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Torvon
2010-11-17, 09:40 AM
Hello guys, in the next group that is going to start pretty soon I'll play something I've had in mind for several years now: a robot-healer.

That idea, applied to D&D, would be a Warforged Druid (in a sci-fi setting I might play a cyborg-doctor).

I'm decided to do that, and although there are other class- and race options to put my idea into a concept, I'll go for Warforged Druid.

Now, a picture which would describe the personality would show this mechanical being, dark sky, burned houses in a village, nobody else there; maybe he enters the village and finds it like that. And you see him carefully lifting the body of a dead child to free the last beautiful flower still intact in all the mess, watering it with care, ignoring the corpse of the boy. After all, he is dead.

Kind, empathic, soft on the one hand - to living beings, to good beings. On the other hand lacking the distinction between humans and lions, trees and children. I haven't thought about this a lot in terms of D&D, and would love to get input from you guys.

On the one hand, regarding the way to play him. Specific sayings or ideas, which would arise in a construct which was built by a Gond priest just recently, and didn't really get any kind of education (my DM will probably separate me from my "father" very early, the campaign will start on level 3 or 4). I have no idea at all about Warforged, we'll play Faerun and at least in the first levels I won't meet any other Warforged, so I don't need to know a lot about Warforged culture or things like that. But regarding the way constructs could think, could act, could build a morale, prioritize when it comes to ethical decisions, etc. Would you imagine a construct to be emotional, his soul flashing with anger when someone destroys nature? Or would you depict him as very rational being, with a strong cognitive line of argumentation behind is thinking?

On the other hand, I'd love to get input regarding the rules. I have neither played druid nor warforged before. I'm not going into hard optimizing (for a start, you wouldn't pick a race with -2 wisdom for playing a druid, ), but I don't want to take too retarded feats, either. We're going to be 4 people in the group, a psion, a shaper, a rogue (tombraider) and me, so I'm going to be the main healer in the group, but I imagine that it will also help the group to create animals to tank for us, since we lack strong melee.
As for stats, I read that wildshaping retains your 3 mental attributes, so that would mean I don't have to go hard on physical attributes for my character even if I want to do some fighting lateron, because I'll just wildshape? I'm thinking into the direction of str10 dex10 con14+2 int 16 wis18-2 cha 10-8. Maybe you also have input regarding feats. I read the druid handbooks out there, but am not really sure. I don't want to go too much into one direction (only summoning, only healing, only wildshaping).

Thank you in advance for your input

ta-ta
Eiko

Dusk Eclipse
2010-11-17, 09:46 AM
You would need to take the Iron-wood feat, to retain all your class abilities for a start... and I think there is a prestige class in Secrets of Xen'driks... Landforged walker or something like that.

..... that is all that I can remember of-hand.

Psyren
2010-11-17, 10:28 AM
Landforged Walker is indeed the poster child for robo-druids. 4/5 casting, and you can wildshape into Huge plants at the capstone.

DarkEternal
2010-11-17, 10:40 AM
There's a healer class actually that is developed entirely and totally to healing if your main thing about the character is that he's a doctor-healer.

Don't get me wrong, the healer class is pretty bad, especially compared to druid, but if you are not into optimising that much and just play for the idea of a robot going around checking other's bo-boo's, it's also a start :).

As for your first question, he could be "programmed" that way if you are going down the emotional robot path. Warforged as a whole, do have emotions(You can read about it in Races of Eberron more about some sort of a backstory) and they do go out to find themselves really.

I remember, when I was much, much, much younger an episode of Monster Rancher. There was a Golem there, a big stony like creature who was a gentle giant really. He hated violence, fighting and just took care of his garden for decades. One day some other monsters came and started to kick the crap out of him just because they were douche bags and they could. The gentle giant didn't do anything, since, like I said, he abhored violence. That is until one of the enemies stepped on a flower. Seeing this, the golem's eyes went blank and he went into "You gonna get violently sodomized" mode and went medieaval on their arse, killing every single one of them in what could only be described as an anger tantrum of epic magnitude.

So, I guess it depends. He could be a cold-rational sort, until something happens that just crosses his wires in a specific way.

Psyren
2010-11-17, 10:47 AM
Another great way to make a Warforged healer is to make him psionic. A Warforged Erudite (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060406b&page=1) can take the Life Mantle (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a) and/or dip into Sangehirn (http://69.8.198.251/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625c) for the "healing touch" ability, followed by manifesting Vigor and Body Adjustment on the party. Your free Psicrystal can also assist you in keeping people alive, then when you're bored with healing you can both morph into golems and curbstomp enemies in tandem.

