Urban Druid + Urban Shape (Animated Object) + Natural Spell + Corrupt Spells

[eversilentone]

Hi folks, super quick rules query. Assuming I rule that Natural Spell works with an Urban Druid's Urban shape, can anyone see any reason why when said Urban Druid reaches level 16 and can US into an Animated Object - therefore becoming a construct - that it can't freely cast Corrupt spells at effectively no corruption cost?

I'm sure I remember reading that for Sanctified spells if the Sacrifice cost isn't paid the spell doesn't work (I might be misremembering), but I don't think that's the case for Corrupt spells?

I'm trying to put together a BBEG for my PCs and they've been fairly breezing through what I've been throwing at them, so it's time for them to fight a proper caster...

Thanks for your help :)

[Hellpyre]

Easy answer - wild shape (and by extension Urban shape) doesn't actually change your creature type, so no nifty construct immunities to consider. It may be a different answer with Enhance Wild Shape in play, but I'd need to recheck the rules on corrupt spells.

[eversilentone]

Easy answer - wild shape (and by extension Urban shape) doesn't actually change your creature type, so no nifty construct immunities to consider. It may be a different answer with Enhance Wild Shape in play, but I'd need to recheck the rules on corrupt spells.

Thanks for the reply. With Urban Shape it specifically says that when shaped as an Animated Object your type changes to Construct, so normally I'd agree but in this case...?

[ShurikVch]

A corrupt spell has no material component, but it does have a corruption cost. Casting a corrupt spell draws power from the mental or physical well-being of the caster in the form of ability damage or ability drain.
Supposedly, no power = no spell

Not a RAW, but FAQ says Undead are - despite being immune to ability damage/drain - still paying the Corruption cost via Cha damage. Do you expecting Construct to to fare better?

In the Midnight Campaign Setting, where arcane spellcasters are forced to burn their Con to cast spells if it exceeded their (severely limited) daily power points.
For Undead and Constructs - who're incapable to take Con damage - it's said "take Cha/Str damage instead" (still unclear about the creatures of any other types with "Con: -")

[Hellpyre]

Thanks for the reply. With Urban Shape it specifically says that when shaped as an Animated Object your type changes to Construct, so normally I'd agree but in this case...?

Huh, so it does. I remembered that it had the standard 'identical to wild shape except' at the start, and made the false assumption that they also boilerplated the elemental section for the swap to animated object (Sometimes I forget how poorly Dragon content was reviewed). Then, RAW it should work, since immunity to ability drain is part of construct, and having reviewed my BoVD corrupt spells don't say they don't work if you can't be drained (although the fluff heavily implies that the drain is what fuels the magic, so it is not at all RAI). That said, other than maybe Death by Thorns, what would you really want as far as corrupt spells to use on PCs?