Yet Another Warforged Paragon (3.5) (PEACH)

[Solaris]

While some warforged embrace their construct aspects and others their living aspects, the true paragons of the race embrace both aspects of their being. They are living constructs, a new sort of thing both creature and creation, and they need not simply emulate the humanoid races. While they do not have much rancor for most of the humanoids, they have accepted that they are not like them and should not try to live as one of them.

Adventures: (Fluff)

Characteristics: (Fluff)

Alignment: Most warforged paragons are neutral, though they run the gamut of morals from good to evil. Few tend to be as lawful as most of their brethren, given that by their nature they are embracing a new way of thinking about their nature.

Religion: (Fluff)

Background: (Fluff)

Races: (Fluff)

Other Classes: (Fluff)

Game Rule Information
Warforged paragons have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Strength, Constitution of primary importance. Wisdom and Intelligence are helpful, but not necessary.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills
The warforged paragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int) (any), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int) (arcana), Knowledge (Int) (dungeoneering), Knowledge (Int) (tactics), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier


Warforged Paragon
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|Retooling| -

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+0

|Bonus warforged feat|+1 level of artificer

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|Ability Boost (+2)|+1 level of artificer[/table]

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the warforged paragon class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warforged paragons are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with shields.

Spellcasting: At 2nd and 3rd levels the warforged paragon gains additional infusions per day and increases in caster level as though he had gained levels in the artificer class. It does not gain any other benefits of leveling up in the class.

Retooling: At 1st level the warforged paragon undergoes a ritual to remake itself by its own design rather than that of its former masters. It can select from one of the following abilities:

- Armor Change (Ex): The warforged may change its current armor for any other single armor feat. If it does not currently have an armor feat, it can instead choose to gain one as a bonus feat (ignoring the usual restriction for first-level only).

- Meager Build (Ex): The physical stature of the warforged now lets it function in many ways as if they were one size category smaller. Whenever the warforged is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as Hide), the Warforged is treated as one size smaller if doing so is advantageous to the character. The warforged is also considered to be one size smaller when "squeezing" through a restrictive space. The warforged can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. However, the space and reach of The warforged remains those of a creature of their actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

- Multi-Armed (Ex): The warforged gains an additional set of arms that may be used normally. The Warforged gains a +4 bonus to grappling, and climbing checks. The warforged also qualifies for multi-weapon fighting feats.
The warforged can join its arms together to appear as though it only had two arms. Doing so lets it wield a weapon in its primary hand as though it were in two hands (x1.5 Str bonus to damage) and in the secondary hand as though it were in a primary hand (x1 Str bonus to damage). The warforged can also split the limbs as a free action in combat, granting it a +4 circumstance bonus to Bluff checks to feint against an opponent unaware that it had four arms.

- Multi-Legged (Ex): The warforged's legs are restructured to be more similar to an arthropod's than a humanoid's, and it gains an additional pair of legs. This increases the warforged's land speed by +20 ft and lets it calculate its carry capacity as a quadruped. The warforged also gains a +4 bonus against trip attacks and bull rush attempts.

- Powerful Build (Ex): The warforged paragon's body increases tremendously in bulk, letting it function in many ways as if it were one size category larger.
Whenever the warforged paragon is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the warforged is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him.
A warforged paragon is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A warforged paragon can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

- Replication (Su): The warforged may produce living constructs, semi-sentient variants on the warforged design. This requires a spellcaster level of 5th or higher, though the warforged paragon need not be .
Crafting a living construct is a tricky business, and requires 500 pounds of raw materials (for a Medium-sized creation), rare tinctures and admixtures costing at least 5,000 gp per Hit Dice of the creation, a Khyber dragonshard with a trapped spirit, generally of the type of creature the living construct is emulating, and a suit of mastercrafted full plate made of the appropriate materials. Assembling the body requires a DC 20 Craft (armorsmithing) check and requires the Craft Construct feat. The resulting living construct is in not beholden to you, though it does start with an attitude of friendly. It has physical stats appropriate for the creature it models with a +2 increase to Constitution and the mental stats of the trapped soul with -2 penalties to Wisdom and Charisma and a minimum Intelligence of 3. The soul is consumed wholly in the process, and the resulting living construct usually remembers nothing of its previous life.

