Warforged sleep?

[BootStrapTommy]

I realize that the UA Eberron is really just a "Here, have our half finished crap to appease you". But I see a slight issue which begs questions.

You see warforged don't sleep. They have 4hour inactive stage thing, like trance but better. My thought was " great response to PvP midnight murder sessions". Also convenient for not having to deal with watches.

Then I realized warforged are inexplicably not immune to sleep, a thing they don't do. Got me comparing warforged to elves, and not liking the way they did them.

[Gritmonger]

I realize that the UA Eberron is really just a "Here, have our half finished crap to appease you". But I see a slight issue which begs questions.

You see warforged don't sleep. They have 4hour inactive stage thing, like trance but better. My thought was " great response to PvP midnight murder sessions". Also convenient for not having to deal with watches.

Then I realized warforged are inexplicably not immune to sleep, a thing they don't do. Got me comparing warforged to elves, and not liking the way they did them.

In addition, the construct isn't immune to poison. Which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either. If it is a construct, it shouldn't breathe, be vulnerable to poisons or disease, or (if it is defined correctly) sleep. It probably wouldn't be resistant to charm the way elves are.

The nearest I can figure is that they have a formula, and when they toted it up, they had to leave something on the table or have it be overpowered.

I can think of a few things - disadvantage on athletics checks for swimming for one.

[rollingForInit]

They could exchange the +1 AC for immunity to poison and sleep effects.

[Slipperychicken]

Poison and disease are easy to explain: Warforged are made partially from living wood. Killing or damaging the wood (as poison and disease can do) seems likely to cause problems that would be represented as hp damage.

[TrollCapAmerica]

Poison and disease are easy to explain: Warforged are made partially from living wood. Killing or damaging the wood (as poison and disease can do) seems likely to cause problems that would be represented as hp damage.

I don't have my Eberron stuff right but wasent that always a thing? I can't recall right now

[Gritmonger]

I don't have my Eberron stuff right but wasent that always a thing? I can't recall right now

It wasn't in the update/errata... moment... in the Unearthed Arcana update, there is no mention of immunity to poison, it's there in the original Eberron book.


Now, immune to disease, doesn't really sleep much, don't eat or breathe.

Then, Immune to disease, poison, nausea, exhaustion, paralysis, sleep, and energy drain, don't eat or breathe...

[BootStrapTommy]

Personally would prefer jettisoning not eating for sleep immunity.

After all if warforged are living, theoretically they need an energy source.

[themaque]

Personally would prefer jettisoning not eating for sleep immunity.

After all if warforged are living, theoretically they need an energy source.

I asked this same question when My wizard was jumped by Warforged. The GM ruled the spell shunt them into "sleep mode" like on the computer. They needed a kick to knock themselves out of it.

[the_david]

Well, they are created magically. So they would have a magical energy source.

Yes, that's the ol' "a wizard did it" handwave.

[Feddlefew]

Wait. If they're magically powered, what happens to Warforged in an anti-magic field? :smallconfused:

[hawklost]

Wait. If they're magically powered, what happens to Warforged in an anti-magic field? :smallconfused:

Same thing that happens to any magical creature in it? Since the power is fully contained within their bodies nothing? Their "Shell" (body) contains the magic and due to the unique nature of allowing them to live instead of just being a construct, anti-magic fields are not enough to stop them. (Think that the magic in them effectively is a soul, the anti-magic field doesn't work on a soul so it doesn't work on Warforged)

[Inevitability]

Wait. If they're magically powered, what happens to Warforged in an anti-magic field? :smallconfused:

Does alchemist fire stop working in an AMF? No, it doesn't. Warforged are the same.


In addition, the construct isn't immune to poison. Which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either. If it is a construct, it shouldn't breathe, be vulnerable to poisons or disease, or (if it is defined correctly) sleep.

At my table, I worded it as; 'Warforged are partially dependent on various complex alchemical processes for their survival. Injecting a random substance in there will probably mess up at least a few of those.'
And you actually don't breathe. It says so in the PDF.

[Forum Explorer]

I realize that the UA Eberron is really just a "Here, have our half finished crap to appease you". But I see a slight issue which begs questions.

You see warforged don't sleep. They have 4hour inactive stage thing, like trance but better. My thought was " great response to PvP midnight murder sessions". Also convenient for not having to deal with watches.

