Templates are quite common in any d&d format you play, even in core. But can they really take your character to the next level? With the introduction of the level adjustment buyoff in unearthed arcana, optimization is possible. This is a general guide to templates and classes that benefit most from them.
Note: This is under construction. Help me out with links, builds, strategies and anything you can think of that would prove useful.
Certain monsters can used as the basis for interesting, viable player characters. These creatures have a level
adjustment entry, which is a number that is added to the creature’s total Hit Dice to arrive at its effective character level. A creature with multiple special abilities is more powerful as a player character than its Hit Dice alone would indicate. For example, a drow elf has spell resistance, bonuses to its ability scores, and spell-like abilities. Its level adjustment of +2 indicates that a 1st-level drow wizard is the equivalent of a 3rd-level character.
Level adjustment is not the same thing as an adjustment to a creature’s Challenge Rating because of some special qualities it possesses. Challenge Rating reflects how difficult an opponent is to fight in a limited number of encounters. Level adjustment shows how powerful a creature is as a player character or cohort in campaign play. For instance, a drow receives a +1 adjustment to its Challenge Rating to account for its special abilities, indicating that it’s tougher in a fight than its Hit Dice would suggest, but its level adjustment is +2 to balance its abilities over long-term play.
Reducing Level Adjustment:
When a character with a level adjustment advances in experience, the level adjustment he started with becomes more and more of a burden. Eventually, the benefits of the creature type may come to be eclipsed by those of his class features, and the player may regret his choice of race. Under this variant system, the character can pay an XP cost at certain intervals to decrease the burden of his level adjustment.
Once the total of a character's class levels (not including any Hit Dice from his creature type or his level adjustment) reaches three times his level adjustment, his level adjustment is eligible to be decreased by 1.
For instance, a gnoll's level adjustment is +1. When a gnoll character gains his third class level (remember, the gnoll's 2 starting Hit Dice don't count), he can pay an XP cost to reduce his level adjustment to +0.
If the level adjustment is greater than +1, this process repeats until the creature's level adjustment reaches +0. Each time, use the creature's current level adjustment to determine the point at which the level adjustment can go down by 1. For example, a drow (level adjustment +2) may drop to level adjustment +1 after gaining her sixth class level, and then to +0 after gaining an additional three class levels.
Experience Point Cost:
Each time a character's level adjustment is eligible to be reduced, the character may pay an XP cost to take advantage of the reduction. The character must pay an amount of XP equal to (his current ECL -1)
The Unearthed Arcana supplement introduced the mechanics of level adjustment buyoff, the option to pay XP to reduce your level adjustment.
Why is Level Adjustment Bad?
- It doesn't protect you from effects related to hit dice (like dictum, holy word).
- You don't gain hit points for having level adjustment and some templates/races even reduce your hit point total (those that reduce your constitution score).
- You don't gain any skill points, BAB, saves, feats and everything related to HD.
With level adjustment buyoff however, i would say that taking a template or race with level adjustment is mandatory. That is, as presented in the experience is a river thread above, because you are eventually going to catch up in levels (and staying behind in level is invaluable for an item crafter).
At this point you should note that i am not suggesting pilling ridiculous amount of LA, just the usual one or two and rarely those with three.
This is an example of a +1 level adjustment buyoff. See how quickly you recover from the lost XP:
+1 Level Adjustment:
- [thread=854328]Master Template List[/thread] - (by Tigurius)
- Savage Progressions
- - breaking down monsters into level progressions so you can play them at lower ECL
- Level Adjustments for Anthropomorphic Animals - excerpt from Savage Species that WotC has made available for download on their website
- Savage Progressions: Level-Adjusted Races - Aasimar, Drow, Duergar, Fey-touched, Half-Fey, Svirfneblin, Tiefling
- Divine Minion template - wildshape cheesiness, +1 template that grants wildshape as an 11th level druid... blah, take your debate elsewhere
- Vampire Lord Template - a really souped up template applied on top of a normal vampire
- Mineral Warrior (Underdark) - a very strong +1 template
- Swordwraith template (+3) - Fiend Folio
- Ambush Drake - ever wanted a 7HD dragon PC with no LA?
- The Far Corners of the World: Monsters of the Tides - the overpowered CR3 Monstrous Crab
- Soldarin's ECL calculator
- - an ECL calculator I found online; handy if you like brewing up your own races/templates
- [thread=695081]Maximising Ability Scores for all your everyday PCs[/thread] - (by obeah) mixing LA's and templates to maximize your stats
- [thread=179776]Immunities[/thread] - (by Yekoj) - a list of PrCs and templates that grant immunities to various things
- [thread=847462]Symbiotic Creature Template - Handbook[/thread] - (by Tigurius)
Shameless copy from Surreal's Handy Links for CO Work.
Oh yeah and thanks for making this Hand Book I don't think it has ever been done before and will be very usefull.
Draconic is very nice for LA +1. Three stat bonuses plus various other benefits. Magic-Blooded (3.0) gives +2 cha, -2 wis, various other benefits, all for +0 LA. Half-Pixie is of course strong.
Those are what I've got off the top of my head.
nice thread to get on board with:D
Phrenic Template +2LA
Phrenic Template from SRD:“Phrenic” is an inherited template that can be added to any nonmindless creature that does not already have the psionic subtype (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). A phrenic creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type does not change, unless it is an animal (in which case it becomes a magical beast [augmented animal]). It gains the psionic subtype.
Psi-Like Abilities (Sp): A phrenic creature possesses the psi-like abilities indicated below, depending on its Hit Dice. The abilities are cumulative. Unless otherwise noted, an ability is usable once per day. Manifester level is equal to the creature’s HD. The save DCs for a phrenic creature’s psi-like abilities are Charisma-based.
