Who Is Volo in D&D? (His Creator Tells All)

Download and use the 5e-compatible D&D spells used by Volo, handcrafted by Ed to go along with this video: / volos-spells-1-82538698
Traveler, Storyteller, Mage, Scamp. Volothamp Geddarm is many things, but boring is not one of them.
Many have contributed to Volo throughout the years, and there is much to be said about this treasured mischief maker. Listen as Ed Greenwood details one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most beloved characters and the Forgotten Realms’ most prolific guide! Ed Greenwood’s Guide to Volo!
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[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Leave a comment to let us know if you decided to download Volo's spells and cantrips! I'd love your feedback and to hear about whether you plan to use them in your home game. :}

[@IamGruntonHGH]

Flatus Nullifier - Yes Please

[@helixxharpell]

Would Volo have somehow "borrowed" the floating page spell from a long-forgotten Netherese tomb? 🤔 😉 I've already written the spell into my "Valley of the Six Winds" campaign. 😉

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

@@helixxharpell Quite possibly! Volo IS more of an adaptor than a creator...

[@helixxharpell]

@@edgreenwoodofficial I say this at the risk of the warlock in the party seeing the post then asking me, "I want to know more about the floating page spell." 🤣 Seriously tho. I remember a blurb years ago about "Sardra's Chaining Spell" but it was under another name. 🤔 Ed.. They go up to the valley not knowing what's about to happen. 😲

[@sosrope3420]

Downloaden and shalt peruse!

[@Scott.webb64]

Volo being an unwitting chosen and weave anchor is awesome and makes how he acts (and always survives) in his portrayal so far in BG 3 even more hilarious.

[@snonyabeeswax]

volo doesnt seem totally dumb either hes likely smart enough to flatter someone to nit kill him XD

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

​@@snonyabeeswaxHave you been Volobotomized yet?

[@highdefinition450]

i mean the goblin camp is nothing for him lol

[@Nanomachinesson9094]

@@nathanfivecoate5848 yes, yes I did. and he gave me a new better eye and I can see invisibility. win for me.

[@gerihuginn2143]

I killed him by mistake in Act 3 . Blew him up.

[@L4NC3_L0T]

I love how old manuals of the first Baldurs Gate games had annotations by Volo wich in turn had corrections by Elminster whenever Volo missed something or got something wrong (as in: practically always ;) "I prefer to avoid violence,myself."-Volo "Perhaps because everyone you meet tries to direct their violence in your direction."-Elminster

[@rpgmatch5726]

Greenwood's guide to Volo? So meta - I love it.

[@leandrochavez6480]

Then comes the biography Volo's Guide to Greenwood: The truth.

[@go-nogo1475]

@@leandrochavez6480 "Greenwood: The Over-Drinks Discussion of Ed, by the Elminster & Volo. Without Ed."

[@SageSaga25]

Volo writing Chapbooks makes a lot of sense- I feel like, since Elminster is frequently editing his work, and with Volo's propensity for blunders, I expect on several occasions Elminster has sat down to read a Volo book to edit only to realize he was given the wrong book. My personal favorite go to Chapbook title is Wanderlust.

[@chaos9059]

So basically Volo writes smutty fanfiction and sells it? . This is either glorious or gloriously bad .

[@rknowling]

@@chaos9059 They charge you more to be gloriously bad! :P

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

I love how, when talking about the "uplifting" tomes, the younger man is laughung like he's trying not to think about being demonitized, while the elder is expounding with the confidence and frankness of one who long ago did away with his last darns.

[@KaleidoscopeofBrilliance]

Volo poked my eye out.

[@WolfheartFPS]

Quite literally the best channel on the tube!

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Thank you! I'm glad to share a mutual love of "The Gate" with the Wolfpack!

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@edgreenwoodofficial It’s good to hear it from the author himself.

[@pizzaa_party]

Im going to cry, my life is complete

[@fornax4676]

I wasn’t prepared to learn the fact that Volo is secretly a Chosen of Mystra but I 110% was NOT prepared for some of his best sellers being Nymphs in Need (of my Embraces) and Shalana Slides on the She-Dragon's Scales

[@Briandnlo4]

Volo is the guy who checks every seat, in every outhouse, every time, for gooseberry jelly.

[@pelijer]

I still use my copies of Volo's Guide to the North, and the Sword Coast, from '93 and '94. Just fantastic stuff!

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

I will do more. They are SO much fun to do!

