Stacking Templates

[Aeolius]

I'm surprised I never noticed this before.

I had always assumed that logic prevailed. The daughter of a succubus is a half-fiend, known as alu-demon in prior editions. The daughter of a succubus and dragon logically would be half-fiend and half-dragon. Right? Wrong.

According to Savage Species, "When adding multiple templates, halves become quarters. A creature with both half-celestial and half-dragon templates becomes a quarter-celestial/quarter-dragon creature." So, the daughter of a succubus and dragon would be a quarter-fiend; a tiefling, with the draconic template ("dragon-touched" in Draconomicon)? That's taking it a bit far, I admit.

Looking back over the rules, it seems that there is a "type pyramid" to consult, when stacking templates. I could have a half-dragon succubus, by the chart, or a half-fiend dragon, by bending the rules a bit.

I suppose my 1e AD&D background makes me view templates differently than others. I had always assumed that multiple inherited templates would remove the "base creature" entirely.

For example, in 1e I devised the kresh, a half-merrow half-scrag. 3e now says I have to keep either merrow or scrag as a base creature, even though there are half-ogre and half-troll templates available. I choose to invoke the "Breaking the Rules" sidebar in Savage Species, to keep my kresh as a unique creature comprised of the half-troll and half-ogre templates.

In a similar fashion, I could either have the character be a half-dragon succubus (and use the succubus monster levels in Savage Species for progression), defy the "type pyramid" to have a half-fiend dragon, or break the rules altogether to have a unique creature created from both the half-fiend and half-dragon templates.

Clearly, the offspring of a succubus and another creature will not be a full-blooded succubus. Clearly, the offspring of a dragon and another creature will not be a full-blooded dragon. Therefore, in instances where half-creature templates exist for both parents of a given offspring, the result is a unique amalgam comprised of both templates.

A suitable house rule, then?

 

[Severion]

In a similar fashion, I could either have the character be a half-dragon succubus (and use the succubus monster levels in Savage Species for progression), defy the "type pyramid" to have a half-fiend dragon, or break the rules altogether to have a unique creature created from both the half-fiend and half-dragon templates.

This is actually closer to correct, use the mothers race as the "base" and aply the template of the father. The only way to get the "Quarters" is for two "half-breeds" to produce offspring.

 

[oromancer]

This is actually closer to correct, use the mothers race as the "base" and aply the template of the father. The only way to get the "Quarters" is for two "half-breeds" to produce offspring.

This is definitely the best way to do it. To mix more than two races, you would have to lessen the characteristics granted by each race to represent the diluted gene pool. This is the reason why things like tieflings exist - and why "half-celestial" and "celestial" are different templates.

 

[Voadam]

There are a couple of ways 3e/.5 handles this. Orc and human equals full half orc race. Say you then take the book of templates which has both a half orc template and a half human template.

This gives you three possibilities for little Krusks: half orc race, human with half-orc template, orc with half-human template.

What a motley bunch of kids in that family.