PDA

View Full Version : Alternatives to Con-less Creatures



arkanis
2008-07-29, 03:33 AM
Creatures lacking Constitution scores can get annoying. The change in HD and bonus hit points really cause a flux in the balance of HP. At certain levels a Construct may be more useful than at higher levels where the standard cleric would likely have more HP than a construct of equal HD and the same goes for undead. Especially when creatures with high con and HD become undead (and actually LOSE HP despite losing the vulnerabilities of mortals).

I thought up several possible solutions and was wondering which one seems best balanced:

Bonus HP
Undead HD and HP changes to work just like Constructs with bonus HP and all.

Mind over Matter (in Matters of Magic)
Constructs use their Intelligence modifier instead of Constitution.
Undead use their Charisma modifier instead of Constitution.

Strength
Constructs and Undead gain hit points based on their Strength modifier instead of Constitution. All creatures that become undead add the Constitution modifier they had in life as a bonus to their Strength as they become empowered by necrotic energies. All Constructs gain an extra +4 bonus to Strength.

Keep the Con
Constructs and Undead can just keep their Constitution scores rather than using higher HD or bonus hit points.
They still have all their immunities and cannot heal naturally, but Constitution provides them with bonus hit points and a greater resistance to effects which also target objects.
Just as a machine can have stronger more resistant wiring, plating, or more resilience software, so can a construct have a Constitution score. It's just a robotic or magical metabolism rather than an organic one.
Undead too have a metabolism, although its almost all purely magical in nature. Anyone ever looked at the Libris Mortis?
*I think this one is the best of the ideas.

Athistaur
2008-07-29, 08:44 AM
As HP are an abstract value i think it's reasonable to lose HP if you turn undead. An undead creature might be free from the vulnerabilities of mortal men, but they lose some of their advanteges too.
An undead creature moves more stiffly and can't roll with a blow as well as it did when it was alife. If it's mindless it just lost all the experience in battle on how to avoid damage.

However, i would suggest to houserule that undead may keep their constitution score. It avoids most tricky questions.

Zeta Kai
2008-07-29, 09:25 AM
How about only some undead gain bonus HP or keep their Constitution score? I'll agree with Athistaur that some undead most more stiffly than living creatures, such as skeletons, mummies, zombies, ghouls, morghs, & liches. But others most likely would not, such as vampires & incorporeal undead. I can't see them taking the same Con-less penalty as the shambling-corpse-style undead.

Baron Corm
2008-07-29, 03:11 PM
How about undead and constructs have Constitution scores, but only if they have Intelligence scores? Mindless, shambling undead would still lose out on it, but those who could purposefully dodge blows would not. Perhaps cause all mindless creatures to lose their Constitution scores, if you want to be fair across the board. Make an exception for hivemind creatures, such as most mindless vermin. A zombie will do nothing unless told to, but an ant will mindlessly work towards the good of its colony.