HD Abilities
[indent]1–2 3/day—defensive precognition; 1/day—force screen
3–4 3/day—empty mind, mind thrust
5–6 1/day—body adjustment, brain lock
7–8 1/day—aversion, blast
9–10 3/day—intellect fortress; 1/day—psychic crush
11–12 1/day—psionic dominate
13–14 1/day—energy current, tower of iron will
15–16 3/day—psionic teleport
17–18 1/day—fission
19–20 1/day—ultrablast[/indent]
Special Qualities: A phrenic creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Naturally Psionic: A phrenic creature gains 1 bonus power point.
Power Resistance (Ex): A phrenic creature has power resistance equal to its Hit Dice +10.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2 (if Int is 3 or greater), Wis +2, Cha +4.
Feats: A phrenic creature can take psionic feats, if it meets the prerequisites for such feats.
Challenge Rating: Up to 5 HD, same as base creature +1; 6–10 HD, same as base creature +2; 11+ HD, same as base creature +3.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +2.
The 1/2 Fey Template,+2LA
The Half-Fey
Half-fey are the spawn of powerful fey creatures and the mortals they find so intriguing. Often confused by the ignorant with half-fiends, some half-fey grow up tormented by their peers, but a few use their gifts to win over others and become quite popular.
"Half-fey" is usually an inherited template, but it could be acquired through other means as well. Certain mortals who are obsessed with the fey study fey magic and dwell in sylvan places in hopes of gaining power, and a few actually do manage to acquire the half-fey template.
Attribute bonuses Dex +2, Con -2, Wis +2, Cha +4
Fey Type: She becomes vulnerable to spells and effects that work on creatures of the fey type but is immune to effects that target her original type. For example, a half-fey/half-human would be subject to the extra damage from a fey bane sword, but she is immune to hold person because that spell affects only humanoids.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): the half-fey gains low-light vision.
Saving Throw Bonuses (Ex): a half-fey gains a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school.
Spell-Like Abilities: Starting at 1st level, a half-fey with an Intelligence or Wisdom score of 8 or better gains spell-like abilities. The exact abilities gained depend on the half-fey's character level and level in the template class, according to the following table. In each case, the caster level equals the half-fey's character level. Save DCs, where applicable, are Charisma-based (10 + spell level + half-fey's Cha modifier).
[indent]Level Spell-Like Abilities Gained
1st Charm person at will, hypnotism 1/day
1st Faerie fire or glitterdust 1/day
3rd Detect law 3/day
3rd Enthrall or sleep 1/day
5th Protection from law 3/day
7th Confusion or emotion 1/day
9th Eyebite or lesser geas 1/day
11th Dominate person or hold monster 1/day
13th Mass invisibility 1/day
15th Geas/quest or mass suggestion 1/day
17th Insanity or mass charm 1/day
19th Otto's irresistible dance 1/day[/indent]
The character gains each spell-like ability as soon as she meets both qualifications for it. Spell-like abilities are cumulative, so a half-fey whose character level is 3rd has charm person at will, detect law 3/day, enthrall or sleep 1/day, faerie fire or glitterdust 1/day, hypnotism 1/day.
Immunity to Enchantments (Ex): a half-fey becomes immune to all spells and effects from the Enchantment school. This ability replaces the saving throw bonus against these effects included in the half-fey's base racial features.
Wings (Ex): a half-fey grows insectlike wings (usually similar to those of a butterfly) and may use them to fly at up to twice her base land speed with good maneuverability.
:D
thanks for the link Nanshork
:D
@ http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=12400610
Gotta love the HIVE being a LA +1 template.
I've always been a fan of Goliaths. Nice boosts to Str, Con, Powerful Build, and access to some nice Goliath-only feats, all of that for LA +1, quite easy to buy back.
That is a race, not a template.
That is a race, not a template.
...you are, indeed, correct. For some reason I confused 'Template' with 'Level Adjustment'. Must've been the talk about Drow in the first post.
Dragonborn
Humanoid(Dragonblood)
+2 Con, -2 Dex
+2 Dodge vs Dragon type
Immune to frightful Presence
Draconic Aspect:pick one:
[indent]Mind:
[indent]Immune to Paralysis,Magic Sleep Effects
Darkvision 30'
low Light vision
+2 Racial to Spot, Search, listen
@6HD..Darkvision 60'
@9HD .. Darkvision 90' and 3x lowlight vision
@12HD .. Darkvision 120' and 4x lowlight vision
@15HD .. Blindsense 30'[/indent]
Heart:
[indent]
Breath Weapon... range 5'/HD(Max 20HD=100'), 1d8+1d8/3HD, use every 1d4 rounds[/indent]
Wings:
[indent]Glide
@6HD ... Fly 30'(Average) short Duration
@12HD .. constant flight possible[/indent][/indent]
not too bad for a 0-LA Template.... i usually always pick Mind aspect
:D
wow.... i love that thread ... didnt even know about it
thanks for the link Nanshork
:D
Not a problem, almost all of my subscriptions are to randomly helpful threads like that one. :D
I decided to devote a post to each template and link them to the third post, so i'll probably bump this a lot.
- Inherited Template
- Base: Humanoid, Monstrous Humanoid.
- Type: Aquatic subtype.
- Size: Unchanged.
- Abilities: -2 Dex.
- LA: +0.
Useful template if you are going to adventure by sea. The drawback isn't great and many classes can mini-dump the dexterity attribute in favor of breathing underwater and a swim speed. This is obviously a bad choice for spellcasters, as spells can easily emulate the features this template offers. Remember that water breathing can affect multiple creatures and you divide the spell's duration among them, so having a spellcaster in your party waives the need for this.
It's flavorful for an aquatic scout or ranger, even though dexterity is important for both classes (feat requirements, keyed skills, etc). A scout with this and the PHB II variant can have three movement modes.
Party synergy aside, it's great for characters that are going to spend most of their time in heavy armor, such as knights and paladins.
