Astral Constructs

[Eltern]

Just got a quick question, about the feat "Advanced Construction"
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/psi/psi20020727c
Normally I take Wizard's supplements with blind faith (If you can't trust the guys who make the game, who can you trust? ), but if you look at Menu D for this feat, you can get "Super Buff": 17d10 temporary hit points.
How long do these last? Asked around, and I got that any temp.HP for a construct ought to last as long as the construct was around. Made enough sense. Then I saw how big that total was. And then "Extended Construction" (same site). And then realized that this equates to a First Level Construct with 110 HP, effectively. (Cuz who's gonna heal the silly construct?)

IMC, there's a PC, 10th level. Psion 6/Constructer 4. I realize that he's very, very construct orriented, but he's basically summoning an unstoppable army at the flick or a wrist. It's very scary, and I wanna make sure this all checks out.

(Ok, the first encounter he got in was against Iron Golems, and they just didn't really care about the constructs. Ate them for breakfast, but that's another story)

Eltern

 

[Geoff Watson]

1st level Constructs can only pick from the Menu A list (Menu B if you have certain feats).

How did it get a Menu D power?

Geoff.

 

[Shirt Guy John]

Even if you could get a low level construct with a Menu D ability, I don't think it's too big of a deal. Astral Constructs need to have more than one ability, and that's just not an option most of the time with Menu D's. They'll be durable, yes, but not very effective.

And anywho, Dismiss Ectoplasm should always be a power stone away if the opposing psions live an any world where psionics is at least attainable. Constructs aren't that powerful.

And more than just the Constructor stuff, I'd be wary of some of the Mind's Eye stuff. Use caution and consideration when evaluating what you will and won't use. I was just accepting it all until I realized that some of it is just overpowered, some is just ridiculous, and some is just not that inspired. I'd treat it just like any third-party material that you'd adopt.

Always loved the Constructor though. You have to admit that otherwise Astral Constructs are sort of a sub-par option for a spellcaster's focus.

 

[pingpong]

with 4 levels of Constructor, you would have 2 Empowered Construct feats that all stack. so an AC I would have 3 A menu choices; not enough to get Super Buff (or even Extra Buff). you'd need an AC II to get the 4 A menu choices that would give you tje 1 C menu choice when you have Ecto Manipulation (at level 4). so AC II's could get Extra Buff (for 10d10 temporary hit points). even then, at character level 10, what kind of threat are your AC II's going to provide to your enemies?

they have a +3 to attack (with Augment Construct) and 1d6 +2 to damage (with Aug. Con.). 'bout the only thing i see them good for is if you can trick your opponent into thinking these little guys are a significant threat. then they would be useful, since every attack against an AC is one less attack against your party.

youd need AC IV to get Super Buff at this character level, which is your highest level AC at this point. so your not pumping out multiples yet, and your spending 6 PP on each astral construct, out of 43 base power points.

i dunno, doesnt seem too abusive to me.

 

[Spatzimaus]

Actually Pingpong, a Constructor 4 only has one Empower Construction. They come at class levels 5 and 8. Even with two, he'd need an AC5 to get Super Buff, not AC 4, but he needs class level 5 to get the second Empower. In one class level (P6/C5) he'll be able to do that, but it'll be the only ability the pet gets. Bad idea.

I've played a Constructor, and let me tell you, it's loads of fun, but the D abilities just aren't worth it overall. The only ones I'd consider are the spell-like ones, Mass Concussion and Amplified Invisibility. Everything else, you're better off taking multiple lower-level abilities.
(i.e., instead of 17d10 HP, take 10d10 HP and +7 AC)

It takes 4 levels' worth of Advanced Construction points to select a single D ability. These 8 points are much better spent on lower-rank abilities that can be used multiple times. Also remember that thanks to your Enhanced Construction ability you're getting 1d3 extra constructs of lower level; buying abilities they can't use isn't really a good use of these points.

Astral Constructs don't NEED a huge number of HP. They all have DR, the construct traits make them immune to a lot of nasty things, and you don't have to feel guilty sending them into a hopeless fight. Their big weakness are elemental resistances.

For Advanced Construction, make sure you select the following as soon as possible:
A: Brawn
B: Astral Repair, Energy Touch, Reach
C: Power Resistance
Tougher (C) is also useful, just because the C list comes at a time when you want more defensive abilities. At class level 8 you'll have 3 extra C abilities on every pet, but you need more C abilities to choose from.
Extra Arms (B) is nice but not absolutely necessary. There are just too many other ways to improve damage output.

Instead of a single D defensive ability like Super Buff, stack on the lower ones. If I'm a P6/C5 and summon an AC 5, I can give it two B's (let's say Energy Touch (Sonic) and Astral Repair) and four A's (Flight and triple Brawn). So, it'd still have DR and Reach for being an AC5, but it'd also gain Fast Healing 2 and do 1d4+3 extra damage on each hit. Plus, it flies. Or, drop two Brawns to get that +4 AC boost from the B menu.
If you want to go all defensive, you can stack Astral Repair, a Carapace-line DR ability, and a deflection AC boost to make a pretty impressive defense screen. I had a 15th-level constructor (P7/C8), and I'd often make a single AC 7 (3 C, 1 B, 2 A) for heavy fighting. Stick Heavy Armor, Power Resistance, Tougher, Astral Repair, Flight, and one other A on it, and you get a VERY tough-to-kill pet. What was REALLY nasty was when we'd cast Ectoplasmic Armor (+10 Armor AC) on it... now you had something with an AC in the 40ish range, with heavy DR, fast healing, and so on.
The 1d3 AC5s that came with it I'd use as scouts or flankers. It gave my DM fits to watch his carefully laid out fortress be overrun by a swarm of flying constructs, led by one big unstoppable brute.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

IMO that 17d10 barely compensates for the constucts lack of con. Constructs are insanely weak in the HP department in 3e.(I understand some things get a size bonus to HP in savage sepcies or fiend folio or something and in 3.5)

 

[Eltern]

larryboy

Ah, looking over your comments, we realized that we had made an error in the effects of Advanced Construction. Namely, we thought the abilities you picked with that feat applied to -all- your constructs, -all- the time. Thanks for the strategy talk on Constructs, though.

Eltern