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Everybody does. Volo is the Marco Polo of the Realms. Half of what he writes is true, but the other half, may be not so much…

[@RealSaintB]

I'm also using info from old Volo's Guides for my campaigns.

[@lixnix2018]

I love Volo especially the version in bg3 I love what Larian made out of him

[@TheDrudgenator]

Loved reading Balthazar’s personal diary talking about being up to date on current events and says “must keep up to date with the last 100 years, not Volo, better an eternity of ignorance” 😂😂

[@lixnix2018]

@@TheDrudgenator I do love the volo notes in dnd books

[@Baraz_Red]

Ah, I knew it. I often commented how Volo logically has a mystical or supernatural blessing needed to explain his survival, incredible travelling, and crazy luck (considering he is never portrayed as a powerful caster and often even appears low level in many games :P).

[@Grinding4Gems]

How does Greenwood not have more followers? We have to get his numbers up folks!

[@gabrielponche]

We need hour-long videos! can't get enough of Ed's insights into the Forgotten Realms. Which I discovered when I bought Neverwinter Nights all those years ago when I was a kid.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Longer versions of almost all of my videos are on my Patreon. Sometimes we talk for hours.

[@PeruvianHeadShrinker]

I can confirm that the Patreon posts are WORTH IT. The depth of Ed's lore is unreal. It's like a font of richness and imagination that never ceases.

[@coyoboyo]

I'd to listen Ed tell tales of the Forgotten Realms or read us some kind of story any day.

[@mojoschmee9320]

I've been chasing Volo through campaigns for over thirty years... After seeing this, I wish I could go back and do it all over again.

[@wesleygibson5546]

Am I the only who's disappointed that Larian didn't have Ed voice Elminster or Volo

[@KarlKapo]

Yes. Volo in game is good tho

[@Gnight787]

Learning this after playing BG3, volo was one of my favorite characters and I was wondering, because he makes an off hand comment about being like 150 years old, how? Now I know! So glad to be a Patron, thanks Ed and team!

[@trevorloken2164]

Volo is actually a major supporting character in my Undermountain game I'm running. He's accompanied the PCs into the dungeon to help him research his newest book and has even managed to deliver the killing blow to no less than two dragons, which he now endlessly brags about. We often joke that Volo has plot armour as he seems to somehow be seriously injured far less than any of the PCs who have much better AC. So it was hilarious to me to learn that he's a Chosen of Mystra and there's actually a Realmslore reason for this. I'm definitely going to use these spells in the game, as well of the information gleaned from this video. Thanks for posting it!

[@thisscreensucks]

Letting an NPC outshine the heroes......odd choice.

[@GomulDart]

@@thisscreensucks It's pretty common actually. I've run many games in my day and 8/10 of those games had a NPC that is either a little OP or has some special moments, while getting dragged around by the players. The NPC is like a mascot + follower. Keeps the morale up. But the most important part is it's a handy self insert for the DM. Useful with new parties who still need a lot of guidance. It can bring people out of it if your DM is just guiding you through the whole encounter. But when DM can insert as a NPC it gives them more room to create new stories and help players along the way without interfering directly

[@ivoryinkwell7864]

The fact that Volo spent some time as a frog in Elminster's garden and that Laerel Silverhand likes frogs makes me think there might be a bit of a connection there.

[@spiderpsycho_8887]

We had Volo in our Tomb of Annihilation game. We rescued him from pirates and later uh... Accidentally killed him. He did write a book about our exploits though since he had a clone. However uh, we all died.

[@BigbyOShaunessy]

Another Volo’s Guide would be nice. But the world needs a collection of Volo’s erotica to be published.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

LOL! That would be fun to write, but I have a sneaking feeling it would swiftly be repressed. Watch DM's Guild, because Volo's Guide to Ormpur is on the way!

[@LuvboneX]

I still think that the "Volos Guides" books were some of the most amazing supplements to D&D. I used to have a print of Volos Guide to the Swordcoast that I bought in a secondhand book store and it was so full of characters and adventurehooks that you could use in your game that it was mindblowing. I recommend them to anyone who struggles with coming up with NPCs or how to get your players involved in an adventure.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

I'm writing new ones! Volo's Guide to Ormpur is coming to DM's Guild, and there will be others...

[@LuvboneX]

@@edgreenwoodofficial Im looking forward to it!

[@kishinasura1989]

Me and my friends love Volo in fact my Merc character that runs a adventures guild gave Volo a infinite tab and just loves chilling with him when he's in town

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Volo's Guide To Ormpur will be coming out (on the Guild) when it's ready.

