Roleplaying a Warforged Juggernaut? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Roleplaying a Warforged Juggernaut? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Irian
01-21-06, 03:37 PM Today a friend (who wants to play a warforged in an Eberron campaign) and I were talking about the Juggernaut Prestige Class and soon a question came up: How can you roleplay a Juggernaut?

For example: How (much) does a Warforged change when becoming a Juggernaut (character wise)? How does his behaviour towards his 'friends' change? Is there still emotion, compassion etc? And how could the other party members feel in that situation?

I would be very interested in finding out some opinions about the Juggernaut roleplaying challenges. Any opinions?
Shaggy_Shaggs
01-22-06, 05:10 AM I think a lot of the psychological change of becoming a warforged juggernaut happens before the character ever takes the first level of the prestige class. The class is focused on more fully bringing out the warforged's construct nature, and leaving behind the weakness of a living being. It seems to me that a character who wants to become a warforged juggernaut is already pretty down on the living, or at least on being one of them.

However, the only mental changes written into the class are that the warforged "begins to distance itself from living creatures". That's a broad statement that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I think his thoughts and behavior depends a lot on what motivated him to step onto the path of a warforged juggernaut in the first place.

Does he place a high value on life? Maybe he is in effect "sacrificing" his own life in order to be a more stalwart protector for his friends, at cost of his ability to relate to them. He'd like to interact with them the way he used to, and still feels things like compassion, but his ability to express them is degraded.

Is he running from something? Could it be that he's striving to shed emotion entirely in order to quiet the voices of conscience, fear, sadness, or other unpleasant aspects of emotion? He may become very reserved indeed, but he'll never escape from emotions entirely. Perhaps he'll wish to avoid or attack people who provoke a strong emotional response in him, resentful of the reminder that he can never truly slip the shackles of emotional life.

There are plenty of other ways it could work out, I just provided a couple very rough examples he might consider to build up from. As for how his friends might react to him, that depends entirely on them. How would you react if you had a friend who was essentially a cyborg, who began stripping away his flesh and humanity in favor of the cold steel and logic of something closer to a full robot? That's a question each of the characters is going to have to answer for himself.
Irian
01-24-06, 02:37 PM Thanks, very interesting points. A juggernaut seems less boring now :D
Branto
01-24-06, 06:16 PM Less boring? I'm certainly not convinced :P Whatever noble reasons he had for pursuing this life change, it sounds like you still become an emotionless chunk of steel, don't you?

The Juggernaut seems like a PrC meant for people who care more about the combat than RP, but.. I could be wrong. :P
Harrow Blade
01-24-06, 08:56 PM Take a look at this subject from the perspective of the warforged themselves. Many of them are young, a few years old, and all they have known is war and slavery by living races. In the battle feild they would have seen flesh torn apart and the pain, suffering and eventual death that follows. One of the defining features of any race is the desire to live.

Taking all of that into consideration it would not seem so strange for warforged to examine themselves and the races around them and notice that there are a great number of advantages in removing themselves from the weakness of flesh and emotion, limiting the amount of pain (both physical and emotional) that they feel. In the world where strength of body is what so often determines survival the juggernaut prc is a natural progression for some warforged.

A players reson for taking the prc with a character may simply be to create a more powerful character but a well 'role'played character will take the class as it is natural progression for thier mindset. they will not think of themselves as a "Warforged Juggernaut" but see it as improving themselves and increasing thier chance for survival.
DimirLemur
01-24-06, 11:16 PM I'm actually more of a fan of the Reforged prestige class, from the Races of Eberron sourcebook. Fits my personality better, I think. It, however, is the polar opposite of the Juggernaut.

Anyway, the Juggernaut. Since a lot of good points have already been hit, I'll try some different angles.

First of all, as Harrow Blade already alluded to, all warforged were born into a soldier mindset; the compare things to battle, are used to being given orders and following them without question, and killing things efficiently. The Juggernaut is a logical extension of that mindset. Less thinkin', and more beatin'. Warforged that adventure can venture this path, and they are simply embracing what they were made to do and ignoring their own sentience. It's the easy route, if you will (at least from my perspective). They can also swing the other way, and become a Reforged, who reject their upbringing, and eventually their metal plating, to become as close to living as possible. They're savants, of a sort, who enjoy experiences.

Now, some interesting things to consider: Warforged don't sleep. While Reforged do kind of sleep, Juggernauts would not, as they fully embrace their construct nature. It's worth asking what they do while the party is resting, since they have no need of it. Also, does he follow the orders of another and embrace that construct-like and warforged specific need, or does he actually defy that aspect of his construct-ism and seek freedom? He will likely consider his travelling companions comrades-in-arms or just allies as opposed to friends. He might be suspicious of everybody he doesn't know, automatically assuming that they are enemies. Does he look at things in more of a war-like sense than his peers? He might base his decisions off of military heirarchies and use war terms to describe everyday life. What does he think of his peers that have embraced their living natures? What does he think of those who's path resembles his? Is he at all attracted by the Lord of Blades?

