I've personally gone the opposite here and ruled that Androids can be both healed and mended. But by RAW it seems your interpretation rings truer. I'd say RAI is probably no mending but healing works as normal for simplicity's sake.
For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse).
Healing doesn't target by type.
For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse).Healing doesn't target by type.
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but Mystic Cure targets one living creature. An Android from what OP is saying is both that and a construct. And constructed says treat as both, but for the worst. Mystic Cure wouldn't affect a construct and Mending wouldn't affect a living creature.
So yeah I can see where the problem lies.
As Tali Wah pointed out, the 'whichever is worse' only applies if a spell specifically targets a construct or humanoid.
Mystic Cure : Target - One living creature. So this works on androids.
Mending : Target - One object. Doesn't work on an Android.
Rapid Repair : Target - One construct or weapon. Does *not* work on Android (since being classified as humanoid is worse).
Charm Person : Target - One humanoid. Works on Android (since being classified as humanoid is worse).
The issue is muddied somewhat because there are a number of spells that target "A construct of the technological subtype".
Under the Android description, we have "Medium Humanoids with the Android Subtype" and "For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse)."
Whether Androids count as "A construct of the technological subtype" is unclear. I would presume the answer would be 'Yes' because of their flavor text "Complex technological creations", but that's just me presuming...
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I'll repost what I said in another similar discussion in the Rules forums:
The spell would need to specify it's targeting a creature type or that it affects a creature type before Android's Constructed comes into consideration:
For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse).
Other spells allow you to target other categories of creatures or items, such as construct, corpse, or object
Mystic Cure doesn't target by creature type, but by if a creature is living or not (also with the specific case of level 4 Mystic Cure affecting creatures that died, no longer living but specific exception stated by spell). So Constructed trait doesn't come into play. But androids would still benefit from Mystic Cure because they count as living creatures.
Many spells affect “living creatures,” which means all creatures other than constructs and undead artificially created beings that are not undead or constructs are considered living for this purpose).
Reincarnate would work for androids also in this case for the same reasons.
Mending, specifies it can affect a construct. That's a creature type, so we can then consider Constructed trait. Androids then get counted as construct and humanoid, whichever effect is worst. In this case, humanoid is worse as humanoids don't benefit from Mending, then androids don't get affected by Mending.
Make Whole and Rapid Repair says it targets a construct. Same case with Mending, Androids get counted as construct and humanoid, where humanoid is worse (humanoids don't benefit from these spells) and so androids don't get affected by those spells.
A spell like Charm Person, Dominate Person, Daze, Hold Person all specify they target humanoids. Androids would then again get counted as construct and humanoid, in these cases humanoid is worse so then the androids gets affected by all those negative spells.
Deep Slumber targets living creatures, which androids qualify. It specifies construct types are immune to it, so we look at Constructed and we see androids counting as humanoid is worse and they're still affected by Deep Slumber, but at least they get +2 racial bonus to saving throws against it.
Entropic Grasp says it would work "against a manufactured creature (generally constructs, but not undead), this attack deals 6d12 damage. In this case, android's Constructed the construct type is worse, and they'd suffer the damage.
Raise Dead is iffy. It targets living creatures that died, which androids count. It also says constructs can't be raised by the spell (page 371), so being a construct is worse for androids in this case and they can't be raised. However, Owen K. Stephens states in the forums that androids are a special case and that they can be raised like any other living creature.
I think something is over looked. "Which ever is worse" this applies to negative effects, not positives effects. So healing is a positive effect which does not apply to the rule of "which ever is worse" but any effect that controls, deals, damages or alters in a negative way the character is negative, the android race gets the worse of two effects if there are two effects that apply based on being humanoid or construct. I don't know any effect that has two results based on the type of the creature being humanoid or construct.
In the event, you come across a positive effect that affects both humanoids and constructs then this rule would apply but only if it states it has two effects.
Healing effects that don't work on constructs but on living creatures will work on androids because there is no lesser effect. That's why healing effects don't state what an effect on a construct is because there is no effect. Now some might state that no effect is the lesser but remember "no effect" is not an effect. If it was then it would read "using this on a construct would have this effect" then once that was stated it has an effect to compare.
Why would "whichever is worse" only apply to negative effects?
"For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse)."
If a item or spell said it healed 4hp to humanoids and 8hp to constructs, then it would only heal 4hp to Androids, because that is worse.
Why would "whichever is worse" only apply to negative effects?
"For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse)."
If a item or spell said it healed 4hp to humanoids and 8hp to constructs, then it would only heal 4hp to Androids, because that is worse.
your right I forgot to put that in
