PDA

View Full Version : [D&D 3.5] Templates giving LA over HD?



13_CBS
2013-05-12, 11:49 AM
I'm about to homebrew a Template for D&D 3.5; specifically, [yet another] Warhammer 40k Space Marine template. Said Template will grant the creature with the template various bonuses and abilities over the course of several HD. Since the Template will more reflect Space Marines as they are depicted in fluff--in particular, as they are depicted in the licensed novels--than as they are depicted in the tabletop wargame, the Template will inevitably need LA, and probably a hefty one at that. On the other hand, too much LA will render the Template unplayable.

So I'm wondering if there's a way to spread out the LA over time; as the Template grants the creature more and more bonuses and abilities, the LA starts off as something manageable but increases over time to help balance out those bonuses and abilities. Is this "kosher" according to 3.5 design principles? Is there another way to replicate this sort of "LA increase over time" element?

Yitzi
2013-05-12, 12:02 PM
I'm about to homebrew a Template for D&D 3.5; specifically, [yet another] Warhammer 40k Space Marine template. Said Template will grant the creature with the template various bonuses and abilities over the course of several HD. Since the Template will more reflect Space Marines as they are depicted in fluff--in particular, as they are depicted in the licensed novels--than as they are depicted in the tabletop wargame, the Template will inevitably need LA, and probably a hefty one at that. On the other hand, too much LA will render the Template unplayable.

So I'm wondering if there's a way to spread out the LA over time; as the Template grants the creature more and more bonuses and abilities, the LA starts off as something manageable but increases over time to help balance out those bonuses and abilities. Is this "kosher" according to 3.5 design principles? Is there another way to replicate this sort of "LA increase over time" element?

Your best model is probably the bloodlines system; it's not quite LA, but is the best case of a level cost increasing over time.

Marcus Amakar
2013-05-12, 01:11 PM
Bloodlines are probably your best bet, but another option is creating a Space Marine Paragon class, and including some of the abilities which would be gained at higher HD into this.

13_CBS
2013-05-12, 01:44 PM
The trouble with Bloodlines and Paragon classes is that they're not taken alongside class levels, they're taken instead of class levels.

Are there any other such similar things in D&D 3.5 that can be taken alongside class levels/racial HD?

Amechra
2013-05-12, 01:46 PM
Look up the Feral template in SS. It works exactly like this.

EDIT: Reread the topic. Yeah, there actually is nothing that works like this LA-wise. Feral Template just scales via HD, so you can take a look at that, I guess...

TuggyNE
2013-05-13, 04:06 AM
The trouble with Bloodlines and Paragon classes is that they're not taken alongside class levels, they're taken instead of class levels.

Well. Bloodlines actually aren't precisely taken instead of class levels; they do take up XP, but they don't seem to increase your ECL. So they're in a weird half-and-half position.

Try this explanation (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=5019.0) on for size.

13_CBS
2013-05-13, 04:59 PM
Well. Bloodlines actually aren't precisely taken instead of class levels; they do take up XP, but they don't seem to increase your ECL. So they're in a weird half-and-half position.

Try this explanation (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=5019.0) on for size.

Interesting...thanks for the link!

One last thing: would it be too weird to have a Bloodline that lasts only, say, 6 or 8 HD?

TuggyNE
2013-05-14, 12:59 AM
One last thing: would it be too weird to have a Bloodline that lasts only, say, 6 or 8 HD?

It might be a little hard to explain, and it seems odd, but it's not impossible.