Full Build Friday - Voruna [Vlaka Magus] (Patreon)

I was looking at building this for a while, but there were a few things that held me back on that idea. Impossible Magic had some stuff I ended up really liking and so I was waiting on that a bit, but I wanted to get builds out for the new classes first.

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.

Go on the hunt with this build for Voruna from Warframe!

VORUNA

SOURCE Warframe

BUILD GOALS

o    A wolf-themed being known as a Warframe, a sort of techno-organic being, Voruna was once the guardian of a holy site along her four wolves

o    When her four wolves were slain, she hijacked a ritual to infuse them into herself

o    She can channel each of her wolves to gain a different passive and each of her abilities are named for her wolves

o    With the Shroud of Dynar, she becomes invisible and accelerates. Her following attacks are buffed. This passive increase her Parkour Velocity

o    The Fangs of Raksh apply random status effects to an enemy that can spread if that enemy dies. This passive grants her status effect resistance

o    Under the effects of Lycath’s Hunt, enemies slain by melee attacks drop health while enemies killed by headshots drop energy. This passive provides her with increased Heavy Attack efficiency

o    Finally, Ulfrun’s Descent has her drop to all fours and perform five charges, dealing increased damage to foes afflicted with status effects. Under his passive, if Voruna would die, Ulfrun instead dies in her place

o    Her signature weapons are a sniper rifle that gains ammo with headshots and a heavy axe that can create a vortex to pull in enemies

Summary of Goals: Voruna demonstrates a range of extraordinary effects that are probably best accomplished through spells. She can buff and keep herself powerful with the likes of Shroud of Dynar and Lycath’s Hunt while Fangs of Rakash and Ulfrun’s Descent inflict and benefit from a host of status effects. I’ll likely lean into building her as a melee combatant with the axe, but will do what I can to keep her capable of switch hitting.

LEVEL 1

Ancestry & Heritage: Xenometric Android Vlaka

o    Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Wisdom, +Charisma, +Strength, -Dexterity

o    Ancestry Feat: Nanite Armament Boost

Background: Deputy

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence

o    Skill Increase: Survival (T), Hunting Lore (T)

o    Background Feat: Experienced Tracker

Class & Subclass: Inexorable Iron Magus

o    Class Ability Boost: +Strength

o    Skill Increase: Acrobatics (T), Arcana (T), Athletics (T), Stealth (T), Thievery (T)

o    Spellbook: Cantrips – gouging claw; 1st – dizzying colors, fleet step, gravitational pull, grim tendrils

Details

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

To resemble Voruna’s lupine aspects, I wanted to use the vlaka ancestry but that’s a little too fleshy for a Warframe. Gotta get some circuitry up in there, which led to the use of the xenometric android heritage, which leads to the Nanite Armament Boost as a way to bolster his weapons, along the lines of his heavy attack efficiency increase. I’m not the biggest fans of its ability boosts or the ability boosts of his deputy background, but they both fit her too well for me to pass up on. When it comes to her class, I was actually originally looking at the animist and cycling through apparitions and their focus spells to resemble the different passives she can have with her different wolves. Unfortunately, that didn’t really work out so I instead went for the magus. She can deliver more powerful attacks through Spellstrike and generally buff herself with Arcane Cascade, which fits with a few of her abilities. She’ll want spells that inflict conditions (I think gouging claw is a fantastic cantrip for her), hit in lines, or are spell attacks. Dizzying colors is great for the first of those and grim tendrils is solid for the second, but I also want to suggest gravitational pull. The idea behind this is that, since Voruna’s melee weapon is a great axe, she’ll be an inexorable iron magus. And then she’ll use this spell to pull in enemies per the vortex that her Sarofang can create.

LEVEL 2

o    Class Feat: Expansive Spellstrike

o    Skill Feat: Quick Jump

o    Gear: darkvision visor

LEVEL 3

o    General Feat: Fleet

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (E)

o    Spellbook: 2nd – invisibility, Kgalaserke’s axes, sticky fire

o    Gear: tactical doshko, darkvision visor, commercial force field

LEVEL 4

o    Class Feat: Witch Dedication – The Resentment

o    Skill Feat: Shadow Mark

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (T)

o    Witch Spells: Cantrips – eldritch lance

o    Gear: jump jets, tactical doshko, necklace of knives, darkvision visor

LEVEL 5

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

o    Ancestry Feat: Nanite Armament Efficiency

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (E), Religion (T)

o    Spellbook: 3rd – lightning bolt, vampiric feast

o    Gear: advanced striking doshko, coyote cloak, jump jets, commercial ghost’s harness, darkvision visor, commercial force field

This block is a bit of a set-up block when it comes to class feats as Voruna picks up Expansive Spellstrike, which she can at least use on her line spells, and a Witch Dedication to start tapping into some occult spells. For now, eldritch lance is a nice little spell attack occult spell that she can use with her Spellstrikes. Quick Jump and Fleet are pretty obvious picks for a Warframe while Shadow Mark helps her stealthiness – though the invisibility spell is probably better pick in that direction. Nanite Armor Efficiency is good for enhancing her heavy attack efficiency while spell wise, Kgalaserke’s axes is a shoe-in for the buff that follows her Shroud of Dynar while sticky fire is a spell attack that can apply persistent fire damage and the enfeebled condition since her Fangs of Raksh are all about applying status effects. I’d also include vampiric feast to give her a way to regain ‘health’ when attacking enemies per her Lycath’s Hunt.

