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Okay, so one of the main criticisms towards the current season of PFS is that robots mean that everyone should stock up on adamantine/2H greatswords.
I'm not entirely naive. Our party used them to great effect.
But I also think there are or should be other ways. I don't think the current season is quite that dumb; there are other ways to smack down our mechanical overlords, some of us (me) just don't know it yet.
So here's the question. What OTHER tactics are there that work?
For reference purposes, let's talk about enemies with the following properties:
I think if we can come up with more stratagems than "hit as hard as you possibly can", that our playing experience will be enriched. So let's have at it!
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A build with butterfly strike would excel, especially combined with someone else in the group with an earthshaker. While in the same vein, it's not you hitting hard - it's you helping them hit hard.
Of note - constructs aren't immune to illusions such as silent image as figments aren't on their list. So - for example - if they're melee only - put them in an illusionary cage and plink them to death. Or if there's more than one - put all but one in boxes so that your group can fight them piecemeal. (my illusion based sorceror's standard tactic - great for constructs as they have low saves)
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The robots have CMD, but won't stand up (pun intended) to a dedicated tripper. Keep them on the ground, so heavy hitters can hit. +4 us/-4 them is a big deal.
Hardness 10 is not energy invulnerability. Hit them with the big spells. 1d6+3+4d6 (4th level magus) electricity gets much of the way through hardness and then applies electricity damage.
Charging cavaliers can hit very hard.
Glitterdust can blind them, I believe.
Clustered Shots
Clustered Shots doesn't work vs hardness.
I took care of 2 stinking robots with a pair of lightning bolts.
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Yeah, there's some funny stuff going on with hardness. Previous powers meant to penetrate DR don't work against hardness, like lantern archons, Smite Evil (where applicable due to alignment) or the Iroran Paladin's Personal Challenge/Ki Pool ability to penetrate DR.
Clustered Shots doesn't work, stupidly. Pummeling Style does. Kinda dumb that that's different from each other.
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That Clockwork Key is amazing. Bizarrely powerful and cheap for what it does. Must have.
I dunno about Sands of Time; seems like Hardness would take the edge off of it, and then level 3 seems a bit much for the actual effect.
Disable Construct looks like a winner too. Although most casters wouldn't like to be standing in front of the construct if it does make its save. But hey, it also works on golems, so add this to the list of great spells. Maybe with Reach...
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Given that Gearsmen tend to be medium. How viable are maneuvers against them if you're not a loremaster?
Beiing a child pilot in your own mecha?
There is the Stonelord paladin that can work pretty well against those robot.
Construct bane weapons.
Anyone know how magically induced rust works with robots in Numeria? I think robots have a lot of non-metal materials? Anyway, nothing by RAW says rust works, yet it might be worth a try.
There is the Stonelord paladin that can work pretty well against those robot.
Funny you should mention that. When we played *redacted* the party mainly survived because I brought my stonelord paladin, he was able to both tank them and hurt them rather effectively. By survive I mean only 1/3rd the party died.
Weapons that crit a lot are also handy against them.
Yup, year of the Magus, because the class was already too weak and underplayed.....
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1- Explain that it is locked into a robitcs law paradox and must destroy itself.
2- Treat it real nice so that when it falls in love with you it explodes.
3- Trap it in some sort of trash compactor.
4- While in the future reprogram it to go back in time to protect you now.
5- Knowledge Robotics=off switch.
6- If Earth based robots are analogous run up the nearest stairs and laugh.
7- Hack wireless network give it a virus.
8- Hack wireless network self destruct command.
Warpriests with the Artifice Blessing could take out the 'bots fairly handily. Pair him up with a Skald of some sort (maybe the horn one) just for added smash. Paladins of Torag with the Temple Champion archetype could also do it.
Conjuration Wizards using stuff from Champions of Balance might be able to have a smite effect off one of their summons that can get past that.
Wizard teamed up with an Alchemist who is using grenades from the Technology Guide. Drop construct in a pit, and have the Alchemist drop a couple grenades in to blow it apart.
Does the Dwarf's Monk FCB work against robots? I'm not sure if constructs are considered "objects". For reference:
Monk: Reduce the Hardness of any object made of clay, stone, or metal by 1 whenever the object is struck by the monk's unarmed strike (minimum of 0).
If so a Dragon Style Hungry Ghost Dwarf with this FCB could compete handily for DPR against robots.
Some of the rare weapons, like nets, bolas, tanglefoot bags will work well.
And, any party buff spell. Instead of watching a burning hands do nothing, cast enlarge person instead. Cast shield of faith on your front line fighter with the two-handed weapon, so he/she can last longer.
There's NO shortage of these in the game, and there's no save, no SR.
It just works.
Impossible bloodline
Bloodline Arcana
Constructs are susceptible to your enchantment (compulsion) spells as if they were not mind-affecting.
Constructs are treated as living creatures for the purposes of determining which spells affect them.
Does the Dwarf's Monk FCB work against robots? I'm not sure if constructs are considered "objects". For reference:
Monk: Reduce the Hardness of any object made of clay, stone, or metal by 1 whenever the object is struck by the monk's unarmed strike (minimum of 0).
