Trying to make a warforged character

[lytokk]

I'm trying to put together a fun idea for a warforged character, but I keep talking myself into dead ends. So I'm coming here for a little bit of help, but the the only thing I've agreed upon in my head is taking the Adamantine Body feat (8 AC, 1 max dex, dr/2 adamantine, 5 AC penalty, speed 20). I've looked at increasing his size and going hulking hurler, but talked myself out of it as I don't know how often the DM is going to put us in situations were its worth it. I thought of going for a grappling/wrestling character (inspiration for this would have been alphonse elric from full metal alchemist) but I'm not sure if this would be completely effective. I also thought of going full juggernaut, but the lack of personality and inability to use consumables like potions really deters me from this choice.

Another thought I had was to go with Darkwood body and go druid, but with the wisdom penalty to the forged, not sure if this is a good choice either.

Whatever way I go I'll be keeping max ranks in Craft(armorsmithing or weaponsmithing) just to be able to put myself back together.

I'm looking to get some ideas for what to do. My group isn't much of an optimization group, more of make a fun character, so I'm really not looking for a game breaker, more of a character with some personality for innerparty RP.

[Fouredged Sword]

One option I like for a warforged is to get the adi plating, then go for warblade. The catch is you go for the supreme unarmed strike chain of feats, including snap kick. Then pick up beast strike as a feat at level 6.

Get a battlefist and get the party wizard to give you a casting of greater mighty wallop each day (buy him a pearl of power). Due to the battlefist applying to both your unarmed strike AND your slam added to the fact that beastrike adds your slam and unarmed strike together, you can preform all those nice maneuvers with a nice 6d6 or 12d6 weapon that hits twice each strike.

If you don't like TOB, consider the same thing on a dungeoncrasher fighter build along the same vein. At low levels focus on your slam, picking up an unarmed strike and beast strike as you level.

[Kevka Palazzo]

Gloriousness

That all sounds amazing. I came here to see fun builds, got one immediately. I'll have to make a WF myself like this someday.

[Red Fel]

I'm trying to put together a fun idea for a warforged character, but I keep talking myself into dead ends. So I'm coming here for a little bit of help, but the the only thing I've agreed upon in my head is taking the Adamantine Body feat (8 AC, 1 max dex, dr/2 adamantine, 5 AC penalty, speed 20). I've looked at increasing his size and going hulking hurler, but talked myself out of it as I don't know how often the DM is going to put us in situations were its worth it. I thought of going for a grappling/wrestling character (inspiration for this would have been alphonse elric from full metal alchemist) but I'm not sure if this would be completely effective. I also thought of going full juggernaut, but the lack of personality and inability to use consumables like potions really deters me from this choice.

Another thought I had was to go with Darkwood body and go druid, but with the wisdom penalty to the forged, not sure if this is a good choice either.

Whatever way I go I'll be keeping max ranks in Craft(armorsmithing or weaponsmithing) just to be able to put myself back together.

I'm looking to get some ideas for what to do. My group isn't much of an optimization group, more of make a fun character, so I'm really not looking for a game breaker, more of a character with some personality for innerparty RP.

Consider starting your build with Crusader from ToB. With Adamantine Body, you're already a beefy tank, and Crusader capitalizes on that. The Crusader's delayed damage pool also helps you as a Warforged, because if you can heal that damage before it becomes effective, you don't have to use repair checks to fix it later. Additionally, because a number of Crusader's Devoted Spirit maneuvers heal you without using the (Healing) subschool, you get full healing from them, which is great for a Warforged. Note that, at Crusader 10, you get Diehard as a bonus feat; as a Warforged, you don't need that, so you might negotiate a different feat in a similar vein with your DM.

Crusader is already a very effective class, and a great stepping-stone into other builds. Consider, for example, a level or two of Incarnate or Totemist dip. Given that you have Adamantine Body composite plating, you can't wear armor, but that doesn't stop you from shaping (just not binding) a soulmeld on that slot. Totemist is also a good option if you decide to go crazy with natural weapons.

Finally, you might consider the Dragonborn template. It's +0 LA, and works very well with Warforged. You keep your Living Construct subtype, and all that it entails. You don't lose your composite plating, because you took Adamantine Body. You do, however, lose your light fortification and slam attack. But you gain one of three useful aspects, and some ability modifiers, as well as several useful tricks (like dodge AC against dragons and Frightful Presence immunity), and the Dragonblood subtype. Also you become a robodragon. I don't need to tell you how much flavor-fun that can be.

[supermonkeyjoe]

The dungeoncrasher fighter alternate class feature goes brilliantly with warforged Juggernaut, combine with the shocktrooper feat and run down anything in your way.

The juggernaut personality is only a fluff suggestion, lack of emotions does not mean lack of character.

