Hey there.
I was talking with a player of mine and he brought up the lack of repair spells for an alchemist with the construct rider archetype.
I don't think 'going full Eberron' and carrying around healing potions just for Steve the robot would be necessary. The precedent is there that extracts should work, or at least are intended to:
This construct mount acts in most ways as a druid animal companion, using the character's alchemist level as his effective druid level.
Share Spells (Ex)
The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.
An alchemist’s extracts and mutagens are considered spells for the purposes of familiar abilities like share spells and deliver touch spells.
(Note that the same or better benefits exist for other companions granted to the alchemist, such as the promethean alchemist's homunculus)
The construct mount contains a reservoir tank than the construct rider can fill with one dose of a potion or extract the construct rider created. As a move action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, the construct mount can apply the potion or extract to itself. Refilling the reservoir is a complicated process that requires a DC 20 Craft (alchemy) check. Failure destroys the potion or extract. The process requires 1 minute, and provokes attacks of opportunity. A construct rider must be at least 6th level before selecting this discovery.
As far as I could tell it should work when you feed your crafted mount healing extracts. I've come to this conclusion through this logic:
1- Your construct is an animal companion for this purpose.2- Animal companions have Share Spells.
3- Alchemist-granted companions consider extracts to be spells for such purposes.
4- It is assumed that the construct may drink extracts by the discovery Internal Reservoir.
It seems fairly simple to me. It's not an imbalanced ability; repairing the construct would still burn the alchemist's resources, and since "a construct rider may prepare one fewer extract of each level than normal" the cost of doing so would be even more significant. In addition, the alternatives don't appear to be conducive of fun...
...but RAW conflicts do exist! So I would appreciate any opinions posted by my fellow game enthusiasts, and for the sake of clarity (as I have seen many posts on message boards all over the web regarding this issue) a developer's insight would be most helpful.
Notice me, senpai?
The player could UMD a wand of make whole, or pay to use Craft Construct to (slowly) repair it.
Failing that, a crafter can repair a construct with the Craft Construct feat. When repairing a construct, its master spends 100 gp per Hit Die of the construct, and then makes a skill check as if he were crafting the construct with a DC of 5 less than the DC for crafting that construct. With a success, the construct regains 1d6 hit points per Hit Die of the construct. Completing a repair takes 1 day per 1,000 gp spent on the repair (minimum of 1 day). Repair in this way can only be performed while the construct is inanimate or nonfunctioning. At any time, a construct's creator can deactivate a construct under his control with a touch and a standard action.
If you allow 3pp, RGG's Construct Companion has an Improved Repair Construct feat that speeds that up and cuts the cost, as well as a Restoration Spider wondrous item that just clings to your construct casting make whole repeatedly at a small cost in raw materials.
If you want to go with the extracts, I don't know that I'd find your arguments compelling as a GM, but they're certainly good enough to run with.
An easier method is to use the spell Alter Self on the construct, which changes its type to humanoid. Unlike constructs, humanoids are living creatures. Now you can use Cure Light Wounds.
Both spells are available to the alchemist by the time they make the construct. Therefore, you can be self sufficient.
/cevah
Side question...
"a construct rider may prepare one fewer extract of each level than normal"
The use of may, makes it sound like they don't have to prepare one fewer extract.
Am I reading this wrong?
I read it as:
Diminished Extracts: A construct rider [may prepare] [one fewer extract of each level than normal]
equivalent to:
may prepare X extracts, where X = N - 1 at each level
Combined with the Diminished Extracts tag, I don't think you can prepare the same number per day.
/cevah
Side question...
"a construct rider may prepare one fewer extract of each level than normal"
The use of may, makes it sound like they don't have to prepare one fewer extract.
Am I reading this wrong?
An alchemist can choose to leave some of her extracts unprepared each day. Most days my own finishes her adventuring with about a half dozen unused since she's more of a support / sniper than a primary caster.
She has the clutch extracts ready at all times (fly, breath of life), but the open slots are in case something comes up throughout the day. It's handy being able to explicitly prepare an extract from an empty slot as needed.
You could do a weaker version of this as a wizard in 3.5 but your DM would look at you like a munchkin. You also can in Pathfinder but it's a bit nerfed. Heck, even a cleric can leave slots open and focus for an hour to fill them later.
That said... 1 minute > 1 hour.
Tangent aside, it likely implies that the alchemist has the ability to prepare that many extracts at the start or or during it's day, but it doesn't need to.
An easier method is to use the spell Alter Self on the construct, which changes its type to humanoid. Unlike constructs, humanoids are living creatures. Now you can use Cure Light Wounds.
Both spells are available to the alchemist by the time they make the construct. Therefore, you can be self sufficient.
/cevah
Polymorph spells say nothing about changing your type.
Missed the words *form of*, darn it. :-/
/cevah
My DM doesn't mind a bit of 3.5 if it isn't outrageous, so if he isn't big on the share spells things I'll probably just craft oils of repair light damage and make a couple of those repair drones from MMIV I think it was?
Those were fun.
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Also, the Technology Guide later added the spells 'Greater Make Whole' and 'Memory of Function' to the list of ways to repair constructs.
Unfortunately, the only option there which would apply to the Construct Rider would be to use Craft Construct to repair damage. That said, the various spells could be found in wands or other magic items.
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The flavour text makes it sound like your construct mount can be clockwork... so it you can snag yourself a clockwork servant (Bestiary 3 p.56) it should be able to repair 1d10 damage to your mount every turn. Of course getting yourself a clockwork servant may be tricky at low levels... maybe someone will hire you one on a short-term lease?