Pimp me a Warforged.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-26 01:56am

I'm due to start an Eberron game soon and I'll be playing a Warforged. I've got the following stat rolls to work with, which can be reordered however people see fit:
14, 11, 12, 16, 17, 10

The game will be starting with level 6 characters. Thus far, the other 3 characters are two academic sorts and an investigator. So the Warforged has got to be 4 PCs worth of biff in one character.

I've been investigating a Battlefist equipped one with dirty fighting and weapon specialisation unarmed - which gives a good outcome. But this is also my first DnD game in many a moon and my first real adventure into Eberron (the last one only went for a session), and I know that we have some insanely good D20 types here who can turn this into something completely obscene.

So, if anyone is willing to give me some help in creating a combat beast, then please, post your ideas here.

Napoleon the Clown · Post by **Napoleon the Clown** » 2008-02-26 02:47am

What all books can you pull from? I'm willing to bounce this off Char Op on the Wizards boards, if you'd like. They can break basically anything in twenty minutes flat, so I'd imagine they can toss together something that'll make you very happy.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-26 03:23am

There is absolutely no reason not to take Superior Unarmed Strike if your going to be fighting unarmed. Improves unarmed damage dice (see Book of Nine Swords.) If your DM considers unarmed strikes "natural attacks", see if you can squeeze Improved Natural Attack (Or a "Fanged Ring") in there as well.

Past that, I'm not terribly sure; I've never played a warforged on account of the sheer amount of duct-tape it took to make it a 'player race'.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-26 05:31am

The books are anything within reason. So I can easily pull from any of the character sourcebooks (complete this or that, 9 swords etc), but not from other settings unless the feat/item is not setting specific.

Post by **Kuja** » 2008-02-26 11:40am

Warforged Tank:

Put the 16 in CON and the 17 in STR, 14 in DEX, take the Adamantine Body and Combat Expertise feats, grab a tower shield and you've got a beast that can stand up to damn near any attack. I'm talking about easily breaking an AC of 30, and fill out Intimidate so that you can bellow opponents into fighting you as opposed to your squishier teammates. Snatch the Parrying Shield feat too so that your touch AC isn't completely laughable.

Ranged combatant:

Look up the prestige class 'Living Siege Engine' online, print it out and stick it under your DMs nose. If you can convince him to spring for it, find yourself a good-sized returning thrown weapon and you're good to go. Get improved critical and the weapon focus/specialization feats nad you'll be crushing enemies before they can close to less than fifty feet.

Slasher:

STR 17, DEX 14, CON 16. Get the battlefists and pick up the Jaws of Doom feat from Races of Eberron. Then get Multiattack and Multiweapon fighting from Savage Species and memorize this chain: fist-fist-slam-fist-fist-slam-bite. Gooey! Get power attack/cleave and Combat Reflexes to supplement this blitzkrieg and proceed to name your character 'Lawn Mower.'

Artificer:

Play an artificer. 'Nuff said.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-26 12:18pm

I've never found Cleave all that useful, even with characters that have reach.

I could have sworn I heard somewhere that there was an eberron build that could cast Wish by ECL 9?

RIPP_n_WIPE · Post by **RIPP_n_WIPE** » 2008-02-26 01:28pm

Dude my fave warforged build. Don't know if you've got alignment restrictions or not but if you want a serious killer I'm telling you go Monk/Soul Eater (book of vile darkness) with a bit from the slasher build. Not only will you be making an insane number of attacks per round, but you'll be draining levels every time you attack. You make an attack and it beats their AC you do damage, but even if it doesn't beat their total AC, if it beats their touch they lose a level with EVERY ATTACK. Depending on your DM he might let you continue advancing monk after you start taking soul eater. But that all depends on DM fiat.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-26 01:37pm

If you want to spice it up with monk, you could always do the Chaos varient. Instead of Flurry of Blows, you get Flailing Attack. 1d4-1 extra attacks at -2 instead of just 2, and the numbers get better as you advance in levels.

handy resource: Crystalkeep.com. They have a crapload of stuff available for referencing.

Post by **Kuja** » 2008-02-26 03:24pm

Joviwan wrote:I've never found Cleave all that useful, even with characters that have reach.

Campaign specific. If your DM favors giant killer monsters, cleave is worthless because you'll rarely, if ever fight more than one enemy at a time. If you end up doing some swarmfighting though, it comes in real handy, real fast.

