I haven't hopped onto Warframe in a while, but I'm still a fan of the series and its characters at the very least. Trying to build them is an interesting task given that they are a mesh of highly advanced technology and alien flesh who wield an arsenal of firearms. Normally they'd be too far out of left field to be buildable in Pathfinder, but some of them are themed around the use of more archaic weapons. This makes it easier to create a build for those particular characters and gives me a chance to tap into a fun cast of characters. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Ivara from Warframe!
IVARA
CHARACTER Ivara
SOURCE Warframe
BUILD GOALS
o Ivara is a Warframe known as the Huntress who was tested against a fearsome predator and alone emerged victorious
o Uniquely, her blueprints are acquired from Spy missions
o Her design is inspired by poison frogs while the design of her Prime variant is based on jellyfish. Understandably, she is associated with the toxin element
o For her passive, Ivara has an innate radar that allows her to detect and determine the position of enemies
o Quiver allows her to cycle through four types of arrows that she can fire. The cloak arrow renders allies within invisible, dashwire arrows anchors to a point and creates a zipline, noise arrow emits a sound that attracts enemies, and sleep arrow puts enemies in an area to sleep
o Navigator allows Ivara to assume control of a projectile that she fires at an enemy, steering its flight
o Prowl renders Ivara invisible and allows her to steal loot from enemies that she is close to and enhances her headshots
o Artemis Bow summons Ivara’s eponymous exalted weapon that fires a spread of powerful arrows
o Ivara naturally possesses mod slots with the Naramon polarity, which tend to be utility and miscellaneous mods
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Technological Fleshwarp
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Constitution, +Dexterity
o Ancestry Feat: Deepvision
Background: Spotter
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Stealth (trained), Scouting Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Terrain Stalker – Underbrush
Class & Subclass: Precision Edge Ranger
o Class Ability Boost: +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Athletics (trained), Crafting (trained), Nature (trained), Occultism (trained), Society (trained), Survival (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Class Feat: Gravity Weapon
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10)
The best ancestries to represent Warframes is android or fleshwarp depending on the needs of the build. For Ivara and her enhanced perception abilities demonstrated by her passive, fleshwarp ends up working out better with the technological heritage representing her robotic components. The spotter background further plays into that aspect of the character, but another concept I considered was something similar to a spy background, referencing her blueprints being acquired from Spy missions. Ranger is going to allow Ivara to make the best use of the bow, her iconic weapon, with the precision edge fitting the enhanced headshot damage she gains from her Prowl ability. Precision edge is also going to fit better with some of the later choices made as part of the build. She takes Gravity Weapon for her class feat as none other quite fit her build. Hunted Shot is good for the bow, but isn’t a solid fit for a precision ranger.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Hunter’s Aim
o Skill Feat: Pickpocket
o Gear: ring of discretion
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Stealth (expert)
o Gear: +1 longbow, ring of discretion, stalk goggles
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Far Shot
o Skill Feat: Subtle Theft
o Gear: bracelet of dashing, +1 longbow, Jack’s tattered cape, ring of discretion
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 14, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 10)
o Ancestry Feat: Uncanny Awareness
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained), Thievery (expert)
o Gear: +1 striking composite longbow, bracelet of dashing, bracers of missile deflection, Jack’s tattered cape, ring of discretion, stalk goggles
Hunter’s Aim matches the precision you’d expect from a sniper like Ivara. Far Shot is useful for extending her range but isn’t meant to replicate anything specific to the character, which takes a while to really get going. For her skills, she invests heavily into Stealth and Thievery, with skills as well, to match her Prowl ability and the stealing aspect of it. Fleet is mainly intended to allow her to Sneak a bit farther since Sneaking halves a character’s Speed. Uncanny Awareness from her ancestry feat matches the natural radar ability Ivara is granted by her passive.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Eldritch Archer Dedication
o Skill Feat: Catfall
o Gear: +1 leather, +1 striking composite longbow, hunter’s arrowhead, bracelet of dashing, Jack’s tattered cape, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Feather Step
o Skill Increase: Stealth (master)
o Gear: stag’s helm, +1 leather, shadow armor rune, +1 striking composite longbow, bracelet of dashing, bracers of missile deflection
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Magic Arrow
o Skill Feat: Swift Sneak
o Gear: cloak of elvenkind, spiritsight ring, stag’s helm, +1 leather, +1 striking composite longbow, hunter’s arrowhead
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Slip the Grasp
o Skill Increase: Thievery (master)
o Gear: +1 resilient leather, cloak of elvenkind, ethersight ring, stag’s helm, lesser boots of free running, +1 striking composite longbow
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 12)
o Class Feat: Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Foil Senses
o Gear: greater shadow armor rune, +1 resilient leather, major stalk goggles, boots of bounding, stag’s helm, +1 striking composite longbow
This block provides a solid dive in nailing the other aspects of Ivara’s character starting with the Eldritch Archer Dedication, which allows her to cast attack spells through her arrows. She’ll start with phase bolt for her cantrip given its ability to bypass barriers, calling to mind her Navigator though another method further explores that later. Magic Arrow is a particularly big get for her as this provides several types of ammunition that she can turn her arrows into, based off of her Quiver ability. A sleep arrow covers the sleep effect, ranging shot creates an audible sound similar to the noise arrow, but she’ll have to rely on a spare crossbow and a climbing bolt for her dashwire arrow. Not all of these are in the allowed books, meaning that this aspect of the build will require the GM’s permission. Basic Eldritch Archer Spellcasting gives Ivara some additional spells to make use of. She’ll grab shocking grasp for some extra damage, invisibility to reflect her Prowl, and haste because if you aren’t zooming in Warframe, you aren’t playing Warframe. Ivara continues to invest in Stealth and Thievery but takes a quick Catfall mostly because of the lack of fall damage in Warframe. Slip the Grasp is another ability not meant to resemble a specific aspect of the character but might be handy for her.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Thorough Search
