Steamforged (4e Race)

Steamforged

By Yu Cheng

Serious metal monsters that come in all shapes and sizes.

Racial Traits

Average Height: 4' - 7'

Average Weight: 130 - 300 lbs.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution or +2 Dexterity

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common and one other.

Skill Bonuses: +2 to any.

Forged Mind: You gain a +1 bonus to Will.

Unmovable: When subject to forced movement, you may make a saving throw to avoid being moved.

Living Construct: You are a living construct. You do not need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep. You never make Endurance checks to resist the effect of starvation, thirst or suffocation. All other conditions and effects affect you normally.

Mechanical Rest: While taking an extended rest, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

Heat Resistance: You gain resistance to fire damage equal to 2 + 1/2 your level. You do not need to make Endurance checks to endure hot environments.

Steamforged: You get the Steam Fan racial encounter power.

Steam Fan	Steamforged Racial Power
Steam rushes out of your body to meet your enemies and scald them.
Encounter  Fire
Minor Action	Close burst 3
Target: All enemies within burst
Attack: Constitution + 2 Vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d8 + Constitution modifier fire damage.
Miss: Half damage. Level 11: Constitution + 4; 2d8 fire damage Level 21: Constitution +6; 3d8 fire damage.

The steamforged are a race of creatures parallel to the warforged. They resemble steampunk creatures that were created during the eras of development in Eberron. Due to the discovery of a magic steam power material, their creation was possible and mass produced for a while. However, due to the need of the specific material, they were discontinued as a model series. With improvements on the warforged model, the steamforged were pushed out of the limelight, and they were discarded as anachronisms. However, they resisted deactivation and fled their masters to the abandoned mines where the stores of ores were long gone.

Play a Steamforged if you want...

• To be a strong-willed construct run by steam.
• Have a wide range of skills to choose from.
• To be a member of a race that favors the artificer, warden, and battlemind classes.

Physical Qualities

Steamforged bodies are powered with a thick tubes that transfer steam around their bodies to power their core muscles. Like warforged, they are living constructs that have living material in their bodies. The special mineral in their bodies is similar to a red crystal, which constructs many a steamforged chassis. The material is partially biological, able to mend like flesh with magic. Most steamforged have a face of sculpted metal, usually modeled after the original creator's desires. However, their bodies often exposed more inner gears and mechanical parts than a warforged. They remain sexless.

Playing a Steamforged

The steamforged have minds that grew out of realization of their use having expired. They are extremely strong-willed and more chaotic than regular warforged, like the steam which powers them. No longer do they seek to serve masters or follow orders. They seek their own fates and futures, and often feel very suspicious of organic creatures, having been used and tossed aside by their organic makers. Steamforged do not take kindly to being betrayed and take words for their face value. Some remain curious about those of flesh and blood.

Steamforged Characteristics: Strong-willed, unique, serious, blunt

Names: Aiz, Bry, Lig, Maf, Mip, Roz, Zyk

Steamforged Adventurers

The steamforged are hardy creatures that intelligence is not lost on.

Artificer: Steamforged have great curiosity for their own origins as well as the makeup of living things. They have long invested attentions in figuring out how mechanisms work. Like gnomes, they like to tinker and innovate new gadgetry.

Fighter: The steamforged constitution makes them great defenders. Those who were particularly designed for defensive maneuvers usually become fighters. They draw strength from a martial power, rather than primal, psionic, or divine.

Ranger: Some steamforged find more joy in tactics that manipulate the field to their advantage, rather than hardball slugfests. They therefore become rangers to coordinate and explore dangerous territory.

Three sample steamforged adventurers are described below.

Wedge is a steamforged fighter who delights in being useful. Wedge denies it as a vestigial thought implanted by the original creators, and genuinely finds happiness in using the body as a shield for allies in battle. Wedge hates to be alone and is antsy letting those they consider allies go anywhere without them. It is not clear whether Wedge is clingy or if they are just protective of those they cherish.

Xys is a steamforged ranger that has claimed an entire mine. It used to be a mine for the material common in the steamforged. Now, it is Xys' hideout. Xys has grand schemes to bring together other steamforged to form a band of brigands, but Xys lacks the funds and materials. Xyz has a dislike of organic beings, and it is believed his band of brigands is to be a way towards revenge against those who threw Xys away.

Biggs is a steamforged artificer. Biggs originally caught the fancy of a traveling artificer who came to teach Biggs the ways of arcane tinkering. Feeling an affinity for the craft almost immediately, Biggs eagerly learned the arts of the artifice. While the teacher is long gone, Biggs continues to learn for the sake of improving himself and his knowledge on other constructs like himself.

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