Full Build Friday - Ornn, the Fire Below the Mountain (Patreon)

I've knocked out a few builds for the necromancer and figured it was about time to look at the other class from Impossible Magic! The runesmith is a very interesting class, but one that I can't puzzle out a lot of builds for. If you have any ideas of other characters that would be well suited for the runesmith, feel free to suggest them.

As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in my best attempt to fit the character. These choices may not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.

Work the bellows and fan the flames to build Ornn, the Fire Below the Mountain from League of Legends!

ORNN, THE FIRE BELOW THE MOUNTAIN

CHARACTER Ramhaurg

SOURCE League of Legends

BUILD GOALS

o    An ancient demi-god of the Freljord, Ornn presides over fire, forging, and craftsmanship. He is a highly solitary individual who is content with forging on his own in his Hearth-Home

o    In League, Ornn is an offensive type of disrupting tank known as a vanguard who fights with his hammer and anvil, which kind of functions as a bigger hammer

o    His Living Forge passive allows him to purchase items while away from the shop, upgrade the items of his allies into masterwork items, gain more defenses from all sources, and can apply Brittle to enemies which causes his attacks to knock back enemies or extend the duration of crowd control effects

o    Volcanic Rupture sends a fissure through the ground to damage and slow enemies before ending in a pillar that erupts from the ground to knock aside enemies

o    With his Bellows Breath, he marches forward and unleashes a cone of fire that damages and leaves enemies Brittle

o    He races forward with his Searing Charge, damaging enemies and creating a shockwave if he runs into terrain. This knocks up and stuns enemies nearby while also destroying non-permanent terrain

o    Through the Call of the Forge God, he summons a lava elemental that stampedes towards him. Ornn can recast this to charge at the elemental and knock it back to damage, knock up, and stun enemies again

Summary of Goals: Ornn is a powerful and fiery figure who is particularly notable for his legendary status as a smith. He dual wields a pair of hammers that he doesn’t really take advantage of in his attacks, but he has a lot of displacement effects, can breathe fire, summon charging lava elementals, and even call up pillars of stone. He can also make a devastating charge himself to further disrupt foes.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Ifrit Minotaur

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, -Charisma

o    Ancestry Feat: Lavasoul

Background: Artisan

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (T), Guild Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Specialty Crafting (Blacksmithing)

Class & Subclass: Runesmith

o    Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Arcana (T), Athletics (T), Nature (T), Occultism (T), Religion (T), Society (T), Survival (T)

o    Class Feat: Smithing Weapons

o    Runic Repertoire: Rune of Fire, Rune of Dwarven Ramparts, Rune of Impact

o    Gear: Earthbreaker, Light Hammer, Breastplate

Details

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence (Str +3, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +0, Cha -1)

The horns, fur, and oversized build of Ornn makes me think that minotaur is a solid way to start though I think that he should use the ifrit heritage to reflect the fire associated with his very being. It even lets him take the Lavasoul feat, which doesn’t exactly match anything that he’s really got going on aside from his connection to molten materials. The artisan background seems like the best match for his role as a primordial smith even if it’s a little redundant with his runesmith class. He obviously has to take the Smithing Weapons feat, which means he can properly dual wield his preferred weapons and also dish out some extra fire damage. On that topic, he can also Trace a Rune of Fire as a means of resembling the Brittle effect that he inflicts. In a similar idea, the Rune of Impact can cover the increased damage and knockback by Invoking it. I also like the Rune of Dwarven Ramparts as a means of enhancing the defenses of his allies.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Wizard Dedication – School of Civic Wizardry

o    Skill Feat: Crafter’s Appraisal, Magical Crafting

o    Spellbook: Cantrips – shield

o    Gear: ring of discretion

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Prescient Planner

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (E), Intimidation (T)

o    Gear: +1 earthbreaker, ring of sigils, ring of discretion

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Basic Wizard Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Quick Repair

o    Spellbook: 1st – breathe fire

o    Gear: doubling rings, +1 earthbreaker, necklace of knives, ring of discretion

LEVEL 5

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +4, Dex +1, Con +3, Int +4.5, Wis +0, Cha +0)

o    Ancestry Feat: Beast of Burden

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (E)

o    Gear: +1 striking earthbreaker, doubling rings, crafter’s eyepiece, necklace of knives, ring of sigils, ring of discretion

