what senses do animated undead and constructs have

[Voadam]

What senses do zombies, skeletons and other undead have?

How do they see? Can they be blinded, does covering their eyes (or eyesockets) effectively blind them?

Now how about those that are not unitelligent animated corpses but full evil critters such as ghouls, wights, vampires, etc.

Same question for constructs.

Could you create a construct without a head and have it be effective? Would it be blind?

The closest I can come up with is that they have sight, hearing and touch, but taste and smell are generally not there. I rationalize it as working on sympathetic magic principles so that they require the normal place for eyes for their sight to function.

 

[Ferret]

Oozes use UV light to see...Or is it Undead.

 

[Grazzt]

Oozes use UV light to see...Or is it Undead.

Undead have darkvision 60 ft. Oozes have blindsight.

 

[Li Shenron]

Constructs also have Darkvision 60ft.

Curiously neither constructs nor animated undead (skeletons, zombies...) seem to have skills scores listed, if I remember well. But since Darkvision is a way of seeing, I guess they MAY do spot checks, and listen checks as well. OTOH constructs don't get any skill point or feats, but I'm not sure if it means they CAN'T make untrained skill checks.

 

[Li Shenron]

Constructs also have Darkvision 60ft.

Curiously neither constructs nor animated undead (skeletons, zombies...) seem to have skills scores listed, if I remember well. But since Darkvision is a way of seeing, I guess they MAY do spot checks, and listen checks as well. OTOH constructs don't get any skill point or feats, but I'm not sure if it means they CAN'T make untrained skill checks.

I think you can rule the creator to be able to choose something when he builds the construct: if it can see, hear, smell and how well, but you have to rule it by yourself...

 

[CRGreathouse]

Curiously neither constructs nor animated undead (skeletons, zombies...) seem to have skills scores listed, if I remember well. But since Darkvision is a way of seeing, I guess they MAY do spot checks, and listen checks as well. OTOH constructs don't get any skill point or feats, but I'm not sure if it means they CAN'T make untrained skill checks.

Constructs may make Spot and other checks, they just can't get any better at them. I'm not sure if they have auditory organs, but if they do they can make Listen checks. I suppose it would vary from construct to construct...

 

[Grazzt]

I guess they MAY do spot checks, and listen checks as well. OTOH constructs don't get any skill point or feats, but I'm not sure if it means they CAN'T make untrained skill checks.

As long as the skill doesn't say TRAINED ONLY (like Decipher Script for example), any creature can make an untrained check using that skill (within reason- rules say oozes use blindsight and have no visual organs, so Spot checks would be ruled out.....etc.)

As for Constructs having auditory organs, that would be the DM's call I guess. I myself would probably allow it. I mean they don't really have eyes and ears like living creatures (well the flesh golem might). Perhaps the magic that binds the construct together allows it to make Spot and Listen checks (if ya wanna justify it).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

According to Sean K Reynolds, constructs and zombies don't gain skill ranks. They make Spot checks based only on their Wisdom scores. They're not very bright, you see.

Because a rogue isn't a danger to them, it's not a big deal if they're surprised. (OK, when your wizard leads with a Disintegrate spell in the surprise round, this lack of Spot skill becomes a problem.)

 

[Grazzt]

According to Sean K Reynolds, constructs and zombies don't gain skill ranks. They make Spot checks based only on their Wisdom scores. They're not very bright, you see.

Yeppers- Because undead have 3 x their Int score in skill points at creation and zombies (as a whole) do not possess an Int score. Constructs have no skills points at all because according to Dragon 276 no Construct possesses an Int score.