Homebrew Hellforged Species Details

Though the inventors of the Warforged have long passed from Eberron, they have been residing in Hell for quite some time.  A portion of them, anyway.  As these intelligent engineers entered their eternal prison, Zariel took notice.  She bid them to her presence, and once there, she ordered them to construct a new army of Warforged: one which was loyal to her alone.  Their rewards would be few, and their punishments for failure would be grave.

These inventors worked together without rest, hoping to recreate their greatest achievements in their new home realm.  Unlike in Eberron, they did not have to hide their techniques from moral overlords.  The engineers could commit grave atrocities in the name of progress, and it would only serve to further their efforts.  Instead of using arcane magics to fuel their machinations, they instead used the souls of the damned.  The major benefit was that these new creations, the Hellforged, could be constructed much more swiftly than the Warforged prototypes.  The drawback, and it was a dire one, was that the Hellforged retained their free will.

Zariel was not too concerned with this, for everyone in Avernus served her in one way or another.  And indeed, the Hellforged did.  They were very successful against the armies of the Abyss, and some even managed to claim great status in her army.  Then the day came when a city from the Material Plane was to fall to Avernus.  The Hellforged were sent to defeat the city’s defenses.  Yet, when they arrived in the Material Plane, they abandoned their mission and fled.  Zariel was furious, and she swore that every single Hellforged would be returned to her clutches.  Now, every Hellforged above are fearful for their souls.  Though they have freewill, they know not of the true fate of their souls.

Hellforged don’t truly resemble their earlier models.  They are constructed of infernal metals, and their internal organs are spliced together with undead flesh.  Most are terrifying to gaze upon, as was the intention by design.  They typically have to hide their appearance in the Material Plane, lest they find enemies both of the heavens and hell.

Hellforged Traits

Constructed Resilience, Integrated Protection, Internal Furnace, Specialized Soldier

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

A typical hellforged is between one and ten years old. Even though this is longer than the deaths of the engineers, time moves differently in hell.  The maximum lifespan of the hellforged remains a mystery.  You are immune to magical aging effects.

Alignment

Hellforged are most obviously Evil in most regard, as they are surrounded by the influences of Hell.  Those whom have escaped can adapt to their surroundings and obtain practically any alignment that they wish.

Size

Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d6

Height = 5 feet + 10 inches + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 270 + (4 × your size modifier)

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Constructed Hellish Resilience

You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

• You have resistance to fire damage.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Sentry’s Rest

When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Integrated Protection

Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

• You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
• You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor other than a shield, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
• While you live, the armor incorporated into your body can’t be removed against your will.

Internal Furnace

As a Bonus Action, you can stoke the hellfire burning within your constructed body.  If you are physically touched by any creature, be it in combat or otherwise, the creature receives 1d4 Fire Damage automatically.  If they continue to touch you, they receive this damage at the beginning of their next turn.  This effect lasts for up to a minute, and you can only use this ability once per Long Rest.  This ability may be deactivated at any time as a Bonus Action.

Specialized Soldier

You gain one skill proficiency and one weapon proficiency of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Abyssal, and Infernal.