Ra
Obviously, when the concept of Smite was first designed, Ra was a central figure. He was one of the first 17 gods, released alongside heavy hitters like Zeus and Odin. Since then, he's remained relevant in the history of the game – he's a free character for every account, and received the first rework.
As the father of the Egyptian gods, he definitely deserves this reverence among the big boys. He's like a Zeus or Odin in many ways – the central figure, the mascot, the daddy of the canon. Just sub in a nourishing and vengeful sun for lightning bolts.
Egyptology and the Egyptian canon of gods is an addictive realm. I swear it's like dinosaurs for kids – one glimpse of pyramids, sphinxes, mummies and glyphs and they are hooked. I was this way, for sure. I liked Greek Mythology too, and later Norse Mythology. But the Egyptian canon has something special, a sense of treasure-hunting and daring that is so central to the study.
The symbology surrounding Ra, found in those amazing glyphs that adorn artifacts and pyramids, is as endearing as the myths themselves. The Eye of Ra is one of the most repeated and recognizable symbols in myth, alongside Thor's hammer.
In my opinion, Smite's central idea of pitting these gods against each other took off because of the rich history and cultural relevance of these characters. It's why I loved Heroes of the Storm so much. Ra is right there in that conversation, searing foes and healing allies.
So how do we build him in Pathfinder?
Keys to the Character
Here Comes the Sun God
Of all the things to be a god of, the sun is easily top 3. It's why Ra is such a memorably and revered figure in the Egyptian canon.
Blessing and Weapon
The sun is amazing. Nourishing, bright and warm... but also dangerous. The god of the sun has a lot of choices in how to wield its power.
Teenage Anhkst
Ra was the first god, the father to all others. But as his descendants matured and became more powerful, they have come for the throne. He's got a chip on his shoulder.
Eye of the Beholder
The smoldering gaze of Ra is focused on reclaiming his imprtance and establishing himself as the most powerful of the gods.
As the Sun God, Ra brings the power of the sun to the battlefield, harnessing the primal power of fire and light to both devastate his enemies and heal his allies, embodying the duality of destruction and renewal.
To capture Ra’s nourishing and fiery nature, we start with the Phoenix bloodline of the Sorcerer class. This bloodline gives Ra the ability to wield destructive fire spells while also granting him the power to heal his allies, both through primal spells and potent focus spells.
Ra’s build focuses on maximizing his speed and mobility to reflect his Smite passive, “Speed of Light.” Taking skill feats like Fleet and spells like Fleet Step ensures that Ra can move swiftly across the battlefield, positioning himself for maximum effectiveness. The combination of these feats and spells allows Ra to outmaneuver his foes and stay one step ahead in combat.
On the battlefield, Ra fills the blaster role – spending most of his actions on flinging radiant blasts of sunfire at enemies. These blasts vary from "free and powerful" to "costly and incredibly powerful".
Despite focusing on blasting, Ra is a potent support character in a party. His metamagic feats allow him to quicken or echo spells, saving actions and spell slots for healing abilities. Plus, his main focus spell wraps both into one, dealing an equal amount of damage to enemies and healing to allies.
Outside of combat, Ra’s high Charisma and Wisdom scores make him an excellent leader and diplomat. His radiant presence and divine connection to the sun inspire and guide his party, ensuring they remain focused and unified.
Build OVERVIEW
- Burning and healing
- Solar-powered
- Lots of ways to refresh spell slots
- Focus on one damage type
- Fears an eclipse
- Tanning fad is over
Ancestry
Ifrit Strix
The birdface of Ra is one of the most enduring images of Egyptology. The hieroglyphs are instantly recognizable, even among children. They are the human history version of dinosaurs.
Luckily, we have a bird humanoid ancestry available in Pathfinder. Unlike some other builds that make the Strix feats the focus, however, we take the Ifrit Heritage to double and triple down on the fiery sun feats that Ra wants.
The baseline Strix ancestry does give some vestigial wings, which Ra will only use to jump a bit further. Statwise, the Strix gives a Dexterity boost, which is welcome alongside a Charisma choice. It has no ability flaw.
Background
Blessed
Obviously a player character version of Ra won't actually be the sun god. Maybe it's a powerful sorcerer who thinks they are a sun god. Maybe they were worshipped as a sun god by a hidden tribe and they started to believe it. Hey, maybe they really are a sun god, I don't judge.
In any case, this background adds just enough holy reverence to make any of those things somewhat possible.
It gives some Lore based on Osirion gods and a welcome Charisma boost. Plus, it allows Ra to cast guidance at-will, so he can call upon... himself?
Class
Sorcerer - Phoenix Bloodline
In Smite, there are two achievements associated with Ra: one is related to using a fiery blast from long range, the other is for healing allies. Luckily, there is a Sorcerer bloodline that allows Ra to do these things well in Pathfinder: Pheonix.
A sun domain Cleric might seem like the perfect pick for Ra. It's holy and sunny, it heals and harms. It definitely is a good choice. But in our opinion, it gets the ration of burn to heal flipped. We want to build a burning blaster who can heal, rather than a healer who can blast.
The Phoenix sorcerer bloodline gives access to the primal tradition, where most fiery spells are found. Many of those spells are also found in the arcane tradition – but Heal isn't. Access to a few healing spells is all Ra needs to be a quasi-support for allies between fiery blasts.
But even though that might be all he needs, he gets something better. The Phoenix bloodline focus spells are all variants of support while injuring mechanics, especially the first one, Rejuvenating Flames. This cone of fire burns enemies and heals allies in one fell swoop.
Unlike so many builds in Pop Culture Pathfinder, Ra doesn't require any dedications to get his fantasy across. The Ifrit heritage and Phoenix bloodline to enough of the heavy lifting to get a smoldering, burning, blasting, healing god onto the battlefield. Therefore, we're able to get a lot of use of the metamagic sorcerer feats that often go overlooked.
With these, Ra is able to cast quicker, save spell slots, split spells and echo blasts. These all result in more damage and more opportunity for supporting allies among the fiery torrents. Pretty godlike.
Skills & General Feats
Like many pure caster characters, Ra has the benefit of using on spells to get things done rather than relying on skills in any one area. Still, being the god of the sun means you're fairly legendary when it comes to Nature. This has some benefits, like influencing the natural world around him without spending spell resources.
Being the original godfather in the Egypt canon requires some negotiation skills, so Ra has a fairly good Diplomacy. And it goes without saying that his Religion is high. After all, it's often a study in himself.
Legendary: Nature
Master: Diplomacy, Religion
Expert: Survival
Attribute Increases
Equipment
Suggested Starting Equipment
Key Spells
Changelog
