Templates - Monster only?

[Falling Icicle]

Will templates be available to PCs, like in 3rd edition, or something that only monsters can have? I will be very disappointed if it is impossible to play a Lich.

 

[Pinotage]

As I understand it, the MM will only contain about a dozen monsters available to PCs. These are specifically designed as 'hero' monsters. Anything else is intended to be monster only, as far as I'm aware, including templates. That's not to say other monsters/templates won't be updated for PCs in MM2 and beyond, but that's the current status.

Pinotage

 

[Center-of-All]

To me, Lich seems like it would fit a Paragon Path fairly well.

 

[Snarls-at-Fleas]

To me, Lich seems like it would fit a Paragon Path fairly well.

Yep for some kind of 4E Book of Vile Darkness... or (crosses fingers) 4E d20 WoD.
Vampire the Requiem
Werwolf the Forsaken
Lich the Brooding
Illithid the Community Service
Zombie the Mindless Slaughter
(what?)

 

[monboesen]

I will be very disappointed if it is impossible to play a Lich.

As far as I can tell the pretense of all monsters being easily balanced as player characters has (rightly) been dropped.

So I don't think it will be impossible. But I do think the individual DM and player will have to do more work themselves to make it balanced in their campaign.

No more LA's and ECL's.

 

[med stud]

Will templates be available to PCs, like in 3rd edition, or something that only monsters can have? I will be very disappointed if it is impossible to play a Lich.

There must be more people than you that want to play with templated PCs. If there is no possibility for it, a 3rd party supplement is bound to come out.

That is if you want it balanced. If you don't care for balance, I think you can apply the lich template to a PC, I think it might work even without making changes to the template.

 

[mach1.9pants]

To me, Lich seems like it would fit a Paragon Path fairly well.

Same here, and there will be a splat book if not

 

[Khaalis]

It appears to me that applying templates to a PC isn't going to be truly viable.

"Each of these templates is intended for use by itself, making a monster into an elite opponent."

Thus to apply to a PC you would be making the PC an "elite" as well, which is by definition, breaking balance. Granted we do not have the full rules, but it would seem to me that from what we have heard, Paragon Paths and Epic Destines seem to be the Player Equivalent to Monster Templates. Thus if you wanted to play a Vampire or Lich, these would need affectively to be converted into Paragon Paths.

 

[Guild Goodknife]

Maybe PCs don't get templates but instead use something like "racial" feat chains to get, lets say, vampiric immunities and resistances? There could be vampire, lich, fiendish etc. feat chains with different requirements.

 

[Masquerade]

Thus to apply to a PC you would be making the PC an "elite" as well, which is by definition, breaking balance.

Not if all the PCs are elite.

Okay, maybe not, but it could make for a fun one-shot.