This has mostly been discussed over Discord but I wanted to make an official post about it, and to propose changes to the undead type as well.
Adjustments to Creatures
The following subtype is added to every creature with no Intelligence score (such as mindless undead and most constructs). This is important because these revisions remove the immunities to mind-affecting effects and damage to mental ability scores that constructs and undead have and instead makes them traits of being mindless. This means that many of the immunities that make these creature types unsuitable for player characters are no longer an issue and it has little effect on most of the bestiary creatures that use these creature types.
Mindless Subtype
The mindless subtype is possessed by any creature that doesn't have an Intelligence score. Mindless creatures have the following traits:
- Mindless creatures have no Intelligence score (Int -).
- Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
- Immune to ability damage and ability drain affecting mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).
- If a mindless creature ever gains an Intelligence score, it loses the mindless subtype.
The following changes have been made to the construct creature type.
Construct Type
A construct is an animated object or artificially created creature. A construct has the following features.
- D10 Hit Die
- Base attack bonus equal to total HD.
- Constructs have good Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saves (as magic items).
- Skill points equal to 2 + Int modifier (minimum 1) per Hit Die. However, most constructs are mindless and gain no skill points or feats. Constructs do not have any class skills, regardless of their Intelligence scores.
Traits: A construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).
- Low-light vision.
- Darkvision 60 ft.
- Immunity to bleed, disease, death effects, negative energy effects, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects.
- Cannot heal damage on its own, but often can be repaired via exposure to a certain kind of effect (see the creature's description for details) or through the Craft Construct feat. Constructs can also be healed through spells such as make whole. A construct with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality. Constructs cannot possess the regeneration special ability.
- Not subject to ability damage or ability drain to physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), fatigue, exhaustion, energy drain, or nonlethal damage.
- Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless).
- Constructs automatically succeed on Constitution checks to stabilize. Constructs with less than 1 hit point gain the Broken condition and suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, saving throws, armor class, and saving throw DCs for their abilities.
- A construct cannot be raised or resurrected but can be rebuilt using the Craft Construct feat at half the cost to create them (or 500 gp per HD if no value is specified).
- Constructs that are generally humanoid in form and capable of wielding weapons are treated as proficient with all simple and martial weapons.
- Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Notes: As a rough conversion, existing Constructs (such as animated objects, golems, etc) have a base Constitution score based on their size and increase their Constitution score by +1/3 their total HD.
Fine: 6; Diminutive: 8; Tiny: 10; Small: 12; Medium: 14; Large: 16; Huge: 18; Gargantuan: 20; Colossal: 22
The following changes are proposed to the Undead creature type.
Undead Type
- Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces. An undead creature has the following features.
- D8 Hit Die.
- Base attack bonus equal to ¾ total HD.
- Good Will saves.
- Skill points equal to 4 + Int modifier (minimum 1) per Hit Die. Many undead, however, are mindless and gain no skill points or feats. The following are class skills for undead: Climb, Disguise, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Stealth.
Traits: An undead creature possesses the following traits (unless noted otherwise in a creature's entry).
- Darkvision 60 ft.
- Immunity to bleed, death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
- Not subject to ability damage or ability drain to physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), fatigue, exhaustion, energy drain, or nonlethal damage.
- Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no Intelligence score, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature's Intelligence score. Undead cannot possess the regeneration ability.
- Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
- Undead automatically succeed on Constitution checks made to stabilize. Mindless undead are destroyed at 0 hit points. Undead with less than 1 hit point gain the Broken condition and suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, saving throws, armor class, and saving throw DCs for their abilities.
- Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection turn an undead creature that has been destroyed back into the living creature they were before becoming undead.
- An undead that has been destroyed can be reanimated in its undead form through a special ritual requiring animate dead, create undead, or create greater undead and costly material components costing 500 gp per HD of the undead to be reanimated.
- Proficient with its natural weapons. Mindless undead capable of wielding weapons are automatically proficient with any weapons they wield.
- Mindless undead are proficient in any armor worn regardless of type (light, medium, or heavy).
- Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Notes: Existing undead in bestiaries have a Constitution score equal to their Charisma scores.