D&D 5E UA Warforged vs. Keith Baker's Warforged

[QuietBrowser]

So, we all know that WoTC put out a semi-official 5e Warforged in Unearthed Arcana: Eberron Update 1.1. However, sometime afterwards, Keith Baker, the man who created Eberron, noted his discontent with the WoTC version and put up his own take on his blog. I was just wondering; amongst Warforged fans, which version is generally considered superior? Which version do you use?

For comparison...

Unearthed Arcana Warforged:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Composite Plating: +1 Armor Class
Living Construct: Immune to disease, do not need to eat or breathe (but can do so), need only 4 hours of sleep instead of 8 hours, remain totally aware of surroundings whilst sleeping


Keith Baker's Warforged:
Ability Score Modifier: +2 Constituton
Living Construct: Immune to disease, do not need to eat or breathe (but can do so).
Unsleeping Sentinel: need only 4 hours of sleep instead of 8 hours, remain totally aware of surroundings whilst sleeping
Warforged Resilience: Resistance to Poison damage, advantage on saving throws vs. poison
Integrated Armor: Base AC is 12+Dex modifier, can use a short rest to integrate a suit of armor into your body to make it impossible to remove without spending another short rest doing so
Self-Stabilizing: Advantage of death saving throws
Subrace: Choose between Warforged Scout or Warforged Soldier

Warforged Scout
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Dexterity
Size: Small
Speed: 35 feet

Warforged Soldier
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Strength
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet


Sources
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/unearthed-arcana-eberron
http://keith-baker.com/extra-life-hacking-the-warforged/

 

[ccs]

Is this a trick question?
If your DM allows KB version, use that. You get everything the WoTC version gives & more....
Use the UA version if you aren't allowed the KB version.

 

[mellored]

Keith Baker's seems more balanced.

 

[CapnZapp]

My thoughts:

No bonus vs poison seems like an oversight with the UA version.

The KB version is cute, with its choice between medium or small size. I like this. A small nitpick: I don't see the need to split off "Unsleeping Sentinel" into its own feature.

The KB version of armor does not work, since it doesn't stack with armor. And staying unarmored won't help either - iconic unarmored characters like monks can't use their Unarmored Defense together with Integrated Armor. Not even unarmored Wizards work - their Magic Armor spell does not work with Integrated Armor either. So in the end, all Integrated Armor means is a free Studded Leather. Since this is the best armor for Scouts it's not useless, but still, it's just a 45 gp saving. And for Soldiers it's plain useless.

Warforged Soldiers needs to gain "free platemail". And Warforged Scouts need to gain something more than merely 45 gp.

In the end, I believe the UA solution is the cleanest, and also the most balanced.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Is this a trick question?
If your DM allows KB version, use that. You get everything the WoTC version gives & more....
Use the UA version if you aren't allowed the KB version.

wotc version has +1 AC. That is unique.

 

[CapnZapp]

Taking all of the above into consideration, we get...

Zapp's Warforged:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Constitution
Composite Plating: +1 Armor Class
Speed: 30 feet
Warforged Resilience: Resistance to Poison damage, advantage on saving throws vs. poison
Living Construct: Immune to disease, do not need to eat or breathe (but can do so), need only 4 hours of sleep instead of 8 hours, remain totally aware of surroundings whilst sleeping
Subrace: Choose between Warforged Scout or Warforged Soldier

Warforged Scout
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Dexterity
Size: Small

Warforged Soldier
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Strength
Size: Medium

 

[mellored]

wotc version has +1 AC. That is unique.

And more valuable to the classes the warforge already favors.

12+Dex is basically light armor and only applicable to a few casters, where dex and con are secondary.

Though I think I would change stabilize to be a successful death save on an 8+. Advantage gives you an extra chance to stand up, and you just want a better chance to stabilize.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I like the WotC version a little better. Composite Plating > Integrated Armor due to simplicity and effectiveness for a broad range of characters. KB's poison resistance, self-stabilizing, and subclasses are nice touches, but don't feel like essential selling points in and of themselves. The Grand Unified Warforged might be:

Grand Unified Warforged
Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Con
Composite Plating: +1 AC
Indomitable: +1/2 your proficiency bonus to CON saves and death saves (stacks with class proficiency)
Living Construct: Immune to disease, do not need to eat or breathe (but can do so), need only 4 hours of sleep instead of 8 hours, remain totally aware of surroundings whilst sleeping
Subraces
As KB's subraces.

 

[Leatherhead]

I don't really like either of them to be honest.
The UA one feels too weak.
The KB needs more streamlining. Also the armor ability is a headache. And the scout may be too good at what it does: 35' move on a small race is nearly double that of a halfling.

 

[Bupp]

Here's a version I made up.

https://5egrognard.blogspot.com/2016/01/warforged-of-eska.html

I played one for one short session, so there is a lack of play testing on it. Specifically the Artificial Anatomy and the repair kits. That's something that I wanted to really see in action for a couple sessions.