Voldur


Voldur are an incredibly rare hybrid race born of an (often unwilling) union between an orc and an elf. They are a strangely beautiful race, both graceful and strong, yet completely alien.

Personality: Voldur are incredibly remote, lost in their own conflicting thoughts. When threatened, they lash out incredibly violently although their emotions are still well concealed.

Physical Description: Voldur are quite tall, usually standing between 6 foot 3 to 6 foot 9, and are almost always remarkably well muscled. They combine the ferocious features of an orc with the natural beauty of an elf and have completely pupilless, empty eyes. This, more than anything else, makes people suspicious of the voldur. Some voldur have a slightly green tint to their skin or slight tusks, depending on who their orcish ancestor was. Those voldur are the exception, not the rule though.

Relations: Voldur are almost universally misunderstood and generally hated. Orcs hate them for the elves in them, elves hate them for the orcs in them, and other races hate them, for they see them as abominations. 

Alignment: The voldur's detached personality means that almost all of them are neutral. Some, shunned by society, turn vicious and become evil, while others strive to be understood and become paragons of good.

Voldur Lands: The voldur have no homeland, and they are never welcome in the lands of either of their parent races. Therefore, most wander.

Religion: Many voldur blame the gods for what they see as their own abominable birth, and refuse to worship them or even acknowledge them. Voldur clerics are incredibly rare.

Language: Voldur are generally fluent in whatever languages they encounter most while traveling, which almost always includes common.

Names: Voldur names generally combine an element of elvish grace with orc roughness. They usually only have first names, since there really aren't any "elf and orc" families for them to attribute surnames to.

Male Names: Elkar, Skornhel, Volskan, and Ketheryl.

Female Names: Velandra, Kajyar, Thelka, and Merrivun.

Adventurers: Voldur adventurers adventure to find a place where they are accepted and more directly, to take out the incredible amounts of aggression they possess.

Voldur Racial Traits
  • +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma. Voldur are as graceful as elves and almost as strong as orcs, but their detachment makes it both hard for them to notice things and pay attention, and hard for people to really like them.
  • Medium. As medium creatures, voldur have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Voldur base land speed is 30 feet.
  • Low-Light Vision: A voldur can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
  • Steel Wind: A voldur can use the steel wind maneuver as a warblade with levels equal to his HD. This means that, as standard action, the voldur can make two attacks at his highest base attack bonus, but against two different foes that he threatens. The voldur can recover this maneuver (gain the ability to use it again) as a move action.
  • Elven and Orcish Blood: For all effects related to a race, a voldur is considered both an elf and an orc.
  • A voldur gains a +2 racial bonus on all Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks.
  • Favored Class: Warblade. If you aren't playing with Tome of Battle in your campaign, change its favored class to Ranger.


-----------

Voldur Paragon

The voldur paragon exemplifies the wandering warrior, distant but beautiful in his own right, and incredibly deadly.

Adventures: A voldur paragon adventures to find a homeland, to find friends, and to prove himself to the races that scorn him.

Characteristics: The voldur paragon is a deadly combatant, but for ranged combat and up close.

Alignment: Most voldur paragons are neutral. 

Religion: Few voldur paragons worship deities, as they see themselves as having been abandoned by them.

Background: Voldur paragons are the voldur who strive to better themselves beyond what the rest of the world has come to see them as.

Races: Voldur only, obviously.

Other Classes: Voldur paragons have trouble relating to other classes simply because voldur are bad at relating to people in general.

Role: The voldur paragon is a front line combatant, although he can be deadly with a bow as well.

Adaptation: Whatever role the voldur race fills in your campaign setting is the role the voldur paragon will fill

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Voldur Paragons have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Strength and dexterity are the voldur's most important abilities, strength because he likes to deal damage, and dexterity because he can't wear medium or heavy armor.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10
Starting Age: As fighter.
Starting Gold: As fighter.

Class Skills
The Voldur paragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Climb, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Tumble.

Skill Points at First Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Voldur Paragon
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|Divided Ancestry, Darkvision

2nd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Hybrid Vigor

3rd|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Ability Boost[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Voldur paragons are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (but not tower shields).

Divided Ancestry (Ex): Unlike other racial paragons, voldurs can take levels in more than one racial paragon class. After gaining at least one level as a voldur paragon, a character can take either elf paragon levels or orc paragon levels (but not both).

Darkvision: At 1st level the voldur paragon gains darkvision 60 feet.

Hybrid Vigor: At 2nd level the voldur gains the elve's immunity to magic sleep. In addition he gets a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against Daze, Exhaustion, Fatigue, Paralysis, and Stunning.

Ability Boost: At 3rd level the voldur grows into the full power of his orc ancestors, gaining an additional +2 bonus to strength or dexterity (his choice).