It's also an easy way to gain the aquatic subtype with most of the playable races, most probably to fulfill requirements for prestige classes or feats.
- Acquired Template
- Base: Humanoid, Monstrous Humanoid.
- Type: Type changes to Undead. Augmented subtype.
- Size: Unchanged.
- Hit Dice: Increase to d12.
- Abilities: Same as the base creature, no constitution score.
- LA: +0.
Necropolitan is the best known way of getting the undead type. You actually have no level adjustment for this class, but you do lose a level from dying, but from all the experience analysis you should already know that this is a good thing and you will quickly recover.
The undead type offers great bonuses, but has its drawbacks. You gain immunities to many effects, such as to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease and death effects, to damage to your physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Also not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain.
This template is great for characters with low constitution score, as undead do not have one. You recalculate your hit points with d12 hit dice, which on average give you 6.5 hit points per level. Assuming that your character's (hit die + 1)/2 + con score is lower than 6.5, you won't lose any hit points upon your transformation. For example a cleric with a +2 con modifier has pretty much the same HP with a necropolitan cleric of the same level. If your constitution modifier is greater than +3, this template is probably not worth getting.
Note that Undead use their charisma modifier instead of constitution on concentration checks, which is helpful for charisma based spellcasting classes, such as sorcerers, clerics and favored souls.
There are classes that benefit from constitution modifier for effects other than just constitution saves and hit points. Do not consider this template in conjunction with Dragonfire Adepts or incarnum characters (there are exceptions though for the last example).
Special Qualities:
- Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the effect of a control undead spell. Well some of the drawbacks of being undead are the wide range of spells that you are vulnerable to.
- Turn Resistance (Ex): A necropolitan has +2 turn resistance. Every little bit helps, as you are already down a level and it's pretty risky at start.
- Unnatural Resilience (Ex): Necropolitans automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has no effect on necropolitans; however,
- negative energy (such as an inflict spell) heals them.
- Inherited Template
- Base: Any.
- Type: Unchanged. Gain the extraplanar subtype when away from the Plane of Shadow.
- Size: Unchanged.
- LA: +1.
A simple template that benefits most sneaky characters. It's the simplest way for a character to gain Hide in Plain Sight and big bonuses to the related skills. Rogues, monks, rangers, ninjas and scouts will probably benefit most from this template.
Note that the bonus to movement affects all your movement modes, so the more you have the better.
Special Qualities:
- +10ft to all movement modes.
- Darkvision 60ft.
- Hide in Plain Sight (Ex).
- Resistance to cold 10.
- Superior low-light vision.
- +8 to hide and +6 to move silently checks.
Suggested Classes:
- Ninja
- Scout
- Spellthief
- Factotum
- Swashbuckler
- Soulknife
- Bard
- Monk
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Beguiler
- Swordsage
Draconic Creature
- Inherited Template (can be acquired via the Dragon Devotee PrC)
- Base: any corporeal living creature except a dragon
- Type: animals change to magical beasts; adds the dragonblood subtype, otherwise unchanged
- Size: unchanged
- Abilities: +2 to Strength, Constitution and Charisma
- Armor class: Natural Armor improves by +1
- Damage: the draconic creature gains two claw attack, depending on its size (damage is equal to unarmed damage - 1d3 for medium creatures), or keeps its natural claw attacks if they have greater damage
- Special Qualities: same as the base creature, with darkvision up to 60 feet and low-light vision even if the base creature does not have them
- Saves: a draconic creature gains a +4 racial bonus to saves vs sleep and paralysis
- Skills: a draconic creature gains a +2 racial bonus to intimidate and spot checks
- LA: +1
Description: Draconic creatures are similar to half-dragons in that they have draconic ancestry, though with draconic creatures this ancestry is several steps removed. While they lack abilities directly related to their draconic ancestor, draconic creatures are still noticeably different from their core race and can sometimes be mistaken for half-dragons.
Opinion: I myself favor this template for its all-around usefulness. Mechanically, the draconic template is a solid option for any melee character. Even prior to the introduction of the dragonblood subtype in Races of the Dragon, its ability modifiers and features made it a good option for any warriors, as it improved two of the most useful stats for such characters - strength and constitution - and provided a useful bonus to a third ability score which, at the very least, allowed further optimization in point-buy generation. The strength bonus and the extra HP/level mean that your character will likely be more efficient in combat than without the template - a rare feature where LA races/templates are allowed. While the templare isn't as alluring for casters, bards and battle sorcerers can consider the ability modifiers an asset as well as they both improve their hit points total and the ability that fuels their spellcasting. The improvements to the character's natural armor (as a racial bonus, this stacks with any enhancement bonus to natural armor from spell or item), saves, and skills serve to round out this template as a model +1. If you have RotD, the template will also allow you to access the dragonblood-limited material (such as dragon wings, giving you flight speed at the cost of two feats) without having to choose a custom race.
- Recommended for classes: any warrior (esp. paladin), bard, battle sorcerer, warmage, dread necromancer, dragon shaman, dragonfire adept (possibly). Basically, if you can spare 1 level of abilities, chances are you might be interestedi in it. If LA buyoff is allowed, the template is subsumed in the first level of the half-dragon progression.
- Recommended for races: any; humans/azurin (default, extra feat at 1st level can allow for dragonblood feat) and wood elves (fixing the constitution penalty of an otherwise impressive warrior race, and making it still better) would be my first choices.
