Dazaras
2012-04-07, 07:47 PM
I'm planning on running a Pathfinder campaign in the near future set in Eberron. In my eyes this requires, at minimum, converting Warforged and the Artificer class. Artificers require minimal conversion, but I thought I would take the opportunity to fix some things I didn't like about the 3.5 Warforged.
In particular, I toned down the construct immunities in exchange for full effects from healing spells. In my experience, either the party finds a way around the healing penalty (usually wands of repair light wounds), in which case the construct immunities are too strong, or they waste tons of resources on it, in which case the construct immunities are not enough. I also had problems with the warforged plating being inferior to normal armor for many builds, especially at higher levels when other characters can replace their armor with adamantine and mithril versions (Warforged have to spend a feat at level 1 to get those, and even then it's kind of restrictive). Rather than get rid of the armor, I played it up and tried to make it generally as good as masterwork armor of the same weight category.
Is it balanced?
Warforged:
• Ability adjustments: +2 constitution, +2 intelligence, -2 charisma.
Warforged are tough and analytical, but are unlikely to be outspoken or have particularly forceful personalities and sometimes come off as aloof or unsociable.
• Size: medium
• Speed: 30 ft
• Composite Plating: +3 armor bonus, no max dex, no check penalty, 15% spell failure, counts as light armor. The warforged is automatically proficient with this armor. This armor can be enchanted, but the warforged must be present the entire time (or enchant himself). The warforged cannot wear other armor or a robe or benefit from any magic item that takes the same body slot.
• Stability: Warforged receive a +2 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
• Slam: a Warforged deals 1d6 points of lethal damage with an unarmed strike.
• Intuitive Crafter: Craft is always a class skill for warforged. They gain a +2 bonus to a craft skill of their choice.
• Living Construct: Warforged are constructs, but they are very much like living creatures. In place of the normal construct traits, warforged receive the following traits:
o Immune to poison, disease, nausea, exhaustion and sickened conditions.
o Cannot heal naturally, but can repair damage equal to craft check with 8 hours of work.
o Can be affected by spells that target constructs (such as repair spells) in addition to spells that target living creatures (such as cure spells). Note that spells that affect objects still do not affect warforged, but they can affect the warforged plating as if it were armor.
o Not subject to damage caused by the disabled or dying conditions, or bleed effects.
o Does not need to eat, sleep or breathe, but can do so to benefit from magic or consumables such as potions or a heroes’ feast spell.
Racial Feats:
Adamantine Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with heavy armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +9 and grants DR 1/adamantine. +1 max dex, -5 check penalty, 35% spell failure. Counts as heavy armor and slows you down as such. DR increases by 1 at level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter (max DR 5/adamantine at level 20).
Improved Damage Reduction
Prerequisites: Warforged , Composite Plating ability
Effects: You gain DR 1/adamantine or improve existing DR by 1. If you have the Adamantine Body feat, this feat can be selected multiple times.
Ironwood Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with medium armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +6. +3 max dex, -3 armor check penalty, 25% spell failure. Counts as medium armor. Retain armor bonus when using the Wild Shape ability as if it were armor with the Wild special ability. This plating does not contain metal, and does not interfere with a Druid's spellcasting.
Mithril Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with medium armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +6. +5 max dex, no check penalty, 15% spell failure. Still counts as light armor. Armor bonus increases by 1 at 6th level and every 6 levels thereafter (max +9 AC at level 18).
Mithril Fluidity
Prerequisites: Warforged, Mithril Body
Effects: Increase max dex by 2.
Alternative Racial Traits:
Unarmored Body: This warforged was made without armor. He can wear armor and robes like characters of other races. In addition, when not wearing armor he gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC. This ability replaces the warforged Composite Plating ability.
Heavy Plating: This warforged has plating that is thicker than normal. It grants a +4 armor bonus to AC, but has a max dex of +4, a check penalty of -1 and spell failure of 20%. This ability replaces the warforged Composite Plating ability.
Free Spirit: Some warforged benefited more than others from the liberation of their race. Some warforged get a -2 penalty to wisdom instead of a -2 penalty to charisma. These warforged are often obstinate in the face of authority, and refuse to obey any order blindly now that they have a choice in the matter. These warforged are ideally suited to be Paladins, Sorcerers, Oracles or other classes that benefit from the force of personality that warforged usually lack.
Favored Class Bonuses:
Artificer: +1 bonus on UMD checks for items with which you have the appropriate item creation feat.
Barbarian: +1/6 to the barbarian’s Damage Reduction
Fighter: +1 on all the checks the Endurance feat gives you a bonus on. If you pick this option four times, you count as having the Endurance feat for the purposes of meeting prerequisites.
Monk: +1/2 to the monk’s CMD when resisting bull rush and trip attempts and +1/2 to the number of stunning attacks he can attempt per day.
