Promethean Disciple Is a discovery that works well on paper but much more difficult to utilize successfully.
Sure, You can use Craft (Alchemy) for the skill check, but the Craft DC skyrockets once you realize that the spells are spells that you don’t have. On top of that, they don’t get their bonus from Alchemy because they’re not crafting alchemical items, and the Material Mastery discovery applies to crafting magic items.
So what constructs can you easily make with this discovery? I’m looking for ones with either:
• spell requirements that the alchemists can easily fit,
• few non-alchemist spell requirements,
• or a low enough DC that can be easily beat.
Trompe l'Oeil only take 2 spells, Animate Objects and Enter Image, so that's +10 to the DC.
An Alchemist can probably use their craft bonus to alchemy to produce the necessary paints to help cut down on costs for the painting, too. Between that and having an ally with Fabricate or paying an NPC as a spellcasting service, you should be able to save at least a bit.
On the other hand, the template is easily abused and liable to get banned or nerfed into oblivion. Maybe specific things on a case-by-case basis could be bargained for, though. It's not particularly broken on something that's just a sack of hp and a relevant attack bonus compared to something with SLAs or casting.
Waxwork Creature is less abusable, since they all boil down into various flavors of beatstick, and also only takes 2 spells to make Animate Objects and Make Whole. They are absurdly vulnerable to fire, though, and it takes a not-insignificant amount of resources to address this. The whole "cost of wax" part is also potentially awkward.
In both cases, the CL is dependent on the HD of the creature you're using as the basis, so the DC basically boils down to 15 + HD, if I remember the formula correctly.
The discovery opens up at Alchemist 6, so assuming 20 Intelligence, they're rocking 6 (ranks) + 3 (class skill) + 5 (Int) = +14, so can hit DC 24 when Taking 10. So they could make a 9 HD Waxwork/Trompe.
Having an ally cast the Crafter's Fortune spell for a +5 Luck bonus to Craft (Alchemy) to create the construct can help a good deal, and it wouldn't be that expensive to buy as a spellcasting service, either, at least when it comes to a major investment like making a construct. So going back to my example, that would boost it up to a 14 HD Waxwork/Trompe.
Angelic Guardians have a DC to build of 24 when you're bypassing the Mage Armor and Scorching Ray spell requirements. Since you'll probably have to be level 10 in order to build them in the first place, that means you're already rocking a +13 just from ranks in Craft (Alchemy) and having it as a Class Skill, so it should be easily made just by Taking 10. The required spells are also relatively easy to get from a friend, too, or even buy.
Not really sure if it's worthwhile to have, though. It is Medium size, which can be helpful, but it also only has 6 HD and can thus can only be boosted up to 9 HD using HD Modification from the Building and Modifying Constructs rules.
Argent Wardens have the nasty limiting requirement of being built in Heaven, although that may just be +5 to the DC. Animate Objects and Protection From Evil are the only spells needed, so at least one of those is easy to get from a third party. Worst case scenario the DC is 26, and at 11th level your Alchemist is rocking a +14 just from skill ranks, so it should be easily done when Taking 10.
Its 14 HD can be boosted up to 21 total with HD Modification, giving it a bit more longevity than some other options, and it is Medium-sized, which can be very handy.
Hollow Ones only require Lesser Simulacrum as far as spells go. So even without access to that spell, the DC is only 19. It even has 15 HD in its base form, so they have some longevity, being capable of being boosted up to 22 HD via HD Modification. They're also intelligent so they have feats, possibly even ones that can be customized, whether during creation or via the Retraining rules. (If their feats and skills can be changed, they can more than qualify for Magical Craftsman and be a crafting servant, at least for a subset of Wondrous Items.)
Biggest downside is the 10% chance of not getting a useful minion out of it. The second biggest downside is the laborious process of harvesting the material for them. Unless the Slough spell will work to get all of the necessary skin in one go, anyway. The third biggest downside is unlikely to come up in most games, but if the game spans a long period of time in-universe, you're really going to want to buff the construct's Will Save for that yearly check to see if it goes mad.
Homunculi are within grasp with Arcane Eye appearing on the Alchemist Formula list. Mirror Image and Mending aren't the most difficult spells to get from a third party, either. The DC is pretty low, too, so with Arcane Eye, the DC is only 22, even without it, a DC of 27 is within the reach of a 6th level Alchemist, provided they can make up the 5 point difference between their +12 from skill ranks/class skill and Taking 10.
At their base level, homunculi aren't that useful, but when boosted, they can get stupid-good.
Kikituks have Blasphemy, Geas/Quest, and Keen Edge, which combine to make a DC 34, but at 14th level, you're rocking a +17 from skill ranks/class skill and should easily be able to make up the +7 difference when Taking 10 just from Intelligence alone at that point.
Their at-will SLAs can provide some pretty handy utility, and it technically doesn't require you to actually be able to cast the spells that you program them with. They are ridiculously vulnerable to Erase, but Erase is fairly rare among enemy SLAs and Spell Lists, at least. Their 20 HD means they can be boosted up to 30 HD with HD Modification. A bit hard to fit in most dungeons, though, given their Huge size.
Poppets only require Make Whole and Mending for the basic version, and each augment (which is where most of their utility comes from, other than being perpetual motion machines with hands) can be added on after the initial construction of the poppet. Each augmentation does require a new spell or spells, though. I believe it's a GM call whether you'd count the spells just for creating the poppet when determining the DC while augmenting it. Mending is a really easy spell to get access to even if you can't cast it yourself, though. It's also super-likely to be something that a party member or other ally can help you with.
The bigger issue is more that at level 6+, you're getting Poppets about when they're nearing the end of their lifespan for useful utility, and their fragility is an ever-increasing issue anywhere near combat.
Living Effigies take Limited Wish, Nightmare, and Trap the Soul, but for having a DC of 35, due to the level 15 requirement, only +7 is needed to make up the difference when crafting them.
They're big and slow and probably RAI intended to have free will, but RAW appear to be under the creator's control as is the default. Not sure how useful they would be, but they do have a number of SLAs and an at-will Charm Person ability. The bigger obstacle is probably the fact that someone needs to die in order to make one and it's preferably someone who is on good terms with you, as a servant that hates you and seeks your doom is never good for your health.
Mirror Men require Animate Dead, Cat's Grace, Geas/Quest, Irriseni Mirror Sight, Magic Jar, and Sending, 3 of which are on the Alchemist Formula list. So the DC is only a 31.
They are intelligent, which is good, and they're humanoid and medium-sized. They are made from a dead person's body AND a dead person's soul, though. On the bright side, they lose most of their memories and personality in the process of being created, so it should be A-OK to use an enemy Rogue or the like to make one. Aside from the raw evil of it and the likelihood of it being mistaken for necromancy and leading to issues, at any rate.
Rune Guardians require Fly, Geas/Quest, and then the spell that the construct is going to have as an at-will SLA. Since Fly is on the Alchemist Formula List, that means the DC is 26, unless you go with a spell that's on the Alchemist Formula list or one that you can get from a 3rd party, in which case it's only DC 21. Even a 6th level Alchemist can easily hit the DC 21 when Taking 10. There's a +7 gap to bridge with Intelligence and other sources when hitting the DC 26 version, but even then, the more useful spammable SLAs retain usefulness well beyond level 6.
There are some potential issues about whether they'll be allowed, but they're potentially quite useful SLA-monkeys, even just limited to 1st level spells. Shame that they didn't specify what the construction requirements for higher level spell variants would be, though.
Skinstitches have laughably easy requirements, as they require no spells. So the DC is only 13. Even if you can ignore level requirements by boosting the DC by 5, a DC 18 is trivial to a level 6 Alchemist.
On the other hand, they're also pretty weak and only have 4 HD so they top out at 6 HD even using HD Modification. They have a decent strength score and are large size, so I suppose they could have some small utility with lifting and carrying, and they are pretty cheap as far as constructs go.
Soulbound Mannequins require Disguise Self, False Life, Lesser Geas, Magic Jar, and Minor Creation, and Alchemists have 3 of the 5 on their Formula list. So the DC is 22 with access to all of the ones via Alchemist.
Making one without either permanently killing someone or paying an expensive Raise Dead cost requires a bit of finagling with some allies and Breath of Life. They are intelligent, and retain more of the personality of the person they're based on, so they can be useful in social roles. They have decent HD, too, with their 10 HD being able to be boosted up to 15 with HD Modification, and they are potentially able to take the Magical Craftsman feat with appropriate skill investment. Depending upon their alignment, they can also provide spells which can be useful for making other constructs, I think Fear is probably the most notable of those.
Soulbound Dolls require Flase Life, Lesser Gease, Magic Jar, and Minor Creation. So their DC is also 22 once the Alchemist has access to Magic Jar.
They're much less useful than Soulbound Mannequins in general, but they can provide a couple of spells that Soulbound Mannequins don't have access to, such as Heroism, which can be useful for making other constructs.
Tophets require Bull's Strength and Endure Elements, both of which are on the Alchemist Formula list and at low levels, too. So the DC should only be 17, or 22 if the CL 12 requirement can be circumvented.
With 14 HD, they can be boosted up to 21 HD, giving them some longevity and they are Large so while they won't fit everywhere, they'll be able to fit a fair number of places. It's probably worth looking into having an ally cast Arcane Lock on its iron hatch if possible. Its AC is a tad low, though, for higher levels.
Tribal Totems require Animate Objects, Disguise Self, Locate Creature, Magic Mouth, and Shield Other, with the Greater version also requiring Arcane Eye. Disguise Self and Arcane Eye are both on the Alchemist Formula list, so the DC to create them is pretty similar at DC 33 and DC 34. At level 11 and level 13, respectively, it's not a huge gap between what you can get with the skill ranks/class skill while Taking 10 and the DC.
Not very useful, on the whole, aside from using its Effigy and Spirit Link abilities which are useful if you have a scheme to exploit them specifically. On the bright side, they're Medium Size, so they can fit a lot of places.
Kikituks are among my favorite constructs, so I’m glad you mentioned them. Giving them a polymorph SLA such as Alter Self or Beast Shape II can help with the size issue, while also giving them infiltration abilities.
You also mentioned Soulbound constructs. What about Soulbound Shells? You can fill in 3/5ths of those spell requirements, and since they’re intelligent, they can be customized with not only feats and skills, but spells as well.
Skinstitches are awesome, especially their Enhanced and Resilient variants. The Nest ability can be loads of fun. Throw a couple variant Skinstitches in the basement with a Deathweb and half a dozen Spider Swarms...
One of my favorites is the Fiend-Infused Irespan Basalt Stone Golem. They are not for the poors, though. If you are in any way concerned about cutting corners, this probably isn't for you.
Iron Golems equipped with cursed Cloaks of Immolation... even better if you can find the construction requirements for Iron Golem Archers. Iron Golem Archers and any sort of fire-breathing dragon make a pretty decent addition to just about any security detail.
Here is a list from a different poster in a different thread...
Kikituks are among my favorite constructs, so I’m glad you mentioned them. Giving them a polymorph SLA such as Alter Self or Beast Shape II can help with the size issue, while also giving them infiltration abilities.
You also mentioned Soulbound constructs. What about Soulbound Shells? You can fill in 3/5ths of those spell requirements, and since they’re intelligent, they can be customized with not only feats and skills, but spells as well.
I suppose you're right about the polymorph SLA and Kikituks. I hadn't considered that one before. That's a pretty good idea. They might not be able to get hit by Erase when polymorphed, too, which would be a handy defense.
I avoided touching on Soulbound Shells because I find them kind of awkward, since they feel like someone split the difference between making a creature and making a template. They also require permanently killing a willing sacrifice, so they're basically irrelevant and even if they weren't, the NPC ally is almost certainly better off alive instead of made into a construct. Especially since you can just use something like Reincarnate or Cyclical Reincarnation instead if old age is an issue.
If you could make them from captured enemies, that'd be dandy, even with the awkwardness of them.
That said, with a DC 27, a decently spendy price, and the requirement to kill off a 12th level, willing NPC, I don't see this being an option until higher levels, and after level 10, you're rocking a result of 23+ when Taking 10. So even a modest intelligence score can bridge the gap before too many levels pass.
Their 15 HD is decent and can get bumped up to 22 with HD Modification. Hopefully you as the creator get to choose whether they cast as a Witch, Cleric, or Wizard and then get to pick their prepared spells. Otherwise it's a potentially even bigger hassle. Although given their poor Wisdom score, you'd better hope for a merciful GM who allows them to switch their Wisdom and Intelligence scores or at least a high enough Wisdom to be able to cast any Cleric spells at all. Or keeping the Int and/or Wis of the spellcaster used to make them, I suppose.
I suppose you could technically take a 12th level Ranger and trade out his weaker spellcasting for some Wizard spellcasting, and that's arguably a power boost, just because of how good Wizard casting is. Or even take technicalities to their limits and take some kind of level 12 Commoner or whatever and retrain a single level into a spellcasting class and then bam, 12th level Witch/Wizard/Cleric casting.
Probably their biggest use here would be as creators of constructs themselves, acting as lieutenants with their own minions, given the fact that they have Craft Construct as a bonus feat. If the feats can be jumbled around in general to make a crafting slave, that would be pretty nice, too.
Taotiehs require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Plane Shift, making for a DC 34. Since you're only supposed to make them at level 14 or higher, that means you're rocking a 17+ modifier, for a minimum of 27 when Taking 10, leaving only a gap of 7 that Int and other bonuses, such as from Cooperative Crafting, need to fill.
With 14 HD they can be boosted up to 21 HD with HD Modification, giving them some decent longevity. Their extradimensional storage space may be a potentially useful gimmick, too. They otherwise seem like solid but not particularly spectacular melee combatants.
In many regards it would be like a Waxwork creature, except you can at least choose a weakness other than vulnerability to fire. I haven't sat out and sussed out the pricepoint where the CR vs. HD or relevant beatsticks is better as a Waxwork or as a Taxidermic Creature, though, and that may be a bit of a project in and of itself. The main disadvantage, other than potentially the cost, is the requirement to have the body of the creature, whereas Waxwork creatures can be made from wax without one of those creatures even being present.
Slough may be of interest here, too, in addition to the creation of Hollow Ones, due to providing a source of amble skin and the stuff that goes on skin. May allow you to have a "vegan" source of Taxidermic creatures with no killing required, since you can always substitute other things for the bones and claws and teeth when doing taxidermy anyway.
OTOH, at the point where you're using the creating constructs based on CR guidelines to price a construct, you' only a few steps removed from just homebrewing a CR-appropriate construct minion that's tailored for the role you want it to fill and then seeking GM approval for it.
Terra-Cotta Soldiers require Animate Objects, Cat's Grace, Geas/Quest, and Keen Edge, of which only Cat's Grace appears on the Alchemist list, so the DC is 29 to make them. At 9th level you're rocking a +12 just from skill ranks/class skill, so there's only a gap of +7 to make up when Takign 10.
As constructs go, they not only have intelligence, the ability to use tools, feats, etc., they also have a useful variant in the Terra-Cotta Horseman that gives them more HD, and thus increases the number of HD they can be boosted by using HD Modification. 8 to 12 HD and then 10 to 15 HD are nifty enough, and HD Modification is actually cheaper per HD for the Terra-Cotta Horseman variant due to having a larger number of initial HD. You can also boost their Int above 1, though it gets pretty expensive to do so, and Soulbound Mannequins and Soulbound Shells are generally better places to start, anyway, if you want a smart construct servitor. Homunculi are probably also superior choices for making an Int-focused construct, though, just due to the number of HD they can be built with in the first place (and then using HD modification you can add on about half again as many HD after they're up and functional).