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Gear: +2 striking composite longbow, greater shadow armor rune, greater bracers of missile deflection, +1 resilient leather, boots of bounding, ethersight ring
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Expert Eldritch Archer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Quick Jump
o Gear: +2 resilient armor, +2 striking composite longbow, greater invisibility armor rune, greater shadow armor rune, major stalk goggles, shock weapon rune
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Augment Senses
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (expert)
o Gear: +2 greater striking composite longbow, +2 resilient leather, moderate boots of free running, greater invisibility armor rune, greater shadow armor rune, greater bracers of missile deflection
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Seeker Arrow
o Skill Feat: Powerful Leap
o Gear: boots of speed, +2 greater striking composite longbow, greater quick runner’s shirt, +2 resilient leather, greater clandestine cloak, greater invisibility armor rune
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Dexterity, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 14)
o General Feat: Incredible Scout
o Skill Increase: Stealth (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient leather, boots of speed, bag of holding (type IV), +2 greater striking composite longbow, moderate boots of free running, ring of maniacal devices
Expert Eldritch Archer Spellcasting expands her repertoire with acid arrow for obvious reasons, invisibility sphere for the cloak arrow of her Quiver, and chromatic ray so she at least has a chance at dealing poison damage in a tiny nod to her toxin progenitor element. Seeker Arrow specifically fills the role of her Navigator with its ability to travel around corners and ignore cover and concealment. Following her full investment in Stealth and Thievery, Ivara starts looking towards Athletics and Acrobatics for the classic leaping and grace of a Warframe. There’s an argument to be made to prioritize Athletics for the sake of Wall Jump, but Acrobatics felt more appropriate for Ivara. Augment Senses and Thorough Search further expand on Ivara’s passive with the ability to enhance her perceptive abilities.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Penetrating Shot
o Skill Feat: Legendary Sneak
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding, bag of holding (type IV), +2 greater striking composite longbow, greater cloak of elvenkind
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Eerie Compression
o Skill Increase: Thievery (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater striking composite longbow, greater shock weapon rune, dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient leather, boots of speed, bag of holding (type IV)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Impossible Volley
o Skill Feat: Tumbling Theft
o Gear: pilferer’s gloves, +3 greater striking composite longbow, speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient leather, greater boots of bounding
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: True Perception
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (master)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient leather, pilferer’s gloves, major shadow armor rune, +3 greater striking composite longbow, greater shock weapon rune, greater thunderblast slippers
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 16)
o Class Feat: Master Eldritch Archer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Legendary Thief
o Gear: +3 major striking composite longbow, +3 greater resilient leather, mercurial mantle, greater boots of free running, speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune
The specific augment mods can be difficult to replicate given their specificity from time to time, but the choice to take Penetrating Shot is a small shoutout to Ivara’s Piercing Navigator mod, which increases crit chance against subsequent targets and adds additional punch through on her attacks. While the general wielding of a bow and spell effects are a good stand-in for her Artemis Bow, the Impossible Volley feat specifically reflects the array of arrows that it launches with each shot. Finally, she rounds out her spellcasting with Master Eldritch Archer Spellcasting to enhance targeting abilities with true target and another attack spell with polar ray. Ivara completes her investment in Thievery and Stealth and takes one more step in Acrobatics as she feels more acrobatic than athletic. This makes her better at Tumbling Through so that she can make use of Tumbling Theft, a fun feat that hasn’t been used in one of these builds before and fits in with her Prowl.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Aside from the obvious choice of the Eldritch Archer Dedication, a solid secondary option for Ivara is the Rogue Dedication. This can help her further play into a sniper role with Sneak Attacker taking advantage of her stealthy talents. Skill Mastery is another very solid feat for her, allowing her to get to master proficiency in Athletics so that she can pick up Wall Jump – as any self-respecting Warframe should. With the freed up feats that Ivara gains, solid ranger feats for her to pick are Double Prey, which she can take advantage of with feats such as Penetrating Shot and Impossible Volley. Other good choice for her include Skirmish Strike, Camouflage, and Shadow Hunter. Further building out of Double Prey into Shared Prey and Triple Threat could also work for the build. Alternatively, a Poisoner Dedication could be a nice reference to her progenitor element and her poison tree frog/jellyfish inspirations.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Known as the Huntress, Ivara is represented as a ranger who uses the extra damage of the precision edge to signify the extra damage she gets to headshots from her Prowl ability. Hunter or some sort of spy-related background could reflect her character, since her blueprints are acquired from Spy missions, but spotter is a good shoutout to her passive radar ability. She further explores this with feats such as Uncanny Awareness, True Perception, and Augment Senses. Ivara uses the Magic Arrow feat from her Eldritch Archer Dedication to gain several of her arrows from her Quiver – specifically dashwire, noise, and sleep – before relying on one of the spells she gains, invisibility sphere, for her cloak arrow. Seeker Arrow covers the effects of her Navigator with its augment mod having a small reference in Penetrating Shot. Ivara’s investment in Stealth and Thievery, both in proficiency and skill feats, allows her to sneak around and steal loot from enemies, as per Prowl. For her Artemis Bow, which fires a spread of powerful arrows, Ivara uses Impossible Volley.
Lemme know what you think and what other builds you would like to see!
If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerds, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog and are trying to get some milestones made up for. Next week, I hope you will power through the build I have because it should be a fun one!
Have a fantastic Friday!
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