My favorite template is the multiheaded creature template from Savage Species. There's nothing like a hellish guardian hound to make a party think twice.
Fizz
My favorite has to be a toss up between half draconic and half fiend, mainly because there's all kinds of potentuial there.
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Paragon. Being the supreme version of any creature is pretty cool.
Insectoid from Savage Species used to be, because it is so weird and also so cool.
However, after Lords of Madness (buy it if you don't have it!) I am all over the half-farspawn template. Fricking sweet in every way.
i would have to say half-troll, from fiend folio, mostly because i keep seeing an half-troll artificer idea in my head.
tog
Gotta agree with Luke. Half-farspawn, for the ick factor of "It has eyes and mouths where?"
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Half-Golem, and then a sane kind.
Specially the Iron variant.
I just like cyborgs and mechs, even in a fantasy setting.
Actually, make that 'especially in a fantasy setting.'
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Werehamster.
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The Evolved Undead template from Libris Mortis. Anything that can make a standard undead creature stronger is OK in my book.
Along the same lines- Spellstitched from MM2. I love the party walking in on a couple zombies thinking "Hoo-Humm, this'll be cake." then dropping some nukes to soften them up. Good stuff.
FH
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With a few adaptations, I like to use the Deathknight template from MMII. I try to use it sparingly as it is an undead creature that can't be turned, but when I do, it is usually to quite dramatic effect.
My favorite was a deathknight Monk, with a deathknight Roman Legionary (Knight 10) coming in second.
I like the Drider Template; perfect for Underdark wanderings...
Planetouched.
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Werewolf. I liked it so much, I bought the company.
That made me laugh. Reminded me of Civilization 2 or something, where you could just waltz into town and say "Nice town. I'll take it"
gravetouched ghoul from libris mortis. you can thank wolfgang baur for that one. ghouls with class levels always surprise my players. and issue 70 is the best dungeon mag ever because of the ghoul king adventure.
Farspawn and Savage templates are awesome. I loves me some icky, disgusting Lovecraftey monsters. Especially when they used to be normal people. I might like the savage template more just because I love really deep sea fish and this template gives that sense of alienness yet familiarity you can get with those creatures.
The Evolved Undead template from Libris Mortis. Anything that can make a standard undead creature stronger is OK in my book.
I'm in agreement. Evolved is so easy to apply to almost any undead, and its terribly effective...especially for those undead who lack some of the granted abilities like fast healing. The spell-like abilities are a nice touch, and you could easily slap a spell of your choosing in the place of any of the ones listed.
Director of Narrative
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I like Swarm, even though it isn't a template (unless I'm missing something), but its a great way to make a bad day for most adventuring parties. Moff, Lilith, Thanis(and others)...remember our stirges?
Other than that I dig on farspawn, though I don't use it much and were-, though I don't use it much either. I did run an insectile, winged monk 6 for a oneshot that kicked much ass.
I'm always a fan of hearing about what things people like, so it's time to resurrect this thread.
I'm quite partial to the chimeric template from MM2, for I've always liked chimeras, and it's cool to see something other than a lion as the main body of the chimera.
Honorable mentions go to the evolved undead template, the death knight template, the living wall template, and the half-farspawn template.
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Director of Narrative
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I'm quite partial to the chimeric template from MM2, for I've always liked chimeras, and it's cool to see something other than a lion as the main body of the chimera.
Speaking of the Chimeric template, the listed applicable creatures lists "animal, beast or vermin". The sample base creature is an ankheg. You think they meant magical beast?
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Speaking of the Chimeric template, the listed applicable creatures lists "animal, beast or vermin". The sample base creature is an ankheg. You think they meant magical beast?
I'm quite partial to the chimeric template from MM2, for I've always liked chimeras, and it's cool to see something other than a lion as the main body of the chimera.
I'll have to find a copy of the old 3.0 MM, but I'm pretty sure that Ankhegs were just beasts back then. However, beast is now no longer around and is either animal or magical beast.
i would have to say half-troll, from fiend folio
I LOVE the half-troll. My players still rue the day they met the Gnawer of Bones, a ghastly half-troll gray render :) And if you miss the giant troll and the spirit troll and the 2-headed troll from the old 1e Fiend Folio, lament not! Also, an advanced half-troll choker can be a LOT of fun (I put one under a bed once).
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Half-troll is really fun for a degenerate village of pukes ala the great H.P.'s Innsmouth. I had a d.m.p.c. inserted into a party once, and in the back of my mind one of the next few adventures would revolve around him going home to his degenerate village of "people." Kinda a cross between that hills have eyes and the Preacher comic, when the main character goes home to visit.
Never happened, but hey...there's always hope.
Kinda a cross between that hills have eyes and the Preacher comic, when the main character goes home to visit. Never happened, but hey...there's always hope.
I REALLY want to play in your campaign!
One of the major villains in mine is a half-troll barbarian, Gyrrog, who is on a major rampage across the countryside.|
Director of Narrative
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Speaking of the Chimeric template, the listed applicable creatures lists "animal, beast or vermin". The sample base creature is an ankheg. You think they meant magical beast?
I'm quite partial to the chimeric template from MM2, for I've always liked chimeras, and it's cool to see something other than a lion as the main body of the chimera.
I'll have to find a copy of the old 3.0 MM, but I'm pretty sure that Ankhegs were just beasts back then. However, beast is now no longer around and is either animal or magical beast.