Tiberoliths require Acid Fog, Limited Wish, and Stone Shape, which results in a DC 32 check to make one. At 11th level, Taking 10 with skill ranks/class skill only gets up to 24, meaning there's a +8 bonus gap that needs to be made up with Int and other factors. May take a couple of extra levels, but shouldn't be out of reach for too long since the right laboratory and an Int of 20 will get you +7 right there. Stone Shape is also going to be at least fairly accessible from party members or NPC allies at level 11+, too.
Their Huge size is a bit unwieldy, but with 13 base HD, they can be boosted up to 19 HD with HD Modification for a bit of longevity. They're not especially good combatants, though their Spell Trap ability can be useful for absorbing the occasional AoE and they also have their own 3/day AoE attack that deals OK damage.
Btw, it wasn't mentioned in this thread but the Spell Knowledge discovery helps a lot to lower the DC. Even if it's just 1 spell that is common among your preferred construct type.
Also cooperative crafting using a sage familiar or even a smart construct (like one of the ones that can learn feats).
With this, I believe I've touched upon all of the constructs that seem remotely creatable and without an onerous number of spells required to make them or otherwise high DC that precludes making them when they might conceivably be useful. At least the ones that aren't in the Clockwork, Golem, or Robot families of constructs.
Most of the ones that I skipped over outside of those three families seemed to have DCs in the 40s, at least when I looking over them.
Tupilaq (Tupilaqs? Tupilaques?) require Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, and Locate Creature. So the DC is 28, and at level 8 when they open up, an Alchemist is rocking a 21+ when Taking 10, so there's only a 7 point gap that needs to be closed with Int and items, etc.
Notably cannot have another creature know you're making it, possibly not even a familiar, which is weird but whatever. The biggest downside is that its vulnerability to Erase turns it into a guided missile to kill its creator, which is annoying, to say the least. The 3/day SLA can be nice, though, especially since it can be switched out, even if that process is somewhat expensive.
Given the murderousness of the Tupilaq is attributed to its animating spirit, there's at least room to argue that making a Clockwork version would mitigate that downside at least.
Thankfully making a clockwork version isn't more difficult for an Alchemist to make, as it doesn't require any additionals spells or increase the creation DC, it's just more expensive and more time-consuming like it is for everyone). 9 HD that can be advanced to 13 HD with HD Modification isn't too bad, either. Also helpful tracking aids, as long as you can get the right stuff from whom you're trying to hunt down.
(Come to think of it, adding 1.5x the price to avoid needing to use a soul may be helpful for Mirror Men and Soulbound Dolls/Mannequins/Shells, although Clockwork Soulbound Shells seem especially unlikely to get OK'd by a GM. OTOH, it does increase the level at which you'd be able to first afford it by a significant margin in some cases.)
The Commando Construct template requires Bull's Strength, Greater Heroism, and Limited Wish, in addition to increasing the creation DC by 4 in and of itself, and only Bull's Strength is on the Alchemist formula list. So that's +14 to the DC of any other construct already made. Bonus combat feats are always good, especially for a high HD construct, since one that has 40+ HD can get all 10 bonus feats. Although I'm not even sure if there are 10 bonus feats that you'd really want/need at once on the same combatant.
Getting Sneak Attack on a melee bruiser that's helping support your party's dedicated melee PC would be pretty nice.
The Enlightened Construct template increases the creation DC by 10 and requires Awaken Construct, Eagle's Splendor, Greater Possession, and Wish. Eagle's Splendor is the only one of those to appear on the Alchemist formula list. So between that, the DC is 25 higher than normal. It also increases the caster level requirement by 4, delaying access even further.
Adds a bunch of mostly combat-themed SLAs with a bit of utility in addition to either making the construct intelligent or buffing their Int score if they were already intelligent. Like many of the best templates, gives more the more HD the creature has, so constructs that have 19+ HD or can be modified to have 19+ HD via HD Modification benefit the most from it.
Notably, the whole artificial soul may be of special interest when it comes to Soulbound Shells, and adding casting via SLAs helps free up the Cleric/Witch/Wizard spell list to be a bit more utility-based due to helping with some combat capability.
The Haunted Construct template probably isn't going to be on the table as it doesn't include any particular rules. If it's allowed, it'll probably use the pricing constructs by CR guidelines somehow, and may carry a risk of the construct breaking free of the creator's control.
All that said, any optimization towards supporting a necromancer ally's undead will do double duty to help heal and support such a construct, and they also will have more resilience due to receiving bonus hp based upon Charisma. The downsides of the Haunt activating constantly would also become annoying over time.
If you can reliably make the check by Taking 10 then you don't have to worry about building one with glitches when recycling robots. The biggest downside is that there is a 10% chance of permanently losing control of the construct due to precision damage or critical hits. So you'd want to work Fortification into the mix to protect the investment.
The second biggest downside is requiring destroyed but not too destroyed construct bodies. Which, while they do hold value and could conceivably be bought and sold, still require fairly specific circumstances with no significant overkill and constructs are generally fairly bulky and not the most portable form of loot when they're unable to walk themselves off.
The Fiend-Infused template for golems increases by DC by either 2 or 4 depedning upon the creator's ranks in Knowledge (planes) and requires Dimensional Anchor, Magic Circle Against Evil, and either Planar Ally or Planar Binding. So between all that, the DC increases by either 17 or 19.
In addition to requiring using a fiend, the cumulative 2% chance of permanently losing the golem is a notable risk and huge downside, especially if marathon combats are common in a game. It is one way of adding an Int score to a mindless golem, though.
The Steam-Powered Construct template increases the creation DC by 5, but doesn't require any additional spells. It also doesn't seem to require any additional money beyond what being Clockwork would normally require.
It's mostly a straight buff over just being a normal clockwork, although its Self-Destruct ability is a big liability, even with some form of Fast Healing or some Clockwork Servants healing it periodically.
The Fortification against critical hits and precision damage is nice, and the steam-based attacks have no damage caps, making them especially nice for a construct that has a lot of HD to throw around.
Temperans wrote:
Btw, it wasn't mentioned in this thread but the Spell Knowledge discovery helps a lot to lower the DC. Even if it's just 1 spell that is common among your preferred construct type.
Also cooperative crafting using a sage familiar or even a smart construct (like one of the ones that can learn feats).
Good point. It's still a fairly hefty price to pay, but there are a few spells that come up a lot. OTOH, the lower level ones are generally going to be easily enough to acquire from an ally or party member.
It's Valet Familiars that come with automatic Cooperative Crafting. I'm not sure if a Sage Familiar can qualify for Cooperative Crafting without also being a Valet Familiar.
I don't know why, but I kind of like the idea of applying the Fiend-Infused template to a Resilient Skinstitch... I suppose it's about the cheapest you will get anything Fiend-Infused.
With HD Modification, it be but 6HD, at least it gets 3 three feats from the template. It's intelligent, and Large, and has both the ability to Repair, as well as Fast Healing 5. It is immune to fire, has resist cold/shock 10, and DR 5/magic and good. It ends up being CR8, and costs like 30k. DC 30-32, CL12, I think.
By no means is it awesome, but it's not THAT bad, either. Although, I personally find Berserk Liberation hilarious, and well worth the risk of losing my investmemt. Good for you, Demon, you done got away. And the explosion? I like explosions. Lol. Don't have it guard your library...
When I built the Fiend-Infused Irespan Basalt Stone Golems, I built them as a GM... so I didn't have to worry/care about their costs or construction requirements... nor was I losing anything if they went berserk.
But I have found that I really like the idea of fuelling constructs by trapping demons... just wait until I start messing with Fiend-Infused Souldbound Whatever... love messing with souls, abaolutely no problems here when it comes it using dead bodies and fresh souls for personal projects... grab that poor clown's soul and body, trap a demon, slap it all together with some duct tape...
Decided to go look at the Clockwork family for a bit.
Clockwork A to L:
Clockwork Angels require Fly, Geas/Quest, and Greater Magic Weapon, of which, only Fly is on the Alchemist list. OTOH, you're level 16+, so the fact that the DC is 31 isn't that big of a deal and unless you're the only magic-user in the party, you probably have access to at least one of the other spells. With +19 from skill ranks/class skill, you hit at least a 29 when Taking 10, and you almost certainly have 18 Int or higher at 16th level, so you're easily hitting that DC 31 creation check.
Their ability to make any masterwork weapon they wield magical automatically is a nice feature, as is the ease with which you can heal them and their bonus HP from CHA. They seem to be a pretty solid high-level bruiser minion and would be a good candidate for Commando Construct or Enlightened Construct, provided you had the necessary bonuses to swing a DC 45 or 56. Their 20 HD is pretty robust, too, and can scale up to 30 HD. On the other hand, they represent almost half a level 20 PC's WBL. So for being that much of a character's wealth, they thankfully seem to have the robustness and ease of healing to help protect that better than most.
(At level 16, Tears to Wine and Heroism would only require being applied 3 times each to apply to the entire day of crafting for +12. Crafter's Fortune adds another +5 for +17 total just from the stuff on the Alchemist list you have ready access to. So Commando Construct should at least be doable on its own. A +9 from a 28 Intelligence would put that at +26, meaning Enlightened Construct would be on the table, too. Combining both would require getting a CL of 21 or bypassing CL requirements, though, and necessitate a fair number of assistants.)
Clockwork Assassins require Gaseous Form, Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, and Major Creation, of which only Gaseous Form is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 36. As this construct also wants you to be level 16+ just like Clockwork Angels, you can pretty safely assume that a standard Alchemist is going to be able to hit the DC between skill ranks and Intelligence, and if not, only a little bit of buffing will see them through.
They have fast healing built in, which is nice, and along with their 18 HD (which boosts to 27 with HD Modification), they can have some robustness to them. They're good candidates for the Commando Construct template with all of those HD, especially the Sneak Attack one to bolster their extant sneak attack damage. Only downside is that they don't have hands, but otherwise they're a Medium-size combatant that does the job serviceably well.
Clockwork Dragons require Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, making the creation DC 38. At level 18+, you're rocking +21 just from skillranks/class skill, so Taking 10 has a floor of 31 before Int, which should close the +7 gap.
It's a big ol' dragon, which benefits from having a huge pile of HD that can be boosted from 25 up to 37 with HD Modification. Has the unfortunate self-destruction drawback, but you want to avoid it getting that low on health anyway. Can't take it inside very many places, though, and it's prohibitively expensive.
Clockwork Excavators require Animate Objects, Fabricate, Geas/Quest, Locate Object, and Shatter. That sets the DC at 40, when a level 10 Alchemist is rocking a 23 when Taking 10 before Int, Crafter's Fortune, items, and other buffs and bonuses. So it should be possible to hit a 40 but it'll require some finagling without some assistance providing the spell prerequisites.
Clockwork Familiars require Geas/Quest and Make Whole, making the DC 27. A 12th level Alchemist will have +15 from skill ranks/class skill alone, so Taking 10 they will easily hit DC 27 thanks to their Int.
Very fragile, especially without getting half the hp of a master through a master-familiar bond. They do have an intelligence score, though, and can speak, though they cost almost as much to make as a Soulbound Mannequin, which has hands and greater durability and combat ability. The most utility they seem to be able to provide is a constant Detect Magic if they're built to be Scroll-based.
I suppose there could be an exploit to build multiple of them to stack their Advice ability for untyhped bonuses to all Craft and UMD checks, but I don't see many GMs allowing the creator to count as the construct's master in that particular sense without also having the Improved Familiar feat, which would still limit it to only a single Clockwork Familiar.
Clockwork Fiends require Delayed Blast Fireball, Fire Shield, Geas/Quest, and Rage, of which Alchemists have Fire Shield and Rage on their list. So the creation DC is 33. A level 18 Alchemist will easily hit that, as Taking 10 along with their skill ranks will get them to 31 before Int, etc.
A solid medium-sized melee bruiser. With 23 HD (boosts to 34 with HD Modification), they have some resilience, and their Overdrive ability effectively doubles their hp for a major fight of the day, which probably isn't going to last more than the 15 rounds they get to operate in while Overdriving. At those levels, it should be more than possible to set up situations to manipulate the Overdrive ability to happen when wanted without any real disadvantages, too, although is it only a 1/day ability. My gut still favors the fast healing of the CLockwork Assassin or the easy healing via Positive Energy of the Clockwork Angel, though. Still, a worthy candidate for the Commando Construct template.
Clockwork Goblins require Burning Hands and Geas/Quest. Burning Hands should be really easy to get access to, even paying for it as a spellcasting service wouldn't be too bad. The DC is 27 without the spells, though, and a level 12+ Alchemist can easily hit that given their skill ranks and Taking 10 already give them a minimum of 25 before Int, etc.
Not a good choice for a minion at level 12+, what with the fact they only have 4 HD. They are pretty inexpensive to make, though, but the only really good thing I have to say about them is that they have eye lasers, which is, admittedly, always nice.
Clockwork Goliaths require the Gunsmithing feat in addition to Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish. So the DC is 43 unless the Alchemist has the Gunsmithing feat. A level 18+ Alchemist with 28 Int should be able to hit that when Taking 10 with only minor buffing, such as from Crafter's Fortune.
It's way too big to be useful in many situations, possibly even most situations, but it is pretty resilient with all of those HD and it does have a cannon for shooty fun. Its 28 HD can be boosted up to 42 with HD Modification, allowing it to be one of the first constructs so far that can fully benefit from the Commando Construct template.
Clockwork Guardians require Shield Proficiency along with Geast/Quest, Fabricate, and Wall of Iron, which makes the creation DC 37 for most Alchemists. Crafter's Fortune, 12 ranks, and Taking 10 will get one up to 30, so Int and other bonuses only have to make up for a difference of 7, and most Alchemists at 12th level should usually have 24+ Intelligence scores.
Their 10 HD can be boosted up to 15 with HD Modifcation, giving them a bit of scaling. They aren't super good melee combatants at the point they can be made, though, striking me as both underwhemling offensively and a bit vulnerable in terms of their AC and hp. Still, they are Medium and will fit into more places.
I suppose they do have a potentially interesting curiosity as an infinite source of matter, depending upon what their barriers actually crumble into.
Clockwork Gunslingers require Exotic Weapon Proficiency (pistol) as well as Haste, Geas/Quest, and Slow. Of those, Haste is the only one on the Alchemist list, so the creation DC is 32 for most Alchemists. Crafter's Fortune + skill ranks mean that an Alchemist is hitting 30 when Taking 10 before taking Int score into account.
OK HD with 9 HD (maxes at 13 w/HD Modification), only having 1 attack per round is a definite downside, even if it is attacking Touch AC. It also costs 500 gp and casts Slow as an AoE every time it confirms a critical hit, which will probably get annoying over time. Being able to self-Haste several times a day is pretty nifty, though, at least.
All in all, though, I'd say it's more of a gimmick than a solid minion to choose to invest in. It is medium-sized, though, and may have at least one hand.
Clockwork Hounds require Expeditious Retreat, Geas/Quest, and Secret Chest, of which only Expeditious Retreat appears on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 27. This is easily within the grasp of a level 12+ Alchemist.
They really have too few HD to be a good combat minion at this level, and while there's some potential utility in their tracking, there are also probably less expesnive alternatives than a 15K gp construct. There may be something to exploit with their ability to benefit from a necklace, ring, or ioun stone inside of their chest compartment, though nothing immediately comes to mind.
