Construct templates and races?

[Morph Bark]

I am looking to make a new character for use in my next campaign, and I thought I'd like to have it be a construct. There are tons of books available though (but no 3rd-party or Dragon stuff) and I know there aren't many construct templates... where can I find construct templates (preferably good ones)? I'd prefer them to be LA+1 or LA+2, but I don't mind them higher.

Otherwise, are there any viable race choices with no racial HD other than warforged and its derivatives?

Source references would be much thanked.


EDIT: LA+0, if those even exist, would be even more appreciated. :smallbiggrin:

[Runestar]

Maug from fiend folio is the only one I am aware of. Steep at 2 racial HD and +3LA, but boasts excellent stats. If you throw on the incarnate template (savage species), you have a very strong PC at ECL3.

[hamishspence]

the Bogun in MM2 might qualify as a construct with minimal Hit Dice.

[Morph Bark]

the Bogun in MM2 might qualify as a construct with minimal Hit Dice.

While I have the MMII, I am AFB right now, so I don't suppose you could tell me how many HD a Bogun has? I know what it is and wouldn't be as much interested in playing a thing like that, but I can always tweak the fluff and appearance anyway.

[Optimystik]

Bogun has 2HD. It is tiny, ugly as sin, and made of vegetable matter to serve a druid.

...yes, it's a druid-created construct, as contradictory as that seems.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm2_gallery/88268_620_9.jpg

[hamishspence]

I think MM3 has a few others- such as plant sculptures.

[Optimystik]

I think MM3 has a few others- such as plant sculptures.

MM3 is Eberron, so I'd expect some deviations from formula there.

I'm not really that irked about it, it just seems a bit hypocritical.

[hamishspence]

MM3 is everything- but does have Eberron (and Faerun) sidebars for many of the monsters. Some don't have an Eberron sidebar though.

I'm not sure why "druid constructs" might be hypocritical though.

Think of it as summoning a spirit into a lot of natural material.

[Morph Bark]

It is tiny, ugly as sin, and made of vegetable matter to serve a druid.

Exactly why I'd want to re-flavour it some and change its appearance.

MMIII isn't Eberron-only, though it has fluff for many monsters to put them into the setting, or into Faerun.

Hm... back on track, I've read about stuff like elder eidolon, ice beast and dustform recently and was told those are also construct templates. Is that true? If so, what source are they from?

[hamishspence]

Eider Eidolon- Lords of Madness
Ice Beast- Frostburn
Dustform- Sandstorm

[Runestar]

Do they have listed ECLs? Otherwise, they might not be viable as PCs.

[Eldan]

Maybe a bit obvious and not what you want, but what about Warforged? They are LA +0 living constructs, after all. Not full constructs, but the flavour and half the abilities are there.

[Optimystik]

I'm not sure why "druid constructs" might be hypocritical though.

Think of it as summoning a spirit into a lot of natural material.

So as long as the automaton is made of twigs and berries, it doesn't count?

It's a double-standard. Metal occurs naturally too, and golems are powered by nature spirits (elementals.) So yes, I do consider it hypocritical. Either the class should hate all constructs, or none of them.

[hamishspence]

Where's it say in the PHB that druids "hate constructs"

We know that they can't wear much metal armour, and wield metal weapons, but there's nothing stopping them owning it, or even working it.

Druids are famous for disliking aberrations and undead, in the novels, more than constructs.

[Morph Bark]

Maybe a bit obvious and not what you want, but what about Warforged? They are LA +0 living constructs, after all. Not full constructs, but the flavour and half the abilities are there.

Heh, check the first post. Mentioned warforged. I'm trying to look for other options if they're available, so warforged (or scouts or psiforged) are currently put as my last option.



Eider Eidolon- Lords of Madness
Ice Beast- Frostburn
Dustform- Sandstorm

Hm, interesting. I don´t suppose Stormwrack, the third of the "environmental" books, also has a construct template? Or Libris Mortis perhaps? (Or an undead template for constructs/living constructs... that would be awesome.)

[hamishspence]

Not that I can recall- for Stormwrack.

Effigy template in Complete Arcane is another good construct template for creatures.

If you wanted to homebrew a water-themed construct template, maybe call it Coral Creation, and theme it a bit, using one of the existing templates as a baseline.

[Prime32]

So as long as the automaton is made of twigs and berries, it doesn't count?

It's a double-standard. Metal occurs naturally too, and golems are powered by nature spirits (elementals.) So yes, I do consider it hypocritical. Either the class should hate all constructs, or none of them.Boguns seem to resemble shikigami, powered by the spirits inherent in their unworked materials.

[Greenish]

We know that they can't wear much metal armour, and wield metal weapons, but there's nothing stopping them owning it, or even working it.They can't wear any metal armour (unless they worship Mielikki), but they can wield whatever they want.

[Person_Man]

Volodni get the plant type (Unapproachable East, pg 81) and only cost +2 LA. (You also get half damage from piercing weapons and a few minor perks). You could always just re-fluff it to be a construct. Constructs get a more immunities (disease, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, energy drain, massive damage, most Fort Saves) but lack a Constitution score (and thus tend to have mediocre or poor hit points. So you'd probably be better off as a plant anyway.

[Volthawk]

In Magic of Incarnum, there's Soulfused Construct, which (I think), makes any construct playable for +1 LA.

