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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lizard" data-source="post: 4171426" data-attributes="member: 1054">So templates no longer change creatures radically, just make them tougher? That's disappointing. My favorite third party book was Advanced Bestiary by Green Ronin; it contains a few dozen Very Cool templates which did all sorts of things. The Shadow Creature template from Lords of Madness has been used a lot in my games, as well.No more shadow bandits, half-plant wolves, or elder eidolon ogres, it seems... (all of which have featured in my campaign). I suppose the logic is that monster creation is now so easy that making same-level or slightly-stronger monsters is best done from scratch.Does the Aura Of Badassitude (tm) apply to PCs? If a 15th level PC uses a +1 sword, does he get no benefit from it?Regeneration -- so there's no more tracking different damage types. This means that if you keep hitting the lich with radiant damage -- even a smidgen -- you will kill it via normal damage, but if it can acoid it for a turn, it begins regenerating. I can see this; it makes a sort of sense. Keep hitting something with what its vulnerable to and its weaker overall, but if it gets away from that damage source, its powers come back. A lot like Kryptonite.As I had earlier worried, the lack of any breakdown of natural vs. artificial armor bonus means Armor Is Wonky. The lich's spellmaster ability doesn't seem limited to 'magical' encounter powers. I like the necrotic ability. Poor Xykon, though, will mourn the loss of his paralyzing touch.The Vampire Lord's healing is not limited by surges; it can keep doing it all day. And some saves are tougher than others. No long-term control, though; the Vampire "Lord" is going to have to re-dominate even his weakest servant, who will have a 40% change/round of breaking out of it. If you add a template to an already elite monster, does it become a solo? What happens if you add one to a solo? Does it raise its level? (They mention beholder liches, and beholders are solo monsters)EDIT: Just noticed, vampire lords have to be humanoid? No more vampire dragons? Or winter wolves? Why? (And vampires don't seem to be able to create spawn any more...well, the flavor text says they can, as well as having 'armies of dominated spawn', but the dominate power gets a round-by-round save and explitly applies to only one creature at a time. How's that let you make 'armies'?)</blockquote>

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