PF - Best Construct to Be a Phylactery?

[unseenmage]

What would be the best Construct to act as a Lich's Phylactery?

Constructs are Magic Items and Constructs are Priced by CR are both in effect for this exercise.

Templates are okay, just don't get too crazy; and remember increase to CR increases the costs...

The plan would be for a mortal minionmancer to take their best Construct and add a lich's phylactery using the Combining Magic Items rules.

As to what I mean by 'best', am looking for advice on pretty much every aspect. Price, stealth & mobility, survivability, ability to be upgraded, etc.

For example, the homebrew Umbral Spy (https://sites.google.com/site/eberronpathfinder/conversion-info/bestiary/monsters/s-u/umbral-spy) from Eberron Pathfinder is stealthy but too squishy.
Golems are Magic Immune and have upgradable HD but are conspicuous and dumb.
Homunculus are upgelradable and personal but obvious, squishy, AND damage you when they die already.
An Animated Object could be inconspicuous, but is unintelligent.

[legomaster00156]

Well, the Adamatine Golem is a solid (pun not intended) choice, but obviously, it's a little pricey and hard to build.

[dhasenan]

You can use Awaken Construct to turn an animated object into something smarter. It's not under your control, but you don't become an evil overlord without being persuasive, ĉu ne?

Alternatively, you can dump it in the middle of nowhere with wiped memories. When you die, you regenerate wherever your awakened construct phylactery has gone to make a life for itself. Maybe it's content to live as a hermit in a desert. Maybe the pirate life's for it and you awaken on a ship. Maybe it's got a family now and your new body pops up on top of its awakened construct child, crushing it. And then the phylactery swears bloody vengeance, raises an army of constructs to fight your army of undead, destroys everything you stand for, undoes everything else you've done to survive death, and destroys both you and itself in a final confrontation on the slopes of Mount Doom.

Or something like that.

[Psyren]

By RAW, no matter what you start with, the phylactery will end up with the same stats. Were you planning to change that rule?


Regardless of the phylactery’s form, its game statistics remain the same: size Tiny, hp 40, hardness 20, break DC 40. As a magic item, it receives saving throws against magical effects that can affect objects. Its saving throw bonuses are equal to 2 + 1/2 the creator’s caster level at the time of creation (or, if the phylactery is held or worn, equal to the wearing creature’s save bonuses, if higher).

[legomaster00156]

Libris Mortis is a 3.5 supplement, not a PF book.

[Psyren]

Libris Mortis is a 3.5 supplement, not a PF book.

My bad - but then this PF rule applies instead:


Other forms of phylacteries can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items.

It's a bit of a stretch from "jewelry" to "adamantine golem."

[Hunter Noventa]

My bad - but then this PF rule applies instead:



It's a bit of a stretch from "jewelry" to "adamantine golem."

Well it could always be embedded into the golem.

[unseenmage]

Well it could always be embedded into the golem.
Exactly so, and if it is a weapon or armor the Building and Modifying Constructs rules already allow for it.

[Psyren]

Well it could always be embedded into the golem.


Exactly so, and if it is a weapon or armor the Building and Modifying Constructs rules already allow for it.

Out of curiosity, could you link to those? I can see where you can enhance a construct's armor or weaponry, but I'm having trouble finding the rules for embedding magic items into it.

[unseenmage]

Out of curiosity, could you link to those? I can see where you can enhance a construct's armor or weaponry, but I'm having trouble finding the rules for embedding magic items into it.
There aren't any. (To my knowledge.) But one could embed a magic weapon. And to my knowledge magic weapons are magic items. And magic items can be combined with other magic items, right?

Besides, I did explain in the OP that Constructs are being considered Magic Items for the purposes of this thread. My apologies if I didn't explain clearly that this was the principle being used to add a phylactery to a Construct.

[Coidzor]

The lazy answer would be a Trompe L'oeil of an Adamantine Golem.

[Hellpyre]

A homunclus is actually an excellent choice, since the death damage will immediately notify your lich about the compromised phylactery, so that she can craft a new one.

[Coidzor]

A homunclus is actually an excellent choice, since the death damage will immediately notify your lich about the compromised phylactery, so that she can craft a new one.

Hmm, if you go with the interpretation that it has no limit on how many HD you can make it with and make a Tiny God, that's real tough.

Only real downside is that homunculi really don't like to be away from their master, so you'd have to keep it nearby or imprison it somewhere or something.

[Hellpyre]

Hmm, if you go with the interpretation that it has no limit on how many HD you can make it with and make a Tiny God, that's real tough.

Only real downside is that homunculi really don't like to be away from their master, so you'd have to keep it nearby or imprison it somewhere or something.
I usually hide my phylacteries in a lead-lined underground chamber with a forbiddance apell on it, anyways, so imprisoning it wouldn't be a huge downside for *me*. Otherwise I don't know why you would want it to be a construct but not either nearby and mobile or locked somewhere but able to defend itself, so that hopefully can be skirted around.

[Pex]

Presuming for sake of argument it could be done regardless if it couldn't by the rules, would it be a good idea for a lich to have his phylactery be a copper piece with a permanent Nystul's Magic Aura to hide its magic and spend it into the economy? Who takes special notice of a copper piece, aside from a dragon and its hoard? The lich has a fake one in his lair with all the usual protections in case any wannabe heroes get uppity. They think him dead, but he's really reforming somewhere in the world where no one expects it.

[Bucky]

The downside is that the lich doesn't know where he'll respawn, but there'll likely be people around to spot him. And that's the best case; the coin could easily be accidentally destroyed or melted down and the lich would be none the wiser.