Clockwork Leviathans require Freedom of Movement, Geas/Quest, Heat Metal, and Limited Wish, of which, only Freedom of Movement is on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 32. Between skill ranks, Taking 10, and Crafter's Fortune, a level 12 Alchemist is getting 30 or better, so even a modest Intelligence score will bridge the gap.
Big and fairly beefy for the level it becomes available. With 16 HD, it can be boosted up to 24 HD with HD Modification No real utility, but a solid combatant when you have an arena big enough to accommodate it.
I think clockwork hounds, as stated in their entry, make great delivery constructs. Cheap enough to replace if broken. But sturdy enough to handle most missions.
Their long winding time also makes them low maintenance compared to other clockwork (Again good for deliveries).
Coidzor, your suggestion of adding the Enlightened Construct template to the Soulbound Shell is genius. I feel this is something I need to explore further.
Originally, my plan was to add the Lich template to a Soulbound Shell... when a mad scientist experiment goes horribly right. Both the Lich and Soulbound Shell require a mid-level spellcaster... so I just figured it might be fun to combine them. Maybe it was intentional and they built a construct to be their phylactery. Maybe it was an accident and instead of the Lich's soul going into a phylactery, it bound to a nearby construct... who knows?
I already have an Android Lich that I am pretty proud of... a self-declared deity, not unlike Razmir proclaiming to be a living god... the eternal Android Lich God has no actual divinity (obviously). The capstone to the Impossible Bloodline turns you and your body into a clockwork mystery machine of unimaginable complexity... the vault of infinite impossibilities... he stores the phylacteries of other Liches inside himself, gaining Mystic tiers for each additional phylactery he holds besides his own.
Anyways, back to Soulbound Shells with templates... maybe there could be a yin-yang pair of twins involved in the same unfortunate accident... an Enlightened Construct Soulbound Shell, and a Lich Soulbound Shell... once loving relatives, now bitter enemies... as each blames the other for the accident? Maybe it's not twins at all, but the same person had their soul split and bind to two separate constructs... one good, one evil...
Got me all distracted now. I was in the process of gestalt'ing Mirror Men and Razmir Mask Golems, just to see what it makes. Both have a weird obsession of using a mask as a focal point... it makes sense, to me. I did make some Razmir Mask Golems with Ninja levels, but those are devoted to Razmir as his kingdom's assassins. I think any combination of Mirror Men and Razmir Mask Golems would probably originate from the Belkzen area... as it happens to be about halfway between Irrisen and Razmir.
Reduxist, what are you wanting to build these for? Offense? Defense? Utility? Do you have a home base or is it/are they going to be traveling with the party?
Holy hell. I was expecting a few suggestions, and instead you give me a whole damn rundown of practically every non-golem construct an alchemist could make. At one point, I was considering asking about templates, but dismissed the idea on it being too expensive. And then you explained them anyways!
Take a bow, buddy!
Honestly, the Enlightened Soulbound Shell sounds AMAZING. Especially since it boosts it’s INT further and gets even MORE stuff from it. Maybe I’ll make it for a non-alchemist class.
@ VoodistMonk
I made the thread on account of starting a new campaign as an alchemist. Evil noble campaign with some kingdom building thrown in. I aimed for the warden role, so if I gain a prison, it’ll need guards.
Just one problem.
I’m a half-elf, and the human kingdom I’m in hates the elves on account of a war they’re in.
So if I can’t hire good guards, I’ll just have to make some. So I’m thinking about defensive options for the prison and offensive options for the war. And since I’m aiming for a Plague Bomb build, why not make some constructs that can spread diseases, or can make diseases by proxy, like the Marrowstone Golem?
How do you feel about taking a little trip down to our favorite creepy clockwork city, Pan Majang, to make your Marrowstone Golem?
It almost seems too good to slap the Haunted Construct template on Marrowstone Golems combining the Unholy Beacon with Create Spawn... I have used the Haunted Construct template with the Isolation attack on a Carnivorous Crystal with decent results (despite it not being a construct)...
Your Marrowstone Golem also gets 5 feats and technically some skills...
Haunted Marrowstone Golem CR 9
XP 6,400
NE Large construct
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0; Aura necrotic field (30 ft.), unholy beacon (20 ft.)
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 21 (+12 natural, –1 size, +1 deflection)
hp 105 (10d10+30+20)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +3
DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits, magic
Channel Resistance +4
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +14 (2d6+5 plus 2d6 negative energy)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks create spawn, pick 1 from below...
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 11, Con –, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 26
Special Attacks:
Each haunted construct gains one of the following haunts tied to its artificial body. This haunt functions until the haunted construct is destroyed but acts on initiative count 10, as usual for haunts, affecting each creature within 30 feet. The Perception DC to notice the haunt is equal to 15 + the haunted construct’s CR. The save DC against a haunted construct’s special attack is equal to 10 + half the haunted construct’s Hit Dice, and the caster level is equal to the haunted construct’s CR. A creature can attempt the listed saving throw at the end of its turn each round to negate the haunt’s ongoing effect; once a creature successfully saves against the effect, it is immune to that effect for 24 hours. Additional haunted construct abilities beyond these can be designed at the GM’s discretion.
Burned Alive (Su): The spirit inhabiting this haunted construct perished in a blaze; notice the smell of smoke; effect a screech erupts as affected creatures catch on fire; destruction flood the area with water for at least 24 hours.
Eaten Alive (Su): The spirit inhabiting this haunted construct was torn apart by wild animals; notice the sound of gnashing teeth; effect an invisible force bites and tears the flesh of all living targets, dealing 1d6 points of force damage per 4 Hit Dice the haunted construct has (minimum 1d6) each round and inflicting the shaken condition (Will negates); this is a mind-affecting effect; destruction a good-aligned creature must remain in the haunted area for 3 days while fasting.
Frozen Bones (Su): The spirit inhabiting this haunted construct froze to death; notice frost begins to appear on the ground and any clothing or objects; effect a sudden chill fills the air, and creatures take 1d6 points of cold damage per 2 Hit Dice the haunted construct has (minimum 1d6) and are staggered for 1d4 rounds; on a successful Fortitude save, a creature takes half the damage and negates the staggered condition; destruction burn the area in magical fire with a caster level equal to or greater than that of the haunt.
Insane Ramblings (Su): The spirit inhabiting this haunted construct wasted away from madness; notice a discordant chorus of whispers; effect yammering voices fill the heads of all affected creatures, affecting them as per the spell confusion (Will negates); destruction a creature shouts a hidden truth or previously kept secret
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Create Spawn (Su)
Any humanoid creature that is slain by a marrowstone golem rises from death as a free-willed ghoul in 24 hours. A creature with four or more class levels rises as a ghast instead. In either case, the ghoul or ghast has a 25% chance of retaining whatever class levels it had in life.
Immunity to Magic (Su)
A marrowstone golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the golem, as noted below.
• A transmute rock to mud spell slows a marrowstone golem (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw.
• Effects that heal undead heal half that amount of damage to a marrowstone golem, to a limit of its full normal hit points.
• A marrowstone golem that fails its save against a magical attack that deals positive energy damage (including the channel energy ability when used to harm undead, but not when used to heal living creatures) does not take any damage from the attack, but it loses its create spawn ability, its necrotic field aura, and the negative energy damage from its slam attack for 1d4 rounds.
Infused Soul (Su)
A haunted construct is infused with the soul of a creature who died nearby. The soul provides the haunted construct a semblance of unlife as a ghostly apparition surrounds its body and controls its actions. This allows the haunted construct to apply its Charisma modifier as a bonus on Fortitude saves, and it gains a number of bonus hit points per Hit Die equal to its Charisma bonus. A haunted construct is healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy as if it were an undead creature. It reacts to magical and supernatural effects, such as detect undead and searing light, as if it were an undead creature.
Necrotic Field (Su)
Undead within 30 feet of a marrowstone golem gain a +2 resistance bonus on saving throws, increase the save DCs of their extraordinary and supernatural abilities by 2, and gain a +4 bonus to channel resistance. Positive energy effects cause only half damage to a creature within the marrowstone golem’s aura. Their aura particularly strengthens ghouls and ghasts, giving them a +2 bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.
Unholy Beacon (Su)
Haunted constructs act as a focal point for negative energy, exuding a constant 20-foot aura that functions as the spell desecrate. Additionally, undead creatures within the aura gain the benefits of the haunted construct’s damage resistance or hardness, if any.
Marrowstone Golem Construction
A marrowstone golem’s body is chiseled from a single block of marrowstone weighing at least 2,500 pounds. Preparing the stone requires the use of exotic unguents that cost 2,500 gp.
CL 11th; Price 42,500 gp
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Feats Craft Construct; Spells animate objects, antilife shell, create undead; Caster Level 11; Skill(s) Craft (sculpture) or Craft (stonemasonry) DC 21; Cost 22,500 gp
ECOLOGY
Environment any underground
Organization solitary or gang (2–5)
Treasure none
Carved from marrowstone, these golems amplify the magical radiation emitted by veins of lazurite. They can only be crafted within the land of ghouls, for lazurite brought beyond its boundaries loses its potency. Binding the lazurite into the body of the golem stabilizes it and lets the construct leave the boundaries of the ghoulish city with its fell powers intact.
Though the ghouls guard the secrets of making a marrowstone golem, they are sometimes known to trade their handiwork with outsiders.
I also thought about that template for it. The Loss of Limbs sounds especially flavorful and powerful, even though it can be easy to disable. Then again, it could be possible to homebrew other haunts…
Looks like I missed some constructs under G that aren't golems that I didn't deliberately skip over. Sorry about that.
Constructs whose names begin with G:
Golden Guardians require Blur, Fabricate, Fire Shield, Geas/Quest, and Wall of Fire, of which Blur and Fire Shield are on the Alchemist list. That gives a creation DC of 32. Level 12 Alchemists only need a 14+ Int in order to hit that when Taking 10 if they use Crafter's Fortune, since there's only a gap of 7 between the DC and the 25 that they can hit just with their skill ranks and Taking 10.
If you need a walking heat source but don't want a Fiend-Infused golem or something that's constantly on fire, this construct has you covered. Decent advancement using HD Modification to go from 8 HD to 12 HD. The constant Blur effect that can't be dispelled and works in AMF is a neat defensive feature, too, though I'm not quite sure if it makes up for their fairly low AC by the time you get access to them. Not a fan of self-destruct mechanisms in construct minions, either, but I suppose it makes for a convenient source of material to make a new one, recycled or otherwise. All in all, seems to be an OKish beatstick. (At least without going full number crunching and comparing them to constructs in the same price range and average monster stats for their CR.)
Guardian Gargoyles require Animate Objects, Stone Shape, and Geas/Quest. None of those are on the Alchemist list, so the creation DC is 30. They don't have a CL requirement, so there's no minimum level for benchmarking purposes. The base version costs 15K, though, so I'll just pick the first level where WBL is going to be over 60K so that it's only 1/4 of a PC's WBL or lower. Which is level 10. (Not counting that stuff like effectively multiplying WBL by 1.25 or 1.5 due to crafting feats)
So a level 10 Alchemist is hitting 23 just with skill ranks and Taking 10 and Crafter's Fortune boosts that up to 28, so they only need a modest Int score in order to be able to make this construct.
The Gargoyle sentry variant is an interesting way to make security cameras that you can then have other minions monitoring in some kind of nerve-center, although Isitoq undead and minions wearing Death's Head Talismans are probably still usually superior. Also, most games aren't centered around defending a base or dungeon. Decent HD at 11 that can be boosted up to 16, which can get up to 4 bonus feats from the Commando Construct template or most of the SLA options from the Enlightened Construct template. Otherwise seems like its hp and chassis are OK but it lacks a bit offensively, although in open environments, being able to essentially remove an opponent from combat by having them get picked up and flown away can certainly be useful.
Graven Guardians require Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Imbue With Spell Ability, Make Whole, and Stone Shape, of which, only Haste is on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 32. Level 7 Alchemists are hitting 20 easily between skill ranks and Taking 10, but even with Crafter's Fortune in the mix for a 25, that still leaves a difference of 7 to bridge with Int and other sources, although an Int of 20 and good alchemy lab are both potentially obtainable by that point.
Even if not, the fact that it can be made with more HD and even size increase like golems can means it has some potential even beyond when it's first potentially available. Creating such a construct with 1 HD fewer than would require a size increase and then later using HD Modification to give it half-again as many HD is a potential tactic in such cases, although it can get expensive quickly.
(One thing I definitely need to refresh myself on, though, is how adding HD to golems works and when they would increase in size. I don't recall for certain but I think it was similar to the generic monster rules for advancing monsters by adding more RHD to them, up to a certain point and then once past that point, a size increase comes into play. If it's 150% base HD and then after that it's a size increase, then between that and HD modification you can multiply by 1.5x twice for 2.25x the base HD.)
Graven Guardians also have good potential between all of the different abilities that different domains can grant and their fast healing is a welcome increase to their staying power and that reduces the maintenance necessary between combats.
Gravitic Globes require Animate Objects, Repulsion, Reverse Gravity, and Telekinesis. That sets the creation DC at 38. Level 13 Alchemist hits 26 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks and gets to 31 with Crafter's Fortune. Tears to Wine can get that up to 36 with just 4 uses at CL 13 to cover an 8 hour crafting day, and then Int, etc. can take care of the rest if it wasn't already +7.
Has a good number of HD at 20 and can be boosted up to 30. Unfortunately it lacks hands and much way to interact with the world around it, and its Magnetism DC can only be boosted up to DC 25 with maxed out HD Modification. Enlightened Construct's SLAs don't require limbs, at least, and anything metal or metal-armor dependent that doesn't have good reflex is going to find it annoying or worse to deal with, but can also be annoying for any other constructs or your allies, too. Access to Trample can allow it to punch above its weight class to some extent as well.
Guardian Dolls require False Life, Lesser Geas, Magic Jar, Minor Creation, and Sleet Storm, of which False Life and Magic Jar are on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 28. A level 8 Alchemist is hitting 26 between Taking 10, skill ranks, and Crafter's Fortune, and probably has an Intelligence score of 14 or higher.
They're basically an upgraded Soulbound Doll, including having higher base HD so they can be boosted from 4 to 6 (instead of the S.D.'s 3 that can only be boosted up to 4) and more SLAs. Alarm and Levitate are probably the most useful for potentially fulfilling other crafting prerequisites.
Guardian Scrolls require Bull's Strength, False Life, Fly, Lesser Geas, Magic Weapon, and Make Whole, of which the first 3 are on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 28 (33 without 5 ranks in Linguistics). They don't have a caster level requirement, so looking at WBL, level 6 is where the 3750 gp of the ethical version would be 1/4 WBL or lower. A level 6 Alchemist is looking at 24 when Taking 10 with skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune, so either an 18+ Intelligence or a 14+ Intelligence and a good lab will bridge that gap of 4, at least if he has the Linguistics ranks.
The good thing about this is that it is intelligent. The bad thing about it is that it is fairly fragile and can only be boosted up to 7 HD with HD Modification and it isn't especially dangerous. Best thing about it is that it can probably provide at least a bit of utility between being intelligent and being a minion with a perfect fly speed that is accessible even when fairly low level. Not having a voice or hands definitely hampers how useful its intelligence can be.
Something else that I wanted to mention, in a similar vein to the Recycled Construct template, are the Salvaging Rules from Ultimate Wilderness.
The Salvaging Rules allow for a way to partially bypass certain prerequisites, including character level and caster level requirements. The DC is 10 higher than the CL of the item (or construct in this case), and doesn't care about the spells or other prerequisites, making it very easily within most Alchemist's grasps even for relatively high CL constructs.
