[3.5] I need help with a Template, Divided creature. [PEACH]

[zagan]

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/223/feralbyaethyrcall.jpg
A Divided Elf

Divided Template:
The Divided Template can be add to any non-Animal, a divided creature is separate in two part the body and the spirit. The body become animal-like reverting to instinct and basic training only and the spirit is confined inside the body only able to give order.

Size and type: Size remain unchanged, type change to Animal.
Despite the fact that the spirit is can be inteligent the creature act most of time by following his animal instinct.

Hit Dice: All racial Hit dice (including those gain after the application of this template) become d8

Speed:
-All movement speed of the body increase by +10ft, if he has a fly speed it’s maneuvrability increase by one step to a maximum of perfect
-The spirit speed become 0ft, he can only move with the body and can never leave it for any reason.

Armor class:
-The body gain a +2 bonus to natural armor.
-The spirit armor class remain unchanged, but it’s mostly irrevelant

Base Attack Bonus: Bab change to 3/4 racial Hit dice

Attack:
-The body gain two claw attack.
-The spirit can’t attack.

Full attack:
-The body can use his claw as primary attack or secondary attack with a -5 penality
-The spirit can’t use physical action in consequence he can't attack.

Damage:
-The body claw attack deal damage depending on their size, 1d4 for medium (1d3 for Small, 1d6 for Large) creature + Str mod if used as primary attack, +1/2 Str mod if used as secondary.

Special abilities:
-The body retains all its special abilities but can’t cast any spell or manifest any power and can’t use any spell-like abilities, psi-like abilities or supernatural abilities unless they are passive. (Like an energy draining ability that bestow negative level on any succesful attack)
-The spirit can't use special abilities that require physical action and gain Burst of Control(Ex) see below. If the base creature posses the ability to cast spell or manifest power (or similar) the spirit can still use them but only on the body (spell/power with a range of personal or touch) and only if they don’t require any verbal, material or somantic component (or similar)

Special qualities:
-The body lose all the trait from it’s previous type but otherwise retains all its special quality but can’t use any supernatural qualities unless they are constantly active.
-The spirit lose all special qualities.

Base save Bonus:
-The body gain a good Fortitude and Reflex save, Will become poor.
-The spirit saves are irrevelant.

Abilities: A Divided gain +4 strength, +4 dex, +4 con. And that the body usually behaves in the manner of an animal with an intelligence of 2.
-The body behave and is affect by spell or effect as if his inteligence was 2.
-The spirit stat remain the same and can influence the body with handle animal check or by using Burst of controle.

Skills: A Divided gain 2+Int (use the spirit Int mod) skill point per hit dice (x4 for the first) Handle animal is always a class skill for a Divided creature.
-The body can’t use any int based skill and because he can’t talk he might be bared from using other skill (like perform (oratory) or diplomacy)
-The spirit gain a +4 racial bonus on handle animal when he use it on the body.

Tricks:
-The body know six trick as normal for an animal with an Int of 2, but also gain 1 bonus trick for every 2 hit dice it posses.
-The spirit must use handle animal to make the body do any specific action otherwise the body will only follow it’s instinct either fleeing or attacking any hostile looking creature with no strategy.
In addition the spirit can handle the body as a free action or push it as a move action. (See the handle animal skill for more detail)

Feats: A Divided feat are unchanged but see below: (for the purpose of qualifying for feat a divided use either the body or the spirit ability score whichever is the most advantageous)
-The body can’t use any feat that require intense study, or non-instinctive action like Metamagic, Metapsionic, Item creation, Divine, and Wild feat on the other hand he could use most Figther feat.
-The spirit can’t use any feat that require interacting with the physical world, such as Combat reflexe

Challenge Rating: +1

Alignement:
-The body is always neutral.
-The spirit keep the alignement of the base creature.

Level adjustement: +1

Burst of Control(Ex): As a swift action, a number a time per day equal to the Divided constitution modifier, the spirit can take controle of the body and take any combinaison of full-round action, standard action or move action the body is able to make. At the end of the round the body take controle back and the spirit take a -10 penality to Handle animal for 1 minute.


