How dumb are constructs?

[Raven Crowking]

Which reminds me....All adventure designers should include the standing orders of mindless constructs and undead in their adventure text. The DM knowing what a mindless creature is ordered to do allows clever PCs to experiment, and perhaps find a way to work around the orders. Easy example: If the golem only attacks any creature entering the room, the PCs should be able to use missile weapons and spells from outside the room with impunity.


RC

 

[pallandrome]

Or for example, if the maker of the cronstruct said "kill anyone walking into the room" then players who flew or teleported in would still be safe. just my 2c.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Or for example, if the maker of the cronstruct said "kill anyone walking into the room" then players who flew or teleported in would still be safe. just my 2c.

Exactly. Great fun for players when they figure it out (accidently or not). Clues as to what the construct was told might be in other parts of the adventure area, discovered through divination spells, and so on. In fact, a golem (for example) could be used to explain why something was not already explored/sacked in low-level play....if the PCs learn of a way to bypass the golem without defeating it.

There is a lot of fun potential in this sort of stuff.


RC

 

[Cheiromancer]

You should assume that a construct will have a standing order to preserve itself, unless this would violate another order.

This presupposes, of course, that it can extrapolate what will happen if current circumstances persist, which might be infringing a little on its being "mindless." But even insects have a sense of self-preservation.

 

[Umbran]

Golems have a intelligence score of 0, but they have average wisdom. The thing has no ability to analyze, but it does notice that the acid is burning it away. From there, we get into an aragument between it being "mindless" and having some measure of "common sense". The thing doesn't have strategy, per se, but it does have freedom of implementation and reaction to it's environment....

If attacked, the golem is able to return the attack. Is the thing now not supposed to recognize the sudden appearance of a pool of acid as an attack? It can recognize a sword thrust, or a fireball, as an attack, right? Why not the acid?

 

[Stalker0]

Alright, to give you all a better view of the situation. The party enteres a room with three greater stone golems. The golems are ordered to destroy anything that comes into the room and doesn't say the correct password. They cannot endanger a specific item that has been put in the middle of the room.

 

[pallandrome]

Then yes, I would rule that it can climb out. A golem has all the knowledge needed to control it's limbs, and if that includes walking, then that also includes climbing.

 

[Stalker0]

Just to add to the confusion, I could easily see the argument that the golem recognizes the acid as dangerous. Even a really stupid creature will get hurt and pull away from the dangerous thing. However, let's say my player put another pit in front of him after the first one. Since the golem has no int, it cannot learn, so it wouldn't remember the pit is dangerous and just walk into the next one wouldn't it?

 

[two]

yes

Golems have a intelligence score of 0, but they have average wisdom. The thing has no ability to analyze, but it does notice that the acid is burning it away. From there, we get into an aragument between it being "mindless" and having some measure of "common sense". The thing doesn't have strategy, per se, but it does have freedom of implementation and reaction to it's environment....

If attacked, the golem is able to return the attack. Is the thing now not supposed to recognize the sudden appearance of a pool of acid as an attack? It can recognize a sword thrust, or a fireball, as an attack, right? Why not the acid?

Yes, the golem would recognize the acid as attacking it.

And hit the acid with its fist, attempting to destroy it.

Recognizing that acid can't be hurt in this way is above 0 intelligence, likely.

Perhaps it's "common sense" (assumed under wisdom) if the Golem attacks 100 times and discovers nothing is happening. But it's probably goo by then.

 

[Sejs]

Alright, to give you all a better view of the situation. The party enteres a room with three greater stone golems. The golems are ordered to destroy anything that comes into the room and doesn't say the correct password. They cannot endanger a specific item that has been put in the middle of the room.

Aah okay. Yeah, the golem would climb out of the pit and do its best to persue its orders to destroy the intruders.