- Note: the template is made available through the 5-level dragon devotee PrC in Races of the Dragon, free of any LA. The PrC may be interesing for both martial and stealth characters: while it gives only medium BAB (which means the 5th level will set you another point of BAB back), this way you get 2 bonus feats or 2 dice of SA/SS/skirmish (if you have such precision damage already, mind you), as well 2 levels of sorcerer spellcasting (even if you don't have sorcerer levels) without ASF for lvl 0 and 1 spells.The latter may be particularly interesting for any characters who want to enter PrCs that advance arcane spellcasting.
also while +4 LA still hurts a lot, make mention of the Half Fiend variants located here. 4 LA is still alot but no one seems to know about these templates
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a
The Half Succubi is nice for gestalt if you do LA on one side for the Str, +2, Dex +2, Int +4, and Cha +8, flight, sp, etc
[thread=847462]Symbiotic Creature Template - Handbook[/thread] - (by Tigurius)
I noticed that you linked to the Symbiotic template page, what do you think about using the template backwards? As opposed to having some tiny creature join you, you could join a large creature to benefit from its HD/physical stats. That way you can make an effective caster since you only need mental stats while joined with the "Host". Oh, and if you are symbiotic, would you get to be dominant since your brain is the one that matters?
Here's a short description of one of my favourite +1 templates:
hey thanks :D i hope you don't mind reposting it, to add stuff and/or edit if need so.
Can you post the other LA graphs on how long it takes to catch up with LA buyoff. (LA 2, LA 3, LA 4)
also while +4 LA still hurts a lot, make mention of the Half Fiend variants located here. 4 LA is still alot but no one seems to know about these templates
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a
The Half Succubi is nice for gestalt if you do LA on one side for the Str, +2, Dex +2, Int +4, and Cha +8, flight, sp, etc
i'll work on the graphs.
I noticed that you linked to the Symbiotic template page, what do you think about using the template backwards? As opposed to having some tiny creature join you, you could join a large creature to benefit from its HD/physical stats. That way you can make an effective caster since you only need mental stats while joined with the "Host". Oh, and if you are symbiotic, would you get to be dominant since your brain is the one that matters?
i haven't really read the template, so i can't help. Maybe take a look at the handbook.
- Acquired Template
- Base: Corporeal Undead with wisdom score of 10+.
- LA: +0.
Spellstitched is a powerful tool for undead characters. It's an acquired template that can be created by arcane casters with the craft wondrous item feat. The creation of the template requires lost of XP, but the materials cost just 1000 gp. There are lots of ways to bypass or lower the XP cost if you can't cast arcane spells yourself:
- Thought Bottle (though sage has mentioned that it doesn't work. Also boringly broken).
- Darkcraft Experience.
- Leadership (assuming that your cohort can craft it for you).
- Artisan feats.
- Pay for services.
Assuming max benefits (19 wisdom score) you need 9500 XP to acquire the template. Since XP = (1/25)*gp when crafting, the cost in gp is 237.500 gp (double that for market price) for a grand total of 475.000 gp plus 1000 gp for materials. That's too much money to spend on a template, but the effects are worth it. Remember that spell-like abilities bypass material and experience costs.
Special Qualities:
- Damage Reduction (Ex): When you hit 12 HD this is worth it.
- Spell Resistance (Ex): Unless your charisma modifier is crazy buffed, the amount of resistance you get is crappy.
- Turn Resistance (Ex): Every little bit helps.
- Saves: +2 profane bonus on all saving throws. Great, since it won't interfere with other bonuses.
Wisdom-based characters, such as clerics and druids get great benefits for being spellstitched, assuming that they are already undead, as they become sort of mini-dual casters. Necromancers receive great benefits for getting animate dead as a spell-like ability, by spell stitching themselves or their familiar (possibly by getting the stitched spell familiar feat). Similarly, the best spells are those that have some sort of expensive material or experience component.
- Inherited Template
- Base: living, corporeal creature except a dragon.
- Type: Animals become magical beasts, otherwise unchanged. Gain the dragonblood subtype.
- Size: Unchanged.
- LA: +1.
A great template for nearly every character due to the attribute bonuses it provides. It has virtually no drawback. Melee characters such as paladins and hexblades receive a direct boost to their most important scores, while receiving other minor bonuses, such as natural armor bonus, natural weapons, darkvision, low-light vision and bonuses to saves and skills. Charisma based casters receive extra constitution and charisma. Charisma bonuses are difficult to come by with races while keeping your constitution at decent levels. Another interesting feature of this template is the dragonblood subtype it provides. It isn't very impressive, but it grants you access to feats with the [dragonblood] prerequisite, such as accelerate metamagic, dragon wings, practical metamagic and the various breath-channeling feats (the feats are located in races of the dragon). Finally, if you are a knight, paladin, sorcerer or hexblade you get great flavor, as these classes are well-suited and even adopted by dragons.
Abilities:
- +1 Natural Armor.
- Two claw attacks.
- Darkvision 60ft
- Low-Light Vision
- +4 racial bonus on saves against magic sleep and paralysis.
- +2 racial bonus on intimidate and spot checks.
Suggested Classes:
- Spellthief
- Warmage
- Warlock
- Favored Soul
- Hexblade
- Samurai
- Dragonfire Adept
- Artificer
- Wilder
- Dread Necromancer
- Bard
- Cleric
- Fighter
- Monk
- Paladin
- Sorcerer
- Beguiler
- Dragon Shaman
- Knight
- Crusader
- Binder
- Marshal
A description of this template by The_Shaman, is here.
- Acquired Template
- Base: Any humanoid.
- Type: Unchanged (no reference).
- Size: Unchanged (no reference).
- LA: +1.
A template that you can acquire in a weird way. You need to bathe in a mix of blood created by an arcane spellcaster with the brew potion. There are some material components included, but the cost is mild. Also you must undergo the transformation only as a young creature. The template grants bonuses to strength and constitution, but bestows a penalty to intelligence. This makes it worthy for martial classes that don't really depend on skill points, like fighters and paladins. The amount of punishment you can receive with the +4 con bonus is enormus; any character that is able to tank can make good use of this template. A unique feature of this template is that it grants you a free combat reflexes feat, which obviously requires a high dexterity to be effective, but it also helps requirements and feat chains.
Abilities:
- +2 Natural Armor.