You now cast off Int (your Wis and Cha penalties cease to matter), can heal yourself just as easily as others (repair damage line), and all without ASF (feel free to take Adamantine or Psiforged body instead of removing your composite plating.)

Erudite is a good fit for Sangehirn because you can continue learning powers outside the restricted Sangehirn list. Plus it's nice being a "brainy" healer; your character can be more clinical than spiritual or pious.

Sir Swindle89
2010-11-17, 10:51 AM
You would need to take the Iron-wood feat, to retain all your class abilities for a start

Does composite plating count as metal armor for druids? either way i think the feat is Darkwood Body (Unarmored Body would work too)

I can only assume Robo-Druid PrC gets around the being made of worked metal issue.

Psyren
2010-11-17, 10:54 AM
Does composite plating count as metal armor for druids? either way i think the feat is Darkwood Body (Unarmored Body would work too)

I can only assume Robo-Druid PrC gets around the being made of worked metal issue.

Normal Warforged can be Druids without problems. However, taking Adamantine Body/Mithril Body will violate your oaths. The problem is that those feats are very good. Ironwood Body is a way to somewhat increase your protection (similar to Adamantine Body) while still letting you be a druid.

Ironwood Body is an optional prereq for Landforged Walker - the other option (for those who lack RoE presumably) is Skill Focus: Knowledge [Nature].

Zen Monkey
2010-11-17, 11:17 AM
Warforged Druids = Transformers

Psyren
2010-11-17, 11:20 AM
Warforged Druids = Transformers

Actually, Egoists get that honor :smalltongue:

Marnath
2010-11-17, 12:45 PM
The real question here is when you turn into, say, a bear do you look like a real bear, or a metal plated wood bear? :smallsmile:

hiryuu
2010-11-17, 12:56 PM
Well, warforged at default are made of living wood and stone with some metal tracery; they're more walking land than a human is and closer to nature than an elf in that case. I know that because of this, in our group's homebrew, warforged are literally born out of the land and the body feats are like ethnicities.


The real question here is when you turn into, say, a bear do you look like a real bear, or a metal plated wood bear? :smallsmile:

Word of God says it's a real bear.

Zen Monkey
2010-11-17, 01:02 PM
Actually, Egoists get that honor :smalltongue:

maybe a warforged egoist

I just find it a little silly to play a robot that can turn into a bear. Get two of them and they can shout "Form Of....!" before they turn into other things. Probably not best for a semi-serious campaign though.

Psyren
2010-11-17, 01:14 PM
Then don't turn into a bear. There's other kinds of Wild Shape.

A robot that turns into a treant is cooler anyway :smalltongue:

hiryuu
2010-11-17, 01:16 PM
maybe a warforged egoist

I just find it a little silly to play a robot that can turn into a bear. Get two of them and they can shout "Form Of....!" before they turn into other things. Probably not best for a semi-serious campaign though.

For a moment you can't tell if something is being born or it's turning inside out; there's a ripping, tearing sound accompanied by a wet smacking gurgle, like a log falling into a muddy pond, and a pulsating crack like logs being torn from the earth, and the man of stone and roots is covered in bristling hair and the bear is roaring its way out, shedding off the tubers and stone like so much extra baggage and moving like the bloody process hadn't even slowed it down.

Mastikator
2010-11-17, 01:17 PM
The real question here is when you turn into, say, a bear do you look like a real bear, or a metal plated wood bear? :smallsmile:

Holy crap, robot bears!

Bayar
2010-11-17, 01:19 PM
Normal Warforged can be Druids without problems. However, taking Adamantine Body/Mithril Body will violate your oaths. The problem is that those feats are very good. Ironwood Body is a way to somewhat increase your protection (similar to Adamantine Body) while still letting you be a druid.

Ironwood Body is an optional prereq for Landforged Walker - the other option (for those who lack RoE presumably) is Skill Focus: Knowledge [Nature].

Thanks for this. For some reason, I always thought that composite plating counted as metal armor and thus wouldn't mesh well with druid, probably because of the warforged picture.

Also, Unarmored Body if you want to wear other kinds of armor for any reason.

DarkEternal
2010-11-17, 01:32 PM
Then don't turn into a bear. There's other kinds of Wild Shape.

A robot that turns into a treant is cooler anyway :smalltongue:

Nothing in this world is cooler then a bear. You, sir, are a liar.

