Warforged

I quite like the idea of the Warforged, and the idea of them fits quite well into my Lemurian backstory. Like Eberron there was a war between the Giants and the Dragons - although I wrote that into my Lemurai background a little over 30 years ago.

So, here are rules for Warforged in Castles & Crusades along with a few rough notes fitting them into my Lemurian milieu.

The Warforged of Lemuria

Over a thousand years ago, a Great War fired up between the Chromatic Dragons and the Giants. The lesser races of Lemuria were caught in between, and those who chose not to take sides were regarded as enemies by both the Giants and the Dragons.

For over 100 years the Great War tore at the landscape of Lemuria, changing it forever. Then, the great council of Mages came upon a solution. Rather than fight these two unbeatable Armies with an almost certain chance of defeat; they would create a great Army of Magical machines to fight for them.

Using alchemical techniques all but forgotten in the modern age of Lemuria, lesser and self aware Golem that came to be called ‘Warforged’ because of their origins.

Thousands upon thousands of these ‘mechanical men’ were created, designed to fulfil almost every battlefield and mission necessity. Fighters, Wizards, Rogues, Assassins, even those with Clerical powers were created. Designed to fight not only the Dragons and the Giants; but the amassed minions in their many diabolical forms.

Another 100 years passed, and the Warforged did their job. With both the Dragon and Giant forces battered and depleted, with no will for either Army to fight on two fronts; they reached an uneasy peace. But that peace was not without its cost, certain parts of Lemuria were blasted and barren – and were no longer fit for habitation by Human or Demi-Human settlers. These great wastes (as they came to be known) became the homes for great underground repositories; which would be used for the now deactivated and unwanted Warforged.

Nearly 800 years passed the Warforged and the Great War between the Dragons and the Giants faded into the mists of Legend. A band of Adventurers, led by Baron Grath von Eltz encountered one of the great Warforged repositories. Through the ineptitude of Wizard Mannan, the Warforged there were awoken. Seeing the dawn of a new and more peaceful age, the Warforged there had to find a new purpose in life – for there was no great war to be a part of.

Over the last 10 years Warforged have become an infrequent but not uncommon sight across the Lemurian Realm; but these Warforged remain a constant reminder of that terrible time. To look upon one is to see an instrument of destruction, a heartless killing machine, a siege engine in the shape of a man. Despite the purposes for which the Mages of Lemuria built them, warforged can choose to be peaceful. When given thinking minds, Warforged were granted the ability to surpass the limited uses for which their creators had designed them.

Although tireless creations the newly awakened Warforged had become weary of war long before their forced hibernation – and many had wanted to amongst the other races. Unlike other wartime veterans, the Warforged have never known peace and have no homes to which to return. The Warforged thus live uneasily among the other races of the world, seeking to create a place for themselves in unwelcoming lands.

Warforged Rules

As a living construct, a Warforged has the following abilities.

A warforged derives its Hit Dice, base attack bonus progression, and saving throws as normal.

A Warforged Secondary Skills are worked out in the normal way, based on its age spent CONCIOUS not its age based on Hibernation period.

Traits

A warforged possesses the following traits –

Unlike other constructs, a Warforged has a Constitution score as well has Hit Dice.

A Warforged can see normally in all light conditions, its vision is impaired only in complete and utter darkness.

Because it is free-willed unlike other constructs, a Warforged is not immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities.

A Warforged has the following immunities – to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition, and energy drain.

A Warforged can heal Hit Point damage normally, either by rest, repair, or magical healing. It CANNOT heal Critical (CON) Damage naturally – only magical healing can restore a Warforged’s Constitution.

Warforged are subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, death effects, and necromancy effects.

As living constructs, Warforged can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a Warforged can be healed by a Healing spell or Mending Spell for example

The unusual physical construction of warforged makes them vulnerable to certain spells and effects that normally don’t affect living creatures. A warforged takes damage from magic that heats or cools metal as if he were wearing metal Armour. Likewise, a Warforged is affected by spells that would repel metal or stone as if he were wearing metal Armour. A warforged is affected by any magics that affect wood. The iron in the body of a warforged makes him vulnerable to rusting magic or attacks (from Rust Monsters); taking 2d6 points of damage (save to half). Spells such as stone to flesh, or those that change the shape of metal, stone or wood cannot be used on a Warforged character.

A warforged responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to half Constitution. A warforged reduced to half Con is disabled, but not unconscious as with any other living creature. He can take only a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When his Constitution is reduced to Zero, a Warforged becomes inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and cannot perform any actions. An inert Warforged does not lose additional Con points unless more damage is dealt to him, as is the case with a living creature that has become stable.

As a living construct, a Warforged can be raised and resurrected.

A Warforged does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but he can still benefit from the effects of spells and magic items that provide sustenance.

Although living constructs do not need to sleep, a warforged wizard must still rest before preparing Spells.

Warforge ability scores

STR	+2
INT	–
WIS	-2
DEX	–
CON	+2
CHA	–2

Warforged are resilient and powerful, but their difficulty in relating to other creatures makes them seem aloof or even hostile. Unlike other non-humans Warforged have three prime attributes, two may be chosen freely – the third has to be taken as Strength.

As Medium constructs, warforged have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Warforged base land speed is 30 feet.

Composite Plating
The plating used to build a warforged provides a +2 AC bonus. This plating is the natural armour or ‘skin’ of the Warforged, and is in addition to AC provided from Armour.

The Composite plating also provides a Warforged with a 5% arcane spell failure chance, giving the target of a Warforged Wizards spells a +1 Bonus to any saves vs. them.

Automatic Languages
Common, no bonus languages.

All Warforged were designed to fulfill a specific battlefield role, so they are unlimited in advancement in their chosen class. However, unlike other non-humans Warforged may not Multi-Class, nor may they dual class like Humans

Allowable Classes
Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard, and Assassin.