can you vampiric touch a shield guardian?

[00durrin]

construct attributes say it's not subject to energy drains...but in the dmg it describes energy drains as something that leaves a negative level, which vampiric touch does not.
it does say "one living creature touched" but isn't a shield guardian "magically alive"? it doesn't have a constitution score, but couldn't you vampiric touch a vampire? they don't have constitution scores.
anyways, i'm asking cause i'd love to use vampiric touch on my own shield guardian cause he heals so fast. short of that, i'll have to have my guardian keep a troll for me to vampiric touch 3 or 4 times before battle =)

 

[Crothian]

Construct are not alive, so Vampiric touch will be ineffective

 

[Xarlen]

Constructs are not alive. They're constructs. An animated skeleton is an unliving thing, infused with negative energy, allowing it to go. A construct is magic infusing materials to move.

 

[00durrin]

so i suppose i should just build a custom cage for a troll? one that holds his arms out and is something like an iron maiden? whatever they called those things that are so tight the person can't move. that way i can vampiric touch my troll slave a few times before going into battle. yeehaw. if all else fails, go invisible and release the troll on the competition!

 

[Dr_Rictus]

Er... yes, why don't you go right ahead with your troll. And I mean that.

 

[00durrin]

what is that supposed to mean?

 

[Archer]

Its a double entendre, ambiguity of meaning arising from language that lends itself to more than one interpretation.

The "I chain up a troll and use vampiric ability x on it a million times" has been overdone. Any attempt to bring it up again is a troll, to fish by trailing a lure or bait to get people to pay attention to you or whatnot.

The answer is that temporary hps don't stack so you get no lasting benefit from such a course of action, again in the double sense.

Do you appreciate, apprehend, cognize, comprehend, fathom, and/or grasp?

 

[the Jester]

Well, the advantage of the troll-in-a-cage trick is that you can keep casting vampiric touch on it as long as you're out of (or low on) temporary hp, and not out of vampiric touch spells.

Personally, I support putting trolls in a cage...

 

[00durrin]

gotcha archer...i appreciate the pun now that it's been explained to me. as you can see...i have very few posts...i'm not familiar with the lingo.

 

[Hejdun]

For a more rules based answer to your question, contructs are immune to spells that let you make a Fortitude save to reduce the effects, unless the spell can also affect objects (i.e. Disintegrate).