*Note on cosmetic change: A Divided exterior barely change from before only a little more muscular and with claw on their hand. However they are often pretty dirty and their are rarely corectly worn.

Divided creature and spell:
Spell that target animal They affect the Divided creature normally for the same reason any spell that can’t target animal (Enlarge person for example) don’t work.
Charm and Compulsion: They work normally, the two “mind” are just two part of a whole.
Evil/Good/Law/Chaos: Spell that only affect target of certain alignement work depending on the spirit alignement.
Speak with animal: The caster can talk to either the body or the spirit.
Detect thoughts: The caster hear the thoughts of the spirit and it give him the Int score of both body and spirit
Telepathic Bond (all version): This can be used to communicate with the spirit

(A fairly complete list of trick can be found on Crystal Keep in the Skills and Actions pdf page 27)
New trick:

[/I]Drink(DC 20)[/I]: The animal drink from an indicated source, if he posses prehensil member he may drink from a vial but in this case it’s a full-round action that provoque attack of opportunity.

[/I]Don(DC 25)[/I]: Only animal with prehensil limb can learn this trick. The animal don clothes or armor this take twices as much time as normal.

[/I]Flank(DC 20)[/I]: The animal attempt to provide flanking for an ally against a specific creature.

[/I]Follow(DC 20)[/I]: The animal follow the allied creature you indicated, walking/flying/swimming 5 feet from them.

[/I]Obey(DC 20)[/I]: The animal follow the order of the indicated creature he know.

[/I]Rage(DC 20)[/I]: If the animal can rage he does so at your command. When raging the DC for all handle animal check is raised by 5 with this animal.


The Template Project (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8492255#post8492255)

Designer note:
This template is the one I'm the less sure about, I very much doubt that any player will want to take it after all using handle animal to do anything is not fun. Still if something want to use I want it to be viable.
It's the template with highest stat bonus.

Here's the feat for it:

Extra Burst of Control [Template]
You have a great influence on your body
Prerequisite
Divided template
Benefit
You can use Burst of control three more time per day

Animal Feeling [Template]
Animal instinctively know that your like them
Prerequisite
Divided template, Cha 13
Benefit
Wild animal you encounter have an attitude of friendly toward you, this mean that unless ordered to or controled they only attack you in self defense.
In addition you gain a +4 bonus on handle animal check for the purpose of teaching trick to an animal

Divided Mind [Template]
Your double mind allow you to better resist control
Prerequisite
Divided template, Wis 13
Benefit
If you failled a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect you get a second save with the same DC in the round following the failled save.

Rapid Push [Template]
You can better control the body
Prerequisite
Divided template, Handle animal 6 rank
Benefit
You can push the body as a free action instead of a move action
In addition

Project Spirit [Template]
For brief period ot time you can control other animal
Prerequisite
Divided template, Handle animal 9 rank, Concentration 4 rank
Benefit
Three time per day as a full round action that provoque attack of opportunity you can make your body touch an animal without the divided template and transfer your spirit inside it for 1 minute. The animal is allowed a will save to resist the transfer, DC equal to 10 + half your hit dice + your Charisma modifier. You can control the animal the same way you control your original body and the animal is considered to know the following trick: attack, attack unusual creature, down, guard, stay and work. In the meantime your original body stay in place taking the total defense action every round if he taken below half his HP total he immediately flee as far as he can until the minute end. If the animal you inhabit is killed while your style in control you immediately return to the body and you are dazed for 1 round, you can also end your control as a free action any time.

Greater Project Spirit [Template]
You great experience in controlling animal allow you to controle other kind of creature
Prerequisite
Divided template, Handle animal 15 rank, Concentration 7 rank, Project Spirit
Benefit
Once per day when using your project spirit ability you can attempt to controle a creature other than an animal, the creature must have an inteligence score of 2, 1 or being mindless. This otherwise work exactly as Project spirit and the creature know the same trick and respond to handle animal as if he was one. The creature can’t use any spell, power, spell-like, psi-like or supernatural ability while you control it unless these ability are passive.

