Warforged zombie? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Warforged zombie? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
hydrowolfy
09-01-07, 03:38 AM Hi everybody! I've been kind of curious about a certain aspect of those lovely bunch, the warforged. See, through DM error in a campaign i am playing in, we got the ability to make infinite dead bodies. Now, normally most would wonder why this is useful in any manner, but then, those people aren't players. Anyways, one of the guy's is playing a warforged and we all thought It'd be an awesome idea if he killed himself a lot and made a bunch of zombie's for our resident necromancer to turn into soliders of the undead. My question is this: Is it even possible to make a warforged zombie? And, if so, do feats that effect the body (such as adamentine body) still apply? The DM ruled that since they have souls, they can become undead just like the rest of us, but i am curious how others would rule on such an event?
Lazaro
09-01-07, 06:25 AM Q: Dear Sage,
Can a warforged be animated as or transformed into an undead?
--Daniel

A: A warforged isn’t immune to necromancy effects, so it can be animated as or transformed into an undead, as long as the effect, template or monster description doesn’t otherwise bar it.

For example, only humanoids and monstrous humanoids can become vampire spawn (according to the vampire’s create spawn special attack), so a warforged couldn’t become a vampire spawn.

Another example: The zombie template states that it “can be added to any corporeal creature…that has a skeletal system.” (MM pg. 265) A warforged is certainly a corporeal creature, but it doesn’t seem like a warforged has a skeletal system, so it couldn’t be animated as a zombie.

But if you or group has access to Dragon 336, I would look at the Favored Spawn of Kyuss. The template can be added to any corporeal creature.
KnightArcanus
09-02-07, 08:26 AM Killed himself a bunch of times?

To create an unlimited supply of bodies to raise as undead.

Either I'm missing something, or they really have been adding interesting things to the drinking water.
Edymnion
09-02-07, 06:30 PM Its a hell of alot less painful to just cast Stone to Flesh on statues, you know.
hydrowolfy
09-03-07, 12:48 AM Okay, cool thanks. And actually, the way he did it was quite simple. See, we are currently on a plane of existence that whenever you die, you get resurrected, as per the rules of true res, at least thats as much as i have gathered from it. So he just killed himself a lot to harness the power of his dead lifeless bodies. A simple process, really, something any peasant with two brains would think of.
TiwazTyrsfist
09-04-07, 11:22 AM Another example: The zombie template states that it “can be added to any corporeal creature…that has a skeletal system.” (MM pg. 265) A warforged is certainly a corporeal creature, but it doesn’t seem like a warforged has a skeletal system, so it couldn’t be animated as a zombie.

My argument to counter this is that the composite plating is a skeletal system. It's just Exo-skeletal. I'm fairly certain I've seen a Zombified Giant Insect in an adventure or supplement, though I can't remember where. Anyway, Warforged DO have a Skeletal system, and therefore can be both zombies and skeletons.

As for Body feats remaining, I would say it depends.
It's been stated that a Warforged with adamantine body only has the effect of being adamantine, his plating isn't actually solid adamantine. If you kill him and strip his composite plating, you can't smelt it make an adamantine Breast Plate for example.

So, I would say that a warforged that becomes a mindless undead looses his body feat if he took mithral or adamantine. But if he becomes an intelligent undead, he probably keeps them.
Need_A_Life
09-04-07, 01:13 PM By RAW he can become a zombie or skeleton. I'd ignore the skeleton option (despite being a lot stronger IMHO) because I don't like the idea that the "insides" of the warforged rotted away (as livewood doesn't normally die).

An exoskeleton is still a skeleton after all.

I'd let them keep the body feats, exactly as I would let a zombie keep the Willing Deformity feats (claws, bite, etc.)

I just don't see how it could work any other way logically, and while D&D is far from a logical game it just seems better this way (to me, at least).
ArcTan
09-04-07, 08:22 PM Its a hell of alot less painful to just cast Stone to Flesh on statues, you know.

By RAW this works, but it's confusing. Even if you think Skeletons and Zombies don't have "souls" and therefore don't need to come from a real corpse, the RAW itself doesn't make this distinction, and you get the problem of getting Ghouls and Wraiths using create undead on these "fake corpses", sentient Undead with no sentient living predecessor.
mikeloop86
09-04-07, 09:43 PM By RAW this works, but it's confusing. Even if you think Skeletons and Zombies don't have "souls" and therefore don't need to come from a real corpse, the RAW itself doesn't make this distinction, and you get the problem of getting Ghouls and Wraiths using create undead on these "fake corpses", sentient Undead with no sentient living predecessor.

Flavor wise, I'd just rule that sentient undead created created from the Stone to Flesh "raw materials" have a distinctly alien mindset, truly lacking of common human (or whatever type of creature) behavior. They are still sentient, but there are no residual quirks to be found in the "shell" they are using.