If so a Dragon Style Hungry Ghost Dwarf with this FCB could compete handily for DPR against robots.
Also the dwarf brawler FBC.
and hardness don't care what you're smiting.
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Yeah, I generally dont go around with a big honking adamantine weapon. I did not know that animal companions could be ordered to pin? I kept using them more like a black tentacles spell, only able to grapple for dmg but not pin. Going by that, could you summon a giant crocodile to grapple and pin robots?
I tend to get a lot of table variation on what GMs will let animal companions do, thus I try not to do more then the bare mininum. I have been raw correct several times but have had several abilities denied in pfs play.
Off topic, but could you push your animal companion to do non lethal, and what would be the result of a failed push check.
On the caster side, glitterdust still works, but won't kill constructs outright.
I don't like season 6, and feel it railroads players in turning into murderhobos - just get a big adamantine weapon and whack stuff, nothing else will work anyway.
It unfairly penalises animal companion users and casters as most of their spells/atks, won't work on constructs.
I think pathfinder society should be renamed adamantine weapon society.
There's a grapple trick. You can teach it to your animal companion. I don't think its a stretch to say the critter keeps trying to make the grapple better by pinning if he's been told to grapple.
A summoned critter would need to be pushed into it with a dc 25 handle animal check.
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@blackbloodtroll
The bombs have been clarified to deal acid damage in both forms, but d8 to constructs/undead and d4 otherwise.
The FAQ link is on the PFSRD I believe.
Nothing official though. An off-hand post by the Creative Director, does not an official errata make.
In PFS, it will be run, as written, dealing Force damage.
I have scoured the FAQ/Errata. Nothing else changes this.
If I missed something official, please provide a link.
It would be most appreciated.
The ones I can think of are:
Grease
Pit spell line
Glittedust
Crypt Breaker alchemist
grappling
whip and wand of True Strike (even if your not proficient with a whip, use true strike and you are likely to trip them)
summon creatures or animal companions with the Grab attack
just any significant electricity damage
figment type illusions
Pummeling Style
I think spells that entangle work
Seems like I remember that force damage (or maybe it was sonic) bypasses hardness. But I can't find it now.
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We've looked for reasons why Force might bypass hardness, but couldn't find any.
It looks like electricity damage will first be reduced by harness, before the vulnerability is applied. So while it works better than other elements, it's not great. A classic bladebound kensai shocking grasp critfisher build should achieve some results though.
I don't like season 6, and feel it railroads players in turning into murderhobos - just get a big adamantine weapon and whack stuff, nothing else will work anyway.
It unfairly penalises animal companion users and casters as most of their spells/atks, won't work on constructs.
I think pathfinder society should be renamed adamantine weapon society.
That's precisely why I set up this topic; because I felt that there were more options, they just weren't as obvious. And so far I've been proven right; quite a few other solutions were offered.
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So rusting grasp (and gauntlets of rust) SHOULD work, though the spell didn't say that it ignores metal's hardness (though any gm with his salt would say it does.). As someone mentioned, the martial artist with exploit weakness can do it super easy (he needs to roll against 10, not the creature's CR, since it is hardness). There is a brawler build that can do it too. Shatter should work, but doesn't (after all, they aren't magical).
I recall somewhere that it states some damage types bypass some types of hardness, but I can't find where. Maybe that could help?
Lessie, only other things are basically doing as much damage as possible in one hit. Vital strike build, or a ranger who hates constructs with a construct bane weapon.
Should be able to Shatter any weapons carried, even integrated weapons from the Robot subtype.
You can also utilize Dirty Trick and other controlling effects. While you can't Blindness/Deafness a construct, but you can certainly put a sack on the construct's head so it can't see.
Lastly, Aid Another actions are amazing.
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There's a grapple trick. You can teach it to your animal companion. I don't think its a stretch to say the critter keeps trying to make the grapple better by pinning if he's been told to grapple.
A summoned critter would need to be pushed into it with a dc 25 handle animal check.
The grapple trick was what I used with my animal companion. I am pretty sure that eidolons could do it too, if you picked the right evolutions / body type. Or get your barbarian / tank to do it.
What about the Oracle Wrecker curse? I found it unappealing, but I bet that it would wreak havoc on constructs.
Hmm
1. Be a team with a druid, a monk, and other classes that don't need steel.
2. Befriend a rust monster.
3. Defend said rust monster as it charges the damn robots.
4. Profit.
Is there any spell that can summon a rust monster?
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Is there any spell that can summon a rust monster?1. Be a team with a druid, a monk, and other classes that don't need steel.
2. Befriend a rust monster.
3. Defend said rust monster as it charges the damn robots.
4. Profit.
Unfortunately no (there totally needs to be), but they are in essence nonthreatening wildlife since they only feed on ferrus metal and are often portrayed as social or at the very least slightly docile with humans so I would think it's safe to assume they can be tamed and trained. You just have to avoid putting them in with all your loot and metal enclosures.