- War Cry (Ex): Gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage for some rounds, as do all blooded ones within 30ft. It is nice for low levels, but quickly becomes bad.
- Abilities: Strength +2, Constitution +4, Intelligence -2.
- Gain free Combat Reflexes feat.
Suggested Classes:
- Warlock
- Favored Soul
- Hexblade
- Samurai
- Dragonfire Adept
- Psychic Warrior
- Dread Necromancer
- Barbarian
- Cleric
- Druid
- Fighter
- Monk
- Paladin
- Sorcerer
- Dragon Shaman
- Knight
- Crusader
- Warblade
- Binder
- Marshal
- Inherited Template.
- Base: Corporeal Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid.
- Size: Unchanged.
- Type: Change to Monstrous Humanoid.
- Hit Dice: Change to d10.
- Speed: +10ft to land speed only.
- AC: +6 Natural Armor.
- Attacks: Gain two claw attacks. Damage is size-dependent.
- +4 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -4 Int (minimum 2), +2 Wis.
- LA: +1.
Feral is a template best known pre-complete champion for the pounce ability it nets you. If you want to play a charging warrior that doesn't care about his skill points much, this is an option for you. Aside pounce however, this template offers various effects that can benefit many different characters, such as the hit die change, the natural armor bonus or even the land speed increase. Remember that barbarians actually lose hit points by taking this template, even though it generally offers some good abilities that have synergy with their class.
Abilities:
- Improved Grab (Ex): Useful ability if you are going to be using your natural weapons.
- Pounce (Ex): Awesome, this template is usually adopted by players for this ability alone. Whatever your fighting style, this ability will net you more damage, but note that this works only in the first round of combat.
- Rake (Ex): If you get a hold of the creature you can get two attacks with your legs. Assuming that by holding means grappling your opponents, this is great for grapplers. You can use this ability if you pounce, too.
- Rend (Ex): Deal double damage if you hit with both claw attacks.
- Darkvision: Gain a scaling darkvision based on your HD.
- Fast Healing: Awesome ability. Even at 1 HD you get fast healing 2, getting you back to full hit points in a matter of rounds. Again, the amount of fast healing you get is based on your HD, capping at 5.
- Favored Class:Barbarian.
Suggested Classes:
- Favored Soul
- Spirit Shaman
- Ardent
- Hexblade
- Samurai
- Psychic Warrior
- Soulborn
- Totemist
- Cleric
- Druid
- Monk
- Paladin
- Dragon Shaman
- Knight
- Crusader
- Binder
- Marshal
Say you have 1 LA from the draconic template.
When you hit level 3, you can pay 3000 exp and buy off your first LA. You are now at LA 0.
You can then aquire another LA +1 template (say, blooded one). Gain 3000 exp. Your LA is +1 at level 3, so you can buy it off (now 6000 exp down from the rest of your party).
The problem with this intepretation is how it works at higher levels on the unearthed Arcana Chart. A character at level 12, buying off LA +4 for 12000 exp, would then have LA +3, and be eligible to buy it off, since they are greater than level 9, for another 12000 exp. Then LA +2, buy off for another 12000 exp, then LA +1, buy off for another 12000 exp.
I am just wondering if there is anything in the rules to indicate that this intepretation is incorrect? Otherwise, this with a thought-bottle would make for some powerful win.
In another thread in the Character Optimization forum, someone mentioned to me that LA buyoff worked differently than I had thought.
Say you have 1 LA from the draconic template.
When you hit level 3, you can pay 3000 exp and buy off your first LA. You are now at LA 0.
You can then aquire another LA +1 template (say, blooded one). Gain 3000 exp. Your LA is +1 at level 3, so you can buy it off (now 6000 exp down from the rest of your party).
The problem with this intepretation is how it works at higher levels on the unearthed Arcana Chart. A character at level 12, buying off LA +4 for 12000 exp, would then have LA +3, and be eligible to buy it off, since they are greater than level 9, for another 12000 exp. Then LA +2, buy off for another 12000 exp, then LA +1, buy off for another 12000 exp.
I am just wondering if there is anything in the rules to indicate that this intepretation is incorrect? Otherwise, this with a thought-bottle would make for some powerful win.
Your first example might work, but the 2nd example is explained in UA and the OP.
From that thread, but not in OP:
Lolth-Touched, in MM4.
+6 Str & Con, some misc skill bonuses and immunity to fear, all for LA+1.
Lolth-Touched, in MM4.
+6 Str & Con, some misc skill bonuses and immunity to fear, all for LA+1.
is there something similar for other deities? can the lolth-touched be applied to other deities, like lets say, the kord-touched?
cause the god-blooded templates from MM5 really suck!
That's the best I can think of.
I would personally allow it, but then again, I'm quite flexible in what I allow in my games ;)
Bowen
I would appreciate it if someone could help me out here, I got confused by the experience is a river thread and since his example only goes to +1LA I am not sure I can make up the difference or how far behind I would be.
My fear is that the party will hit epic alot sooner than I will and an epic game is not a good palce for non-epic guys.
Thanks again for the help!
I've found +3 LA but I'm looking for a +1 or +2
Bauriar, race, Planar Handbook, LA+1
Karsite, race, Tome of Magic, LA+2
Let's start by acknowledging that I'm confused about how to proceed with the Saint Template (BoED @ 185) and I'm not as smart as I'd like to think I am. I need your help. Although it's worth berating me for being unable to figure out how to manage the +2 LA which, in my case, comes at 6th level and how to navigate the buy off, I hope you'll be kind, patient, and help me out with as much specifics as you can provide.
So, if I apply the saint template (+2 LA) while a sorcerer at 6th level with 15,000 experience points, I become a 6th level sorcerer, 8th level ECL with 15,000 experience points, right?