Funny to think how these types of undead might interact with their more "conventional" kin.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
hydrowolfy 09-01-07, 03:38 AM	Hi everybody! I've been kind of curious about a certain aspect of those lovely bunch, the warforged. See, through DM error in a campaign i am playing in, we got the ability to make infinite dead bodies. Now, normally most would wonder why this is useful in any manner, but then, those people aren't players. Anyways, one of the guy's is playing a warforged and we all thought It'd be an awesome idea if he killed himself a lot and made a bunch of zombie's for our resident necromancer to turn into soliders of the undead. My question is this: Is it even possible to make a warforged zombie? And, if so, do feats that effect the body (such as adamentine body) still apply? The DM ruled that since they have souls, they can become undead just like the rest of us, but i am curious how others would rule on such an event?
Lazaro 09-01-07, 06:25 AM	Q: Dear Sage, Can a warforged be animated as or transformed into an undead? --Daniel A: A warforged isn’t immune to necromancy effects, so it can be animated as or transformed into an undead, as long as the effect, template or monster description doesn’t otherwise bar it. For example, only humanoids and monstrous humanoids can become vampire spawn (according to the vampire’s create spawn special attack), so a warforged couldn’t become a vampire spawn. Another example: The zombie template states that it “can be added to any corporeal creature…that has a skeletal system.” (MM pg. 265) A warforged is certainly a corporeal creature, but it doesn’t seem like a warforged has a skeletal system, so it couldn’t be animated as a zombie. But if you or group has access to Dragon 336, I would look at the Favored Spawn of Kyuss. The template can be added to any corporeal creature.
KnightArcanus 09-02-07, 08:26 AM	Killed himself a bunch of times? To create an unlimited supply of bodies to raise as undead. Either I'm missing something, or they really have been adding interesting things to the drinking water.
Edymnion 09-02-07, 06:30 PM	Its a hell of alot less painful to just cast Stone to Flesh on statues, you know.
hydrowolfy 09-03-07, 12:48 AM	Okay, cool thanks. And actually, the way he did it was quite simple. See, we are currently on a plane of existence that whenever you die, you get resurrected, as per the rules of true res, at least thats as much as i have gathered from it. So he just killed himself a lot to harness the power of his dead lifeless bodies. A simple process, really, something any peasant with two brains would think of.
TiwazTyrsfist 09-04-07, 11:22 AM	Another example: The zombie template states that it “can be added to any corporeal creature…that has a skeletal system.” (MM pg. 265) A warforged is certainly a corporeal creature, but it doesn’t seem like a warforged has a skeletal system, so it couldn’t be animated as a zombie. My argument to counter this is that the composite plating is a skeletal system. It's just Exo-skeletal. I'm fairly certain I've seen a Zombified Giant Insect in an adventure or supplement, though I can't remember where. Anyway, Warforged DO have a Skeletal system, and therefore can be both zombies and skeletons. As for Body feats remaining, I would say it depends. It's been stated that a Warforged with adamantine body only has the effect of being adamantine, his plating isn't actually solid adamantine. If you kill him and strip his composite plating, you can't smelt it make an adamantine Breast Plate for example. So, I would say that a warforged that becomes a mindless undead looses his body feat if he took mithral or adamantine. But if he becomes an intelligent undead, he probably keeps them.
Need_A_Life 09-04-07, 01:13 PM	By RAW he can become a zombie or skeleton. I'd ignore the skeleton option (despite being a lot stronger IMHO) because I don't like the idea that the "insides" of the warforged rotted away (as livewood doesn't normally die). An exoskeleton is still a skeleton after all. I'd let them keep the body feats, exactly as I would let a zombie keep the Willing Deformity feats (claws, bite, etc.) I just don't see how it could work any other way logically, and while D&D is far from a logical game it just seems better this way (to me, at least).
ArcTan 09-04-07, 08:22 PM	Its a hell of alot less painful to just cast Stone to Flesh on statues, you know. By RAW this works, but it's confusing. Even if you think Skeletons and Zombies don't have "souls" and therefore don't need to come from a real corpse, the RAW itself doesn't make this distinction, and you get the problem of getting Ghouls and Wraiths using create undead on these "fake corpses", sentient Undead with no sentient living predecessor.
mikeloop86 09-04-07, 09:43 PM	By RAW this works, but it's confusing. Even if you think Skeletons and Zombies don't have "souls" and therefore don't need to come from a real corpse, the RAW itself doesn't make this distinction, and you get the problem of getting Ghouls and Wraiths using create undead on these "fake corpses", sentient Undead with no sentient living predecessor. Flavor wise, I'd just rule that sentient undead created created from the Stone to Flesh "raw materials" have a distinctly alien mindset, truly lacking of common human (or whatever type of creature) behavior. They are still sentient, but there are no residual quirks to be found in the "shell" they are using. Funny to think how these types of undead might interact with their more "conventional" kin.