Post by **Kuja** » 2008-02-26 03:26pm

RIPP_n_WIPE wrote:Dude my fave warforged build. Don't know if you've got alignment restrictions or not but if you want a serious killer I'm telling you go Monk/Soul Eater (book of vile darkness) with a bit from the slasher build. Not only will you be making an insane number of attacks per round, but you'll be draining levels every time you attack. You make an attack and it beats their AC you do damage, but even if it doesn't beat their total AC, if it beats their touch they lose a level with EVERY ATTACK. Depending on your DM he might let you continue advancing monk after you start taking soul eater. But that all depends on DM fiat.

Book of Vile Darkness isn't exactly the best place to go to find DM-friendly prestige classes. There's a prestige in that book that gives its character infinite strength, for fuck's sake.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-26 04:28pm

BoVD: All the prestiege classes are broken, all the feats suck!

And, yeah, Cleave is pretty case specific. I've never found a use for it beyond 1st level, when Kobolds are still capable of a significant threat...

No, wait, there was that one time the evil sorceror overlord sent legions of Dretches at the party. Hell, my low strength archer succubus kicked their asses in melee... Or was it lemures? I'm not sure. Whichever devil/demon is the bottom of the barrel; that one.

So yeah... if your DM perfers one on six slugfests with big beasties, cleave=/=good.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2008-02-26 05:23pm

Joviwan wrote:BoVD: All the prestiege classes are broken, all the feats suck!

And, yeah, Cleave is pretty case specific. I've never found a use for it beyond 1st level, when Kobolds are still capable of a significant threat...

No, wait, there was that one time the evil sorceror overlord sent legions of Dretches at the party. Hell, my low strength archer succubus kicked their asses in melee... Or was it lemures? I'm not sure. Whichever devil/demon is the bottom of the barrel; that one.

So yeah... if your DM perfers one on six slugfests with big beasties, cleave=/=good.

Alas, André never learned to vary his tactics appropriately. ^_^

lance · Post by **lance** » 2008-02-26 06:20pm

I got good use out of a spellsword that used alterself to get +7 natural armor and to be a transformer. For the offense it was basically using wraith strike with power attack and one of the charging feats.

Joviwan wrote:I've never found Cleave all that useful, even with characters that have reach.

I could have sworn I heard somewhere that there was an eberron build that could cast Wish by ECL 9?

I'm pretty sure that was Miracle, level 6 and had nothing to do with ebberon.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-26 06:23pm

Oh. Well, sure, then, it was miracle, level 6, with nothing to do with eberron. What was the build for that, by the way? If the answer is Pun-pun, don't bother explaining it to me.

RIPP_n_WIPE · Post by **RIPP_n_WIPE** » 2008-02-26 08:34pm

Jesus don't get started on Pun-Pun. Bastard canbe killing the multiverse at level 1 (requires DM fiat) or 5 (entirely rules worthy and requires Faerun).

But as with anything, everything is up the DM. I popped out the build because it's one that I've used BEFORE Soul Eaters became popular online.

Honestly it gets quite, well sick. People can't grapple you (since touching = lose a level) and the level loss has no, repeat NO save. The only creatures that are actually immune are undead, constructs, and plants all of which when you are in a party, are easy kills (undead are turned, plants are burned, and you just beat the shit outta constructs). But if you do your monk right he can still wtf pwn without draining levels (Considering at level 12 you'll have 4 unarmed + 3 natural attacks + whatever other natural attacks you can throw in). If you take willing deformity and take teeth and clawed hands you get two (or three?) more natural attacks.

Erik von Nein · Post by **Erik von Nein** » 2008-02-26 10:53pm

Why not just go with power attack, leap attack and a two-handed weapon? Throw shock trooper in there and you're taking away AC instead of to-hit. Run around doing 5 times damage on a charge and you're good to go. Fuck multiple attacks when you're doing that kind of shit.

lance · Post by **lance** » 2008-02-26 10:57pm

Joviwan wrote:Oh. Well, sure, then, it was miracle, level 6, with nothing to do with eberron. What was the build for that, by the way? If the answer is Pun-pun, don't bother explaining it to me.

It's Divine metamagic heighten spell, with earthspell and extra spell slot.

loomer · Post by **loomer** » 2008-02-26 11:17pm

Kuja wrote:Book of Vile Darkness isn't exactly the best place to go to find DM-friendly prestige classes. There's a prestige in that book that gives its character infinite strength, for fuck's sake.

Holy shit. I thought you were exagerrating, but no. That's just fucking unbalanced in every sense.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2008-02-26 11:30pm

Requiring a very loose intepretation of Earth Spell and certain feats. You're better off with the Dragonwrought Kobold From Hell.

