Templates for Monster Characters

[Blue Jay]

Tauric Creature

This template transforms a base creature into a Tauric Humanoid. The base creature can be any living creature with at least four legs (or other ambulatory appendages, such as tentacles) and lacks humanoid arms or similar manipulatory appendages. This template cannot be applied to creatures that already have the Tauric subtype (see the spoiler in the "Size and Type" sue below).

In place of the base creature's neck and head, the Tauric Creature gains a humanoid torso, including arms and a roughly humanoid head. The exact appearance of the creature's head is left up to the player and/or DM to determine.

The tauric creature uses all the stats of the base creature, except as described here:

Size and Type
The creature's type changes to Monstrous Humanoid. it also gains the "Tauric" subtype. This means it gains all traits and features of the Monstrous Humanoid type, but also counts as a Humanoid for spells, effects and requirements that depend on the Humanoid type. Size is unchanged, but it counts as one size category smaller for attack rolls and grapple checks.

Recalculate base attack bonus, saving throws and skills as if the creature was always a Monstrous Humanoid.

If the base creature has the Aquatic subtype, it retains that subtype, and gains the Amphibious special quality.

Spoiler: The Tauric Subtype

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I decided to write up Tauric traits as a subtype, which does change the mechanics of some existing monsters. I like it this way, but you obviously don't have to use the subtype I created: you can just give the creature the traits listed below

The Tauric subtype grants the following traits, in addition to the traits of the creature's type:

• The creature counts as one size category smaller for attack rolls and grapple checks, and wields weapons as if one size category smaller than its actual size. For all other purposes, it counts as its usual size.
• The creature has a humanoid torso and a humanoid-like mind. Therefore, it counts as a Humanoid for spells and effects that target it, and for requirements for feats and prestige classes

Creatures that I have retroactively assigned the Tauric subtype to include: centaur, dracotaur, drider, lamia, lhosk, socrpionfolk, etc.

Speed
As the base creature.

Armor Class
As the base creature.

Attacks and Damage
The Tauric creature retains the natural attacks of the base creature, provided it retains the necessary body parts. It usually does not retain any natural attacks that rely on the mouth or head of the base creature. A tauric creature's natural weapons deal the same amount of base damage as they did for the base creature.

The Tauric creature gains a humanoid torso, complete with two arms that can wield manufactured weapons. As a Monstrous Humanoid, it gains proficiency with all simple weapons. If the tauric creature wields manufactured weapons, the weapons are sized for a humanoid one size category smaller than the base creature. If the tauric creature later gains natural attacks on its head or arms, these attacks are also sized for a creature one size category smaller than the base creature.

Special Attacks
A Tauric creature retains the special attacks of the base creature, provided it retains the necessary anatomy to deliver the attacks. Tauric creatures do not usually retain breath weapons, gaze attacks, spit attacks or poisons delivered by a bite attack.

Special Qualities
A Tauric creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature, but gains the traits and features of the Monstrous Humanoid type. If the base creature has the Aquatic subtype, the tauric creature gains the Amphibious special quality.

Ability Scores
The Tauric creature retains the physical ability scores of the base creature. It also retains the Wisdom score of the base creature. The tauric creature gains Intelligence and Charisma scores of 3d6, unless the base creature already had a higher Intelligence or Charisma score.

Skills
As the Monstrous Humanoid type. Its racial class skills include all class skills for the base creature, plus Craft, Listen, Profession, Spot and Survival (if it doesn't already have them).

Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature (occasionally +1 for powerful creatures). All creatures with Reassigned LA of -0 will take LA +0 from this template.

Variants

Spoiler: Theriocephalous Tauric Creature

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In this variant of the Tauric template, the creature retains the head of the base creature instead of gaining a fully humanoid head. If the base creature lacked a true head, or had a head that wouldn't easily fit a humanoid torso, the Tauric creature's head instead resembles a hybrid of the base creature's head and a humanoid head. The exact appearance of the creature's head is left up to the player and/or DM to determine.

The changes shown here are in addition to changes made by the basic Tauric template.

Size and Type
The creature's type changes as listed in the basic Tauric template. However, unlike a standard tauric creature, a Theriocephalous Tauric creature always counts as a Monstrous Humanoid for all effects, abilities and requirements.

Attacks
A Theriocephalous Tauric creature retains any head-based natural attacks from the base creature, including bite, gore or head butt attacks.

Special Attacks
A Theriocephalous Tauric creature retains any head-based special attacks from the base creature, including breath weapons, gaze attacks, poisons or spit attacks.

Skills
Add Intimidate (Str) to the creature's racial skill list if it is not already on the list.

Level Adjustment
Same as the basic Tauric template, unless the creature would retain a breath weapon, gaze attack or similarly powerful special attack. In that case, the Level Adjustment is 1 higher than the basic Tauric template.

Spoiler: Fewer Legs

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This variant of the Tauric template can be added to any creature that lacks a humanoid-like body plan, regardless of the number of legs. Apply the basic Tauric template normally, but do not count the creature as one size category smaller for attack rolls, grapple checks or the size of its weapons.

Creatures created with this variant will resemble kinnaras, nagas or satyrs. In general, I will prefer to allow this variant only with Medium-sized base creatures, to preserve the human sizing of the torso.

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Spoiler: Designer Commentary

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This version of the Tauric template doesn't blend two creatures together. Instead, it takes a non-Humanoid creature and gives it a humanoid torso, so it can wield weapons and manipulate items. I think it's a lot simpler and loss volatile this way, but it does lack the ability of the standard template to mix-and-match racial traits; so if that's what you want, stick with the old template. In general, this template really just makes an unplayable quadruped playable by turning it into a 'taur. It can be used for a whole lot more than that, but it should work quite well for generic 'taur types.

In my game world, I used this template to create the basic Centaur that I'll use, applying the template to the light horse (but I also made a few tweaks to it):

Kallawlands Centaur

• +4 Str, +2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis
• Large Monstrous Humanoid (Tauric)
• Speed 50 ft
• 3 RHD
• Skills (2+Int): Balance, Craft, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Spot, Survival
• +3 natural armor
• 2 hooves 1d4
• LA +0

Changes: I took away Scent and reduced speed, and I added Balance, Jump and Move Silently to racial skills. I've also got a racial class that grants a combat style (like a ranger), with options that allow it to count as a humanoid mounted on a horse for specific purposes.