Does anyone have any thoughts on the Tauric template?
-Should players be able to use it to make their characters?
-Does it make for interesting NPC's/bad guys?
-Is it well-balanced?
-Anything else?
it is a awesome template to me, it really allows the GM to unleash his/her imagination, if you choose the base humanoid and the base creature well(AKA choose them for abilities that work in synergy) you can create some memorable encounters, it works well for creating both mooks and final bosses.
not a good idea to use it for PCs, unless you start on a high level and play a true monster campaign, it allows a bit too much munchkinism to me.
It's certainly *interesting* and can produce some unique characters. I once made an elf/griffon-taur, though never got to play it. But, there needs to be a degree of trust and understanding between the player and GM.
The GM needs to trust the player not to merely want the template in order to munchkinize (and will need to evaluate whether the level adjustment and racial HD result in a proper total ECL).
The player in turns needs to trust the GM that they will make a fair judgement on ECL and balance between players.
The way I see it, the only important factor is that the player characters are balanced against eachother. - and, the tauric template usually results in high ECL creatures, so you can't effectively play one at lower levels.
|
Elf + deer or elk is definitely a classic.
Other 'demihuman' mixes can also be fun.
A dwarf + boar, or gnome + badger, or Halfling + ram could be cool.
The game (and previous editions) already have a ton of 'tauric' options, such as the scorpion-folk (whose name I forget...) or the wemics or driders. A lizardman + giant lizard mix could make a neat sort of dragon-man. The front end of a mite from a dog-sized giant spider could be a much smaller take on the drider.
A mutant tauric goblin + goblin dog could be seen as a holy blessing from Lamashtu (or Zarongel) by his tribe.
Of course, the expected 'tauric' minotaur + aurochs. :)
'Tauring up' one or more mythological beasties can also be fun. The head, arms and torso of a medusa looming up over the armored body of a gorgon could be one option, or a manticores lower body with the upper body of a medium-sized troll.
Giant 'taurs', such as a fire giant upper half with the lower body of a huge red dragon, could be appropriately pants-soilingly terrifying.
On the other end of the scale, a small to medium young dragon lower half could have a kobold for the tauric top half.
And not every apparent 'taur' needs to be exactly what it looks like.
A creature that looks kind of neogi-like might have a giant crab for a lower half, and some sort of eel-like mer-person for a top half, only to later find out that they aren't all one creature, but that the crab-part is an organic 'walker' for the legless eel-person, who can slither forth from it and attack independently (or escape if it's 'land-walker' is damaged beyond salvage).
what, you've never seen a Ogretaur? (Ogre/Dire Bear combo)
==Aelryinth