Created by the Clockwork Consortium as the ultimate soldiers during the Clockwork Wars of the 6th Age, the warforged were instrumental in the Consortium’s plan for world dominance. With each new model developed in the factories and workshops of gnomish artificers, the warforged evolved until they became near-perfect soldiers, eventually developing sentience and unique personalities.After a handful of particularly one-sided defeats at the hands of elves and dwarves, the gnomish inventors began to study the results of each battle with an almost manic zeal, searching for some sign of weakness among their constructs. Eventually, a handful of artificers discovered the problem – the warforged were unable to quickly adapt to the tactics of their enemies, and were often over-specialized for specific tasks. Often, the gnomes had analyzed their opponents and dispatched the appropriate models of warforged to the battlefield, only to have their enemies attack while the specialized models were still en route. Units designed to fight dwarves in their tunnels were decimated by elven archers on open ground. Models equipped to hack and burn the forests of the elves were completely destroyed by humans fighting from horseback. The costs of repairs to warforged units, and the continual reinforcements required to replace nonfunctional units, were astronomical.
To alleviate this disastrous problem, the Consortium issued an edict to its artificers, ordering the more specialized modifications to the warforged to be encoded within their manufactured bodies. The changes were dramatic and noticeable; units of standardized warforged could be marched to any given location, and then modified on the spot to fit whatever terrain they were to fight in. The tide of the war soon turned in the favor of the Consortium.
Though the Clockwork Consortium has long since been disbanded, some warforged occasionally stumble upon the secrets of unlocking their encoded programing, gaining incredible powers. Such warforged are linked by nothing more than a desire to tap their true potential, and, perhaps, a yearning for their half-remembered days of conquest and belonging to something greater than themselves.
The “Cerberus”-Class warforged is one of the specialized models created by the Consortium in the 6th Age. More offensive than an “Aegis”or “Yeoman”-Class, the “Cerberus” model focuses upon starting fires and creating wide “burn zones,” a specialization betraying its use as a support warrior while fighting opponents in forested regions. When faced with enemies entrenched within wooden fortresses or among towering trees, or when pitted against the more common units of infantry troops, the “Cerberus” models were the weapons of choice. Those few soldiers who survived encounters with “Cerberus”-Class warforged typically refused to fight the Consortium armies a second time, for fear of being roasted alive.
Hit Dice: d10
Requirements
In order to qualify to become an Advanced Warforged, a character must meet the following criteria.
Race: WarforgedBase Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Disable Device 4 ranks, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 4 ranks, Knowledge (history) 4 ranks
Class Skills
The Advanced Warforged’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) (Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), and Spot (Wis). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Energy Tank 2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Flamethrower 3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Cerberus Program 4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Directive Circuitry 1.0 5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Head Chip 6 +6 +5 +2 +2 Trailblazer Program 7 +7 +5 +2 +2 Coolant Purge 8 +8 +6 +2 +2 Directive Circuitry 2.0 9 +9 +6 +3 +3 Immolation 10 +10 +7 +3 +3 Vent Tank
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Advanced Warforged, “Cerberus”-Class prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Advanced warforged gain no proficiency in any weapons or armor.
Energy Tank (Ex): Research into its own design and the history of the Clockwork Consortium leads the warforged to the discovery of a hidden energy reserve within its own manufactured body. An advanced warforged of 1st level or higher is able to convert any excess recovered hit points from repair spells or normal resting into energy points (at a one-for-one ratio), storing them in its energy tank. The warforged may store up to 10 points of energy in this way. At each additional class level the warforged achieves, the maximum amount of energy it is able to store increases by 10 energy points, to a max of 100 energy points at 10th level.In order to access any energy stored within its energy tank, a warforged must take a standard action, which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It is then able to convert any number of energy points into hit points, as if it were receiving the benefits of a repair effect. This energy transfer is one-way – the advanced warforged is unable to convert hit points from its current life total into energy points for storage.
Flamethrower (Ex): At 2nd level, the advanced warforged uncovers upgrade schematics encoded into the deep recesses of its brain, seemingly awaiting discovery. By acting upon these schematics, the warforged is able to modify its off-hand into a powerful flamethrower, a process which requires one full day of work, access to artisan’s tools, and raw materials costing 1,000 gp. Adding a flamethrower effectively removes one of the warforged’s hands, rendering it unable to use two-handed weapons or to wear a ring on that arm. Magical gloves and gauntlets continue to function normally, so long as the warforged continues to wear at least one of the set on its remaining hand.The flamethrower functions by drawing upon the stored energy in the warforged’s energy tank, releasing a flaming cone of energy to a range of 10 feet. All creatures and objects within this area suffer 1d6 fire damage per class level the advanced warforged possesses, with a Reflex save (DC 10 + the warforged class level + its Constitution modifier) allowed for half damage.
Activating the flamethrower requires an expenditure of a great deal of energy. Each time the flamethrower is activated, the weapon drains 5 energy points from the advanced warforged’s energy tank. If the warforged does not have enough stored energy to pay this cost, the flamethrower fails to function. For each additional 5 energy points the warforged spends, the range of his flamethrower’s conical area of effect increases by 5 feet.