So what does this mean, practically? Ordinarily, without the template, I would need 21,000 experience points (i.e. another 6,000 exp) to become a 7th level sorcerer. Is it now the case (for the moment assuming no buy off--cuz I haven't figured out how that works yet) that to become a 7th level sorcerer (9th level ECL) I need to earn 23,000? That is, to gain a class level would I need to earn the number of experience points that I would ordinarily need to move from 8th to 9th level (i.e. 8,000 exp.). Or do I completely misunderstand how the LA works?
So, if the buy off is in play, when to I apply it in this case? Could it be at 6th and then 9th level (as the chart indicates in the SRD for +2 LA? I find this hard to believe as it would really undermine the afect LA is supposed to have. Or is it at 12th and 15th levels, i.e., six levels from now and then three levels from then?
Also, assuming for the moment that the buy off would kick in at my 12th character class level, what exactly happens then? So I've just earned 91,000 experience points, become a 12th level sorcerer, and am now at 14 ECL. Supposedly, I now have to subtract 13,000 experience points and am now at +1 LA. Does this al(so mean that I'm now an 11th level sorcerer (ECL 13) ?
I'm sure I've screwed most of this up in ways that have many of you chuckling. Laugh away, but please help a Dumas out.
Many thianks, Deckinhand.
So, if I apply the saint template (+2 LA) while a sorcerer at 6th level with 15,000 experience points, I become a 6th level sorcerer, 8th level ECL with 15,000 experience points, right?
Yes, your experience point total does not change, but your ECL (and therefore how fast you gain XP) does.
So what does this mean, practically? Ordinarily, without the template, I would need 21,000 experience points (i.e. another 6,000 exp) to become a 7th level sorcerer. Is it now the case (for the moment assuming no buy off--cuz I haven't figured out how that works yet) that to become a 7th level sorcerer (9th level ECL) I need to earn 23,000? That is, to gain a class level would I need to earn the number of experience points that I would ordinarily need to move from 8th to 9th level (i.e. 8,000 exp.). Or do I completely misunderstand how the LA works?
You completely misunderstand. You now need a total of 36,000xp (Equal to an ECL 9 character) before you can gain another level of sorcerer. When your ECL goes up, it effects how much TOTAL (not iterative, as you describe) XP you need to gain your next level.
So, if the buy off is in play, when to I apply it in this case? Could it be at 6th and then 9th level (as the chart indicates in the SRD for +2 LA? I find this hard to believe as it would really undermine the afect LA is supposed to have. Or is it at 12th and 15th levels, i.e., six levels from now and then three levels from then?
Normally the first point of a +2 LA template can be bought off at ECL six, and the second at ECL 9. You're right in that it undermines LA at that rate, which is why it's an optional rule. However, the converse of that argument is that there is no way anyone could argue a Drow at 18th level is inherently superior to an otherwise identical elf at 20. You'll also note that there is no way under the rules to buy off more than one point of a +4 (or higher) LA template by ECL 20.
Also, assuming for the moment that the buy off would kick in at my 12th character class level, what exactly happens then? So I've just earned 91,000 experience points, become a 12th level sorcerer, and am now at 14 ECL. Supposedly, I now have to subtract 13,000 experience points and am now at +1 LA. Does this al(so mean that I'm now an 11th level sorcerer (ECL 13) ?
If you play with LA buyoff, you may spend XP at any point in time which you are elligible to do so.
In your hypothetical (which is off it's levels, see below), you reach 91,000xp you're character gains his 12th level of sorceror, and you earn xp as a 14th level character (LA+2). You may, at this point, spend 13,000xp of that to reduce your LA by one. Your class level does not change (still 12), but your XP total is permanently reduced by this amount, and your LA is reduced by +1. You now earn XP as an ECL 13 character, instead of 14.
---------
For Saint, specifically...
As I explained before, the Saint template is odd in how it works. According to the text in the BoED (page 29), the LA for the template is artificially low, and there are some extra requirements (including an XP 'punishment') for that.
Normally you can reduce a +2 LA template by one at ECL 6. But with Saint, you can't GET the template until ECL 8 (class level 6 +2 LA). With other templates, this wouldn't be a problem, and at ECL 8 (15,000xp starting), you could just save up your first 7,000xp to blow as soon as you got it to reduce your ECL by one and get on with the business of levelling.
However, Saint implies that you are REQUIRED to earn the full amount of XP back from the LA before you can advance. That means that you FIRST have to earn a total of 28,000xp, before you are allowed to spend the 7k to buy off an LA point (through all of this, your Sorcerer level would never change). Saint is unusual in this regard.
Still confused?
Woodling. +3 for pretty much the highest Natural AC(even divided by the LA), Slashing-bypass DR, and vulnerability to Fire(bypassable via Fire subtype). Also many Plant-type traits(without being treated as a Plant, for better or worse).
Both are invaluable for any class expecting to wade into melee. Not so useful against spellcasters.
Yes, your experience point total does not change, but your ECL (and therefore how fast you gain XP) does.
You completely misunderstand. You now need a total of 36,000xp (Equal to an ECL 9 character) before you can gain another level of sorcerer. When your ECL goes up, it effects how much TOTAL (not iterative, as you describe) XP you need to gain your next level.
Ahhhh!!!. Now I get it. It just never made sense to me until you explained it. It must be the whole reading and understanding thing that vexed me. I appreciate you setting me straight here.
Normally the first point of a +2 LA template can be bought off at ECL six, and the second at ECL 9. You're right in that it undermines LA at that rate, which is why it's an optional rule. However, the converse of that argument is that there is no way anyone could argue a Drow at 18th level is inherently superior to an otherwise identical elf at 20. You'll also note that there is no way under the rules to buy off more than one point of a +4 (or higher) LA template by ECL 20.
Makes sense.
If you play with LA buyoff, you may spend XP at any point in time which you are elligible to do so.