That really opens the template up a bit. If that is the case I think making the CR be a bit more dynamic, rather than just a static CR 9, would be prudent. Mmmm chimeric displacer beast.
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Kinda a cross between that hills have eyes and the Preacher comic, when the main character goes home to visit. Never happened, but hey...there's always hope.I REALLY want to play in your campaign!
One of the major villains in mine is a half-troll barbarian, Gyrrog, who is on a major rampage across the countryside.
The d.m.p.c. I had...
There was this crazy kid I knew, he looked like Baby Stewart on Family Guy grown up....well, he drew this man that looked like the Addams Family cartoon Uncle Fester. He had a round head, and beady eyes, and a long pointy nose. He had rounded shoulders and a pot belly, and his head slumped way too forward, so I saw this guy and learned how to draw him and I said, "I wonder wth he'd be in an rpg?" Then 10 years later the half troll template comes out and "eureka," sizz oye.He wasn't an utter maniac, but if you got him going he could be a real scuzzball.
Suddenly I want to incorporate both a chimeric creature and a half-troll in my upcoming campaign. I have an opening for both. Hmm... >:-)
Y'know. Now that I think about it...just about every template in the MM2 and Fiend Folio is a winner. I know a lot of people who criticize the MM2, and yet every time I go back to it, I always find something cool.
(The Fiend Folio, on the other hand, has never been criticized before me. Praised, yes. Criticized...nope.)
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With a few adaptations, I like to use the Deathknight template from MMII. I try to use it sparingly as it is an undead creature that can't be turned, but when I do, it is usually to quite dramatic effect.
My favorite was a deathknight Monk, with a deathknight Roman Legionary (Knight 10) coming in second.
I like the Deathknight a great deal as well but I use the Death Knight template from the Dragonlance Campaign setting. I also enjoy the Phrenic and Tauric templates.
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Ooooh...combine the multiheaded, half troll, and deathknight template to make a truly gnarley champion of Demogorgon.
Even better, you can have the knight with a horde of half-troll multiheaded bar-lgura servants. >;-D
There was one in Dungeon or Dragon Mag a feww years back that would turn a base creature into a Were-vermin, can't remember when exactly but I remember the Were-scorpion and were-wasp were pretty cool. Anyone remember these and know which issue and mag?
FH
According to ENworld, Dragon 355 is going to have a Creature Compendium that will have were-insects of some sort.
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Were insects Entomanthrope on Wizards site
my favourite: Paragon (ELH), half-dragon, half-celestial, ghost, lycanthrope and winged. Possibly others as well
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Director of Narrative
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Gelatinous...I mean come on, there is always room for Jello.
So that's it! DitheringFool had it all laid out for us and none of us picked up on it. He's Bill Cosby! Bill Cosby plays D&D! The picture pages make alot more sense now.
But seriously, template talk. The party didn't get far enough to run into the chimeric displacer beast, and I seriously want to check out the were-vermin. Oooh crunchy.
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Half-Golem, and then a sane kind.
Specially the Iron variant.
I just like cyborgs and mechs, even in a fantasy setting.
Actually, make that 'especially in a fantasy setting.'
If you like that one, you would probably like the Half-Machine template from Dungeon Magazine #91. That one works well for cyborgs and mechs while keeping it in a fantasy setting.
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Here are a few of my favorites --
Arachnoid Creature (Underdark) -- Spiders are creepy enough, but to apply it to other creatures as well...
Ghastly and Ghoulish creatures (Dragon Compendium) -- I always felt that these should be templates rather than creatures of their own.
Horrid Animal (Eberron Campaign Setting) -- really nice way to make a normal animal really nasty.
Kaiju (Dragon Magazine 289) -- how can you not like creating colossal creatures to stomp on the party?
Living Spell (Eberron Campaign Setting) -- A more unique template idea.
Multiheaded creature (Savage Species) -- Two heads are better than one...
Spellwarped creature (Monster Manual III) -- Very handy and effective template that can be used in a number of different circumstances.
Winged creature (Savage Species) -- because wings are cool.
Gotta agree with Luke. Half-farspawn, for the ick factor of "It has eyes and mouths where?"I also like the psuedonatural template from both the Complete Arcane as well as the one from the Epic Level Handbook for the same reasons.
Oooh! How could I forget the pseudonatural. It's the half-farspawn's little brother! That's definitely another favorite.
For pure amusement factor (from OOTS):
A Dire, vampiric, half troll, fiendish, draconic, lycanthropic, pseudonatural, celestial snail!
Tremble all ye mortals at the illogical glory!!!!!
lol
Warmage 101
My personal favourites are
Insectile
Lycanthrope
Half-Mindflayer
those are my favoured ones.
BUMP!
Any of them (or any combination), where appropriate...
For example, a two-headed (Multi-Headed template from Savage Species) Corrupted (from Book of Vile Darkness) Lizardfolk Cleric (Demogorgon)/Thrall of Demogorgon (BoVD) who is the leader of a tribe of Corrupted lizardfolk. There's a group of lizardfolk mentioned on the Isle of Dread, too...
Or an Aasimar/Half-Gold Dragon Paladin/Vassal of Bahamut.
If I really want to screw with my party I throw a Multi-Headed, Feral, Insectile, Corrupted, Half-Illithid Something (the base creature depends on the campaign) at them. But first make sure it has sorcerer levels. I normally only give it one more head, which means it has 8 tentacle attacks, 6 improved claw attacks, and Superior Multiweapon Fighting. Plus some spell casting for balance.