.Playing Vallorians

Part I of a series, "The Vallorian," by Mike Mearls

The foul Vallorians plot the doom of their hated foes from deep within the heart of the world. Using their sickening array of living weapons and armor, combined with their unparalleled aptitude for magic, they pose a daunting menace to anyone who descends into the caverns and passages of the earth. Worst of all, the Vallorians are secretive and reclusive. Aside from their raids against underworld travelers, they rarely come into contact with humans, giant, sibbecai, and other intelligent races. In many regions, they are little more than a myth.

The "Vallorian Characters" section of this article is taken from Legacy of the Dragons, now available in stores. The "Racial Class" section is all new, however, building on the concept of racial classes offered for giants, litorians, and other races in Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. Taken together these two sections can be used to create NPCs and even player characters for your Arcana Unearthed campaign. Or you could adapt these guidelines, using the optional material provided, to use in your standard d20 game even without Legacy of the Dragons.

Vallorian Characters
Vallorians tend to become mage blades, magisters, and warmains. Their priests are spellcasters, usually magisters. A few akashics serve the cult as historians and sages.

In terms of standard 3.0 and 3.5 edition rules, they commonly become wizards, rogues, and fighters. Their favored character class is wizard.

All of the following traits and abilities apply to Vallorian characters:

+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: With their slightly smaller, agile frames, Vallorians are quicker than average. With their natural affinity for magic and engineering, they are smarter than other creatures, but their cold, distant manner makes them difficult to relate to.

Spell resistance 10 + character level: Due to their arcane background and exposure to the strange elements and energies of the underworld's depths, Vallorians are difficult to affect with spells.

Magic Affinity: Vallorians are powerful spellcasters who have an innate ability to master even the most complex spells. They gain a +2 bonus to the ability score that determines their casting ability for the purpose of determining the number of bonus spells they can cast and ready per day and their spells' save DCs. This bonus does not apply to other situations or applications of the same ability score.

Vallorians have an innate connection to the bizarre, living tools they create. They can employ items that have received one of the Vallorian item templates without penalty. (See Legacy of the Dragons for more on these living tools.)

Darkvision 60 feet: Vallorians can see in utter darkness as well as other creatures see in the light. They can distinguish color and all other visible details.

As Vallorians gain power, their innate connection to magic grows and strengthens. They receive spell-like abilities based on their character level. A Vallorian gains the abilities listed for his current level and all lower ones and casts as a magister (or a wizard, in 3.0/3.5 terms) with a level equal to his character level. Since these are innate, spell-like abilities, Vallorians never suffer a chance of spell failure based on the armor they wear or shields they carry.

Use whichever one of the following lists applies to your own game.

Adjusted Level: Due to their inherent powers and abilities, Vallorians add 1 to their character level when determining their Challenge Rating and effective character level.

Racial Class
The Vallorian racial class allows you to create villains and threats who further embody this foul people's strengths and unique traits. This racial class also allows you to design low-level Vallorians whose Challenge Ratings are unaltered by their level adjustment. This class's first level offers no special abilities or bonuses aside from a basic saving throw advancement and Hit Die.

Hit Die: 1d8

Skills Points at 1st Character Level: (4 + Intelligence bonus) x 4

Skill Points at Higher Levels: 4 + Intelligence bonus

"Class" Skills: Alchemy (Int), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Magic) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and Courtesy) (Int), Knowledge (Science) (Int), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sneak (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Vallorians with levels only in this racial class are proficient in the use of all simple and martial weapons and light armors and shields.

Living Bond: By 2nd level, Vallorians develop a natural affinity for their biological tools, the living weapons, armor, and shields they wield against their enemies. A Vallorian who carries or wears a living armament or armor for a week or more develops a primal bond with it. It grows tendons and veins that it can use to graft itself to the Vallorian, granting him a +1 bonus to attack with a weapon, a +1 Armor Class bonus from a shield, and a +1 Strength bonus from a suit of armor. A Vallorian can develop a bond with one weapon, one shield, and one suit of armor at a time.

Bonded items seem to undulate and squirm when they draw near their bonded owners, while a Vallorian undergoes several changes from this symbiotic relationship. He might have dozens of tiny sphincters along his arms and spine where his living weapons integrate with his body, or he may suffer small, bleeding cuts if he drops or removes them without proper care.

Blood Bond: At 3rd level, the Vallorian can choose to cultivate an intense bond with a single living weapon, armor, or shield. He can grant it benefits by allowing it to feed on his flesh, blood, and life force. In return, he can draw on its vitality to endure his opponent's attacks.

To create a blood bond with an item, a Vallorian must enact a ritual known as the Rite of Flesh and Bone that takes a day of work and 100 gp in material components. The Vallorian spends eight hours in intense meditation with his item, slowly willing his body to form new organs and tiny orifices to allow him to accept the item as part of his physical form. The Vallorians give an item bonded in this manner a full name. It is considered a member of its owner's house and gains full legal recognition as a Vallorian citizen. For example, if a duelist sundered her opponent's blood bonded weapon in a fight, she would face the same penalties levied against a murderer. Many of the most sacred Vallorian weapons and armor pass through generations of warriors in this manner.

A Vallorian gains benefits based on the item he bonds to. If a bonded item is destroyed, he may choose to forge a blood bond with a new one, even one of a different type. For example, a Vallorian with a blood bond to a weapon could later forge a new bond with a shield if his weapon were destroyed.

The benefits granted by the living bond ability do not stack with those from a blood bond.

Weapons: The Vallorian gains a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls with his weapon. He can allow his weapon to synthesize an agonizing poison by letting it devour portions of his flesh, blood, and bone. The Vallorian suffers 10 points of damage, but his opponent must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 his HD + the Vallorian's Constitution modifier) or suffer 1d8 additional points of damage. This counts as a poison effect and requires a free action to activate. The venom retains its potency for one minute.

Shields: The Vallorian increases his shield's Armor Class bonus by 2. He also counts his shield as a light weapon when using it to attack. He may make shield bash attacks without losing his shield's Armor Class bonus.

A Vallorian can grant his shield temporary mobility and greater size by suffering 5 points of damage as it absorbs and digests his blood and flesh. The shield grows to the size of a tower shield and remains in this state for one minute. Activating this ability is a move action.

Armor: By binding his physical body with a suit of armor, the Vallorian gains a living carapace of armor. He can rest and sleep in his armor without penalty. It reinforces and strengthens his body, granting him a +1 bonus to Strength and Constitution. He counts the armor as light for purposes of determining the movement penalty it imposes on him. Reduce its check penalty by 2.

A Vallorian can metabolize part of his armor. By reducing its armor bonus by 1, he can heal 2d6 points of damage. This reduction must be repaired as normal. A Vallorian can drop his armor's bonus to Armor Class down to 1 but no lower in this manner. The drained armor looks dried, cracked, and wrinkled. It maintains its other characteristics aside from its Armor Class bonus.

The Vallorian

Part II: Vallorian Living Weapons and Armor

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