Templates

[Rowanomicon]

I just thought I'd start a thread for people to discuss what templates they like to use and why. Which one's are powerful (and for what types of builds)? Which one's are just plain cool?

Basically this thread is to discuss anything and everything about everyone's favourite way (besides class levels) to make their characters and monsters tougher.

[Draz74]

Phrenic. Or Dark.

EDIT: Phrenic is from the XPH. Dark is from Tome of Magic.

[Swooper]

Mineral warrior anyone? DR 8/adamantine is pretty harsh for only LA+1, without mentioning the other stuff it gives.

[Machete]

Feral, from Savage Species.

Uber physical stat boost with minimal menta lstat penalties for only +1 LA. Cheesy.

[The_Snark]

Dark is okay; I generally prefer the Shadow template, which is LA +2 but gives enough useful abilities to be worth it for many stealthy sorts.

I also like the half-fey. Flight, DR (with the errata), an array of useful spell-like abilities (including charm person at will), and a few stat boosts (and a Con penalty...), all for half the LA of the half-celestial or half-fiend.

[AmberVael]

I'm going to agree with the above three posts.
1) Mineral warrior is REALLY GOOD. *sword clinks off skin*
2) Feral is awesome. "I NOT NEED SMARTS!" *bash* Some of the special abilities can really be handy too (Improved Grab? Hells yeah!)
3) Shadow. "Oh, yeah, we're outside, but the sun isn't quite up at the tippy top of the sky, and there is cloud cover. Concealment for me. Oh, and I have fast healing."

[mostlyharmful]

White Dragonspawn for any sorc, flight, +7!!!! nat armour, natural weapons, +2 to dex and con, a breath weapon usable every 2d4 rounds, immunity to cold(and vulnerable to fire), access to dragon feats and oh yes the best bit..... +1 spellcasting level Total LA +1

Dragonlance campaign setting, most broken template ever

[brian c]

A Feral Mineral Warrior is about the most broken +2 LA you can be, especially if you can somehow get a DM to okay that, and then let you buy if off.


As a DM though, I like to use the Draconic template, and also I'm doing some Dark and Shadow templated guys in a thieves guild.

[Dhavaer]

I like Dark, mostly for HiPS.

[SandDemon]

Can you guys please reference where these templates are from? See that Feral is from Savage, but just looking for the others...

Half-farspawn is also pretty sick as well, from Lords of Madness.

[Anxe]

All those Half-something ones are my favorites.

[Rowanomicon]

I knew Mineral Warrior would come up. As a rule I only use/alow it when a character or NPC needs a bit of a power boost to be realistically be their ECL.

I too would like it if everyone could say what source-book any templates they mention are from.

HiPS is one of my favourite abilities in the whole game. Anything with it rules.

I've never used Feral, though I've always wanted to.

Phrenic and Half-Fey are both great templates for Sorcerers (+4 to casting stat Aha!)
Dragonspawn is also very useful and ridiculous at +1LA, ha!

[Azerian Kelimon]

Half minotaur. Large, lotsa stat boosts, and more. Basically a +1LA half ogre. It makes most other templates rediculous, since it gives a crapload of tremendous melee bonuses (unlike mineral, which certainly wasn't intended to be THAT broken, half mino likely WAS made broken), which is what templates are for, mostly (not nearly as many good for casters templates, nor as good for skillmonkeys).

[Illiterate Scribe]

Vivacious is nice - incorporeal, plus a huge bucket full of fast healing, along with a cool flavour (Positive energy is underused, a mon avis) but my award has to go to ghost - RAW, above level 13, they are invincible.

[AmberVael]

Phrenic and Half-Fey are both great templates for Sorcerers (+4 to casting stat Aha!)

First rule of (full) spellcasters:
Thou Shalt Not Give Up Caster Levels.
+4 to casting stat is nice... loss of levels for a spellcaster is BAD.
Not worth the trade.

I nearly forgot- Half Farspawn (Lords of Madness). Gotta love tentacles...

[Azerian Kelimon]

Hmm...how much LA do the phrenic and half fey have? Maybe you can recoup the caster levels using unearthed arcana's rules.

[BizzaroStormy]

Im personally a fan of the lycanthrope template. This is mainly because I usually fill the role of the one who runs into the room and breaks everything and everyone in sight before the casters can even get their hands on their pouch.

[Forrestfire]

1: White Dragonspawn: Flight, +7 Natural armor bonus, Breath weapon and A Truckload of stat bonuses.

2. Half-Fey: At will charm person as an SLA plus flight plus Cha bonus for +2 LA? Yes please.

[Kyeudo]

Living Spell + Fiendish + Sentry Ooze, then add a few levels in Monk.

Ever wonder what would happen if a Mage's Disjunction were sentient, evil, and good at unarmed combat? Now you know.

