The new spell from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything Summon Construct has what I can only assume is a typo in the hit points section of it’s stat block wherein it refers to the health that it gets if cast at 3rd level, but as a 4th level spell it cannot be cast this way. My first question lies in what the hit points should actually be since it says the hit points are “40 + 15 for each spell level above 3rd” so is it a simple error where 3rd should be 4th or is the calculation right and it should have 55hp when cast at its base level rather than 40?
my second concern is in the Heated Body feature which reads as follows
Heated Body (Metal Only). A creature that touches the construct or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 1d10 fire damage.
the basic use of this power seems clear, if it’s hit or grappled the attacker takes 1d10 fire damage, however the constructs melee attack is listed as “slam” so it hits the target with its body every time it’s attack connects, touching them in the process. Would this mean that it gets to add 1d10 fire damage onto the damage of all of the attacks that it makes? Consider the Remorhaz, who has the same heated body ability (albeit with more damage) and gets to add it to the damage of it’s bite attack. The Remorhaz has the damage from heated body listed in within its bite damage but the Construct Spirit does not, probably because only the Metal variant gets the feature but all three variants use the same slam attack.
it seems to me by RAW they would be able to but it seems rather strong for it to do 2d8+2d10+16 (36) damage a turn, the same average as Blight if you disregard misses or successful saves, except that you get to do it every turn, and it damages opponents that attack it, and it absorbs damage, and can occupy a space to prevent your foes from reaching you.
what do you think? How many HP should it have if cast at at lv.4? Does heated body apply to its attacks? RAW answers are preferred, but RAI is important too.
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(1) Yeah, the spell appears to have a typo. I don't know if there has been an official update, but I would agree that it should start at 55hp, based on the statblock for other 4th level summoning spells.
(2) By RAW, Heated Body and additional damage are two separate features. The Construct Spirit would not get the additional damage for their attack.
On your (2) is there any precedent for that? The feature says that it inflicts the damage when it is touched and it has to touch its target for its melee attack to inflict its bludgeoning damage, so why would it not apply? Is there a written rule somewhere that specifies otherwise?
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The precedent is "If it's not listed, it doesn't do it", that is the definition of RAW. The Slam attack is clearly defined, and even if it is later revised, the current rules do not include fire damage.
You'll also notice that the Remorhaz has Immunity to Fire damage, while the Construct Spirit does not. The construct spirit is defined by its material type: Clay, Metal, or Stone, rather than elemental characteristics.
Right but the slam attack is the same for all 3 of the Construct Spirit variants so it would not include the damage that is dealt by only one of those variants in its damage text. It is listed that contact with the constructs body inflicts fire damage, the slam causes contact with its body, the slam should do fire damage no? This would be consistent with the feature on the Remorhaz, Salamander, and Fire Snake who all add the heated body damage to their melee attacks without there being a specific listing (unlike heated weapons which is listed separately) and in the Salamander’s case it only applies to the tail attack which is its only attack where it actually touches the target.
the listed effect causes damage when the construct is touched, how could you possibly not be touching it if it just punched you in the face?
No. If there were a different effect for the slam attack, they would explicitly include it. Look at Summon Elemental for how they implement this distinction.
Whether or not it should do fire damage is a separate issue of whether it does by RAW. By RAW it does not, because it does not say it does. D&D isn't a physics simulator and thus does not always make sense. Odds are, if it had both Heated Body and did additional fire damage, it would be too powerful for the spell and would have to be rebalanced, which would mean boosting the power for the other variants as well.
Fire Snakes and Salamanders are Elementals from the Plane of Fire. Dealing Fire Damage is part of their identity.
That’s an excellent point on how they generally implement the distinctions between the variant’s damage types, that would imply that they would have listed the damage in the same way, but wouldn’t that interpretation mean that there would be instances where a creature could touch the Construct without taking that fire damage in direct contradiction to the written rule that creatures take the fire damage when they touch it?
So it’s not that the slam does an extra 1d10 fire damage it’s that the slam constitutes touching it and the touch is what does 1d10 fire damage? Or since there is no rule specifying that you have to touch someone to punch them it wouldn’t apply?
