Duplicate a Space Wolves Rune Priest?

[claypigeons]

What would be an effective way to recreate a warhammer 40k space marine librarian (specifically a rune priest) in D&D 5e?

My initial thoughts would be fighter2 to grab action surge, of only because it's amazing. Then levels of Arcana or Tempest Cleric.

Thematically, I would like the character to be an effective caster, but one that can also bury a great axe in someone's hips by way of their skull.

[lunaticfringe]

Thematically, I would like the character to be an effective caster, but one that can also bury a great axe in someone's hips by way of their skull.

In 5e that's probably going to be a Sorcadin. Thematically I think it works because you are combining innate supernatural power and a religious wingnut. Eldritch Knight/Tempest Theurge might work too.

[Malifice]

Is that rune priest prestige class in? If so maybe a level or two of that would work.

But basically Paladin (heavy Armor, smite) + Sorcerer (divination and weather based magic plus glyph spells and tossing lightning) works.

Toss in some Ancestorllral guardian Barbarian as well maybe.

[dgnslyr]

I'm not really an expert on Space Wolves specifically, but my sense of a typical Space Marine Librarian is that they should be standing at the front with their battle brothers and shooting with psychic attacks, swinging with their staff or crozier, and aiding their allies while hurting their enemies with their powers.

Sorcadin has already been mentioned, and that's probably the best way to build an armored close-quarters caster in 5e, but that build tends to want to save its spells for cutting down priority targets and has fewer ways to support your allies, especially if you're going for a paladin-light and sorcerer-heavy build. If swinging big and hitting hard sounds good to you, the typical break points are PLD 2/SOR 18 or PLD 6/SOR 14.

On the other hand, if you want to play more of a supporting caster, Cleric is a pretty good choice that I haven't seen mentioned yet. You can take your pick of any of the Heavy Armor-proficient Cleric domains and do pretty well for yourself. I'm partial to Order domain in particular, since it does a good job playing the role of an imposing, commanding war leader, and it has a pretty good selection of Domain spells. I realize Space Wolves aren't known for being an orderly chapter among themselves, but they're also perfectly fine giving orders to other people. It even gives you a way to instill some Transhuman Awe into other people. The only thing you don't get is martial weapon proficiency, but that's only a one point damage difference compared to simple weapons.

In terms of build, if you're playing with point buy, I'm partial to the 15/15/15/9/9/9 array, with your 15s in your important stats of STR, CON, and WIS, and a 9 in everything else. As a Variant Human, you can bump both STR and WIS to 16, and then spend your bonus feat on Resilient(CON) to bump that to 16 as well and get a very important proficiency in CON saves. After that, you can get Magic Initiate at level 4 to get the Wizard cantrips Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade and the 1st level spell Find Familiar. The cantrips give you a little extra punch in melee and compensate for your lack of Extra Attack scaling, while a familiar can take the Help action to give you Advantage on one attack every turn - Owl and Flying Snake are the best at it, but you can call it a Servo-Skull to keep it in line with 40k.

With typical Cleric spells like Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians plus the melee cantrips, you'll be able to support from the frontlines and deal good damage, too; as long as you have spells to spare, you should be able to keep up pretty well with any pure martial frontliner, while still having full access to Cleric list utility.

[Arkhios]

Having tried to build an army of my own for WH40K, my choice was Space Wolves as well, so I salute you for that alone. ^^

That said, I had to refresh my memory of the actual lore regarding Rune Priests and I would recommend an Eldritch Knight/Mystic combo, because their abilities (in WH40K) are psychic, not divine or arcane per se. Eldritch Knight purely because of Extra Attack and because they have an incentive to have a decent Intelligence anyway.

As of which Mystic Discipline would be best, I'll have to re-read the Mystic article before I can suggest anything further.

Currently, as far as I know (again, it's been a while since I read about them) Mystics don't have a listed ability score minimum for multiclassing, but I'd assume a minimum of Intelligence 13.

