Acquiring Templates with LA

[chaotician375]

So my current D&D game I'm playing a Human Swordsage, we're currently at lvl 6.
Through hibbity plot shenanigans (I have talked to my dm about this happening in the games distance future) My characters Celestial heritage is revealed, giving giving him the half-celestial template. When this happens, my dm want me to rebuild the character with the template including the +4 LA. The template is powerful, but I don't think that retroactively loosing character levels is the right way to do this considering you loose BAB, saves, skills, maneuvers known, readied, and stances known.

Seeing as how there are classes that gain templates with LA and don't retroactively loose class levels. As far as I can tell, if I a acquire this template I start being affected by the level adjustment at that point, leveling slower than the rest of the party and buying off the LA as I gain experience.

Playground, how do you think should this be handled.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You could use a Savage Progression (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/sp), they all go by the rules outlined in the first article (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a) (the last one on the list, oldest dated). There's a template class for half-fiend (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a), but not one for half-celestial. However, it does give a transition class (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040319a) for Aasimar to Half-Celestial, so you could make that the 2nd-4th levels and make the 1st level give the Aasimar stat bonuses and resists.

There's also a Half-Fiend variant (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a) that could easily be adapted to Half-Celestial. That could give you some far more ideal stat adjustments and spell-like abilities.

[Duke of URL]

Generally, it is assumed that if you acquire a template, your ECL increases to factor in that template, meaning in this case, you should be treated as ECL 10. You're more powerful than the rest of the party (and quite significantly so, I you believe the LA is correct), but they will fairly quickly start catching up to you while you earn experience far more slowly.

An alternative would be to leave yourself at ECL 6, but to gain the benefits of the template over your next 4 levels (turning it into essentially a racial class) in a manner that makes the progression somewhat smooth, committing you to taking your next four "levels" this way.

One possible breakdown:

{table]Level | Features | Abilities
1 | Type change: Outsider (native), natural armor +1, resist 5 acid, resist 5 cold resist 5 fire, darkvision 60', smite evil | Str +1, Dex + 1, Con +1, Wis +1, Cha +1
2 | Damage reduction, spell resistance, +4 saves vs. poison, disease immunity | Str +1, Con +1, Int + 1, Wis +1, Cha +1
3 | Resist 10 acid, resist 10 cold, resist 10 fire, daylight SLA | Str +1, Dex + 1, Con +1, Wis +1, Cha +1
4 | Fly speed, remaining SLAs, type change: Outsider | Str +1, Con +1, Int + 1, Wis +1, Cha +1[/table]

[gbprime]

You could use a Template Class. Wizards published one on their website for half fiends, should be easy to modify it for half celestial.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a

EDIT - Hmm... swordsaged. :smallfrown: