PF - What is the RAW for Deactivated Constructs?

[unseenmage]

The PRD section on Building and Modifying Constructs has this gem, "At any time, a construct's creator can deactivate a construct under his control with a touch and a standard action."

My question then, is a deactivated Golem still immune to magic? Is it even still a creature? A magic item?

If it's not unconscious, then within the RAW, what IS it when in this state?

Additionally, does this allow one to touch and deactivate sapient, free-willed Constructs one has created? Say via the Minor Servitor or Awaken Sand spells converted from 3.x?
Could one deactivate a summoned Construct? An Intelligent Magic Item?

Could one PAO one's enemy into a Construct and deactivate them? If so, what happens when the effect is dispelled?

Any other niche interactions or neat questions regarding this PF Construct rules peccadillo are more than welcome.

[unseenmage]

No takers huh?

Was looking forward to reading some interesting takes on this one too.


Might make a villain who turns folks into Constructs and deactivates them. Have the victims horrifyingly still see and hear what goes on while deactivated. They're immortal, and dont eat sleep or breathe, but they slowly go mad from the experience.

[Kayblis]

Something people forget is that PAO has restrictions. You can turn into a couple different types, but not Construct. Even then, constructs are mindless - the exception is living golems and the like, which have their own set of problems.

You can't "deactivate" someone and keep them conscious. The whole deactivation thing refers to mindless automatons, and even if you could deactivate a non-mindless construct, it would be the same as turning it off - no brain functions.

There are many issues with what you want. It doesn't work at all by RAW and would need many concessions and extrapolations to get close to it.

[unseenmage]

Something people forget is that PAO has restrictions. You can turn into a couple different types, but not Construct. Even then, constructs are mindless - the exception is living golems and the like, which have their own set of problems.

You can't "deactivate" someone and keep them conscious. The whole deactivation thing refers to mindless automatons, and even if you could deactivate a non-mindless construct, it would be the same as turning it off - no brain functions.

There are many issues with what you want. It doesn't work at all by RAW and would need many concessions and extrapolations to get close to it.

Nice catch on PAO. I rarely if ever use it myself. My apologies for the mixup. I bet there's some other magic for Construct-ing another creature even if it requires Dominating them and making them transform themselves.

As for not being able to deactivate intelligent Constructs... One, there's no exception for non-mindless Constructs and two, there are plenty of intelligent Constructs without free will. There's even a bioconsrtuct modification that grants them intelligence.

[Geddy2112]

A deactivated construct would still be a construct, and still retain any passive abilities that are always on. The golem would still be a golem, immune to magic and anything else that just is.

You have to be the creator of the construct to deactivate it, meaning summoned ones are not your creations, and to my knowledge you can't create intelligent magical items(like weapons etc) RAW. I would think any construct with enough free will and awareness would try to resist this if it knew the creator was trying. Perhaps even try to kill the creator.

[DrMotives]

No takers huh?

Was looking forward to reading some interesting takes on this one too.


Might make a villain who turns folks into Constructs and deactivates them. Have the victims horrifyingly still see and hear what goes on while deactivated. They're immortal, and dont eat sleep or breathe, but they slowly go mad from the experience.

Reminds me of the Stephen King story "The Jaunt". Teleportation technology in the future allows instant, cheap travel. Physically, it's instantaneous. Mentally, it's an eternity. Anyone who teleports while asleep or unconscious is fine, those awake feel that instant pass in an ineffably long time alone with their thoughts that drives them into some Lovecraft-grade insanity. You could take this idea and run into some very dark directions with it.

[unseenmage]

This question (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23388516&postcount=1459) in the RAW Q&A thread got me wondering about corpses as objects, Animate Objects, and Animate Dead.

If our Animated Object corpse Construct turns from creature to object when it is deactivated it's possible we could Animate Dead it if it was an appropriate corpse to begin with.

I also wonder about hitting a corpse with Shrink Item then Animate Dead.


I'm pretty sure the possibility of double animating a corpse has convinced me that deactivated Constructs remain creatures and that double animation doesn't work.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

Could one PAO one's enemy into a Construct and deactivate them? If so, what happens when the effect is dispelled?

PAO limitations aside, you would have to be fighting your child for this to work, else you didn’t create the construct


This question (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23388516&postcount=1459) in the RAW Q&A thread got me wondering about corpses as objects, Animate Objects, and Animate Dead.

If our Animated Object corpse Construct turns from creature to object when it is deactivated it's possible we could Animate Dead it if it was an appropriate corpse to begin with.

I also wonder about hitting a corpse with Shrink Item then Animate Dead.


I'm pretty sure the possibility of double animating a corpse has convinced me that deactivated Constructs remain creatures and that double animation doesn't work.

Once the corpse (object) becomes an undead (creature) it’s no longer a valid target to Shrink Item and returns to normal. Likewise with double animating, since Animate Dead doesn’t work on constructs and vice versa

[unseenmage]

Hmm, was just sitting here considering the 3.5 Awaken Sand spell from Sandstorm. I have a PF character who will be researching it as a custom spell.

It makes huge, ooze-like, sapient, free willed Constructs out of sand, dust, or similar.

Was considering how using some of the Construct modifications on it would work.
Does it loose some of its ooze-i-ness if you build armor or weapons into it?
What does an Awakened Sand with the Clockwork or Robot subtypes look like?
Awakened Sand Construct Armor?

Any other weirdness with converting this thing to PF?