- Shredder (Su): The warforged's fists are imbued with energies damaging to constructs and inanimate objects. It deals an a base of 2d8 + Str damage to such targets rather than the normal 1d4 + Str.

Bonus Warforged Feat: At 2nd level the warforged paragon gains a bonus feat. This feat can be any feat with the Warforged descriptor, provided the warforged paragon meets the prerequisites.

Yeah, I know I'm light on text. I figure there's been enough published already that I don't need to expound on warforged. The basic gist of the 'paragon' is that it's a warforged who's developing more into a living construct, independent of its humanoid creators and at the same time partially remaking itself in its own image. Whether or not it gets all Lord of Blades with the hatin' of the meatbags is up to the individual 'forged, but unlike the Lord they're not abandoning their living aspect to become fully construct.

Now here's the parts I'm running aground on. I want to come up with a few more options for a warforged to retool itself, and I can't really decide where I want to put their +2 ability boost. Strength seems an obvious choice, but a +2 to Charisma (representing having developed a personality and an assurance about what it is) or Wisdom (having realized the nature of its own being and thus better able to understand everything else) is also pretty tempting.
With the Retooling, I want to avoid duplicating warforged components too much. It's mostly just customizing the 'forged, making each paragon unique.

[AugustNights]

Meager Build: The physical stature of the Warforged now lets it function in many ways as if they were one size category smaller. Whenever the Warforfed is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as Hide), the Warforged is treated as one size smaller if doing so is advantageous to the character. The Warfored is also considered to be one size smaller when "squeezing" through a restrictive space. The Warforged can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. However, the space and reach of The Warforged remains those of a creature of their actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

Additional Limbs (Arms) The Warforged gains an additional set of arms that may be used at a -2 strength penalty. The Warforged gains a +4 bonus to grappling, and climbing checks. The Warforged also qualifies for multi-weapon fighting feats.

Additional Limbs (Arms) The Warforged gains an additional pair of Legs. This increases the Warforged's land speed by +20 ft. Also treat the Warforged as a Size larger for carrying capacity. The Warforged also gains a +4 bonus against trip attacks, and Bull-rush attempts.

Armor Change The Warforged may change any current Armor Feats he has for any other single Armor Feat.

Clank The Warforged retools itself to be closer towards constructs, it gains a +5 bonus on all prolonged tests, gains an additional 25% resistance to Sneak Attack and Critical strikes, and can no longer be healed by magical curing. The Warforged also suffers a -2 penalty to Wisdom.

Buzz The Warforged retools itself to be more human. It can be fully healed by magical curing, and requires a four hour meditation period of rest or suffer the penalties of fatigue and exhaustion, it can gain hp from this rest. It looses 25% of it's resistance against sneak attacks and Critical strikes. The Warforged gains a +5 bonus on Diplomacy checks, and disguise attempts to appear living.

Replication The Warforged may produce other Warforged. This requires a spellcaster level of 5th or higher.

Crafting a Warforged is a tricky business, and requires 5,000 pounds of raw materials, rare tinctures and admixtures costing at least 10,000 gp, and the appropriate Type of armor in full plate. Assembling the body requires a DC 20 Craft (armorsmithing) check, and requires the casting of Limited Wish.

(Some DM's may house rule that a Soul is also required, provided in the form of a dead compatriot, binding an outsider willfully or violently, or something trapped via gem or other such spells.)

Shredder The Warforged is designed to Take down constructs and inanimate things. The Warforged's slam attack deals an additional 2d8 damage to Constructs and Objects.

And... those are just a few thoughts.

