This construct mount acts in most ways as a druid animal companion, using the character's alchemist level as his effective druid level. A construct mount is a construct, but uses the appropriate animal companion's statistics, gaining Hit Dice, skills, feats, and Strength and Dexterity adjustments as the alchemist advances in level. A construct mount has no Constitution score, and instead gains bonus hit points appropriate for a construct of its size. It has an Intelligence score (and skill points), a lower base attack bonus, and better saving throws than a normal construct of its Hit Dice. The mount has all the immunities of a construct (except immunity to mind-affecting effects, since it has a mind). A construct rider can use Craft (alchemy) instead of Handle Animal for all purposes involving his construct mount, though the check still takes a –5 penalty due to the construct mount's unusual nature.
Does the mount has all the construct traits such as Darkvision, Destroy when hp reach 0, cannot be raised or ressurect?
Yes. It's a construct in almost every way. The only thing that's different is that it will have intelligence. Specifically, from the list of allowed mounts as far as I know they're all 2 intelligence.
If it dies, I'd follow this:
www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/animal-companions#TOC-Reviving- And-Replacing-Companions
Namely, just the replacement part rather than the resurrection. Still, I suppose it's currently in the realm of GM's choice of how it specifically gets replaced, since an alchemist usually can't simply find a constructed horse lying around.
It has more HP than many/most druid animal companion because it gets bonus hit points for being a construct.
Aside from that it has a ton of immunities that normal companions don't get, as well as darkvision which most don't get either.
I don't see why someone would resurrect their animal companion when they could just find a new one too.
Considering that these companions are constructs though they could be upgraded if desired unlike animal companions, which would indeed be lost if they died. There are ways to bring back constructs too though (at least theoretically; Memory of Function).
I do agree that its nonsensical that its not immune to mind affecting effects though. I'm pretty sure a bunch of constructs have intelligence (nowhere does it say that constructs normally don't have intelligence), plus Skinsend gives immune to mind affecting despite the caster having intelligence.
It has more HP than many/most druid animal companion because it gets bonus hit points for being a construct.
it is important to remember constructs die at zero, and they get bonus hit points once. Animal companions quickly outstrip them
It takes significantly longer than you might think (and incidentally, these guys have some extreme hp at lower levels); Large constructs get +30 hit points, so for a horse or camel, barring Con raises (which I've never before seen, over Str or Int raises), it takes until character level 12th for the live animal to even reach parity with the +30 of the construct. That's most of the game, so personally I wouldn't say "quickly outstrip."
While we have a thread about this, can someone explain why I would ever, ever want to use the mount's breath weapons instead of a bomb, given that they each cost discoveries I could use one something decent?
It's obviously not the first time there's been a bad discovery/feat/etc. in this game though. I think the loss of alchemists int bonus to damage was unnecessary though. The alchemist freaking designed the thing and it can only be done once per combat, so it's not like it would be that strong. Without it, it's just far too weak for someone to really want to get. The ability to spend an alchemist's attack to do the breath effect instead would likely be worth it, although that's already somewhat similar to the Strafe Bomb and Directed bomb discoveries (although they don't deal direct damage, but do add int to damage), and pretty much identical to Breath Weapon Bomb (although by RAW it seems like it can't replace a bomb attack, and has to be a standard action, but that would be a rather harsh interpretation in my opinion)
VRMH wrote:
Ipslore the Red wrote:
can someone explain why I would ever, ever want to use the mount's breath weapons instead of a bomb
Action economy is the very poor justification I guess. I could see a point for a Healing Bomb to be used though.
Haha good point. It also seems difficult or impossible to say that RAW wouldn't allow it. It Becomes like a [more frequent but potentially weaker] channel energy for healing the party; quite efficient (mostly out of combat, although I guess if the group was coordinated it could be used in combat as well).
Actually this could already be done with the breath weapon bomb discovery.
I was excited when i first saw this too but just scratch my head over it now. It seems a little too limited in animal choices. once you get to a higher level and gain craft construct do you think you could resonably replicate any druid animal type as a construct? Chucking bombs from the back of my robo-rex would be awesome! Of course i'd still have to find a GM who would drop rocks on me for suggesting it.
This looks pretty cool. I wouldn't want to play a Fast Bombs based Alchemist again since that ended up being way over the top, but a goofy little guy who has a melee buddy robot with a breath weapon might be fun.
