Gaining templates instaed of levels...How would this work??

[Storyteller01]

Had a player recently ask if he could use rituals to gain templates (when he had enough exp to sacrifice).I had to quash the idea, but it left me wondering. How would this work?

I've heard mixed reviews on this. SOme say experienced DM's should be able to handle it, others say that multiple templates are overpowering.

Comments or suggestions?

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Template Mania

Yes, multiple templates can be overpowering...however...

Of the templates that are gainable, such as Half-fiendish, etc.. I would suggest using the Savage Progressions that are the WOTC website and would allow a normal race character to gain such an alignment based template through a ritual.

Of course, the ritual would require the XP needed to level up and a serious investment of time and money. Possibly require an exotic spell component that would need to be acquired and a ritual that would need to be researched.
Possibly, more so in the Half-Fiendish scenario, the ritual could be flawed....

Check with your player as to what template and why... the IC reason as well as the OOC reason. If that reason has anything to do with "It grants me DR!".. ditch it.
Seriously, letting players have limited free reign on thier characters can increase thier enjoyment in the game. Most of the templates are balanced by themselves and it does not take much consideration to see where issues can come from.

 

[Wolf72]

OoC: b/c it's just cool, and I want to something different ..

ME: ok, now come up with some fluff to make it sound good.

but yah, invest some xp/money ... have ritual, then use SS progression instead of regular levels.

 

[Storyteller01]

I was confused as to exactly ewhat he wanted. Something about starting as a Yaunti brood guard, becoming an anthropomrphic cat via some ritual, then Beast of Legend, then the 'Tough' and 'Crafty' quickplates (I think they were from L&L. That was the book he showed me anyway...), as well as a few others.

The player left the group after having the idea quashed (sorry, but he liked to hide stuff and suprise the DM with Uber book legal stuff, and I couldn't take the risk of that damaging the experience for other players, especially if I didn't understand exactly what he wanted/had planned), but I don't really want to rule out the idea completely.

 

[Storyteller01]

Quick question: Do Brilliant Energy weapons defeat DR??

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Ya know...this question came up once in my campaign. When can a character adopt a template--when the time for leveling up occurs? The template then "replaces" the benefits of the next level, correct?

 

[Storyteller01]

I think that was the plan. I don't have the Savage Species book (starving, married student here) so I can't say for sure...

Something about rituals listed in that book that use exp and such...

 

[Gort]

On the subject of your brilliant energy weapon - it defeats DR if it's made out of the appropriate material, just like any other weapon. Just because it has the brilliant energy quality doesn't change it in any way other than what the rules say. (so, for example, the blade can still be sundered, disarmed, etc, by other weapons, even though the flavour text says the blade ignores nonliving matter)

 

[Wolf72]

geez ... I thought it was more like: I want my character to become a half-dragon, but the dragon disciple class isn't to my taste ... and my PC doesn't cast spells.

what you just described is a nightmare ... I just stare and blink at those types of people until they submit or leave.

 

[Sejs]

Two points:

Just because it has the brilliant energy quality doesn't change it in any way other than what the rules say.

1) Brilliant energy weapons replace the striking portion of the weapon with, well.. brillant energy. An adamantine longsword whose blade is no longer made of adamantine (having been replaced with brilliant energy) would no longer benefit from being made of adamantine. Because it's not, you see - it used to be adamantine, but now it isn't. For the same reason, it's not really reccomended to enchant special material weapons with the BE quality, because you're just throwing your money away.

(so, for example, the blade can still be sundered, disarmed, etc, by other weapons, even though the flavour text says the blade ignores nonliving matter)

2) It can be disarmed as normal, but it can only be sundered by weapons that are made of living matter - like fists or claws. You can't break a brilliant energy weapon with a longsword, because the longsword passes right thru. You want a real kicker? A brilliant energy weapon cannot sunder another brillant energy weapon; they pass thru one another because neither is living.