So Rite Publishing has a book of templates called, appropriately enough, the Book of Monster Templates. It is full of very cleverly written and evocative templates, but my favorite is the Jagganath creature, which gains all kinds of immunities and nigh - invulnerability, at the cost of never, ever being able to stop moving. a Jagganath creature must take at least a 5-foot step every round, it is immune to fatigue and exhaustion, and I'm pretty sure they're immune to nonlethal damage (although on a second look I don't see that explicitly stated in the template, though immunity to ability damage and drain is). They also don't sleep. Factoring all of that in, and as far as I can tell, a Jagganath creature can't ever use magic. arcane magic requires 8 hours of rest, and even creatures unable to sleep must "refrain from movement, combat, spellcasting, skill use, conversation, or any other fairly demanding physical or mental task during the rest period". similar problems exist for psychic magic, psionics, akasha, and spheres of power magic. divine spells don't require rest, but do require that the spellcaster meditate and pray, which presumably rules out constant movement. my question is, would it be unbalanced to rule that a particular Jagganath creature does not need rest to regain his spells? Let's say he just needs to concentrate for 15 minutes to regain his spells?
wow, I am... embarrassed that I didn't think of that. that solved the problem perfectly. thanks a bunch!
The reality is, the template was designed to not allow for that to happen.
As for whether it is balanced or not, it will vary greatly from table to table. Using it for a recurring villian, probably not an issue. Encounters are meant to be one off's anyways. As long as you aren't having them re-up spells more than 24 hours it won't really be bending the rules all that badly.
If you are using it for a PC or cohort, I wouldn't see that as an option. Tossing spells into the mix of a template that would never have them, plays with the CR adjustment a lot.
I don't see an issue of this if we're talking about a DM controlled monster.
But putting this template on a player... that's what you call putting a highly disruptive element into a group mechanic because the rest of the group has to adapt to Mr. I CAN'T SHUT MYSELF OFF.
The spellcasting issue would never come up as I'd never allow nor foist this template on a PC.
So Rite Publishing has a book of templates called, appropriately enough, the Book of Monster Templates. It is full of very cleverly written and evocative templates, but my favorite is the Jagganath creature, which gains all kinds of immunities and nigh - invulnerability, at the cost of never, ever being able to stop moving. a Jagganath creature must take at least a 5-foot step every round, it is immune to fatigue and exhaustion, and I'm pretty sure they're immune to nonlethal damage (although on a second look I don't see that explicitly stated in the template, though immunity to ability damage and drain is). They also don't sleep. Factoring all of that in, and as far as I can tell, a Jagganath creature can't ever use magic. arcane magic requires 8 hours of rest, and even creatures unable to sleep must "refrain from movement, combat, spellcasting, skill use, conversation, or any other fairly demanding physical or mental task during the rest period". similar problems exist for psychic magic, psionics, akasha, and spheres of power magic. divine spells don't require rest, but do require that the spellcaster meditate and pray, which presumably rules out constant movement. my question is, would it be unbalanced to rule that a particular Jagganath creature does not need rest to regain his spells? Let's say he just needs to concentrate for 15 minutes to regain his spells?How about just ruling that he doesn't have to refrain from movement?
But he still needs 8 hours of some kind of down time. That keeps him on a par with other casters, rather than letting him nova every 15 minutes.
Technically spells are per day (24 hour period) and require 8 hours of down time to recoup. If you were to rest 8 hours after casting spells, you would still be limited by the spells that day on top of the limitation that spells cast in the previous 8 hours not being regained. Normally that 24 hour limitation is probably hand waved as long as the party is going at a regular pace but this creature would be a reason to enforce it.
This would be for a high level (as in CR ~30) NPC that's one of the big movers and shakers of the campaign setting. he's the last king of an ancient empire, who completely ahnihilated an opposing empired after their king assassinated his wife (and by 'annihilated', I mean 'turned what was once some the most fertile and densely populated land in the world to a roughly 100-mile diameter plain of mirrored glass, and bound the souls of everyone killed to that they haunt the plain forever, killing everyone they come across and them to join the damned populace in undeath'). The gods were so pissed off by this that they not only destroyed his empire (reducing it to a desert) but cursed him to wander the earth, unable to rest or die, in constant brutal agony, until he atones for his sins. in game terms, he will be a gestalt harbinger 20/wizard 20/Archmage 10 with the Jagganath, Eternal, and Broken Soul Templates. His primary weapon will be a major artifact. He's basically a demigod, and for virtually any party to face him in combat would be suicide. he's kind of like Elminster - a super-NPC whose primary purpose is to justify why high-level monsters haven't taken over the world and to patronize a party.
This would be for a high level (as in CR ~30) NPC that's one of the big movers and shakers of the campaign setting. he's the last king of an ancient empire, who completely ahnihilated an opposing empired after their king assassinated his wife (and by 'annihilated', I mean 'turned what was once some the most fertile and densely populated land in the world to a roughly 100-mile diameter plain of mirrored glass, and bound the souls of everyone killed to that they haunt the plain forever, killing everyone they come across and them to join the damned populace in undeath'). The gods were so pissed off by this that they not only destroyed his empire (reducing it to a desert) but cursed him to wander the earth, unable to rest or die, in constant brutal agony, until he atones for his sins. in game terms, he will be a gestalt harbinger 20/wizard 20/Archmage 10 with the Jagganath, Eternal, and Broken Soul Templates. His primary weapon will be a major artifact. He's basically a demigod, and for virtually any party to face him in combat would be suicide. he's kind of like Elminster - a super-NPC whose primary purpose is to justify why high-level monsters haven't taken over the world and to patronize a party.
Unless you're actually going to throw the party at him, someone like this becomes "so great, powerful, and terrible that you and I need never worry about him" as per the classic Samuel Delaney quote.