Craft Construct - Anything useful from it?

[Yorae]

So I'm planning out a character and I'm thinking of taking Craft Construct.

What could I make that's actually useful / good, in combat or otherwise, to justify taking the feat? I don't think I've found a nice construct handbook anywhere and my googlefu has failed me.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Check out the Effigy Creature template in Complete Arcane. You can apply it to a templated version of a creature, so for example make the base creature an Owlbear with Half-Dragon applied 42 times (counting the number of dragon types listed for Draconic Heritage). That will result in the following construct, which costs a total of 10,000 gp and 400 xp to create:

Half-42-Dragons Owlbear Effigy
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 5d10 + 30 (57 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 184 (–1 size, +175 natural) touch 9, flat-footed 184
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+182
Attack: Claw +177 melee (1d6+175)
Full Attack: 2 claws +177 melee (1d6+175) and bite +172 melee (1d8+87)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/adamantine, construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 361, Dex 11, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Any
Organization: Any
Challenge Rating: 89
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —

[legomaster00156]

That creature will never go first (+0 INIT) and will die on the first attack (57 HP). The enemy will then obtain all the XP for killing a CR 89 monster and proceed to kick the player's butt.

[Averis Vol]

theres a few things, there's shield golems, i believe you can make half golems.....an army of warforged? ohh and homunculi, they're useful.
honestly, the only time i've seen it used the wizard made everyone a gargantuan shield golem to cruise the world in style.

[deuxhero]

That creature will never go first (+0 INIT) and will die on the first attack (57 HP). The enemy will then obtain all the XP for killing a CR 89 monster and proceed to kick the player's butt.

1: They will only earn a level at most and can't actually apply it during combat.
2: It's got insane AC and immune to all energy. As a construct it is immune to death effects and such and as mindless immune to mind-effecting. Yes, there is some obscure thing it isn't immune to, but...

[VGLordR2]

1: They will only earn a level at most and can't actually apply it during combat.
2: It's got insane AC and immune to all energy. As a construct it is immune to death effects and such and as mindless immune to mind-effecting. Yes, there is some obscure thing it isn't immune to, but...

It should be noted that the Touch AC is 9.

[deuxhero]

True.

The laundry list of immunities makes finding the right spell tricky though. Think there is some spell that gives you an attack as a touch attack, but forget what it was.

Even then, Half-Dragon 42 times is just an example of what can be done, there are better templates to use.

[Yorae]

err...

anything practical that can be made that won't get me slapped at the table?

Not that I don't appreciate creatures that are 52-halves dragon, just sayin'.

[deuxhero]

PFs animated objects have some uses and fairly cheep for it

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Here we go:

Mechonomicon (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870786/Mechonomicon), constructs that can be created by PCs, arranged according to the creator's minimum level.

Domo Arigoto Mr. Roboto (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19861634/Domo_Arigato_Mr_Roboto) another example of a silly templated Effigy Creature.

[eggs]

I think Fang Golems from the MM4 are the cheapest Spell Immune monsters that money can buy.

Effigy creatures are just useful even without template loophole abuse. They're typically the most affordable constructs available, and they offer quite a bit of versatility (though they can get expensive if you put them in frontline combat roles).

[Zedicius]

I wonder if it's possible to build a golem that continually builds other golems...

[Doorhandle]

Not without awaken golem. But you can get Clockwork Sevants (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/clockwork/clockwork-servant) that can fix them for you. Also, try the bioconstuct mod, seen below.


As for golem crafting, pathfinder has some neat options, (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/building-and-modifying-constructs) as well as no XP costs and Getting the ability to craft one kind of golem for a feat.

For one, there are more constructs you can use, such as clockworks (think clockpunk beasts), Graven guardians (golems, but for clerics!) and as awesomeness like the Fossil golem or the Cannon golem, along with additional options for animated objects. also, the adamandite golem is only cr. 19, which is useful: see below.

More usefully however, are the options for modifying golems, allowing better H.D and such, among other things. Some of the better examples:

1) Golem armour. Getting the arcane armour feats is normally a waste and the rules are unclear, but it’s still awesome for the concept alone. From what I can gather, all effects target the golem first instead of you, till it dies, and it keeps any defensive abilities it had in life (Such as D.R, spell immumity, and fast-healing), and you get it’s natural attacks (petrifying slam? Please do!). You best option is reducing the size of an adamantine golem to your size, and then making THAT into golem armour, for ablative shielding with psudo-regeneraton, immunity to basically everything, and DR/epic, which it will effectively transfer onto you, along with a crapton of spare hitpoints. Mithril golem could also be cool, if it could transfer it's reach and speed to you.

2) Brain bioconstuct. Gives your golem feats and skills as appropriate for an int-10 beast of it’s H.D, which could come in handy. Give a golem acrobatics and snake-style for the lolz, or natural combat training+dragon style for horrible, horrible damage as it adds 1.5X your strength to all hits.

Also, another way to get golems building golems, perhaps? Take skill-focus and projedy as feats, and watch it roll. Or better yet, give it the "Master craftsman feat" as well, and get your mecha-slave to build magic items for you.

3) Crafter’s eyes: get a ringside view to your pet killing-machine’s path of destruction, or see through the eyes of your custom-built spy.

[Ingus]

I pretty like Force Golems. Meh abilities, but Int score, so they have feats and you may eventually splat a class advancement on them, even if they're not listed as advancement by class (per Savage Species you only need opposable thumb - of sort of - and Int score).

I also like Effigy creatures (without templates or with homebrewed, sensible cost multiplier for adding templates).
Mind also that you may treat construct as magic objects (since they're weapons) adding magic to them.
My silly, silly goblin artificer once had:
two Force Golems bodyguard
one Girallon Effigy bodyguard (Grafts + Girallon's Blessing + Fuse Arms fun added)
two Tiny Monstruous Centipede Effigy as scouts
one Tiny Monstruous Centipede Effigy with some magic boon as trap disabler
one Hippogriff Effigy as flying mount
one Gargantuan Red Dragon (+ Secure Shelter fun) as a flying fortress and constructs stockpile.

If your PC will not be an Artificer, though, mind that this may be very taxing in terms of XP, so choose wisely.

[hushblade]

Constructs: Its Alive! by Mongoose is a great resource. Third party, but lots of options to make customizable constructs, nothing too broken as far as I can see after a quick read, a reasonable DM would probably allow it with some review of what you put together

[killianh]

whatever you do do NOT make a web golem. web golem requires a basketweaving skill check, and if you make a character that can basketweave you will over shadow the rest of your party.

jokes aside, there are a ton of golems that can be made, and even some magic items to support the cause. at epic levels a flesh colossus is surprisingly cheap for everything you can do with it

[panaikhan]

I've toyed with the idea of my Warforged Artificer/Juggernaut making a couple of arbalester shoulder turrets.