This week we celebrate our 100th blog post which is a pivotal milestone for me. Inspired by the narrative direction the Team BAJA D&D campaign has taken recently, I decided to focus more on the lore of the campaign setting during an age of constant turmoil and conflict. Check out the new page on the Empire of Azuroth for a basic history of the origin of the Warforged in Soladis, a Land of Magic.
The Warforged were first introduced in the world of Eberron, a setting set after a global war with a steampunk flair. The Eberron setting has been widely well received since its inception, players continue to play in the setting even if content has depreciated since the 5th Edition ruleset. Fans continue to clamor Wizards of the Coast for a campaign setting set in the uniquely flavored world, though no official mentions have been made except for the Eberron Unearthed Arcana documents that were first released back in 2014. The Unearthed Arcana article covered 5th edition stats for the two iconic races: Warforged and Shifters. Unfortunately, the Warforged did not receive any variations which was opposite to the established lore of multiple Warforged models.
Additionally, the Warforged were thematically a wonderful race that I incorporated into my campaign setting nearly 10 years ago with a very similar origin story but with my own twist. I played several Warforged characters in Eberron during the height of 3rd edition, even a few times using Pathfinder. After some thought since the Eberron Unearthed Arcana articles, I thought about expressing one of my favorite and thematic races under the 5th edition ruleset. Ultimately I drafted a few subraces that characterized the major varieties of Warforged found within the world of Eberron.
The Warforged
Crafted for combat, imparted with a soul, free to the winds of destiny; enter the Warforged.
Warforged Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Size: Warforged are generally broader and heavier than humans. Your size is medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Living Construct: Even though they are constructed, they are considered living creatures. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breath, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 3 hours each day. you do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
Scout
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Fleet of Foot: Your speed is 35 feet instead.
Size: You are treated as a small sized creature.
Darkvision: You gain a set of unique eyes designed to see your enemies even 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.
Stealthy: You are proficient in the Stealth skill.
Composite Plating: Your construction incorporates metal and various other materials, granting you a +1 bonus to AC.
Juggernaut
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2.
Combat Training: You are considered proficient with simple and martial weapons.
Heavy Plating: Your construction consists of the densest materials that optimizes your protection. Your AC is 18, you have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. You are considered proficient in heavy armor. You cannot remove this armor and you do not gain the benefit of armors you don but the plating itself can be enchanted.
Stable Build: You have advantage on saving throws and skill checks against effects that physically move you and/or knocks you prone.
Tactician
Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Cantrip: You learn one cantrip from the Wizard spell list.
Keen Senses: You are proficient in the Perception skill.
Tactical Knowledge: You can add double your proficiency bonus when using Intelligence checks to ascertain tactics, how mechanical or arcane systems work, and whenever you wish to recall a written or taught battle strategy.
Tactical Assistance: You can use the Help action as a bonus action.
Composite Plating: Your construction incorporates metal and various other materials, granting you a +1 bonus to AC.
Chaplain
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Chaplain’s Oath: You learn the mending and spare the dying cantrip.
Battlefield Physician: You can make a DC 15 Medicine check to ascertain the current hit points of both your allies and hostile creatures you can see within 30 feet from you.
Autonomous Stabilization: You have advantage on death saving throws.
Composite Plating: Your construction incorporates metal and various other materials, granting you a +1 bonus to AC.
Infantry/Soldier
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score and another ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Battle Ready: You are proficient with the Athletics skill.
Endurance: You have advantage on Constitution checks and Constitution saving throws against being exhausted.
Autonomous Stabilization: You have advantage on death saving throws.
Composite Plating: Your construction incorporates metal and various other materials, granting you a +1 bonus to AC.
Author’s Notes: I’ve seen several Warforged homebrew ideas circulating around the internet, in some of these variants the warforged we given more boosts with the added downside of less healing from traditional means and hit die. If we were using traditional Eberron concepts than sure that would make more sense but due to the nature of the Warforged and the fact that their souls in Soladis are made from a combination of souls and arcane energy, I believe this would facilitate a smoother connectivity with healing magic. It’s always up to the discretion of the DM to make this sort of call, but it fits more flavorfully in my campaign setting. Also because I did not impede on healing for warforged, I felt that I did not have to give more bonuses than some other homebrew concepts since there was less downside for a Warforged character.
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