Warforged and Wildshape

[Benejeseret]

I was really impressed with the response to my "warforged and Alter Self" thread and wanted to follow up on it with this next question.

Has there been a release of altered warforged druids rules, such as racial druid levels or varients, that lets the wildshape animals be considered "construct shape"?

If not, I think I will have to homebrew it if it has not been done (will move to the appropriate forum if so).

Such things I would expect here would be
1) Wildhape to constructs, not animals. Wildshape 16th elementals - instead grants all SU and EX and spell-like abilities of constructs (ie. before 16th warforged druid would not gain magic immunity of golemn as wildshape only grants EX attacks of the form)
2) Animal companion changes to a templated effigy companion (druid level -3)
and so starts at lvl4
3) All abilities working in nature instead work in cities or artificial caves
4) All spells with 'animal' as targets work on constructs
5) Not sure what to do about wild empathy....possible dropped or also switched to constructs

Basically a druid attempts to understand the natural parts of themselves.
A warforged is not natural and the equivalent process would have them gaining insight and control over their artificial selves.

I am first curious to see if this has already been done officially though.

[Citizen Joe]

I think there are some special rules/restrictions for warforged druids. Particularly with regards to 'metal armour'. I think they need a special body construction. If I were to homebrew it, I'd make the wildshape still be animals, but they would be effigy animals.

[TheThan]

Dragon magazine has rules for an urban druid. That might fit your bill. Since it can eventually “wild shape” (urban shape?) into inanimate objects.

Eventually I’m going to make a Transformer out of that class/race combo.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

I think there are some special rules/restrictions for warforged druids. Particularly with regards to 'metal armour'. I think they need a special body construction. If I were to homebrew it, I'd make the wildshape still be animals, but they would be effigy animals.
A standard warforged is not considered to be wearing any type of armor for the purpose of class abilities that are restricted by armor other than Arcane Spell Failure). This includes the metal armor restriction of druids. However, druids with Mithral Body or Adamantine Body are considered to by wearing Light or Heavy Metal armor respectively. There are no special restrictions on warforged druids that do not take either feat.

And wild shape is a magical ability that transforms the druid, whatever his or her original type, into an animal. So there are no special rules for warforged and wild shape.

I don't know which issue of Dragon had the urban druid The Than mentioned off the top of my head. However, I do know it made it into the Dragon Compendium.

[Nerd-o-rama]

The Ironwood Body feat, however, will get you Medium armor (I think equivalent to that from Mithral Body) and is kosher for Druids. So there's that.

[Benejeseret]

Thanks, the urban druid is basically what I was looking for for most of the abilities.

BUT, I do not like the wildshape advancement AT ALL.

A druid with urban druid capstone ability is to take on an animated object form at lvl 16........once per day, huge at lvl 20.

So what, a lvl 4 warforged sorcerer/wiz/brd with animate self can do that as well only they can cast it 3+ times a day. A warforge charger with a ring or scroll of alter self could even become a huge animated object (with level adj still about EL 4)

What a dumb capstone ability....an animated object? Sure, it has some really sneaky uses and some neat roleplaying ability but as the highest form of wildshape actually choosing :

Huge animated object: AC 13, Str 20, Dex 8, Con Ø 2d6+7 slam with ability to blind or constrict.

VS

Elementals: AC in 20 range, Gain their high (29) strength or dex plus their damage reduction, EX abilities, SU abilities, spell abilities and FEATS and a slam of 2d8 to 2d10 plus strength. I mean....6-8 free feats!!

I mean.....wow. Why the writers thought for a second animated object could possibly compare is beyond me. Especially,....especially, when it is avaiable to a lvl 4 warforged.

Weak, and totally worth a homebrew in my humble opinion

[Shhalahr Windrider]

So what, a lvl 4 warforged sorcerer/wiz/brd with animate self can do that as well only they can cast it 3+ times a day. A warforge charger with a ring or scroll of alter self could even become a huge animated object (with level adj still about EL 4)
You cannot use alter self to take on a form with more than 5 HD. Huge Animated Objects have 8 HD.

[Benejeseret]

Very true, my mistake

Non-the-less a lvl 4 being able to compensate a lvl 16 "special class ability" still means the lvl 16 ability is too weak.

Thanks for the advice