear an armored skirt with Half-Plate to get the full benefits of heavy armor while reducing the strength requirement and speed penalties. So you only need 2 STR to wear it. You are gonna be -3 to your stealth checks due to Noisy, but let's be honest you weren't sneaking anywhere as a strength-based champion either. So probably start in light armor like leather until you can afford half-plate with a skirt. Also start by grabbing a shield and star knife.

Justice Cause is probably the best because you can get Ranged Reprisal to throw your star knife at people who hurt your friends. Getting a ranged attack reaction will help make up for the lower damage of a Star Knife. Get a returning rune when you can.

Shield of the Spirit is tempting, but I like the healing of Lay on Hands. Maybe check with the party healer if they need the extra healing or more defenses.