Paladin: +1 to paladin’s energy resistance to one kind of energy (max +10). Stacks with any other resistance
In particular, I toned down the construct immunities in exchange for full effects from healing spells. In my experience, either the party finds a way around the healing penalty (usually wands of repair light wounds), in which case the construct immunities are too strong, or they waste tons of resources on it, in which case the construct immunities are not enough. I also had problems with the warforged plating being inferior to normal armor for many builds, especially at higher levels when other characters can replace their armor with adamantine and mithril versions (Warforged have to spend a feat at level 1 to get those, and even then it's kind of restrictive). Rather than get rid of the armor, I played it up and tried to make it generally as good as masterwork armor of the same weight category.
Is it balanced?
Warforged:
• Ability adjustments: +2 constitution, +2 intelligence, -2 charisma.
Warforged are tough and analytical, but are unlikely to be outspoken or have particularly forceful personalities and sometimes come off as aloof or unsociable.
• Size: medium
• Speed: 30 ft
• Composite Plating: +3 armor bonus, no max dex, no check penalty, 15% spell failure, counts as light armor. The warforged is automatically proficient with this armor. This armor can be enchanted, but the warforged must be present the entire time (or enchant himself). The warforged cannot wear other armor or a robe or benefit from any magic item that takes the same body slot.
• Stability: Warforged receive a +2 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
• Slam: a Warforged deals 1d6 points of lethal damage with an unarmed strike.
• Intuitive Crafter: Craft is always a class skill for warforged. They gain a +2 bonus to a craft skill of their choice.
• Living Construct: Warforged are constructs, but they are very much like living creatures. In place of the normal construct traits, warforged receive the following traits:
o Immune to poison, disease, nausea, exhaustion and sickened conditions.
o Cannot heal naturally, but can repair damage equal to craft check with 8 hours of work.
o Can be affected by spells that target constructs (such as repair spells) in addition to spells that target living creatures (such as cure spells). Note that spells that affect objects still do not affect warforged, but they can affect the warforged plating as if it were armor.
o Not subject to damage caused by the disabled or dying conditions, or bleed effects.
o Does not need to eat, sleep or breathe, but can do so to benefit from magic or consumables such as potions or a heroes’ feast spell.
Racial Feats:
Adamantine Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with heavy armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +9 and grants DR 1/adamantine. +1 max dex, -5 check penalty, 35% spell failure. Counts as heavy armor and slows you down as such. DR increases by 1 at level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter (max DR 5/adamantine at level 20).
Improved Damage Reduction
Prerequisites: Warforged , Composite Plating ability
Effects: You gain DR 1/adamantine or improve existing DR by 1. If you have the Adamantine Body feat, this feat can be selected multiple times.
Ironwood Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with medium armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +6. +3 max dex, -3 armor check penalty, 25% spell failure. Counts as medium armor. Retain armor bonus when using the Wild Shape ability as if it were armor with the Wild special ability. This plating does not contain metal, and does not interfere with a Druid's spellcasting.
Mithril Body
Prerequisites: Warforged, 1st level only, Composite Plating ability, Proficiency with medium armor
Effects: Armor bonus increases to +6. +5 max dex, no check penalty, 15% spell failure. Still counts as light armor. Armor bonus increases by 1 at 6th level and every 6 levels thereafter (max +9 AC at level 18).
Mithril Fluidity
Prerequisites: Warforged, Mithril Body
Effects: Increase max dex by 2.
Alternative Racial Traits:
Unarmored Body: This warforged was made without armor. He can wear armor and robes like characters of other races. In addition, when not wearing armor he gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC. This ability replaces the warforged Composite Plating ability.
Heavy Plating: This warforged has plating that is thicker than normal. It grants a +4 armor bonus to AC, but has a max dex of +4, a check penalty of -1 and spell failure of 20%. This ability replaces the warforged Composite Plating ability.
Free Spirit: Some warforged benefited more than others from the liberation of their race. Some warforged get a -2 penalty to wisdom instead of a -2 penalty to charisma. These warforged are often obstinate in the face of authority, and refuse to obey any order blindly now that they have a choice in the matter. These warforged are ideally suited to be Paladins, Sorcerers, Oracles or other classes that benefit from the force of personality that warforged usually lack.
Favored Class Bonuses:
Artificer: +1 bonus on UMD checks for items with which you have the appropriate item creation feat.
Barbarian: +1/6 to the barbarian’s Damage Reduction
Fighter: +1 on all the checks the Endurance feat gives you a bonus on. If you pick this option four times, you count as having the Endurance feat for the purposes of meeting prerequisites.
Monk: +1/2 to the monk’s CMD when resisting bull rush and trip attempts and +1/2 to the number of stunning attacks he can attempt per day.
Paladin: +1 to paladin’s energy resistance to one kind of energy (max +10). Stacks with any other resistance