Did anyone ever write a Warforged Handbook?

[Windcaller]

Well, I'm about to play my first Warforged, and they are quite unique. There are many options that only affects them, and I would like to have at least a list with all of these options. But if there's a handbook around, that would be nice to read, there's always insight to be gained from them.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I don't think there's one for 3.5, although there are a number of threads with build advice.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?137759-3-5-Playing-a-Warforged
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?186315-Warforged-Guide
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?143078-3-5-Warforged-why-ever-play-one

And more on Google.

[Edit] Are you using the one in the Eberron Campaign Setting? If so, you gain bonus hp for size due to your Construct type. You also gain hardness bonus hp if you enhance your body magically. (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm#magicArmorShieldsandWeapons)


Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor, a weapon, or a shield and +10 to the item’s hit points.

[Venger]

Warforged don't work like normal constructs. They don't get bonus hit points from size. They get hp from con, like any other living creature.

They don't get points for hardness either since that applies only to objects or magic items.

As far as warforged-only game options go:

Feats
adamantine body
brute fighting
cold iron tracery
construct lock
improved dr
improved fortification
improved resiliency
ironwood body
jaws of death
mithral body
mithral fluidity
overload metabolism
psiforged body
second slam
shocking fist
silver tracery
spiked body
unarmored body

prestige classes
reforged
warforged juggernaut

sub lvls
artificer
fighter
paladin

spells
construct essence (lesser, normal, greater)
humanoid essence (lesser, normal, greater)

and then warforged components, obviously, which halfway between grafts and magic items. They're like magic items that don't take up a body slot because they replace or add on to one of your body parts.

That's it.

[Doctor Despair]

That's it.

We'd be remiss not to mention Incarnate Construct in those spells.

Also notable: a lot of the Warforged immunities come from their type/subtype. They retain these when in wild shape, so a warforged druid can be sturdier than others.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Warforged don't work like normal constructs. They don't get bonus hit points from size.The ECS's warforged entry says nothing about not gaining all the benefits of the Construct type (except for the benefits explicitly overridden by the Living Construct subtype, of course), and none of that says you don't gain bonus hp from size.

[Gruftzwerg]

The ECS's warforged entry says nothing about not gaining all the benefits of the Construct type (except for the benefits explicitly overridden by the Living Construct subtype, of course), and none of that says you don't gain bonus hp from size.

I see your point but sadly it remains still arguable:


Because its body is a mass of unliving matter, a construct is hard to destroy. It gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on the following table.
Imho "Living Construct" disqualifies you from counting as "mass if unliving matter".

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I see your point but sadly it remains still arguable:

Imho "Living Construct" disqualifies you from counting as "mass if unliving matter".That is a fair rebuttal, although warforged are made of steel, wood, and other nonliving things, and not living steel and living wood, either. So while they in their entirety are alive, many of their component parts are not. It's why you can use the Craft skill to repair them from additional nonliving components.

[Venger]

The ECS's warforged entry says nothing about not gaining all the benefits of the Construct type (except for the benefits explicitly overridden by the Living Construct subtype, of course), and none of that says you don't gain bonus hp from size.

The most recent source to define living construct and its concomitant benefits is not ECS, but MM3, which specifically says:


Unlike other constructs, a living construct has a Constitution
score. A living construct does not gain bonus hit points
by size but gains (or loses) bonus hit points through a Constitution
bonus (or penalty) as with other living creatures.

Normally, I know glossary ≠ RAW, but MM3 chose not to define the living construct subtype and list its traits before or after listing all the monsters with that subtype like it normally does (such as with tanar'ri) but hid it in the glossary for whatever stupid reason, so this entry does actually have meaningful rules info.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The most recent source to define living construct and its concomitant benefits is not ECS, but MM3, which specifically says:

Normally, I know glossary ≠ RAW, but MM3 chose not to define the living construct subtype and list its traits before or after listing all the monsters with that subtype like it normally does (such as with tanar'ri) but hid it in the glossary for whatever stupid reason, so this entry does actually have meaningful rules info.The ECS is the primary source, and the MM3 doesn't have the authority to override the primary source. It can clarify, but it can't add to or otherwise edit the primary source. And since the ECS's errata didn't change the warforged entry to exclude bonus hp due to size, warforged do gain them.

[Crake]

The ECS is the primary source, and the MM3 doesn't have the authority to override the primary source. It can clarify, but it can't add to or otherwise edit the primary source. And since the ECS's errata didn't change the warforged entry to exclude bonus hp due to size, warforged do gain them.

Well, no. The ECS is the primary source for the eberron setting. MM3 is the primary source of warforged for generic settings, so your point is only valid for a warforged in eberron.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Well, no. The ECS is the primary source for the eberron setting. MM3 is the primary source of warforged for generic settings, so your point is only valid for a warforged in eberron.Only if you don't have the ECS, in which case you don't have any choice in the matter.

[Windcaller]

Thank you all for your help. The list is exactly what I was asking for, to make sure I don't ignore anything relevant. And the discussion about size hit points was quite interesting.

