D&D 3E/3.5 astral contruct 3.5

[Shard O'Glase]

was it suckified or it just my imagination. Only 1 special ability without a feat. What's up with that. They gained a bit on HP but with there very limited flexibility in 3.5 they just seem like really sucky summons that can get past protection from evil spells. What am I missing if anything?

 

[Particle_Man]

As you gain levels, you can augment Create Astral Construct to increase the construct you can summon to a higher type, allowing you to pick more special abilities, and eventually abilities from a better list.

Their combat abilities seem to be increased from 3.0 for the minor constructs, and decreased for the major ones. In general the 3.0 versions were claimed to be better in combat than summoned monsters, but not as versatile since summoned monsters could cast helpful spells sometimes.

A major change in 3.5 is that you cannot summon mulitiple "lesser" constructs -- you get one construct per manifestation of the power (although you could manifest the same power in consecutive rounds to get more than one construct into the same combat).

But it is too early to tell. I have a Shaper character but haven't tested her astral constructs in combat yet. They are mainly for fighting, although if your character is small, or the construct of a high enough type, it could fly you over a pit I guess.

 

[Flyspeck23]

was it suckified or it just my imagination. Only 1 special ability without a feat. What's up with that.

They've got tons of immunities - because they're constructs. That's also the reason why they ain't got any feats.
So it's pretty neat to be able to add some "quasi-feats" (the menu abilities).

Btw, their AC is quite high compared to equivalent summoned monsters (lv1-9).

As you gain levels, you can augment Create Astral Construct to increase the construct you can summon to a higher type, allowing you to pick more special abilities, and eventually abilities from a better list.

In case anyone is searching the XPH for the 3.5 spell, it's called Astral Construct now.

 

[Piratecat]

I think the new version is great. Unlike summoned creatures, protection from evil no longer keeps them away* -- and that alone is a tremendous power boost.

* If this was the case in 3e a rules thread on the subject here didn't reveal it, so we treated them like summoned creatures in this regard.

 

[Dinkeldog]

They've got tons of immunities - because they're constructs. That's also the reason why they ain't got any feats.
So it's pretty neat to be able to add some "quasi-feats" (the menu abilities).

Btw, their AC is quite high compared to equivalent summoned monsters (lv1-9).


In case anyone is searching the XPH for the 3.5 spell, it's called Astral Construct now.

I'm feeling more in the "suckified" camp. It's not so much that you can only create one at a time for me. It's the whole single menu ability no matter the level (except 9, which gets 2 C menu abilities). The special abilities don't do much for me (DR 5/magic starting at 5th level, when you're a 9th level manifester? How many 9th level characters don't have access to at least a +1 weapon?)

The high ACs are quite nice, though.

 

[James McMurray]

I love it! I just played my Shaper for the first time in his XPH incarnation last night. A few things that struck me:

The menu abilities got fewer and shifted around a bit. This kind of hurt, but the addition of Muscle was just plain nasty. My 3 slamming AC V did 48 damage in his first round of attacks.

The construct's AC, Hit Points, and attack bonuses / damage went up. This made up for the loss of extra menu choices in my mind. I had a construct attacking a fire elemental that was encased in apillar of lava and the AC's strong hit points let it survive when the old constructs would have died like dogs from trying to bitch-slap a guy in lava (2d6 per attack hurt, especially when those attacks didn't always hit).

It beinga single power freed up a lot of power slots for me. Now I can do things besides summon constructs.

Overchannel makes the combining of it into a single power just plain nasty. Pre-XPH I was getting AC IV's at 8th level. Last night I got AC V's. Next adventure I'll be 9th level and getting AC VI's. Those bad boys are just plain beefy.

 

[Flyspeck23]

I'm feeling more in the "suckified" camp. It's not so much that you can only create one at a time for me. It's the whole single menu ability no matter the level (except 9, which gets 2 C menu abilities). The special abilities don't do much for me (DR 5/magic starting at 5th level, when you're a 9th level manifester? How many 9th level characters don't have access to at least a +1 weapon?)

A few notes:
First: Astral Constructs who've got access to Menu B or C can change this into two of a lower menu.
Second: DR/magic as the sole example isn't fair. If you don't like that ability, don't give it to your Astral Construct - take Heavy Deflection instead, rising the significant AC of the Astral Construct even further. Or Fast Healing. Or Energy Touch. Or any other ability that doesn't suck in your opinion.
Third: It's not DR5/magic. It's DR3/magic or it's existing DR increases by 3 points.

 

[James McMurray]

IMO the ability to give lower level construct DR 3/ magic isn't there to increase their survivability in most cases. Its there to increase their damage against foes with DR x/magic. If it was for survivability it would have been 3/adamantine like golems.

 

[Stalker0]

IMO the ability to give lower level construct DR 3/ magic isn't there to increase their survivability in most cases. Its there to increase their damage against foes with DR x/magic. If it was for survivability it would have been 3/adamantine like golems.

If I recall you don't innately bypass yoru own dr now unless your it specifically says so in the monster description.

 

[Particle_Man]

Man, I totally missed that they don't give multiple choices from the menus anymore (except for AC IX). Before, you could pick 3 choices from menu A for AC III, for instance. Hmm...that does seem like a power down. On the other hand, you do get access to them a bit earlier. Boost Construct is a more important feat than I had thought!