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(1) The use of "touches" in the Heated Body trait is meant to be a verb, not a preposition. It refers to the act of touching, rather than the state of being "in contact with".
(2) It only does bludgeoning damage because the Attack entry is written to be complete. As clarified above, the target touching the Construct is mechanically different from the construct "being in contact with" the target.
Redacted explanation:
(1) Technically yes, the Heated Body ability is specifically referring to the target being the reason for touching the Construct Spirit. The Construct Spirit touching the target does not cause the same consequences. This is a purely mechanical relationship for game balance.
Consider this: Do you want your construct spirit to burn down every house and forest that it is summoned in simply because it is in contact with the ground? That would make the game impractical.
The complicated case is if the Construct Spirit grapples a target and forces prolonged contact. There is no explicit rule for how this interaction will unfold, but I would personally say that the target gets an opportunity to escape before taking forced damage. The target must either choose to touch the Construct Spirit (Perhaps unknowingly, like running around a corner too fast), or fail to stop touching it. However, that is a "DM's Discretion" ruling.
This is similar to how Forced Movement does not trigger Attacks of Opportunity. A target choosing to leave melee is not treated the same as a target being pushed/pulled out of melee for the sake of game balance.
(2) No. When the Construct Spirit Slams a target, the target takes 1d8+4+spell level bludgeoning damage. Full Stop.
The Slam attack is described exactly how it is meant to be used. There are no rider effects unless explicitly stated.
Yes, a slam attack obviously requires contact between the Construct Spirit and the target, but that is being deliberately ignored. The overarching policy is that, with respect to rules, "Specific trumps General".
Heated Body is the "general rule", while the Slam Attack is a more "specific rule". The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack. Anything beyond that is "DM Discretion".
Basically, D&D Statblocks follow a structured design. Certain pieces, like Attacks, are set in stone, while traits like Heated Body follow the principle of "Use common sense, except where we have prescribed otherwise". Combat mechanics, in particular, are carefully balanced, so they need to be understood in a much more narrow scope.
(1) I challenge that the creature touching the Construct has to be the reason for the touching. There is no reference that the creature being touched has to be willing nor is there text that states that they cannot be unwilling. Forced Movement is an excellent example, the rules for an opportunity attack specifically stipulate events that prevent it from occurring such as forced movement, teleportation, or the disengage action. There is no such specific text limiting the heated body from inflicting its damage on unwilling targets that touch it. The rule says that if a creature touches it takes fire damage and unlike opportunity attacks, there is no rule that says it has to be willingly done.
unless you are saying that "A creature that touches the construct" is different than "A creature that the construct touches" and that that difference prevents the feature from working in this manner would open up questions in the following example;
if there was an artifact that says that "a creature that touches this object is teleported to area 57" and a wizard throws it against someone using magic, would the creature who got hit be teleported? They didn't touch it, but it did touch them, if it was held against their face would it not count because they had it held against them rather than them picking it up themselves? Would they get the same opportunity to escape even though they have clearly been in contact with it?
Consider this: Do you want your construct spirit to burn down every house and forest that it is summoned in simply because it is in contact with the ground? That would make the game impractical.
Heated body specifically only targets creatures, so if it touched a house or tree there would be no effect. if however, the Construct stepped on a Rug of Smothering that was lying in wait using its False Appearance it seems like it would be affected regardless of whether the rug decides to attack. Would you rule otherwise?
(2) is there text somewhere that specifically says that "the Construct Spirit's slam attack does not require it to touch its target" unless I'm missing something I don't see how the Slam Attack is a more "specific rule" compared to Heated Body, could it not just as easily be said that Slam damage is the general rule while Heated Body's is the specific? Like is there something in the monster manual that says "The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack?" Like what if a creature poisoned their weapon or cast a spell like hex? would the effect be ignored because The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack? Or would the effect that causes damage as a result of the attack hitting be added anyways?
To be clear I'm finding this conversation to be very helpful and I'm not married to the idea that it has to work, but I'd like to be fully convinced that it doesnt if it doesnt and I'm glad that you are willing to help.