As for Warforged:

With Warforged, you're looking at some unusual toys, which you should maximize.

Immunities: A crapload. Poison, disease, sickened, and nausea are handy for defense, and paralysis and sleep save you from save-or-lose, but you can't fiddle them into awesome. Immunity to Fatigue and Exhaustion, however, opens possibilities.

Feats: Inherent Full Plate, DR, immunity from crits are in the core Eb book are nice. Races adds the possibility for multiple natural attacks(Bite, second slam, damage when grappling).

PrC's: If you love being a Construct, go Warforged Juggernaught. However, Reforged is broken. Horribly, horribly broken. Take a Fighter up with every feat being the 'Extra DR' one. When you hit 3rd Reforged level, you lose those and your Adamantine Body.. And get to replace them with any feat you currently qualify for. Win.

My personal say? Barbarian 10/Frenzied Berserker 10, make sure someone has the Grease spell for if a trap sets you off(You automatically fail the Blanace check and just roll around on the ground instead of berserking your party). Grab up Power Attack, Leap Attack, a two handed weapon, Shock Trooper, and if you can swing it, Battle Leap. Throw on Adamantine Body your first level; it's a feat, so you're now the Barbarian with the equivalent of full plate armour!

Now bumrush some guy in full Frenzy, Reckless Charging him with a zhweihander that has an 4-1 conversion for To-Hit to damage, doubled for Battle Leap, and +100% for Leap Attack, according to Wizards. And your penalty to Hit goes to your AC. For the mere cost of probably getting hit(When you're technically immune to death until the frenzy ends), you can add 320 damage on top of the weapon bonus, strength bonus, and any others.

The only problem is the Frenzy. I've seen an Exalted feat that means you will never attack your friends in a rage; that may or may not be allowed by your DM.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2008-02-26 11:35pm

loomer wrote:
Kuja wrote:Book of Vile Darkness isn't exactly the best place to go to find DM-friendly prestige classes. There's a prestige in that book that gives its character infinite strength, for fuck's sake.
Holy shit. I thought you were exagerrating, but no. That's just fucking unbalanced in every sense.

Stuff for 'Evil' characters generally is. Check 'Hive Minds' in Vile Darkness and then check 'Dark Speech' in Hordes Of The Abyss. If you don't have access, Dark Speech lets you form a Hivemind for 1d4 Con damage. Recursive insanity ahoy.

loomer · Post by **loomer** » 2008-02-26 11:51pm

As for the actual subject, if you want to give your Warforged a little flare, Dragon brought out a chart with body types/etc for them, representing prototypes, modifications, defective units, whatever. I can scan the page and up it for you, if so desired.

Joviwan · Post by **Joviwan** » 2008-02-27 12:19am

SirNitram wrote:
loomer wrote:
Kuja wrote:Book of Vile Darkness isn't exactly the best place to go to find DM-friendly prestige classes. There's a prestige in that book that gives its character infinite strength, for fuck's sake.
Holy shit. I thought you were exagerrating, but no. That's just fucking unbalanced in every sense.
Stuff for 'Evil' characters generally is. Check 'Hive Minds' in Vile Darkness and then check 'Dark Speech' in Hordes Of The Abyss. If you don't have access, Dark Speech lets you form a Hivemind for 1d4 Con damage. Recursive insanity ahoy.

I'm looking, but I'm not sure I'm seeing it. What class gives you infinite strength in BoVD?

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-27 12:25am

Alright - a concept build at this point:

Str: 18 (17 + 1 @ lvl4)
Dex: 14
Con 18 (16 + 2 racial)
Int: 11
Wisdom: 10 (12 - 2 racial)
Cha: 8 (10 - 2 racial)

He'll be toting a battle-fist

And I'm looking at these feats:

Adamantine body
Improved Damage Reduction

Dirty Fighting
Weapon Proficiency: unarmed
Weapon Specialisation: unarmed

Those last three, combined with my Str and the battlefists +1 net me a 1d8 + 1d4 + 4 + 2 + 1 damage weapon.

Now, I know that I can get way more out of a greatsword or somesuch - but it lacks the coolness of being a self-contained arse-kicking machine.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2008-02-27 12:31am

Consider Second Slam, Jaws Of Death(Races of Eberron) to gain a secondary Slam and a Bite attack. Grab Multiattack and Improved Multiattack to ignore the penalties those incur. WHAM WHAM CRUNCH is your new watchword.

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-02-27 12:32am

Cool.

But Dirty fighting + battlefist. The idea of a Warforged cock-punching someone...