Rigor mortis and conctruct

[villaccio]

Hi all,
I'm not sure about a spell, Rigor Mortis (Heroes of horror p132). I talk with my DM and both are not sure if the spell work on consctuct.

Necromancy
Level: Cleric 2, Death Delver 2,
Components: S, M,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1d6+2 rounds
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell allows you to wrap a single target in death's embrace, making him both feel and appear dead for the duration of the spell.
You must be able to touch the target, and the target must have a Wisdom score, but otherwise the spell can affect any creature, including intelligent undead.
You must succeed on a melee touch attack to affect unwilling targets, and those who fail their saving throws immediately fall to the ground as though dead.
All vital functions (if any) are suspended; subjects of this spell do not breathe, pump blood, or otherwise indicate in any way that they still live.
Any physical harm done to someone in this state immediately grants another saving throw to awaken from the artificial torpor.
Material Component: A pinch of ash from a cremated body of any kind.

In the descriction say this: "You must be able to touch the target, and the target must have a Wisdom score, but otherwise the spell can affect any creature, including intelligent undead."
This mean you could use this spell on undead, but could you use this spell against a construct? (an intelligent one with a wisdow score)
Construct have the same mechanic as undead for fortitude save and paralysis, my opinion is that the spell affect even construct, what do you think?
Thanks

[Darrin]

By RAW, the spell works. If the players insist on the actual physiological basis for this:

Player: "Wait... this spell works on constructs {insert legal creature type}? They have no internal organs or soft tissue! How is this possible? I demand an autopsy!"
DM: "After making the Y-incision, you find a small notecard inside the construct {creature}. The notecard says, 'The spell just works, ok? We're not going to investigate this any further.'"

[Venger]

Constructs are immune to necromancy effects.

[Darrin]

Constructs are immune to necromancy effects.

I should have checked that first. Thank you, amended.

[villaccio]

Constructs are immune to necromancy effects.

I miss that, thanks!

[ixrisor]

I believe that “otherwise, this spell can affect any creature” is more specific than “constructs are immune to necromancy effects”, so it would affect them.

Also, non-intelligent creatures have a wisdom score, so this spell would affect non-intelligent undead and constructs as well as intelligent ones.

[Kaleph]

I believe that “otherwise, this spell can affect any creature” is more specific than “constructs are immune to necromancy effects”, so it would affect them.

Also, non-intelligent creatures have a wisdom score, so this spell would affect non-intelligent undead and constructs as well as intelligent ones.

I agree, although the results may be a bit...unrealistic, depending on the target creature's type. Anyhow undeads are theoretically immune to this effect, since it allows a fort save and doesn't affect objects/isn't harmless, but that sentence explicitly provide for an exception. The same is also extended to any creature, so what's valid for an undead is also valid for a construct. At least RAW.

I am also unaware of the fact that non-intelligent undeads aren't creatures.

[Venger]

I believe that “otherwise, this spell can affect any creature” is more specific than “constructs are immune to necromancy effects”, so it would affect them.

Also, non-intelligent creatures have a wisdom score, so this spell would affect non-intelligent undead and constructs as well as intelligent ones.
That isn't how specific trumps general works. If rigor mortis said "this spell works on constructs," that would a specific rule that contradicted the general rule of constructs being immune to necromancy. That's not what we have here.


I agree, although the results may be a bit...unrealistic, depending on the target creature's type. Anyhow undeads are theoretically immune to this effect, since it allows a fort save and doesn't affect objects/isn't harmless, but that sentence explicitly provide for an exception. The same is also extended to any creature, so what's valid for an undead is also valid for a construct. At least RAW.

I am also unaware of the fact that non-intelligent undeads aren't creatures.
Undead are not immune to this effect, because it specifically says they are not. This is an example of specific trumping general. It does not apply to constructs, because constructs are immune to necromancy effects.

Mindless undead are creatures.

[Clementx]

Doubly immune, since Con - makes them immune to effects with Fortitude saves that aren't (object/harmless). Which was left off the spell for the undead targeting. Most likely, the writer forgot saves have subdescriptors and we shouldn't read too finely into the spell's mistaken implications.