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@The_Necrocomicon: I rewrote what I had written. Give that a quick consideration. I'll follow up more comprehensively after dinner. English can be stupid, and is used differently in different contexts. This needs to be read in context of combat balance. Compare the abilities of one variant to another, they should not be substantially different in terms of power.
@DxJxC: The spell Summon Elemental, which is right next to the spell Summon Construct has HP 50. I assume that a construct should be slightly more durable than an elemental, rather than substantially less durable.
@DxJxC: The spell Summon Elemental, which is right next to the spell Summon Construct has HP 50. I assume that a construct should be slightly more durable than an elemental, rather than substantially less durable.
That would make it the furthest deviation from the mean.
Out of 8 other spells, only 3 exceed their level × 10 HP. And none by more than 10.
I personally wouldn't a construct would have more HP, but rather would assume it has more AC (which it does).
Again though, that was just a guess based on the pattern. As I said as written it is 55, and if it ever gets errata'd (for the typo) we will know by if they change the 40 to 55.
By this I mean, the Attack entry represents the baseline values that are true until something new happens that changes the effect. That is to say, Heated Body is a permanent trait, so if fire damage is meant to be automatically added to Slam attacks, there will never be a time that the Attack entry is correct for the Iron Construct. It would be wrong by design, which isn't a reasonable assumption.
Hex is a change to the encounter that is optional and inactive by default. It builds upon the basics, it doesn't "complete" them.
For reference, look at the entry for creatures that have magical weapons, such as the Deva. It lists Angelic Weapons as a trait, states the values, and then adds "(Included in the attack)". The Deva is armed by default and all damage is automatically added to the Attack entry. It is well established to add all default damage to an Attack explicitly, as well as mention it in the relevant trait.
In the case of the Remorhaz, the Heated Body and fire damage on the attack are both present, but they are not explicitly connected. To assume that the damage is the result of the Heated Body trait is an unfounded assumption mechanically, though not irrational narratively. There is a clear established precedent for an Attack inheriting damage from a specific trait.
(2) Re: Animated Rug
It is true that the Construct's ability specifies "creatures", which clearly defines RAW, but is functionally nonsensical, if it was meant to be indiscriminant enough to burn a creature on contact. Adventurers are typically more resilient than common objects. The idea that the the construct could identify a Mimic from a line of treasure chests simply by touching each one and seeing which burns is silly. Fire damage is fire damage.
The only meaningful distinction is that creatures posses agency and can actively "touch" the construct, whereas all other things have things done to them. The contact does not need to be "willing", but it does need to be the result of agency. For example, if a target jumps from a ledge and accidentally lands on a construct, it unwillingly "touched" the construct. Whoops.
There is no distinction on what constitutes a "touch". The average speed that a human can "tap" their finger is approximately 6 times per second. If the construct chose to "drum roll" a creature, rather than "Attack" them, they would deal somewhere between 18d10 and 36d10, depending on interpretation. This is obviously not what is intended. (The lack of a clear distinction is fine when it's the target's responsibility to not do stupid things. If they "drum roll" the construct, knowing that it will cause damage, they have earned whatever happens to them.)
(3) Re: General Versus Specific
The rulebook doesn't go into those level of specifics, because it is usually obvious or irrelevant. Tasha's introduces a few new mechanics that weren't well proofed.
There is SageAdvice that discuss "Specific beats General".
For an example of a poisoned weapon, the assassin shows it included in the attack.
Players are assumed to be more persistent and have character sheets, not "Statblocks". Where a player might gain new traits or spells that augment their attacks, non-spellcasting monsters are streamlined. They are designed to show up for an encounter and then disappear, so HP, AC, and Attacks are all written for simplicity, not for digging through the other traits to piecemeal it together.
That would make it the furthest deviation from the mean.
Which really isn't surprising.... It's a "Construct". Being dense is a defining characteristic of a machine made of clay, iron, or stone.
Elementals get damage resistances and immunities, Constructs get a few extra hitpoints. Which is emphasized by them also getting the largest increase in HP from upcasting (+15), exceeding the 5th level Summon Celestial.
