Sentient Constructs

Sentient Construct

  • Construct Type: (Revised) Construct Traits
  • Size: Medium
  • Abilities: +2 to any one stat
  • Speed: 30 ft.
  • Hardness: Living dolls have hardness 2.
  • Living Magic Item: Sentient constructs can be enhanced with item creation feats similar to a magic item. This effectively grants them an additional magic item slot (their own bodies) on which magic item powers can be granted via item creation feats. There are some special adjustments made for certain magic items as described here:
    • Multiple magic item effects can be added to the construct's bodies at the usual 50% markup.
    • The construct cannot be made into a Trap with Craft Wondrous Item.
    • Consumable item abilities such as elixirs, potions, scrolls, and wands cannot be added to the construct.
    • With a DC 15 Spellcraft check and 1 hour, one-half the market value of the the constructs body enhancements in raw materials can be recovered from the construct (and either traded as a trade good or used to create new magic items), removing the magic item effects from the construct in the process. This can only be done on willing, helpless, or destroyed constructs.
  • Construction Points: Sentient constructs receive a number of Construction Points (2) which may be spent on the modifications below. Additional construction points can be gained through the "Advanced Construction" feat. Someone with the Craft Construct feat can re-assign the construction points of a willing or helpless construct in a process that takes 1 day per construction point to be re-assigned. Unspent construction points can be saved to purchase more expensive traits at a later time.

Construction Point Modifications
Constructs can be assigned any of the following traits for their construction point cost (mentioned in parenthesis). Once chosen, construction points cannot be re-assigned without the aid of the Craft Construct feat. A construct cannot choose the same construct trait more than once unless specified.

