Homebrew Forgeborn Species Details

 

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—Keith Baker, The Shattered Land

Artificial, fully sentient hominids, the first of their kind on Altheris. Most of the current forgeborn were created by Agathar himself; however, some of the last forgeborn made by the God of Invention were taught how to not only maintain themselves, but to create more forgeborn on their own. Most forgeborn now dwell in Agathon out in the Rabinia Desert, though some have elected to venture out and learn more about the world.

A forgeborn’s purpose has been debated by many: some would say it’s as simple as recognizing the designation for which the forgeborn was initially built, or the tools it was equipped with. Others contend that as sentient entities, the forgeborn’s purpose is as fluid as any other race. While various groups argue over ethics and semantics, the forgeborn have begun seeking out their own definition of fulfillment.

In the half a century since Agathar’s death and the mysterious and sudden sentience of all his creations, the forgeborn have removed themselves from their previous station as the Khaz-Ur Federation's manual laborers, and filled out Agathon: a small settlement in the midst of the Rabiin Desert. Some have decided to strike out on their own, intent on exploring the world, and perhaps finding a more appropriate place to discover their “true intended function.”

Forgeborn Personality

Initially, the forgeborn were built to serve and to fight. For most of their existence, forgeborn had a clearly defined function and were encouraged to focus purely on that role. Agathar's Exodus and subsequent death granted the forgeborn their freedom, but many now struggle to apply themselves to new, unfamiliar tasks in their independent lives. 

The typical forgeborn shows little emotion. Many forgeborn embrace a concrete purpose — such as protecting allies, completing a contract, or exploring a land — and embrace this task as they once did war. However, there are forgeborn who delight in exploring their feelings, their freedom, and their relationships with others. Most forgeborn have no interest in religion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking higher purpose and deeper meaning.

The typical forgeborn has a sexless body shape. Some forgeborn ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity.

The more a forgeborn develops its individuality, the more likely it is to modify its body, seeking out an artificer to customize the look of its face, limbs, and plating.

Quirks

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

Forgeborn Quirks

Forgeborn Names

Most forgeborn were assigned numerical designations for use in household or military service. Many of them adopted nicknames, often given to them by their comrades or families they served. As independent individuals, some have chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on names of organic lifeforms, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.

Forgeborn 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

Forgeborn Traits

Your forgeborn 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 Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

A typical forgeborn is between two and fifty years old. The maximum lifespan of the Forgeborn remains a mystery; so far, forgeborn have shown no signs of deterioration due to age.

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.

Size

Your size is Medium. Most forgeborn stand between 5 and 6 1/2 feet tall. Weight and build are affected by designation.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Forgeborn Resilience

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

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison 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.

Specialized Design

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

Languages

Following the rules laid out here, your native language (in which you are already Fluent, and can speak, read, and write) can be "Common" or Dwarvish. The other language is added to your known languages, but starts at 0 LP. In addition, your character can start with one additional mortal language - Elvish, Skettish, Mermish, Quorish, or Draconic.