It's only potions and edible things that don't work, your character can still benefit from oils and other magic items that aren't ingested. Maybe suboptimal if you have a bard in the party as you won't get the morale boosts.

Darkwood warforged druid can also be fun, check out the alternate class features from cityscape to eventually be able to wildshape into animated objects.

[lytokk]

is the dragonborn template not SRD cause I can't find it anywhere online and I've been looking.

All of these suggestions are great, but we've never used TOB before, and I'm hesitant to jump into it as none of the players or the DM have any experience with it. Currently I'm DMing, but eventually we'll pull the switch. I've introduced the warforged already, but right now he's just an NPC in the caravan. As he hasn't done any combat yet I haven't had to settle him into a build. When I introduced him I said he was the largest warforged they've ever seen, but that could be flavor just to make him look bigger or actually put him in the Large category.

[Fouredged Sword]

Nothing in my above build requires TOB, but there are some feats in that book that really help the build even if you base it around a fighter chassis. Supreme unarmed strike gives you a monk like unarmed strike and snapkick gives you TWFing, the unarmed version but better. Both are nice, but can be done without.

You could instead make him a warforged charger. They are an interesting playable race if you are willing to eat the LA. They get the plating for free and are large with two slams.

Then you go dungeoncrasher fighter 5 / warforged juggernaut X and call it a day.

[Urpriest]

Warforged also are pretty good at Psionics. Psionics gets a nice version of Repair Damage, and with no spell failure to worry about they can take Adamantine Plating without worry. With Vigor and Share Pain on Psicrystal you can be a very tough customer, and you arguably keep your plating if you use Metamorphosis or the like.

[lytokk]

another question about warforged druids, when wildshaping, would they maintain their construct look? Me and another DM were talking about this and we were having a hard time coming up with an answer. if they did it'd be safe to assume they'd keep all of their construct traits, like the armor plating and fortification, but they wouldn't be able to hide or make anyone think they were an actual animal.

[bekeleven]

another question about warforged druids, when wildshaping, would they maintain their construct look? Me and another DM were talking about this and we were having a hard time coming up with an answer. if they did it'd be safe to assume they'd keep all of their construct traits, like the armor plating and fortification, but they wouldn't be able to hide or make anyone think they were an actual animal.

Me and my DM ruled that you can keep your plating (with AC bonus, -ACP, ASF, and appearance) or shape the whole thing away. Obviously, armor plating on a dinosaur is too cool to pass up, but occasionally you want to look like a normal eagle instead of eagletron 3000.

Then you class into warlock to fly and shoot lasers and become this (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fc15ImHkUO4/TnjB5rGnRKI/AAAAAAAABeM/YlIOlpqZe28/s1600/dinosaurs-lasers2.jpg).

[lytokk]

I really want to do that now... oh dear god do I want to do that.

my only problem with druid is that the wild shape really takes a long time to get going. party will only be about level 7ish by the time everythings said and done and the switch happens. All of the wild shapes that just look too dang fun to pass up aren't until level 15. At least as far as I know, my experience with druids is limited.

[Starmage21]

Barbarians are kinda cool Warforged too, by virtue of being able to rage and not get tired. But yeah, nothing really trumps the ToB stuff.

[lytokk]

unfortunately, with adamantine body, barbarian doesn't work as well. I've just been trying to find out if theres something I haven't thought of yet. Like the grappler idea is basically the guy who grabs a bad guy, and then throws him at another bad guy. I don't know what feats or rolls would be associated. obviously grapple and attack, just not sure what else.

[Hunter Noventa]

Then you class into warlock to fly and shoot lasers and become this (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fc15ImHkUO4/TnjB5rGnRKI/AAAAAAAABeM/YlIOlpqZe28/s1600/dinosaurs-lasers2.jpg).

Or just go straight warlock and be this. (http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100616040814/megaman/images/4/42/MegamanMHX.jpg)

[lytokk]

DAMN YOU FOR TUGGING ON MY HEARSTRINGS WITH APPROPRIATE REFERENCES!!! that's it, I'm changing his name to Rock.

*edit - adamantine body has a 35% spell failure... maybe mithril body instead...

[bekeleven]

I really want to do that now... oh dear god do I want to do that.

my only problem with druid is that the wild shape really takes a long time to get going.
I had that problem... so I built homebrew to solve it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

[Red Fel]

DAMN YOU FOR TUGGING ON MY HEARSTRINGS WITH APPROPRIATE REFERENCES!!! that's it, I'm changing his name to Rock.

*edit - adamantine body has a 35% spell failure... maybe mithril body instead...

But if you go Warlock, how will you have a clockwork dog animal companion?

[Fouredged Sword]

Homebrew option for a wild cohort? Leadership for a awakened dog renegade mastermaker?

Twilight will drop that by 10%.