By this I mean, the Attack entry represents the baseline values that are true until something new happens that changes the effect. That is to say, Heated Body is a permanent trait, so if fire damage is meant to be automatically added to Slam attacks, there will never be a time that the Attack entry is correct for the Iron Construct. It would be wrong by design, which isn't a reasonable assumption.
Heated body is a permanent trait of only one of the three possible creatures represented in the Stat Block of Construct Spirit, the attack entry would be correct for both the Clay and Stone variants without the fire damage being present but not for the Metal variant. It is true that it would have to be assumed that the attack section would be listed inconsistently compared to other monsters, but D&D 5e is no stranger to fixing the wording on spells and monster traits after publishing; see Errata. For example, it allowed guards to attack with their spear using two hands rather than one, which should have been available to them under the rules regarding their weapon (spear) but was only added to their stat block after initial publishing by an errata. I feel it is a fairly reasonable assumption especially since Summon Construct is the only new "summon" spell that skipped public playtesting in the form of Unearthed Arcana, and is the only one with an actual typo in it already, that either it shouldn't list "touches" under the conditions for the damage to apply Like in Fire Shield or add the damage under the "Slam" portion of the stat block with a (Metal only) stipulation, and that in it's current state it is inconsistent. As it currently stands the question is not a question of what the new rules wanted to convey, but what they do as written currently. It has to touch a target to damage them and the touch inflicts harm, but the damage of the touch isn't listed under the attack's damage, one of the rules has to be written wrong since they cannot both be true. That is unless it's attack doesn't count as touching them or if the target has to be the one that initiates the touching. Which brings us to (2)
(2) Re: Animated Rug
I feel as if an example I listed wasn't fully addressed so I will rewrite it here; if there was an artifact that says that "a creature that touches this object is teleported to area 57" and a wizard throws it against someone using magic, would the creature who got hit by it be teleported? If they did then they did not have to be the one to initiate the touching and the same ruling could be applied to the Heated body, meaning that the touch should inflict it's damage, but it's unlisted, it's as if a monster had an ability that read "this creature does an extra 2d6 Blugeoning damage on all melee attacks" but under it's melee attacks that extra damage wan't listed. This would be an error no? Would the creature not benefit from the ability even though it clearly applied? Which overides the other, is the attack stat the specific or is the extra modifier the specific? I'm not seeing a clear answer one way or the other because either the attack's damage would be wrong, or the modifier's application condition would be. It just depends on which text is wrong, did they mean for it to apply and just didn't write it in, or did they not mean it to apply but wrote that it does without writing it in.
As you have stated earlier, D&D is not a physics simulator there are many effects and spells that should also affect objects that do not, such as the Acid Splash Cantrip that should be able to melt through doors or chests, but by design can only target creatures. The fact that Heated body only targets creatures is not evidence of those creatures needing to use their own agency to be effected rather than the effects being forced onto them.
Under Actions in Combat in the PHB it states
When you take your action on your turn, you can take one of the actions presented here, an action you gained from your class or a special feature, or an action that you improvise. Many monsters have action options of their own in their stat blocks.
When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure
a "drum roll" on a creature would be an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules and the DM would tell you whether or not the action was possible. It is unlikely that a DM would allow you to do 18d10 - 36d10 without performing an attack using this special rule.
(3) Re: General Versus Specific
I agree with the only reason it's stats would need to be piecemealed together would be that the spell's mechanics were not well proofed.
My example regarding the poisoned weapon was if a creature like a Hobgoblin, who does not have an already poisoned weapon, applied one of the Poisons from the DMG to their weapon. but the new "the Attack entry represents the baseline values that are true until something new happens" statement answer that question in a satisfactory way.
I'm sorry if I may have missed your point somewhere and I'm glad that you are keeping in corrispondance.
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Even the Salamander, which explicitly deals fire damage with its tail, does not cause damage simply from contact. In the same way that some spells apparently ignore objects, which I've generally ignored, Heated Body is one directional.
... I dont know why but I find that incredibly frustrating. So a salamander which can forge blades using it's own body heat cant burn you with a hug? It's an elemental not a spell effect. The very creature is fire itself given shape it makes no sense that it can harm you by grappling you.
