with bloodborne just around the corner, my group asked me face type monsters and bosses dark souls, I am still a novice to create monsters, and wondered who could use templates or characteristics they should have.
I thought to PHALANX (demons souls), lost sinner (ds2)
for phalanx I thought of that are several creatures together, using a gelatinous cube, with king template. and this consists of many small gelatinous cubes that can use spear and shield. give you an AC 30 or more, but if you hit it with fire, or phalanx as a free action, release x small cubes, your CA would be reduced depending on how many cubes release, with 1 CA 29 etc
besides being several creatures together PHALANX could move 2 times, and small creatures attacking max 3 as spring attack, because obviously that attack of opportunity, and being joined PHALANX would use his strength modifier, when they are loose would use his. and all this in a small room, where if you're not careful, just surrounded by eight bugs. inflanqueable apart from it, as are many creatures ..
for the lost sinner, had thought about using a fighter half-giant, with dire template, and using a large mighty sword, and give some order to increase its reach to 10.
and give spring attack, wind position, strike vital, powerful attack, cleave and had blind eye.and would fight in a dark room.
for SIF, dire wolf combined with the giant template and give him competition with a large greatsword.
and only for the bosses uses HD 12. those are the bosses what I thought until now, and I like to know that templates use
for others or if I had to create a template that things would do?
I would think Sif actually counts as a Huge (Long) creature, considering you just about make it to his shin.
I would certainly throw in the wackier bosses as well, DeS, DaS and DaS2 all have great boss design, even if DaS2 did go a little bit 'Knight Souls'.
My personal favourites are:
The Penetrator (Giant Fighter)
Sir Artorias (Large Antipaladin)
Manus (Balor with no flight, some 'dark' abilities to replace fire ones, no weapons/hand counts as a club)
Kalameet (Black Dragon)
Ceaseless Discharge (Gargantuan, limited movement, some sort of easy beat)
Centipede Demon (Three heads to attack)
O+S (Large Fighters)
Four Kings (Four large spirit type enemies, one spawns every 5 rounds, all have the same hp)
Burnt Ivory King (Large Fighter)
Darklurker (Dark magic, flying, half fiend)
Flexile Sentry (Two enemies on either side, only one engaged in combat at a time)
I might reply later with some actual solid crunch, but just wanted to give you a few ideas to do what you will with.
I don't think you can have one set template for the large variety of bosses you see. The advanced template can help beef up the humanoid enemies who would probably have character classes.
I was making a Manus stat array, but don't have the time to finish it right now. You'll have to define 'dark magic/hexes' as some sort of sorcery, for example Dark Bead could be fireball but does magic damage instead of fire.
Your examples seem decent, as long as you use your imagination and sit down and think about it for a few minutes I'm sure you'll be fine :)
thanks ^^ manus, the darklucker and ceaselles were giving me problems
in the end, I designed my own template, because I tried lost sinner, first dire fighter (vd 7) and after Phalanx (VD 6), against a group of 4 PCs, level 7 first then level 6. they massacred me before I could even knock one.
so what i've done is
increase the size of the base creature within 1 (one gets reach nothing else).
Increase HD size in 2, except dragon, i see that it has too much HP, i reduce.
Abilities: Str +6, +4 Dex, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +4, +4 Cha.
if the base creature has natural armor improves by +3, but if it hasnt natural armor does not get it.
Extra HD depending on their size, small HD +1, medium +2 HD, etc.
and a bonus to their base attack and saves equal to 1/2 total HD.
and special abilities depending of their what boss im creating.
i prove again the combat, this time the lost sinner was fighter, VD 6 o 7. , and PHALANX, grey ooze, with this template against the same group of 4 PCs, i lost again because but i could knock two, and the other 2 receive too much dmg.