[SkylarkR6]

The Vlka Fenryka come! Honestly tempest cleric pretty much has everything for a rune priest.

For psychic powers: Toll the dead for ranged smite, spirit guards to take the place of Fury of the Wolf spirits, fog cloud is basically storm caller and cloaked by the storm all wrapped up. Call lightning for living lighting.

Equipment: they have martial weapons so you get your rune axe/sword/stave and heavy armor proficiency matching PA/TDA

You even eventually get a fly speed for their jump pack.

[claypigeons]

The Vlka Fenryka come! Honestly tempest cleric pretty much has everything for a rune priest.

For psychic powers: Toll the dead for ranged smite, spirit guards to take the place of Fury of the Wolf spirits, fog cloud is basically storm caller and cloaked by the storm all wrapped up. Call lightning for living lighting.

Equipment: they have martial weapons so you get your rune axe/sword/stave and heavy armor proficiency matching PA/TDA

You even eventually get a fly speed for their jump pack.


That was my first instinct. I thought to add some fighter for Action Surge and a combat style.

[SkylarkR6]

Conversely you could go the full Njal route and just take PAM and magic initiate druid for shillelagh. You'd be a heavily armored, 2 attack, spellcasting, beast using wisdom mod. Spiritual weapon showcasing nightwing when you aren't double attacking.

And, if they dare to hit you,Well you can honor the chapter with a shock to the face!

[dgnslyr]

You don't even need to spend a feat on Magic Initiate if you choose Nature or Strength Domain, which give you access to Druid cantrips. Shillelagh also compensates for your lack of Martial Weapon proficiency, although that's really just one point of damage on average, if you're sword-and-boarding.

I think it's worth mentioning that PAM is less useful for clerics since they have already have an abundance of ways to spend their bonus action, primarily through Spiritual Weapon. If you're going to spend a feat on Magic Initiate, I still think Wizard for the Blade cantrips is the way to go, since their damage scales with character level which compensates for your lack of Extra Attacks.

[SkylarkR6]

These points are very true, I just wanted to give him a second option that was still very much in tune with the spirit of one of my favorite models(and my army!). Also, if he is not using the pewter TDA Njal as his figurine then we shall have words as it is absolutely the best.

[Ganymede]

My initial thoughts would be fighter2 to grab action surge, of only because it's amazing. Then levels of Arcana or Tempest Cleric.



Yeah, it looks like you're going about this all wrong. You're trying to make something thematically in line with a Space Wolf rune priest, but you make two mistakes in a row. One, you take your first two levels solely for a mechanical benefit that has nothing to do with your theme. Second, you go with something wildly off theme; I mean, come on, Arcana!?

Let's try it with a different approach.

"Space Wolves are renowned for their anti-authoritarian ways and their embrace of their homeworld Fenris' savage barbarian culture as well as their extreme deviation from the Codex Astartes in the Chapter's organization."

So far, we have chaotic and barbaric as key themes.

"Space Wolves are savage and wild, adorning their armour with a combination of finely-wrought talismans and skins, bones, and teeth taken as trophies from beasts they have slain in single combat."

Shamanistic is also a key theme.

In addition, Space Wolves possess something akin to a wolf spirit within them that makes them feral and can even grant them the attributes of a wolf.

In regards to rune priests, they "possess potent psychic powers whose form is based upon the native shamanic traditions of the barbarian tribes of Fenris."

Put all of this together, and you get either a straight Druid or a Barbarian/Druid.

[claypigeons]

Things

If I wanted a World Eater, I'd play a slavering brute of a barbarian. Space Wolves are at least refined enough not to drool on themselves.

The point of fighter is to gain heavy armor proficiency, fighting style, and Action Surge. Tempest Cleric/arcana cleric are because of their class abilities. Tempest gives sweet sweet lighting flavored abilities. Arcana clerics give native access to the wizard Blade cantrips.