Marnath
2010-11-17, 01:33 PM
Well, warforged at default are made of living wood and stone with some metal tracery; they're more walking land than a human is and closer to nature than an elf in that case. I know that because of this, in our group's homebrew, warforged are literally born out of the land and the body feats are like ethnicities.



Word of God says it's a real bear.

Actually, in all the pictures I have of them from the books, it looks like mostly metal, with only a bit of wood and stone.

Real bear eh? Hmm, I was just thinking since druids keep their type and subtype in wildshape, that they'd be robo-animals.

Psyren
2010-11-17, 01:38 PM
Actually, in all the pictures I have of them from the books, it looks like mostly metal, with only a bit of wood and stone.

The pictures don't actually matter - RAW there is considerable wood in their construction, enough so that repel wood (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/repelWood.htm) can push them away.

The living component is also likely the reason they can benefit from potions and food-based magic like Goodberry/Heroes' Feast.



Real bear eh? Hmm, I was just thinking since druids keep their type and subtype in wildshape, that they'd be robo-animals.

I think it would be cool if they visually resembled effigies in wildshape, but that's just me.

hiryuu
2010-11-17, 01:43 PM
Actually, in all the pictures I have of them from the books, it looks like mostly metal, with only a bit of wood and stone.

Real bear eh? Hmm, I was just thinking since druids keep their type and subtype in wildshape, that they'd be robo-animals.

Just going by what Hellcow said, it might be different. Dunno. Don't care, really. Imagine trying to roleplay acquiring a totally alien anatomy every time you shapeshift, though. Would be awesome, wouldn't it? Suddenly you've got organs in all the wrong places, a pumping heart and blood as opposed to sap and whatever alchemical fluids pass for bile and snot in a warforged.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82093.jpg

This is the holotype for warforged; note that it's basically a livewood golem wrapped in stone with some metal, with the majority still stone and wood. Word of God even brought up that the mithral/adamantine part are supposed to be highlights and traces (this did not stop the artists, much like how the description of half the monsters in the Monster Manual did not stop artists, either; however, there is some awesome warforged art out there).

Marnath
2010-11-17, 03:58 PM
The pictures don't actually matter - RAW there is considerable wood in their construction, enough so that repel wood (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/repelWood.htm) can push them away.


I was refering to their composite plate, actually. The whole core of their being is solid wood, so that's where those spells come in.

As to the picture: Now that you've called it out, I do see cracks and stuff in most of that that indicates rock. I never saw it before because I'm shadeblind, colors that are too close are indistinguishable.

*edit: ok, honestly it's because I wasn't paying attention, now that I study it more carefully I can make out the difference. :smalltongue:

*edit2: I've always assumed there isn't any blood-equivilant liquid in a warforged because if there was, logically they'd bleed out like real people. But they don't.

Urpriest
2010-11-17, 04:12 PM
Warforged keep their type, feats, and special qualities in their wildshape, so the animals they turn into are Living Constructs and can have, for example, Ironwood plating from Ironwood Body. So I think the rules are on the side of robo-bears.

Sir Swindle89
2010-11-17, 04:14 PM
Well, warforged at default are made of living wood and stone with some metal tracery; they're more walking land than a human is and closer to nature than an elf in that case. I know that because of this, in our group's homebrew, warforged are literally born out of the land and the body feats are like ethnicities.

where are you getting all this primarily made of wood stuff from? I'm reading wood, stone and metal plates over fibrous sinew. and molded from a composite of materials-obsidian, iron, stone, darkwood, and silver.

regaurdless the fluff doesn't really matter, in my world warforged are beings of pure seaweed covered in cinna buns for composite plating. the entry for somposite plating doesn't say it's metal armor so it's not. good to know

Psyren
2010-11-17, 04:19 PM
*edit2: I've always assumed there isn't any blood-equivilant liquid in a warforged because if there was, logically they'd bleed out like real people. But they don't.

There isn't; but the wood and other fibers can still absorb liquid and so they get (albeit reduced) benefit from potions.


where are you getting all this primarily made of wood stuff from? I'm reading wood, stone and metal plates over fibrous sinew. and molded from a composite of materials-obsidian, iron, stone, darkwood, and silver.

Cellulose is cellulose; fibrous sinew can just be another, less ligneous plant material.

Marnath
2010-11-17, 04:25 PM
where are you getting all this primarily made of wood stuff from? I'm reading wood, stone and metal plates over fibrous sinew. and molded from a composite of materials-obsidian, iron, stone, darkwood, and silver.


