Faerie template

[oliverhenshaw]

I've recently had cause to create a Faerie template for a game world I co-DM and play in. I briefly considered the MotP's suggestion to use the Half-Celestial template, but it just didn't seem right for what I wanted.

Trying to work out how to do it, and looking for druidic spells to swap out fot the clerical spell-like abilities I sudenly realised that the H-Fs spell-like abilities were based on the Good domain, not the basic clerical spell list.

So, after some thought and some (most, by the end) input from a friend, the Seelie template was born. Being a Seelie, it has a mix of Trickery, Animal and Plant domains. A theoretical Unseelie template would maybe lose some Trickery in return for more Animal and something spiteful. So these abilities have been swapped out on a 1 for 1 basis, with what should be roughly equivalent power, and more flavour.

Anyway, here's a brief rundown (I hope vB code is forgiving):


Seelie Faerie

As Half-Celestial, except

Type changes to fey + outsider (due to status of faerie IMC. possible?)

Special attacks Faerie fire at will instead of light (dumb?)
Spell-like abilities:

• 1-2 Change self 3/day, Entangle
• 3-4 Invisibility, Barkskin
• 5-6 Nondetection, Remedy Serious Wounds*
• 7-8 Confusion, Control Plants
• 9-10 Commune with nature
• 11-12 False Vision
• 13-14 Mislead, TBD (3/day?)
• 15-16 Screen
• 17-18 Polymorph any object
• 19-20 Time Stop (powerful? my friend insisted)

Special Qualities Resistances provisonally the same, but most may be dropped. Regeneration 5, non-wooden attack deal normal damage**. Take double damage from cold iron.
ECL +2 provisionally
Abilities provisionally as Half-Celestial


* Modified from similar spell in MoF. Fast Healing 3 for 10 rds +1/2lvl
** I considered DR 5/non-wooden weapons but this works against spells too. I'm toying with blessed weapons dealing them double damage or negatating their regneration, because although they're good, they're not part of the world.


Critiques? Suggestions? All welcome.
Rants would be unpleasant

 

[CRGreathouse]

You can't have two types, but you can be one type and have the qualities of the other - see MotP page 196 for an example.

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

I think the type would be Outsider (Fey) if I'm understanding how that works IYC.

You have the fey being native to another plane, correct?

 

[Ace32]

If they are from another plane: Outsider. The stuff that goes in the ()'s would be alignment and elemental related. IE, a creature that is most always lawful good, gets Outsider (good, lawful). A creature that is evil and lives on the plane of fire gets Outsider (evil, fire).

A Fey is just a Fey.

 

[oliverhenshaw]

There are 'domesticated' fey trapped in our world and 'true' outsider-like fey. Perhaps I'll drop the outsider type, as they're more alien and unusual than normal outsiders, but add the wood, iron and bless things which only apply to 'true' fey.

But otherwise, I wouldn't have a problem bendign the rules a little to give them type Outsider(Fey).
In that case, would a half-celestial dragon lose the benefits of the Dragon type, like immunity to sleep and hold effects?

 

[niko718]

Perhaps the link below will help

I created a race known as the Meadow Sprite as well as a PrC based on this (Meadow Guardian) that may be to your liking if as the way it is, then perhaps for ideas.

The link is:
http://www.thirdedition.net/articles/article.html?id=392

After looking at the Dragon Magazine with ECL values (most recent), I guess the ECL to the Meadow Sprite may be more towards +2 or even +3 then what I originally thought.

Hope you like it.

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

In that case, would a half-celestial dragon lose the benefits of the Dragon type

If you look, almost every template states that the creature type changes, but that they retain all special abilities, attacks, and defenses of the base creature.

Therefore, while their type would change from Dragon to Outsider, they retain all of the benefits of being a dragon.

 

[Cabral]

When changing a creature's type, I've always recalcuated Base Saves, Base Attacks, and Hit Points along the lines of the new type. This includes not just type changes from templates, but also from familiar or special mount abilities (the animals become magical beasts). However, I'm pretty sure this is not canon.

