On the one hand, they're supernatural abilities and "the alchemist doesn't actually cast spells." On the other hand, a shield infusion looks a lot like a spell. What do you think?
Constructs can drink potions and benefit from it. Infusions use potion rules with some extra benefits.
Lots of golems have spell immunity, so the infusion needs to not be affected by SR if one hopes for any effects.
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If the infusion is of a spell that allows spell resistance, spell-immune creatures will not be affected by it, except for the exceptions included in each golem's stats.
Constructs can drink potions and benefit from it.
Can they? They only semi-applicable rule I can think of is the Iron Body spell, which says you can't drink or benefit from potions in that condition.
Constructs can drink potions and benefit from it.Can they? They only semi-applicable rule I can think of is the Iron Body spell, which says you can't drink or benefit from potions in that condition.
While the bestiary just says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" that doesn't include drinking.
Advanced Race Guide has some additional info on that: "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that a construct can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required to survive or stay in good health."
And potion rules has: "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
So as long as the potion/infusion spell effect could affect golems: no issues with spell immunity/SR; doesn't have to only affect living creatures (cure X wounds for healing), and if requiring a fortitude save for whatever reason would also affect objects or is harmless; the potion/infusion ought to work.
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Constructs can drink potions and benefit from it.Can they? They only semi-applicable rule I can think of is the Iron Body spell, which says you can't drink or benefit from potions in that condition.While the bestiary just says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" that doesn't include drinking.
Advanced Race Guide has some additional info on that: "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that a construct can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required to survive or stay in good health."
And potion rules has: "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
So as long as the potion/infusion spell effect could affect golems: no issues with spell immunity/SR; doesn't have to only affect living creatures (cure X wounds for healing), and if requiring a fortitude save for whatever reason would also affect objects or is harmless; the potion/infusion ought to work.
I think that the rule from the ARG you cite applies only to constructs created using that book, not to the Bestiary constructs.
I see it as a exception made for the benefit of playable races, not a general rule.
Constructs can drink potions and benefit from it.Can they? They only semi-applicable rule I can think of is the Iron Body spell, which says you can't drink or benefit from potions in that condition.While the bestiary just says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" that doesn't include drinking.
Advanced Race Guide has some additional info on that: "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that a construct can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required to survive or stay in good health."
And potion rules has: "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
So as long as the potion/infusion spell effect could affect golems: no issues with spell immunity/SR; doesn't have to only affect living creatures (cure X wounds for healing), and if requiring a fortitude save for whatever reason would also affect objects or is harmless; the potion/infusion ought to work.
I think that the rule from the ARG you cite applies only to constructs created using that book, not to the Bestiary constructs.
I see it as a exception made for the benefit of playable races, not a general rule.
Well with that reasoning, a construct wyrwood wizard isn't able to get spells back without "8 hours of sleep".
The Bestiary entry says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" not that they can't, nor does it say anything about drinking. Also potions still says "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
The Advanced Race Guide entry didn't change anything, just explained how a PC character would still benefit, whereas typically a NPC construct wouldn't bother and not specified in the Bestiary entry.
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In my home game I have a recurring BBE (Alchemist) who uses Albative Barrier extracts on lots of things... Constructs are great! Flesh Golems get +2 on AC and the first 5 HP are converted to nonlethal damage (which the Golem is immune to). Duration is hours per level or until it burns off 5 HP per level (up to 50HP).
While the bestiary just says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" that doesn't include drinking.
Advanced Race Guide has some additional info on that: "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that a construct can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required to survive or stay in good health."
And potion rules has: "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
So as long as the potion/infusion spell effect could affect golems: no issues with spell immunity/SR; doesn't have to only affect living creatures (cure X wounds for healing), and if requiring a fortitude save for whatever reason would also affect objects or is harmless; the potion/infusion ought to work.
I think most constructs simply don't have the physical capacity to drink a potion. No one is going to build a stomach on a stone or iron golem, and the mouth is just there for aesthetics to make it look more humanoid. It can't necessarily swallow.
I think that the rule from the ARG you cite applies only to constructs created using that book, not to the Bestiary constructs.
I see it as a exception made for the benefit of playable races, not a general rule.
Agreed, these were some special rules for Wyrwoods, which are very different from your normal built, unintelligent construct.
Well with that reasoning, a construct wyrwood wizard isn't able to get spells back without "8 hours of sleep".The Bestiary entry says "Constructs do not breathe, eat, or sleep" not that they can't, nor does it say anything about drinking. Also potions still says "Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil."
The Advanced Race Guide entry didn't change anything, just explained how a PC character would still benefit, whereas typically a NPC construct wouldn't bother and not specified in the Bestiary entry.
There are rules for spell recovery for non-sleeping creatures. They have to rest or not do anything active for 8 hours. (You can sit and read or play solitaire or meditate on your past failures, but not craft or do anything useful.)
Potions says any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil because there's a lot of simplifications in the rules for space constraints or because they didn't think of odd corner cases. I think you'll have a hard time convincing some GMs that a skeleton can imbibe and benefit from a potion, or that a creature without a mouth (I know that there is at least one) can do the same. Constructs are easily in a similar gray area, depending on how they are built and whether they have entirely unnecessary features like mouths, throats, and stomachs.
Related: can elementals drink potions? Which ones? Reliance on a blanket grant to corporeal creatures doesn't get us far.
I think most constructs simply don't have the physical capacity to drink a potion. No one is going to build a stomach on a stone or iron golem, and the mouth is just there for aesthetics to make it look more humanoid. It can't necessarily swallow.
You assume "produces its effect when imbibed" requires a digestive system or metabolism. The ingredients are irrelevant to the body because its a spell in a bottle, not a beer. A potion doesn't require a stomach if "a construct can drink potions to benefit from their effects". The action triggers the spell effect instantly, not after it goes down.
To your point, at least an open mouth is needed. That said, if a stone golem has a face with lips, why would it not be able to move it's lips open if it can move everything else?