Among the many and varied races you can play in Dungeons & Dragons, few are as truly unique as the warforged. Unlike other humanoid races, the warforged are not limited by their biology. Instead, their appearance and abilities are limited only by the imaginations of their creators.
It’s impossible to talk about warforged without talking about Eberron. One of the more popular official D&D settings, Eberron is a setting where science and magic have progressed together. Think of your standard fantasy setting if technology had been employed to harness magic, and magic fueled technological advancement, similar to hextech from League of Legends fame. That’s Eberron. And perhaps the most memorable sorcerous scientific advancement of the setting are the warforged.
As the name implies, the warforged were created as soldiers. They were obedient, expendable, hardy, and effective combatants. But a powerful family managed to imbue with true sentience, giving birth to an entirely new type of creature! Though their bodies are cobbled together out of organic and inorganic materials such as wood, stone, steel, and similar substances, healing magic and medicine work as well on them as with other races.
Since warforged are constructed with great intention, not born, their design often belies their intended function. Bodyguards and infantry may be oversized and focus on durability, while assassins and guerillas might be lighter and more lithe. Whether or not a warforged continues on the path set out for them remains to be seen, but their intended function is often evident at a glance. Warforged are poorly suited to times of peace, and often attempt to find work or satisfaction in societal roles that they think resembles their wartime functions. Warforged experienced with blades may become butchers or chefs, medics may become sawbones or healers, and scouts may work as couriers or lookouts for the town guard.
As inorganic beings, DND warforged don’t face or acknowledge certain challenges or social norms other races do. A warforged does not require food, drink, air, or sleep in the traditional sense. Their bodies are self-sustaining and suitable for any environment. Similarly, warforged do not experience emotion in the way that other creatures do. Warforged are typically logical, practical entities that take the world as it is, not as they would like it to be. They are unlikely to offend or be offended by opinions, but rarely shy away from the facts.
Warforged as a race are canonically new to Eberron, and are still learning the ways of the wider world. As such, they can be gullible or impressionable. They often take on the traits of those they spend their time with, affecting their mannerisms, habits, speech patterns, and routines.They are typically welcoming of nicknames offered up by those close to them, preferring them to their designated identification numbers.
Warforged can serve a variety of functions in a traditional D&D party. Their versatility means there is hardly a bad class option for them. However, their sterling constitution is particularly impressive on the front lines, making warforged barbarians, warforged fighters, and warforged paladins supremely effective at tanking hits for their friends. And who could resist the opportunity to play a warforged artificer that tinkers with their own body to create bizarre and incredible magical fabrications?
As per the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, if you make a warforged player character in D&D Fifth Edition , you benefit from the following…
Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.Age
A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum warforged lifespan remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.Alignment
Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served.Size
Your size is Medium.Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.Constructed Resilience
You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:
- You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
- You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
- You are immune to disease.
- You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Sentry’s Rest
When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.Integrated Protection
Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:
- You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
- You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor other than a shield, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
- While you live, the armor incorporated into your body can’t be removed against your will.
Specialized Design
You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
What class are you excited to play when you next play a warforged in DND 5e? What is your favorite idea for a warforged name? Let us know! Tell us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in our Discord!
