Construct armor and polymorph effects.

[Rithryn]

If you change shape via silverblood lychanthropy template and you are wearing construct armor with a fly speed do you maintain the fly speed?

[Joey Cote]

I assume you mean when you transform into the animal shape and your equipment melds into your new form.

The Change Shape ability says "
Equipment does not meld with the new form when changing between humanoid and hybrid form, but does when changing between those forms and animal form."

Transmutation- Polymorph rules say "Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form."

Since they both use the term I would say they should be treated the same way. I think the problem comes when we look at the rules for giving an animated object a new movement type. The rules aren't explicit, but they do call the movement a EX not a SL or SU. So I would think that they construct flies due to wings or some other physical means. Which wouldn't be available to you when it melds into you.

[Diego Rossi]

As Joey Cote said, the additional forms of movement of a construct are an EX ability, so probably they are dependant on the form of the construct.
Polymorphing ina form without the appropriate appendages should remove the form of movement.
As with all the decisions about what Ex abilities are retained or lost when using a Polymorph spell, you should ask your GM his interpretation of how it works for the specific situation. The variables are so numerous that an outsider can give only an opinion, not a factual reply.

The forum recently ha developed some problems with the new posts. Before writing a post again, if you don't see it, try closing the tread or forum section and reopening it or moving to another forum and return to the one where you started a thread. I had to leave this thread, reenter, and then click on the thread name to see this post.

[Joey Cote]

Do we even know if the construct armor wearer gains any of the abilities of the construct? Flight, special attacks, etc? The rules for this just aren't explicit enough, saying "the construct performs no independent actions" isn't really enough. Can the creator order the construct while in armor form to do something other then convert back to it's independent form?

[LordKailas]

Joey Cote wrote:

Do we even know if the construct armor wearer gains any of the abilities of the construct? Flight, special attacks, etc? The rules for this just aren't explicit enough, saying "the construct performs no independent actions" isn't really enough. Can the creator order the construct while in armor form to do something other then convert back to it's independent form?

Unless the armor states that the wearer gains those abilities they do not. It's the same as having a trained parrot on your shoulder that's a familiar or animal companion. You can order the parrot to use it's abilities but unless a feature of the familiar or companion grants the ability to you, that ability stays with them.

In the case of the construct armor, the armor isn't really giving the wearer the ability to fly. The armor has the ability to fly and is able to carry the wearer because they are inside the armor. Keep in mind, the armor does have a strength score and so if the wearer is too heavy it wouldn't be able to carry them while flying. Because the armor is getting affected by a polymorph effect while the lycanthrope is transformed it can't perform any actions that require its previous shape. This may not be very much at all if the armor doesn't have any purely mental actions it can perform.

edit: Looking at the armor modification, I'm not sure that the construct would be able to make use of it's flight abilities while being worn to begin with. Since the armor can not take any independent actions and flying would be an action independent of the wearer. The same way a mount takes actions that are independent of it's rider.

[Diego Rossi]

LordKailas wrote:

Joey Cote wrote:

Do we even know if the construct armor wearer gains any of the abilities of the construct? Flight, special attacks, etc? The rules for this just aren't explicit enough, saying "the construct performs no independent actions" isn't really enough. Can the creator order the construct while in armor form to do something other then convert back to it's independent form?

Unless the armor states that the wearer gains those abilities they do not. It's the same as having a trained parrot on your shoulder that's a familiar or animal companion. You can order the parrot to use it's abilities but unless a feature of the familiar or companion grants the ability to you, that ability stays with them.

In the case of the construct armor, the armor isn't really giving the wearer the ability to fly. The armor has the ability to fly and is able to carry the wearer because they are inside the armor. Keep in mind, the armor does have a strength score and so if the wearer is too heavy it wouldn't be able to carry them while flying. Because the armor is getting affected by a polymorph effect while the lycanthrope is transformed it can't perform any actions that require its previous shape. This may not be very much at all if the armor doesn't have any purely mental actions it can perform.

edit: Looking at the armor modification, I'm not sure that the construct would be able to make use of it's flight abilities while being worn to begin with. Since the armor can not take any independent actions and flying would be an action independent of the wearer. The same way a mount takes actions that are independent of it's rider.

Lots of valid points!

Thanks for the clear analysis.

[Cevah]

You all are overthinking it.

Construct Armor is not equipment, but a separate creature. As such, it does not meld into you when you change form.

/cevah