[Fax Celestis]

...No one has mentioned warforged? Really? Or even the variety of warforged like warforged scouts?

[Volthawk]

...No one has mentioned warforged? Really?

Yes they have. Twice.




Otherwise, are there any viable race choices with no racial HD other than warforged and its derivatives?



Maybe a bit obvious and not what you want, but what about Warforged? They are LA +0 living constructs, after all. Not full constructs, but the flavour and half the abilities are there.

[hamishspence]

The OP said "other than warforged" in the first post.

[Fax Celestis]

Oh. Well, then, there's the Xen'Drik warforged in Secrets of Xen'Drik. They're full constructs.

[Volthawk]

Oh. Well, then, there's the Xen'Drik warforged in Secrets of Xen'Drik. They're full constructs.

If you mean Quorcraft (the only other Warforged there is the Scorpion), it also has no Intelligence.

[Fax Celestis]

If you mean Quorcraft (the only other Warforged there is the Scorpion), it also has no Intelligence.

...which the template you quoted earlier should solve nicely.

[hamishspence]

It's a template that can only be applied to Warforged (Quorcraft Warforged template)

That said, there's quite a lot of full-construct Warforged out there (Titan, Scorpion, Kraken, Raptor)

The original question was about low-level constructs that might be playable as PCs, without too many racial hit dice or too high a LA.

EDIT: Also, the template says Quorcraft Warforged "as a construct, have no Intelligence score"

So applying Quorcraft Warforged (Int -) to a Warforged Scorpion (Int 4) arguably causes it to become Int -.

[arguskos]

There are the Golmoids, from Dragon #317. They are created creatures forged from by gnomes as servitors. They are not explicitly constructs, but it's not unreasonable to call them living constructs (they type didn't exist when they were made). They're not very good, but they exist out there for you (+2 Str/Con, -4 Dex, -2 Int; medium, 30 ft land speed; +2 NA, +2 all craft checks, +4 saves vs enchantments, LA +1).

It'd be reasonable to ask your DM to change about the race somewhat, but they're an alternative.

Images:

The Golmoids are the big robo-looking fellows.
http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/mist-bound/c07db88d7cff39bb2aa46370f7415e7f.jpg
http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/mist-bound/900fe437cc8f7609f1e6abf9c3f121d3.jpg

[hamishspence]

Dragon #341 has a whole bunch of low HD constructs.

These could be given intelligence (and the Living Construct type) via the Soulfused Construct template in Magic of Incarnum.

However- that template says "LA: As the base creature +1" so it's not clear if this would work with creatures that are LA -, rather than LA 0 or higher.

[Volthawk]

However- that template says "LA: As the base creature +1" so it's not clear if this would work with creatures that are LA -, rather than LA 0 or higher.

That's why I said 'I think' when mentioning it. Thing is, it only works on constructs with no intelligence, which always have LA -.

[hamishspence]

That would probably justify making it work.

Nimblewright in MM2 is one of the few constructs with moderate Intelligence (10). Might have a bit too much in the way of Hit Dice though.

[Volthawk]

That would probably justify making it work.

Nimblewright in MM2 is one of the few constructs with moderate Intelligence (10). Might have a bit too much in the way of Hit Dice though.

Yeah, they have 10 HD and 6 LA.

[hamishspence]

The 3.5 update also nerfed their Critical range somewhat (from being 12-20, to being 15-20)

Still unusually good.

[Fax Celestis]

It's a template that can only be applied to Warforged (Quorcraft Warforged template)

That said, there's quite a lot of full-construct Warforged out there (Titan, Scorpion, Kraken, Raptor)

The original question was about low-level constructs that might be playable as PCs, without too many racial hit dice or too high a LA.

EDIT: Also, the template says Quorcraft Warforged "as a construct, have no Intelligence score"

So applying Quorcraft Warforged (Int -) to a Warforged Scorpion (Int 4) arguably causes it to become Int -.

Not what I'm talking about.

Soulfused Quorcraft Warforged.

[hamishspence]

Is this a way to get a very low LA- using Quorcraft to turn the Warforged (raptor, titan, scorpion, or steel kraken) into a Int -, LA - creature, then Soulfused to give it back Intelligence, and LA +1?

EDIT: I've checked and none of those four have an LA anyway.

[BLiZme.2]

You could use the spell awaken construct in spell compendium and savage species I think there is some other stuff in savage species but I to am away from books and my memory is a little fogy on this.

[Morph Bark]

By the way, does an LA -- template basically count as LA+0 in all this, if you add another template that makes the creature a viable player option again (like Soulfused apparently)?

If not, what LA would befit Quorcraft, Effigy creature, Ice Beast and Elder Eidolon?

[Runestar]

LA "-" does not mean LA+0, it just mean that said creature is deemed not suitable as a PC race. It can certainly have a LA greater than +0.

[Morph Bark]

LA "-" does not mean LA+0, it just mean that said creature is deemed not suitable as a PC race.

I know, but they never take into account that other templates could make them into suitable PC choices again. It's one of my few beefs with all things templates, as I love templates overall.

[sofawall]

-+1 is still -.

[Morph Bark]

-+1 is still -.

Then how come the Incarnate Construct template can make LA-less constructs into viable PC options?