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Rin_Hunter
2010-03-23, 07:42 AM
I plan on adding the Evolved Undead template to a vampire NPC in my setting and I have a question that I couldn't think of the answer to.

Does the Fast Healing of the template stack with the vampire's?

The template grants FH3, but the vampire already has FH5. Does this become an 8 or stay at 5?

My problem comes from the wording. "Fast Healing (Ex): An evolved undead heals 3 points of damage each round as long as it has at least 1 hit point."

Atelm
2010-03-23, 07:45 AM
I believe if a template grants a special ability which the base creature already has, then you use whichever is higher.

Therefore, in this case the Vampire's existing fast healing.

That's at least how I'd do it.

Runestar
2010-03-23, 07:50 AM
I would give it 2 sources of fast healing, one for 5, the other for 3.

So yeah, effectively fast healing 8 each round. :smallbiggrin:

Rin_Hunter
2010-03-23, 08:24 AM
Atelm: That does seem the most likely answer.

Runestar: So you would count all applications of the template as seperate, letting the fast healing stack?

Set
2010-03-23, 10:31 AM
Runestar: So you would count all applications of the template as seperate, letting the fast healing stack?

I believe that would be the correct interpretation, since almost all of the properties of the template (armor bonus, stat bonuses, pretty much everything but the SLA) would be irrelevant if the template didn't stack with itself.

KillianHawkeye
2010-03-23, 01:34 PM
I believe that would be the correct interpretation, since almost all of the properties of the template (armor bonus, stat bonuses, pretty much everything but the SLA) would be irrelevant if the template didn't stack with itself.

I disagree. Every other part of the template is described as an increase. I.E., "The base creature's natural armor bonus improves..." and "... gains +2 Strength and +2 Charisma." These are clearly added to the base creature's existing values, and thus are most probably supposed to stack with further applications of the template.

The fast healing ability, on the other hand, is not written like this. You simply gain the ability to "heal 3 points of damage each round" so long as you have at least 1 hp remaining. Based on the stacking rules, if you have two abilities with the same name and effect, you only gain the effects of the best one. Further applications of the template grant you an identical fast healing ability which DOES NOT stack with the one you already have, nor any other fast healing ability you may have from any other source.

You are, of course, free to house rule it to stack with itself, but that is not how the rules for stacking actually work. The ability would have to explicitly say something to the effect of "or your existing fast healing improves by 3 points."

LichPrinceAlim
2010-03-23, 01:43 PM
Here. Let me put my words into play:

I belive that Fast Healing could be settled in a unique way:

Have the Vampire's work on its turn, and the lesser 3 work on the PC's.

Rin_Hunter
2010-03-23, 03:32 PM
I think I'm going to have to agree with KillianHawkeye on this. After thinking it over this seems to be the logical conclusion.

Thanks for all your help people.

KillianHawkeye
2010-03-23, 05:07 PM
No problem! I remember I went through the same thing when I originally read that template.