The most notable thing I've picked up on with it before now was using a Clockwork Spy to bypass the CL 12 requirement for making other members of the Clockwork family. I'm sure there's probably something of interest here, especially given the Kingdom Building aspect of the game you're going into, but I'm blanking out right now, even after starting this post last night and sleeping on it. Other than the general idea of bypassing something with a lot of inaccessible spell prerequisites, that is.
Reduxist wrote:
@ Coidzor
Holy hell. I was expecting a few suggestions, and instead you give me a whole damn rundown of practically every non-golem construct an alchemist could make. At one point, I was considering asking about templates, but dismissed the idea on it being too expensive. And then you explained them anyways!
Take a bow, buddy!
Honestly, the Enlightened Soulbound Shell sounds AMAZING. Especially since it boosts it’s INT further and gets even MORE stuff from it. Maybe I’ll make it for a non-alchemist class.
You're welcome. Sometimes it's just fun to get a little carried away.
Trundling onward.... 2nd to last block of Clockwork constructs, mostly because there's just a few too many in S for me to feel good about not just doing them all in one go.
Clockwork M to P:
Clockwork Mages require Gease/Quest and Mnemonic Enhancer, so the creation DC is 27. Level 12 Alchemists can hit that with 14+ Int and their skill ranks just Taking 10.
Their 15 HD can be modified up to 22, which is pretty nice and will allow getting all the SLAs from Enlightened Construct. They're also Medium-sized so they can fit lots of places and presumably have hands. Conjuration's at-will Grease and Evocation's at-will Magic Missile are probably tied for the best single at-will spells, although Transmutation's spells are all decent buffs and don't care about DC in the slightest.
Sadly their casting DCs are so weak that you're really looking for a diamond in the rough or having to employ lateral thinking when it comes to their main schtick as minions.
Clockwork Nautiloids require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and True Seeing, of which, only True Seeing is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 29, which means that a level 12 Alchemist can hit it between skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune alone when Taking 10, even if the DC is boosted up to 34 due to not yet having True Seeing available as an extract.
They're big, they're tough, they're strong, they have 22 HD which can be boosted up to 33 with HD Modification. They can be converted into submarines if you can fix the pressurization problem. Good candidate for either Commando Construct or Enlightened Construct.
Clockwork Overseers require Geast/Quest and Haste, the latter of which is on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 22, which can be easily reached by a level 12 Alchemist just with their skill ranks when taking 10.
They're Medium, have 10 HD that can be boosted up to 15, and may even have 2 hands in addition to their slamming fist and lash arms. Useful for buffing other clockwork servitors, too. The fluff alludes to them having a chance of starting to develop sentience and going rogue, though. Could get most of the benefits of Enlightened Construct out of one, and their low spell requirements make the DC less daunting, too.
Clockwork Priests require Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish in addition to the creator being able to channel energy. So for most Alchemists, the creation DC is going to be 37. Level 12 Alchemists can reliably hit 30 before Int, items, and other buffs between Taking 10, Crafter's Fortune, and their skill ranks, so bridging that gap of 7 shouldn't be too hard, and they can possibly already do it just from their Int scores alone.
An at-will source of Cure Light Wounds is nice in and of itself, especially if you have something like a Clockwork Angel that can benefit from the healing. Domain choice is very important and can give a fair amount of customization and potential utility. Their 18 HD that can be boosted up to 27 HD also make them good candidates for Enlightened Construct, especially since with only a few extra HD they can gain full access to the template's SLAs. A good bit of potential here, and they likely even have hands, which in addition to their Medium size allows for even more utility.
VoodistMonk wrote:
I don't know why, but I kind of like the idea of applying the Fiend-Infused template to a Resilient Skinstitch... I suppose it's about the cheapest you will get anything Fiend-Infused.
Do Skinstitch count as golems for some purposes? I missed that if so. It is a bit of a shame that Fiend-Infused is normally reserved for golems only.
VoodistMonk wrote:
But I have found that I really like the idea of fuelling constructs by trapping demons... just wait until I start messing with Fiend-Infused Souldbound Whatever... love messing with souls, abaolutely no problems here when it comes it using dead bodies and fresh souls for personal projects... grab that poor clown's soul and body, trap a demon, slap it all together with some duct tape...
That's definitely an interesting idea, since demons are made of soulstuff to some extent.
VoodistMonk wrote:
Coidzor, your suggestion of adding the Enlightened Construct template to the Soulbound Shell is genius. I feel this is something I need to explore further.
Originally, my plan was to add the Lich template to a Soulbound Shell... when a mad scientist experiment goes horribly right. Both the Lich and Soulbound Shell require a mid-level spellcaster... so I just figured it might be fun to combine them. Maybe it was intentional and they built a construct to be their phylactery. Maybe it was an accident and instead of the Lich's soul going into a phylactery, it bound to a nearby construct... who knows?
I already have an Android Lich that I am pretty proud of... a self-declared deity, not unlike Razmir proclaiming to be a living god... the eternal Android Lich God has no actual divinity (obviously). The capstone to the Impossible Bloodline turns you and your body into a clockwork mystery machine of unimaginable complexity... the vault of infinite impossibilities... he stores the phylacteries of other Liches inside himself, gaining Mystic tiers for each additional phylactery he holds besides his own.
Anyways, back to Soulbound Shells with templates... maybe there could be a yin-yang pair of twins involved in the same unfortunate accident... an Enlightened Construct Soulbound Shell, and a Lich Soulbound Shell... once loving relatives, now bitter enemies... as each blames the other for the accident? Maybe it's not twins at all, but the same person had their soul split and bind to two separate constructs... one good, one evil...
Got me all distracted now. I was in the process of gestalt'ing Mirror Men and Razmir Mask Golems, just to see what it makes. Both have a weird obsession of using a mask as a focal point... it makes sense, to me. I did make some Razmir Mask Golems with Ninja levels, but those are devoted to Razmir as his kingdom's assassins. I think any combination of Mirror Men and Razmir Mask Golems would probably originate from the Belkzen area... as it happens to be about halfway between...
I'd forgotten about the Lich template. Sounds like a neat idea. Some versions of liches require them to drain souls to power their phylacteries, too, so there's even a bit of an interesting dynamic where the Enlightened Construct one is creating new soulstuff while the Lich one is consuming and destroying it. And then now that I mention that, I can't help but think of Preservers vs. Defilers from Dark Sun.
That's certainly a new and interesting twist on the idea of a lich eating other liches phylacteries in order to gain power. I like it. Sort of a Living Doomvault, too.
Instead of Belkzen for the place to mix Mirror Men and Mask Golems, I'd offer up neighbouring Ustalav as a potential place, since it's all Gothic Horror anyway, so a bit of witchery sliding into the mix isn't too out of theme anyway. Ustalav and Razmiran also are both on Lake Encarthan, which allows for a fairly direct conduit for exchange of ideas.
An exiled or even self-exiled Jadwiga Witch falling in with Ustalavic witches and taking over a cabal of them and then getting her hooks into a traveling Razmiran priest isn't super far-fetched as far as backstories go.
Really, since Crafter's Fortune is 1st level and even an Alchemist who doesn't want to focus on Int is going to want at least a 16, ultimately, you can pretty safely assume that they can hit a DC that is their level +22-23 between Taking 10, Crafter's Fortune, Craft (alchemy) being a class skill, Int, and wanting a decent alchemist's lab. A Cauldron of Brewing will buff that up to +27-28. From level 12 on, Tears to Wine will add another +5 that turns to +10 at level 15 for +32-33 and then +37-38.
Some of my initial statements should be taken with a grain of salt because I had completely forgotten that Alchemists get both Crafter's Fortune and Tears to Wine. I was also, and still am, more than a bit rusty on how much Int investment you should assume for a run of the mill Alchemist.
This should round out the last of the Clockwork family of constructs. At least the ones that have their own statblocks, as opposed to being other constructs with Clockwork applied as a pseudo-template.
I still haven't delved into golems proper, yet, or making magical, non-robot versions of robots (IIRC that's a thing, anyway) but so far the main grouping of constructs that seemed to get DCs that were a bit too high were Thassilonian Sentinels, mostly due to the number of spell prerequisites adding up.
Clockwork S to V to Toy Golem:
Clockwork Servants require Geast/Quest and Make Whole. The creation DC is 27, which a level 12+ Alchemist can easily make.
They can be mindless or intelligent at the creator's choice, which is nifty. They also provide always useful healing for clockwork constructs. Their 2 HD is pretty piddly, though, and can only be boosted up to 3 HD. Still, they're slightly cheaper than a Soulbound Mannequin for a Medium-sized, intelligent minion that can be trusted to do non-dangerous tasks.
One example of a construct that is affordable to an Alchemist below level 12, if they can use Salvaging rules and a less expensive Clockwork creature to bypass the level 12 and spell prerequisites. The DC 32 that would result from bypassing the CL requirement, if it were possible, wouldn't be too bad for some of the levels between 6 and 12, either.
Clcokwork Snails require Animate Objects, Freedom of Movement, Geas/Quest, and Poison, of which only Freedom of Movement is on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 32. Level 12 Alchemists can hit that with Crafter's Fortune and 14+ Int when Taking 10 thanks to their skill ranks.
13 HD that can be boosed to 19 HD means it can have all of the SLAs from Enlightened Construct. I don't know enough about Eidite Sickness to comment on how useful it is to have a ready source for it. Seems to be a kinda gross but serviceable Large melee combatant on the whole, and has opposable thumbs and arms for good measure.
Clockwork Soldiers require Geas/Quest and Heroism, and Heroism is on the Alchemist list. So the DC is a mere 22, trivially within the grasp of even a level 6 Alchemist, let alone a level 12 one. (So, aside from their lower HD meaning it gets less benefit from the templates, they make for a good candidate for Commando Construct or Enlightenend Construct that increase the DC.)
Medium-size minions that can use weapons, including hand-me-downs. 8 HD that boosts up to 12 is pretty OK for longevity as a servant, especially if Salvaging Rules are on the table and one wishes to upgrade later on.
Clockwork Songbirds require Geas/Quest, Ghost Sound, Haste, Heroism, and Sleep, of which Haste and Heroism are both on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 32. Ghost Sound and Sleep should both be really easy to get third party access to, though, so in all likelihood the DC is 22. Either is easily within reach of a level 12 Alchemist.
They only have 1 HD and are incredibly fragile. The bonuses they provide are incredibly minor, but there is a little utility and buffing there. Probably not worth making, but if you get your hands on one, it can be useful for making another, more expensive construct. If you could skip caster level prerequisites, then it would at least be one of the lower DCs to hit first so you can bypass other, harder DCs via Salvaging.
Clockwork Spies require Geas/Quest and Ghost Sound, so the creation DC is 27, or 22 if you can get Ghost Sound from somewhere. Either way, trivial for a level 12+ Alchemist to hit.
Inexpensive enough that buying one outright from a higher level crafter and then destroying it so you can use Salvaging Rules to bypass requirements for another construct would be a viable strategy. It could also be used for spying purposes instead, too.
Clockwork Steeds require Bull's Strength and Geas/Quest, of which the first is on the Alchemist list. So the creation DC is 22, easily within reach for a level 12 Alchemist.
Large size, OK enough chassis, 8 HD that can be boosted up to 12 HD. But mostly meant to serve as mounts.
Clockwork Vivisectionists require Contact Other Plane, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, of which only the first is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 25 for level 13+ Alchemists and 30 for lower level Alchemists. Level 10 Alchemists can hit a 28 before Int or lab come into play thanks to their skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune.
Medium-sized, 13 HD that can be boosted to 19 HD, and either has hands or has various surgical implements for hands. It has built in anesthesia, I suppose, though it's probably mostly just a paralytic. Probably better to use another combat minion for fighty purposes or just a Clockwork Servant of Soulbound Mannequinf or non-fighty purposes. I suppose an Enlightened Construct version would be able to do surgery rather than just vivisect by investing ranks into Heal, but sadly it doesn't have the bonuses in play that a surgeon robot, or even non-robot version of a surgeon robot(?), would.
Clockwork Mechanical Genies require Animate Objects, Fireball, and Lesser Geas for the Efreeti version. None of those are on the Alchemist list, so the creation DC is 27. A level 7 Alchemist can hit 25 when Taking 10 and using only skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune, so they only need a 14+ Int or a good alchemy lab to bridge the gap. Mechanical Djinni and Mechanical Marid variants DO have a spell on the Alchemist list instead of Fireball, though, so their creation DC is only 22, while Janni and Shaitan have the same DC as Efreeti.
They only have 1 HD, so they are incredibly fragile. The Clockwork Spy is probably a better spy than one of these toys. The Marid has swimming and the Djinni has a fly speed, but I'd have to sit down and compare them with Poppets that have had the swim speed or fly speed augmentations to see which is better. The Tiny Poppets with such augmentations are notably cheaper, though.
All in all, probably more of a curio than a minion.
Clockwork Toy Golems require Lesser Geas, False Life, and Minor Creation, of which False Life is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 22, which is easily within the grasp of a 7th level Alchemist who can hit 25 when Taking 10 using skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune, even before Int, etc.
Basically a Junk Golem with the clockwork template (that can self-wind trivially) and 2 more HD than usual, though in exchange it seems to lose the Immunity to Magic trait. Since it has 6 HD to start with it can be boosted up to 9 HD with HD Modification, or, since it's a golem, it can do the standard thing and get boosted up to either 8 or 9 HD before it has to increase in size and then get further boosted with HD Modification up to 12 or 13, respectively. Either way, better growth potential than the regular Junk golem, even if it is more expensive.
Seems solid enough for a relatively low-mid level combat minion, although it interestingly is rather limited in how it can either fairly fine things with the tiny hands of its individual clockwork toy components or things that require only very rough manipulation, but leaves out a lot of the mid-range.
As a GM, I am very liberal when it comes to fudging prerequisites for templates... they be but a tool to add some flavor to otherwise generic entities in a fantasy universe. Don't get me wrong, I take pride in accomplishing something legit... but I will not hesitate to spice something up to get the flavor I want.
Carnivorous Cave Crystals are not Constructs, but I they are awesome with the Haunted Construct template... I probably won't ever use another Carnivorous Crystal without the template, to tell the truth. The same applies if I ever find myself needing/wanting Marrowstone Golems. Again as a GM, I literally see no reason to ever play them without the template.
I won't ever use a Bogeyman without both the Implacable Stalker and Nightmare Lord templates applied, either. Or a Faerie Dragon without the Ensorcelled Creature template. Or Ceratoidi without the Wizard Creature template. Or Leech Swarms without the Aerial Creature template. Some things are just meant to be, and it's not like these things see a lot of play anyways... so it might as well be memorable for the party, and fun for me. So Skinstitches with the Fiend-Infused template literally never even popped up on my radar as something not technically allowed. Lol.
I can see how, crafting in templates as a player is different... but I would still at least ask about/try for Haunted Marrowstone Golems, especially if you already had been thinking about using them.
@Coidzor
"... Instead of Belkzen for the place to mix Mirror Men and Mask Golems, I'd offer up neighbouring Ustalav as a potential place, since it's all Gothic Horror anyway, so a bit of witchery sliding into the mix isn't too out of theme anyway. Ustalav and Razmiran also are both on Lake Encarthan, which allows for a fairly direct conduit for exchange of ideas.
An exiled or even self-exiled Jadwiga Witch falling in with Ustalavic witches and taking over a cabal of them and then getting her hooks into a traveling Razmiran priest isn't super far-fetched as far as backstories go..."
