Question about Templates

[Gale]

Alright, a player in my campaign is playing a rather weird character, a half-ogre half-minotaur wood elf. As far as I can tell this technically makes sense but it leaves with a strength of 27 which seems absurdly high to me.
A base strength of 17, +4 from the half-ogre template, +4 from the half-minotaur template, and +2 for being a wood elf.
I'm just making sure this actually makes sense. I'm going to talk to him later regardless but I just wanted some clarification on this.

[Ruethgar]

It does add up, it is fine by RAW, and isn't bad on the LA front for a str based character. However if you are really concerned, ask about his backstory and how he got three halves of a race. If he is convincing enough, let him have it, otherwise I would suggest limiting him to one half-template.

[Rebel7284]

Technically, the dragon magazine in question also gives a size bonus for becoming large, so it would be +4 Half Minotaur, +4 Half Ogre, +2 Wood Elf, +8 Size for +18. However, removing the size bonus makes it more balanced. With +2 level adjustment this character is 2 levels behind everyone (even if LA buyoff is allowed, it takes long enough to kick in.)

Anyway, power is relative, if everyone else in the group is super unoptimized, such as Fighter taking the weapon focus line, this combination of templates may be too powerful. If the other characters are Wizards, Clerics, and Druids, the +10 Strength is nothing, the druid can get way more ALL DAY with wildshape while being a caster and Wizards have all the options, forever.

[lumberingmenace]

Maybe from game rules this is technically legal But, common sense says no. How can you be half anything and half anything else yet still have room left in yor dna to be an elf or human or anything else for that matter. Logically, i can say it wouldnt hold water with the group i play with.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Your mom is an elf and your dad is a half-ogre minotaur (or a half minotaur ogre), D&D doesn't care about silly stuff like genetics.

[geekintheground]

Maybe from game rules this is technically legal But, common sense says no. How can you be half anything and half anything else yet still have room left in yor dna to be an elf or human or anything else for that matter. Logically, i can say it wouldnt hold water with the group i play with.

i believe Savage Spiecies says in this case youre genetically quarter minotaur, quarter ogre half wood elf but that it doesnt diminish what you get from your ancestry because the rules dictate what you get.

[ko_sct]

Yep, geekintheground got it right.

Savage species explicitly state that an half-dragon, half-minotaur, half-ogre human would be a quarter-dragon, quarter-minotaur, quarter-ogre, quarter-human.

Like the others said, fully legal, but it should be allowed depend on the level of optimization in your party.


Edit: Fun fact: it also explicitly state that you can apply the half-dragon template to a dragon, making an half-red dragon white dragon or the like. You could even apply the half dragon template ten time in a row, for a rainbow of colour

[lumberingmenace]

Your mom is an elf and your dad is a half-ogre minotaur (or a half minotaur ogre), D&D doesn't care about silly stuff like genetics.

Yes because genetics and math are silly but not half ogre half minotaur offspring thats very serious stuff. I will say again that it may be allowed by game rules. I just know that it is cheesy enough that my group would laugh at the idea and disallow it.

[JBarca]

A character in the campaign I'm currently running is a Half-Mino War Hulk, or something along those lines. His Strength score is 52. Yes, that's a +21 modifier.

I agree, this sort of thing is absurdly high. But he paid for it with LA, and with, you know, not being a caster. It fits in the group, though, which is the important thing (the other party members function as a caster, a face/buffer, and a tank).

It's entirely based upon the party/campaign setting/your preferences. If it fits with the party, it won't be a big deal. If you don't want someone to be able to push buildings out of the way, limit it.