Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vradin 11-27-03, 04:12 PM	I've never played a character that had a template before. My next character I want to be a Werebear/Paladin(1). Already cleared it with my DM but i'm having trouble figuring out how to add the werebear to the paladin. The MM gives level adjustment, ability modifiers, and some other basic info, but my question is on hps, skills, feats, base attack, attacks, and saves. Essentially, how do you calculate them or where do they originate? Any help would be appreciated. Vradin
goblinhero 11-27-03, 08:48 PM	heres a level progression for a werebear http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031114a when you finish those 9 levels, start taking paladin.
Vradin 11-27-03, 10:33 PM	The information provided from the link above matches exactly to the sample Werebear in the 3.5 Monster Manual. My question is, after the six brown bear levels if I take one level of Paladin, what is my total Character level? Is it +7 (6 bear, 1 paladin), or is it +4 (1 paladin, +3 level adjustment from the MM) ? Thanks for the help. Vradin
JoAT 11-27-03, 10:56 PM	The effective character level is 10. This is only used for things like experiance and gold. When it comes to hit points, skills, feats, ect, your level is going to be 7 - each animal hit die counting as a level. Thus, you're, in effect Paladin 1/Bear 6 with an additional +3 levels that don't cound except for experience and gold. That's the price you pay for the bonus feats (and there are alot of them - after a careful re-reading of the lycnathrope template, it seems that you gain ALL the feats that the animal has as bonus feats, though when you're talking something with more than 2 hit dice, it might mean that you're required to take these feats as part of your animal levels... Really, it's an ask your DM, thing...), the DR, the Scent ability, the low light vision, the ability to grant all your friends the smae template, just only at the 'aflicted' level... Though, in out and out power, be prepared to not be as good at it as the rest of the party, as the LAs for almost everything are kept purposefully high, in order to make monster characters weaker than normal ones...
Greyman 11-27-03, 10:58 PM	[edit: as JoAT said] Vradin. If your paladin-1 takes all six levels in the animal class, without any levels in the template class, he will have a Character Level (CL) of 7 ~ but be unable to actually assume either alternate form. If the paladin also takes all 'levels' in the Lycanthrope Template Class (note: afflicted lycanthropes can only take 2, the third level is just for natural lycanthropes), then he will have the full template, and a Level Adjustment (LA) of 2 or 3. This gives the paladin werebear an Effective Character Level (ECL) of 9 if afflicted or 10 if natural. ECL is used to determine all experience related effects, such as XP required to progress, suggested wealth, Leadership effects, and so forth. CL is used to determine all strictly HD related effects (basically everthing else).
goblinhero 11-28-03, 12:44 AM	My question is, after the six brown bear levels if I take one level of Paladin, what is my total Character level? 1 character level. but you'll have 7HD.... 6HD (6d8) from being a bear and 1HD (1d10) from being a paladin. a bear paladin... now theres a character! now a werebear paladin 1 is a ECL 10 (6HD+3LA+1 class) you get hp, saves, skills as a 6HD bear and add saves, hp, skills as 1st level pally. if it were me playing a werebear from low levels (ie 1-3), i'd mix in the lycanthrope template levels in with the bear levels so you're not walking around on all fours and swatting the baddies with your paws for 6 levels. once you hit "10th" level, thats when you can start your first paladin level.