Warforged, with their construct nature and unique origins, bring a fascinating element to any D&D campaign.
Selecting the right background can deeply enrich your role-playing experience, allowing you to embody the essence of a Warforged character.
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What Are Backgrounds in D&D 5e?
Backgrounds are more than simple stat boosts in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. They reveal where your character came from, why you became an adventurer, and your place in the world.
Before choosing your Background, ask yourself a few questions:
- What was I before I became an adventurer?
- Why did I stop doing what my Background explains and become an adventurer?
- Where did I get the money to buy my starting equipment?
- Where did I learn the skills used in my class?
- What’s different about me compared to others with the same Background?
Best Backgrounds for Warforged
5. Urban Bounty Hunter
Skill Proficiencies – Choose two among Stealth, Persuasion, Insight, and Deception
Tool Proficiencies – Choose two among one type of gaming set, Thieves’ tools, and one musical instrument
Languages – None
Equipment – A set of clothes that are appropriate to your bounty hunting duties and a pouch with 20GP
Why the Urban Bounty Hunter?
Urban Bounty Hunters have the Ear to the Ground feature, meaning they have frequent contact with those in their target’s segment of society.
No matter who they are, you have contact with them, and you get this information by visiting a special someone in every city you visit.
The Warforged were initially created for war, and so when they disappeared into the world, many of them used the skills they learned in war to become Urban Bounty Hunters.
Their relentless spirit and tough nature make them perfect bounty hunters, even if they might stand out without a hood one.
4. Cloistered Scholar
Skill Proficiencies – History, plus one among Religion, Nature, and Arcana
Tool Proficiencies – None
Languages – Choose two
Equipment – The scholar’s robes of your cloister, a borrowed book on the subject of your current study, a writing kit (a pouch with a small penknife, folded parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill), and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Cloistered Scholar?
Cloistered Scholar gives your Warforged Library Access, granting you entry to libraries of vast knowledge and ways to navigate through bureaucratic connections.
Not all Warforged chose a path of violence after the war. Some had taken a liking to knowledge and studying. Thus, they chose to delve into books, learning of the Multiverse, and using their long lifespans to learn as much as possible.
3. Knight of the Order
Skill Proficiencies – Persuasion, plus one among Religion, Nature, History, and Arcana, as appropriate for your knight’s order
Tool Proficiencies – One type of gaming set or a musical instrument
Languages – Choose one
Equipment – A seal representing your place or rank in the order, a set of traveler’s clothes, a banner, a signet, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Knight of the Order?
Knight of the Order gives your Warforged Knightly Regard, meaning you and your party will receive food, healing, shelter, and, at times, physical aid.
Depending on who a Warforged served, they often offered their skills to various Knight Orders to help them complete a common goal.
2. Mercenary Veterans
Skill Proficiencies – Persuasion, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies – Vehicles (land), One type of gaming set
Languages – None
Equipment – A gaming set of your choice, an insignia of your rank, a uniform of your company (traveler’s clothes in quality), and a pouch with the remainder of your last wages (10GP).
Why the Mercenary Veteran?
Mercenary Veterans have the Mercenary Life feature, letting you identify mercenary companies, find places where mercenaries abide, and get mercenary work between adventures.
Warforged were created for battle, and so, understand it better than anyone, some knowing nothing but war.
After the war, most Warforged who didn’t want to serve a kingdom would become a hired sword, killing mercilessly to earn a wage and flourishing because of their past as a soldier.
1. Soldier
Skill Proficiencies – Intimidation, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies – Vehicles (land), One type of gaming set
Languages – None
Equipment – A trophy you took from a fallen enemy (a piece of a banner, dagger, or broken blade), a set of common clothes, a deck of cards or a set of bone dice, an insignia of rank, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Soldier?
Soldiers receive the Military Rank feature, allowing you to exert your rank and impose authority over soldiers lower than you.
This authority can grant you and your party access to fortresses, encampments, simple equipment, and horses.
Warforged were created to be soldiers, so it is only natural for most of them to serve as soldiers once again, leading many Warforged to start serving neighboring kingdoms as soldiers.
Their skills and combat knowledge even lead to promotions and ranks being given to many Warforged without prior involvement in the kingdom.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, when picking backgrounds for your Warforged in D&D 5e, consider those that enhance their mechanical nature and unique perspective.
Backgrounds such as Soldier, Knight of the Order, or Urban Bounty Hunter can offer intriguing roleplaying opportunities, while Cloistered Scholar or Mercenary backgrounds can add depth to their understanding of the world.