[Troacctid]

Warforged don't work like normal constructs. They don't get bonus hit points from size. They get hp from con, like any other living creature.

They don't get points for hardness either since that applies only to objects or magic items.

As far as warforged-only game options go:

Feats
adamantine body
brute fighting
cold iron tracery
construct lock
improved dr
improved fortification
improved resiliency
ironwood body
jaws of death
mithral body
mithral fluidity
overload metabolism
psiforged body
second slam
shocking fist
silver tracery
spiked body
unarmored body

prestige classes
reforged
warforged juggernaut

sub lvls
artificer
fighter
paladin

spells
construct essence (lesser, normal, greater)
humanoid essence (lesser, normal, greater)

and then warforged components, obviously, which halfway between grafts and magic items. They're like magic items that don't take up a body slot because they replace or add on to one of your body parts.

That's it.
Warforged components do take up body slots normally. They just can't be removed against your will while you're conscious. Also, you missed a fair amount of material from the other Eberron books.


The ECS is the primary source, and the MM3 doesn't have the authority to override the primary source. It can clarify, but it can't add to or otherwise edit the primary source. And since the ECS's errata didn't change the warforged entry to exclude bonus hp due to size, warforged do gain them.
If you think ECS is the primary source for living constructs, they why do you think it should be overridden by the Monster Manual's rules for nonliving constructs?

[Venger]

You can make components slotless for a 100% surcharge. Would you care to provide the content I missed for Windcaller's edification?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

If you think ECS is the primary source for living constructs, they why do you think it should be overridden by the Monster Manual's rules for nonliving constructs?The construct type isn't just for nonliving constructs, but all constructs. That includes mindless and nonmindless alike.

[Troacctid]

You can make components slotless for a 100% surcharge. Would you care to provide the content I missed for Windcaller's edification?
What, and basically write a whole handbook? Sounds like a lot of work. I don't even remember where that planty druidy one is from. CoS has some stuff? You can check my items spreadsheet for some of the good warforged components, though.


The construct type isn't just for nonliving constructs, but all constructs. That includes mindless and nonmindless alike.
That doesn't really answer the question. Why would a general rule from a secondary source override a specific rule from a primary source?

[Nihilarian]

There was at least one warforged handbook but it was on a website that no longer exists. You might be able to find it on wayback? The site was something like ruleofcool.com

[ShurikVch]

As far as warforged-only game options go:
...
In addition to all aforementioned

Feats
Blade Communion of Slashing (Dragon #359)
Stable Footing (Races of Eberron)

prestige classes
Landforged Walker (Secrets of Xen'drik)
Spellcarved Soldier (Races of Eberron)

spells and infusions
Body of War
Dominate Living Construct
Repair ... Damage spell line (Light/Moderate/Serious/Light Damage, Mass/Moderate Damage, Mass)
Summon Warforged Champion
Unseen Crafter: When the unseen crafter is commanded to repair a warforged, it receives a +10 bonus on its Craft check.

Warforged Domain (Faiths of Eberron): Rebuke, command, or bolster construct creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead.

[Venger]

Stable footing can also be taken by dwarves. While body of war turns you into a warforged titan, it affects casters of any race, not just warforged like the x essence lines.

[Saintheart]

That doesn't really answer the question. Why would a general rule from a secondary source override a specific rule from a primary source?

Can I raise the possibility that it's not clear what the primary source and what the secondary source is, because of WOTC's rubbish writing?

The PHB errata only defines three primary sources: the PHB, the DMG, and the MM 1. MM 3 isn't included amongst that lot even if it reprints the same text from the original MM. (We could get even more pedantic in that the errata only says how the PHB/DMG/MM override each other, not how splats work with them, but let's leave that aside.)

[MaxiDuRaritry]

That doesn't really answer the question. Why would a general rule from a secondary source override a specific rule from a primary source?It doesn't. Not sure where you got that from.

[Troacctid]

It doesn't. Not sure where you got that from.
You said ECS is the primary source, so it overrides MM3, which is a secondary source. But then you concluded that the primary source, ECS, is overridden by MM1, a secondary source.

As Saintheart rightly points out, your assertion that any of these sources should be primary or secondary is baseless in the first place. But even if we accept your premises here, you still don't have an internally consistent position.
(And if you're about to reply with "But MM1 doesn't disagree with ECS so there's no conflict!" then I do hope you'll also bring some support for why MM3 does disagree with ECS.)
Oh, and if we're collecting lists of warforged stuff, you'll want to look in City of Stormreach too. Good stuff there.

[ShurikVch]

Note: there are also Warforged Components in the:
Dragon #341 ("Arcane Upgrade: Warforged Magic Items"), #352 ("Eberron: Dragonmarks – Warforged: Fierce and Furious"),
Dungeon #115 - Seal of Longstriding ("Steel Shadows"), and #150 - Arachnid Chassis ("Quoth the Raven").