Pathfinder Templates

[Lord of Shadows]

One of our players wants to create a Human character and apply the "Advanced (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/advanced-creature)" Template to it three times. It does not specifically say in the rules for Template (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates) whether this can be done or not.

The resulting CR would be OK for the campaign, but this just seems a bit overboard.

What does the Community think?

Thanks

[Drelua]

Last session, my DM used the program Combat Manager to put the advanced template on a bugbear three times against a party of 4 level 2 PCs. I was a Flowing Monk with a tripping weapon and the Improved Trip feat, and managed to trip it on my fourth try with a natural 20, then the ninja, who I was rolling for since the player had to work for a few hours, got 2 19s after the DMPC crit when it was flat-footed, which killed it. It had 39 something HP, and close to 30 AC. Those 19s wouldn't have hit without both the flanking bonus and the -4 AC against melee attacks for being prone. On the other hand, we usually play very high level campaigns, and his thrice-advanced (due to laziness) monsters aren't a problem there.

To me, it seems to give a poor balance between AC and HP at low levels, but it balances out later on. That bugbear wasn't necessarily over-powered, but we had to roll really well to hit it. It's AC was high, but it's HP was low, which made for a weird imbalance that was really annoying to fight. Of course, that was against a monster, where optimization is virtually non-existent, if the Alertness feat is any indication.

Basically, it seems okay at high levels, but at low levels it's terrible. Oh, and my DM is a moron.

I wonder if I've been ninja'd yet...

Edit: Make that 34 HP and 29 AC. Oh, and I feel that the CMD of 28 at CR 5 is worth mentioning.

[Lord of Shadows]

Thanks Drelua, that is interesting.

Has anyone else had experience with multiples of the same Template in Pathfinder? Or even any D20/RPG?

[Anarchy_Kanya]

I'd rule that templates can't be added multiple times unless it is specifically stated in the the templates description, like with the Evolved Undead template. I'm not certain, but there's probably a clause about that somewhere.

[Lord of Shadows]

Thanks Anarchy, that helps alot, since "Evolved Undead" specifically says, "Unlike most templates, an evolved undead can potentially acquire this template more than once." (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/evolvedundead.shtml)

That would seem to imply that multiples of the same Template are not normally possible.

[metabolicjosh]

Simple templates can be used more than once. It's the point.
Advanced is a simple template.

[torrasque666]

Simple templates can be used more than once. It's the point.
Advanced is a simple template.
No, the point of simple templates is that they can easily be applied on the fly to things like summons or the DM's minions. They don't require extensive rebuilding.

[metabolicjosh]

There are actual creatures that are created using more than one advanced template. I, however, do not care enough to find them.

Either way, use rule 0. DM should allow what he views as fair.