Warforged... Transformers in disguise...

[Ranting Fool]

Now you can have Warforged druids which can shape shift into animals. How powerful would it be to allow a Warforged to stay looking like a Warforged (I'm assuming with the benefits and drawback of normal warforged) ?

[Waker]

Guys guys, you're missing the obvious and far more awesome answer to the question.
Step 1: Warforged with Adamantine Body, Wild Shape Ranger 5
Step 2: Take Master of Many Forms for 6 levels
Step 3: Apply the Beastskin property (+2) to your armor.
Step 4: Shapeshift into a Huge Tyrannosaurus Rex with Adamantine Armor.

You Grimlock King.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/Omnikar/Grimlock.jpg

You're welcome.
Here is my original post on the topic. Mithril Body works fine too.

[DrkMagusX]

I think the appears would be all flair. You would have the advantages and weakness no matter what they just wouldn't know what you are.

I kinda like the idea of it being a hint at something just isn't right. Like you would need to look real close to tell that its not really a wolf but a mech.

Either way would be cool. Full metal animals etc. or Robots hidden. Its magic and it works however you want to imagine it to work. Make it feel unique to your character and you.

[Jgosse]

I have been thinking of the lately for warfoged Maximals and Predicons.

Each gains an animal form and a hybrid form using either lycanthrope or anthropomorphic animal as the base. Each Warforge would get boosts to it's stats for the according animal.

[dysprosium]

According to Races of Eberron, warforged get to keep their composite plating even while wildshaped.

[Greenish]

Here is my original post on the topic.You don't need Beastskin. Adamantine Body is a feat, so you don't lose the benefits when you wildshape.

…You don't lose the drawbacks, either. 20' speed and max dex of 1 is a bummer for many wildshape forms.

[Joe the Rat]

Ooo, Transmetal.

Now all we need is to figure out how to get Urban Druids to Wildshape into wagons and whatnot...

[Red Fel]

There is one key problem with these Adamantine Body suggestions:

Warforged druids who take this feat cannot cast druid spells or use any of the druid's supernatural or spell-like class features.

You'd have to come up with a way to get this heavy metal armor to not count as metal for Druid purposes. Even if you could keep its benefits while wild shaping, it won't actually let you wild shape.

[Xerlith]

You'd have to come up with a way to get this heavy metal armor to not count as metal for Druid purposes. Even if you could keep its benefits while wild shaping, it won't actually let you wild shape.

Actually it's been worked around in the very beginning. The build uses Wildshape Ranger instead of Druid.
...And Ranger is not included in the feat's description :smallbiggrin:

RAW power!

[Red Fel]

Actually it's been worked around in the very beginning. The build uses Wildshape Ranger instead of Druid.
...And Ranger is not included in the feat's description :smallbiggrin:

RAW power!

Whoops. You're right.

I'm still a bit concerned, though. As I recall, Wildshape Ranger gains Wild Shape as Druid, and Druid powers specifically take issue with metal armor... Then again, Ranger gains the ability as a Druid, not the actual Druid levels (and accompanying taboos)...

Yeah, never mind me. I need to read more carefully.

[lytokk]

I would think that the trading of your combat style for the wild shape would still require you to stay in light armor in order to gain the benefits of wild shape. Thankfully, theres still mithral body. I had been actually looking more into the Primeval class for getting a bit more power out of your transformation, since you add ability scores like for a lycanthrope as opposed to just taking on the abilities as you would for a standard wild shape. Also, Primeval was never changed from a polymorph affect to an alternate form affect, so you get to keep any supernatural abilities not erived from class levels.

[AstralFire]

Ooo, Transmetal.

Now all we need is to figure out how to get Urban Druids to Wildshape into wagons and whatnot...

I could totally see Silverbolt and Optimus Primal as druids.

...

Wait, there was a spin-off series about that prospect. An interesting but definitely not-head-canon one.

[Greenish]

I'm still a bit concerned, though. As I recall, Wildshape Ranger gains Wild Shape as Druid, and Druid powers specifically take issue with metal armor... Then again, Ranger gains the ability as a Druid, not the actual Druid levels (and accompanying taboos)...If the armour limit was innate to the wild shape ability, yeah, but it's innate to the class druid.


I would think that the trading of your combat style for the wild shape would still require you to stay in light armor in order to gain the benefits of wild shape.Why? You very specifically do not gain Weapon Style, so why would you gain the limitations (especially since armour usually melds when you wildshape)?

[lytokk]

its the RAI I'm thinking about here. The combat style feats apply only when in light (or medium, I think) armor, and while not in a heavy load. The intention as far as I was thinking was that you needed to remain in light armor to access the wild shape, though not explicitly stated. Its the way I interpreted the class that is. When it comes down to a discrepancy I usually rule myself towards underpowered as opposed to overpowered. Also, mithral body would work better for movement speeds and such, so it would seem to me to be the better choice for a wildshaping character to make the most out of the wildshape.

[AstralFire]

its the RAI I'm thinking about here. The combat style feats apply only when in light (or medium, I think) armor, and while not in a heavy load. The intention as far as I was thinking was that you needed to remain in light armor to access the wild shape, though not explicitly stated. Its the way I interpreted the class that is. When it comes down to a discrepancy I usually rule myself towards underpowered as opposed to overpowered. Also, mithral body would work better for movement speeds and such, so it would seem to me to be the better choice for a wildshaping character to make the most out of the wildshape.