I wasn't sold or married to Belkzen as the origin for the hybrid/gestalt Mirror Men/Mask Golems... in fact, I had to look at a map to find it between Irrisen and Razmiran. Love any chance I can get to include my Undead brethren, so Ustalav Witches are a welcome suggestion. I was having trouble finding a reason for Orcs to build hybrid Mirror Men/Mask Golems. Whereas, I have so many silly variations of Undead stashed away, I can make them work with just about anything... Android Lich God... Vampire obsessed with mirrors... but, I digress.
@VoodistMonk Makes sense, and I think I can see some of the fun in that even without remembering all of those templates and creatures off the top of my head.
Some of these I skipped over due to having a slightly flawed idea of an Alchemist's ability to self-buff here. Others I just flat-out missed somehow on my first pass. I'm still a bit surprised at how many of these I missed instead of intentionally skipping.
Even so, there are a few that I still am not touching upon, like Aballonians, Celedons, Gray Goo, and Retrievers, simply because they don't have construction requirements or are a bit too out there in addition to lacking construction requirements. Also the Divine Heralds that are constructs.
Constructs I missed or skipped on my first pass, A to H:
Abrakarn Vipers require Animate Object, Confusion, Geas/Quest, and Shield Other. Their creation DC is 33. Level 14 is when their 80K construction cost would be 1/4 WBL or lower, and a level 14 Alchemist can hit 32 with skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune before taking Int, etc. into account. A level 6 Alchemist could also hit the DC, provided they had a Cauldron of Brewing, Alchemist Lab, and 20 Int.
They're big, bruiser snakes. They can be loaned out to others due to their control diadems, but they're also capable of being stolen for the same reason, which is a mixed bag. Doesn't have any kind of level requirement, so in a game where WBL isn't super-rigid, it could appear before the late game. 18 HD that can be boosted up to 27 HD makes for a tasty target for Commando Construct and can get all the SLA options from Enlightened Construct.
Has demonic spirits in it, making it evil, though, which might make for potential issues if you wanted to make it into an Enlightened Construct. Making it Clockwork first would eliminate that concern, though, at least lore-wise, and is thematically appropriate since they're already described as being clockwork.
Akaruzugs require Enervation, Magic Jar, and Unhallow, of which Alchemists have Magic Jar. The creation DC is thus 30. Or 35 if you can ignore the sacrifice component of the prerequisites. Or 40 if you ignore that and the CL requirement. A level 15 Alchemist is rocking a 33 from skill ranks, Taking 10, and Crafter's Fortune.
It's Intelligent, robust with bonus hp from Charisma in addition to its 20 HD that can be boosted further to 30 with HD Modification. I believe they have hands, too, which is always nice. They're pretty solid combatants and good candidates for both Commando Construct and Enlightened Construct.
Making it Clockwork would arguably remove its soul-dependence (and with it its soul abilities) but also provide a means to skip over the sacrifice component by removing it as a prerequisite rather than skipping it. The Enlightened Construct template would fit its 20 HD chassis well and also arguably obviate at least some of the more unpleasant components of its creation or activation. The Soulbound Construct template, on the other hand, could lean into the dirty deeds AND make them more efficient.
Aluums require Geas/Quest, Hold Monster, Limited Wish, and Magic Jar, of which only the last is on the Alchemist list. Their creation DC is 33. A level 13 Alchemist hits 31 from skill ranks and crafter's fortune when taking 10, before Int, etc.
14 HD that can be boosted up to 21 HD, big but not super big. The paralysis effect they have is fairly neat, and their AoE breath weapon equivalent isn't too bad. They can do a bit with Commando Construct and can be boosted to take full advantage of Enlightened Construct.
Like the Akaruzug, an Aluum can possibly be made less objectionable taking things in the Clockwork direction or lean into it with the Soulbound Consctruct template.
Animate Arias require Geas/Quest, Shout, and Solid Note. The creation DC is 32. Level 12 Alchemists can hit 30 when Taking 10 before Int, etc., thanks to skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune.
Have a neat little version of Inspire Courage that stacks with Inspire Courage's morale bonus due to being a competence bonus. Their invisibility giving them a miss chance and their 14 HD that can get boosted to 21 give them some chance in combat, too. Due to their number of HD they're also candidates for Enlightened Construct and Commando Construct. I believe a Commando Animate Aria that took the Sneak Attack ability through the template would always be able to get Sneak Attack as long as no enemy bards were around, just thanks to its constant natural invisibility, for instance.
Animated Tanks require Animate Object, Geas/Quest, Resurrection, and Telekinesis. So the creation DC is 37. Level 17 is when their cost would fit in 1/4 or less of WBL, and by that point an Alchemist is able to hit 30 just from Taking 10 and skill ranks. Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and other bonuses will more than easily cover the rest.
It's a big ol' tank and it's intelligent but it doesn't have hands. Robust, its 16 HD can boost up to 24. It only fights, so Commando is probably a better template than Enlightened but it could do fine with either. The Telekinesis ability could be handy, too.
Slapping clockwork onto it arguably eliminates the need for the brains, at least.
Ardoc Moilants require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Make Whole, and Move Earth. The creation DC is 38. A level 13 Alchemist can hit 31 when taking 10 just using skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune, while Int and an alchemist's lab should cover the remaining 7.
They're big, intelligent, and built to be good at working. No hands, but their pincers can handle some delicate tasks in addition to creating sonic booms that dispel magic. At-will, non-magical Exepditious Excavation is nothing to sneeze at for utility, either. 13 HD that can boost to 19 isn't too shabby, since they can be made to get all the SLAs from Enlightened Construct with HD Modification.
The lore does restrict knowledge of how to make them on Golarion and also implies that they're liable to decide to stop working for their masters if not maintained regularly. So probably OK to take with you as the creator but probably not a good idea to leave alone running a prison or the like.
Caryatid Columns require Lesser Geas, Polymorph, and Shatter, of which Alchemists have Polymorph. The creation DC is 24. A 9th level Alchemist hits 22 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks, so making a basic one is trivial for them.
The writeup implies that they can be advanced with HD and have their size increase like golems due to being related to them, similar to Graven Guardians. On the other hand, by the default way of handling things, they can't be advanced in HD much without getting really big due to their low base HD.
Not super useful, especially since their base lore is that they're only able to be commanded once, and then only to guard either a location or an object. They're also kinda fragile, but the Shatter Weapons ability might be exploitable for some purpose.
Cephalophores require Animate Objects, Daze Monster, Geas/Quest, and Resurrection. The creation DC is 36. An 11th level Alchemist hits 31 when Taking 10 with skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, and an alchemist's lab, and probably has a 20+ Intelligence due to a headband.
In many regards these are the big siblings of Caryatid Columns being bigger and beefier with 12 HD that can boost up to 18, but still having the Shatter Weapons ability and the limitation of being generally tied to single command to guard a single spot. It doesn't state either directly or indirectly that they can be advanced other than through HD Modification, though, so that's one difference from Caryatid Columns.
Cryptguards require Animate Objects, Consecrate, Disrupting Weapon, Geas/Quest, and Planar Ally. The creation DC is 42. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 37 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's lab. So a 20+ Int or a Cauldron of Brewing would be able to push them over the line.
Built-in Ghost Touch is nice to have on a combat minion. Sanctification and Consecration Aura are niche, but undead are a fairly common foe, so it can be handy against them. Their base 14 HD can be boosted to 21 HD, they're Medium size, and they can have hands, so they have some decent stuff going for them. If the creation DC weren't so high, they would be good candidates for Enlightened Construct, and it would be fairly thematically appropriate, too.
Cutlass Spiders require Keen Edge, Lesser Geas, and Telekinesis. The creation DC is 29. There is no requirement related to the creator's level, so looking at the 9400 gp construction cost and comparing it to WBL, level 9 is when an Alchemist would have making a Cutlass Spider use 1/4 or less of their WBL. A level 9 Alchemist hits 27 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune, so they can make one trivially.
I seem to recall that these used to have 2 creation methods, which mostly differed in terms of caster level requirement, with the lower level one carrying some level of risk of failure.
Ah, here we go.
Old Cutlass Spiders require Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, and Limited Wish regardless of which of the two methods are employed, and the creation DC is either 27 or 28.
The most notable thing about the Old Cutlass Spider is that an intelligent magic weapon can take control of the construct, so it's a way to give an intelligent magic weapon a body if you happen to make friends with one, I suppose. Their 8 HD can be boosted up to 12 with HD Modification.
Ebon Acolyti require Animate Objects, Desecrate, and Trap the Soul. The creation DC is 31. Level 11 Alchemists can hit 29 with skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune when Taking 10, so it's easily within grasp.
They make particularly good executioners if you have an altar dedicated to the the right deity or even one who just doesn't have clerics for whatever reason. OTOH, Pharasmans are generally not the type to go around resurrecting people and the Boneyard is the sorting algorithm of the Outer Planes anyway. Beware of strange things happening if you use an altar dedicated to a god that doesn't have a divine realm and instead hangs out on the material plane.
Other than that, they're intelligent(?), seem to have hands, and have decent HD with 9 HD that can be boosted up to 13 HD.
Embalming Bears require Animate Objects and Minor Creation. The creation DC is 23. Level 8 Alchemists can hit that trivially, since they get 26 when Taking 10 with skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune before any other bonuses.
Sort of between Animated Objects and the Taxidermic Creature template. They have Decent HD (8 that can be boosted up to 12 with HD Modification) and are a ready source of dex-damaging poison, but otherwise nothing too special. Lore-wise they are an especially appropriate construct for alchemists to mess around with, though, I suppose.
Emerald Automatons require Lesser Geas and Shocking Grasp. The creation DC is 21. Shocking Grasp is easy to get from a third party, though, but even without it, a level 6 Alchemist hits 24 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune. Needing a chunk of the Emerald Spire or equivalent may be a bit trickier, though.
They have OK HD when they can first be made, but their base 5 HD can only be boosted up to 7 HD via HD Modification, so they fall by the wayside sooner rather than later, even when armed with hand-me-down magic weapons. They are Medium-sized and have hands and can use weapons and presumably at least hold other tools, though.
Hanshepsus require Animate Object, Beast Shape III (Beast Shape 3), and Limited Wish, of which, Beast Shape III is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 28. A level 13 Alchemist can hit 26 with just skill ranks when Taking 10, so making one is trivial, and making a Commando or Enlightened version may be within an Alchemist's grasp, especially if they have a friend who can provide one or both of the remaining spell requirements.
Intelligent, Medium-sized constructs with hands are always fun, although one of those hands is permanently attached to a mace. Their 15 HD can be boosted up to 22 with HD Modification, so they have some good longevity and are good candidates for the Enlightened Construct template. The morphic head feature allows for a bit of versatility, too, which is nice.
It does require sacrificing a humanoid, but thankfully it doesn't require that humanoid to actually like you or want to be loyal to you, since the personality is not used. Can lead to some interesting interactions with Soulbound and Enlightened templates. Making a Clockwork version potentially obviates that component of things, but would also arguably negate the Int score. Compare with Aluums and Akaruzugs.
Continuing on, I'm starting to remember that part of why I skipped several of these the first time around was because they're just not very good.
Constructs I skipped or missed I to S:
Ioun Wyrds require Animate Objects and Lesser Geas. The creation DC is 20. A level 6 Alchemist hits 19 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks, so making one is trivial.
They only have 1 HD and mostly exist to be quirky familiars and a non-floaty way to benefit from a number of ioun stones without implanting them into one's body.
Iron Cobras (and their Adamantine, Cold Iron, Darkwood, and Mithral variants) require Animate Objects, Discern Location, and Geas/Quest. The creation DC is 22. A level 6 Alchemist can exceed that DC just using their skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune when Taking 10.
Only has a single HD and isn't very strong. It does have a potentially useful 1/day ability to track down a creature that the master has seen or with the right kind of item. It also can apparently be used to deliver potions via bite-injection.
I really get the feeling that they assumed there was a way to make them with more HD that doesn't actually exist when they wrote up the entry for these guys.
Iron Rhinoceroses require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Resist Energy, and Summon Nature's Ally V (Summon Nature's Ally 5), or which Alchemists have Resist Energy. The creation DC is 35. A level 15 Alchemist hits 33 between skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune when Taking 10.
They have intelligence scores (but no hands) and they are Huge. They also have bad attitudes. Their 14 HD can be boosted up to 21 with HD Modification, but it feels a little low for a Huge-size construct that you're not supposed to be able to make until 15th level. Still, the SLAs of Enlightened Construct don't require hands to use, so it's still a potential option.
They also double as furnaces, so that's something.
Juggernauts require Greater Magic Weapon, Imbue With Spell Ability, Make Whole, and Stone Shape. The creation DC is 38. A level 10 Alchemist hits 30 with skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, and an Alchemist's Lab. A good int score, Cauldron of Brewing, and/or enough uses of Tears to Wine can make up the difference.
Their 15 HD can be boosted up to 22 with HD Modification. They're especially big at Gargantuan size, and they don't really have limbs because they're essentially mobile buildings. They have some versatility from the Domains they get associated with, and several of those bestow SLAs on them. Enlightened Construct would synergize with that by giving them more SLA options.
Living Walls require Animate Dead, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish. The creation DC is 32. A level 8 Alchemist hits 28 with skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10, so a good Int score should bridge the gap.
About the only truly good thing I can say about Living Walls is that they have plenty of arms with hands at the end of them. Their 3 base HD isn't great, sincei t can only be boosted to 4 with HD Modification, but they do have Fast Healing 1, and if you have a large enough area and enough Living Walls, you can have them link together to distribute the damage amongst all of them so that their fast healing is leveraged even further.
Haunted Construct would certainly be thematically approrpiate for them.
Necrophidiuses (necrophidii?) require Cat's Grace, Daze Monster, Geas/Quest, and Ghoul Touch, of which only Cat's Grace is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 30. A level 7 Alchemist hits 27 when Taking 10 from Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, so a decent Int will see to the rest.
Medium-sized, no hands, mindless, and low HD seriously hamper this construct's potential. It is decently sneaky at least.
Scarecrows require Command, Fear, Geas/Quest, and Hypnotic Pattern. The creation DC is 31. A level 6 Alchemist can hit 26 with Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, so a good Int score and other sources can fill in the rest, but may require more levels. Fear, Command, and Hypnotic Pattern aren't going to be the hardest spells to get from third party sources, either.
They're medium-sized and may have hands, so there's always something it could be doing. Its base 5 HD can only be boosted to 7 with HD Modification, though. Can provide a nice long duration Fascination effect that doesnn't require any actions to maintain. It's expensive but one could even boost the DC on the Fascination and Fear effects that are its bread and butter just by boosting CHA, which governs the save DC of both abilities.
Scythe Glass Swarms require Geas/Quest, Hypnotism, and Limited Wish. The creation DC is 33. A level 13 Alchemist hits 33 with Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10.
They have a nice number of HD with 20 base that can be boosted up to 30. So they're good candidates for both Enlightened and Commando, although actually attaching a phrenic stone to the swarm might be tricky in Enlightened Construct's case. They do have a limited ability to interact with the world around them, due to being a whole mess of tiny glass insects, but that's probably their biggest true downside.
The venom glass swarm variant provides a source of STR poison, too, which can be useful for keeping people on ice by leaving them paralyzed with 0 Strength.