LEVEL 6

o    Class Feat: Basic Witch Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Terrain Stalker – Underbrush

o    Witch Spells: 1st – soothe; 2nd – feral shades

o    Gear: tactical freebooter armor, +1 striking doshko, tactical force field, jump jets, commercial ghost’s harness, necklace of knives

LEVEL 7

o    General Feat: Incredible Initiative

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (M)

o    Spellbook: 4th – chromatic ray, crystallized vapors, life-draining roots

o    Gear: endless grimoire, tactical freebooter armor, commercial fear projector, advanced doshko, coyote cloak, jump jets

LEVEL 8

o    Class Feat: Devastating Spellstrike

o    Skill Feat: Swift Sneak

o    Witch Spells: 3rd – heroism

o    Gear: ring of wizardry (type I), endless grimoire, null-space pocket, tactical freebooter armor, advanced doshko, tactical force field

LEVEL 9

o    Ancestry Feat: Protect the Pack

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (M)

o    Spellbook: 5th – blazing fissure, glacial skewer

o    Gear: advanced freebooter armor, ring of wizardry (type I), advanced force field, endless grimoire, commercial fear projector, advanced doshko

LEVEL 10

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +4.5, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +3, Cha +1)

o    Class Feat: Sustaining Steel

o    Skill Feat: Vanish Into the Land

o    Gear: sanguine fang, advanced freebooter armor, commercial flaming module, ring of wizardry (type I), endless grimoire, advanced doshko

Through Basic Witch Spellcasting, Voruna can gain soothe since she can create health orbs and feral shades, which I think is super thematic to her. It summons shades of ravening beasts and imposes a penalty in the save for those that are afflicted with certain conditions, which has some resemblance to her Ulfrun’s Descent. This does also eventually lead to her gaining heroism per the buff that follows her Shroud of Dynar. She can deliver a heavy attack through Devastating Spellstrike that I think has some nice potential synergy for gravitational pull as long as they don’t immediately scatter after you do it. Sustaining Steel helps to keep her in the fight and touch on the healing of Lycath’s Hunt again. Her skill feats are all about Stealth for this block as she expands from Terrain Stalker into Vanish Into the Land while also having Swift Sneak so she can slink around at her full speed. She uses Protect the Pack because I’m sure that’s what she wished she could have done to the wolves that she lost. There’s a couple more line spells this block as well as chromatic ray. It’s a pre-master spell, but I think one that suits the randomness of Fangs of Raksh.

LEVEL 11

o    General Feat: Fast Recovery

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (E)

o    Spellbook: 6th – doom mark, promession

o    Gear: superior doshko, sanguine fang, tactical cloaking device, advanced freebooter armor, ring of wizardry (type I), advanced force field

LEVEL 12

o    Class Feat: Sprinting Spellstrike

o    Skill Feat: Foil Senses

o    Gear: superior freebooter armor, superior doshko, greater endless grimoire, sanguine fang, commercial flaming module, tactical ghost’s harness

LEVEL 13

o    Ancestry Feat: Nanite Armament Overcharge

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (M)

o    Spellbook: 7th – beheading buzz saw, comet charge

o    Gear: elite doshko, superior freebooter armor, master magus ring, greater endless grimoire, sanguine fang, tactical cloaking device

LEVEL 14

o    Class Feat: Expert Witch Spellcasting

o    Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare

o    Gear: elite force field, elite doshko, greater sanguine fang, superior freebooter armor, greater endless grimoire, ring of wizardry (type II)

LEVEL 15

o    Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str +5, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +4.5, Wis +4, Cha +1)

o    General Feat: Robust Health

o    Skill Increase: Stealth (L)

o    Spellbook: 8th – arctic rift

o    Gear: elite freebooter armor, propulsive boots, elite force field, elite doshko, master magus ring, advanced null space chamber

All that investment in those line spells finally comes to fruition through Sprinting Spellstrike. Between that and her Expansive Spellstrike, she’ll be able to supercharge into combat and resemble the feral charges of Ulfrun’s Descent – though comet charge is also really good for this. Expert Witch Spellcasting is mostly just to let her cast higher rank spells of the ones she already liked from here and to get more that you like. Foil Senses makes sense for somebody who has worked alongside wolves and Intimidating Glare lets her inflict another status effect without spending a spell. Fast Recovery and Robust Health both aid in her recovery, which can slightly resemble her status effect resistance. For one of her other passive effects, she continues to improved Nanite Armament Boost with the Nanite Armament Overcharge to enhance its boost damage. Outside of comet charge, I think the biggest spell this block is doom mark, a spell attack that can inflict two conditions and two more if a marked foe is slain.

