Voldur: Half-elf, half-orc (3.5) If you read it, you'll want to play it. Promise.

[willpell]

Why on earth does a half-Elf, half-Orc get Favored Class: Any? There's no human component, so the specialty of humans doesn't seem fitting. Ranger or scout or something from Complete Warrior or Tome of Battle (I have read neither) is probably a good favored class for these guys.

[Morph Bark]

Overall, I like this race a lot. However, I have a little trouble with them getting Whirlwind Attack for free. You see, at higher levels it's peachy, but at level 1 you can essentially get anywhere from 0 to 23 attacks more than on a normal full attack (depending on how surrounded you are and if you are using a non-reach weapon, a reach weapon or a reach weapon that also threatens adjacent squares). Perhaps instead give them the ability to use the Steel Wind maneuver (iirc) of the Iron Heart discipline from Tome of Battle? That'd allow them to attack two targets within reach. Grant them the recovery mechanic of a Warblade and it's all good.

Plus, since a favoured class of "Any" doesn't really fit due to neither elves nor orcs having that, you could make their favoured class Warblade. (Ranger could work too, but then they'd be mostly geared towards spell-less melee Rangers, or at least have less spells than other Rangers.)

[Empedocles]

Why on earth does a half-Elf, half-Orc get Favored Class: Any? There's no human component, so the specialty of humans doesn't seem fitting. Ranger or scout or something from Complete Warrior or Tome of Battle (I have read neither) is probably a good favored class for these guys.

Yeah. As Morph Bark said, warblade might be appropriate.

Overall, I like this race a lot. However, I have a little trouble with them getting Whirlwind Attack for free. You see, at higher levels it's peachy, but at level 1 you can essentially get anywhere from 0 to 23 attacks more than on a normal full attack (depending on how surrounded you are and if you are using a non-reach weapon, a reach weapon or a reach weapon that also threatens adjacent squares). Perhaps instead give them the ability to use the Steel Wind maneuver (iirc) of the Iron Heart discipline from Tome of Battle? That'd allow them to attack two targets within reach. Grant them the recovery mechanic of a Warblade and it's all good.

Plus, since a favoured class of "Any" doesn't really fit due to neither elves nor orcs having that, you could make their favoured class Warblade. (Ranger could work too, but then they'd be mostly geared towards spell-less melee Rangers, or at least have less spells than other Rangers.)

That's a good idea. I'll make the changes.

[Larkas]

If you're using it, you could always make their favored class the RadicalTaoist's Sublime Way variant Ranger

EDIT: I found a very fitting artwork for a female Voldur. Take care, though, it's not safe for work.

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Selith

[Empedocles]

If you're using it, you could always make their favored class the RadicalTaoist's Sublime Way variant Ranger

EDIT: I found a very fitting artwork for a female Voldur. Take care, though, it's not safe for work.

Spoiler

Show

Selith

I don't think I'm going to make its favored class homebrew as of now.

The elf pic is awesome! I need to find a way for it to be not naked though....

[hoverfrog]

Awesome race.

The first thing I thought of was that this would fit in the Eberron campaign I've been running. A Voldur sorcerer with an aberrant dragonmark would make a great villain and a Voldur paladin or ranger would be an excellent character to play as a kind of lone protector in the wilderness.

One question on age though. Elves are traditionally long lived but orcs don't live for very long at all. I think that a Voldur would favour an orc parent for longevity as I see one burning through a short life rather than simmering for centuries.

[Empedocles]

Awesome race.

The first thing I thought of was that this would fit in the Eberron campaign I've been running. A Voldur sorcerer with an aberrant dragonmark would make a great villain and a Voldur paladin or ranger would be an excellent character to play as a kind of lone protector in the wilderness.

One question on age though. Elves are traditionally long lived but orcs don't live for very long at all. I think that a Voldur would favour an orc parent for longevity as I see one burning through a short life rather than simmering for centuries.

I agree. Voldur, I think, should live about as long as a normal human, if not shorter.

