Transformers of Eberron

One of the things I've always liked about the warforged is the idea that as a warforged, your body was designed for a specific purpose. If you're a sorcerer, it may be because you were designed to be a sorcerer... and what does that even mean? Do you have wands built into your arms? If you're a warforged barbarian, is your "Rage" a battle mode?

The idea of the envoy warforged (in The Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron) came from this idea: the concept of a warforged specifically designed for a particular purpose. The primary benefits of this are flexibility. You gain proficiency in a skill, a tool, and a language. But building on that idea of built for a purpose, you can also pick a tool you're proficient in and have a functioning version of that tool integrated into your body. As a rogue, you can have lockpicks built into your fingers. As a bard, you could have an integrated instrument. In a campaign I'm in, I've been playing a warforged druid named Rose. Functionally, she has an integrated herbalism kit. Cosmetically, I describe this as her having plants growing from the root-like tendrils that make up warforged musculature; typically, these are roses, but the idea is that she could grow the plant she needs for a specific situation. Functionally, this doesn't allow her to do anything she couldn't do with a standard herbalism kit; it's just a fun visual idea.

The design intent of this feature was that you had an integrated tool, an object that could normally be held in a hand. We considered limiting it to artisan's tools specifically, but there's a lot of tools that are very flavorful—the warforged rogue with built in thieves' tools, the bard with an instrument, the druid with the herbalism kit—that would be lost in this case. So we just left it as "a tool." Some people immediately jumped on the fact that the "Tools" list on page 154 of the Player's Handbook includes Vehicles (Land and Water). So... could you be a warforged with an integrated chariot? How about an integrated wardship? Could you be a warforged transformer?

Again, this was never the intent. I think this is something that most people recognize, and I'm sure any future iteration of the warforged will eliminate the loophole. Among other things, the ability doesn't grant any ability to transform; it states that the tool is integrated into the body of the warforged and that "You must have your hands free to use the use the integrated tool." It doesn't change your size, so as a medium sized creature, what would it even MEAN to have a wagon integrated with your body? As it wasn't something we ever intended, I didn't give it any further thought.

UNTIL NOW. One of my regular playtesters and I share a birthday, and therre's a tradition of playing D&D on that day... specifically, playing a one shot with the most ridiculous characters you can come up with, characters you could never play in a serious game. As I sat down to come up with a ridiculous character, I realized that this was the time to play a warforged transformer.

The immediate question is what it actually means to have an "Integrated Vehicle." The PHB provides very few details ABOUT vehicles to begin with. How fast can a chariot go? What exactly is the difference between a wagon and a carriage? Beyond that, as defined the Integrated Tool ability doesn't actually allow for any sort of transformation; it's simply that the tool is always available to you. So what does it MEAN to have an integrated carriage? Three immediate answers suggest themselves.

• You are a wagon at all times. You have wheels and can provide cover for passengers. However, since you're still a medium creature, you can only carry tiny passengers.
• You have some sort of extradimensional space. If we imagine a carriage can hold at least four medium creatures, SOMEHOW you fit those medium creatures into your body. Given the vast potential for abuse in a character having a large extradimensional space, it's not something I'd normally allow into a game, BUT this is a ridiculous session.
• You physically transform into a vehicle... in this case, a Large carriage. Under the circumstances, I'd allow this as a sort of version of wild shape. However, because it's not supposed to be a big advantage, I'd have the character's statistics (including hit points and armor class) remain constant. As a carriage you won't have hands, but you still move using your character's base speed; you can simply carry other creatures in your body.

For the scenario we're talking about, I'm leaning towards option three. It's an action to transform either way. As a vehicle you have to hands and can't cast spells requiring somatic components. I'm thinking the character can talk as a vehicle (unlike wild shape). And again, the character's AC, hit points, and movement remain unchanged; it's COLORFUL, but it shouldn't be a huge advantage. The one benefit I would likely give is to ignore encumbrance in vehicle form, or at least dramatically increase it. I might limit the character's movement to their normal speed, but I don't think the character has to be strong enough to carry the rest of the party; that's the benefit of being a carriage.

Given that, it means I want a character that's fast. For the adventure, we're making fifth level characters; both Monk and Barbarian have increased movement at 5th level, and there's also the option of a feat. The Mobile feat adds +10 movement speed, so the character could have up to a 50' move; not bad for a chariot or a carriage. Given that, I'm considering three possibilities.

• Druid. When *I* used to watch Transformers, I always liked the ones that turned into animals. Ravage. Laserbeak. The Dinobots. However, this misses the whole idea of having a warforged with an integrated vehicle, and the official ruling has always been that warforged druids turn into normal animals. So scratch that.
• Monk. A monk have fast movement and increased unarmed damage, which is an easy basis for fighting as a vehicle; if you run into someone, you can make an Unarmed Strike. And if I use the Sun Soul monk, I could have a ranged attack! I immediately thought of a warforged who turns into a tiny lightning rail engine, zooming around and zapping people with lightning from the elemental arc. Using Mobile to get the 50' movement and being able to ram people and keep moving would certainly be entertaining.
• Barbarian. I've always liked the idea that a barbarian's rage can be reflected as a "battle mode" for a warforged. The fast movement of a barbarian provides a base 40' movement, or 50' with Mobile. Unlike the monk, I wouldn't see the character as fighting in carriage form, but it still works for the idea of a sort of Optimus Prime—a powerful warrior (perhaps with a ridiculously oversized two-handed weapon) who can turn into a carriage between fights and roll out with the party on board.

That's where I'm at right now. So with that in mind: have any of you ever allowed a warforged envoy to have an integrated vehicle? How did YOU handle it? Which of these ideas do you think I should explore? Post your comments below!

I've been both busy with deadlines and physically sick, so I haven't had much time to post over the last month, but there's many other things to discuss. Eberron has just had it's fifteenth anniversary, and to commemorate that, the podcast Manifest Zone did an Anniversary episode with the original 3.5 Eberron design team: Myself, James Wyatt, Chris Perkins, and Bill Slavicsek. Listen to the interview here! And thanks as always to my Patreon supporters!