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The new spell from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything Summon Construct has what I can only assume is a typo in the hit points section of it’s stat block wherein it refers to the health that it gets if cast at 3rd level, but as a 4th level spell it cannot be cast this way. My first question lies in what the hit points should actually be since it says the hit points are “40 + 15 for each spell level above 3rd” so is it a simple error where 3rd should be 4th or is the calculation right and it should have 55hp when cast at its base level rather than 40?
my second concern is in the Heated Body feature which reads as follows
the basic use of this power seems clear, if it’s hit or grappled the attacker takes 1d10 fire damage, however the constructs melee attack is listed as “slam” so it hits the target with its body every time it’s attack connects, touching them in the process. Would this mean that it gets to add 1d10 fire damage onto the damage of all of the attacks that it makes? Consider the Remorhaz, who has the same heated body ability (albeit with more damage) and gets to add it to the damage of it’s bite attack. The Remorhaz has the damage from heated body listed in within its bite damage but the Construct Spirit does not, probably because only the Metal variant gets the feature but all three variants use the same slam attack.
it seems to me by RAW they would be able to but it seems rather strong for it to do 2d8+2d10+16 (36) damage a turn, the same average as Blight if you disregard misses or successful saves, except that you get to do it every turn, and it damages opponents that attack it, and it absorbs damage, and can occupy a space to prevent your foes from reaching you.
what do you think? How many HP should it have if cast at at lv.4? Does heated body apply to its attacks? RAW answers are preferred, but RAI is important too.
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(1) Yeah, the spell appears to have a typo. I don't know if there has been an official update, but I would agree that it should start at 55hp, based on the statblock for other 4th level summoning spells.
(2) By RAW, Heated Body and additional damage are two separate features. The Construct Spirit would not get the additional damage for their attack.
On your (2) is there any precedent for that? The feature says that it inflicts the damage when it is touched and it has to touch its target for its melee attack to inflict its bludgeoning damage, so why would it not apply? Is there a written rule somewhere that specifies otherwise?
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The precedent is "If it's not listed, it doesn't do it", that is the definition of RAW. The Slam attack is clearly defined, and even if it is later revised, the current rules do not include fire damage.
You'll also notice that the Remorhaz has Immunity to Fire damage, while the Construct Spirit does not. The construct spirit is defined by its material type: Clay, Metal, or Stone, rather than elemental characteristics.
Right but the slam attack is the same for all 3 of the Construct Spirit variants so it would not include the damage that is dealt by only one of those variants in its damage text. It is listed that contact with the constructs body inflicts fire damage, the slam causes contact with its body, the slam should do fire damage no? This would be consistent with the feature on the Remorhaz, Salamander, and Fire Snake who all add the heated body damage to their melee attacks without there being a specific listing (unlike heated weapons which is listed separately) and in the Salamander’s case it only applies to the tail attack which is its only attack where it actually touches the target.
the listed effect causes damage when the construct is touched, how could you possibly not be touching it if it just punched you in the face?
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No. If there were a different effect for the slam attack, they would explicitly include it. Look at Summon Elemental for how they implement this distinction.
Whether or not it should do fire damage is a separate issue of whether it does by RAW. By RAW it does not, because it does not say it does. D&D isn't a physics simulator and thus does not always make sense. Odds are, if it had both Heated Body and did additional fire damage, it would be too powerful for the spell and would have to be rebalanced, which would mean boosting the power for the other variants as well.
Fire Snakes and Salamanders are Elementals from the Plane of Fire. Dealing Fire Damage is part of their identity.
As a DM, I might choose to split the construct's damage to include some fire damage for effect, but that would be a homebrew modification.
That’s an excellent point on how they generally implement the distinctions between the variant’s damage types, that would imply that they would have listed the damage in the same way, but wouldn’t that interpretation mean that there would be instances where a creature could touch the Construct without taking that fire damage in direct contradiction to the written rule that creatures take the fire damage when they touch it?
So it’s not that the slam does an extra 1d10 fire damage it’s that the slam constitutes touching it and the touch is what does 1d10 fire damage? Or since there is no rule specifying that you have to touch someone to punch them it wouldn’t apply?