Then I realized warforged are inexplicably not immune to sleep, a thing they don't do. Got me comparing warforged to elves, and not liking the way they did them.

Well how is it like trance exactly? Cause if it's more like sleep, then I'd expect a sleep spell to simply knock them into that inactive state.

But really, simply giving them sleep immunity (and perhaps disease immunity + poison resistence) in replacement of the +1 AC is an easy fix, and arguably lower powered.

[Ehcks]

I can think of a few things - disadvantage on athletics checks for swimming for one.

That wouldn't work. If they don't breathe, then they don't need to swim. They can just walk on the ground under the water.

[themaque]

That wouldn't work. If they don't breathe, then they don't need to swim. They can just walk on the ground under the water.

Breathing isn't the issue on swimming, it's whether you rule them light enough to be buoyant in water.

[BootStrapTommy]

Well how is it like trance exactly? Cause if it's more like sleep, then I'd expect a sleep spell to simply knock them into that inactive state.
A warforged is completely aware of its surroundings as if it were awake and it doesn't dream. Not true on either case for trance even.

Technically, RAW the warforged can be on watch while inactive. Only they can't move without interrupting the state.


Breathing isn't the issue on swimming, it's whether you rule them light enough to be buoyant in water. They're actually made mostly of wood.

[themaque]

A warforged is completely aware of its surroundings as if it were awake and it doesn't dream. Not true on either case for trance even.

Technically, RAW the warforged can be on watch while inactive. Only they can't move without interrupting the state.

They're actually made mostly of wood.

Not immune to sleep, but their "trance" doesn't dull their senses, they just can't MOVE. So... sleep would work the same. Only from their perspective they would be on a forced trance. Seeing and hearing everything around them but unable to DO anything about it.

[BootStrapTommy]

Not immune to sleep, but their "trance" doesn't dull their senses, they just can't MOVE. So... sleep would work the same. Only from their perspective they would be on a forced trance. Seeing and hearing everything around them but unable to DO anything about it. But in their normal inactive state, warforged can just choose to become active. It just interupts their ability to regain features from a long rest. Unlike a sleeping human or entranced elf, who must be woken.

Elves' sleep immunity is based on the fact that they don't sleep. By that logic, same with warforged. But obviously that's a balancing issue. But I still think I'd trade not having to eat for not having to sleep any day.

[TheOOB]

As per the rules, sleep magic affects warforged just like any other creature. Sleep spells are typically mind affecting after all, and warforged have a mind. Elves immunity to sleep springs more from their mind resistance than their trance IMO.

As far as poison and disease, warforged are unlikey to get poisoned or diseased, as most toxins are either injested or inhaled, but their living creatures. If I can poison an elemental, i can poison a living construct.

[Slipperychicken]

That wouldn't work. If they don't breathe, then they don't need to swim. They can just walk on the ground under the water.

Spending that much time on the bottom of the ocean in a fantasy setting featuring the all-but-mandatory eldritch horrors and giant sea monsters? It sounds like a death sentence to me. Even if the character manages to survive (maybe krakens don't like eating warforged?), it may well take him years to reach land walking through water with only a murky idea of which direction leads to land. Either way, he's effectively removed from the campaign.

[eastmabl]

Per Mearls: https://twitter.com/eastmabl/status/580150938415046657

"sleep mode - immune would need to be specifically called out"

[asorel]

5th Edition Elves aren't immune to sleep entirely because they themselves do not sleep. This can be seen in the fact that Half-Elves sleep as normal, but still receive the Fey Ancestry feature, which immuunizes them to magical sleep effects.

[Beleriphon]

I actually think its an interesting thing that warforged can be put to sleep with the Sleep spell. Imagine warforged Sleep houses where they pay for the privilege of feeling what it is like to sleep. Plot hook!

[Inevitability]

I actually think its an interesting thing that warforged can be put to sleep with the Sleep spell. Imagine warforged Sleep houses where they pay for the privilege of feeling what it is like to sleep. Plot hook!

I would imagine most warforged would be all like 'Really? This is what you spend a third of your life doing?' and then never come back for a second time. :smalltongue:

[eastmabl]

I would imagine most warforged would be all like 'Really? This is what you spend a third of your life doing?' and then never come back for a second time. :smalltongue:

But then you ask them if they dreamt of electric sheep.

[goto124]

A computer sleeping?

'Sleep!'
'WINDOWS IS NOW SHUTTING DOWN...