Hi folks,
I had a neat idea for a character based on a valkyrie of Norse mythology. The trouble is I'm not entirely sure how best to go about representing one using the D&D classes.
Fighter or paladin seems like the most likely choice for class. I can see "choosing who lives or dies on the battlefield" as fitting with the avenger paladin subclass. Paladins can also get the find steed spell at 5th level, which would be cool to have.
That being said, I could also see the valor bard working well for this concept too. I can see a valkyrie being something of a 4e-style warlord. Maybe even the battle master fighter or war cleric. A lore bard could get find steed via the magical secrets thing, but I'm not sure how fitting Lore bard would be.
The character would be 9th level, so I've got some room to play around.
Anyone got any suggestions?
The character's name will be Val, of course.
Cheers,
Jonathan
I think your vengeance paladin idea is probably going to come the closest to what you're describing. Maybe a little reflavouring if your DM allows it. Probably won't give you a flying horse at 5th level though. :P
Whir wrote:
Perhaps a touch of multi-classing to get the combination of abilities/talents you want between Paladins and Bards?
I'm not sure that paladin is the right way to go actually. It's really only the find steed spell that I want from that class. Valkyries aren't just known for their flying steeds but also for their association with ravens. Plus, Norse mythology is pretty primal in nature, so I'm thinking a totem barbarian could work too (refluffing "eagle" as "raven" perhaps). Throw in a bit of beastmaster ranger and she could have a raven companion she could talk to and warg into thanks to the totem barbarian's beast sense and speak with animals rituals.
The problem with find steed is that it's not only a paladin-only spell but it's also not even classed as a ritual. Find familiar is nice because you can recall a dismissed familiar without having to recast the spell. With find steed, if you were to dismiss your mount before entering a dungeon, you'd then have to cast the spell again when you came out again. It might be better just to get a real warhorse or convince the DM to let me have a pegasus.
So many choices!
The thing is: I'm no good at playing big dumb warrior brutes. I need my PCs to have some intelligence and skill to them. That's generally why I gravitate towards the rogue and bard classes. I also tend not to play single-classed characters either. I'm always multiclassing. I like versatile PCs.
EDIT: Perhaps she could be a tribal warrior who aspires to become a valkyrie! (If this was 4e, it could be her epic destiny.)
pukunui wrote:
Yeah, to be honest, the initial excitement has kinda worn off now that I've given it more thought. For one thing, we're playing through the Age of Worms campaign, and based on what we've done so far, I can't say that fighting from horseback would be all that practical. Which is not to say that she can't have a mount. It's probably just better not to make it a central part of her character - unless I make a joke out of it and make her be a halfling who rides around on a war dog or something. I'm not sure I want to do that though.
I'm actually thinking of making her a half-elf. Partly because I like half-elves, partly because they get extra skills, and partly because her elf half would help explain the otherworldly good looks I want her to have. If we were playing 3.5, I'd totally go with an aasimar favored soul, but that's not really an option here.
Excellent idea for a character !
I've found that my most memorable characters have been the ones where I started with a concept in my mind and then picked the options and choices to bring it to life as best as I could within the ruleset. I wouldn't disregard this great idea too quickly, as I'm sure there are many ways to make it work. I've also been fortunate to have a DM that allowed me a bit of creative license with concept/flavor aspects of a character provided that it didn't make the character mechanically superior as a result, or at least balance any small advantage with an equal measure of limitation for balance.
I hope you persue this great concept. I'd like to see what you come up with. I also think we'll see aasimars as a race in the not too distant future. 
No, I don't think I'll give up on it, but I may have to shelve it for later. For one thing, I'm not sure the concept is all that feasible for the campaign I'm in, and for another, the campaign may be ending soon, so I may just wait and see if it would work better for whatever we do next.
What about a Warlock? Fiend or Fey, maybe for a home game reflavouring their spell lists.
Chain Pact replacing Pseudodragon with a Horse or if the DM is really friendly a Pegasus. Possibly levels 1-5 your familiar can transform into a horse and regular familiar forms (no Pseudodragon, Quasit, Imp etc), Levels 6+ Your Horse is revealed as a Pegasus.
The Norse Fey (Replaces the Archfey spells)
Level 1- Sleep, Heroism
Level 2- Calm Emotions, Find Steed
Level 3- Blink, Phantom Steed
Level 4- Dominate Beast, Death Ward
Level 5- Dominate Person, Seeming
Level 9 possible Valkyrie
Chain Pact (DM's fiat Riding Horse or Pegasi if really generous)
This could mean that you may swap out Phantom Steed and Fly, possibly for: (Blink or Remove Curse) and Fear
Eldritch Blast, Chill Touch, True Strike
1- Heroism, Hex, Armor of Agathys, (Find Familiar)
2- Mirror Image,
3-Phantom Steed, Fly, Dispel Magic
4- Death Ward,
5- Dominate Person, Hold Monster
Agonising Blast, Ascendant Step, Devils Sight, Eldritch Spear, Voice of the Chain Master (maybe replace one of those invocations with Whisper of the Grave)
Blade Pact possibility
Eldritch Blast, Chill Touch, True Strike
1- Heroism, Hex, Armor of Agathys
2- Mirror Image, Find Steed
3-Fear, Fly, Dispel Magic
4- Death Ward,
5- Hold Monster
Agonising Blast, Ascendant Step, Devils Sight,Thirsting Blade, Whispers of the Grave
The Norse Fiend (replaces the Fiends expanded spells)
Level 1- Command, Thunderwave
Level 2- Blindness/Deafness, Find Steed
Level 3- Stinking Cloud, Phantom Steed
Level 4- Fire Shield, Wall of Fire
Level 5- Hallow, Legend Lore
I was actually considering warlock. Decent combat ability plus a limited number of spells. Some of the invocations would be cool too, like the one that lets you speak with animals at will. The trouble with ravens is, while they're thematic, they don't really have any mechanical advantages. No darkvision or keen senses. Just that mimicry ability.