[Solaris]

Meager Build: The physical stature of the Warforged now lets it function in many ways as if they were one size category smaller. Whenever the Warforfed is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as Hide), the Warforged is treated as one size smaller if doing so is advantageous to the character. The Warfored is also considered to be one size smaller when "squeezing" through a restrictive space. The Warforged can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. However, the space and reach of The Warforged remains those of a creature of their actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

I've seen this before, but can't for the life of me remember where.

Additional Limbs (Arms) The Warforged gains an additional set of arms that may be used at a -2 strength penalty. The Warforged gains a +4 bonus to grappling, and climbing checks. The Warforged also qualifies for multi-weapon fighting feats.

Hrm. Drop the -2 Strength penalty, as multi-weapon fighting's got some pretty decent penalties of its own. I can also see some kind of General Greivous thing going on, with the arms joining into a single pair. If I recall correctly, that let the droid/cyborg/thing wield a weapon in its primary hand as though it were in two hands (x1.5 Str) and in the secondary hand as though it were in a primary hand (x1 Str, not x0.5 Str). It also granted a +4 bonus on Bluff checks to feint if the droid split the limbs in combat against an opponent who didn't know it really had four arms.

Additional Limbs (Legs) The Warforged gains an additional pair of Legs. This increases the Warforged's land speed by +20 ft. Also treat the Warforged as a Size larger for carrying capacity. The Warforged also gains a +4 bonus against trip attacks, and Bull-rush attempts.

My first reaction was "Doesn't the Tauric Belt do that?" but then I got the mental image of a spider-legged warforged.
So in.
Instead of treating it as a single size larger, just calculate carry capacity as a quadruped instead of a biped. The rest stays the same, though.

Armor Change The Warforged may change any current Armor Feats he has for any other single Armor Feat.

This works, too.

Clank The Warforged retools itself to be closer towards constructs, it gains a +5 bonus on all prolonged tests, gains an additional 25% resistance to Sneak Attack and Critical strikes, and can no longer be healed by magical curing. The Warforged also suffers a -2 penalty to Wisdom.

Buzz The Warforged retools itself to be more human. It can be fully healed by magical curing, and requires a four hour meditation period of rest or suffer the penalties of fatigue and exhaustion, it can gain hp from this rest. It looses 25% of it's resistance against sneak attacks and Critical strikes. The Warforged gains a +5 bonus on Diplomacy checks, and disguise attempts to appear living.

Eh... I'm trying to avoid these, as there's already the Warforged Juggernaut and Reforged PrCs to handle a warforged going for either construct or living. With this paragon I'm trying to maintain living construct-ness.

Replication The Warforged may produce other Warforged. This requires a spellcaster level of 5th or higher.

Crafting a Warforged is a tricky business, and requires 5,000 pounds of raw materials, rare tinctures and admixtures costing at least 10,000 gp, and the appropriate Type of armor in full plate. Assembling the body requires a DC 20 Craft (armorsmithing) check, and requires the casting of Limited Wish.

(Some DM's may house rule that a Soul is also required, provided in the form of a dead compatriot, binding an outsider willfully or violently, or something trapped via gem or other such spells.)

Hrm. It takes a Creation Forge to make a warforged, but maybe adapt this to make a warforged variant - either to alter a construct into a living construct or create semi-sentient living constructs (like a warforged steed). That is a good idea, though, something I'd been contemplating. I'm thinking it'll be 5,000 gp per Hit Die rather than a straight 10,000 gp cost, helping make it more flexible with what the 'forged creates.
There's kind of a disjunction between the spell required and the caster level required. I don't want to force the 'forged to be an epic-level caster before he can start making living construct critters - I'm gonna replace limited wish with the Craft Construct feat and skip the overt spellcasting altogether. It's unusual, but then so is the rest of the warforged.

Shredder The Warforged is designed to take down constructs and inanimate things. The Warforged's slam attack deals an additional 2d8 damage to Constructs and Objects.

This's kinda interesting - and brutal in the hands of a warforged with Improved Sunder.
... Turtlefolk ninja rivals not included./badpun

And... those are just a few thoughts.

Purdy good ones too. Keep 'em coming!