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Rewriting for clarity:
(1) The use of "touches" in the Heated Body trait is meant to be a verb, not a preposition. It refers to the act of touching, rather than the state of being "in contact with".
(2) It only does bludgeoning damage because the Attack entry is written to be complete. As clarified above, the target touching the Construct is mechanically different from the construct "being in contact with" the target.
Redacted explanation:
(1) Technically yes, the Heated Body ability is specifically referring to the target being the reason for touching the Construct Spirit. The Construct Spirit touching the target does not cause the same consequences. This is a purely mechanical relationship for game balance.
Consider this: Do you want your construct spirit to burn down every house and forest that it is summoned in simply because it is in contact with the ground? That would make the game impractical.
The complicated case is if the Construct Spirit grapples a target and forces prolonged contact. There is no explicit rule for how this interaction will unfold, but I would personally say that the target gets an opportunity to escape before taking forced damage. The target must either choose to touch the Construct Spirit (Perhaps unknowingly, like running around a corner too fast), or fail to stop touching it. However, that is a "DM's Discretion" ruling.
This is similar to how Forced Movement does not trigger Attacks of Opportunity. A target choosing to leave melee is not treated the same as a target being pushed/pulled out of melee for the sake of game balance.
(2) No. When the Construct Spirit Slams a target, the target takes 1d8+4+spell level bludgeoning damage. Full Stop.
The Slam attack is described exactly how it is meant to be used. There are no rider effects unless explicitly stated.
Yes, a slam attack obviously requires contact between the Construct Spirit and the target, but that is being deliberately ignored. The overarching policy is that, with respect to rules, "Specific trumps General".
Heated Body is the "general rule", while the Slam Attack is a more "specific rule". The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack. Anything beyond that is "DM Discretion".
Basically, D&D Statblocks follow a structured design. Certain pieces, like Attacks, are set in stone, while traits like Heated Body follow the principle of "Use common sense, except where we have prescribed otherwise". Combat mechanics, in particular, are carefully balanced, so they need to be understood in a much more narrow scope.
(1) I challenge that the creature touching the Construct has to be the reason for the touching. There is no reference that the creature being touched has to be willing nor is there text that states that they cannot be unwilling. Forced Movement is an excellent example, the rules for an opportunity attack specifically stipulate events that prevent it from occurring such as forced movement, teleportation, or the disengage action. There is no such specific text limiting the heated body from inflicting its damage on unwilling targets that touch it. The rule says that if a creature touches it takes fire damage and unlike opportunity attacks, there is no rule that says it has to be willingly done.
unless you are saying that "A creature that touches the construct" is different than "A creature that the construct touches" and that that difference prevents the feature from working in this manner would open up questions in the following example;
if there was an artifact that says that "a creature that touches this object is teleported to area 57" and a wizard throws it against someone using magic, would the creature who got hit be teleported? They didn't touch it, but it did touch them, if it was held against their face would it not count because they had it held against them rather than them picking it up themselves? Would they get the same opportunity to escape even though they have clearly been in contact with it?
Heated body specifically only targets creatures, so if it touched a house or tree there would be no effect. if however, the Construct stepped on a Rug of Smothering that was lying in wait using its False Appearance it seems like it would be affected regardless of whether the rug decides to attack. Would you rule otherwise?
(2) is there text somewhere that specifically says that "the Construct Spirit's slam attack does not require it to touch its target" unless I'm missing something I don't see how the Slam Attack is a more "specific rule" compared to Heated Body, could it not just as easily be said that Slam damage is the general rule while Heated Body's is the specific? Like is there something in the monster manual that says "The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack?" Like what if a creature poisoned their weapon or cast a spell like hex? would the effect be ignored because The damage listed in the attack replaces any other possible damage as a result of the attack? Or would the effect that causes damage as a result of the attack hitting be added anyways?
To be clear I'm finding this conversation to be very helpful and I'm not married to the idea that it has to work, but I'd like to be fully convinced that it doesnt if it doesnt and I'm glad that you are willing to help.
Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
I'm pretty sure it was supposed to have 40 HP. There are a few outliers, but most of these summon spells are about 10 hp × base spell level.
