WD-54-10-4 "Murphy" Warforged Warblade Juggernaut (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Introduction

Robocop on steroids

References

All I can get my mitts on

Game Rule Components

Stances & Maneuvers

Warblade 6 6 known 4 Readied Maneuvers 2 Stances Known

Progression

Starting Ability Scores (Before Racial Adjustments): 16 Str 14 Dex 14 Con 12 Int 12 Wis 10 CHA

Race (Templates): Warforged

Starting Racial Traits: +2 Constitution, –2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma

Medium: As Medium constructs, warforged have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Warforged base land speed is 30 feet.

Composite Plating: The plating used to build a warforged provides a +2 armor bonus. This plating is not natural armor and does not stack with other effects that give an armor bonus (other than natural armor). This composite plating occupies the same space on the body as a suit of armor or a robe, and thus a warforged cannot wear armor or magic robes. Warforged can be enchanted just as armor can be. The character must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant him. Composite plating also provides a warforged with a 5% arcane spell failure chance, similar to the penalty for wearing light armor. Any class ability that allows a warforged to ignore the arcane spell failure chance for light armor lets him ignore this penalty as well.

Light Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a warforged, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally.

A warforged has a natural weapon in the form of a slam attack that deals 1d4 points of damage.

Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: None.

Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass warforged’s fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.

Living Construct Subtype (Ex): Warforged are constructs with the living construct subtype. A living construct is a created being given sentience and free will through powerful and complex creation enchantments. Warforged are living constructs that combine aspects of both constructs and living creatures, as detailed below.

Features: As a living construct, a warforged has the following features. A warforged derives its Hit Dice, base attack bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.

Traits: A warforged possesses the following traits.

Unlike other constructs, a warforged has a Constitution score.

Unlike other constructs, a warforged does not have low-light vision or darkvision.

Unlike other constructs, a warforged is not immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities.

Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition, and energy drain.

A warforged cannot heal damage naturally.

Unlike other constructs, warforged are subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.

As living constructs, warforged can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a warforged can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a warforged is vulnerable to disable construct and harm. However, spells from the healing subschool and supernatural abilities that cure hit point damage or ability damage provide only half their normal effect to a warforged.

The unusual physical construction of warforged makes them vulnerable to certain spells and effects that normally don’t affect living creatures. A warforged takes damage from heat metal and chill metal as if he were wearing metal armor. Likewise, a warforged is affected by repel metal or stone as if he were wearing metal armor. A warforged is repelled by repel wood. The iron in the body of a warforged makes him vulnerable to rusting grasp. The creature takes 2d6 points of damage from the spell (Reflex half; save DC 14 + caster’s ability modifier). A warforged takes the same damage from a rust monster’s touch (Reflex DC 17 half). Spells such as stone to flesh, stone shape, warp wood, and wood shape affect objects only, and thus cannot be used on the stone and wood parts of a warforged.

A warforged responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A warforged with 0 hit points is disabled, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and greater than –10, a warforged is inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert warforged does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable.

As a living construct, a warforged can be raised or resurrected.

A warforged does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but he can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes’ feast and potions.

Although living constructs do not need to sleep, a warforged wizard must rest for 8 hours before preparing spells.

ECL	Class/HD/LA	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Feats	Class Features	Special
			Fort	Ref	Will
1st	Barbarian 1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Adamantine Body, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Destructive Rage	Rage 1/day, Pounce	Lion variant from Complete Champion
2nd	Warblade 1	+2	+2	+0	+0		Battle clarity (Reflex saves), weapon aptitude
3rd	Warblade 2	+3	+3	+0	+0	Improved Sunder	Uncanny dodge
4th	Warblade 3	+4	+3	+1	+1		Battle ardor
5th	Warblade 4	+5	+4	+1	+1
6th	Warblade 5	+6	+4	+1	+1	Shock Trooper, Leap Attack	Bonus Feat
7th	Warblade 6	+7	+5	+2	+2		Improved uncanny dodge
8th	Warforged Juggernaut 1	+8	+2	+0	+0		Armor spikes 1d6, Expert Bull Rush, Powerful Charge, reserved
9th	Warforged Juggernaut 2	+9	+3	+0	+0	Combat Brute	Charge bonus +1, construct perfection I, extended charge
10th	Warforged Juggernaut 3	+10	+3	+1	+1		Construct perfection II, healing immunity, Superior Bull Rush

Highlights & Tactics

Charge Bonus (Ex):** Murphy gets a +1 bonus on attack rolls when charging. (+3 total)

Powerful Charge : Murphy deals an extra 1d8 of damage when making a charge

Charge + Pounce + Leap Attack + Power Attack = 1d8 charge bonus + (PA)x 4 on full attack

Construct Perfection II (Ex): Murphy is not subject to nonlethal damage or extra damage from critical hits. It has immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities

Expert Bull Rush (Ex): Murphy can add +4 to its Strength checks when making a bull rush attack, defending against a bull rush, or trying to break down doors. When enraged, Destructive Rage combined allows for a +12 Str to Bull Rushing to break down doors.