[shaddy_24]

Half- Iron Golem from MM2 is broken too. I can make a level 4 challange (and that's actually what they provide you) that has damage reduction 25/+2 weapons, immune to any spell that allows spell resistance except anything that rusts it.
Oh, and it gets a save or die breath weapon.
Also, +11 natural armor and +12 strength.
It also has the construct type, so it's immune to mind affecting effects, poison, stunning, sleep spells, any sort of ability damage or drain, critical hit, sneak attack, and anything else that allows Fort saves.
And that's for +3 LA I'm pretty sure.

How many 4th level characters can even hurt it?
It may only have 5 hp, but the players won't even be able to touch it.

[CASTLEMIKE]

+0 LA Planedtouched from Player's Guide to Faerun if no LA buydown.

+0 LA Magebred (ECS) if playing something like a Hengekoai from Oriental Adventurs.

+2 LA Half Fey (Fiend Folio), +2 LA Phrenic (Expanded Psionics Handbook), +2 LA Shadow Creature Dragon and andone of the planar manuals with LA buydown option.

UA Blood lines are kind of like a template but cheaper to buy down particularly with high level PCs since they have their own buy down rules.

[DraPrime]

I always loved the Half-Vampire from Libris Mortis. It lets you suck blood without any of those inconveniant vampire restrictions.

[Guy_Whozevl]

Half minotaur. Large, lotsa stat boosts, and more. Basically a +1LA half ogre. It makes most other templates rediculous, since it gives a crapload of tremendous melee bonuses (unlike mineral, which certainly wasn't intended to be THAT broken, half mino likely WAS made broken), which is what templates are for, mostly (not nearly as many good for casters templates, nor as good for skillmonkeys).

Seconded. It makes the Half Ogre template look like a joke with its much better stat boosts, especially to Con without the penalties. The scent and stuff like that makes it even better.

[Dode]

Half-farspawn is also pretty sick as well, from Lords of Madness.

It's a favorite of mine too.

CR3 Half-Farspawn Ape. 4 attacks a round with 10ft. reach and a bite, DR5/magic, blindsight and amorphous traits.

[The_Snark]

Half-vampire and half-farspawn are pretty cool too, actually. Half-vampire nets you fast healing and can get you a charming gaze. Half-farspawn is awesome, but the LA is a little high on it to be very useful for characters... alas.

[Leon]

First rule of (full) spellcasters:
Thou Shalt Not Give Up Caster Levels.
+4 to casting stat is nice... loss of levels for a spellcaster is BAD.
Not worth the trade.

big whoop, the 1st rule of making a PC is do what you want to make it right for you regardless of its LA

Now back on track

Feral - lots of fun for everyone (favourite is a Feral Thri Kreen) (SS)
Draconic - nice stat boosts and other abilties (RoD)
Winged - +2 LA but with enough Dex you get perfect flight (SS)
Warbeast - Turning everyday beasts into combat ready ones (MM2)
Woodling - for that extra get close to nature feeling (MM3)
Half Dragon - Raw Dragon power in a small (ish) box (MM)

[Rowanomicon]

What are some good/cool race (or monster)/template/class combos you guys like to use.

Also, how many Half templates can you give to one creature. I know there isn't a specific rule on it, but...

Also has anyone ever used selectively active templates?
I had a character once that had both celestial and fiendish heritage in his recent family history, otherwise he was human. I had 3 character sheets made up for him.
1) Human Fighter
2) Human Half-Celestial Paladin
3) Human Half-Fiend Fallen-Paladin/Blackguard
I used the first one normally, but sometime (at the DMs discretion) I would switch to one of the other ones (and my character would take on characteristics of the template).

This opens up yet another topic for discussion. Opposing Templates. What other pairings or opposites are possible?

[Lord Tataraus]

I've got to say that Half-Dragon is a fun template, I get to choose almost any dragon of the ~40 published and get its breath weapon for my warrior? Sweet! Sure you can keep your line of fire, personally, I'll take a cone of force or a cone of 1 negative level over that any day! Sure you don't get immunities with the cone of force, but you get immunity to neg levels with with the latter! (Shadow Dragons rock!) And a bull-rushing breath weapon reeks of coolness (thank you Dragon Magazine!)

Edit: On the question of opposing templates, its not exactly the same but what happens if a Lupin gets turned into a werewolf?

[Rowanomicon]

I unfamiliar with Lupin. By the name I'm assuming it's something wolfish. Is it a template, a race, or something else?

[Chineselegolas]

I think that it is a race from Dragon Compendium. They spend there lives hunting down Weres.

I personally like the Feral, partly because it is broken, partly because I like to play big dumb brutes who just don't seem to die from time to time.

Dark and Shadow are fun for sneaky types.

Natural Were-Ghost. Bit LA, but quite tough. Incorporeal with DR 10/Silver.

Alternatively Ghost-Pixies. Who has magical cold iron weapons?...