In your hypothetical (which is off it's levels, see below), you reach 91,000xp you're character gains his 12th level of sorceror, and you earn xp as a 14th level character (LA+2). You may, at this point, spend 13,000xp of that to reduce your LA by one. Your class level does not change (still 12), but your XP total is permanently reduced by this amount, and your LA is reduced by +1. You now earn XP as an ECL 13 character, instead of 14.
Gotcha.
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For Saint, specifically...
As I explained before, the Saint template is odd in how it works. According to the text in the BoED (page 29), the LA for the template is artificially low, and there are some extra requirements (including an XP 'punishment') for that.
Normally you can reduce a +2 LA template by one at ECL 6. But with Saint, you can't GET the template until ECL 8 (class level 6 +2 LA). With other templates, this wouldn't be a problem, and at ECL 8 (15,000xp starting), you could just save up your first 7,000xp to blow as soon as you got it to reduce your ECL by one and get on with the business of levelling.
However, Saint implies that you are REQUIRED to earn the full amount of XP back from the LA before you can advance. That means that you FIRST have to earn a total of 28,000xp, before you are allowed to spend the 7k to buy off an LA point (through all of this, your Sorcerer level would never change). Saint is unusual in this regard.
Still confused?
You, sir, are a Saint.
Let me follow up to see if I'm still confused--I suspect I'll have missed something here, despite your patient and persistent efforts, pithica.
Thanks as always for your indulgence and assistance, Deckinhand
Here's where I think we are. I'm a 6th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 8) with 15,000 exp. At the moment, to earn my next level (7th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 9), I would have to earn a total of 36,000 exp. Right, so far?
However, when I have earned 28,000 exp, I can now (technically, if my DM permits) buy off 1 of the LA, which would leave me as a 6th Level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 7) with 21,000 exp. Right?
And now, I would have to earn a total of 28,000 exp. to advance to a 7th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 8). Is this correct?
So I continue on as a 10 ECL until I can, eventually, buy off the remaining 1 LA--which I am eligible to do when my class level is 9th level (ECL 10) AND I have earned 54,000 exp--by losing 9,000 exp, which will make me a . . . well, I'm not sure what that will make me (which is why, I suspect I've messed something up here). I know I'm still a Sorcerer Saint and that after the buy off, my LA will now be 0. But, if my numbers are correct, I will then have 45,000 exp, which would ordinarily qualify me to advance to 10th level as a Sorcerer, which means that I would essentially be going from 8th to 10th level in one motion. Can this be right? And moreover, if this is the case, what happens to the 9th level BAB, skill ranks, feat selection, hit dice, saves? Something must be amiss here--and here I thought I had understood, at least a little.
I guess, I'm still missing something--despite your patient efforts.
Here's where I think we are. I'm a 6th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 8) with 15,000 exp. At the moment, to earn my next level (7th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 9), I would have to earn a total of 36,000 exp. Right, so far?
Correct.
However, when I have earned 28,000 exp, I can now (technically, if my DM permits) buy off 1 of the LA, which would leave me as a 6th Level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 7) with 21,000 exp. Right?
Correct.
However, I, personally, would make you wait until ECL 9 (36,000xp) before allowing the buyback of 1 LA from saint, due to the wording of Sainthood. And make you wait 3 levels after that to buy-off the 2nd LA. But that, is purely, a house-rule (I'm just warning you in case your DM reads sainthood the way that I do). You have the above right.
And now, I would have to earn a total of 28,000 exp. to advance to a 7th level Sorcerer Saint (ECL 8). Is this correct?
Correct. You'd have to get to ECL 8 (28,000xp) a second time.
So I continue on as a 10 ECL until I can, eventually, buy off the remaining 1 LA--which I am eligible to do when my class level is 9th level (ECL 10) AND I have earned 54,000 exp--by losing 9,000 exp, which will make me a . . . well, I'm not sure what that will make me (which is why, I suspect I've messed something up here). I know I'm still a Sorcerer Saint and that after the buy off, my LA will now be 0. But, if my numbers are correct, I will then have 45,000 exp, which would ordinarily qualify me to advance to 10th level as a Sorcerer, which means that I would essentially be going from 8th to 10th level in one motion. Can this be right? And moreover, if this is the case, what happens to the 9th level BAB, skill ranks, feat selection, hit dice, saves? Something must be amiss here--and here I thought I had understood, at least a little.
You have your levels off. You'd continue on with the +1 LA until reaching ECL 9 (36,000xp) (class level 8), and then be elligible to buy of the second LA for 8,000xp (dropping you back to 28,000xp. From then on, your class level and ECL would match.
If you waited to ECL 10 (45,000xp), to buy it off, you'd spend 9,000xp dropping you back to 36,000xp. You're numbers are off in the above because you keep confusing ECL for Class Level when looking at the tables.
I'll correct your quote above...bolded parts are corrections...
So I continue on as a 9 ECL until I can, eventually, buy off the remaining 1 LA--which I am eligible to do when my class level is 8th level (ECL 9) AND I have earned 36,000 exp--by losing 8,000 exp, which will make me a 8th level sorcerer saint with an ECL of 8.. . .SNIP
You can normally only buy off level adjusment immediately upon leveling. In this way, only your ECL should ever change and not your class level. You gain level X, but lose one LA at the same time. Your skills and what aren't lost, since you keep whatever you would have picked for your class level gain.
You have your levels off. You'd continue on with the +1 LA until reaching ECL 9 (36,000xp) (class level 8), and then be elligible to buy of the second LA for 8,000xp (dropping you back to 28,000xp. From then on, your class level and ECL would match.
If you waited to ECL 10 (45,000xp), to buy it off, you'd spend 9,000xp dropping you back to 36,000xp. You're numbers are off in the above because you keep confusing ECL for Class Level when looking at the tables.
