What new species have you created via templates?

[DMH]

Thanks. I forgot to mention the visual:

Sort of like Godzilla, with his glowing plates, this behir has a set of sparks start at the tail and move up to the head. Since it can use lightning underwater (as a supernatural effect), this makes all kinds of wierd lights in the mirky water. The behir can even cause the effect without spitting lightning- a good fish and human attractant. Players screaming in terror as they know what is about to happen to their poor PCs the second time they see it.

Another idea I had recently has to do with a new technique developed by goblin shamans. They kill warriors and then make them into spirits (using that template). With an invisible army that can materialize just about anywhere, "civilized" races would be put to the sword.

 

[DMH]

Now that I have BOT 3.5:

The leechman from the PFB is described as a created servant but that is not the truth. They are sterile offspring of a rather hideous creature (legion ethereal purple worm that looks like a zombie leech). The mother creature produces leechmen from time to time and releases them in the material plane as to reduce competition for her normal offspring.

There is a city abandonded long ago when many of the people went mad. A mage was attempting planar magic when something went wrong and now the city is infested with mindbending siphon rats. They drive all intelligent beings who see them insane. Those spellcasters who attempt to use magic to protect themselves findout the favored food of the rats the hard way, usually just before they are eaten themselves.

It seems that the universe wants there to be heros and forces them to act so by creating epic level monsters. The land eater is a legion, spellpowered, arcane servitor, amalgam gibbering mouther/chaos beast. It simply rolls over everything in its path while disgorging smaller versions of itself that head off in different directions.

 

[Psion]

PFB?

 

[DMH]

Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary. For some reason I never call it by the title anymore, it is just PFB in thoughts and words.

Which brings me to another idea mindbender eyaks created by illithids. This is a good way to weaken any humanoids that try to invade.

 

[DMH]

Before I have to go to work-

I, Tyrant had an example of a legion creature. Hive mothers could alter their offspring into abominations which are tailored to the needs of the hive. An example that was given was abominations that could use webbing which was needed since the hive was at war with harpies.

I have also thinking of using the legion template with a creature that eats other critters and the resulting offspring use the amalgam template.

 

[DMH]

One of the nice things about templates is that you can break the rules. Goblin werebugbears are not possible due to their sizes, yet I consider the idea to interesting to pass up. Elder beasts and beast lords are meant to be examples for all natural animals (animals, vermin and magical beasts). Why not apply them to aboleths to create leaders? Or have the elder vermin and lords part of an invasion from another plane?

 

[DMH]

Another setting I have been considering is one where humans are the source of all monsters. Humans came to this world, one of small animals (no larger than a wolf) and plants (10' tall shrubs are the largest), and made some very big mistakes when trying to alter the native life (via magic) to serve them. The end result are a bunch of mutants- animals, plants and humans. That cuts out undead, constructs, elementals, outsiders and dragons but heck the rest make for an interesting, out of wack, world ecology. It is almost Gamma Worldish in feel as the remaining pure strained humans and their mutant allies strive to survive and attempt to find a way back to where humanity came from. For a totally different feel, the rpg Providence has some interesting ideas.

 

[BJP]

I loved the advanced bestiary, and went a bit bonkers with it when I first got it. Here's an example:

On page 17 of the advanced bestiary is a picture of what I can only assume is the amalgamation of a displacer beast and a gnoll. Unfortunately it wasn't statted - so I tried to make amends as soon as possible (hopefully the numbers are about right, recently back into the fold with 3.5):

Displacer-Gnoll; CR4; Large aberration; HD 6d8 + 18; hp 45; Init +0; Spd 40'; AC18, touch 10, flat 18; Bab +4, grapple +13; Atk battleaxe +8 melee (2d6+5 / x3) and 2 tentacles +3 melee (1d6 + 2) and bite +3 melee (1d8+2); SA - ; SQ darkvision 60', displacement (as per displacer beast), low-light vision, resistance to ranged attacks (again, see displacer beast); AL CE; Sv Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +5; S20, D11, C16, I7, W11, Ch8. Skills Listen +5, Spot +4; Feats: Power attack, Dodge, Alertness; Equipment: Leather armour, heavy steel shield, battleaxe.

Unfortunately, I wasn't really happy with these; the picture (almost samurai-esque) just seemed cooler than the beastie I'd come up with. Hence I added a few quirks to give a slightly tougher opponent:

Quickling displacer-gnoll ranger 2; CR 7; Large aberration; HD 8d8 + 24; hp 60; Init +12 (!); Spd 160' (!!); AC 24, touch 18, flat 16; Bab +6, grapple +15; Atk longsword +7/+7/+2 melee (2d6+5 / 19-20) and shortsword +7/+4 melee (1d8+2 / 19-20) and 2 tentacles +7 melee (1d6+2) and bite +7 melee (1d8+2); SA favored enemy - humans, rapid attack, quick casting (see quickling entry in advanced bestiary); SQ darkvision 60', displacement, low-light vision, resistance to ranged attacks, wild empathy, fast healing 1; AL CE; Sv Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +5; S20, D19, C16, I8, W11, Ch8. Skills: Listen +10, Spot +9; Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Quickdraw, Quicken spell, Spring attack, Track, Two-weapon fighting, Improved Two-weapon fighting, Multiattack, Power attack; Equipment: longsword, shortsword, leather armour

So - mad gnolls with displacement ability and displacer beast tentacles zipping in and out of combat at stupidly fast rates - live fast, die young, chop chop chop.

Jim.

 

[DMH]

I am necroing this thread because I have an idea inspired by the MM V mockery bug.

Take the deepspawn and add the metal clade (Advanced Bestiary) and metallovore (BOT 3.5). All of its spawn use the automoton template (BOT 3.5). So what we have is a living metal creature that consumes living things to make them into construct slaves.

 

[FnordBear]

Frankly two of my favorite templates by far are in Book fo Vile Darkness, the Corpse Creature and Skeletal Creature templates. I have tons of medium to high cr creatures for my Ravenloft campaign in no time at all. Best part is they are not mindless undead.

I even replaced the main monster in a key encounter with a human warrior with the corpse creature template. It was memorable to say the least. Breaking the rules on what templates you can and cant stack is pretty fun too, it can lead to some interesting results.

Here are some other ideas I have had.

"Bone Cat" Skeletal Creature Mountain Lion - Whats scaries, a skeletal mountain lion running at you mindlessly attacking, or a skeletal cat silently stalking you through the woods, unrelenting, cold, calculating, and untiring.

"Death Mantis" Corpse Creature thrikreen - Fast, armored, cunningly intelligent abominations of undeath and chiton.

"Eye of Judgement" Half Celestial Beholder - Holy Eye-See-You Batman!

"Holy Pyre" Half Celestial Elder Fire Elemental - For when you need a little fire and brimstone for you good aligned gods.

"Siege Dragon" Clockwork Creature Adult Red Dragon - Its a wind up red dragon used by some armies as a hard-hitting ultimate weapon.

"Protoforged" Half-iron golem warforged - Cunningly intelligent warforged of unusual size and thick iron plates making up large portions of thier body.

"Chaos Gargoyle" Elder Eidolon Mooncalf - Large, flying, tentacled masses made of black bassalt and otherworldly geometry. Servitors of powerful Alienists.

"Stormscarab" Insectile Storm Giant - Huge green-shelled mantis creature with a penchant for controling the weather.