Homebrew Warforged Bodyguard Species Details

“The others won't ever let that happen.” Alwin said. “Torvan believes they should become more integrated.”

“What makes him think they'll serve us then?” asked someone in the shadows.

“What makes you think he cares? Those machines should never have been given oversight to their own creation. We'd never see eye to eye.”

—Secrets of the Kender, The Artificers Divide.

The warforged were built to fight in the Last War. While the first warforged were mindless automatons, one Warforged Torvan, a renowned artificer, made an unexpected breakthrough. They produced what some have only grudgingly accepted as a new species. Warforged are made from wood and metal, but Torvan created an artificial Kender. A Homunculus. While becoming outcast to the Kenderfolk, they built the Bodyguard variant of a Warforged as new weapons in fear of Torvan's creation. A warforged in their eye's can't be anything steadfast protector, a cold-hearted killer, and a puppet to use as needed. Any deviation was weeded out in fear of another Torvan coming to being. 

Living Material

Warforged traditionally were formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials. Modern variant's are manufactered with cable-like cords infused with alchemical fluids serve as their muscles, wrapped around a framework of metal alloys and hinged joint designs. Plates are to heavy for this variant and instead joints are more properly lubricated and any motors throughout the body have been machined lighter and designed to run faster to offset defensive capabilities with speed. Bodyguard unit's share a common facial structure but design is left up to the manufacturer. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of each unit vary based on the purpose for which it was designed.

Although they were manufactured, warforged are living humanoids. Resting, healing magic, and the Medicine skill all provide the same benefits to warforged that they do to other humanoids.

Filtered Personality

The Bodyguard's function is to protect and serve those who've assigned them a callsign. Any sign of humanity or emotion could lead to dismissal and destruction in the new age. Artificers have become increasingly afraid of their creations and implanted filters to reduce these traits in their creations. At least those who ascribe to the new ways.   

 

Quirks

Bodyguard's often display an odd personality trait or two, given how new they are to the world. The Warforged Bodyguard's Quirks table contains example quirks.

Warforged Bodyguard's Quirks

Warforged Names

Most bodyguard's were assigned numerical designations as dehumanization practices. Many old warforged were given names with likeness to Kenderfolk. Due to Torvan's deeds, modern unit's are usually assigned a callsign from their owner or operator. As sentient individuals trapped by their autonomy, some have chosen new names as a way to express themselves privately to each other. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.

Warforged Names: Anchor, Banner, Bastion, Blade, Blue, Bow, Cart, Church, Crunch, Crystal, Dagger, Dent, Five, Glaive, Hammer, Iron, Lucky, Mace, Oak, Onyx, Pants, Pierce, Red, Rod, Rusty, Scout, Seven, Shield, Slash, Smith, Spike, Temple, Vault, Wall

Warforged Bodyguard Traits

Your bodyguard character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum warforged lifespan remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.

Alignment

Most warforged take comfort in order and discipline, tending toward law and neutrality. But some have absorbed the morality, or lack thereof, of the beings with which they served. Bodyguard variants typically are the former, at least at surface levels. Their job makes it difficult to show any signs of humanity. They must be perceptive and ready to strike, but every job takes its toll....

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 40 feet.

Artificial Sense

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

• You have advantage on saving throws against being grappled and restrained, and you have immunity against charmed and frightened
• 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.

Heightened Awareness

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

• You gain Blindsight and Tremorsense up to 60 feet.
• You gain a +3 bonus to initiative rolls and perception checks.

Specialized Design

You gain proficiency on insight checks and dexterity saving throws.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.