The fibrous sinews are made of livewood, which is a kind of tree which lives forever, even after being felled and worked with tools. It's the snakey stuff under the plating in that picture. So, most of a warforged is made of that.


There isn't; but the wood and other fibers can still absorb liquid and so they get (albeit reduced) benefit from potions.


I was talking about Hiryuu's comment about blood and other body fluids, as opposed to the idea that there is a warforged analog to them, which I don't think there is.

Sir Swindle89
2010-11-17, 04:28 PM
The fibrous sinews are made of livewood, which is a kind of tree which lives forever, even after being felled and worked with tools. It's the snakey stuff under the plating in that picture. So, most of a warforged is made of that.

again where is that information. I don't remember it from Races of Ebberon, and the MM3 doesn't say it.

additionally warforged could be a hivemind of chickens bound inside full plate

Urpriest
2010-11-17, 04:34 PM
additionally warforged could be a hivemind of chickens bound inside full plate

Nah, then Commoners could produce them on demand.

Coidzor
2010-11-17, 04:34 PM
What's this guy's motivation for interacting with a group of people to form a party then?

Because as you've presented him, he doesn't really seem like he would register them as worth paying attention to and would just wander off.

Marnath
2010-11-17, 04:38 PM
What's this guy's motivation for interacting with a group of people to form a party then?

Because as you've presented him, he doesn't really seem like he would register them as worth paying attention to and would just wander off.

It's called making friends, silly. :smalltongue:

*edit: Sir Swindle, I can't find it now, but I think it was mentioned in a description about how Aerenal used to export it for construction of warforged. I don't have a copy of Five Nations anymore, that might be where I saw it.

Person_Man
2010-11-17, 05:07 PM
Interesting side note on the Landforged Walker - all of it's level 1-4 class abilities are minor, it only progresses 4/5 of your casting, and it does not progress Wild Shape. And 4th level ability makes you immune to polymorph effects, which makes you immune to maybe half a dozen harmful spells, but prevents you from using dozens of different helpful buffs.

However, it's capstone ability, Plant Shape, is oddly worded: "You can change into a plant creature and back again 3 times per day. You can assume any form from Small to Huge. The ability is otherwise like the wild shape druid class feature. Use your total character level as your effective druid level to determine duration and maximum Hit Dice."

So, Plant Shape is not an extension of Wild Shape, and doesn't grant or improve your ability to turn into Animals, Elementals, etc. Druid 10 > Druid 5/Landforged Walker 5. But Archivist or Cleric 5/Landforged Walker 5 has a superior spell list, and gains a highly useful psuedo-Wildshape ability, which continues to improve with levels of any character class.


Other notes:

Wildshape uses most of the rules of other Alternate Forms (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Alternate_Form) - it changes your physical stats with one exception: the creature retains the hit points of its original form despite any change to its Constitution. Thus while you can dump Str and Dex, you still need/want a good Con, in addition to a high casting attribute.
If you're looking for an out of the box idea, Crusader and Hellreaver, can heal others without giving up their normal attacks.
Speaking of weird suggestions, Binder 10 (or Binder 5/Various PrC 5) can bind the sweet sweet Zceryll (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718) vestige, which gives him the Psuedonatural template, (SR, DR, Energy Resistance, the Outsider type, an Alternate Form, and other moderate perks) and infinite Summoning. Since plenty of Summoned creatures have access to various magics, you essentially get infinite healing ability.

hiryuu
2010-11-17, 05:08 PM
where are you getting all this primarily made of wood stuff from? I'm reading wood, stone and metal plates over fibrous sinew. and molded from a composite of materials-obsidian, iron, stone, darkwood, and silver.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20050627a That information is here.


regaurdless the fluff doesn't really matter, in my world warforged are beings of pure seaweed covered in cinna buns for composite plating. the entry for somposite plating doesn't say it's metal armor so it's not. good to know

{{scrubbed}} The statement "similar to the roots of livewood trees" in the Eberron material is what led to that fluff decision. Now, while it is true that this does not state that it's actual livewood (the special material), it's close enough, especially, I think, since it's, what do you call it, alive.

__________________________________



I was talking about Hiryuu's comment about blood and other body fluids, as opposed to the idea that there is a warforged analog to them, which I don't think there is.

They don't bleed out when they fall unconscious, but they're still affected by Wounding weapons, right? Also, caltrops, spells like Bloodstar and Avasculate, and vampire con drain from biting still affects them, too, which means they have something. It's obviously thick enough that it coagulates quickly, or else it just doesn't leak everywhere if they're unconscious.