Hope this helps. I love the warforged... when I start playing, I'm going to run a warforged paladin.
Irian
01-25-06, 03:30 PM I think the question is how far a juggernaut would have to remove himself from his living allies and his emotions, how much he could still feel at the end of the change.
Sephiroth Do'Urden
01-26-06, 08:25 PM When I roleplay a WJ I try to speak in a voice devoid of emotion. And slowly.
I am straitforward and never use a doorhandle. I never speak unless when spoken to or when it is a necesity. But deep inside I feel that there is something esential missing and I always end up reforged...
Irian
01-27-06, 09:38 AM When I roleplay a WJ I try to speak in a voice devoid of emotion. And slowly.
I am straitforward and never use a doorhandle. I never speak unless when spoken to or when it is a necesity. But deep inside I feel that there is something esential missing and I always end up reforged...
Hmm... that's an interesting roleplaying explanation for reforging a Juggernaut...
Irian
01-29-06, 07:42 AM Although we just found out the Juggernaut will not be possible for our campaign (a sotoy dictated restiction), I still would lbe very interested in roleplaying experiences of Juggernaut players. Does anyone want to share thoughts about it?
Sephiroth Do'Urden
01-29-06, 04:00 PM Well I played with one that was fooled into the "Mechanic" side by an agent of the Lord of Blades. In the begining he only saw the benefits and was blind to what he was slowly losing: his mortality. One day our group came upon a cadaver collector chasing a group of halflings. We saved them and at the fireside that night the got drunk and forgot that there was a warforged amongst them and rambled on about the empty existence of constructs. Suddenly it dawned upon Bead-eye (now a Fighter3/Barbarian2/Juggernaout5): He had ceased to live and was now simply existing! As he saw it he was alredy dead and trapped within an empthy shell. Paniced he fled into the wilderness eventually trying to dispell his lack of passion by filling the emptiness with rage by taking up levels in the Prc Frenzied Berserker. Felling nothing but rage, Bead-eye became a miserable being which slew many inocents unwillingly. Then one day he met a reforged and found a way to rid himself of the emptiness that had tormented him for so very very long.

