Lycanthromancer
2010-04-13, 12:09 AM
Prologue: The cake CPsi nerf is a lie!
I've been thinking a lot about how versatile and overwhelmingly useful astral constructs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/astralConstruct.htm) are, especially when combined with the constructor PrC (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b), and I was wanting to catalog a few tricks you can pull with them (preferably with some help from the community...ie, you folks).
So, what are some ways you've found to make astral constructs easier to use and more useful, as well as some of the tricks you've used in-game to good effect by thinking outside the box?
As for my suggestions, I have a fair few:
-If you use incarnum in your psionics builds (which I sometimes do), and take either the psionic open chakra power or enough meldshaper levels to do so, binding a metamagic rod to your hands chakra grants you a +1 to your ML when, say, Extending a construct...and astral construct is always considered a level 1 power, even when augmented, so if your DM allows you to use metapsionic rods, using a lesser rod is a cheap way to get some extra bonuses to your manifestations.
-The chronocharm of the uncaring archmage (from the Magic Item Compendium) allows you to manifest astral construct as a standard action 1/day for 500 gp.
-Using Linked Power (a metapsionic feat from Complete Psionic) lets you unleash a construct next round when conjoined with a power this round (essentially a Delayed Quickened construct for a minimum of 1 pp). Since ecto protection (otherwise near-useless, but required as a prereq for constructor) is manifested as a swift action on the same round that astral construct is manifested, and it's already limited to EP + AC = ML in PP, you can get your constructs off as swift actions, if you don't have any other cheap swift-action powers available. Linked Power is especially good here because you aren't having to spend an entire round manifesting, so you can't get your manifestation interrupted.
-Note that most menu abilities from different tiers stack, even if they're identical but for a sliding scale of power. For instance, Buff, Improved Buff, and Extreme Buff stack, to grant +50 hp. This is why the Brawn ability of the constructor isn't utterly useless; +9 to damage for all attacks isn't bad at all. The deflection bonuses, however, may or may not stack with each other, depending on if you read +X deflection bonus as adding additional points to preexisting deflection bonuses or not.
-There's a feat in Hyperconscious that allows your constructs to last for a flat 10 minutes. Great for anyone other than a ML 10+ constructor, really.
-Power Attack + Natural Invisibility allow you to (potentially) get a much higher damage output due to rendering most foes flat-footed against your attacks.
-Using share pain on a Utility Construct with fast healing 2 basically means you get DR (half damage dealt) for cheap. Nice when paired with vigor, of course.
-Find a way to make yourself weigh 20 lbs or less (metamorphosis, Tiny-sized with the Skinny flaw, or compression), and now your 7th level and higher constructs can dimension slide with you riding along at will.
-Using the constructor's Enhanced Construction ability lets you manifest lots of little constructs, which can be used to both flank and Aid Another for rather massive attack bonus boosts. Also great for adding to grapple bonuses of already impressive Huge-sized other constructs. If you do so for 7th level constructs, you can form a line of them, which all manifest energy bolt side-by-side, which can assist you with mass battles against tons of weaker enemies.
-Manifesting energy wall and several constructs with Improved Bull Rush lets you deal energy damage several times a round as they pass through; for added humiliation, follow up with an energy push if you can slam them into a wall. (Astral constructs count as 'walls' for this purpose.)
-Putting Blindsight, Improved Fly, Natural Invisibility, Fast Healing 2, and other movement bonuses on a quadrupedal Utility Construct makes it incredibly useful as a mount, a scout, and as a means of taking your watch when you can't be arsed.
-Higher level quadruped constructs with Muscle act basically like animated immovable rods, considering their insane carrying capacities and their stability. Have one plant itself in front of a door; there ain't much that's getting through that without blowing through a nearby wall.
-Speaking of walls, constructs make awesome living animate walls if you give them enough defensive capabilities and put them in the right spots. They're virtually immovable if they're large and strong enough, and act as soft cover, taking ranged attacks for you if you command them to take the hit. Even better if you use naturally invisible constructs to force chargers to waste their turns by trying to charge you without a clear line of effect. Other opponents can get pretty screwed by this tactic as well, such as ray attackers, and flankers (assuming they're trying to move into an occupied space, anyway).