Living Construct Traits: Immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain. Cannot heal damage naturally. Subject to stunning, ability damage, and ability drain. Subject to spells that target either constructs or living creatures.

Feats

ADAMANTINE BODY:

Benefit: Your armor bonus is increased to +8 and you gain damage reduction 2/adamantine. However, your base land speed is reduced to 20 feet, and you are considered to be wearing heavy armor. You have a +1 maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, a -5 penalty on all skill checks that armor check penalties apply to (Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, Swim, and Tumble), and an arcane spell failure chance of 35%.

POWER ATTACK:

Benefit: On your action, before making attack rolls for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add the same number to all melee damage rolls. This number may not exceed your base attack bonus. The penalty on attacks and bonus on damage apply until your next turn.

Special: If you attack with a two-handed weapon, or with a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands, instead add twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls.

IMPROVED BULL RUSH:

You are skilled at pushing your foes around.

Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a bull rush combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to bull rush a foe. You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense whenever an opponent tries to bull rush you.

IMPROVED SUNDER:

Benefit: When you strike at an object held or carried by an opponent (such as a weapon or shield), you do not provoke an attack of opportunity. You also gain a +4 bonus on any attack roll made to attack an object held or carried by another character.

Normal: Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you strike at an object held or carried by another character.

DESTRUCTIVE RAGE:

You can shatter barriers and objects when enraged.

Benefit: While you are in a rage or frenzy, you gain a +8 bonus on any Strength checks you make to break down doors or break inanimate, immobile objects.

SHOCK TROOPER : You are adept at breaking up formations of soldiers when you rush into battle.

Benefit: The Shock Trooper feat enables the use of three tactical maneuvers.

Directed Bull Rush: To use this maneuver, you must make a successful bull rush attempt as part of a charge. For every square you push your foe back, you may also push that foe one square to the left or right.

Domino Rush: To use this maneuver, you must make a successful bull rush attempt that forces a foe into the same square as another foe. You may make a free trip attempt against both foes at the same time, and neither foe gets a chance to trip you if your attempt fails.

Heedless Charge: To use this maneuver, you must charge and make the attack at the end of the charge using your Power Attack feat. The penalty you take on your attack roll must be -5 or worse. In addition to normal charge modifiers (which give you a -2 penalty to AC and a +2 bonus on the attack roll), you can assign any portion of the attack roll penalty from Power Attack to your Armor Class instead, up to a maximum equal to your base attack bonus.

LEAP ATTACK: You can combine a powerful charge and a mighty leap into one devastating attack.

Benefit: If you cover at least 10 feet of horizontal distance with your jump, and you end your jump in a square from which you threaten your target, you deal +100% the normal bonus damage from your use of the Power Attack feat. This attack must follow all the normal rules for using the Jump skill and for making a charge, except that you ignore rough terrain in any squares you jump over. (power attack +3 per penalty)

COMBAT BRUTE: You employ strength and leverage to great effect in battle.

Benefit: The Combat Brute feat enables the use of three tactical maneuvers.

Advancing Blows: To use this maneuver, you must make a successful bull rush attempt against a foe. During the next round, all your attacks against that foe gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls for each square your bull rush moved that foe. For example, if you pushed an orc back 10 (2 squares) feet with a bull rush, you would gain a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls against that orc on the following round.

Sundering Cleave: To use this maneuver, you must destroy a foe's weapon or shield with a successful sunder attempt (see page 158 of the Player's Handbook). If you do so, you gain an immediate additional melee attack against the foe. The additional attack is with the same weapon and at the same attack bonus as the attack that destroyed the weapon or shield.

Momentum Swing: To use this maneuver, you must charge a foe in the first round, and you must make an attack using your Power Attack feat in the second round. The penalty you take on your attack roll must be -5 or worse. Your attacks during the second round gain a bonus equal to your attack roll penalty x 1-1/2, or x 3 if you're using a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands. For instance, if you choose to take a -6 penalty on your attack roll, you can deal an extra 9 points of damage, or an extra 18 points if you're using a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands. (power attack +3 per penalty)

Class Features

Warforged Juggernaut

Armor Spikes (Ex): At 1st level, a warforged juggernaut grows armor spikes and gains proficiency in their use as a weapon. These adamantine armor spikes deal 1d6 points of piercing damage on a successful grapple attack. While the spikes can’t be removed, they can be affected by spells like any other weapon. At 4th level, the damage these armor spikes deal increases to 1d8.

Expert Bull Rush (Ex): A warforged juggernaut can add its class level to Strength checks when making a bull rush attempt or defending against a bull rush. A warforged juggernaut can also add its class level to Strength checks when trying to break down doors.

Powerful Charge: A warforged juggernaut gains Powerful Charge as a bonus feat.

Reserved: Starting at 1st level, a warforged juggernaut begins to distance itself from living creatures. Because of this change in its nature, a warforged juggernaut takes a penalty equal to its juggernaut class level (–1 at 1st level, –2 at 2nd level, and so on) when using the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Sense Motive.

Charge Bonus (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a warforged juggernaut gains an extra +1 bonus on its attack roll when making a charge (total bonus of +3). At 4th level, this extra bonus increases to +2 (total bonus of +4).