[Midnight_v]

I wanted to hop in and say...

this is one of my favorite bits of homebrew on this forum. Well written, I liked that the favorite class is warblade. Warblade seems like such a anatural fit for them fighting as they are for thier place in the world.

[willpell]

That's one of the things I don't like about your homebrews, Vilpich (excellent though they are in general). You shouldn't give only one favored class option unless the class is in the PHB; not everyone has Tome of Battle or Oriental Adventures, and not everyone who has them uses them. Warblades and sohei are specifically not canon in my game, so if I wanted to use Voldur or Sanguivado I'd have to come up with a different FC for them. If the Voldur had been published in TOB it'd be okay for them to list an initiator class as their only option, though that still might be a problem for some DMs who want to use the race but not the rest of the mechanics (Dusklings, for example, are perfectly playable in a no-Incarnum game; they just have 35 speed, and it'd be nice if the authors had said they can favor barbarian in a non-incarnum game...obvious though it is, it isn't RAW because they didn't care enough to specify.)

[Midnight_v]

so if I wanted to use Voldur or Sanguivado I'd have to come up with a different FC for them

Uhmm... its astonishingly simple to do that. I'd never use a "sohei", but I mean I'd just as soon say "whatever fits" favored class is the thing that matters the least out of ALL of that. I do like the favor, and you don't but, a miniscule amount of adjustment is all that is required.

Also... seriously, we all have the tome of battle by now...or we've seen it online enough to have a grasp of the mechanics. . . etc, I mean its not like it just came out. Srsly. Its a big legitimate(thanks official wotc) elephant in some peoples room, so its not unreasonable to have things that use it as a favorite class, especially "rare" races like this.

Honestly, Classes should come out and say "these are the races that can choose me as a favorite class" since there's over 50 base classes. etc. Imho. maybe 5th will fix it.

[Empedocles]

Okay...to adress your concerns.

If you don't have ToB change the favored class to Ranger.

Or barbarian.

Or fighter.

But I should point out that the warblade and all maneuvers are online.

[danzibr]

Might I suggest making the third level paragon stat bonus a choice of Str or Dex?

[Empedocles]

Might I suggest making the third level paragon stat bonus a choice of Str or Dex?

That's an excellent idea. I'll put it in right away

[Empedocles]

Also, may I ask if anyone has had the opportunity to actually play a voldur? It seems to be popular enough that it might have happened.

[willpell]

Also... seriously, we all have the tome of battle by now...

I am intentionally not going to study Tome of Battle until I feel that I have completely understood everything related to magic; that means I have to read and understand Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Tome and Blood, the Spell Compendium, etc. etc. I already made the mistake of getting into psions, Incarnum, and Tome of Magic before I was really ready, and so I have loads of cool ideas but no real ability to process what everyone should be capable of. Amidst all that, the fact that a guy with a sword is simple mechanically is a godsend to me; I can build a barbarian from memory without referring to any books at all, while building a wizard requires me to spend hours poring through spell lists figuring out what his options are and which are worth investing in. The LAST thing I want to do is to inflict the same complexity on martial characters.

[nonsi]

I can build a barbarian from memory without referring to any books at all, while building a wizard requires me to spend hours poring through spell lists figuring out what his options are and which are worth investing in. The LAST thing I want to do is to inflict the same complexity on martial characters.

Yes, but a barbarian is no fun at all if you're 10th level and up and your DM has a shred of idea what s/he's doing and doesn't intentionally cuddle you.
And no. I'm no ToB fan and I'm not suggesting using it.


EDIT:
@Vilpich - count me in the Voldur's fan club. Outstanding work.

[willpell]

Well it remains to be seen whether that will prove true for me; so far I've confined myself to playing at level 5 or so. It seems to be the closest thing to a balance point, where fighters are still somewhat relevant and wizards are beginning to be serious contenders. I've so far only built one character up to level 9 (an Incarnate), and another to ECL 8 but that was a stupid template-stacking example that doesn't really count, and otherwise have never really been able to wrap my brain around what's possible past level 7.