  • Increased Size (Ex, 2 CP): The construct is larger than usual. The construct's size increases by 1 step to a maximum of Colossal. The construct's statistics are adjusted based on its new size. Only the adjustments for their current size apply. These penalties cannot reduce an ability score to less than 1. This trait can be taken multiple times, each time it increases the construct's size category by an additional step. The construct must have at least 4 racial HD per size increase above medium to take this trait (4HD, Large; 8HD, Huge; 12HD, Gargantuan; 16HD, Colossal).
    • Large: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, +1 natural armor, +5 ft. reach, +10 ft. speed.
    • Huge: +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, +2 natural armor, +10 ft. reach, +15 ft. speed.
    • Gargantuan: +8 Strength, +8 Constitution, -4 Dexterity, +4 natural armor, +15 ft. reach, +20 ft. speed.
    • Colossal: +12 Strength, +12 Constitution, -6 Dexterity, +8 natural armor, +25 ft. reach, +30 ft. speed.
  • Reduced Size (Ex, 0 CP): The construct is smaller than usual. The construct's size decreases by 1 step to a minimum of Tiny. The construct's statistics are adjusted based on its new size. Only the adjustments for their current size apply. These penalties cannot reduce an ability score to less than 1. This trait can be taken multiple times, each time it decreases the construct's size category by an additional step.
    • Small: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -10 ft. speed.
    • Tiny: -4 Strength, -2 Constitution, +4 Dexterity, -5 ft. reach.
  • Additional Movement (Ex, 2 CP): The construct gains a new mode of movement (burrow, climb, fly [clumsy], or swim) at a speed equal to its base speed.
  • Extra Limb (Ex, 2+ CP): The construct has or gains an appendage that functions as a free hand, allowing them to manipulate objects and use weapons. This trait can be taken multiple times, granting a new appendage each time. Each additional time the construction point cost for this trait increases by 1 (1st time is 2 CP, 2nd time is 3 CP, 3rd time is 4 CP, and so on).
  • Faster (Ex, 1 CP): One of the construct's movement modes increases by +10 ft.
  • Improved Hardness (Ex, 1 CP): The construct's Hardness increases by 2 (to a maximum of its hit dice).
  • Integrated Weapon (Ex, 1 CP): The construct can integrate a manufactured weapon that it could wield as a one-handed or light weapon into its body. It can also integrate ranged weapons (including bows, crossbows, firearms, and shuriken) but may still need a free hand to wield it properly and/or reload it when it is being used. If integrating shuriken (or thrown weapons that are counted as ammunition), it can store up to 50 at once. It can also store and draw similar items (such as scrolls, wands, potions, rods, staffs, etc). While integrated, the item can be drawn or stored as a free action (that does not provoke), and the construct cannot be disarmed of this item. Items that are integrated into the constructs body can be hidden in a fashion similar to the Slight of Hand skill, except the construct uses the Disguise skill opposed by the observers Perception skill. It takes a full-round action to add or remove the weapon or item from the construct's body. This trait can be selected multiple times, allowing the construct to integrate multiple weapons and/or items.
  • Lifelike (Ex, 1 CP): The construct is made to look like a particular sort of living creature (such as a human or a wolf). It gains a +10 racial bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks made to appear to be a specific type of creature. Such constructs may mimic the behaviors of living creatures (such as eating, sleeping, and breathing) though they do not have to.
  • Natural Attack (Ex, 1 CP): The object gains a primary natural attack. The natural attack may deal any combination of bludgeoning, piercing, and/or slashing damage (chosen when the attack is gained) and deals damage equal to a slam attack of the construct's size. This trait can be taken multiple times, granting a new natural attack each time. The construct cannot have more natural attacks than 1 + 1/4 its HD (minimum 1).
    • Augmented Critical (Ex, 1 CP): Increase the threat range for the automaton’s natural attacks by 1 or its critical multiplier by 1.
    • Exceptional Reach (Ex, 1 CP): The construct gains +5 feet of reach with one natural attack. This can be taken multiple times. Each time you may either choose to extend the reach of a natural attack again (to a maximum of +15 ft.) or choose an additional natural attack to increase the reach of.
    • Grab (Ex, 1 CP): The construct gains the grab special attack with its natural attacks.
      • Constrict (Ex, 1 CP): The construct gains the constrict special attack, which deals damage equal to its natural attack. You must have the grab trait to select this. Regardless of how many grapple checks you make in a round, the construct may only inflict constrict damage once per enemy per round.
    • Trip (Ex, 1 CP): The object gains the trip special ability and the with one of its natural attacks (if any). You select this trait multiple times. Each time you select a new natural attack to gain the trip ability.

Construction Flaws
Objects can gain more CP by applying flaws, which hamper the object but provide additional CP to spend on beneficial abilities. Like construction traits, once a flaw has been chosen it cannot be removed without the aid of the Craft Construct feat, which causes the granted construction points to disappear and any abilities they were assigned to are lost.

  • Brittle (Ex, -1 CP): The construct gains vulnerability to cold.
  • Soft (Ex, -1 CP): The construct is made of thick cloth or soft materials, reducing hardness by 2 (to a minimum of 0).
  • Clunky (Ex, -5 CP): The construct acts as though it has the staggered condition (even if it is immune to being staggered).
  • Flammable (Ex, -1 CP): The construct gains vulnerability to fire.
  • Slower (Ex, -1 CP): The construct’s movement speeds decrease by –10ft ft.

Feats

Advanced Construction (General)
Your construction and modifications are superior to common constructs.
Prerequisite: Construction Points
Benefit: You gain 2 additional construction points.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Creating a Sentient Construct

Creating a sentient construct works much like creating an animated object using the Craft Construct feat. Sentient constructs do not possess construct racial hit dice, but are instead created with an NPC class level (such as adept, expert, or warrior). Heroic constructs (such as Player Characters) are assumed to have already retrained into a heroic class. Below is the creation information.

The creator of a sentient construct has no special control over the construct. It is created free willed and with a Neutral alignment (though its alignment may change naturally).

Sentient Construct
CL 5th; Price 3,500 gp
Construction Requirements
Requirements Craft Construct; animate object, permanency; Cost 1,750 gp

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