Construct Vehicles


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


If I animate a wagon and order it to allow itself to be driven does that work?

Basically is there a method of transferring control that can be passed on even with out the makers presence or knowledge.

I want be able to animate a wagon then sell it to someone else. I also want that guy to be able to pass it on to others and so on down the line.

I was thinking of building in a piloting mechanism and commanding the construct to follow the piloting rig.


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For full details on creating and driving vehicles, see Ultimate Combat.

Occult Adventures details a flying skiff for 80,000 gp; probably too expensive, although it does provide an option for certain concepts. A more pedestrian solution is to use a stone horse (10,000 or 14,800 gp) to pull a normal cart, light/medium chariot, sleigh, or light/medium/heavy wagon; two can pull a carriage or heavy chariot (you could also make a heavy wagon that is pulled by two large creatures). Alternately, you could make a custom vehicle that summons a mount (command word) to pull it once per day for 16 hours (CL 8; +2,880 gp to the vehicle price per light horse summoned).

Otherwise, you will need to look at crafting the vehicle as a construct (using the shield guardian option for a controlling amulet) or using animate object with permanency.


I am not sure that a golem can be a a vehicle. I know I can animate a wagon and make that permanent. I was just wondering if there is a way to transfer control of it to others.

Grand Lodge

Given that gear systems have been quite common since the middle ages (windmills come to mind.) you could simply create a clockwork kind of contraption in which you have a simple engine working with a very basic (one speed) transmission that would not be so far fetched.

However, your GM may not agree.


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Mathius wrote:
I am not sure that a golem can be a a vehicle. I know I can animate a wagon and make that permanent. I was just wondering if there is a way to transfer control of it to others.

Wagon? Bah. Thinking too small. I say you should make a house- that way, people can chill out while the place constantly moves about.

Just watch out for old ladies who are secretly young girls who have been cursed by witches. And no matter what, don't get water on the fire elemental at the heart of the cast...house. The moving house.

Liberty's Edge

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Or you can build your transforming Auto..I mean Golem using this template:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/transforming-co nstruct-cr-1

If the link does not work go to SRD and look up Transforming Template.


memorax wrote:

Or you can build your transforming Auto..I mean Golem using this template:

Transforming Construct Template

LINK SERVICE PROVIDED.

Shadow Lodge

hmm it has a listed price.... this can be added to the tiny god...

Liberty's Edge

Thanks for fixing the link. I do recommend Advanced Bestiary for everyone. It's 3pp but one of the few that is not unbalanced IMO. As well you can even build Beholders using the Eye Tyrant Template.


Herald wrote:

Given that gear systems have been quite common since the middle ages (windmills come to mind.) you could simply create a clockwork kind of contraption in which you have a simple engine working with a very basic (one speed) transmission that would not be so far fetched.

However, your GM may not agree.

With this idea, you could simply animate one primary gear to be perpetually spinning, then move it out of alignment with the other gears when you want the vehicle to stop. You could also insert the gear backwards to move in reverse, or even have different slots for it when you want to move different speeds.

Liberty's Edge

Correction it's the Eye King template if you want to design beholder style creatures

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

If you animate an object, it becomes a creature. If you use a creature as a mount, then mounted rules apply.

If you're worried about giving control to someone else, just order the object to follow the directions of whoever mans the helm. There's rules in Skull and Shackles about animated ships.


I must have missed those.

I was not sure if you can pass control by ordering it to follow directions of others.

I like the spinning gear idea.

A large animated object can be made strong enough to drag or even lift colossal things. That wold mean that a 5th level caster and enough money can make bomber.

I think tanks and planes are quite viable with this as long as control can be transferred or is unnecessary due to constant motion.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

Mathius wrote:

I must have missed those.

I was not sure if you can pass control by ordering it to follow directions of others.

I like the spinning gear idea.

A large animated object can be made strong enough to drag or even lift colossal things. That wold mean that a 5th level caster and enough money can make bomber.