It's obvious to me that you know more about this than I do. But I had thought you and the SRD had said that the it was the number of class levels, and not ECL, that determined when you can buy off an LA. The SRD gives this example:
Similarly, a drow cleric who has just reached 6th level (ECL 8) is eligible to reduce her level adjustment from +2 to +1. She must pay 7,000 XP, and her ECL becomes 7 (6 class levels plus her +1 level adjustment). When she gains her 9th class level (ECL 10), she can reduce her level adjustment to +0 (and her ECL to 9) by paying another 9,000 XP.
I realize, as you say, that the Saint would have to wait until she's achieved even more more exp. to be able to reduce the LA. But it seemed to me that the threshold for the opportunity to reduce the second LA was the class level being 9th, not the ECL. Where have I gotten confused? Deckinhand
Technically, the entry starts on Page 167, but it's only on page 168 that you actually see all the stats(rather than "This template may be added to blah blah")
Comparable to Dark Creature(complemetary as well).
Speed:
Once the total of a character's class levels (not including any Hit Dice from his creature type or his level adjustment) reaches three times his level adjustment, his level adjustment is eligible to be decreased by 1.
Let me recorrect...
So I continue on as a +1 LA until I can, eventually, buy off the remaining 1 LA--which I am eligible to do when my class level is 9th level (ECL 10) AND I have earned 45,000 exp--by losing 9,000 exp, which will make me a 9th level sorcerer saint with an ECL of 9.. . .SNIP
If I had gold points to give you, I surely would. Best, Deckinhand
As far as I can tell, it's the next best thing to natural invisibility - arguably better, since See Invisible won't penetrate it, if not for the daylight issue.
Well yeah, but whatever the case, Shadow+Dark templates make for a supremely hard to catch opponent(barring the usual magic-breaks-everything caveats).:D
Combining the two seems fairly pointless; almost all of the benefits of Dark are subsumed by Shadow. If you've already got Shadow, all you get for adding Dark is +10' movement (+15' if your DM interprets it favorably), +6 Move Silently, +8 Hide (a skill you'll only ever have to roll if you're in direct sunlight) and slightly higher cold resistance if you have fewer than 5 HD. That's probably not worth the extra +1 LA.
That said, either individually is indeed quite nice, and while magic does indeed break everything, I'll note that the most popular "magic bullet" against invisible enemies, True Seeing, specifically does not negate concealment and therefore won't pierce Shadow Blend.
Combining the two seems fairly pointless; almost all of the benefits of Dark are subsumed by Shadow. If you've already got Shadow, all you get for adding Dark is +10' movement (+15' if your DM interprets it favorably), +6 Move Silently, +8 Hide (a skill you'll only ever have to roll if you're in direct sunlight) and slightly higher cold resistance if you have fewer than 5 HD. That's probably not worth the extra +1 LA.
That said, either individually is indeed quite nice, and while magic does indeed break everything, I'll note that the most popular "magic bullet" against invisible enemies, True Seeing, specifically does not negate concealment and therefore won't pierce Shadow Blend.
Well, it does get HIPS, which might work for entering whatever PrC might have that as a pre-requisite(no idea), which would be superior to dipping Shadow-dancer, in so far as being able to buy it off(which would let you get more than 1 class' ability for that "level").
Movement speed is surprisingly hard to get.
Can anyone tell me the losest LA that gets a good SR without being undead?
I've found +3 LA but I'm looking for a +1 or +2
Phrenic is imo great if you are not looking for a template to boost your physical stats. The psi-likes (which, as psi-likes, automatically augment with manifester level, thus HD) include buffs, mobility and damage powers, some of which very, very good. The bonus to mental powers and the SR are just gravy. There are many templates that are not worth the price, but Phrenic is definitely not among them.
As races with SR, Drow are pretty meh, but consider the Githzerai: +2 wisdom, +6 dexterity, -2 intelligence, and some quite useful psionic abilities such as concussion blast or inertial armor. Oh, and eventually plane shift. The SR is minor enough not to bother a dedicated caster (i.e. your party cleric) but give you a decent chance against many monsters with innate spell-likes with a fixed CL. Mind you, many characters would just be ogling that +6 to dexterity - and I'd say they'd be right. Just to note, a lvl 1 githzerai monk would have an AC 4-8 higher (+3 dex, +1 wis, inertial armor) than a human one. Hmm... nice?
Dark template is Tome of Magic. Shadow-walker is Unapproachable East.Dark template:
“Dark” is an acquired or inherited template that can be added to any creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature). Dark creatures tend to be much duller in color, with more gray and black skin tones and hair highlights, than their Material Plane versions. In general, they also weigh less, as if part of their very substance was mere shadow stuff.
A dark creature has all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: Type and size are unchanged. Dark creatures encountered away from the Plane of Shadow have the extraplanar subtype.
Speed: As base creature, +10 feet to all modes of movement.
Special Qualities: A dark creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following.
— Darkvision 60 ft.
— Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): Use the Hide skill even while being observed (except in natural daylight, the area of a daylight spell, or a similar ettect).
— Resistance to cold 10.
— Superior low-light vision.
Skills: Same as the base creature, plus Hide +8 and Move Silently +6.
Environment: Changes to Plane of Shadow.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature or same as the base creature +1; see sidebar.
Alignment: Usually one step different from the base creature, rarely good.
Level Adjustment: +1.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=5315
One +1 LA template from there that I like:
Undead Blooded
+1 CL for necromancy spells.
Smite Undead ability. (works like smite evil).
Darkvision 60 ft.
Detect Undead at will
One-third of all undead-blooded are sensitive to bright light, taking a –1 circumstance penalty on attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
The undead-blooded’s necromantic origin grants it a +2 racial bonus on saves against ability damage, ability drain, death effects, disease, energy drain, mind-affecting effects, poison, paralysis, sleep, and stunning.
+2 Wisdom
+2 on intimidate checks.
You can only be born with the template. It involves an undead giving birth to a baby via the veil of life spell, also in the book.
