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#1 wrecan Jun 15, 2007 8:50:16

In the Deities and Planes Forum, Pitiless_Interfector started a thread called "[thread=862123]Native Outsiders: The Little Subtype That Wasn't. (NOT A RANT!!!!!)[/thread]." In that thread, we discussed how fuzzy the line is between various Creature Types, such as the distinction between Fey and Outsider (Native), between Elemental and Outsider (non-Native), between Aberration and, well, most other Types, etc. In the process of that thread, I devised (with the inestimable assistance of ripvanwormer, Dunamin, dfarnsworth, and Red Dragon) a series of questions that would assist a DM who has devised a new creature and wants to know what Type it should be. I submit this now for general community comment. Enjoy Preliminary: Remove all templates, class levels and Advancements from the creature. 1. Does the creature need to eat? Y: Go to Question 5 N: Go to Question 2. 2. Is the creature animated by necromancy? Y: It is [highlight]Undead[/highlight]. N: Go to Question 3. 3: Is the creature animated by other magic? Y: It is a [highlight]Construct[/highlight]. N: Go to Question 4. 4: Is the creature from an Elemental Plane and lacks a metabolism vulnerable to poison? Y: It is an [highlight]Elemental[/highlight]. N: It is an [highlight]Outsider (non-Native)[/highlight]. 5: Is the creature made of vegetable matter? Y: It is a [highlight]Plant[/highlight]. N: Go to Question 6. 6: Is the creature bipedal in its most common form with an Intelligence greater than 2? Y: Go to question 12. N: Go to Question 7. 7: Is the creature a vertebrate? Y: Go to question 10. N: Go to question 8. 8: Is the creature's shape mutable? Y: It is an [highlight]Ooze[/highlight]. N: Go to question 9. 9: Is the creature's Intelligence 1 or 0? Y: It is [highlight]Vermin[/highlight]. N: Go to question 15. 10: Does the creature lack an Intelligence over 2 and spell-like and supernatural abilities? Y: It is an [highlight]Animal[/highlight]. N: Go to question 11. 11: Is the creature a reptile with Intelligence over 2? Y: It is a [highlight]Dragon[/highlight]. N: It is a [highlight]Magical Beast[/highlight]. 12: Does the creature have animalistic features and no psionic or quasi-psionic abilities? Y: It is a [highlight]Monstrous Humanoid[/highlight]. N: Go to question 13. 13: Is the creature composed of planar material? Y: It is an [highlight]Outsider (Native)[/highlight]. N: Go to Question 14. 14: Does the creature have a connection to either nature, a force or a place? Y: It is a [highlight]Fey[/highlight]. N: Go to question 15. 15: Does the creature have either an alien mindset, bizarre anatomy or more than two spell-like or supernatural abilities? Y: It is an [highlight]Aberration[/highlight]. N: Go to question 16. 16: Does the creature possess either a racial Strength bonus of more than +8 (after accounting for size) or a Size Category of larger than Medium? Y: It is a [highlight]Giant[/highlight]. N: It is a [highlight]Humanoid[/highlight]. I've also devised a brief, but probably too confusing flowchart, for people who prefer pictures... Creature Type Flowchart