To explore certain aspects of Ornn, he’ll need to take a Wizard Dedication with the school of civic wizardry being the best choice for him. Shield is a nice boost to his defenses to start out with and he can gain more spells with Basic Wizard Spellcasting. This specifically leads into breathe fire, which is probably the best way to cover his Bellows Breath. You might have to simply Stride before or after to cover the fact that he marches forward while doing this. He has a heavy focus on Crafting feats and while he picks out Crafter’s Appraisal and Quick Repair, he also gets Magical Crafting for free. Curiously, this is a class feature that comes in at second level, which is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that. Prescient Planner is the last notable general feat for the block and is actually an important part of his kit as it allows him to ‘buy’ items while away from his shop, which resembles his Living Forge passive.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Engraving Maneuver

o    Skill Feat: Inventor

o    Spellbook: 2nd – blazing armory or blast of the bellows

o    Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 striking earthbreaker, lifting belt, doubling rings, trusty helmet, necklace of knives

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Prescient Consumable

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (M)

o    Gear: private workshop, +1 breastplate, earthbinding weapon rune, +1 striking earthbreaker, doubling rings, crafter’s eyepiece

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Arcane School Spell

o    Skill Feat: Adventurous Outfitter

o    Spellbook: 3rd – garden of stone

o    Gear: rooting weapon rune, schematic scanner, private workshop, +1 breastplate, +1 striking earthbreaker, lifting belt

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Goring Charge

o    Skill Increase: Arcana (E)

o    Runic Repertoire: Rune of Insulation

o    Gear: +1 resilient breastplate, boots of bounding, rooting weapon rune, private workshop, earthbinding weapon rune, +1 striking earthbreaker

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +4.5, Dex +1, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +1, Cha +0)

o    Class Feat: Arcane Breadth

o    Skill Feat: Tweak Appearances

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (T)

o    Gear: armbands of athleticism, +1 resilient breastplate, greater flaming star, rooting weapon rune, private workshop, +1 striking earthbreaker

With all the knockaround and disruption that Ornn has in his kit, Engraving Maneuver felt like a fun way to cover that concept. He then dives into his wizard archetype, using Arcane School Spell to gain earthworks as an early nod towards the pillar he creates with Volcanic Rupture while Arcane Breadth lets him expand the range of spells that he can cast. I’m unsure on the effects of blast of the bellows because while I think that it fits him, I’m not sure on its actual effects whereas blazing armory feels like a slightly better for him. That, or take summon elemental for the ram of his Call of the Forge God. However, garden of stone is the big get for this block as it allows him to call a stalagmite from the ground, creating another option for his Volcanic Rupture. He is still sticking with Crafting skill feats with the notable callouts being Inventor, as the father of forging, and Adventurous Outfitter, which along with his Prescient Consumable, is another way to reflect his ability to build items away from the store. Goring Charge provides Ornn with a charging effect that’s a little off from his Searing Charge but does give him an empowered charge that he could follow with an Athletics check to create the knock up effects.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Arcana (M)

o    Gear: +2 striking earthbreaker, armbands of athleticism, ashen weapon rune, +1 resilient breastplate, rooting weapon rune, boots of bounding

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Expert Wizard Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Impeccable Crafting

o    Spellbook: 4th – Ymeri’s mark

o    Gear: +2 resilient breastplate, +2 striking earthbreaker, book of lingering blaze, armbands of athleticism, greater flaming star, flaming weapon rune

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Summon Fire Elemental

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (M)

o    Runic Repertoire: Rune of Frost

o    Gear: +2 greater striking earthbreaker, +2 resilient breastplate, greater doubling rings, book of lingering blaze, armbands of athleticism, ashen weapon rune

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Engraving Strike

o    Skill Feat: Rapid Affixture

o    Spellbook: 5th – blazing fissure, blink charge

o    Gear: greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking earthbreaker, moderate grub gloves, +2 resilient breastplate, book of lingering blaze, impactful weapon rune

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +5, Dex +1, Con +4.5, Int +5.5, Wis +2, Cha +0)

o    General Feat: Robust Health

o    Skill Increase: Crafting (L)

o    Gear: +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater ring of the ram, greater fireproof gloves, +2 greater striking earthbreaker, ice forge, greater doubling rings

Through Expert Wizard Spellcasting, Ornn earns a few additional effects. I once again like Ymeri’s mark as the initial application seems akin to him applying Brittle before triggering the spell to pop it. Blazing fissure is also a good stand-in for the line of Volcanic Rupture while blink charge covers both the movement and disruption aspect of Searing Charge if he critically succeeds on the spell attack. As an alternative to his Engraving Maneuver, he adds Engraving Strike to his feats so that he can leave a mark with a Strike. He can find a means of slowing enemies with a Rune of Frost, which does also fit with his origins from the Freljord. He still manages to stick with Crafting skill feats, using both Impeccable Crafting and Rapid Affixture, and increases his survivability with Toughness and Robust Health since he is meant to be a vanguard. Summon Fire Elemental is a little low-leveled but is again based off of his Call of the Forge God.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Elemental Revision

o    Skill Feat: Snare Crafting

o    Spellbook: 6th – elemental breath

o    Gear: greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater boots of bounding, greater ring of the ram, +2 greater striking earthbreaker, moderate grub gloves