One more feat by sidhe3141

Animalistic Spell [Template] [Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Divided template, caster level 1st.
Benefit: An animalistic spell requires no somatic, verbal, or material components or foci of negligible cost. However, it may only be cast while in a form with the Divided template, may not be cast defensively, and if the caster's body takes any sort of action, the caster must make a Concentration check as though casting defensively or lose the spell. The caster, as usual, may not make skill checks or take any action other than casting while casting the spell.
An animalistic spell may not require costly material components or foci.

[zagan]

Bump, because I've made a number of change to this template and because I've add the image and feat that go with it to be evaluate at the same time as the other template.

[radmelon]

It's interesting. The idea is nice but it seems a little vague in how the seperation of body and spirit works. The grammer could use some work as well. Good job though! :smallwink:

[zagan]

It's interesting. The idea is nice but it seems a little vague in how the seperation of body and spirit works. The grammer could use some work as well. Good job though! :smallwink:

What precisely isn't clear with the separation ?
I appologized for the grammar, I'm doing my best but english isn't my native language and I often made stupid error.

[ForzaFiori]

So, essentially, the Character is the spirit, trapped inside a feral creatures body? And to be able to do anything, the character (spirit) makes handle animal checks.

Do they share feats and skills?

[zagan]

So, essentially, the Character is the spirit, trapped inside a feral creatures body? And to be able to do anything, the character (spirit) makes handle animal checks.

Yes, that's exactly it.


Do they share feats and skills?

Yes, they share the same skill and feat. If it was separate it would mean a lot of bookeeping for skill and double the number of feat for the character that seem way too much.

[Volthawk]

This doesn't seem like a PC usable template, could be fun for NPCs though.

Especially if Feral is added too...

[zagan]

This doesn't seem like a PC usable template, could be fun for NPCs though.

Especially if Feral is added too...

You could make a PC with it I think you would be pretty limit, Barbarian, Fighter, perhaps psychic warrior if you only use personal range power. Thing like that.
But yes I don't really expect any player to chose it.
On the other hand if someoen do chose it he's almost garuanted a place in the campaign.

[Toliudar]

To clarify: the body becomes an animal-intelligence creature, and the spirit is an intelligent creature that takes only mental actions?

You say that they have different ability scores, saves, etc, but how does this work? Are they the same class, but with saves, BAB, etc calculated differently depending on different scores? Or do the two halves advance as separate characters - so, with the body as one class, and the spirit as another?

If they're, for example, one class, a psychic warrior - could the spirit manifest a power while the body attacks? If a warblade, could the body attack while the spirit manifests Iron Heart Surge?

[zagan]

To clarify: the body becomes an animal-intelligence creature, and the spirit is an intelligent creature that takes only mental actions?

That's right and the spirit need to make handle animal check to dirige the body.


You say that they have different ability scores, saves, etc, but how does this work? Are they the same class, but with saves, BAB, etc calculated differently depending on different scores? Or do the two halves advance as separate characters - so, with the body as one class, and the spirit as another?

They have different ability score because the spirit lose the physical one but keep is int and the body int become 2 and gain bonus to his physical ability score.

They have the same class, the saves are different only for racial hit dice and if they have a way to gain int to save for example. But the spirit save are mostly irrevelant because I can't think of any sitation where only the spirit would need to make one.
Same thing for the BaB.



If they're, for example, one class, a psychic warrior - could the spirit manifest a power while the body attacks? If a warblade, could the body attack while the spirit manifests Iron Heart Surge?

As I said they have the same class but only the spirit can use power of spell.
In your example a divided psychic warrior the spirit could use a personal power on the body but that same round the body couldn't use a standard action.
They don't have double the normal number of action if the spirit use a swift action ability the body can use swift action that round.

[Toliudar]

Interesting. So, based on that, may I suggest a few clarifications:

* Since there is no spirit creature independent of the body, there's no point in mentioning hit dice, speed, BAB or saves for it. If it can't be targeted, it doesn't need saving throws.