Cerberus Program (Ex): By partially activating his flamethrower while wielding a melee weapon, the advanced warforged is able to treat his weapon as a flaming burst weapon. Using his flamethrower in this way is significantly less draining than fully firing his flamethrower, and he must spend only 1 energy point each round he wishes to maintain this ability. Activating or deactivating this ability is a free action.
Directive Circuitry (Ex): At 4th level, the warforged learns how to activate the advanced circuitry built into its body, allowing it to make use of a highly advanced series of dampening fields, heat sinks, and directive circuits. The advanced warforged gains fire and electricity resistance 10. In addition, any fire or electricity damage “absorbed” by this energy resistance is converted into energy points and transferred to the character’s energy tank. Damage prevented due to any other form of energy resistance (such as a protection from elements spell) is not directed to the character’s energy tank.At 8th level, the fire and electricity resistance granted by this ability increases to 20.
Head Chip (Ex): Further experiment with its manufactured body allows a 5th level warforged to locate archived scouting and detection programs hardwired into its head. These programs allow the advanced warforged to add its class level to all Spot and Listen checks it makes.In addition, by redirecting power from its energy tank to its head (a free action), the warforged is able to increase its darkvision range from 60 feet to 120 feet, and gain the blindsight ability to a range of 30 feet. Each round it chooses to redirect power in this way, the character must expend 2 energy points from its energy tank.
Trailblazer Program (Ex): An advanced warforged of at least 6th level is able to incinerate areas it passes through, dividing the battlefield with walls of fire. As a free action during any turn in which the warforged moves at least 10 feet, it may choose to douse its path in flammable liquid as it passes. For each square it wishes to douse in this way, the warforged must expend 2 energy points as it moves out of that square; it may create one continuous trail of fire, or it may choose to douse only select squares that it passes through. As soon as the warforged stops moving, each of the squares he selected bursts into flames 5 feet tall. Creatures adjacent to a flaming square suffer 1d6 points of fire damage, while creatures passing through or occupying a flaming square suffer 2d6 fire damage, plus 1 point per class level the advanced warforged possesses. The flames die out at the end of the warforged next turn.
Coolant Purge (Ex): An advanced warforged of 7th level or higher is able to purge its coolant systems, release a cloud of super-cooled vapor. The resulting cloud creates a cloud 30 feet wide and 20 feet high, centered on the warforged. Creatures within the cloud gain concealment (20% miss chance) against creatures within 5 feet of themselves, and total concealment (50% miss chance) against creatures further away. As the warforged releases more coolant, it loses more energy; the coolant cloud initially deals 1d6 points of cold damage to all other creatures within the cloud, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every additional 10 points of energy the warforged chooses to lose (maximum 5d6). Creatures within the cloud may attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the warforged class level + its Constitution modifier) allowed for half damage. The cloud dissipates at the end of the warforged’s next turn. Purging its coolant is a standard action for the advanced warforged.
Immolation (Ex): By carefully bathing itself in its own fiery energies, an advanced warforged of 9th level or higher is able to cloak itself in a corona of flame. This ability essentially duplicates a fire shield spell, though the warforged is only able to create a warm shield effect, dealing 1d6 points of fire damage, plus 1 per class level, to any creatures striking the warforged with melee or natural weapons. Reach weapons allow their wielder to ignore this damage as normal. Using this ability requires a move action, and expends 3 energy points each round.
Vent Tank (Ex): At 10th level, the advanced warforged gains the ability to overwrite its self-preservation and fail-safe security subroutines, allowing it to openly vent its energy tank. In order to begin the process, the advanced warforged need only spend a move action during its turn. A warforged may not vent its energy tank if its tank contains less than 10 points of stored energy. Once begun, this process cannot be halted until the warforged’s energy tank has been fully emptied.On the round following the activation of this ability, 10 points of energy are emptied from the warforged’s energy tank and vented into the open air, dealing 10d6 plasma damage (half fire damage, half electrical damage) to every creature and object within 30 feet of the warforged (but not the warforged itself). Creatures within this area may attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC 10 + the advanced warforged’s class level + its Constitution modifier) for half damage. Each round, the advanced warforged loses 10 more points of energy from its energy tank as it is vented into the immediate area, dealing damage as stated above. If the warforged no longer has enough energy points to fuel this ability, the remaining energy points are lost, and this ability ends.
While venting its tanks, an advanced warforged is surrounded in a corona of plasma, giving off light to a radius of 60 feet. Any creature striking the advanced warforged with its body or a handheld weapon during this time deals normal damage, but also takes 1d6 points of plasma damage +1 per advanced warforged level. In addition, all creatures within 30 feet of the advanced warforged while its tank is venting take only half damage from cold attacks, none on a successful save.
While venting its tank, a warforged’s energy cannon is considered to be a flaming burst, shocking burst, vicious weapon, in addition to any other magical properties it may possess.
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