Torvon
2010-11-19, 06:32 AM
OK, you guys are awesome. Thank you for the great help and discussions here. Also thank you for the many other suggestions (psionic stuff, binder, hellreaver etc.), but as I said before, regarding the framework I'll stick with warforged/druid.

There will be two paragraphs, the first one with additional questions, the second one with replies to your replies.

(1) Wildshape / Warforged

@ Wildshape:

I don't understand how wildshape works regarding the skills and the AC.

I read:
* PHB Druid Wildshape; doesn't say anything about it
* I read the polymormph reference which is made in the wildshape paragraph
* I read alter self reference which is made in the polymorph paragraph

I googled for a wildshape FAQ or handbook, but didn't find anything. I browsed the druid handbooks, but they take for granted that you know what's going on.

I understand that you take STR/DEX of the new form, but keep your own CON (although it says something different in the polymorph which gets referenced in the wild shape section).
What about feats (some animals do have feats), skills, AC? And regarding AC: it says in the Eberron description of the warforged that I keep my AC composite plating bonus in animal form ... correct?
You can transform into ANY animal that has a maximum HD = your caster level? That means you can choose between 24 bazillion animals, right (although it says you have met them once in the druid description, I think).

@ Warforged:
I don't understand how armor works. Heroforge tells me I have armor 10 with dex 10. Apparently, it ignores that composite plating has +2. Now, Ironwood feat gives +3, but that is not in addition to the +2, right? So it's +3 not +5?
Ok. That gives me an insane AC of 13. And since I can't wear armor, that means that I will run around with an AC of ... 14 in caster form?! I must have missed something there.


(2)



What's this guy's motivation for interacting with a group of people to form a party then?
Because as you've presented him, he doesn't really seem like he would register them as worth paying attention to and would just wander off.
The GM will take care of that. All SCs will grow up or at least train some months in the same monastery, where also my "father" (Gond priest) will live. I don't know what will happen, but I can imagine that we shall be the only survivors of an attack or somethign ,and then I would be very much interested in joining the group in order to assist them. After that, we shall see.

Thanks in advance
ta-ta
T. aka Eiko

Leon
2010-11-19, 08:58 AM
Save yourself the worry of the needlessly complex wild shape system and Play a Shapeshift Druid.

Its Combat Forms made simple and direct.
Found in Players Handbook 2



RE Armour: Base Armour is 10 +/- Dex Mod.
Warforged have a Inherent Armour Value that occupies the Body slot that suits of armour would otherwise occupy on a normal creature - This Value is 2 Unless you change it with the 1st level feat option (Options being Unarmoured, Ironwood, Mithril and Adamantine)

As a Druid you have to chose the Ironwood or Unarmoured Option as the others will interfere with your Druidic restrictions.

Thus a 'Forged with a DEX of 10 and Iron Wood Body has 13 Armour. Which is very little.

If you go the Unarmoured Option you can wear conventional armour which for a Druid could eventually be Dragonhide or Ironwood Fullplate

Urpriest
2010-11-19, 09:18 AM
OK, you guys are awesome. Thank you for the great help and discussions here. Also thank you for the many other suggestions (psionic stuff, binder, hellreaver etc.), but as I said before, regarding the framework I'll stick with warforged/druid.

There will be two paragraphs, the first one with additional questions, the second one with replies to your replies.

(1) Wildshape / Warforged

@ Wildshape:

I don't understand how wildshape works regarding the skills and the AC.

I read:
* PHB Druid Wildshape; doesn't say anything about it
* I read the polymormph reference which is made in the wildshape paragraph
* I read alter self reference which is made in the polymorph paragraph

I googled for a wildshape FAQ or handbook, but didn't find anything. I browsed the druid handbooks, but they take for granted that you know what's going on.

I understand that you take STR/DEX of the new form, but keep your own CON (although it says something different in the polymorph which gets referenced in the wild shape section).


No, you've misunderstood. You gain the new form's Str, Dex, and Con (by the way, while wild shape used to reference polymorph, it was errataed to reference alternate form, which has its own rules. The SRD (http://www.srd.org) should give you the most recent versions). However, despite gaining the new form's Con, your hit points stay the same.



What about feats (some animals do have feats), skills, AC? And regarding AC: it says in the Eberron description of the warforged that I keep my AC composite plating bonus in animal form ... correct?
You can transform into ANY animal that has a maximum HD = your caster level? That means you can choose between 24 bazillion animals, right (although it says you have met them once in the druid description, I think).