* Rather than saying that the spirit can't attack, it might be more appropriate to say that it can't take any physical action. It could use a stilled & silent spell, a psionic ability, or a spell like ability to attack.

* It would be useful to list the damage done by the new claw attacks (possibly a sliding scale by size)

* It might be less confusing to simply say that the creature gets +4 strength, +4 dex, +4 con. And that the body usually behaves in the manner of an animal with an intelligence of 2, but that the regular intelligence can assert itself through a handle animal check or by using the Burst of Control ability.

As it is, you're describing two people sharing a body. But the spirit you're describing can't be targeted or separated from the body, and can't take actions - doesn't sound like a creature by any definition of the game.

I really like the idea of the templates, and wish you luck in the game!

[zagan]

All very goo idea. Thanks I will edit it.

Edit: I've change a few thing as you suggested I hope that help.

[radmelon]

Another good class would be the monstrous initiate(http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140698)

[zagan]

Another good class would be the monstrous initiate(http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140698)

Yes, that could work great too.

[radmelon]

It would be hard to make a Divided PC. As is stated in the template, they can't speak, unable to get their comments out, how would they join a party if they cannot be percieved as different from beasts?

[ForzaFiori]

It would be hard to make a Divided PC. As is stated in the template, they can't speak, unable to get their comments out, how would they join a party if they cannot be percieved as different from beasts?

Be a psychic warrior. Expanded Knowledge, Telepathy. Or be a race with natural telepathy (IE, mind flayer). Train your body to write (would be difficult, but if you can teach a parrot to say specific words on command, you might be able to do it with a body to. It would only give you things like "yes" "no" "Danger" and such, but twenty questions is fun, right?)

I second the no physical action rather than no attack. A psion's powers all come from the mind, and it should make no difference if the mind is inside an animal. If he could still manifest Body Adjustment, why not Crystal Shard?

[Volthawk]

How would Incarnum interact?

[zagan]

It would be hard to make a Divided PC. As is stated in the template, they can't speak, unable to get their comments out, how would they join a party if they cannot be percieved as different from beasts?

i've already played a mute character unable to write, ot's not easy but it make for fun roleplaying.



I second the no physical action rather than no attack. A psion's powers all come from the mind, and it should make no difference if the mind is inside an animal. If he could still manifest Body Adjustment, why not Crystal Shard?

I don't know I get the feeling that doing that would remove an interesting limmit in the template that the spirit can only really interact with the body directly. He's kind of trapped inside.
To use power (or still-silent spell) on other you need to focus on them and the body prevent that by moving too much always reacting to any movement. Screwing with the power.
Well that's the reasoning i have, but thinking about it I might make a feat that allow it that could work ?


How would Incarnum interact?

Well meldshaping and using essentia doesn't require movement so the spirit could it without problem.
After that it depend on the particular meld if they need and action like a breath weapon you could I suppose ordered the body to do it.
I think it would be case by case for that.

[radmelon]

But how would the other party members even know the PC was sentient?

[Volthawk]

But how would the other party members even know the PC was sentient?

Well, in his campaign, it happened overnight.

[radmelon]

I know, but in other campaigns...

[sidhe3141]

Animalistic Spell [Template] [Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Divided template, caster level 1st.
Benefit: An animalistic spell requires no somatic, verbal, or material components or foci of negligible cost. However, it may only be cast while in a form with the Divided template, may not be cast defensively, and if the caster's body takes any sort of action, the caster must make a Concentration check as though casting defensively or lose the spell. The caster, as usual, may not make skill checks or take any action other than casting while casting the spell.
An animalistic spell may not require costly material components or foci.

[zagan]

Animalistic Spell [Template] [Metamagic]
Prerequisites: Divided template, caster level 1st.
Benefit: An animalistic spell requires no somatic, verbal, or material components or foci of negligible cost. However, it may only be cast while in a form with the Divided template, may not be cast defensively, and if the caster's body takes any sort of action, the caster must make a Concentration check as though casting defensively or lose the spell. The caster, as usual, may not make skill checks or take any action other than casting while casting the spell.
An animalistic spell may not require costly material components or foci.

Very nice, i'll add this one thanks.