Warforged. Race, Type or Subtype?

[panaikhan]

Hi. Sorry for the confusing title, but I'm trying to sort through elements of what makes a Warforged a Warforged.
Their description in the Eberron Campaign Setting is full of the following styles of wording:
"As Constructs, Warforged are..."
"As Living Constructs, Warforged have..."
"Warforged get..."
This is a minefield of RAW vs RAI when trying to assign each of their traits as either from their race, type or subtype.
I'm trying to accomplish this seemingly unecessary task because some time in the future, my Warforged character will change his type.
Looking through what is written, it seems that the 'living construct' subtype almost completely rewrites the construct type, and someone on these boards has already stated to some agreement from others that creatures keep their subtypes even if their type changes. Add to this that some traits are not listed as 'construct' or 'living construct' but 'warforged', makes it more difficult.
Is there an order in which you apply these things? I'm guessing Type / Subtype / Race / Class, but I would not be surprised if I am wrong.

[Amoren]

From what I know, all of the immunities, not needing to breathe, and other 'construct' stuff, is from the living construct subtype (this includes being healed by repair spells and receiving partial healing from positive energy spells, I believe).

Warforged traits, the things you'd lose if you changed type (such as by the dragonborn ritual) are things like the built in armor, and the capability to take warforged feats and use warforged additions.

[eggs]

Living construct type is explicitly defined in the Monster Manual 3 (I'm not sure about the eberron books). It's pretty straightforward from there.

[The Redwolf]

Warforged is the race, construct is the type, living construct is the subtype.

[phlidwsn]

Type is easy, its Construct. Standard definition.

Subtype is Living Construct. Defined in ECS pg 23 (Everything under Living Construct(ex) up until halfway down the 2nd column where the stat bonus starts.) and MMIII pg 215 as a standalone entry in the glossary.

Race is Warforged, Everything in the ECS description that's not part of the Living Construct(ex) entry is a feature of the race, not the subtype.

And yes, the order to apply is general to specific, so all construct traits apply unless overridden by subtype or race, and all subtype traits apply unless overridden by race.

[Answerer]

The Warforged race has the Construct (Living Construct) type (subtype).

To break it down explicitly for Warforged, the first bullet (as in, with a •) is the Living Construct subtype. This overrides the default Construct traits (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType). Each attribute of the Living Construct subtype is indicated with a dash (looks to be an "m" dash, i.e. —). The features apply to any Living Construct, not just Warforged (and IIRC, there are a few others).

For example, Constructs have d10 RHD – but Living Constructs explicitly do not have RHD but rather gain HD from class levels. Constructs have no Constitution score, but Living Constructs explicitly do. Constructs have low-light vision and darkvision; Living Constructs have neither. And so on down the list. In general, if Living Construct does not specifically override it, the Warforged would retain a trait from Construct. However, I'm pretty sure Living Construct touches on every single Construct trait and explicitly states whether or not the Living Construct still has the trait.

Thereafter, each further feature (indicated with more • bullets) is a feature of the Warforged race. These do not apply to other Living Constructs. These are the ability score changes, the size, the base land speed, the composite plating, the fortification, the natural slam attack, the languages, and the favored class. If a Warforged was to somehow lose the Living Construct subtype, these are the features they would retain.

[panaikhan]

I can see why the Answerer got their name :)

So, if A Warforged's Type changed to 'Outsider', they would keep all of their 'Living Construct' subtype stuff, all their Race stuff, and all of their Class stuff (if some of the class stuff keys off being Warforged, not Construct or Living Construct)?

Apart from suddenly needing to breathe, I can't see much else that would change (unless I missed somewhere that living constructs or warforged specifically don't need to breathe).

[Necroticplague]

Apart from suddenly needing to breathe, I can't see much else that would change (unless I missed somewhere that living constructs or warforged specifically don't need to breathe).

Nope, he doesn't, living constructs still don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_livingconstructsubtype&alpha)

[killianh]

I'll help as I can: NOTE: I copied the racial traits from another site so excuse spelling errors. I've added either (living) (construct) or (warforged) after each trait to let you know which is which

WARFORGED RACIAL TRAITS

Living Construct Subtype (EX): Warforged are constructs with the living construct subtype. A living construct is a created being given sentience and free wll through powerful and complex enchantments. Warforged are living constructs that combine aspects of both consturcts and living creatures, as detialed below.
Features: As a living construct, a warforged has the following features.
-A warforged derives its Hit DICe, base attack bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.
Traits:A warforged possesses the following traits.

-Unlike other constructs, a warforged has a Constitution score. (living)
-Unline other constructs, a warforged does not have low-light vision or darkvision. (living)
-Unlike other constructs, a warforges is not immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities. (living)
-Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysism disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition, and energy drain. (construct)
- a warforged cannot heal damage naturally. (construct)
-Unlike other constructs, warforged are subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects. (living)
-As living constructs, warforged can be affects by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a warforged can be healed by a cure light woulds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a waforged is vunerable to a disbale construct spell and harm. However, spells from the healing sunschool and supernatural abiliries that cure hit point damage provide onlt half their normal effect to a warforged. (living)
-The unusual physical constructions of warforged makes them vunerable to certian spell and effects that normally don't affect living creatures. A warforged is affected by repel metal and chill metal as if he were wearing metal armor. Likewise, a warforged is affected by a repel metal or stone as if he were wearing metal armor. A warforged is repelled by repel wood. The iron in the body of a warforges makes him vunerable to rusting grasp. The creatures takes 2d6 points of damage from the spell (Reflex half; save DC 14+ caster's ability modifier). A warforged takes the same damae from a rust monster's touch. (Reflex 17 DC half). Spells such as stone to flesh, stone shape, warp wood, and wood shape affect objects only, and thus cannot be used on the stone and wood parts of a warforged. (Warforged)
-A warforged responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A warforged with 0 hit points is disable, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and are greater than -10, a waforged is inert. he is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert warforged does not lose additonal hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable. (warforged)
-As a living construct, a warforged can be raised of resurrected. (living)
-A warforged does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but he can stil benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items suchs as heroes' feast and potions. (living)
-Although living consturcts do not need sleep, a warforged wizard must rest for 8 hours before preparing spells. (warforged)
+2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Warforged are resilent and powerful, but their difficulty in relating to other creatures makes them seem aloof or even hostile. (warforged)
Medium: As medium constructs, warforged have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.(warforged)
Warforged hasa base land speed of 30 feet. (warforged)
Composite Plating: The plating used to build a warforges provides a +2 armor bonus, This plating is not natural armor and doesn to stakc with the other effects that give an armor bonus ( other than natural armor). This composite plating occupies the same space on the body asa suit of armor or a robe, and thus a warforged character cannot wear armor or magic robes. Warforged can be enchanted just as armor can be. The character must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant him. (warforged)
Composite plating provides a warforged with a 5% arcane spell failure chance, similar to the penalty for wearing light armor. Any class ability that allows a warforged to ignore the arcan spell failure chance for light armor lets him ignore this penalty as well. (warforged)
Light Fortification (EX): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a warforged, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and the damage is instead rolled normally. (warforged)
A warforged has a natural weapon in the form on a slam attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. (warforged)
Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: None. (warforged)
Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass warforged fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. (warforged)