[@lucaswyattjackson]

"recklessly indiscreet" Volo must be a member of a DnD party.

[@Ofley_Adventures]

Volo is my favorite character in the Forgotten Realms by far. Thank you mister Greenwood for providing such an amazing twist and personality to the storyteller archetype. Have a fantabulous day everyone! Thanks for the vid.

[@bladeofhel]

I'd really love to see a video concerning Ed's own in lore self and his connection to the Realms. I always loved that aspect of the Realms, and things like the stone of thoughts in Volo's head make me think about questions like "does in lore Ed also know this?", "how would he have learnt it?". "does he have a way to tell Volo?", and "would he tell Volo?"

[@NoahStavish]

This was all great info to hear. I'm working on a 5e setting guide to Amn for the DM's Guild and was planning on using Volo as the narrator.

[@StabYourBrain]

That way it wouldn't even be off-brand if you got something wrong lol

[@NoahStavish]

@@StabYourBrain Amn has also barely been touched as setting since the Spellplague. Maztica has returned too. So we're able to come up with a lot of our own lore over the past century, including a few gameplay systems that we're experimenting with as we warp real world examples of European colonialist empires with the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires that seem to have inspired a significant portion of Amn.

[@greygubbins3666]

Mystra is to Voldemort as Volothamp is to Harry Potter. That's wild.

[@ally4800]

Titles of volo's saucy literature has me in stitches!

[@EvelynNdenial]

the guardian angel bit would be a fantastic easter egg in bg3 if they add a see invisibility or true sight spell to the game.

[@johngleeman8347]

Those are some good tidbits I didn't know about that wonderful rascal. Thanks!

[@sirwilliam4128]

@Ed Greenwood thank you 😊 so much for doing these videos❣️‼️

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

You're very welcome! I have so much fun doing them!

[@yokothespacewhale]

5:40 I saw a really cool snake at that bog once and am reminded of it every time I hear the name. You should check out volo bog if you ever find yourself with an abundance of free time in Chicago or Milwaukee

[@Valandar2]

For some reason... Volo and Mirt together makes me think of hijinks akin to the 90s cartoon, "Road to El Dorado". Which one is Mirt and which one is Volo would be up in the air. :D

[@oxylepy2]

Elminster's commentary on salted butter in Volo's Guide to the Dale Lands was what made me love D&D

[@GameTimeWhy]

Always nice hearing from the lore master. 😊

[@LanJemWezz]

Phenomenal. This reinforces and informs so much of what I do in my FR games where I (the DM) narrate as Volo. Thankee, El(/d)!

[@kylezehner975]

I'm running Waterdeep Dragon Heist right now and having these details from the man who wrote him is so cool! Absolutely love Ed's work.

[@TheJohtunnBandit]

I need to get into an Ed Greenwood DM campaign, I'm learning so much and what a character he is

[@jonathanfenton2601]

Volo does tend to travel a lot more than he realizes with Elminster. He just became petrified and shrank into a figurine to place in E's pocket.

[@FlyingFairyS2]

This is so unfathomably amazing, i cant believe what im hearing

[@lazydave9761]

Sa'Sani?! That just blew my damn MIND! She's in Storm of Zehir! Good lord, it's been a hot minute since I heard that name.

[@marcelo9752]

It would be so amazing to hear about the Chosen of the gods! Waiting for a full video about them

[@offspringfan100]

Awesome series! I've really been deepdiving into the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide to get perspective on the world that I'm building off of for a DnD 5e game. This has been really cool to watch and learn things that few are saying. Listening to you is like hearing a person reading a story in an interesting way and Volo is such a well designed character, he's my favorite! If you're interested in what I'm writing, I am doing a 10 year timeskip into the future after the events of the Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign I had redesigned that my irl group never finished. Basically how the world would evolve if the heroes didn't succeed in stopping the Black Spider from gaining control of the Forge of Spells. If you have any good ideas pet me know haha

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

That sounds VERY interesting. I would say that wizards and sorcerers would be gunning for the Black Spider. Desperately, as the spells they depend upon become unreliable. They'd hire adventurers as hit teams. It'd be...fun. ;}

[@Direwolf9818]

Love the fact we can meet him in BG3

[@BillAllanWorld]

This is an awesome video! Great job, Ivan and Ed.

[@andya9899]

Great video as always

[@NemoOhd20]

Fantastic. So much depth to Volo.

