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Warforged are one of the rarest races in Dungeons and Dragons. Originally created as living war machines, they have evolved into a distinct race searching for their identity, their place in the world and the meaning of life. In this article, we take a detailed look at the origins, abilities and cultural characteristics of the Warforged.
Origins of the Warforged
Warforged were originally created during the 🛒Last War of Eberron by powerful mages and craftsmen. Their purpose was to serve as tireless, battle-hardened soldiers who needed neither hunger nor sleep. After the war ended, however, the Warforged faced a new challenge: what to do in a world that could no longer see them as mere weapons, but as living beings?
This transformation from tools of war to sentient individuals is a central theme in the story of the Warforged. Many of them struggle with their identity, searching for meaning beyond combat and striving for a place in a world that often views them with suspicion and fear.
Warforged can also be used in other DnD settings besides Eberron. For example, there are great role-playing possibilities of Warforged in combination with Artificers.
Appearance
Warforged are made from a combination of metal, wood, and stone, giving them a unique appearance that is somewhere between a machine and a living creature. Their “skin” is usually a mixture of steel plates and wood, bonded together in a way that makes them surprisingly flexible while remaining sturdy enough to repel significant damage. However, players and DMs are encouraged to create and use their own Warforged designs.
- Size and Weight: Warforged are medium-sized, but they vary greatly in shape. Some can be massive, heavily armored warriors, while others are more slender and agile in build.
- Movement rate: Their standard movement rate is 30 feet, similar to most other races in D&D.
Racial Traits of the Warforged
Warforged possess a number of unique traits that set them apart from other races, both in battle and in everyday situations:
- Corporeal Adaptations: Warforged can modify and enhance their body parts as needed. This gives them some flexibility as they can adapt to different challenges and environments.
- Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2, and another ability score of your choice increases by 1.
- Age A typical Warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum life expectancy of Warforged remains a mystery; so far, Warforged have shown no signs of aging. They are immune to magical aging effects.
- Constructed Resilience You were built with remarkable resilience, which is reflected in the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against poison and are resistant to poison damage.
- You do not need to eat, drink, or breathe.
- You are immune to disease.
- You do not need to sleep, and magic cannot 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 instead of sleeping. In this state, you appear sluggish, but you are not unconscious and can see and hear as usual.
- Integrated Protection Your body has built-in layers of defense that can be reinforced with armor.
- You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.
- You can only wear armor with which you are proficient. To don armor, you must incorporate it into your body over 1 hour, remaining 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.
- As long as you are alive, your armor cannot be removed from your body against your will.
- Specialized Design You gain proficiency in one skill and one tool of your choice.
- Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Alignment and Personality of the Warforged
Warforged have no innate alignment; their perspectives and morals are strongly influenced by their environment and the experiences they have. Some Warforged develop a very strict, almost machine-like view of law and order, while others are more freedom-loving and curious.
Because of their history, many Warforged tend to have a more pragmatic and goal-oriented mindset. They can be particularly focused on tasks and often strive to find and define their place in the world.
Due to their diverse role-playing capabilities and well-distributed attributes, Warforged can take on a variety of different classes in DnD.
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