Contributor, RPG Superstar
aka Leandra Christine Schneider
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I've been wondering about how templates are handled in regard to the word-limited parts of the current round.
I was under the impression that the "creating a 'new' creature" part counts towards the monster word limit. Rereading the rules made me wonder, because this part of a template is only about new abilities, powers and the mechanical aspects of how they are applied, written out in a specific format.
How about templates? Can we make templates as one of our monsters?
Yes, you can create templates. A template counts as one of your monsters. The template should be written out in the same manner as you find in published monster books (a sample of that format is NOT provided) with a sample stat block for a sample creature.
Is there really no word count restriction on stat blocks, even for new abilities or powers?
That's right. No limit to the content in the stat block portion of the entry. Of course, be ready to be judged on what you do.
This issue might actually be answered somewhere (since I already asked in the Round 4 thread), but I was unable to discover the answer if there is any.
Could someone *looks up* provide me with a little insight to this subject? Please?
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 8
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I would believe that if you were to create a template, and if you were to use the standard format as shown in the 3.5 Monster Manual (assumption), then that would take the place of the Stat Block Format we were provided with.
Therefore, if you described what the monster would be after application of the template (Ex: A glowing, translucent humanoid which moves unimpeded through its surroundings and which says "Boo!")<Ghost>, then that would be considered part of your word limit. Once you began describing it in the template format (Ex: Change all Hit Dice to d12's, do not recalculate skills or BAB, this creature retains whatever special qualities it had in life, etc) then that would be considered your Stat Block and not be part of the word limit.
That is just my take on the subject. Good Luck!
Templates are a bit sticky and I wish we had provided more details.
Please note that the SRD (at d20srd.org) does not provide sample creatures for its templates. There are no sample vampires, liches, ghosts, celestial or fiendish creatures, etc. (the only exception I can remember is for lycanthropes). The Monster Manual and other published monster books do generally provide samples. My suggestion is that you follow the version of the Monster Manual and provide a sample, but use the Paizo new monster entry stat block.
Let’s look to the MM for some samples. In particular, let’s review the lich and see how it would be counted towards the word limit.
The lich in the MM has:
1. Template Name (big heading)
2. Intro text about the lich template--This counts against word count.
3. “Creating a Lich”—The descriptive text here counts against the word count, but the game info does not. For instance, referring to the lich entry the content from “Hit Dice” through “Advancement” does not count against the word limit but the initial paragraph does. The game information here from "hit dice" to "advancment" should be presented here in text format not in a stat block. Even though it is in text format, the game info--the hard nuts and bolts for creating the template--does not count towards your word limit.
4. “Lich Characters”—This counts against the word count.
5. “The Lich’s Phylactery”—This counts against the word count. You want to add cute stuff like this, you gotta use some of your word count on it.
6. “Sample Lich”—All of this would be stat block and wouldn’t count. Yes, I realize some of this will simply repeat the content from “Creating a Lich,” above.
7. The “Combat” section of the sample lich—Most of this could be put in the Paizo-style stat block and would not count towards the word limit. Any that does not fit in the stat block would count towards the word limit.
8. Any further descriptive text would count towards your descriptive text.
I hope this helps.
I would believe that if you were to create a template, and if you were to use the standard format as shown in the 3.5 Monster Manual (assumption), then that would take the place of the Stat Block Format we were provided with.
Therefore, if you described what the monster would be after application of the template (Ex: A glowing, translucent humanoid which moves unimpeded through its surroundings and which says "Boo!")<Ghost>, then that would be considered part of your word limit. Once you began describing it in the template format (Ex: Change all Hit Dice to d12's, do not recalculate skills or BAB, this creature retains whatever special qualities it had in life, etc) then that would be considered your Stat Block and not be part of the word limit.
That's a pretty good way to generally understand it. BUT we also asked for a sample creature, which gets a stat block. So I understand the question and concern. It shure would be hard to do a template if all the "creating a XXX" stuff went against word count, so we decided it doesnt.
So what Joe said is right--describing hte monster goes to word count, but the nuts and bolts in the template format does not.
A couple templates from the SRD that include sample monsters are skeleton and zombie.
If you are looking for how we handle templates at Paizo (and I would encourage you to look as there are some significant differences) you can find templates in U1: Gallery of Evil and J1: Entombed with the Pharaohs.
There is also one in "Fortress of the Stone Giants" (Pathfinder 4)...I discovered it in my mail a few days ago :-)
That's true, although the ones in the module are perhaps better examples of the format changes, as they are significantly more complex.