Level Adjustment for being a Construct

[The Souljourner]

I'm planning out a new character for a future campaign, and I'm considering being a construct of some sort. I'll probably make up a "race" on my own, but before I can do that, I need to figure out what just having the construct type is worth in Level Adjustment.

Any help would be much appreciated.

-The Souljourner

Edit - here's the construct type abilities from the SRD:

Construct Type: A construct is an animated object or artificially constructed creature.
Features: A construct has the following features.
—10-sided Hit Dice.
—Base attack bonus equal to 3/4 total Hit Dice (as cleric).
—No good saving throws.
—Skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die, if the construct has an Intelligence score. However, most constructs are mindless and gain no skill points or feats.

Traits: A construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
—No Constitution score.
—Low-light vision.
—Darkvision out to 60 feet.
—Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
—Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease , death effects, and necromancy effects.
—Cannot heal damage on their own, but often can be repaired by exposing them to a certain kind of effect (see the creature’s description for details) or through the use of the Craft Construct feat. A construct with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality.
—Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.
—Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless).
—Not at risk of death from massive damage. Immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less.
—Since it was never alive, a construct cannot be raised or resurrected.

—Because its body is a mass of unliving matter, a construct is hard to destroy. It gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on the following table.
Tiny or Fine - 0
Small - 10
Medium - 20
Large - 30
Huge - 40
Gargantuan - 50
Colossal - 60

—Proficient with its natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with any weapon mentioned in its entry.
—Proficient with no armor.
—Constructs do not eat, sleep, or breathe.

 

[Knight Otu]

I believe that Savage Species gives a +2 LA for being a construct. Soldarin originally used a +1. Upper Krust's pdf says +2.4, but the factors add up to +1.4

Considering the vast array of immunities, and depending on the other abilities your construct may have, a +2 seems to be fitting.

Also, have you considered the Eberron Warforged which were previewed in a recent Dragon? I missed the one they're in, so I can't give you much info, but if you have the Dragon # 318, you might want to look at it.

 

[The Souljourner]

Hmm... Warforged, huh? Wish I had that Dragon.... anyone have the stats handy?

+2 seems about right to me, given that there is a significant drawback of no con bonus and no natural or magical healing (well, normal magical healing).

-The Souljourner

 

[Spatula]

Warforged are "living constructs" that are basically treated as regular creatures for most things. They have a Con score, can heal, etc. Although there are some warforged-only feats that make them more construct-like.

 

[Spatula]

Oh, and Savage Species gives a +1 LA for constructs, but constructs did not get bonus hp from their size at that point. I would say that the final LA would depend on the other racial characteristics - if the race has built-in construct HD, for example, that might reduce the LA since construct HD are *terrible*.

 

[The Souljourner]

Ahh, see, the whole point is that constructs are cool because they're not living - no need to eat, breathe, sleep, immune to fatigue... that's some cool stuff. Need to get to the next town 5 miles away? Yeah, I guess I'll sprint there.

I'm thinking +2 LA for constructs is probably necessary... they have just too many abilities for +1.

-The Souljourner

 

[Epametheus]

I guess +2 works.. Lacking a con score and being obliterated at 0 HP (let's face it, every PC is going to hit the 0 to -9 range at least once in their career) are pretty bad disadvantages.

I'd say it's worth +2 at low levels and only +1 at high levels -- Con bonuses to HP are going to completely outstrip the constant bonus to HP that constructs get from size at high levels, making a construct character rather frail at high levels. The immunities are certainly nice, but Disintegrate means Game Over for a construct.

Edit: And not being raisable is a horrible disadvantage in high-level play.

 

[The Souljourner]

Yeah.... hmm... this is a toughy. I was thinking of taking improved toughness, which over the course of a 20 level campaign would give me 38 extra hitpoints including the 20 starting for being a medium sized construct. That's almost as good as having 14 con. Granted, that takes a feat and still doesn't account for magical boosts to Con (many characters have +4 con items by 12th level or so)... but it's better than nothing.

-The Souljourner

 

[Torque]

Given the precedent of the "repair" spells, you might consider having a high-level arcane spell, "reconstruct" or something similar, researchable that restores a construct to functionality after being destroyed. After all, a construct doesn't have a soul, so there's no reason that restoring its body to the way it was wouldn't allow it to be reactivated.

 

[Knight Otu]

Ahh, see, the whole point is that constructs are cool because they're not living - no need to eat, breathe, sleep, immune to fatigue... that's some cool stuff. Need to get to the next town 5 miles away? Yeah, I guess I'll sprint there.

Living constructs retain a number of immunities of constructs (I forgot I had the Dungeon mag that details the Lord of Blades, a Warfor´ged villain).

Living Construct Traits: The Lord of Blades is immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain. He cannot heal damage naturally. Although he dose not need to sleep, the Lord of Blades must still rest for 8 hours before preparing spells. When reduced to 0 hit points, he is disabled just like a living creature. ...