Forged in War, Crafted for Adventure: Embrace the Power of Warforged in your party
What are Warforged?
Warforged are part of the remaining legacy of the Last War from the Eberron setting. They were built to bolster the forces of armies to prevent the loss of life. Originally built as constructs (something like robots) to fight and perform other battlefield functions. They were later given sentience and the ability to feel pain, perhaps to enable them to perform more advanced functions and have a sense of self-preservation.
While the Last War raged on, the Warforged were controlled by their creators, but at the end of the war, they were granted their independence. With their purpose now fulfilled and a semblance of sentience, Warforged now traverse the land to find a new purpose, constantly developing and adapting to their new lives.
Is a Warforged right for you?
Dungeons and Dragons lets you take a flexible approach to building a character, but if you are going adhere to typical culture and the best-optimised build for a Warforged, you might want to consider the following:
Choose a Warforged if you like…
- A race that does not need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe
- A tough race with built-in armor
- A character on a journey to find meaning in life
A Warforged might not be for you if…
- You are looking for a character that visually blends into most settings
- A race with more attack focused traits
- Don’t want to play a robot
If you think a Warforged isn’t for you, not to worry, there are dozens of playable races for you to pick from, just check out our races guide to find out about all of them. For an alternative naturally armored race, you could consider a Tortle or an Autognome.
Racial traits
| Ability Scores | Constitution +2, one other ability +1 |
| Creature Type | Construct |
| Size | Medium |
| Speed | 30ft |
| Languages | Common and 1 other |
| Traits | Constructed Resilience, Sentry’s Rest, Integrated Protection, Specialized Design |
| Proficiencies | One skill and one tool of your choice |
| Resistances | Poison, poisoned, disease and sleep |
| Darkvision | No |
| Innate Spellcasting | None |
| Book found in | Eberron: Rising from the Last War |
Tactics
Make the most of the Warforged’s natural abilities with the following tactics:
Tank and Distraction: With advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage, Warforged make excellent tanks against enemies that utilise toxins or poisons (and poison damage is one of the more common damage types). They can draw enemy attention away from more vulnerable allies while shrugging off poison-based attacks.
Integrated Protection: On top of their resilience, Warforged also get +1 to their AC which is super handy for anyone, but especially useful for frontline warriors. It’s better than a Tortle’s base AC as you can just enjoy an enhancement to your AC, no strings attached. Not only that, but they get +2 to their constitution. Everyone needs decent constitution though you’ll get more from this with a tanky character.
Adaptability in Skills and Tools: Warforged can choose one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of their choice, allowing them to tailor their abilities to suit their party’s needs. I’d suggest discussing with your party any gaps in proficiencies while also considering where your characters strengths lie.
Environmental hazards: Warforged don’t need to breathe, so grapple and drag foes into water, out of airlocks or into gas-filled rooms to put them on a clock. It’s a tad situational, but if they can’t breathe it puts enemies on the back foot where they become distracted or frightened, giving your Warforged an advantage.
What classes are good for Warforged?
Below I’ve put together a score for how well each class works with a Warforged based on how well the ability score increases and racial traits work with each class:
Artificer⭐⭐⭐⭐
Barbarian ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bard ⭐⭐⭐
Cleric ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Druid ⭐⭐⭐
Fighter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Monk ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paladin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ranger ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rogue ⭐⭐⭐
Sorcerer ⭐⭐⭐
Warlock ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wizard ⭐⭐⭐
*Star ratings scored out of 5
Best classes for a Warforged
Warforged are great at making most characters tougher through enhanced AC, +2 constitution and extra resiliences. Even small things like not needing to eat or breath can be very handy in certain situations. The handy things is that most classes will benefit from this extra toughness, though I’d argue that this is especially the case for frontline warriors.
As such, I’d consider classes that will be in an enemies face, like a barbarian, fighter or paladin. You might also consider support martials that lack a bit of toughness like clerics or artificers to give them a bit more durability.
Woest classes for a Warforged
I’d argue that there aren’t really any bad classes for a Warforged. True, some classes that like to stay out of trouble (mainly dedicated Spellcasters) will benefit a bit less from their extra durability, but constitution and AC are good for any class.
About Warforged
Personality
The range of personalities among Warforged is as diverse as the functions they were created to fulfil. While some may exhibit a stoic demeanour, reflecting their origins as soldiers or guardians, others might have a curious nature, eager to explore the world around them.
There are those who embrace their role as protectors and defenders, embodying traits of loyalty, honour, and selflessness, while others may struggle with questions of identity and purpose, seeking to forge their path in a world that often perceives them as mere constructs.
Despite their origins, Warforged are capable of forming deep bonds with their companions, demonstrating empathy, compassion, and even humour as they navigate the complexities of their existence.
Appearance
Despite being built rather than born, not all Warforged appear the same with different creators building them in different ways. Typically though, Warforged are built from wood and metal and appear humanoid with a similar basic arrangement of limbs and body parts to a human (and most other playable races). Warforged are typically about 6-7ft tall and weigh about 300 pounds.
A Warforged is capable of adapting their appearance through magical means or through forging. For example, when a Warforged dons armour, they don’t wear it, instead, they fuse it to their body for a greater layer of protection. Some Warforged use the ability to weld themselves differently to add elements of their emerging personality. If they’re more savage, they might add spikes to their body, if they love wealth, they might fuse gold embellishments and crests to themself. With this in mind, you can alter the appearance of your Warforged to match their personality and circumstances.
How to roleplay as a Warforged
You have a lot of options in determining how you play as a Warforged but much of this will likely depend on their function in the war and their experiences since then. Developing a clear backstory will help you identify what personality traits and quirks your Warforged has. I’d suggest considering the following points as you develop your Warforged’s personality:
Embrace Your Constructed Nature: As a Warforged, you were created for a specific purpose, whether it was as a labourer, or servant. Consider how your character’s background might influence their worldview. Are they fiercely loyal to their creators, or do they harbour resentment for being treated as a tool? For example, a Warforged soldier may have a strong sense of duty and honour, always prioritizing the mission above personal desires.
Explore Identity and Purpose: Warforged often grapple with questions of identity, especially if they were created for a specific function that no longer applies. Consider how your character’s journey of self-discovery might shape their actions and interactions with others. Are they searching for meaning in a world that sees them as outsiders?
Embody Stoicism and Discipline: Warforged are known for their disciplined mindset that stems from their training as soldiers or workers. Consider how your character’s adherence to protocols might manifest in their behaviour. Are they precise in their actions, or do they struggle to adapt to situations that require flexibility? You could have fun overapplying certain behaviours to the wrong situations (imagine Kryten from Red Dwarf).
Navigate Emotions and Empathy: Despite their constructed nature, Warforged are capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions. Explore how your character’s understanding of emotions and empathy evolves, especially as they interact with different cultures. Are they curious about the complexities of human emotions, or do they view such sentiments with scepticism?
Embrace Growth and Change: Warforged characters have the potential for significant growth and change as they journey through the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Consider how your character’s experiences and interactions with others might shape their beliefs, values, and outlook on life. Are they open to new ideas and perspectives, or do they cling to the familiar and comfortable?