Also, kinda out there, but you should be able to qualify for runesmith with feats or a dip. It would theoretically convert your warlock invocations into runes. It would even possibly allow you to share some of your personal only invocations with others. It's moving out of raw into rule of cool though.

[lytokk]

well, I put together a warforged template that can be added to any creature, and the dwarf who built the warforged could conceptually build a dog. I'm changing the dwarf's name too. Wild Cohort would take care of the rest.

[lytokk]

Will have to look at the Complete Arcan when I get home, but I'm having some problems with these invocations. How many can a warlock activate in a round? How many can he have active? How long do they last? How many can he do in a day? looking at this, it seems like its unlimited but it was pointed out to me that the reference I'm using isn't official and could be wrong

[Kuulvheysoon]

Will have to look at the Complete Arcan when I get home, but I'm having some problems with these invocations. How many can a warlock activate in a round? How many can he have active? How long do they last? How many can he do in a day? looking at this, it seems like its unlimited but it was pointed out to me that the reference I'm using isn't official and could be wrong

You can use them at-will all day long. They mostly take a standard action to use, so you're likely to only use one a round.

[Fouredged Sword]

Ok, warlocks.

They are a tier 4-3 class that can preform a set list of magic abilities an unlimited number of times per day. These take several forms, but biol down to an attack called eldrich blast that takes a standard action (no multiple attacks a round), all day buffs that can't be cast on anyone else without tricks (basicaly flat bonuses that can be dispelled) and other assorted abilities that can be used at will.

Most of their abilities are standard actions. They can use their abilities an unlimited number of times per day.

They are tier 4-3, being able to be bent into a decent damage dealer or backup UMD character without too much trouble, but seriously lacking options to deal with anything that can't be blasted into oblivion.

[lytokk]

so the invocations are a 1 at a time type thing? or can you have multiple invocations on at one time?

also, thanks about the standard action for the blast. the way I was reading it just said attacks, so I was under the impression that you could hit multiple times a round

[Mountain]

I'd like to second the juggernaut.

I once briefly ran a warforged. He was a dungeon crasher fighter/warblade/warforged juggernaut. He actually ended up using the domino rush application of shock trooper more often than heedless charge. With all his bonuses, buffs, and magic items combined, he had something like +50 on bull rush attempts.

On a good charge, he would deal ~20d6 damage as he threw the enemy 40-60 feet into a wall (or a tree, or a volcano, or a dragon, etc.)

It also helps that the warforged juggernaut, with a few magic items, is immune to pretty much everything.

[Fouredged Sword]

The invocations that list a duration take a standard action to use, but once you use them, they last for their duration just like a spell would. This means you can use fell flight as well as the invisibility invocation one after the other to be flying and invisible. Mind the durations, but one on, they don't interfere with each other.

[lytokk]

ok, the guide I was looking at didn't mention durations, so I couldn't figure it out. problem with the internet I guess

looking at these essence and blast shape invocations. they take a standard action to invoke, so you invoke turn 1 and can use the blast turn 2? If you invoke but don't use the blast, how long does it stick around

[Fouredged Sword]

Most warlock self buffs last 24 hours, so you just kinda write them down on your sheet and forget about them.

Now, you can blast each round. If a blast has an effect that persists between rounds, you can fire it every round and watch the effects pile up.

Think of them as spells. You are an extension of the sorcerer concept taken to the extreme. You have a very limited number of spells that all do exactly what they say on the tin. You can use said spells an unlimited number of times per day.

[lytokk]

some of the blast augmentations have a duration of instantaneous, so are these cast as part of the blast or just the round before?

[lytokk]

Does anyone else have any suggestions? so far there's the Warforged Juggernaut, the blue bomber, an armored t-rex with laser eyes, and the other ones I had put down.

I fully plan on building all of these, just only going to use one as a PC, the others would be NPC's or possibly the BBEG of part of the game.

[Fouredged Sword]

Blasts are just like spells. A duration of instantaneous takes effect during the activation action and applies immediately.

[lytokk]

ok, so when I cast the invocation, my blast would instantly function?

do the normal archery feats stack up with this? point black shot and precise shot? or is it different due to the fact that its an sla?

[bekeleven]

ok, so when I cast the invocation, my blast would instantly function?

do the normal archery feats stack up with this? point black shot and precise shot? or is it different due to the fact that its an sla?

At some point you're just going to have to read the source material.

That point is a dozen posts ago.

[lytokk]

I have been reading something online, but this was more of a clarification for my sake. it may have been confusion due to the writing. Considering warlock is a brand new class to me and would also be to the group, I'm making sure I know all of the rulings regarding it before it could possibly come up in game with me being the only one able to explain it, and having to figure it out then.

Sorry if I'm blathering on too much about this, just got caught up in the excitement and couldn't wait to get home from work.