-Giving a construct Pounce, Muscle, Brawn, Improved Brawn, Extra Brawn, and lots of extra attacks makes for a crazy mobile "TWF"-attacker, capable of taking down most foes with a flurry of really powerful strikes in a matter of moments. Also keep in mind that pouncing doesn't require you to make all of your attacks against a single foe, which allows you to spread them out amongst multiple enemies (even better if your pet construct has lots and lots of reach). Hand it a manufactured weapon (kusari-gama for extra reach!) for up to 4 additional attacks (albeit at a -4 nonproficiecy penalty) in addition to a near-full complement of natural attacks (it loses a slam attack, but it can be worth it).
-If all you want to do is make a single really powerful attack against a lot of foes, give it all the Brawn abilities, Reach, Natural Invisibility, Power Attack, and Whirlwind Attack. Add in Muscle and whatever other damage boosters you've got, if you can fit them in.
-An astral construct with energy bolt, concussion blast, and dimension slide can make full-use of its standard, move, and swift actions every round.
-Astral constructs can act even when you can't. Unless stunned, unconscious, or dead, you can mentally give your constructs orders, which they will subsequently perform to the best of their ability. If you get forced into a situation where you can't move (say, you're dazed or cowering), you can order a construct nearby (preferably one that's larger than you) to pick you up and move you out of the way of impending danger.
-Astral constructs are immune to damn near everything, including poisons. Cover them in it using psionic minor creation, and you'll be sitting pretty (and your enemies...won't). They're also immune to mind-control and stunning, so illithids really don't like them much. Those immunities can help you with a ton of otherwise difficult foes, such as undead, aboleths, venomous critters, and nauseating swarms.
-Also remember that you can sculpt a construct to look like just about anything within the size-constraints of the construct of the level you make. If you're up against a blind foe with blindsight, blindsense, or tremorsense, you can always give it extra targets of your size, shape, and weight, to confuse it into attacking any of them but you. If you think you'll be needing a +2 to your Ride checks, making a Craft (sculpting) check to give it a masterwork saddle may just be right what you need. You could also turn one into a mobile cage, if there's a prisoner that needs transporting (or a carriage if it's you that needs transporting).
Feel free to make more suggestions.
I've been thinking a lot about how versatile and overwhelmingly useful astral constructs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/astralConstruct.htm) are, especially when combined with the constructor PrC (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b), and I was wanting to catalog a few tricks you can pull with them (preferably with some help from the community...ie, you folks).
So, what are some ways you've found to make astral constructs easier to use and more useful, as well as some of the tricks you've used in-game to good effect by thinking outside the box?
As for my suggestions, I have a fair few:
-If you use incarnum in your psionics builds (which I sometimes do), and take either the psionic open chakra power or enough meldshaper levels to do so, binding a metamagic rod to your hands chakra grants you a +1 to your ML when, say, Extending a construct...and astral construct is always considered a level 1 power, even when augmented, so if your DM allows you to use metapsionic rods, using a lesser rod is a cheap way to get some extra bonuses to your manifestations.
-The chronocharm of the uncaring archmage (from the Magic Item Compendium) allows you to manifest astral construct as a standard action 1/day for 500 gp.
-Using Linked Power (a metapsionic feat from Complete Psionic) lets you unleash a construct next round when conjoined with a power this round (essentially a Delayed Quickened construct for a minimum of 1 pp). Since ecto protection (otherwise near-useless, but required as a prereq for constructor) is manifested as a swift action on the same round that astral construct is manifested, and it's already limited to EP + AC = ML in PP, you can get your constructs off as swift actions, if you don't have any other cheap swift-action powers available. Linked Power is especially good here because you aren't having to spend an entire round manifesting, so you can't get your manifestation interrupted.
-Note that most menu abilities from different tiers stack, even if they're identical but for a sliding scale of power. For instance, Buff, Improved Buff, and Extreme Buff stack, to grant +50 hp. This is why the Brawn ability of the constructor isn't utterly useless; +9 to damage for all attacks isn't bad at all. The deflection bonuses, however, may or may not stack with each other, depending on if you read +X deflection bonus as adding additional points to preexisting deflection bonuses or not.
-There's a feat in Hyperconscious that allows your constructs to last for a flat 10 minutes. Great for anyone other than a ML 10+ constructor, really.
