Brilliant Energy weapon and Warforged

[Shin Okada]

How will a brilliant energy weapon interact with a Warforged character?

From SRD,

Brilliant Energy: A brilliant energy weapon has its significant portion transformed into light, although this does not modify the item’s weight. It always gives off light as a torch (20-foot radius). A brilliant energy weapon ignores nonliving matter. Armor and shield bonuses to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to that armor) do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor. (Dexterity, deflection, dodge, natural armor, and other such bonuses still apply.) A brilliant energy weapon cannot harm undead, constructs, and objects. This property can only be applied to melee weapons, thrown weapons, and ammunition.
Strong transmutation; CL 16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, gaseous form, continual flame; Price +4 bonus.

A warforged is living. That makes the interpretation of this rule rather vague.

1) It does not affect a Warforged character at all. Because "ignores nonliving matter" is just a fluff and the rule says "A brilliant energy weapon cannot harm undead, constructs...".
2) It does affect a Warforged character because a warforged is not a "nonliving matter". Also, it cannot ignore armor bonus from plating, as plating is a part of the warforged's body and thus not a "nonliving matter".
3) Any other interpretation.

Also, a PC in my current campaign happen to be a "Dragon (living construct)" because he is a warforged dragon disciple. So he is not a construct anymore. Will it change the way how the brilliant energy weapon affects on him?

Maybe, a Brilliant Energy weapon affects on him (because he is a dragon and not a construct) but still ignore his Armor bonus?

 

[Magesmiley]

Ah the joys of new types and subtypes being added...

So looking at the Living Construct subtype from MM3, the most pertinent stuff IMO is that they have CON scores, they are subject to critical hits (and the like), and they are affected by spells that target living creatures. Its also worth noting that the Living Construct lays out its attributes in a separate section than the Construct section.

Nothing explicitly specific to this situation, naturally. However, I think that the "affected by spells that target living creatures" clause would indicate that they are affected by the brilliant energy weapon. Having a Constitution score is another good indicator, as if you have at least 1 Con you are a living creature (going by the nonabilities section of MM3).

The armor is another subject, this is going to come down to personal taste. If you prefer simple, just rule that all armor and shield bonuses don't count. If you want to go with logical consistency, rule that any armor (or shield) bonus from a living source works. Beyond the warforged, I think that there are some symbiotes that this kind of a ruling would apply to as well.

In the case of the half dragon, the type changes to dragon (per the half-dragon template), which would replace the living construct type, so the brilliant energy weapon would definitely apply then. Even being of the dragon type wouldn't really affect whether the armor bonus was from a living or non-living source and so should stay consistent with how it was handled in that situation.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Warforged are not constructs, they are living constructs, clearly something else entirely since they're subject to critical hits, "alive," etc... So the line about those weapons not harming constructs does not apply.

A warforged's composite armor plating is NOT natural armor. Both mechanically (armor bonus) and in the flavor text. It is is armor added to the body, just like a human wearing armor, except it's actually attached. Thus, the brilliant energy weapon can not only harm a warforged, it passes right through the armor plating of the warforged as easily as it would a human's full plate.

Becoming a dragon didn't matter, he could already be affected. But if you do consider warforged to be constructs, then yeah, that would be the nail in the coffin to the "I'm immune" argument anyway.

 

[Starbuck_II]

In the case of the half dragon, the type changes to dragon (per the half-dragon template), which would replace the living construct type, so the brilliant energy weapon would definitely apply then. Even being of the dragon type wouldn't really affect whether the armor bonus was from a living or non-living source and so should stay consistent with how it was handled in that situation.

Um, living construct is a subtype.

Dragon Deciple doesn't change subtypes.

So he is Dragon (Living Conbstruct). Armor bonus don't apply to Brillant weapon so that ignored.

Now Brillant energy isn't a spell so that phrase isn't important.

I'd say had he stayed a construct he would be immune to Brillant, but now as a Dragon he is affected.

 

[Megahedron]

Warforged are considered living. "Living constructs"

 

[kyrand]

Starbuck II hit it right on the money, IMHO.

Living construct is a subtype, just like Good, Extraplanar, and Aquatic. Warforged are Construct (living construct) according to their listing in the MM3. Since, per the SRD quoted above "A brilliant energy weapon cannot harm undead, constructs, and objects," I would rule that Warforged are immune. Now, had it said "Non-living creatures" or things without a Con score, they would be just as vulnerable as Joe human over there.

Dragon Disciple doesn't change subtypes, so he's still a living construct. But he's now of the Dragon type, with all of its automatic bonuses and penalties, including no longer having the one key trait that makes him immune to Brillant Energy weapons.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Since, per the SRD quoted above "A brilliant energy weapon cannot harm undead, constructs, and objects," I would rule that Warforged are immune. Now, had it said "Non-living creatures" or things without a Con score, they would be just as vulnerable as Joe human over there.

That's pretty good analysis, except that the SRD also says

SRD
A brilliant energy weapon ignores nonliving matter.

And Warforged are explicitly living matter. You might be able to argue that the brilliant energy ignores their armor plating, but the fact is that their mass- despite being metal and wood and so forth- is living.

 

[Theroc]

That's pretty good analysis, except that the SRD also says


And Warforged are explicitly living matter. You might be able to argue that the brilliant energy ignores their armor plating, but the fact is that their mass- despite being metal and wood and so forth- is living.

Wouldn't that just mean that the Rules as Written conflict in the case of Warforged? Brilliant Energy Weapon was created before the Warforged, after all.

Unless there was some errata released regarding this, it may be up to the Dungeon Master to decide. I am of the opinion that given all the immunities a Warforged have... and the fact that they are a construct... that they would not be affected, since they don't really seem alive in the same sense as other creatures. This is obviously something that can be argued either way from what I've seen, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't think so.

There are other intelligent, free willed constructs out there that don't have the "living construct" subtype, like the Inevitables.

Inevitable :: d20srd.org

Warforged could have been just like them, intelligent and free-willed constructs, immune to BE damage.

But they didn't- the designers specifically created the "living construct" subtype for them, setting them apart from all other constructs.

 

[kyrand]

And Warforged are explicitly living matter. You might be able to argue that the brilliant energy ignores their armor plating, but the fact is that their mass- despite being metal and wood and so forth- is living.

Fair enough, I did miss that small line. I suppose then I'd either say they're immune, or say that, since their armor plating is technically part of them and also living matter, that the bonus is not ignored, much like natural armor.