But RAW is 55 until errata'd.
@The_Necrocomicon: I rewrote what I had written. Give that a quick consideration. I'll follow up more comprehensively after dinner. English can be stupid, and is used differently in different contexts. This needs to be read in context of combat balance. Compare the abilities of one variant to another, they should not be substantially different in terms of power.
@DxJxC: The spell Summon Elemental, which is right next to the spell Summon Construct has HP 50. I assume that a construct should be slightly more durable than an elemental, rather than substantially less durable.
I absolutely agree, I'll read over what you wrote again and look forward to your reply after you finish your dinner.
Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
That would make it the furthest deviation from the mean.
Out of 8 other spells, only 3 exceed their level × 10 HP. And none by more than 10.
I personally wouldn't a construct would have more HP, but rather would assume it has more AC (which it does).
Again though, that was just a guess based on the pattern. As I said as written it is 55, and if it ever gets errata'd (for the typo) we will know by if they change the 40 to 55.
Ok, should have some time now.
(1) "Attack entry is complete"
By this I mean, the Attack entry represents the baseline values that are true until something new happens that changes the effect. That is to say, Heated Body is a permanent trait, so if fire damage is meant to be automatically added to Slam attacks, there will never be a time that the Attack entry is correct for the Iron Construct. It would be wrong by design, which isn't a reasonable assumption.
Hex is a change to the encounter that is optional and inactive by default. It builds upon the basics, it doesn't "complete" them.
For reference, look at the entry for creatures that have magical weapons, such as the Deva. It lists Angelic Weapons as a trait, states the values, and then adds "(Included in the attack)". The Deva is armed by default and all damage is automatically added to the Attack entry. It is well established to add all default damage to an Attack explicitly, as well as mention it in the relevant trait.
In the case of the Remorhaz, the Heated Body and fire damage on the attack are both present, but they are not explicitly connected. To assume that the damage is the result of the Heated Body trait is an unfounded assumption mechanically, though not irrational narratively. There is a clear established precedent for an Attack inheriting damage from a specific trait.
(2) Re: Animated Rug
It is true that the Construct's ability specifies "creatures", which clearly defines RAW, but is functionally nonsensical, if it was meant to be indiscriminant enough to burn a creature on contact. Adventurers are typically more resilient than common objects. The idea that the the construct could identify a Mimic from a line of treasure chests simply by touching each one and seeing which burns is silly. Fire damage is fire damage.
The only meaningful distinction is that creatures posses agency and can actively "touch" the construct, whereas all other things have things done to them. The contact does not need to be "willing", but it does need to be the result of agency. For example, if a target jumps from a ledge and accidentally lands on a construct, it unwillingly "touched" the construct. Whoops.
There is no distinction on what constitutes a "touch". The average speed that a human can "tap" their finger is approximately 6 times per second. If the construct chose to "drum roll" a creature, rather than "Attack" them, they would deal somewhere between 18d10 and 36d10, depending on interpretation. This is obviously not what is intended. (The lack of a clear distinction is fine when it's the target's responsibility to not do stupid things. If they "drum roll" the construct, knowing that it will cause damage, they have earned whatever happens to them.)
(3) Re: General Versus Specific
The rulebook doesn't go into those level of specifics, because it is usually obvious or irrelevant. Tasha's introduces a few new mechanics that weren't well proofed.
There is SageAdvice that discuss "Specific beats General".
For an example of a poisoned weapon, the assassin shows it included in the attack.
Players are assumed to be more persistent and have character sheets, not "Statblocks". Where a player might gain new traits or spells that augment their attacks, non-spellcasting monsters are streamlined. They are designed to show up for an encounter and then disappear, so HP, AC, and Attacks are all written for simplicity, not for digging through the other traits to piecemeal it together.
Which really isn't surprising.... It's a "Construct". Being dense is a defining characteristic of a machine made of clay, iron, or stone.
Elementals get damage resistances and immunities, Constructs get a few extra hitpoints. Which is emphasized by them also getting the largest increase in HP from upcasting (+15), exceeding the 5th level Summon Celestial.