-Power Attack + Natural Invisibility allow you to (potentially) get a much higher damage output due to rendering most foes flat-footed against your attacks.
-Using share pain on a Utility Construct with fast healing 2 basically means you get DR (half damage dealt) for cheap. Nice when paired with vigor, of course.
-Find a way to make yourself weigh 20 lbs or less (metamorphosis, Tiny-sized with the Skinny flaw, or compression), and now your 7th level and higher constructs can dimension slide with you riding along at will.
-Using the constructor's Enhanced Construction ability lets you manifest lots of little constructs, which can be used to both flank and Aid Another for rather massive attack bonus boosts. Also great for adding to grapple bonuses of already impressive Huge-sized other constructs. If you do so for 7th level constructs, you can form a line of them, which all manifest energy bolt side-by-side, which can assist you with mass battles against tons of weaker enemies.
-Manifesting energy wall and several constructs with Improved Bull Rush lets you deal energy damage several times a round as they pass through; for added humiliation, follow up with an energy push if you can slam them into a wall. (Astral constructs count as 'walls' for this purpose.)
-Putting Blindsight, Improved Fly, Natural Invisibility, Fast Healing 2, and other movement bonuses on a quadrupedal Utility Construct makes it incredibly useful as a mount, a scout, and as a means of taking your watch when you can't be arsed.
-Higher level quadruped constructs with Muscle act basically like animated immovable rods, considering their insane carrying capacities and their stability. Have one plant itself in front of a door; there ain't much that's getting through that without blowing through a nearby wall.
-Speaking of walls, constructs make awesome living animate walls if you give them enough defensive capabilities and put them in the right spots. They're virtually immovable if they're large and strong enough, and act as soft cover, taking ranged attacks for you if you command them to take the hit. Even better if you use naturally invisible constructs to force chargers to waste their turns by trying to charge you without a clear line of effect. Other opponents can get pretty screwed by this tactic as well, such as ray attackers, and flankers (assuming they're trying to move into an occupied space, anyway).
-Giving a construct Pounce, Muscle, Brawn, Improved Brawn, Extra Brawn, and lots of extra attacks makes for a crazy mobile "TWF"-attacker, capable of taking down most foes with a flurry of really powerful strikes in a matter of moments. Also keep in mind that pouncing doesn't require you to make all of your attacks against a single foe, which allows you to spread them out amongst multiple enemies (even better if your pet construct has lots and lots of reach). Hand it a manufactured weapon (kusari-gama for extra reach!) for up to 4 additional attacks (albeit at a -4 nonproficiecy penalty) in addition to a near-full complement of natural attacks (it loses a slam attack, but it can be worth it).
-If all you want to do is make a single really powerful attack against a lot of foes, give it all the Brawn abilities, Reach, Natural Invisibility, Power Attack, and Whirlwind Attack. Add in Muscle and whatever other damage boosters you've got, if you can fit them in.
-An astral construct with energy bolt, concussion blast, and dimension slide can make full-use of its standard, move, and swift actions every round.
-Astral constructs can act even when you can't. Unless stunned, unconscious, or dead, you can mentally give your constructs orders, which they will subsequently perform to the best of their ability. If you get forced into a situation where you can't move (say, you're dazed or cowering), you can order a construct nearby (preferably one that's larger than you) to pick you up and move you out of the way of impending danger.
-Astral constructs are immune to damn near everything, including poisons. Cover them in it using psionic minor creation, and you'll be sitting pretty (and your enemies...won't). They're also immune to mind-control and stunning, so illithids really don't like them much. Those immunities can help you with a ton of otherwise difficult foes, such as undead, aboleths, venomous critters, and nauseating swarms.
-Also remember that you can sculpt a construct to look like just about anything within the size-constraints of the construct of the level you make. If you're up against a blind foe with blindsight, blindsense, or tremorsense, you can always give it extra targets of your size, shape, and weight, to confuse it into attacking any of them but you. If you think you'll be needing a +2 to your Ride checks, making a Craft (sculpting) check to give it a masterwork saddle may just be right what you need. You could also turn one into a mobile cage, if there's a prisoner that needs transporting (or a carriage if it's you that needs transporting).
Feel free to make more suggestions.