Warforged modularity with Integrated Items

[Greywander]

I'm a bit disappointed with the new warforged (Rising from the Last War). I mean, it's not terrible, it's still a solid race, but it seems like they took out some of the more fun aspects. I was told there would be modularity, but the end result actually has fewer options than before. So... I thought I'd try to bring back some modularity by expanding on the envoy's integrated tool into a general Integrated Items ability.

The following feature could be appended to the existing warforged found in RftLW, but it might be more balanced if it replaced Specialized Design. Apologies in advance for the length.

Integrated Item
Due to your constructed nature, you are able to make modifications to your body to integrate items into it. If the item is a weapon, shield, or tool, you must be proficient with that item to integrate it. You have a number of slots for integrated items equal to your proficiency bonus.

Integrating items is a long and involved process. It commonly requires crafting complex machinery, modifying your existing body to accommodate the new item, imbuing that item with the same magic that gives you life, and practicing with your newly integrated item to insure it is working correctly and to get adjusted to its use. You must spend an 8 hour period to integrate an item, to remove an integrated item, or to replace one integrated item with another. This time does not count toward a long rest.

Integrated items gain the following benefits:

• While not in use, the item can be retracted into your body, concealing it.
• The item cannot be removed except by force. A creature attempting to remove an item by force must make a Strength (Athletics) check with a DC equal to your Strength score + your proficiency bonus, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to the result on a success. Alternatively, they can choose to make one of their attacks with disadvantage, and the attack must hit and deal damage greater than your Constitution score + your level. In either case, if successful, the apparatus that connects the item to your body is destroyed, allowing the item to be removed.
• Once on each of your turns, you may extend one of your integrated items without using an action. This can't be an item you've retracted on the same turn.

Integrating an item does not affect the number of hands you need to hold or use that item. An extended item is generally treated as if you were holding it in your hand, preventing you from using that hand for other tasks.

When integrating an oversized item, you are able to modify that item to make it collapse or fold up, and parts of the item might protrude from your body while retracted (the item is still concealed, as its nature is not apparent in this state). You can also use a bit of magic similar to that used in a bag of holding to create some extradimensional space to fit oversized items inside your body. However, all of these methods have their limits, and the DM has the final say on if an item is simply too big to integrate. DMs are encouraged to err on the side of permissiveness, and to allow at least one oversized item to be integrated into the warforged's chest cavity.

Dispensers
Consumable items and weapons with the thrown property work differently when integrated. Instead of integrating the item itself, you instead create a dispenser for that specific type of item. You can then load up to three items of that type into the dispenser. When you draw or pick up an item, you can load it into a dispenser as part of the same action, otherwise you may load a held item as an item interaction. Items loaded into a dispenser gain all the same benefits as integrated items, shown above. You can launch items from a dispenser, which is the same as throwing the item. Consumable items can be discarded once they are consumed, and you can also unload and stow an item as an item interaction.

When you extend a dispenser, you are treated as if you were holding everything loaded into the dispenser in a single hand. This allows you to, for example, throw three darts, assuming you are able to make three attacks. You could also drink three potions without needing to spend additional item interactions to retrieve them from your pack. This doesn't qualify for two weapon fighting, as you must be holding each weapon in a separate hand.

While a dispenser is generally tailored to a specific type of item, you can also make a special dispenser that can load any type of bottle, flask, or vial into it. This allows you to load any item that can be contained in a bottle, flask, or vial, such as potions, poisons, oil, ink, acid, or holy water.

Instead of integrating another item, you can spend that time and integrated item slot to expand a dispenser to carry three more items.

Ammunition Weapons
If you integrate a weapon with the ammunition property, you can load up to five pieces of ammunition into it, as with a dispenser. This does not allow you to ignore the loading property on the weapon, if it has it, but it does extend the benefits of integrated items to that ammunition.

I've made it intentionally difficult to swap items out, making them semi-permanent while still allowing you to switch things around if you do change your mind. Fortunately, warforged don't need to sleep, so any time the party takes a long rest and you don't need it, you can spend that time switching an item instead.

A neat aspect of this is that you can recreate the envoy by integrating a tool, or somewhat recreate the juggernaut by integrating a weapon. Integrating different items allows you to create quite a varied theme for your character, and is a good way to add flavor. Ropes, block and tackle, battering rams, shovels, hammers, grappling hooks, and so on and so forth. There's a lot of ways to use this feature.

Would you use this? Would you allow it at your table? What would you change?