I think tanks and planes are quite viable with this as long as control can be transferred or is unnecessary due to constant motion.

With my suggestion, you're not passing control. You're giving an order to follow someone else's orders under specific conditions. You still have control over the construct.


Cyrad wrote:
If you're worried about giving control to someone else, just order the object to follow the directions of whoever mans the helm.

I'm not sure you can do that. Animate objects have no intelligence score and don't understand language. The base spell itself doesn't allow for any control at all except for ordering an object to attack a creature. The expanded rules on ships from skull and shackles makes it obvious that you can do more, and it is reasonable to assume that the control is much like that of animate dead.

Once again we don't have very good specifics, but the Control Undead spell does specify that the magic allows them to understand your commands. It is reasonable to assume that a similar power is in place for animate objects, and the magic allows them to understand the casters/creators commands, but doesn't extend to anyone else.

Presumably a caster could give an object instructions like turn you body in the direction the wheel is turned or similar, but probably the number of instructions a object can have would be limited, making only very rough control by another person possible without some other magic.


If you can animate an object large enough then it would be able to move. If it has wheels that's effectively driving itself.


Yes it can drive itself, but how do you let others guide it?


Repost from here...

I wrote:

How about a Magical Flying Wagon?

Animated Object lists a Wagon as size Huge.
A Huge object has base 30' speed, 7 HD and 4 CP.
Spend the 4 CP as follows:
1) Additional Movement (Ex, 1 CP): Gains a new mode of movement (burrow, climb, fly [clumsy], or swim) at a speed equal to its base speed.
-- Choose Fly
2,3,4) Faster (Ex, 1 CP): One of the object's movement modes increases by +10 ft.
-- Choose Fly, Fly, Fly
The wagon now has a speed of 30', Fly 60' [clumsy]
On the main page for the spell, are the Animated Object listing a price of "cost of object + [(animated object’s HD + CP) × 1,000])", which for a wagon is:
Light 50 gp
Medium 75 gp
Heavy 100 gp
So, say 100 gp (heavy wagon) + [7+4]*1000 (enchantment) = 11,100 gp.
Str 30, huge quadruped (4 wheels) = 6*532 = 3192 # light load, 6*1066 = 6396 # medium load, and 6*1600 = 9600 # heavy load, with a staggering load of 19200 # (i.e. 5' speed). Since the heavy wagon has a max weight capacity of 4000 #, at worse it will go 20', Fly 40' [clumsy] with a full load.

So, with rules support, a flying heavy wagon costs 11,100 gp.

A floating wagon will be less, or will not get made.

A Chair is listed as small, 2 HD, 1 CP, so price is Chair + 3,000 gp.
Four chairs is Chair*4 + 12,000 gp. Wagon is cheaper, but the chairs can move independently with 30' Fly 30' [clumsy]. It also has a wimpy carrying capacity.

/cevah

PS: Other useful stuff for caravans...:
Wagon statistics

The S&S bit about ships allows the one manning the helm controls the ship. It could be whoever controls the steering of the wagon thus controls it. Give it an illusion of a horse in front and it will look normal, but you can fly wherever you want with the wagon above.

And all for the low, low price of 11,100 gp

/cevah


Thanks for the wagon.

Where in SnS is the stuff about animate ships?


The spell Animate Objects on the SRD has a sidebar from the S&S Player's Guide.

Repairing Constructs indicates constructs are under control of their creator (because they can deactivate is easily). However, as a mindless creature (usually), the degree of that control is not very discrete. However, a construct performing its intended function? Sure. Investing that control to a pilot? Sure.

/cevah


That sidebar would indicate that caster is the pilot but does not say weather he can transfer control.


Mathius wrote:
Yes it can drive itself, but how do you let others guide it?

"Hey wagon, Go where that guy says and follow his other instructions as if they were mine. "


I know you can give that order but I am not clear on weather or not the object can understand language.


I just realized that control must be transferable since you can buy a construct that you did not make.

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