It's a shame there's no celestial pact for warlocks. There was a celestial-themed prestige class for warlocks in 3.5. I'll have to have a look at it and see if could be adapted to 5e as a warlock subclass.
I think the pegasus is a celestial, so you could summon one as a war cleric.
Modify in a home game
The Norse Fey (Replaces the Archfey spells)
Level 1- Sleep, Heroism
Level 2- Calm Emotions, Find Steed
Level 3- Blink, Phantom Steed
Level 4- Dominate Beast, Death Ward
Level 5- Dominate Person, Seeming
Replace Sleep with Speak with Animals
Jobs a good one :-)
Vallyries are the Choosers of the Slain, they are the ones who pick heroes. Their Patrons would be Gods of Death and Battle. In Norse mythology, Odin was served by the Valkyrie and he received half of the slain, the other half (and the pick of the crop) went to Freyja. One of her titles was Valfreya, she had the first choice in all battles and her leavings went to the Allfather Odin.
Fey Presence- Charm/Fear would be an effect that the Valkyrie would use. Plus the other features are relevant (so a slight mod, rather than reinvent the wheel).
A Possible Celestial Spell List could be:
Level 1- Cure Wounds, Heroism
Level 2- Calm Emotions, Zone of Truth
Level 3- Sending, Daylight
Level 4- Death Ward,, Freedom of Movement
Level 5- Hallow, Planar Binding
Using ArchFey or Fiend Features- thats a fast and dirty way of modding, which would be fine for a home game.
I did some more research into valkyries last night. Depending on what sort of valkyrie you're going for (the stereotypical but historically inaccurate Amazonian warrior woman or the more sinister Norn-like angel of death), either a paladin with the Oath of Vengeance or a warlock with a fey pact (modified or not) would be most fitting. The trouble is, I think I may have already played a valkyrie without realizing it. When I first joined the group, they were in the closing stages of a long-running 4e campaign. My character was an epic-level avenger with blond hair, a big sword, and winged boots.
I'm not sure I want to play that same character again (more or less) with the same group. I was talking to the DM yesterday about it, and he said that he's going to ask everyone at the next session whether we want to continue the current campaign all the way to 20th level or finish up in the next few sessions when we hit 10th level. If the group votes for going all the way to 20, I might go ahead and swap out my halfling rogue/bard/sorcerer for a valkyrie-type character. If we start over with a new campaign, I think I'll try something different. I've been wanting to play an archer for a while now too.
EDIT: I've just realized that I've already used bits and pieces of this concept twice with the same group. LOL. After the 4e campaign finished, we took a brief sojourn back to AD&D 1e and the Against the Slavers Greyhawk module. I played a Frost barbarian cleric named Valkyrja or "Val" for short. Ha!
pukunui wrote:
Akeisha wrote:
pukunui wrote:
First thing that pops to my mind for this type of character is a Thunder Cleric. Decent combat ability, heavy armour. And, you know, flight at level 17.
Tempest cleric would be fun, Valkyrie of Thor, and at lvl 18 or 19 you can fly so you would be a true Valkyrie.
I generally prefer the more classical valkyrie look ~ no wings on either the woman or her horse ~ so the tempest cleric's flight ability is fitting since it doesn't involve sprouting wings. I'm not sure about the rest of it though. You can also get short-term flight without wings by going totem barbarian and picking the highest-level eagle ability. The avenging paladin, on the other hand, offers flight but it comes with wings. Hmm.
The thing is, though: can valkyries actually fly by themselves, or is it just their steeds that can fly (with or without wings)? Traditionally, I'd say it was just the latter but you never know. I suppose it's more D&D-ish to let the valkyrie herself fly (with or without wings).
EDIT: By Odin, I think I've got it! How about a cleric with a customized domain? Valkyries were classically depicted as the "adopted daughters" of Odin. The list of deities in the back of the PHB lists Odin as the god of knowledge and war (with knowledge and war being his domains). What about a "valkyrie" domain that cherry-picks from the Knowledge, Tempest and War and has a customized domain spell list that includes find steed?
Like so:
Valkyrie Domain Spells
1st bane, divine favor
3rd augury, find steed
5th ..., ...
7th ..., ...
9th ..., ...
Benefits
1st Bonus Proficiencies + War Priest
2nd Channel Divinity: Guided Strike
6th Channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages
8th Divine Strike (except maybe make the extra damage necrotic to go with the whole "chooser of the slain" idea?)
17th "Stormborn"
How about a Cleric with a customised spell list? They choose Knowledge or Tempest or War. Maybe the level 17 ability for all is Stormborn.
Maybe the mix and matching is with the spell lists?
Valkyrie Domain Spells
1st bane, divine favor
3rd augury, find steed
5th Sleet Storm, Speak with Dead
7th Confusion, Freedom of Movement
9th Legend Lore, Raise Dead