Warforged in Peacetime. The warforged pose difficult questions. What is the role of a living weapon in a time of peace? Is it possible for a manufactured thing to have a soul? What is the economic impact of warforged labor? This course explores the history and possible future of this new race.
–– Fang, Adjunct Professor of Arcane Engineering
The warforged were built to fight in the Last War. The first warforged were mindless automatons, but House Cannith devoted vast resources to improving these steel soldiers. An unexpected breakthrough produced fully sentient soldiers, blending organic and inorganic materials. Warforged are made from wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion. Built as weapons, they must now find a purpose beyond the war. A warforged can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted killing machine, or a visionary in search of purpose and meaning.
Warforged are formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials. Root-like cords infused with alchemical fluids serve as their muscles, wrapped around a framework of steel, darkwood, or stone. Armored plates form a protective outer shell and reinforce joints. Warforged share a common facial design, with a hinged jaw and crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of a warforged vary based on the purpose for which it was designed.
Although they were manufactured, warforged are living humanoids. Resting, healing magic, and the Medicine skill all provide the same benefits to warforged that they do to other humanoids.
The warforged were built to serve and to fight. For most of their existence, warforged had a clearly defined function and were encouraged to focus purely on that role. The Treaty of Thronehold gave them freedom, but many still struggle both to find a place in the post-war world and to relate to the creatures who created them.
The typical warforged shows little emotion. Many warforged embrace a concrete purpose — such as protecting allies, completing a contract, or exploring a land — and embrace this task as they once did war. However, there are warforged who delight in exploring their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships with others. Most warforged have no interest in religion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking higher purpose and deeper meaning.
The typical warforged has a sexless body shape. Some warforged ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity.
The more a warforged develops its individuality, the more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out an artificer to customize the look of its face, limbs, and plating.
Most warforged were assigned numerical designations for use in military service. Many of them adopted nicknames, often given to them by their comrades. As independent individuals, some have chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.
Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
Age. A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum lifespan of the warforged remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.
Alignment. Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality – or lack thereof – of the beings with which they served.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid. You are also considered a construct or any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be a construct, though you can still benefit from magical healing.
Size. Your size is Medium. Most warforged stand between 5 and 7 feet tall.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Constructed Resilience. You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe (but can do so if you wish.).
You are immune to disease.
You don’t need to sleep and don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion due to lack of rest, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Sentry's Rest. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
Integrated Protection. Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor.
You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you must remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
While you live, your armor can't be removed from your body against your will.
Specialized Design. You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
Age. A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum lifespan of the warforged remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.
Alignment. Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality – or lack thereof – of the beings with which they served.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid. You are also considered a construct or any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be a construct, though you can still benefit from magical healing.
Size. Your size is Medium. Most warforged stand between 5 and 7 feet tall.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Constructed Resilience. You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe (but can do so if you wish.).
You are immune to disease.
You don’t need to sleep and don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion due to lack of rest, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Sentry's Rest. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.
Integrated Protection. Your body has built-in protective layers, which can be used to determine your Armor Class. You can use your Constitution modifier in place of your Dexterity modifier to determine your AC, unless your AC already includes your Constitution modifier (such as the Barbarian’s Unarmored Defense).
In addition, when you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 15 + your Constitution or Dexterity modifier (your choice, a maximum of 2). You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Subrace. Warforged are purpose built and come in several different configurations. Choose one of the following subraces: envoy, juggernaut, or skirmisher.
As an envoy, you were designed with a certain specialized function in mind. You might be an assassin, a healer, or an entertainer, to name a few possibilities. Envoys are the rarest of the warforged subraces, and yours could be a unique design.
Specialized Design. You gain one skill proficiency of your choice, one tool proficiency of your choice, and fluency in one language of your choice.
Integrated Tool. Choose one tool you are proficient with. This tool is integrated into your chassis, and you double your proficiency bonus for any ability checks you make with it. You must have your hands free to use this integrated tool.
You’re an imposing war machine built for close combat and raw might. You tower over your comrades; juggernaut warforged stand between 6 and 7 feet in height and can weigh up to 450 pounds.
Iron Fists. When you hit with an unarmed strike, you can deal 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage, instead of the normal damage for an unarmed strike.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carry capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
You were built to scout the edges of battle and outmaneuver your enemies. You are lean and designed for speed.
Swift. Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
Darkvision. You have a form of infravision sight, enabling you to see especially well in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Light Step. When you are traveling alone for an extended period of time (one hour or more), you can move stealthily at a normal pace. (See chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook for information about travel pace.)