1) "Attack entry is complete"
Heated body is a permanent trait of only one of the three possible creatures represented in the Stat Block of Construct Spirit, the attack entry would be correct for both the Clay and Stone variants without the fire damage being present but not for the Metal variant. It is true that it would have to be assumed that the attack section would be listed inconsistently compared to other monsters, but D&D 5e is no stranger to fixing the wording on spells and monster traits after publishing; see Errata. For example, it allowed guards to attack with their spear using two hands rather than one, which should have been available to them under the rules regarding their weapon (spear) but was only added to their stat block after initial publishing by an errata. I feel it is a fairly reasonable assumption especially since Summon Construct is the only new "summon" spell that skipped public playtesting in the form of Unearthed Arcana, and is the only one with an actual typo in it already, that either it shouldn't list "touches" under the conditions for the damage to apply Like in Fire Shield or add the damage under the "Slam" portion of the stat block with a (Metal only) stipulation, and that in it's current state it is inconsistent. As it currently stands the question is not a question of what the new rules wanted to convey, but what they do as written currently. It has to touch a target to damage them and the touch inflicts harm, but the damage of the touch isn't listed under the attack's damage, one of the rules has to be written wrong since they cannot both be true. That is unless it's attack doesn't count as touching them or if the target has to be the one that initiates the touching. Which brings us to (2)
(2) Re: Animated Rug
I feel as if an example I listed wasn't fully addressed so I will rewrite it here; if there was an artifact that says that "a creature that touches this object is teleported to area 57" and a wizard throws it against someone using magic, would the creature who got hit by it be teleported? If they did then they did not have to be the one to initiate the touching and the same ruling could be applied to the Heated body, meaning that the touch should inflict it's damage, but it's unlisted, it's as if a monster had an ability that read "this creature does an extra 2d6 Blugeoning damage on all melee attacks" but under it's melee attacks that extra damage wan't listed. This would be an error no? Would the creature not benefit from the ability even though it clearly applied? Which overides the other, is the attack stat the specific or is the extra modifier the specific? I'm not seeing a clear answer one way or the other because either the attack's damage would be wrong, or the modifier's application condition would be. It just depends on which text is wrong, did they mean for it to apply and just didn't write it in, or did they not mean it to apply but wrote that it does without writing it in.
As you have stated earlier, D&D is not a physics simulator there are many effects and spells that should also affect objects that do not, such as the Acid Splash Cantrip that should be able to melt through doors or chests, but by design can only target creatures. The fact that Heated body only targets creatures is not evidence of those creatures needing to use their own agency to be effected rather than the effects being forced onto them.
Under Actions in Combat in the PHB it states
a "drum roll" on a creature would be an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules and the DM would tell you whether or not the action was possible. It is unlikely that a DM would allow you to do 18d10 - 36d10 without performing an attack using this special rule.
(3) Re: General Versus Specific
I agree with the only reason it's stats would need to be piecemealed together would be that the spell's mechanics were not well proofed.
My example regarding the poisoned weapon was if a creature like a Hobgoblin, who does not have an already poisoned weapon, applied one of the Poisons from the DMG to their weapon. but the new "the Attack entry represents the baseline values that are true until something new happens" statement answer that question in a satisfactory way.
I'm sorry if I may have missed your point somewhere and I'm glad that you are keeping in corrispondance.
Learning is power, power corrupts, study hard be Evil.
Ah, found something helpful: SageAdvice
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2020/04/19/if-a-salamander-grapples-a-target-that-target-is-presumably-touching-it-when-does-s-he-take-fire-dmg-from-heated-body/
Even the Salamander, which explicitly deals fire damage with its tail, does not cause damage simply from contact. In the same way that some spells apparently ignore objects, which I've generally ignored, Heated Body is one directional.
I think a lore reason would solve this.
The construct's (metal) main body is a furnace, and the limbs are not hot enough to cause fire damage.
... I dont know why but I find that incredibly frustrating. So a salamander which can forge blades using it's own body heat cant burn you with a hug? It's an elemental not a spell effect. The very creature is fire itself given shape it makes no sense that it can harm you by grappling you.