 

[RangerWickett]

In the campaign setting I play in, the fey play a fairly prominent role, so I created the following two templates for the DM. I think it makes more sense for them to have minor powers, instead of time stop, regardless of how high level they are.

Mind you, these templates are primarily for creatures, instead of PCs.

Fey Beast Templates:
Terra is inhabited by a whole ecosphere of creatures, full of diversity, but out of which only a few demonstrate significant intelligence. On Gaia, however, nearly all the creatures one encounters possess at least some small gleam of intelligence—a mysterious, magical awareness. Such creatures come in two varieties. The simplest differentiations would be ‘light and dark’ or ‘good and evil,’ but the demeanor of these creatures is far more subtle. The terms “Seelie” and “Unseelie,” while historically localized to northern Europe, have been adopted by most English-speakers to discuss these fey creatures.

Seelie creatures are characterized by light-heartedness and fickle benevolence, while Unseelie creatures are known for capriciousness. Additionally, all creatures of Gaia, even animals, are possessed of a unique aura that lets anyone who sees the creature recognize it as foreign to Terra, as if something was not quite normal with the animal. Though typically Seelie creatures are beautiful and Unseelie are ugly and twisted, sometimes appearances can mislead. A shaggy, emaciated pony might be a Seelie creature whose appearance is a test for the kindness of travelers, while myths tell of Unseelie creatures that have unearthly beauty, they dark magnificence concealing their vicious natures.


Creating an Unseelie Beast:
Unseelie Beast is a template that can be applied to any animal with an intelligence of at least 1. The creature’s type becomes “magical beast,” but it is also considered an “animal” for the sake of spells, effects, and skills. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Change to d6.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
AC: Same as the base creature, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (if any).
Attacks and Damage: The same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: An unseelie beast retains all the special qualities of the base creatures and also gains the following ones:

• Darkvision with unlimited range.
• Light Blindness. Abrupt exposure to bright light, such as sunlight or the Daylight spell, blinds the Unseelie Beast for 1 round. In addition, it suffers a –1 penalty to all attack rolls, saves, and checks while operating in bright light.
• Spell resistance equal to twice its hit dice (minimum 2).
• Scare at will (DC 5).
• Invisibility at will while in its natural terrain (whether on Gaia or Terra). However, the creature cannot attack while invisible. It can become visible as a standard action.

Saves: Same as the base creature.
Abilities: The same as the base creature, except that the unseelie beast’s intelligence raises to at least 3, and it gains a +4 bonus to Dexterity.
Skills: Same as the base creature, plus it has Hide +6 and Move Silently +6.
Feats: Same as the base creature.
__________________________________________
Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.
Organization: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Up to 3HD, as base creature. 4 HD or higher, as base creature +1.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral (Evil).
Advancement: Same as the base creature.


Creating a Seelie Beast:
Seelie Beast is a template that can be applied to any animal with an intelligence of at least 1. The creature’s type becomes “magical beast,” but it is also considered an “animal” for the sake of spells, effects, and skills. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Change to d6.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
AC: Same as the base creature, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (if any).
Attacks and Damage: The same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: An unseelie beast retains all the special qualities of the base creatures and also gains the following ones:

• Low-light vision.
• Spell resistance equal to twice its hit dice (minimum 2).
• Hypnotism at will (DC 5).
• Invisibility at will while in its natural terrain (whether on Gaia or Terra). However, the creature cannot attack while invisible. It can become visible as a standard action.

Saves: Same as the base creature.
Abilities: The same as the base creature, except that the unseelie beast’s intelligence raises to at least 3, and it gains a +4 bonus to Dexterity.
Skills: Same as the base creature, plus it has Hide +6 and Move Silently +6.
Feats: Same as the base creature.
__________________________________________
Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.
Organization: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Up to 3HD, as base creature. 4 HD or higher, as base creature +1.
Treasure: None.
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral (Evil).
Advancement: Same as the base creature.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Spell resistance equal to twice its hit dice (minimum 2).

What's the point of (minimum 2) when SR 2 is useless?