Feats and skill points don't change. I believe you gain racial skill bonuses, and you may gain racial bonus feats if they're combat-relevant. You gain the natural armor, natural attacks, and movement modes of your new form, so your AC will indeed probably change. You do keep your composite plating, as well as the benefits of the living construct subtype and construct type.

You can turn into any animal which meets the requirements (for example, you can't turn into large or huge animals until you're high enough level to do so) and has hit dice less than or equal to your druid level, not your caster level. That's an important difference, few prestige classes advance your wild shape. And yes, in principle there are a huge number of choices, it's one of the reasons that wild shape is so powerful.



@ Warforged:
I don't understand how armor works. Heroforge tells me I have armor 10 with dex 10. Apparently, it ignores that composite plating has +2. Now, Ironwood feat gives +3, but that is not in addition to the +2, right? So it's +3 not +5?
Ok. That gives me an insane AC of 13. And since I can't wear armor, that means that I will run around with an AC of ... 14 in caster form?! I must have missed something there.



Ironwood, as far as I can tell replaces your normal bonus, yes. You can enchant your plating, so your armor will increase as fast as that of a normal druid. And of course while in wild shape you'll have natural armor on top of that, and higher Dex, which together will easily pull you up to front-line form.

Marnath
2010-11-19, 02:50 PM
Ironwood, as far as I can tell replaces your normal bonus, yes. You can enchant your plating, so your armor will increase as fast as that of a normal druid. And of course while in wild shape you'll have natural armor on top of that, and higher Dex, which together will easily pull you up to front-line form.

Adding to this, it's a feat rather than real armor so you keep it in wildshape. So you're actually better off than other druids, because they have to buy armor properties/wildshape clasps to make that happen.

Psyren
2010-11-19, 02:51 PM
Adding to this, it's a feat rather than real armor so you keep it in wildshape. So you're actually better off than other druids, because they have to buy armor properties/wildshape clasps to make that happen.

"Better off" is situational; Warforged still have the Wis penalty and potential stigma to deal with.

Marnath
2010-11-19, 02:57 PM
"Better off" is situational; Warforged still have the Wis penalty and potential stigma to deal with.

Yeah, thats true. For a druid who spends most of his time in wildshape, it's not so bad, I think the AC and the living construct bonuses and immunities are probably realy nice.

But then, the only druid I ever made was a hobgoblin shapechange variant with a 14 wisdom to cast some buffs and 16 in all physical stats, he spent so much time in panther form his party never really knew he was even a hobgoblin. At least that's how it would go if I ever got to play him.

Torvon
2010-11-19, 03:14 PM
As mentioned before, the combination Warforged+Druid is really a roleplaying thing, not an optimization thing. So the stigmata that are mentioned are not the "downside of this build", it's what I would like to play.

On the other hand, it's nice to see though that it's not just a utterly stupid choice, although -2 WIS does hurt, naturally.

Thanks for the reference update to Alternate Form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#alternateForm), it does answer all my questions.

There will be quite some calculation involved when I wildshape.

Keep all your stats except:

Gain natural attacks and natural armor
Replace 3 physical stats (keep HP and 3 mental stats)
Replace your AC with animal AC, add +3 (Ironwood Armor feat), add DR 2/slashing (Ironwood Armor)
Keep Will save, recalculate Fortitude and Reflex saves according to animal stats



Questions:

All gear falls to the ground?
Can I still do my Warforged slam attack?
Ironwood Armor feat says the armor is 3AC, maximum +4 dex ... does this restriction apply to animal form also? E.g. with an animal form with Dex22 (+6AC), do I get limited to +4AC because of that feat Ironwood Body?


Thanks
ta-ta
T. aka Eiko

Marnath
2010-11-19, 03:18 PM
Questions:

All gear falls to the ground?
Can I still do my Warforged slam attack?
Ironwood Armor feat says the armor is 3AC, maximum +4 dex ... does this restriction apply to animal form also? E.g. with an animal form with Dex22 (+6AC), do I get limited to +4AC because of that feat Ironwood Body?


Thanks
ta-ta
T. aka Eiko

1) gear melds with your body and stops working, but you are wearing it again when you shift back.
2) No, you lose your slam attack, pretty sure.
3) I honestly don't know about this one. You would be getting +7 AC though..+3 and then +4 from the dex. Couldn't say whether the dex cap applies though.

*edit: What animal are you looking at that has a 22 dex? I don't see any with anything near that in the monster manual.