[BECMI] Warforged For Mystara

[Havard]

Warforged recently become much more important in my Blackmoor campaign. I found this article by Ashtagon on Pandius.

Warforged for Mystara
by Rhialto

Hit Dice, 9d8 +3 hp per level after level 9.

- Minimum constitution score of 9. (nb. no ability score adjustment; D&D uses minimum stats instead of adjusting them as a general rule).

Languages: Warforged have no language of their own. They speak Common, plus whatever extra languages their Intelligence score might allow them.

Living Construct: Immune to poison and disease, sleep, paralysis, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain attacks.

- Cannot heal damage naturally. Magical healing provides only half normal benefit, unless they were memorised as (for example) repair light damage spells.

- Always treated as wearing metal armour where relevant to magical effects, swimming, and so on.
- Always treated as wearing a significant amount of wood where relevant to magical effects (repel wood etc).

- natural weapon - fists (aka slam) 1d4 damage

- natural armour - AC 7 by default. Cannot wear armour, but may be "refitted" with heavier/thicker armour. Treat this refitting as purchasing a piece of armour (standard prices). Such armour cannot be removed (except by refitting), but has no encumbrance for the warforged character. This initial AC 7 means the warforged effectively starts out "refitted" with "leather armour".

Attack and save progression as a fighter. Can benefit from all fighter manoeuvres at appropriate character levels. Experience progression as a magic-user.

I like some of these ideas, but I would like to make it less complex. My original idea was to have it based on the Dwarf Class. To balance this with the improved XP table, I would like to remove some of its immunties. OTOH, I wonder if the reduced benefit from healing magic is too harsh.

Thoughts?

-Havard

[Chimpman]

Hmmm... I think this is a good start, but there are some issues I see.

- natural armour - AC 7 by default. Cannot wear armour, but may be "refitted" with heavier/thicker armour. Treat this refitting as purchasing a piece of armour (standard prices). Such armour cannot be removed (except by refitting), but has no encumbrance for the warforged character. This initial AC 7 means the warforged effectively starts out "refitted" with "leather armour".

In 3E (IIRC) the only way to improve your initial body type is to take additional feats. I actually like what Ash has done above, but I would increase the refitting price. A warforged will never remove their armor (they don't need to) so they will never be caught without it on. Normal characters must (for example) take it off before sleeping or suffer consequences. So I'd be leary about providing a benefit (always wearing armor without penalties) without some offset (increased price or skill point expenditure or something similar).

To balance this with the improved XP table, I would like to remove some of its immunties. OTOH, I wonder if the reduced benefit from healing magic is too harsh.

Which immunities do you want to remove? I actually think Ash covered most of their special abilities here fairly well.

I agree about the magical healing though. I might change that so that they can not heal normally, but are affected fully by normal heal spells and repair spells alike.

[RobJN]

Hmmm... I think this is a good start, but there are some issues I see.

- natural armour - AC 7 by default. Cannot wear armour, but may be "refitted" with heavier/thicker armour. Treat this refitting as purchasing a piece of armour (standard prices). Such armour cannot be removed (except by refitting), but has no encumbrance for the warforged character. This initial AC 7 means the warforged effectively starts out "refitted" with "leather armour".

In 3E (IIRC) the only way to improve your initial body type is to take additional feats. I actually like what Ash has done above, but I would increase the refitting price. A warforged will never remove their armor (they don't need to) so they will never be caught without it on. Normal characters must (for example) take it off before sleeping or suffer consequences. So I'd be leary about providing a benefit (always wearing armor without penalties) without some offset (increased price or skill point expenditure or something similar).

To balance this with the improved XP table, I would like to remove some of its immunties. OTOH, I wonder if the reduced benefit from healing magic is too harsh.

Which immunities do you want to remove? I actually think Ash covered most of their special abilities here fairly well.

I agree about the magical healing though. I might change that so that they can not heal normally, but are affected fully by normal heal spells and repair spells alike.

Or perhaps make it such that Warforged only gain half effect from healing potions.

[Havard]

Which immunities do you want to remove? I actually think Ash covered most of their special abilities here fairly well.

I agree about the magical healing though. I might change that so that they can not heal normally, but are affected fully by normal heal spells and repair spells alike.

Or perhaps make it such that Warforged only gain half effect from healing potions.[/quote]

I generally dont want to introduce Repair Spells IMC. Rather I would have healing spells work normally. As to immunities I would keep the Immuntiy to Poison, Disease and Sleep, but perhaps not to Paralysis and Energy Drain.

My goal here would be to keep the class balanced, but at the same time not introduce too many complicated rules into the game.

-Havard