Construct Perfection (Ex): A warforged that follows the path of the juggernaut seeks to improve itself by embracing its construct heritage. As a warforged juggernaut advances, it abandons what it considers the weaknesses of the living construct form to gain qualities more indicative of true constructs. While retaining its intelligence and sentience, a warforged juggernaut gains the following construct features as it advances in level.

Construct Perfection I—At 2nd level, a warforged juggernaut is no longer subject to nonlethal damage or extra damage from critical hits.

Construct Perfection II—At 3rd level, a warforged juggernaut gains immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).

Construct Perfection III—At 4th level, a warforged juggernaut gains immunity to death effects and necromancy effects.

Construct Perfection IV—At 5th level, a warforged juggernaut is no longer subject to ability damage or ability drain.

Extended Charge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a warforged juggernaut gains +5 feet to its speed when making a charge.

Healing Immunity: Starting at 3rd level, as a warforged juggernaut becomes more like a construct and less like a living creature, it becomes immune to the effects of spells from the healing subschool. In addition, it can no longer benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items, such as heroes’ feast and potions.

Superior Bull Rush (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, when a warforged juggernaut makes a successful bull rush against an opponent, it can choose to deal damage equal to that of its armor spikes plus its Strength modifier against the opponent in addition to the normal results of a bull rush. If the bull rush was made as part of a charge, the juggernaut can add its extra damage from the Powerful Charge feat or the Greater Powerful Charge feat as well.

Greater Powerful Charge: At 5th level, a warforged juggernaut gains Greater Powerful Charge as a bonus feat.

Warblade

Battle Clarity (Ex): You can enter a state of almost mystical awareness of the battlefield around you. As long as you are not flat-footed, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus (maximum equals your warblade level) on your Reflex saves.

Weapon Aptitude (Ex): Your training with a wide range of weaponry and tactics gives you great skill with particular weapons. You qualify for feats that usually require a minimum number of fighter levels (such as Weapon Specialization) as if you had a fighter level equal to your warblade level –2. For example, as a 6th-level warblade, you could take Weapon Specialization, since you’re treated as being a 4th-level fighter for this purpose. These effective fighter levels stack with any actual fighter levels you have. Thus, a fighter 2/warblade 4 would also qualify for Weapon Specialization. You also have the flexibility to adjust your weapon training. Each morning, you can spend 1 hour in weapon practice to change the designated weapon for any feat you have that applies only to a single weapon (such as Weapon Focus). You must have the newly designated weapon available during your practice session to make this change. For example, if you wish to change the designated weapon for your Weapon Focus feat from greatsword to longsword, you must have a longsword available to practice with during your practice session. You can adjust any number of your feats in this way, and you don’t have to adjust them all in the same way. However, you can’t change the weapon choices in such a way that you no longer meet the prerequisite for some other feat you possess. For instance, if you have both Weapon Focus (longsword) and Weapon Specialization (longsword), you can’t change the designated weapon for Weapon Focus unless you also change the weapon for Weapon Specialization in the same way.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, you gain the ability to react to danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. You retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if you are caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, you still lose your Dexterity bonus to AC if you are immobilized. If you already have uncanny dodge from a different class (barbarian or rogue, for example), you automatically gain improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Battle Ardor (Ex): The sheer love of battle lends uncanny strength to your blows. Starting at 3rd level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on rolls made to confirm critical hits.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 6th level and higher, you can no longer be flanked; you can react to opponents on opposite sides of you as easily as you can react to a single attacker. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the Warblade by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has Warblade levels.

Battle Cunning (Ex): Your instinct for seizing the moment gives you a significant advantage over foes unprepared for your attack. At 7th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on melee damage rolls against flat-footed or flanked opponents.

Battle Skill (Ex): You anticipate your enemies’ ploys and tactics. At 11th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on any check made to oppose an enemy’s bull rush, disarm, feint, overrun, sunder, or trip attempt.

Battle Mastery (Ex): You notice the most subtle openings and cues offered by your opponents. At 15th level, you gain an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus on melee attack rolls and melee damage rolls made whenever you make an attack of opportunity.

Stance Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, you can have two stances active simultaneously. When you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you can initiate or change one or both stances.

Barbarian

Rage (Ex): A barbarian can fly into a screaming blood frenzy a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a barbarian gains phenomenal strength and durability but becomes reckless and less able to defend himself. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a —2 penalty to Armor Class.

The increase in Constitution increases the barbarian's hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are; see Temporary Hit Points, page 146.) While raging, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character's (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A barbarian may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the barbarian loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (—2 penalty to Strength, —2 penalty to Dexterity, can't charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 17th-level barbarian, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below).

A barbarian can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 1st level he can use his rage ability once per day. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a barbarian can do it only during his action (see Initiative, page 136), not in response to someone else's action. A barbarian can't, for example, fly into a rage when struck down by an arrow in order to get the extra hit points from the increased Constitution, although the extra hit points would be of benefit if he had gone into a rage earlier in the round, before the arrow struck.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Optimized Character Builds