[@jeffreycrowder2866]

Love this series!

[@WckD135]

In my games Volo is played by beloved musician and actor Jack Black. I also usually use a famous meme of Terry Crews in golden armor as Paladin of Tyr

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Wow, Jack would find the role slimming, with all the running Volo has to do. Good choice, though!

[@DIEGhostfish]

The way tou hold to the NDAs wizards probably long ago lost the copies of if TSR even had them to hand over is incredible. Awe inspiring lawful behavior. Which is funny since Elminster is so Chaotic Good.

[@doraveloso]

I got it! Volo is the Henry Chinaski of the Realms!

[@Itachi45481]

The more I learn about Volo the more I feel obligated to write him or someone similar into a Champaign

[@zer0homer]

We desperately need updates on Vilhon Reach and Shining South!

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Full agreement from me! I've just done a Patreon post on daily stuff (social customs, cusswords, etc.) in the South, but it's time for a "who rules where, and what are they up to" level update. I'll have some fun Vilhon-related lore as a Candlekeep seminar giveaway at GenCon this year, if the gods don't prevent me...

[@Highwaym4n]

This is kindof awesome. Id entertained the notion of having Mirt act as occasional patron to my crew, and his ... "extentions" to life would mean he wasent nailed down to one specific period in 'Ruun timeline. Id had the followup idea that Volo could hire them out to 'investigate' a new creature he'd heard about, (Only for his details to be way off it it comically threatening.) BUT i had concerns with the limits of HIS time in the timeline.. But hes a weave anchor? And Mirt and He will be adventure companions in the future? Frabjous Day, mine cup overfloweth with joys unbounded... !

[@zeroanonymity9736]

Oh!! Oh that's actually really neat as a Cantrip! You could use the smell one to confuse an intercepted Spy's tipoff, negating the perfume they've been trained to recognize to denote a contact. Or someone unscrupulous could hide the aftermath of a murder, covering up the smell of blood from the other room while the guard chats with them in their entryway. Or even do the same thing for blending in as a guard of a dungeon! Use minor illusions to hide the blood and the other spell to hide its smell!

[@charlesslaton5924]

Oh gods. That poor Yuan-ti.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Heh-heh.

[@benofavalon7121]

Great video, guys 😊I still look through my Volo's Guides on occasion. Sometimes for reference, other times just for fun 😄

[@dominictaylor6759]

🎉😂ED YOU ROCK!🎉

[@AwsmNix]

I would love a campaign where Volo accidentally is the villain 😂

[@MGP2210]

17:30 Cool secret spy gem. 😮 👍👍

[@victordaveiro5191]

" My friend, every story is better with a Dragon." - Volo, Baldurs gate 3

[@djm.o.d.1]

20:15 so use that cantrip ALL the time while holding that one dagger that is really a transformed dragon

[@philipcomins106]

Plus whatever Volo's role is in the Baldur's Gate 3 game beyond what we've seen so far

[@GoldHeart180]

Hello, Mr. Ed Greenwood! Curiosity of Wolf, I subbed to your channel. 🎉🎉🎉 thank you thank you.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Thank you!!!!

[@christophermills7693]

Volo's Guide to I ticked off Elminster one time too many and he turned me into a woman by Volo

[@Andonios88]

Came for the info on Volo’s Guides, stayed for the Volo’s Novels on the extra curricular.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

I would so much like to write and publish them all...bye-bye, what little reputation I've ever had (Volo has none to lose).

[@mingbritson]

beautiful + brilliant!!!

[@longlivetherebellion7379]

love all ed does

[@magdalenavalentinastegaru8531]

Please add to list a segment about the 9 Hells.

[@natanharel]

Thank you for the video as always. I’m running Waterdeep Dragon Heist so getting to hear about Volo and what he’s like has given me some ideas. Can we get a Volo’s Guide to Volothamp Geddarm? I just want to read him talk about his personal life ad nauseam. 😂 On a more serious note, can we get more information on how divinity works in the realms? I think it would be a neat topic to talk about how the gods rise, fall, gain or lose elements of their portfolio, etc.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Great ideas, both! It'll be down the road before I do any Patreon posts on such topics, but maybe a video...

[@theophrastusbombastus1359]

I had no idea he was such a scamp! Wish id known all this before i ran the Dragon heist _Voloscamp_ he shall be froever known as now to me

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Perhaps he was really behaving during Dragon Heist because the city authorities had their eyes on him, and he knew it...