Sentinel Huts require Animate Objects, Cat's Grace, Confusion, Geas/Quest, Jump, and Minor Creation, of which Cat's Grace and Jump appear on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 35. There is no level requirement, so going back to WBL, level 11 is when the 18K of making a Sentinel Hut would represent 1/4 or less of WBL. A level 11 Alchemist can hit 31 with Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10. Intelligence should take care of the rest and if not, Tears to Wine can.
They're Huge and have 10 HD, so they're a little fragile even when advanced to 15 HD with HD Modification. They're also buildings that don't have limbs, which further limits how they can interact with objects and creatures outside of combat. They do have a constant, no-save Wisdom damaging effect, though, which could be exploited
Set Guardians require Blasphemy, Geas/Quest, and Miracle. This goes for both Set Guardians and Elevated Set Guardians. The creation DC is 37 (38 for Elevated). Neither has a level requirement, but you're looking at level 17+ before their construction cost is 1/4 of WBL or lower. Level 17 Alchemists are hitting 30 just from skill ranks when Taking 10, and Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, an Alchemist's Lab, and Intelligence should boost that to 50+.
They're big boys, but since they're made using giants' bodies and the only thing severed from them is the head, they have hands. Their 22 HD can be boosted up to 33 with HD Modification, so they're very good candidates for Enlightened and Commando.
Shell Sentinels require False Life, Geas/Quest or Dominate Monster, Keen Edge, and Poison, of which False Life is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 29. A level 9 Alchemist hits 29 when Taking 10 from skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, and an Alchmey Lab.
They're intelligent, which is a plus, and provide a source of wisdom-damaging poison. They're not great in the HD department, though their 7 base HD can be boosted up to 10 HD. They can automatically detect creatures under their creator's control, which seems like the kind of thing that could be used to create a failsafe or otherwise exploited via lateral thinking. If one really wanted to play Reincarnate Roulette, one could ostensibly make one that can detect (and will have issues attacking) just about any particular humanoid race desired. This is also something that could possibly be exploited, though I'm less aware of ways to effectively change race for this purpose other than Reincarnate.
It's a little unclear exactly what kind of limbs they have, though, and the sharp edges are going to hinder doing certain delicate work anyway.
Ships in Bottles require Animate Objects and Magic Jar, and Magic Jar is on the ALchemist list. The creation DC is 19. No level requirement is given, but by 6th level the cost of making one represents 1/4 or less of WBL. A level 6 Alchemist can hit 19 just with skill ranks when Taking 10.
They are intelligent and have a fly speed with perfect maneuverability, and that's about all they have going for them. Low HD, fragile, and not very dangerous.
Thematically work well with Haunted Construct with the soul of a drowned sailor powering them angle.
Ship Sentinels require Animated Objects and Limited Wish. The creation DC is 24. A level 9 Alchemist hits 27 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune.
They can have hands, which is always nice. They're large and have OK HD, with 7 that can be boosted up to 10 with HD Modification. Only gain full capabilities when on board a ship, which is thematically appropriate. Does have its loyalty go to the captain of the ship it is attached to rather than to the creator, which is an additional point of complication.
Skull Rippers require Animate Dead, Fear, Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, and Limited Wish. The creation DC is 43. They don't have a level requirement for crafting them, and level 10 is when their construction cost is 1/4 of WBL or lower. A level 10 Alchemist can eke out 35 between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab before Int. Good Int and a Cauldron of Brewing can make up the rest.
They are intelligent and have 15 HD that can be boosted up to 22 HD while also being a source for poison that does Dexterity damage. They don't have hands, though, and are Large.
With their penchant for decaptiation, Haunted Construct would fit pretty well thematically.
A few more here, although I had to dip into a few that had no construction requirements entry and/or were unupdated 3.5 content floating around on AONPRD in order to not be laughably small after that S section in my last post.
I think I will probably wait a bit before looking at golems.
Constructs I skipped or missed T to W:
Tattoo Guardians require Animate Objects, Fly, Geas/Quest, Parchment Swarm, and Shield Other, of which, only Fly is on the Alchemist list. The creation DC is 34. A level 9 Alchemist hits 29 when Taking 10 from Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, so a 20+ Intelligence score or other bonuses can see them through.
In most cases these are just going to be an extra 42 hp for the person they're made on, though they can have their 4 HD boosted up to 6 via HD Modification for another 11 hp.
I always wish these were a little more robust, because by the time they're both affordable and something that you can make, they're just very fragile.
Since while they're worn, the wearer and the construct can share AC and saving throws, one could, with access to WBL-breaking funds, pump up the construct's Dexterity and Wisdom scores to the point where the construct's saving throws are much, much better than the wearer's are, and pumping up Dexterity would do the same for AC. Other than trying to exploit this, the biggest utility they have is from having flight.
Tongues of Rebuke do not have formal creation rules but are clearly created. They are also un-updated 3.5 content.
The biggest thing that means, other than having some conversion to do to use them, is that they have an advancement entry in their statblock. Best as I can figure it, the same basic price for HD Modification would apply and then a surcharge for increasing in size, and then, after it is built, HD Modification could be applied to whatever its new base HD are.
The other main ways of dealing with it are to ignore the advancement entry altogether or to not allow HD Modification after it is finished, except maybe within the limits of its size category per the advancement entry on its stsatblock. So that means it caps out at either 15, 20, or 30 HD at Large size
Individual GMs are going to vary, if they don't just ban it.
Aside from all that, it's a solid enough combat minion for mid-levels with a few extra tricks.
Urannags require Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, Limited Wish, and Planar Binding. The creation DC is 35. They don't have a level requirement for construction, but it's not until level 11 that their 17.7K gp construction cost is 1/4 of WBL or lower. A level 11 Alchemist hits 31 from Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, with a combination of Intelligence and Tears to Wine able to make up the rest.
They have an intelligence score, which is always nice, and decent HD at 11 that can be boosted to 16 with HD Modification. On the other hand, they're Huge and cage-shaped, so there aren't many places that they can fit, and it's questionable how useful their bladed arms are for anything other than clawing enemies.
Warmongers do not have formal creation rules but are clearly created.
They are one of the few forms of construct that is neither a golem or relative of one or a homunculus that is able to fully benefit from the Commando Construct template, with their base 28 HD being capable of boosting up to 42 HD. Even just with their base HD they are more than capable of fully benefiting from the Enlightened Construct template.
Wickermen require Fire Seeds, Wall of Fire, and Warp Wood. The creation DC is 34. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 32 between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, and so should have a high enough Intelligence score to hit the DC.
I believe this is the first Colossal construct that's come up. It has fairly low HD for being so big, though, only having 14 HD, although those can be boosted up to 21 HD with HD Modification. Its fast healing can help make up for that a ltitle bit, especially in conjunction with a lot of fire-based AoEs getting thrown around to activate its fire healing.
Other than being able to always reach the top shelf of any place big enough to accommodate it, the main utility it offers is being a source of eternal fire.
Since it requires a sacrifice to activate, it would have some thematic synergy with Haunted Construct.
Wings of Protection do not have formal creation rules but are clearly created. They are also un-updated 3.5 content.
The same stuff about having an advancement entry in their statblock as Tongues of Rebuke applies to Wings of Protection, too. Their cap on HD while remaining Huge-size would be either 19, 26, or 39 depending upon which of the three main interpretations I can see a GM goes with.
They are mostly just beatsticks that like to grapple and constrict, but their Weightless Load ability has some potential for moving loot, cargo, etc. as long as the construct is able to fit in the location to be able to pick up the load in the first place. Which can be a bit tricky given their base size is Huge.
Regardless of interpretation of their advancement and HD Modification, though, they can fully benefit from Enlightened Construct.
Had a little bit of a realization about Robots when I looked over the Recycled Construct template because it had read a little weirdly to me on my first pass. I still don't think I fully get it, either, but I did come to a realization.
So, without the Craft Robot feat (and the appropriate laboratory), there's only really one way to make a robot for certain, and that's with the Recycled template and the Technologist feat. (And even then it's not really *making* so much as repairing it so that you count as its creator now.) Craft Robot sets the DC to make a Robot at 20 + CR (minimum 21), so the Recycled template puts that at 15 + CR (minimum 16) instead.
The construction price is a bit odd to me, as Craft Robot assigns a CR * 10,000 gp construction cost (CR * 20,000 gp market price) and the Recycled template would halve this, but it also says that for recycling robots, it requires parts from complex constructs worth 50,000 gp or more. Perhaps I'm misreading it and it requires both, though, with the construct bodies being analogous to the raw cost of a golem's body or a Trompe l'Oeil's painting before you even start to make it into a construct.
(The other way, just making them as non-Technological constructs by removing the Robot subtype from them, doesn't have any real rules or guidelines governing it, so it either defaults to the prices from Craft Robot or the Building and Modifying Constructs guidelines. I don't recall a direct way to derive a CL, though, for those methods, though I suppose you could back-engineer a CL from the DC given by the Craft Robot feat.)
Although come to think of it, the Recycled template reduces CR by 1, so that also lowers the DC by 1 and the price by 5000 gp in most cases.
Recycled Robots:
Annihilator Robots have a creation DC of 30 and a construction cost of 75,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 16 is when 75K would be 1/4 of WBL or lower. A level 16 Alchemist can hit 46 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10, before factoring in Int, etc.
Has 20 HD that can be boosted up to 30 HD with HD Modification (3750 gp per added HD).
Gargantuan size makes these big boys hard to take with you and hard to bring to bear. Still, they can get all the benefits of Enlightened Construct and most of the benefits of Commando Construct while being killy death bots.
Arachnid Robots have a creation DC of 16 and a construction cost of 1666.66 gp before complex construct bodies.
A level 6 Alchemist hits a DC of 19 just from Skill Ranks when Taking 10, so hitting this DC is trivial.
Has only a single HD that cannot be boosted with HD Modification.
Small, fragile, and explodes when damaged too much. But it's mobile and has a plasma torch, so it can climb up somewhere and cut through most substances that aren't magical.
Collector Robots have a creation DC of 17 and a construction cost of 10,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 9 is when this represents 1/4 or lower of WBL, and a level 9 Alchemist can trivially exceed the DC of 17 just from skill ranks when Taking 10.
Has 2 HD that can be boosted up to 3 HD with HD Modification (5000 gp per added HD).
They can fly, they have hands, and they're Medium-sized, which is all nice. They're very fragile, which is less nice. It can be useful for placing tracking chips in prisoners, though, or even willing allies. It doesn't seem to have a limit on the number of tracking chips it can produce, either, though that's less obviously exploitable to me, though it is basically able to produce an arbitrary number of 500 gp tech items, which surely can be used for something, even if whatever that thing is would be too cheesy for 90% of tables.
Director Robots have a creation DC of 24 and a construction cost of 45,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 14 is when their price fits into 1/4 or lower of WBL, and level 14 Alchemists hit DC 27 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks.
Has 14 HD that can be boosted up to 21 HD with HD Modification (3214.28 gp per added HD).
Potentially useful for its Override ability, at least if there are other robots around (which is pretty much required to be able to make Recycled Construct versions anyway) and its at-will repair ability. They are loaded with various tools and capable of fine manipulation, too, which is always nice.
Evaluator Robots have a creation DC of 26 and a construction cost of 55,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 15 is when that is 1/4 of WBL or lower, and level 15 Alchemists hit DC 28 from skill ranks alone when Taking 10.
Has 16 HD that can be boosted up to 24 HD with HD Modification (3437.5 gp per added HD).
They're Medium-sized, which is always nice, especially when combined with a healthy chassis of HD that can benefit from Commando or Enlightened. Their Memory Wipe ability is helpful when it comes to making captives less able to escape by robbing them of knowledge of how they arrived at a location, but the possibilities go far beyond that, even if it only applies to the most recent 12 hours. It's also an at-will ability, so even though the save DC isn't the highest, it's highly spammable on captives or otherwise incapacitated individuals. It's Process Languages ability is also helpful for translating any obscure runes that your PCs might not know, because who puts skill points into Serpentfolk or Ancient Thassilonian if not expecting to go delving into those kinds of ruins, possibly without the difficulty with idioms that Comprehend Languages can have.
Gearsman Robots have a creation DC of 18 and a construction cost of 15,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 10 is when that is 1/4 WBL or lower, and level 10 Alchemists hit DC 23 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks.
Has 4 HD that can be boosted up to 6 HD with HD Modification (3750 gp per added HD).
I can never decide if these guys are supposed to be more Dalek, Zaku, or Lost in Space, but I digress. They're Medium size and while they have low HD, they do have a free floating skill that they can change out daily and are freely able to use tools and weapons, their canon statblock even gives them a Craft and Profession to play around with.
Gladiator Robots have a creation DC of 31 and a construction cost of 80,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 17 is when that is 1/4 WBL or lower, and level 17 Alchemists hit DC 35 between Skill Ranks and Crafter's Fortune when Taking 10.
Has 22 HD that can be boosted up to 33 HD with HD Modification (3636.36 gp per added HD).
They count as Fighters for feats, which at least somewhat increases the usefulness of HD Modification for them. They have pretty impressive HD for a Medium construct, and benefit from both Enlightened and Commando to a significant degree, although they do have one of the higher base creation DCs. Its biggest downside is the fact that all of its arms have integrated weapons on the end of them, so they can basically only fight without some way of giving them additional limbs.
Juggernaut Robots have a creation DC of 29 and a construction cost of 70,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 16 is when that would be 1/4 of WBL or lower. A level 16 Alchemist can hit 46 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10, before factoring in Int, etc., and hits DC 29 exactly just from skill ranks alone.
Has 20 HD that can be boosted up to 30 HD with HD Modification (3500 gp per added HD).
They're Gargantuan, severely limiting their use and portability. They are humanoid-shaped, though, at least, and can benefit a lot from both Enlightened and Commando Construct with their HD pool. Disintegrate once every 18 seconds (10 every 3 minutes, 200 an hour) can be quite useful for getting through just about any material.
Mannequin Robots have a creation DC of 16 and a construction cost of 5000 gp before complex construct bodies. (Athletic, Recreation/Pleasure, and Security variants have a creation DC of 17 and a construction cost of 10,000 gp.)
Level 7 is when the base form is within 1/4 WBL and level 9 is when the CR+1 variants are within 1/4 WBL. In either scenario, the DC is trivially within the grasp of an Alchemist just by Taking 10 and using skill ranks alone.
Has 2 HD that can be boosted up to 3 HD with HD Modification (2500 gp per added HD). (5000 gp per added HD for Athletic, Recreation/Pleasure, and Security variants.)
Uncanny Valley incarnate. The good part of this is that they have hands and can use tools. The Recreation/Pleasure variant's ability to scan minds is probably the biggest form of utility that any of them offer.
Myrmidon Robots have a creation DC of 25 and a construction cost of 50,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 15 is when that represents 1/4 of WBL or lower, and a level 15 Alchemist hits DC 28 when Taking 10 with skill ranks alone.
Has 15 HD that can be boosted up to 22 HD with HD Modification (3333.33 gp per added HD).
Large sized and a beatstick. They have some utility in disabling forcefields and destroying Walls of Force and being able to detect all invisible stuff.
Observer Robots have a creation DC of 16 and a construction cost of 5000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 7 is when that's within 1/4 WBL and skill ranks alone give an Alchemist a 20 when Taking 10.
Has 3 HD that can be boosted up to 4 HD with HD Modification (1666.66 gp per added HD). Which will give them another feat.
Stealthy, but weak. Transmit Senses can be used to act as security cameras, though. Ranged, non-magical, and non-lethal damage is somewhat interesting, too.
(Their statblock on AONPRD may also be erroneous, as their Stealth modifier doesn't seem to add up quite right.)
