If the Wyrwood takes the Living Machine Alternative Racial Trait
Living Machine: Through generations of refining the techniques of creation, many young wyrwoods have become closer to organic beings than constructs. These wyrwoods are constructs with the living machine subtype. They gain a Constitution score and can be targeted by spells and effects that target living creatures or constructs, as well as those that require a Fortitude save. They are no longer immune to ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, exhaustion, or fatigue. Wyrwoods with this trait require sleep, but they do not need to breathe or eat. They are not destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points, instead becoming unconscious and stable. They are destroyed when reduced to a negative number of hit points equal to their Constitution score. They can be raised or resurrected when destroyed. This alters the wyrwood’s creature type. Source PPC:HoG
Do they
1) Still get D10 HD?
2) Do you add your Con to that HD?
3) Allowed to receive Morale Bonuses? (I believe so just while we are at it, double checking)
This is what I think the Construct type is left with after the Living Machine trait is applied
- d10 Hit Die.
- Base attack bonus equal to total Hit Dice (fast progression).
- No good saving throws.
- Skill points equal to 2 + Int modifier (minimum 1) per Hit Die. Constructs do not have any class skills, regardless of their Intelligence scores.
Traits: A construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
- Low-light vision.
- Darkvision 60 feet.
- Cannot heal damage on its own
- Not at risk of death from massive damage.
- A construct is hard to destroy, and gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on the following table.
- Proficient with its natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with any weapon mentioned in its entry.
- Proficient with no armor.
- Constructs do not breathe, or eat.
Have I missed anything?
Wyrwood as a player race never got d10 hit dice. They we're defined by their class hit dice. If you're not building a Wyrwood with class levels, then I'd probably leave it with the d10.
Since you get a constitution score with the living machine subtype, you would get to add your con modifier to your HP.
Nothing about being a construct causes you to be immune to morale bonuses. Though being mindless does. But Wyrwood aren't mindless.
Edit: I'm wrong on the morale bonus part. I forgot being immune to mind affecting includes morale bonuses. And construct are immune to mind affecting effects.
Nothing removes the immunity to mind affecting from construct subtype that I saw, so it remains. Which means no morale bonuses.
So a google search shows that Arcane Reinforcement is a spell that allows your to add your spellcraft ranks to a craft skill check.
If used while crafting a construct, you would be able to more easily exceed the DC to craft. This may allow for higher HP, though I can't find a specific sources that says a higher check in crafting allows for more HP.
Resurrecting this this thread, since Living Machines can be resurrected. Lol.
Could Wyrwood with the Living Machine alternative racial feature be turned Undead... such as a Ghoul, Ghast, Lich, or Vampire?
I found a description of the Living Machine subtype from some Eberron Pathfinder site that said they [Living Machines] cannot be turned into Undead... but I don't believe it is in any way official. There is just very little information available on this particular subtype, and I would personally rather have them be capable of being turned into Undead... it's more fun that way.
Does having the ability to be resurrected, in turn, also give one of these Living Machine Wyrwood the ability to be turned Undead?
I already have Outsiders with the Native subtype as Undead, and was wondering if Living Machine would allow me to realistically include Living Machine Wyrwood in my ever-expanding Undead army. The overall intention of Living Machine subtype for Constructs seems to be similar to what the Native subtype does for Outsiders... although I do know this is the rules arena, and we don't discuss intentions here. Lol.
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I'm not actually seeing anything in the base type description that prevents a regular construct from becoming an undead, though it could be inferred. They can't be "raised or resurrected." The cleanest reading is probably "can't be raised (as undead) or be the target of raise dead or resurrection." And of course they are immune to ability damage and drain (which is how a lot of undead make spawn). That leaves open a crack for abilities that flat-out turn you undead without specifically killing you first. Like (possibly) a lich's transformation.
Living Machine removes both those potential protections, so yeah, they could be turned undead. A shadow could strength drain a Living Machine and make another shadow.
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I'm not actually seeing anything in the base type description that prevents a regular construct from becoming an undead, though it could be inferred. They can't be "raised or resurrected." The cleanest reading is probably "can't be raised (as undead) or be the target of raise dead or resurrection." And of course they are immune to ability damage and drain (which is how a lot of undead make spawn). That leaves open a crack for abilities that flat-out turn you undead without specifically killing you first. Like (possibly) a lich's transformation.
