how will the armor of the warforged be handled in 4E?
From a purely technical view i think it's fine.
Warforged now treat armor as just another component. A Warforged fighter who puts on a suit of Full Plate armor just fits the pieces onto it's body, and they magically lock into place, becoming part of it's body. It then acts like a second skin, givingthe Warforged no discomfort until it takes the armor off again with no problem.
"Hey Cog, I just found this nifty suit of adamantium uber-plate. Lets get you out of that old rusty crud, eh?"
"Why don't we peel off your dermis, fleshling, and see how -you- feel."
There's always the warforged who thinks of his armor as his skin and responds violently to suggestions that he remove it.
I belive Keith Baker himself runs it this way.
It makes sense from a balance and mechanics stand point for warforged to just use armor the same as any other race. Yet from a story and flavor stand point it still make just as much sense for warforged to be more "attached" to their armor than other PC races. The currant system seems to blend the best of both sides. It can take a little getting used to, but afterwords it makes so much sense that there seems little reason to have ever done it differently.
It makes sense from a balance and mechanics stand point for warforged to just use armor the same as any other race. Yet from a story and flavor stand point it still make just as much sense for warforged to be more "attached" to their armor than other PC races.
I suppose you could also have the opposite warforged type, that regards the "fleshlings'" inability to adapt their bodies and implement new technology as just another sign that warforged are truly superior.
I belive Keith Baker himself runs it this way.
This is how I run it. In my campaign, a warforged emerges from the forge with his armor in place. He thinks of it as a part of himself and as a rule never removes it. He can switch and upgrade, but it's like a hermit crab changing his shell - he's moving from one long-term home to a new one, not simply changing a shirt.
This is how I run it. In my campaign, a warforged emerges from the forge with his armor in place. He thinks of it as a part of himself and as a rule never removes it. He can switch and upgrade, but it's like a hermit crab changing his shell - he's moving from one long-term home to a new one, not simply changing a shirt.
Hum, if a warforged "emerges" from the forge in your campaign Keith, you might have some issues going on.
You apparently have a renegade forge to deal with!!
/wink
Hum, if a warforged "emerges" from the forge in your campaign Keith, you might have some issues going on.
You apparently have a renegade forge to deal with!!
/wink
*CoughcoughMerrixCoughcough*
This is how I run it. In my campaign, a warforged emerges from the forge with his armor in place. He thinks of it as a part of himself and as a rule never removes it. He can switch and upgrade, but it's like a hermit crab changing his shell - he's moving from one long-term home to a new one, not simply changing a shirt.
What about Warforged wearing something other then Plate armor? Does a Cloth-wearing Warforged look more like a mannequin, or can we say they're just wearing some kind of weak sheet metal or fragile ceramic covering?
I'm now picturing a leather-clad Warforged appearing like Mythbusters' Buster 2.0...
What about Warforged wearing something other then Plate armor? Does a Cloth-wearing Warforged look more like a mannequin, or can we say they're just wearing some kind of weak sheet metal or fragile ceramic covering?
You're the DM - say what you want. In my campaign, the default armor for lightly-armored warforged may have the same stats as Leather or Hide, but I describe it as light, flexible metal plates. However, I also allow players who want their Valenar rangers to be wearing chainmail to call their hide armor a light chain shirt. IMO, as long as the MECHANICS match the PHB armors, the appearance is irrelevant; that's a question of what makes the best story.
For my campaign, all warforged have the same type of (non-armor) plating. They wear armor just like everyone else. A warforged wizard wears robes while a warforged fighter wears scale armor. However, armor custom designed for a warforged (say, whatever armor he got when he was created) would be designed to look like a part of the 'forged.
Pretty much how I look at it, myself. If the armor's a component, it's affixed to the warforged and is functionally part of it. If not, it's worn like armor is on everybody else.
You're the DM - say what you want. In my campaign, the default armor for lightly-armored warforged may have the same stats as Leather or Hide, but I describe it as light, flexible metal plates. However, I also allow players who want their Valenar rangers to be wearing chainmail to call their hide armor a light chain shirt. IMO, as long as the MECHANICS match the PHB armors, the appearance is irrelevant; that's a question of what makes the best story.
Definitely this. No eladrin swordmage of mine would be caught dead wearing something as uncouth as the hides of some animal--a light shirt of cunningly-crafted chain is the only way to go for the top-tier light armor.
I know this topic has been asleep for a while so I'd like to give it a nudge.
In my vision of Eberron; warforged don't wear armor. Whatever armor the PC buys at 1st level is the AC that their metal plates give them. With that being said; how would you suggest that a warforged would be able to better his AC whether it's a fighter wanting to go from "chainmail" to "scale" or "plate" or a rogue that has "leather" getting a magical bump.
I have considered that some warforged parts can be scavenged as long as you has an artificer with the right tools/spells/rituals. It's not really too far of a stretch for an artificer to be able to remove some standard "plate mail" plates from a fallen warforged to later be adapted for use by his warforged comrade that ony has "chain mail" plates (and that has just taken the plate mail feat).
What do you think? Any other thoughts?
Thank you all in advance.
-Troy
I have considered that some warforged parts can be scavenged as long as you has an artificer with the right tools/spells/rituals. It's not really too far of a stretch for an artificer to be able to remove some standard "plate mail" plates from a fallen warforged to later be adapted for use by his warforged comrade that ony has "chain mail" plates (and that has just taken the plate mail feat).
I think such a system would place the warforged PCs at a disadvantage versus non-warforged. If everyone else can change armor rather easily, then why make the warforged PC's track-down an artificer and such. If there's an artificer in your group and your PCs want to roleplay or simply say the artificer helps in fitting the new armor, I would understand. However, I would caution against placing such restrictions on one race over others. Just as real-world humans are used to adapting imperfectly sized clothes, why couldn't a warforged be familiar with how to remove and/or add-on armor?