I'm a RAI fiend but I can't see any way in which "the ranger must wear light armor" was an intended part of the Wild Shape Ranger. As a general rule, rangers wear light armor - okay, sure. But I doubt that as the writer was thinking this over, she said to herself "and if any of these rangers dipped Fighter, they damn well better not expect to be wild shaping in full plate."

RAMS doesn't really work with it either. The ability is about changing shape entirely, and despite the optimization trends of players (making wilding clasps very popular), wild shape and armor were originally intended to have no or minimal interactions with one another at all. If the armor melts into the form by default, why do you care whether you're wearing a mithral shirt or adamantine fullplate?

[lytokk]

all I'm saying is of the 2 combat styles rangers have access too, you loose the benefits from either of them when you're in medium or heavy armor

From the SRD

Combat Style (Ex)
At 2nd level, a ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. This choice affects the character’s class features but does not restrict his selection of feats or special abilities in any way.

If the ranger selects archery, he is treated as having the Rapid Shot feat, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.

If the ranger selects two-weapon combat, he is treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.

The benefits of the ranger’s chosen style apply only when he wears light or no armor. He loses all benefits of his combat style when wearing medium or heavy armor.

Wildshape Rangers, again from the SRD

Ranger
A ranger might forgo training in weapon combat in exchange for the ability to take animal form and move swiftly through the woodlands.

Gain
Wild shape (as druid; Small or Medium animals only), fast movement (as barbarian).

Lose
Combat style, improved combat style, combat style mastery.

All I'm saying, is that I feel that since the combat styles are prohibited if wearing medium or heavy armors, I would interpret that as the wildshaping is also prohibited by medium or heavy armors. Its my feeling, and everyone is free to interpret the ranger variant as they want to. If you want to say that a ranger could wear heavy armor, and still wildshape in your games, thats entirely your choice. But as its not explicitly stated that rangers can wild shape in medium or heavy armor, my interpretation is that it ends up following the same restrictions as the class ability it replaces.

[Greenish]

You can fashion any limits you want on rather roughly-sketched alternative classes you want, but as AstralFire observed, there's nothing even hinting at designers intending the ability to be limited.

Referring to the combat styles doesn't really matter, when the entire point of the variant is that the "ranger might forgo[es] training in weapon combat". Yes, some rangers train in using two weapons or a bow, and their technique doesn't work should they be slowed down by armour, but wildshape rangers specifically don't train in such styles.

[Waker]

Ooo, Transmetal.

Now all we need is to figure out how to get Urban Druids to Wildshape into wagons and whatnot...

There is already a way to do that to a degree. Heard of Gazebo Jones?.

[Heliomance]

Now you can have Warforged druids which can shape shift into animals. How powerful would it be to allow a Warforged to stay looking like a Warforged (I'm assuming with the benefits and drawback of normal warforged) ?

They already have the benefits and drawbacks of normal Warforged. Wildshape doesn't change your type; a wildshaped Warforged is still a Construct [living].

[Ranting Fool]

They already have the benefits and drawbacks of normal Warforged. Wildshape doesn't change your type; a wildshaped Warforged is still a Construct [living].

Cool cool, so I can just fluff the look how I want :smallbiggrin: I'll have to chuck a good Pun named NPC at my party at some point next year since one of the players asked for it.

[Ravens_cry]

If anything, this is a downside, as it limits your infiltration capabilities. People might not notice if a crow decides to wander through an area. A mecha-crow would draw significantly more attention.

[Ranting Fool]

If anything, this is a downside, as it limits your infiltration capabilities. People might not notice if a crow decides to wander through an area. A mecha-crow would draw significantly more attention.

Less important for an NPC, that I can have a lot of fun with it before the party think "Shape changing druid" was thinking of hinting more along the lines of "Bloody wizards crafting all sorts of weird golems and just letting them run loose":smallbiggrin:

[Xerlith]

They already have the benefits and drawbacks of normal Warforged. Wildshape doesn't change your type; a wildshaped Warforged is still a Construct [living].

This (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20051024a) says otherwise. It's of course only the author's vision so mechanic-wise it MIGHT be different, still it's something to remember.

[Karnith]

This (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20051024a) says otherwise. It's of course only the author's vision so mechanic-wise it MIGHT be different, still it's something to remember.
That article predates the rather large changes made to Wild Shape when WotC errata'd everything Polymorph-related; that particular statement is based on outdated rules. Wild Shape used to change your type (because it functioned like Polymorph), but it doesn't now (because it's based on Alternate Form).

[lytokk]

Also, as pointed out to me, it was never put into any official errata. So a wildshaping warforged keeps its armor bonus and immunities in shaped form.

[Coidzor]

Now you can have Warforged druids which can shape shift into animals. How powerful would it be to allow a Warforged to stay looking like a Warforged (I'm assuming with the benefits and drawback of normal warforged) ?

Uh. It'd be no change, basically, being entirely fluff. The only real power increase is if you let them to continue to use their armor plating and warforged components.


Ooo, Transmetal.

Now all we need is to figure out how to get Urban Druids to Wildshape into wagons and whatnot...

City Soul (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) Only kicks in at 16th level though.

[Ravens_cry]

Less important for an NPC, that I can have a lot of fun with it before the party think "Shape changing druid" was thinking of hinting more along the lines of "Bloody wizards crafting all sorts of weird golems and just letting them run loose":smallbiggrin:
Still something they might consider an enemy, as opposed to just an animal wandering around.