Bead eye swore to redeem himself no matter what and he became one of the fiercest oponents The Lord of Blades has ever known.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Irian 01-21-06, 03:37 PM	Today a friend (who wants to play a warforged in an Eberron campaign) and I were talking about the Juggernaut Prestige Class and soon a question came up: How can you roleplay a Juggernaut? For example: How (much) does a Warforged change when becoming a Juggernaut (character wise)? How does his behaviour towards his 'friends' change? Is there still emotion, compassion etc? And how could the other party members feel in that situation? I would be very interested in finding out some opinions about the Juggernaut roleplaying challenges. Any opinions?
Shaggy_Shaggs 01-22-06, 05:10 AM	I think a lot of the psychological change of becoming a warforged juggernaut happens before the character ever takes the first level of the prestige class. The class is focused on more fully bringing out the warforged's construct nature, and leaving behind the weakness of a living being. It seems to me that a character who wants to become a warforged juggernaut is already pretty down on the living, or at least on being one of them. However, the only mental changes written into the class are that the warforged "begins to distance itself from living creatures". That's a broad statement that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I think his thoughts and behavior depends a lot on what motivated him to step onto the path of a warforged juggernaut in the first place. Does he place a high value on life? Maybe he is in effect "sacrificing" his own life in order to be a more stalwart protector for his friends, at cost of his ability to relate to them. He'd like to interact with them the way he used to, and still feels things like compassion, but his ability to express them is degraded. Is he running from something? Could it be that he's striving to shed emotion entirely in order to quiet the voices of conscience, fear, sadness, or other unpleasant aspects of emotion? He may become very reserved indeed, but he'll never escape from emotions entirely. Perhaps he'll wish to avoid or attack people who provoke a strong emotional response in him, resentful of the reminder that he can never truly slip the shackles of emotional life. There are plenty of other ways it could work out, I just provided a couple very rough examples he might consider to build up from. As for how his friends might react to him, that depends entirely on them. How would you react if you had a friend who was essentially a cyborg, who began stripping away his flesh and humanity in favor of the cold steel and logic of something closer to a full robot? That's a question each of the characters is going to have to answer for himself.
Irian 01-24-06, 02:37 PM	Thanks, very interesting points. A juggernaut seems less boring now :D
Branto 01-24-06, 06:16 PM	Less boring? I'm certainly not convinced :P Whatever noble reasons he had for pursuing this life change, it sounds like you still become an emotionless chunk of steel, don't you? The Juggernaut seems like a PrC meant for people who care more about the combat than RP, but.. I could be wrong. :P
Harrow Blade 01-24-06, 08:56 PM	Take a look at this subject from the perspective of the warforged themselves. Many of them are young, a few years old, and all they have known is war and slavery by living races. In the battle feild they would have seen flesh torn apart and the pain, suffering and eventual death that follows. One of the defining features of any race is the desire to live. Taking all of that into consideration it would not seem so strange for warforged to examine themselves and the races around them and notice that there are a great number of advantages in removing themselves from the weakness of flesh and emotion, limiting the amount of pain (both physical and emotional) that they feel. In the world where strength of body is what so often determines survival the juggernaut prc is a natural progression for some warforged. A players reson for taking the prc with a character may simply be to create a more powerful character but a well 'role'played character will take the class as it is natural progression for thier mindset. they will not think of themselves as a "Warforged Juggernaut" but see it as improving themselves and increasing thier chance for survival.
DimirLemur 01-24-06, 11:16 PM	I'm actually more of a fan of the Reforged prestige class, from the Races of Eberron sourcebook. Fits my personality better, I think. It, however, is the polar opposite of the Juggernaut. Anyway, the Juggernaut. Since a lot of good points have already been hit, I'll try some different angles. First of all, as Harrow Blade already alluded to, all warforged were born into a soldier mindset; the compare things to battle, are used to being given orders and following them without question, and killing things efficiently. The Juggernaut is a logical extension of that mindset. Less thinkin', and more beatin'. Warforged that adventure can venture this path, and they are simply embracing what they were made to do and ignoring their own sentience. It's the easy route, if you will (at least from my perspective). They can also swing the other way, and become a Reforged, who reject their upbringing, and eventually their metal plating, to become as close to living as possible. They're savants, of a sort, who enjoy experiences. Now, some interesting things to consider: Warforged don't sleep. While Reforged do kind of sleep, Juggernauts would not, as they fully embrace their construct nature. It's worth asking what they do while the party is resting, since they have no need of it. Also, does he follow the orders of another and embrace that construct-like and warforged specific need, or does he actually defy that aspect of his construct-ism and seek freedom? He will likely consider his travelling companions comrades-in-arms or just allies as opposed to friends. He might be suspicious of everybody he doesn't know, automatically assuming that they are enemies. Does he look at things in more of a war-like sense than his peers? He might base his decisions off of military heirarchies and use war terms to describe everyday life. What does he think of his peers that have embraced their living natures? What does he think of those who's path resembles his? Is he at all attracted by the Lord of Blades? Hope this helps. I love the warforged... when I start playing, I'm going to run a warforged paladin.
Irian 01-25-06, 03:30 PM	I think the question is how far a juggernaut would have to remove himself from his living allies and his emotions, how much he could still feel at the end of the change.
Sephiroth Do'Urden 01-26-06, 08:25 PM	When I roleplay a WJ I try to speak in a voice devoid of emotion. And slowly. I am straitforward and never use a doorhandle. I never speak unless when spoken to or when it is a necesity. But deep inside I feel that there is something esential missing and I always end up reforged...
Irian 01-27-06, 09:38 AM	When I roleplay a WJ I try to speak in a voice devoid of emotion. And slowly. I am straitforward and never use a doorhandle. I never speak unless when spoken to or when it is a necesity. But deep inside I feel that there is something esential missing and I always end up reforged... Hmm... that's an interesting roleplaying explanation for reforging a Juggernaut...
Irian 01-29-06, 07:42 AM	Although we just found out the Juggernaut will not be possible for our campaign (a sotoy dictated restiction), I still would lbe very interested in roleplaying experiences of Juggernaut players. Does anyone want to share thoughts about it?
Sephiroth Do'Urden 01-29-06, 04:00 PM	Well I played with one that was fooled into the "Mechanic" side by an agent of the Lord of Blades. In the begining he only saw the benefits and was blind to what he was slowly losing: his mortality. One day our group came upon a cadaver collector chasing a group of halflings. We saved them and at the fireside that night the got drunk and forgot that there was a warforged amongst them and rambled on about the empty existence of constructs. Suddenly it dawned upon Bead-eye (now a Fighter3/Barbarian2/Juggernaout5): He had ceased to live and was now simply existing! As he saw it he was alredy dead and trapped within an empthy shell. Paniced he fled into the wilderness eventually trying to dispell his lack of passion by filling the emptiness with rage by taking up levels in the Prc Frenzied Berserker. Felling nothing but rage, Bead-eye became a miserable being which slew many inocents unwillingly. Then one day he met a reforged and found a way to rid himself of the emptiness that had tormented him for so very very long. Bead eye swore to redeem himself no matter what and he became one of the fiercest oponents The Lord of Blades has ever known.