Observer Robot Swarms have a creation DC of 24 and a construction cost of 45,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 14 is when that is within 1/4 WBL and skill ranks alone give an Alchemist a 27 when Taking 10.
Has 18 HD that can be boosted up to 27 HD with HD Modification (2500 gp per added HD).
Arguably not something that can be created this way, due to being a large number of observer robots. OTOH, observer swarms get formed after too many individual observer robots get networked together.
If they can benefit from Enlightened Construct, they're well-situated for it. I'm less certain about what Commando Construct could give to them, as a swarm, though.
Their ability to use their individual camouflage screens as pixels to form images is also a pretty interesting novelty that could possibly be exploited by someone good at lateral thinking.
Octopod Mechanic Drone Robots have a creation DC of 27 and a construction cost of 60,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 15 is when that's within 1/4 WBL, and skill ranks alone yield a 28 when Taking 10 at that level.
Has 16 HD that can be boosted up to 24 HD with HD Modification (3750 gp per added HD).
Medium-sized for good mobility and accessibility, which is further enhanced by their tentacular shape. 8 Slams makes for good synergy with Commando Construct, and their HD can be boosted to fully benefit from Enlightened Construct.
Provide a minor but nice buff to any robots in their area, and has better repair functionality than a Repair Robot, since for them it is at-will rather than 5/day. Contrasting with Reclamation Robots, they effectively have Technologist as a bonus feat, but maybe a little bit better through their Mechanical Expertise ability.
Reclamation Robots have a creation DC of 26 and a construction cost of 55,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 15 is when that's within 1/4 WBL, and skill ranks alone yield a 28 when Taking 10 at that level.
Has 16 HD that can be boosted up to 24 HD with HD Modification (3437.5 gp per added HD).
Interestingly they have the Technologist feat as a bonus feat, in addition to ignoring item creation feats when creating tech items. They're also one of the few ways to restore Timeworn tech items, and can even result in improvement over newly built versions. Presumably all of this means that they are capable of other fine manipulations and motor functions.
They also are well-suited to the Enlightened Construct template, although the number of claw attacks they have can synergize well with Commando Construct, too.
Repair Robots have a creation DC of 16 and a construction cost of 5000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 7 is when that's within 1/4 WBL, and skill ranks alone yield a 20 when Taking 10 at that level.
Has 2 HD that can be boosted up to 3 HD with HD Modification (2500 gp per added HD).
Medium size gives them good mobility and accessiblity. They also have dexterous hands, which is nice, but its main point of interest is being able to heal robots.
Scrapyard Robots have a creation DC of 17 and a construction cost of 10,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 9 is when that's within 1/4 WBL, and skill ranks alone make Taking 10 hit 22.
Has 4 HD that can be boosted up to 6 HD with HD Modification (2500 gp per added HD).
Arguably already a result of the template, as they already seem to be cobbled together from spare parts and destroyed robots, so you'll probably run into more GM variance on this one.
Pretty frail and vulnerable, its principle ability of interest, cannibalizing other robots, is actively detrimental to the cause of a construct crafter who wants to use those bodies to make Recycled Construct robots.
Surgeon Robots have a creation DC of 28 and a construction cost of 65,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 16 is when that's within 1/4 WBL or lower. Skill ranks alone will see an Alchemist hit 29 when Taking 10.
Has 18 HD that can be boosted up to 27 HD with HD Modification (3611.11 gp per added HD).
Medium sized for good mobility and accessibility. Only need a single HD added on in order to benefit fully from Enlightened Construct. Its surgical abilities are pretty nice, and they have some synergy where a Torturer Robot could remove the Exhausted condition that is inflicted by the surgery. Being able to see any and all invisible stuff and manufacture an amount of pharmaceuticals every day is also nifty.
Terraformer Robots have a creation DC of 21 and a construction cost of 30,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 13 is when that's within 1/4 WBL. Skill ranks alone will see an Alchemist hitting 26.
Has 10 HD that can be boosted up to 15 HD with HD Modification (3000 gp per added HD).
Large sized, but it comes with every form of movement speed and is literally made of tools. Has some 3/day non-magical SLA-effects that reshape terrain and objects. It would be a hefty investment to get 10 Terraformers to capitalize on the Terraform ability, and you'd ultimately only get 26 uses of it in a year.
Having said that, you could do something silly with them, like raise the average temperature into an area above the boiling point of water. More practically, it could be used to make a temperate zone for farming or a tropical zone for certain exotic plants in a Kingdom Building game. The amount of time, the number of Terraformers required, and the type of effects all combine to put it outside of the scope of most games, though.
Thought Harvester Robots have a creation DC of 24 and a construction cost of 45,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 14 is when that's within 1/4 WBL. Skill ranks alone will see Taking 10 hit 27.
Has 13 HD that can be boosted up to 19 HD with HD Modification (3461.53 gp per added HD).
Medium size makes for good accessibility and mobility. The Harvest Thoughts ability provides some useful utility when information gathering. Its cap of 19 HD allows it to benefit from the full range of SLAs from Enlightened Construct.
Torturer Robots have a creation DC of 22 and a construction cost of 35,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 13 is when that is 1/4 WBL or lower. Skill ranks alone will see an Alchemist hitting 26.
Has 10 HD that can be boosted up to 15 HD with HD Modification (3500 gp per added HD).
Small size makes for convenience when going places. Its replenishing pool of healing nanites is pretty nice, too. Its Interrogate ability allows it to keep any prisoners incapacitated for long-term storage, or even just severely weakened as it can spam out DC 27 Fortitude saves properly prepared prisoners.
Warden Robots have a creation DC of 23 and a construction cost of 40,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 14 is when that is 1/4 WBL or lower, and Taking 10 hits a 27 just from skill ranks at that point.
Has 15 HD that can be boosted up to 22 HD with HD Modification (2666.66 gp per added HD). So it can get good value out of both Enlightened and Commando Construct.
Technically covered in an explosive material that it regenerates over time, and has some control in addition to being a beatstick.
Machine Soldiers have a creation DC of 18 and a construction cost of 15,000 gp before complex construct bodies.
Level 10 is when that is within 1/4 WBL, and at that point an Alchemist is hitting 23 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks.
Just an animated object, at the end of the day, but an animated object with a PC class level. More interesting for the precedent that its existence sets than for the actual utility that a level 1 Fighter Animated Object offers.
The PC level's HD raises a question of whether it can be boosted from 3 to 4 HD or from 4 to 6 HD using HD Modification, too, though it never specifies that HD Modification only cares about racial HD.
I'm still not certain about the whole complex construct bodies part. Does the value of each individual construct body required go down the larger the construct you're using the template on?
At any rate, the creation DCs for Recycled Robots seems low enough that as long as you can avoid glitches, many Robots can be boosted with the Enlightened Construct and/or Commando Construct templates while the base chassis of the Robot is still relevant. (Whereas with other constructs it seems like both the DCs and cost make it so that it's a choice between a chassis with poor scaling or no template, although I haven't crunched the numbers to be fully certain about that.)
Adamantine Golems require Crushing Fist, Geas/Quest, Heal, Stoneskin, and Wish, of which both Heal and Stoneskin are on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 40. A level 20 Alchemist can hit 50 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab before Intelligence and other bonuses.
They are Huge size and have a base of 30 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 45. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 44 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 66 HD while still staying Huge.
So they're easily able to fully benefit from the Commando Construct template. Their Indestructible ability and Fast Healing also help protect the investment of making one, and of applying Enlightened and/or Commando to it as templates.
On the other hand, they open up around level 20 in the first place.
Alchemical Golems require Geas/Quest, Gentle Repose, Major Creation, Resist Energy, and Telekinesis, of which only Resist Energy is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 35. A level 10 Alchemist can hit 35 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 12 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 18. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 17 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 25 HD while still staying Large.
The bomb ability is an unreliably random, but still interesting source of various types of elemental energy damage. Pretty thematically appropriate for an Alchemist to make, too.
Behemoth Golems require Earthquake, Geas/Quest, Mage's Magnificent Mansion, and Wish. So their creation DC is 43. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They have 23 HD that can be boosted up to 34 with HD Modification, giving a good portion of the feats from Commando Construct, or all of them when HD Modification is used in conjunction with Golem HD increases.
Since they're already Colossal, either they're capped at being made with a max of 33 or 34 HD and then boosted up to either 49 or 51 HD with HD Modification, or they can be made with as many HD as desired and can be afforded when initially made and then boosted up by 1.5x after that as more funds become available.
Given their sheer size they basically fit nowhere except for outside and even then they sometimes still won't fit. Also, they're elephant-shaped, not that you'd be doing much with Colossal-sized hands anyway. They can double as a sort of walking house, though. They can also create very localized earthquakes, which can potentially do a lot for you.
Blood Golems require Animate Dead, Bleed, Cure Critical Wounds, and Geas/Quest, of which only Cure Critical Wounds is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 27. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 30 when Taking 10 just from skill ranks and Crafter's Fortune. Bleed, at least, should be very accessible from an ally, given it is a cantrip, potentially lowering the DC down to 22.
They are Medium size and have a base of 8 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 12. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 11 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 16 HD while still staying Medium. Alternatively, if Large size is preferred, one can be built with 17 HD and then boosted to 25 HD with HD Modification.
Even if it gets super big, the amoprhous and compression abiliites allow it to be at least somewhat present in more confined spaces. So it has better portability than normal for golems.
One of those constructs where the CL is fairly different from the CL requirement for the creator.
Bone Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Telekinesis, and either Animate Dead OR Animate Objects. So their creation DC is 34. A level 9 Alchemist can hit 34 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 11 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 16. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 15 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 22 HD while still staying Large.
Has some minor control in the form of its Bone Prison ability.
Brass Golems require Geas/Quest, Incendiary Cloud, Limited Wish, and See Invisibility, of which only See Invisibility is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 37. A level 17 Alchemist can hit 47 when Taking 10 from skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Huge size and have a base of 20 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 30. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 29 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 43 HD while still staying Huge.
So they can fully benefit from Commando Construct without a size increase. They also have some Death Throes to watch out for.
Cannon Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and either Plane Shift or Secret Chest. So their creation DC is 37. A level 17 Alchemist can hit 47 when Taking 10 from skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large and have a base of 20 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 30. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 29 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 43 HD while still staying Large size.
So they can fully benefit from Enlightened Construct and Commando Construct without having to be Huge.
They're ostensibly a source of infinite black powder, although accessing it to exploit it for such may be too problematic.
Carrion Golems require Animate Dead, Contagion, False Life, Gentle Repose, and Lesser Geas, of which only False Life is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 32. A level 7 Alchemist can hit 29 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab, so a good Int score and other bonuses should place it within reach, or a few levels will do it.
They are Medium size and have a base of 4 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 6. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 5 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 7 HD while still staying Medium. If Large is preferred, then they can be built with 8 HD and then boosted up to 12 HD with HD Modification.
Provide some control ability through their ability to inflict Nauseated. They're customizable with what disease you want to load them with, too, although most of them are not super useful in-combat, they can be useful for debilitating prisoners. Or a Necromancer friend might appreciate a Carrion Golem with Zombie Plague turning your felled foes into Plague Zombies so that they can destroy them and use the bodies to make Necrocraft.
Clay Golems require Animate Objects, Bless, Commune, Prayer, and Resurrection. So their creation DC is 41. A level 11 Alchemist can hit 36 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab. A good Int or Cauldron of Brewing should be able to bridge the gap.
They are Large size and have a base of 13 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 19. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 18 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 27 HD while still staying Large.
Can go permanently berserk, so you probably want to Shield Guardian the golem up, too.
Clockwork Golems require Animate Objects, Blade Barrier, Geas/Quest, Grease, and Telekinesis. So their creation DC is 45. A level 15 Alchemist can hit 45 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 16 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 24. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 23 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 34 HD while still staying Large.
Has a self-destruct effect. Funnily enough, not a Clockwork subtype construct.
Coral Golems require Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, Keen Edge, Limited Wish, and Water Breathing, of which only Water Breathing is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 36. A level 11 Alchemist can hit 36 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Large size and have a base of 12 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 18. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 17 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 25 HD while still staying Large.
They're supposed to be capable of fine and delicate precision tasks requiring fine motor skills, which can always be handy. They're also made of living matter, making for a real curiosity as far as constructs usually go.
Crystal Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Possession, and Thoughtsense. So their creation DC is 40. A level 15 Alchemist can hit 45 when Taking 10 from Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 15 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 22. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 21 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 31 HD while still staying Large.
Automatically boost any of your allies who are Psychic spellcasters or who have Psychic SLAs, which is what Enlightened Constructs have, and it also has some psychic magic in play already.
Dragonhide Golems require Create Greater Undead, Form of the Dragon I (Form of the Dragon 1), Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, of which, only Form of the Dragon I is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 36. A level 16 Alchemist can hit 46 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Huge size and have a base of 21 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 31. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 30 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 45 HD while still staying Huge. So they can benefit fully from Commando Construct while still staying Huge.
Go berserk a little more easily, but control can be re-established and it can be calmed with treasure. Has a breath weapon, which is always nice. Can be customized further with the addition of Draconic Grafts, too.
Equine Bone Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Telekinesis, and either Animate Dead OR Animate Objects. So their creation DC is 34. A level 9 Alchemist can hit 34 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 16 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 24. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 23 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 34 HD while still staying Large.
Technically a variant of the Bone Golem with the Advanced simple template baked into it. Even has two of its own variants.
So basically Bone Golems but without hands and with more base HD.
Golems F to M:
Flesh Golems require Animate Dead, Bull's Strength, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, of which Bull's Strength is on the Alchemist's list. So their creation DC is 28. A level 8 Alchemist can hit 28 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 9 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 13. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 12 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 18 HD while still staying Large.
Goes berserk, but can be calmed again.
Fossil Golems require Flehs to Stone, Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Stone Shape. So their creation DC is 40. A level 15 Alchemist can hit 45 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Huge size and have a base of 15 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 22. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 21 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 31 HD while still staying Huge.
Useful for both Dexterity Drain anbd turning prisoners into stone for more secure storage or even just to keep them on ice.
Glass Golems require Animate Objects, Flame Strike, Geas/Quest, and Spell Turning. So their creation DC is 35. A level 10 Alchemist can hit 35 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 12 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 18. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 17 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 25 HD while still staying Large.
Gold Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Polymorph Any Object, and Prismatic Spray. So their creation DC is 43. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 23 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 34. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 33 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 49 HD while still staying Large.
One of the relatively few constructs that can benefit from the Commando template fully, and at a relatively reasonably portable size. They do have Death Throes, though, to watch out for.
Ice Golems require Chill Touch, Cone of Cold, Geas/Quest, Ice Storm, and Resist Energy(cold), of which Alchemists only have Resist Energy on their list. So their creation DC is 37. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 37 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab. Chill Touch is an easy one to get from a third party though, so that can lower the DC down to 32.
They are Medium size and have a base of 6 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 9. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 8 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 12 HD while still staying Medium. Alternatively, you can make one Large with 12 HD and then use HD Modification to boost it up to 18 HD.
They have a breath weapon, are a constant source of intense cold for your chilling needs, and have a death throes effect.
Inubrix Golems require Air Walk, Enervation, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, of which Air Walk is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 36. A level 16 Alchemist can hit 46 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 20 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 30. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 29 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 43 HD while still staying Large.
They have a breath weapon and ignore iron and steel, so don't try to make them fight Iron Golems. Their Air Walk gives them a bit of added mobility which is nice, too.
They also have 2 additional variants, one with poison and one with Ethereal Jaunt and negative energy damage.
