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Warforged are a rare race of humanoid constructs constructed through powerful rituals.[1] Warforged average between 6' and 6'6" and are made up of bulky, metallic or stone bodies that weigh roughly 270-300 lbs.[2] Extremely powerful and endurable warforged are able fighters.[3] Unlike most constructs, warforged are fully self-aware and maintain mental faculies on par with elves, humans, or similar races.

Physical characteristics

Warforged are physically impressive humanoids made up of magically enchanted materials. The "skin" of a warforged is made of hardened materials such as metal or stone. Beneath this lies the skeleton, made up of similar materials, and the "musculature" of the warforged, made up of leather, wooden fibers, or any leather-like material. Throughout the warforged's body are vessels resembling the circulatory system of organic creatures, complete with a bloodlike fluid. The arms of a warforged end in hands with two fingers and a thumb while the feet of the constructs are likewise two-toed.[2]

The faces of warforged are simple and vague in their features, with beaklike jaws, heavy brows, glowing eyes, runic markings, and little else. The most important marking for any warforged is their ghurla, a rune distinctive to each warforged which is placed upon their forehead and means "truth" in Primordial.[2]

Warforged are completely sexless, though some adopt genders as though they weren't, and are incapable of reproduction. Each warforged is individually created through ritual, like any other construct. The warforged's artificial nature also gives the race a unique relationship to pain, which seems limited to actual injury. This allows warforged to modify themselves with some ease, giving them a varied appearance in spite of their lack of inherent biological diversity. Warforged's artificial nature also means they do not need to eat, drink, or breathe, though they can still drown or be suffocated. Likewise, warforged do not need to sleep but do nonetheless require rest in a fully-aware state for a period of at least four hours.[2]

Psychology

Warforged take their name from their original purpose, as soldiers, and many have a dutiful attitude towards life taking pleasure from fulfilling commands. Warforged as a whole have a strong work ethic and share an aversion to failure. Warforged are capable of fear, often of death or pain, as much as other races and they can come to hate the sources of these fears just as easily. Warforged are also capable of loyalty and joy, particularly in relations to friends and allies and can be driven to anger when their loves or goals are threatened. However, warforged as a whole exhibit a simple-minded and reserved approach to life with straightforward goals and reactionary passions.[2]

Since warforged are created physically mature many exhibit a childlike perspective that is often mistaken as naïve or emotionally crippled; this is not necessarily true. Some warforged, in fact, develop a particularly sophisticated view of the world, ever curious about its mysteries in part due to the odd nature of their creation. Many wonder where they might go in death and if they even have souls.[4] Some create deeply ordered philosophies to govern themselves or maintain a perpetual list of tasks to occupy themselves with. Others fall in with the religions and mindsets of other races. Some warforged even live long enough to develop a deep and weathered personality as tempered by time as that of other races.[2]

References

  1. Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 261. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Chris Sims “Playing Warforged”. Dragon #362 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28.
  3. Chris Sims “Playing Warforged”. Dragon #362 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27.
  4. Chris Sims “Playing Warforged”. Dragon #362 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 28–29.
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