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Begin Stampede

o    Skill Increase: Arcana (L)

o    Runic Repertoire: Seal of the Dead Vault

o    Gear: +3 greater striking earthbreaker, earthglide cloak, greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater ring of the ram, greater fireproof gloves

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Master Wizard Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Craft Anything

o    Spellbook: 7th – comet charge

o    Gear: bracers of hammers, +3 greater striking earthbreaker, major crown of the fire eater, greater flaming weapon rune, +2 greater resilient breastplate, greater boots of bounding

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Fast Recovery

o    Skill Increase: Athletics (L)

o    Gear: +3 greater resilient breastplate, bracers of hammers, 17, +3 greater striking earthbreaker, earthglide cloak, greater flaming weapon rune

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +1, Con +5, Int +6, Wis +3, Cha +1)

o    Class Feat: Stone Forge of the First

o    Skill Feat: Unified Theory

o    Skill Increase: Medicine (T)

o    Spellbook: 8th – summon elemental herald

o    Gear: +3 major striking earthbreaker, +3 greater resilient breastplate, titan’s grasp, greater impactful weapon rune, major crown of the fire eater, quickstrike weapon rune

Elemental Revision isn’t really based on anything he does but it lets him modify runes and something about that feels on point for him. He gains more spells through Master Wizard Spellcasting and when it comes to spell, there’s quite a selection here. Elemental breath comes from his previous Expert Wizard Spellcasting and this latest feat means he can gain comet charge, as another way to resemble his Searing Charge, while summon elemental herald or another incarnate spell is probably the best means of covering the Call of the Forge God. He can also call forth the Stone Forge of the Fist, which feels more thematically appropriate and allows his runes to persist even after activation. He almost finishes out the build with all Crafting skill feats but does deviate at the very end with Unified Theory based on his Arcana skill. Begin Stampede is taken for simple reasons as his Searing Charge and then Fast Recovery is a common choice for my League builds and doubly so for the tanky builds.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: This build has pretty much everything I want from the wizard archetype, so I would start looking into a Guardian Dedication or a Dual-Weapon Warrior Dedication. The former probably makes more sense and suits him a bit better, leading to him potentially using Punishing Shove, Flying Tackle, or even Juggernaut Charge. Guardian Resiliency might be a good way to shore up his Hit Points a bit. On the other hand, a Dual-Weapon Warrior Dedication mainly just allows him to wield his two hammers in concert with greater effect, which could be fun.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Ornn, the Fire Below the Mountain is an ifrit minotaur runesmith whose focus on smithing is explored through his artisan background. He isn’t quite a demi-god but the ifrit heritage does make him something a little more and ties him into the flames of the forge. Some Constitution and durability-enhancing feats, such as Toughness and Robust Health, help to cover his role as a vanguard while Smithing Weapons lets him make the most of the two hammers he wields, adding some fire damage to them. Prescient Planner and Adventurous Outfitter let him acquire items and equipment even when he’s far from a shop and the runic crafter feature of the runesmith lets him upgrade the gear of his allies without any additional effort on his part. The runes that he can inscribe on weapons and armor can also work for this idea. I have a couple ideas for the Brittle effect, such as Engraving Maneuver letting him knock by foes, Ymeri’s mark allowing him to sear a foe with a maker’s mark, and then maybe even seal fate giving him a way to leave foes with a weakness. Getting into his actual, activated abilities, Volcanic Rupture can be a combo of spells such as blazing fissure and garden of stone while the slow could come from his Rune of Frost. Breathe fire or elemental breath should cover his Bellows Breath while comet charge is a solid match for the fiery effects of his Searing Charge. He can also use his Goring Charge or Begin Stampede for a less magical means of replicating this ability. Finishing off his features is the Call of the Forge God, which he can replicate through Summon Fire Elemental or the spells such as summon elemental or the much mightier summon elemental herald. I personally prefer the incarnate spells for this effect based on the short-lived nature of the ram he calls forth.

The first of the forge, this fiery fellow fights in the fields with forlorn fatigue, favoring his focus on the fabrication of finely furbished furnishings and fittings.

Have a fantastic Friday!