Ioun Golems require Geas/Quest and Wish as well as Craft Wondrous Item. So their creation DC is 38 (33 if you also have Craft Wondrous Item). A level 18 Alchemist can hit 49 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 23 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 34. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 33 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 49 HD while still staying Large.
Another of the constructs that can fully benefit from Commando Construct.
Their Ioun Stone related abilites are somewhat interesting, though mostly serve to give it a ranged attack and a bit of extra toughness.
Iron Golems require Cloudkill, Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Polymorph Any Object. So their creation DC is 41. A level 16 Alchemist can hit 46 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 18 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 27. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 26 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 39 HD while still staying Large.
They are tantalizingly close to fully benefitting from Commando Construct. Other than their Breath Weapon, they're just solid golemy golems.
Junk Golems require False Life, Lesser Geas, Minor Creation, and Rusting Grasp, of which False Life is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 27. A level 7 Alchemist can hit 27 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Medium size and have a base of 6 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 9. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 8 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 12 HD while still staying Medium. Alternatively, they can be built Large with 12 HD and then boosted up to 18 HD.
OK source of Dexterity damage and a potential aid to keeping a caster conscious but captive through its Tetanus. Somehwat novel for being able to adopt a swarm form using its Discorporate ability. Their fast healing from junk also allows them to synergize well with a friend.
Lead Golems require Cloudkill, Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Sequester. So their creation DC is 38. A level 13 Alchemist can hit 38 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Large size and have a base of 21 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 31. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 30 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 45 HD while still staying Large.
Another construct that can benefit fully from Commando Construct, and one that can be built at middling-high level instead of only high level. Act as a good bodyguard for someone who is paranoid about being scried upon.
Magnetite Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Reverse Gravity, and Telekinesis. So their creation DC is 38. A level 13 Alchemist can hit 38 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Large size and have a base of 13 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 19. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 18 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 27 HD while still staying Large.
Its magnetic abilities are potentially nifty.
Marrowstone Golems require Animate Objects, Antilife Shell, and Create Undead. So their creation DC is 31. A level 11 Alchemist can hit 36 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Large size and have a base of 10 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 15. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 14 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 21 HD while still staying Large.
Can be used to create ghouls which retain their class levels, although they are free-willed. Still, much like a Carrion Golem full of Zombie Plague, potentially useful for those with a necromancer friend who would appreciate the free ghoul bodies to use to make Necrocraft undead. Also just creating a mess of ghouls can make for a nice distraction, even if they are free-willed.
Does require being built inside of Ghoulopolis, though, which can be a bit of a bother.
Mask Golems require Dominate Person, See Invisibility, and Telekinesis, of which See Invisibility is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 24. A level 9 Alchemist can hit 34 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Medium size and have a base of 4 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 6. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 5 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 7 HD while still staying Medium. Alternatively you can make them Large with 8 HD and then boost them up to 12 HD.
One of the few innately intelligent player-creatable non-robot constructs. Can technically be an infinite source of metal due to its regenerating metal masks, although it will only reform a single mask each day. Like the Junk Golem, has a swarm form.
Mithral Golems require Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, Haste, Polymorph Any Object, and Wish, of which only Haste is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 43. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Huge size and have a base of 24 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 36. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 35 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 52 HD while still staying Huge.
Like Blood Golems, they can go liquidy and fit more places than they normally can, but unlike Blood Golems, they can only do so for a limited amount of time.
Golems N to W:
Noqual Golems require Geas/Quest, Greater Dispel Magic, Polymorph Any Object, and Wish. So their creation DC is 43. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Huge size and have a base of 25 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 37. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 36 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 54 HD while still staying Huge.
Have an ability to make spellcasting more difficult around them, dispel magic on creatures, and it benefits from absorbing spells.
Obsidian Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Volcanic Storm. So their creation DC is 35. A level 15 Alchemist can hit 45 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 17 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 25. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 24 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 36 HD while still staying Large.
Another construct with Death Throes. Also, effectively has an obsidian spray breath weapon, so technically an infinite source of obsidian.
Panthereon Golems require Animate Objects, Bless, Commune, Prayer, Resurrection, Searing Light, and True Seeing, of which, only True Seeing is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 46. A level 11 Alchemist can hit 36 between Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, skill ranks, and an Alchemist's Lab when Taking 10. So that's a gap of 10 that needs to be bridged between Intelligence and other bonuses.
(Esteemed variants add Beast Shape II, increasing the creation DC 5. Slaver variants add Merciful Spell, also increasing the DC by 5. Spell Bearers require Improved Counterspell and Mnemonic Enhancer, increasing the DC by 10. True Hunters require Instant Enemy and increase the DC by 5. All of the variants together would increase the DC by 25, or 20 if you leave off the incredibly specific True Hunter variant.)
They are Large size and have a base of 16 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 24. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 23 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 34 HD while still staying Large.
They have eye beams and have cat heads. That alone earns them bonus points. Super dependent on access to Osirion, though.
Quantium Golems require unknown spells and feats. So their creation DC is undefined. A level 20 Alchemist can hit 57 when Taking 10, before Int, between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, Tears to Wine, Heroism, an Alchemy Lab, and a Cauldron of Brewing.
They are Gargantuan size and have a base of 30 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 45. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 44 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 66 HD while still staying Gargantuan.
Presumably these would require a CL of 18+, if not 20+, like other very high-end golems. Not really very portable given their size, and would be liable to attract the wrong sort of attention on Golarion.
Quintessence Golems require Energy Drain, Geas/Quest, Trap the Soul, and Wish. So their creation DC is 45. A level 20 Alchemist can hit 57 when Taking 10, before Int, between Crafter's Fortune, skill ranks, Tears to Wine, Heroism, an Alchemy Lab, and a Cauldron of Brewing.
They are Huge size and have a base of 32 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 48. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 47 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 70 HD while still staying Huge.
Has one of the higher HD caps so far, at least without going into Colossal territory and potentially being uncapped. Gets bonus hp for Charisma and has fast healing, so it has a bit of extra durability. Can be hazardous to have around, given even your allies will instantly die if reduced to negative hp, no-save.
Robot Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, Make Whole, and Shatter. So their creation DC is 39. A level 13 Alchemist can hit 38 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks. Intelligence should easily make up that 1 point difference.
They are Large size and have a base of 15 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 22. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 21 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 31 HD while still staying Large.
An alternative to the Recycled Construct template when breaking robots. Have what is effectively a breath weapon that is an AoE centered on themselves.
Notably has a construction requirement for a CL one lower than the CL of the item, that or there's a typo somewhere.
Sand Golems require Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Move Earth. So their creation DC is 32. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 37 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab.
They are Large size and have a base of 12 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 18. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 17 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 25 HD while still staying Large.
They have what is effectively a sand breath weapon, essentially making them an infinite source of sand. Has two variants, one gravel and the other quicksand, neither of which affect the creation DC, only the construction cost.
Shadow Golems require Geas/Quest, Greater Shadow Conjuration, Limited Wish, and Polymorph Any Object. So their creation DC is 39. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Large size and have a base of 22 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 33. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 32 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 48 HD while still staying Large.
They have a Strength-damaging breath weapon, which is always nice, and a successful save only reduces the Strength-damage, rather than negating it, making it great for paralyzing or greatly weakening prisoners. AONPRD either has a typo here, or it is one of the cases where the CL of the construct and the CL requirement for the creator are neither identical nor very close to one another.
Stone Golems require Antimagic Field, Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Symbol of Stunning. So their creation DC is 39. A level 14 Alchemist can hit 39 when Taking 10 between Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, skill ranks, and Tears to Wine.
They are Large size and have a base of 14 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 21. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 20 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 30 HD while still staying Large.
Their Slow effect adds a nice little bit of control into the mix.
Viridium Golems require Contagion, Geas/Quest, Horrid Wilting, Poison, and Wish. So their creation DC is 48. A level 18 Alchemist can hit 48 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks.
They are Huge size and have a base of 28 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 42. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 41 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 61 HD while still staying Huge.
Radioactive, poisonous golems, although they only cause a 1/day disease on hit, which is a bit less useful.
Wax Golems require Animate Objects, Geas/Quest, Limited Wish, and Silent Image. So their creation DC is 34. A level 9 Alchemist can hit 34 when Taking 10 between Tears to Wine, Crafter's Fortune, an Alchemist's Lab, and skill ranks. Silent Image is a relatively easy spell to get from a third party, so that would lower the DC down to 29.
They are Medium size and have a base of 4 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 6. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 5 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 7 HD while still staying Medium. Alternatively, they can be made Large with 8 HD and then boosted up to 12 HD.
They also can later on spontaneously develop class levels and sentience, although that comes with its own issues. The good news is that you can melt their sentience off with fire damage, although it's less clear what will happen after they're fixed from that, and it doesn't actually say that they gain free will in addition to sentience.
Over the course of a 52-week year, there's about a 7.7% chance that a Wax Golem will not develop sentience (0.99 * 0.98 * 0.97 * 0.96 * 0.95^(52-4) ) and then about a 0.5% chance over 2 years. Most games won't have that amount of downtime between adventures, but it still adds up.
Wood Golems require Alarm, Animate Objects, Cat's Grace, Geas/Quest, and Limited Wish, of which Cat's Grace is on the Alchemist list. So their creation DC is 32. A level 12 Alchemist can hit 37 when Taking 10 between skill ranks, Crafter's Fortune, Tears to Wine, and an Alchemist's Lab. Either being allowed to substitute Invisibility Alarm for Alarm, or sourcing it from a third party will reduce the DC down to 27.
They are Medium size and have a base of 8 HD. So HD Modification alone can get them up to 12. Stretching things to the max, you can build one with 11 HD and then use HD Modification to boost that up to 16 HD while still staying Medium.
Effectively has a wood-splinter breath weapon, allowing it to produce an infinite supply of tinder. Another example of a construct that has a different CL from the CL requirement for its creator.
So, going over the golems (ignoring Irespan Basalt and not trying to apply templates to them, etc.), it seems like there's only one golem with construction requirements that are clear which is outside of an Alchemist's grasp at the time they should become available, and that is the Panthereon Golem, which just requires too many spells.
I was also reminded of the spell Arcane Reinforcement, which would allow one to add 7+ to one's Craft checks for our purposes here, in exchange for investing skill ranks into Spellcraft, but it takes the Spell Knowledge Discovery to unlock.
So that's all the constructs I can think of to have gone over.
A whole lot more can be made than I would have expected going into this thread, that's for sure.
I was also reminded of the spell Arcane Reinforcement, which would allow one to add 7+ to one's Craft checks for our purposes here, in exchange for investing skill ranks into Spellcraft, but it takes the Spell Knowledge Discovery to unlock.
Using this every day is made all the easier [more affordable] by combining it with Infusion/Alchemical Allocation. Alchemist are fun like that.
Honestly, I had never seen that spell before... I usually only consider 1st-level spells for Spell Knowledge so I can get Arcane Strike earlier, and thus the Gloves of Arcane Striking. If I find myself with open feats later on, Magic Trick is always good for Mage Hand or Unseen Servant... because Aid Another is pretty rad.
@Coidzor, what a list you have put together here! Thank you for putting all this in one place.
Using this every day is made all the easier [more affordable] by combining it with Infusion/Alchemical Allocation. Alchemist are fun like that.
Honestly, I had never seen that spell before... I usually only consider 1st-level spells for Spell Knowledge so I can get Arcane Strike earlier, and thus the Gloves of Arcane Striking. If I find myself with open feats later on, Magic Trick is always good for Mage Hand or Unseen Servant... because Aid Another is pretty rad.
@Coidzor, what a list you have put together here! Thank you for putting all this in one place.
How does that make it easier and more affordable?
I think I only discovered Arcane Reinforcement due to a thread about getting a crafting check as high as possible. It makes sense in this context, because why pick up a spell that will reduce the DC by 5 for some or even most kinds of constructs when you could instead pick up a spell that gives you a +7 and only gets better as you increase in level?
You're very welcome. I admit, I did kinda go into a fugue state during that last push, so hopefully I caught all the typos.
At least golems are largely pretty much straightforward beatsticks as far as their chassis is concerned, so even the more shallow analysis is hopefully not too terrible. I'm not sure of what benchmarks to even use, so I won't be tempted to do a comparative analysis of beatstickery potential and then comparing that to the WBL expenditure necessary to get it, either. At least not any time soon.
Although that reminds me that I think I have a list of the ratio of gold pieces per HD for most non-templated constructs somewhere, though. I should check if I posted that onto williamoaks construct thread.
Homunculi are within grasp with Arcane Eye appearing on the Alchemist Formula list. Mirror Image and Mending aren't the most difficult spells to get from a third party, either. The DC is pretty low, too, so with Arcane Eye, the DC is only 22, even without it, a DC of 27 is within the reach of a 6th level Alchemist, provided they can make up the 5 point difference between their +12 from skill ranks/class skill and Taking 10.
So can you ignore the CL requirements? Because a homonculi is CL7 and the rules by the construct creation definitely states that:
"Caster Level: Some constructs, especially the more powerful ones, require the creator to be of a certain caster level in order to craft them. Unlike some other crafting requirements, this requirement must be met in order to craft the construct, and cannot be ignored simply by increasing the DC of the skill check to craft the construct by 5."
I was looking for some easy-to-make constructs because I'm hitting lvl 6 with my alchemist, but this limitation makes the list really short :(
(and my DM doesn't like 3rd party contents, so that makes it even shorter)
Homunculi are within grasp with Arcane Eye appearing on the Alchemist Formula list. Mirror Image and Mending aren't the most difficult spells to get from a third party, either. The DC is pretty low, too, so with Arcane Eye, the DC is only 22, even without it, a DC of 27 is within the reach of a 6th level Alchemist, provided they can make up the 5 point difference between their +12 from skill ranks/class skill and Taking 10.
So can you ignore the CL requirements? Because a homonculi is CL7 and the rules by the construct creation definitely states that:
"Caster Level: Some constructs, especially the more powerful ones, require the creator to be of a certain caster level in order to craft them. Unlike some other crafting requirements, this requirement must be met in order to craft the construct, and cannot be ignored simply by increasing the DC of the skill check to craft the construct by 5."
I was looking for some easy-to-make constructs because I'm hitting lvl 6 with my alchemist, but this limitation makes the list really short :(
(and my DM doesn't like 3rd party contents, so that makes it even shorter)
Requirements Craft Construct, arcane eye, mirror image, mending; Skill Craft (leather) or Craft (sculptures) DC 12; Cost 1,050 gp.
Quote:
CL 12th; Price 7,500 gp (13,500 for an intelligent servant)
Construction
Requirements Craft Construct, geas/quest and make whole, creator must be at least caster level 12th; Skill Craft (clockwork) DC 20; Cost 4,000 gp (7,000 for an intelligent clockwork servant)
That CL 7th and CL 12th exist to peg the basic DC of crafting such a construct in the first place at CL + 5. So DC 12 and 17 respectively. It is only with the Clockwork Servant that there is any Caster Level requirement listed. The base caster level of an item or construct is not a requirement itself and is only really relevant for the DC to create it.
Clockwork Servants and a number of other constructs have a separate entry specifically detailing the required caster level in order to create them.
When I saw such I thought that it was a duplicate information because item CL and the creator CL were the same. But now it is clear. Thank you very much.
Not quite pathfinder, but there was a dragon magazine that had low level golems for new adventurers. It was published just a little before paizo switched to pathfinder if I remember correctly. Within a year or two.
Edit: it’s dragon mag 341- Lesser Golems: Automatons For Amateurs