[JoshuaZ]

I am intentionally not going to study Tome of Battle until I feel that I have completely understood everything related to magic; that means I have to read and understand Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Tome and Blood, the Spell Compendium, etc. etc. I already made the mistake of getting into psions, Incarnum, and Tome of Magic before I was really ready, and so I have loads of cool ideas but no real ability to process what everyone should be capable of. Amidst all that, the fact that a guy with a sword is simple mechanically is a godsend to me; I can build a barbarian from memory without referring to any books at all, while building a wizard requires me to spend hours poring through spell lists figuring out what his options are and which are worth investing in. The LAST thing I want to do is to inflict the same complexity on martial characters.

Tome of Battle is one of the easier to understand systems. So it may make more sense to get a handle on that before you focus completely on all the standard Vancian magic. Spell Compendium is *very long*. Note that a wizard can generally be pretty effective even if you restrict to core.

[willpell]

Forget Spell Compendium; I haven't even assimilated all the L1-3 spells in Core. I'm about halfway done.

[Empedocles]

Forget Spell Compendium; I haven't even assimilated all the L1-3 spells in Core. I'm about halfway done.

Memorizing the spells is not the best way to go about this...just saying.

[willpell]

Memorizing the spells is not the best way to go about this...just saying.

Well, not "memorizing", but what I call "processing". Just reading the spell in the book tells me nothing; I have to get a realistic sense of how it actually works in play, which usually means building a sample character who uses it. That way I have some idea of when he gets it, what else he and others of comparable level are getting, and how the spell looks with all the variables plugged in. At the very least I have to add it to the listing I use when building these characters - I learn better by writing than by reading, I've found, so I have to translate the text into a format that makes sense to me, and then at least the general idea of the spell takes its place within my mental library and can be vaguely understood.

So yeah, ToB is gonna have to wait.

[danzibr]

That's an excellent idea. I'll put it in right away

Just a flavor note, but you kept the text as tapping into the orc ancestry rather than orc or elf.

[willpell]

Also, may I ask if anyone has had the opportunity to actually play a voldur? It seems to be popular enough that it might have happened.

If you'd be willing to DM a short PBP on these forums, I'd be willing to give it a go. I'm desperate to play a psionic character, and while Ardent or Psychic Warrior is unfortunately a no-go with that Wisdom penalty, an Egoist (or an abnormally combat-focused version of any other discipline) would work perfectly fine, even if not really catering to the race's strengths.

[Rogue Shadows]

He does? Ah well, I'd like to leave it at low light vision, although I am tempted to change it because they have those pupilless eyes...

In any case, I appreciate it

In my own take on the race, they got both low-light and darkvision...

Anyway, I like this race for one reason above all others:

-2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.

You weren't afraid to give it two ability score penalties.

[Razanir]

Can we get either an explanation of Steel Wind or an alternative for people without ToB? (ToB's where maneuvers are from, right?) And with that, could we also have a secondary favored class for the same group? This is REALLY nice, but if you couldn't tell, I don't have ToB (or whatever book that is)

[Virdish]

Hey Willpell if you do a PBP with these and the sangavido I would jump in as a Sangavido.

[Empedocles]

Can we get either an explanation of Steel Wind or an alternative for people without ToB? (ToB's where maneuvers are from, right?) And with that, could we also have a secondary favored class for the same group? This is REALLY nice, but if you couldn't tell, I don't have ToB (or whatever book that is)

All maneuvers are online for future reference, but I added a description of steel wind to the race.

[danzibr]

Imagine if we had an all-Voldur campaign! That'd be cool. I'd play.

[Empedocles]

Imagine if we had an all-Voldur campaign! That'd be cool. I'd play.

Potentially interesting...

And I'd play!

[danzibr]

Tell ya what. I'll commit to running one in a month or two. I'm making an epic 3-20 campaign that'll be done in 3 chunks. Once I finish the first chunk I'll give it a test drive as all-Voldir.