Living Machine removes both those potential protections, so yeah, they could be turned undead. A shadow could strength drain a Living Machine and make another shadow.
Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces.
A construct is an animated object or artificially created creature.
I fail to see how a destroyed construct can be a once-living creature.
“Lich” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature
“Graveknight” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature
“Ghost” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature
I think that all undead templates can be added only to a living or once-living creature. A construct isn't a living creature.
There is a factor that can allow the applications of templates that are added to a still living creature:
"They gain a Constitution score and can be targeted by spells and effects that target living creatures or constructs,"
The problem is as soon as the Wyrmwood is destroyed, it is not possible to target it.
The question is if a template is "targeted". I would say no in most instances. Only some ritual targets some of them.
Me-thinks that since most Undead templates are applied to living creatures, we actually do not have to worry about if Living Machine Constructs are or are not destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points [instead becoming unconscious and stable]... the template is technically applied whilst they are still living, so the Living Machine's destruction upon death isn't actually relevant. Whatever evil energies animate the dead undoubtedly maintain the structural integrity of the Construct during its transformation into its new Undead existence.
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Me-thinks that since most Undead templates are applied to living creatures, we actually do not have to worry about if Living Machine Constructs are or are not destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points [instead becoming unconscious and stable]... the template is technically applied whilst they are still living, so the Living Machine's destruction upon death isn't actually relevant. Whatever evil energies animate the dead undoubtedly maintain the structural integrity of the Construct during its transformation into its new Undead existence.
I am not convinced. There are several versions of the text about how an Undead template is applied, but I think this illustrates the problem I see:
A juju zombie is an animated corpse of a creature, created to serve as an undead minion, that retains the skills and abilities it possessed in life.
Creating a Juju Zombie
“Juju zombie” is an acquired template that can be added to any living corporeal creature, referred to hereafter as the base creature.
It is " an animated corpse", but the template is "added to any living corporeal creature".
So, what are they trying to communicate?
a) That the template is imposed on a living creature that becomes a corpse and turns into a Juju Zombie?
or
b) A living, corporeal creature is slain and then animated as a Juju Zombie?
Let's look at the Vrolikai Demon:
Death-Stealing Gaze (Su) 1 permanent negative level, 30 ft., DC 27 negates.
Creatures slain by these negative levels become juju zombies (see page 291) under the vrolikai’s control. The save DC is Charisma-based.
At least when created by a Vrolikai Demon, the creature is first slain and then turned into an undead.
I think that most, in not all, Undead are created by first killing the creature, then raising it as an Undead.
Vampire
“Vampire” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with 5 or more Hit Dice (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Create Spawn (Su): A vampire can create spawn out of those it slays with blood drain or energy drain, provided that the slain creature is of the same creature type as the vampire’s base creature type. The victim rises from death as a vampire in 1d4 days. This vampire is under the command of the vampire that created it, and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. A vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. A vampire may free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a vampire or vampire spawn cannot be enslaved again.
A vampire can elect to create a vampire spawn instead of a full-fledged vampire when she uses her create spawn ability on a humanoid creature only.
The same pattern as above: the vampire kills someone and decides if he wants to raise him as a vampire or a spawn.
I think that there is a pattern here: a creature is killed, then it is raised/raise as an Undead.
Naturally, a pattern isn't an explicit rule, so any GM should choose how it works.
I do believe both are, indeed, true... that a Living Machine Wyrwood is a living creature, inasmuch as an Android is, in fact, a living creature... and that Wyrwoods would possess some semblence of a soul, which seems to be the requirement for being resurrected.
Living Machine wrote:
"They gain a Constitution score and can be targeted by spells and effects that target living creatures or constructs..."
Given Androids are not safe from becoming Undead [or safe from Magic Jar/Trap the Soul], and can be resurrected... I see absolutely reason why the same would not be the same for other living machines [such as, but not limited to, Living Machine Wyrwood].
Android wrote:
"What separates androids from golems and other mindless constructs is that androids are living beings and as such possess souls."
"For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), androids count both as humanoids and as constructs."
Wyrwoods are not "mindless constructs"... in fact, they are "minions with free will". And given that Wyrwood are also "purely rational and unemotional", with "the survival of their race as their primary goal"... I would imagine that certain Undead traits may seem beneficial/better than one's own Construct traits. The first Living Machine Wyrwood to turn Undead may have even happened by accident "through generations of refining the techniques of creation".