[Ganymede]

If I wanted a World Eater, I'd play a slavering brute of a barbarian. Space Wolves are at least refined enough not to drool on themselves.

Is that even meant to be a real response to my post? I quoted Space Wolf lore directly from the Space Wolf wiki, as well as the separate page for Rune Priests.

Are you confused about Space Wolf lore, or do you genuine imagine that all barbarians/druids drool on themselves?


The point of fighter is to gain heavy armor proficiency, fighting style, and Action Surge. Tempest Cleric/arcana cleric are because of their class abilities. Tempest gives sweet sweet lighting flavored abilities. Arcana clerics give native access to the wizard Blade cantrips.

If you're going for "generic heavy armored lightning guy/gal," I guess this is a good way to go about it. This is not a particularly notable way to make a Space Wolf rune priest, though. You really should reacquaint (acquaint) yourself with Space Wolves lore if you want to build one as a character.

[claypigeons]

Is that even meant to be a real response to my post? I quoted Space Wolf lore directly from the Space Wolf wiki, as well as the separate page for Rune Priests.

Are you confused about Space Wolf lore, or do you genuine imagine that all barbarians/druids drool on themselves?



If you're going for "generic heavy armored lightning guy/gal," I guess this is a good way to go about it. This is not a particularly notable way to make a Space Wolf rune priest, though. You really should reacquaint (acquaint) yourself with Space Wolves lore if you want to build one as a character.

You must be a blast at social events. Lighten up. A rune priest is a space marine first, psyker second, like all librarians. The basic "big dude that hits stuff" is a requirement to fit the fluff.

[Ganymede]

You must be a blast at social events. Lighten up. A rune priest is a space marine first, psyker second, like all librarians. The basic "big dude that hits stuff" is a requirement to fit the fluff.

That's not a response to anything I said.

[SkylarkR6]

While I am not a huge fan of fighter dips (yes action surge is awesome and so is the Fighting style), space wolves do have to be proven warriors before they even become initiated, let alone inducted as skjalds.

Ganymede: I see your reasoning. I was thinking along the druid lines but the power armor and axes and swords along with staves kept pushing me back.

To be fair, they aren't actually nature spirits, but demons of the warp, so a case could be made for a warlock as well(2 psychic powers... 2 spell slots? Eh? Ehhh???)

I'm playing a tempest cleric now going singe-class though so I may be a bit biased. Ah well. As long as it's a fun character to play, yeah?

[Ganymede]

Ganymede: I see your reasoning. I was thinking along the druid lines but the power armor and axes and swords along with staves kept pushing me back.

That's why I really like the Storm Herald Barbarian for this.

Barbarian is an excellent fit because they are distinguished by their rage, which is both a battlefield tool and a thematic wellspring of fury. The entirety of the Space Wolves lore is centered around their chapter-wide struggle with a beast within that threatens to consume them. For both barbarians and Space Wolves, this fury is a central aspect of their being.

The Storm Herald fits nice as well because it uses this fury to tap into the elements, much like the rune priests. The powers of those psykers are described as elemental and as shamanistic rune magic, and their psychic abilities allow them to harness the powers of both the thunderstorm and the blizzard. Storm Heralds can mirror this power with either their tie to the Sea or the Tundra.

Granted, there are other primal paths and classes that could be a fit. The intimate tie between Space Wolves and the wolf itself would lend itself to being a wolf totem barbarian. Likewise, the shamanistic magic practiced by the rune priests feels similar to the magic of druids. Similarly, rune priests are described as scalds and lorekeepers, and some sort of Bard might suit that.

[SkylarkR6]

Your reasoning is sound. I was a bit more focused on the mechanics than the fluff but I can see equal merit in a storm herald with either performer or acolyte background.

Personally, I really like the big storm magic though along with the spirit guardians/weapon and feel a suitable background like outlander (harsh survival on Fenris) or renamed Uthgardt tribe member fits nicely.

Now if I can just convince my DM to let me have the Armor of Russ I'll be sitting pretty