Clarification around Mending et al and Androids

[Nerdy Canuck]

With the FAQ note about Constructed working to the character's benefit for beneficial effects, I'm wondering about the ability of Technomancer spells to heal Androids.

If I'm reading correctly, Mending does not work on Androids because of its seize limitation, but spells like Make Whole and Rapid Repair would. Do I have that right?

[Garretmander]

Seems right to me.

[Nerdy Canuck]

Note to self: Android Power Armour Melee Technomancer could be super fun.

[Pantshandshake]

There's a nice suit of PA for casters too, which I can only assume would be double-plus-fun.

[WatersLethe]

There is still some unclear language in Mending. The target of the spell is an object, but the description of the spell lists constructs which are creatures.

I would argue that 1d4 HP once per day isn't going to break anything, so it should work on constructs, like Androids, as described in the text.

[Nerdy Canuck]

Yes, but the spell also specifies that it only works on targets up to 1 bulk, which a Medium creature would clearly exceed.

[SuperBidi]

The bulk system only works for items. A creature hasn't a bulk number. That's the reason why mounted combat rules completely ignore bulks and only speak of size.
In that case, I think it's a typo, and the target should be either a 1 bulk item or a construct.

[HammerJack]

Since weight is never used for encumbrance, assigning bulk to creatures is necessary to mechanically handle what happens when people start carrying other people (whether you use the 10 lb per bulk approximation, use the 16 bulk for a medium creature and 24 for a large creature that is given as a rule in ATAT2, or take some other approach.)

[Dracomicron]

Kinda begs the question: Are there any constructed creatures that are 1 bulk or less?

[SuperBidi]

HammerJack wrote:

use the 16 bulk for a medium creature

This rule means that a combat drone with a ridding saddle can't be mounted by a medium creature before level 7 (considering it carries no weapon on his own).

[HammerJack]

I'm not saying that the mount rules in Starfinder work without adding some houserule onto them, whether it is a carry weight increasing saddle, an alternate bulk calculation for a rider who isn't dead weight, or the zero bulk creatures that you suggest.

Because they don't. At all.

Going from "mount rules are a mess" to "therefore creatures have no bulk" is a jump, though.

[Malach the Merciless]

By literally reading of the spell and the rules of androids, I would say yes it will heal an android, I agree that is the scheme of everything 1d4 once per day isn't game breaking. I also agree the wording of the spell could be made much clearer

As far as bulk, unless I have missed something, bulk does not apply to creatures but objects. Additionally Constructs are not objects but creatures, and the spell specifically calls out constructs.

[Xenocrat]

Malach the Merciless wrote:

As far as bulk, unless I have missed something, bulk does not apply to creatures but objects.

Since carrying limits are only specified in terms of bulk, this would mean that a character of any strength can carry a creature of any size. That seems...unlikely.

[HammerJack]

As an aside, I don't find the idea that mending was intended target an item if one bulk or a construct of any size (similar to how make whole targets an item with a bulk limit or a construct of any size) to be implausible. I do think it needs to be considered to be a houserule, with no official source for it, bug it is absolutely not a game breaking rule.

[WatersLethe]

There are many cases in Starfinder where the rules are insufficiently clear and one should ask the GM for an ad hoc ruling.

Since going purely by the "target" block, the spell can't target constructs at all since constructs are not objects, rather they are creatures, there is no interpretation of the spell that is wholly internally consistent. I agree that this should fall under "GM Discretion" but I wouldn't go so far as to call it house ruling.

I do wonder what Starfinder Society rules state.

I would also like to point out that the casting time of the spell is 10 minutes, so it's even further into the realm of "Not a big deal."

[Ascalaphus]

The text of Mending in Starfinder is almost the same as in Pathfinder, except that in Pathfinder it specifically can't target constructs.

Pathfinder Make Whole and Starfinder Make Whole are also almost the same, and they both say "This spell functions as Mending, except it restores 5d6 Hit Points when cast on an object or construct creature."

My take is, Mending probably shouldn't affect constructs at all. It's a cantrip, so spammable, and Paizo's shown an almost pathological fear of allowing unlimited healing, even if it's slow. (Boots of the Earth, Verminous Hunter)

[Super Zero]

It explicitly only works on a construct once per day, so that part is covered by the spell itself.

[BigNorseWolf]

"what is my magical specialty?"

"repair of small objects"

*cries*