[@johngillan4475]

Thank you for your video

[@pb-bx1ll]

Great video thank you

[@torreydunn7034]

ThNks for the eye!

[@DIEGhostfish]

I do like how Volo being fallible lets people more easily choose if they want to use a given work's possible retcons or go with some other take. I know a lot of people didn't like Barghests being a punishment/hostile with Magliubiet rather than allied. But that was in a Volo's guide so it might be wrong!

[@Jerrysteward59]

19:19 this spell reminds me of that eyeball creature you encounter in the ghost house of Super Mario 64

[@roguedexx938]

Always wanted a Volo series

[@robertfoerster566]

After he stabbed my character in the eye in Baldur's gate III and failed to remove the interloper.....I'm not so sure about him! LOL

[@pizzaa_party]

My man is on youtube now too??? AAHHHHHH

[@Thespartan19]

Volo on BG3 physically looks like my 1 of my best friend, and to be honest, they are so similar personality wise too lol. He knows I'm not gonna live it down, but deep down I actually annoyingly like Volo, just like my friend Ed. Hope you guys keep your Volo. I know he's annoyingly pompous and gets you in all sorts of weird trouble, but he will grow on you.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Sorta like mold. ;}

[@infectedastronaut7733]

Do you plan on doing videos about Daurgothoth and the other chosen? I'd love to learn more about them!

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

I created in my game a plane-shifting tower that has gone haywire and moves nightly to a random location across the planes of existence. It's a scheme of Volo's, as he had it built as a research vessel but lost control of it. Right now he's stranded in one of the locations on the random travel table. Having run across it twice, my players have been sorely tempted to spend the night inside, but have yet to dare.

[@1973Washu]

volo , designed to be unlikable , but ends up as a relatable lovable rogue .

[@White_as_black]

Wizard, not rogue.

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

“Volo’s Guide to the Tomb of Horrors”. “Completely satisfied, or your money back!”

[@danielsilva-duarte571]

I really would like to see him doing some advertising of his other books. 😂

[@jayisbored]

Where can i buy a copy of "the duchess spanks back"? Definitely asking for a friend

[@chaos9059]

I Volo writes a book based on Baldur's Gate 3. What are the odds it's a chapbook? That's almost to terrible to imagine.

[@KnightoftheNightLady]

Volo sounds like a Bard instead of a wizard/mage.

[@Reddotzebra]

What exactly did Volo do to be banned from the Yawning Portal?

[@andrewz5981]

Do one on various deities!! (other than mystery)

[@andrewz5981]

Stupid autocorrect, Mystra I meant.

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

Understood. It's high time to spotlight some of the other deities in the Realms; Mystra, Lolth, Cyric, and Eilistraee seem to always get the love.

[@andrewz5981]

​@@edgreenwoodofficial

[@jesterjames7633]

lol, i can totally see volo write a corn book for bg3 that involves tentacles and mindflayers.

[@BrazenBard]

...I think my drow city watchman has first editions of some of those... chapbooks...

[@charper13126]

Weird, I can't find The Dutchess Spanks Back in my Libby app...

[@theprofessorkeen1911]

Mr. Greenwood, you are a real master of lore and story weaving. I find Volo to be just as a compelling character if not more so than Elminster. Seeing that Volo writes so much, shouldn't Oghma have an interest in him? Also I would like to hear a clarification. Does Volo actively lies in his guide books or does he do a sloppy job in his work that he misunderstands what he learns?

[@TheVRSofa]

I love ed and his way he tells his stories with such passion, the fake sound effects, the dude chatting nonsense to a made up letter and adding "WOW" and all ther pingbs from tik tok...thats cringe and we skip it. we are here for edd man. dont make this channel the same as every other one. just tik tok sounds and effects. this channel rocks for NOT being like that. keep it up and dont be lured by easy sound effects and gimmik jokes.

[@destradojo]

Did I misunderstand, or did you say he's banned from The Yawing Portal. That's where we met him in Waterdeep, and when I took a peek out of curiosity, it's apparently written into the campaign that he's hanging out there. Cheeky boy!

[@edgreenwoodofficial]

He was banned at the time he was writing Volo's Guide To Waterdeep. Hence the paucity of coverage of the Yawning Portal therein. However, things have been patched up (sort of) since.

[@RyllenKriel]

Volo is such a great foil to Elminster.

[@Mesterlock]

ahh Volo, met him in bg3, funny guy 😁