LEVEL 16

o    Class Feat: Runic Impression

o    Skill Feat: Legendary Sneak

o    Gear: major sanguine fang, elite freebooter armor, major endless grimoire, elite force field, elite doshko, ring of wizardry (type III)

LEVEL 17

o    Ancestry Feat: Sway the Heart, Stoke the Spirit

o    Skill Increase: Occultism (L)

o    Spellbook: 9th – massacre

o    Gear: ultimate doshko, tactical frost module, major sanguine fang, elite freebooter armor, propulsive boots, elite force field

LEVEL 18

o    Class Feat: Stolen Spell

o    Skill Feat: Calm and Centered

o    Gear: muscle invigorator, ultimate doshko, quicklock, major sanguine fang, elite armor, major endless grimoire

LEVEL 19

o    General Feat: Toughness

o    Skill Increase: Thievery (L)

o    Gear: ultimate freebooter armor, muscle invigorator, advanced active camouflage, ultimate doshko, tactical frost module, major sanguine fang

LEVEL 20

o    Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str +5, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +4, Cha +2)

o    Class Feat: Supreme Spellstrike

o    Skill Feat: Quiet Allies

o    Skill Increase: Diplomacy (T)

o    Gear: paragon doshko, ultimate freebooter armor, true endless grimoire, muscle invigorator, ultimate force field, ultimate dermal plating

With how elements can be swapped into weapons in Warframe and how they have different effects, I felt right giving Runic Impression to her as a class feat. Then, while it is very difficult to represent the energy orbs left by enemies from her Lycath’s Hunt, she can almost simulate the idea with Stolen Spell. It potentially gives her a spell from an enemy that she can cast without using her own spells or slots. She ends on Supreme Spellstrike though I could also see her making use of Whirlwind Spell, so take whichever catches your fancy. Legendary Sneak gives her a way to become invisible that isn’t a spell whereas Calm and Centered is another way to reduce her own status effects. Sway the Heart, Stoke the Spirit is also inspired by this and a great way to resemble that effect even if it’s a little late.

FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Outside of taking more witch stuff, like Master Witch Spellcasting and Patron’s Breadth, the archetype I considered was the fighter. Through this, Voruna could gain Vicious Swing and then Furious Focus, which is entirely inspired by her heavy attack efficiency. It has some fun possibilities and gives her something to do when her Spellstrike is unavailable. In particular, she could Vicious Swing and then, with the only -5 multiple attack penalty due to Furious Focus, make a thunderous strike to recharge her Spellstrike. Other than that, I actually think the Verduran Shadow Dedication and its follow-up feats really suit her.

BUILD CONCLUSION

Voruna is a xenometric android vlaka magus of the inexorable iron hybrid sturdy and a background as a deputy, covering her time spent as a guardian of a holy site. She can vanish into thin air through the invisibility spell or the Legendary Sneak feat, per her Shroud of Dynar, while the empowerment that follows it could come from kgalaserke's axes or heroism. For its passive effect, she can simply make use of Quick Jump. With the Fangs of Raksh applying a host of random status effects, use what spells you like to apply conditions as you want, with something like dizzying colors or doom mark probably being the best at applying the most effects at once. The status effect resistance it passively provides is pretty rough to cover, and I largely held to settle for effects to remove statuses such as Fast Recovery and the vlaka's Sway the Heart, Stoke the Flame. On that same note, Lycath's Hunt causes enemies to drop stuff, which is hard to translate into Pathfinder. The best I could manage was some healing in her kit through options such as vampiric feast and can get more energy slash spells through umbral extraction or the Stolen Spell feat. Fortunately, its passive effect is a little easier with the likes of Nanite Armament Boost and Efficiency or the thunderous strike focus spell. Ability-wise that leaves her Ulfrun's Descent and with a range of line spells as well as Sprinting plus Expansive Spellstrike, she's got that pretty well covered and can tear through foes with devastating dashes. For its passive, you could possibly use the contingency spell to set up a heal upon hitting zero Hit Points, but it's pretty hard to cover otherwise. She can touch on the special effect of her Sarofang axe with gravitational pull and just wield a doshko or similar armament to present the weapon itself!

Pretty but predacious, this powerful poacher prowls in the penumbra prior to propelling herself into peril, promptly punishing prey with pugnacious purpose.

Have a fantastic Friday!