To 'Brew or not to 'Brew?

[unseenmage]

So I want a spell that can apply any Template to any creature. I'm all ready to homebrew one up but I wonder if Shapechange (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/shapechange.htm) or Polymorph Any Object (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphAnyObject.htm) aren't already enough to get the job done?

The goal wouldn't to be to apply Templates instantly nor is the goal to dominate or control the creatures it changes. And if I were to homebrew the spell it would be limited based on some CL to CR calculation.

Thoughts and ideas welcome.

[Flickerdart]

Shapechange and PAO are based on Polymorph, which is based on Alter Self, which says "You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype."

[unseenmage]

Shapechange and PAO are based on Polymorph, which is based on Alter Self, which says "You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype."

Homebrew it is then. Any suggestions for limits on the spell itself? It will be a 9th level spell though.

The Template can't make the affected creature's CR higher than your CL maybe?
Can't affect a creature whose HD exceeds your CL?

[Gemini476]

Homebrew it is then. Any suggestions for limits on the spell itself? It will be a 9th level spell though.

The Template can't make the affected creature's CR higher than your CL maybe?
Can't affect a creature whose HD exceeds your CL?

Well, have you taken a look at existing spells that add templates to creatures?

Mineralize WarriorUnd adds the Mineral Warrior template, and is a level 6 spell. Incarnate ConstructSS, which adds the Incarnate Construct template, is a level 9 spell.

...I'm sure that there are some more, but I can't think of any.

Personally I would suggest that you don't make a spell that lets you give any template to a creature, and instead make an individual spell for each template or perhaps group of templates. Going more [Polymorph] than Shapechange, in other words.
Because I could see some horrid abuse come from the ability to freely add templates, and limits on HD or CR won't help much. (They don't help much with Shapechange either, for instance.) I guess maybe you could have it so that the creature's CR can't exceed your CL after the template has been added, but it's just way too easy to boost CL. Also, if you can target yourself then HA.

Want some extra strength? Bamf, you are now a Quarter-Dragon Quarter-Minotaur Quarter-Ogre.
Want some immortality? Zap, you are now a Vampire Lord.
Take a look at any really cool template that you would kind of like to have that has a lot of LA or LA:-, then look at yourself.
You are now a Psuedonatural Paragon.
I'm on a Half-Dragon Tarrasque.

[unseenmage]

Well, have you taken a look at existing spells that add templates to creatures?

Mineralize WarriorUnd adds the Mineral Warrior template, and is a level 6 spell. Incarnate ConstructSS, which adds the Incarnate Construct template, is a level 9 spell.

...I'm sure that there are some more, but I can't think of any.

Personally I would suggest that you don't make a spell that lets you give any template to a creature, and instead make an individual spell for each template or perhaps group of templates. Going more [Polymorph] than Shapechange, in other words.
Because I could see some horrid abuse come from the ability to freely add templates, and limits on HD or CR won't help much. (They don't help much with Shapechange either, for instance.) I guess maybe you could have it so that the creature's CR can't exceed your CL after the template has been added, but it's just way too easy to boost CL. Also, if you can target yourself then HA.

Want some extra strength? Bamf, you are now a Quarter-Dragon Quarter-Minotaur Quarter-Ogre.
Want some immortality? Zap, you are now a Vampire Lord.
Take a look at any really cool template that you would kind of like to have that has a lot of LA or LA:-, then look at yourself.
You are now a Psuedonatural Paragon.
I'm on a Half-Dragon Tarrasque.

You bring up some good points. Definitely adding the restriction that the subject of the spell cannot already be a Templated creature.

[Coidzor]

Only other spells I can think of that apply templates are a pair of spells that make a familiar elemental from the old Spellbook web articles and one that made it into an undead familiar, and the undead familiar one would be more of a pseudo-template, IIRC.

[Zanos]

You might want to take a look at the rituals in Savage Species. One of them lets you use Wish to change your race, which is of similar scope.

It needs some hard restrictions. Limit the maximum CR or LA change the template can give. Based on CL is a good start, but then you run into issues with cheesed CL, so give it a hard cap at CL 20. Long casting time. At least eight hours, but consider multiple days, especially for templates that are more powerful. Expensive material and experience components, and a specification that it always bears these costs even if cast as a SLA or Su.

[Coidzor]

Oh, right, rituals. Some of this may be more appropriate as some form of Incantation, which would allow for more exotic trigger requirements than spellcasting, IIRC.

I'd say it might be better to go through and look over what templates you want OK'd at some point in terms of PC power and what ones you don't want OK'd ever for PCs. If there's no templates in the latter category then you can probably skip that step but keep it in mind for later if you do encounter something you don't want getting into their hands. Next step is figuring out what templates are OK with others & then what level of power/play the templates generally break down into.

[Jeff the Green]

Oh, right, rituals. Some of this may be more appropriate as some form of Incantation, which would allow for more exotic trigger requirements than spellcasting, IIRC.

This, a thousand times this. In addition to being harder to cheese (incantatrices can't metamagic them, for example) and more egalitarian (wizards are no better at them than experts), you flat out cannot boost CL because it's based on the level of the spell itself. It also would require you to research a new version for each template (which anyone could do with access to a library), and you can add creative downsides. (Say, if you add the vampire template to yourself you have twice the need to feed for a year, or if you add the pseudonatural template you must make a Will save or Go Insane From the Revelation.) It's really perfect for this sort of application.

Granted, you maybe should take what I say with a grain of salt since I'm kind of the Playground's resident Incantations fanboy.

[Sception]

in the category of template adding spells, there's also... what was it, 'vile death'? 'vile undeath'? In Heroes of Horror, iirc, which adds the fiendish template to an undead creature. A rather high level spell for a very low level template, I might point out.

[Gemini476]

in the category of template adding spells, there's also... what was it, 'vile death'? 'vile undeath'? In Heroes of Horror, iirc, which adds the fiendish template to an undead creature. A rather high level spell for a very low level template, I might point out.

There's also a bunch of spells that add various Undead templates to creatures with the Dead condition, which I guess might be relevant as well.
Oh, and the Incarnation of Angels utterance (Lexicon of the Evolved Mind 3) can give any creature the Celestial or Fiendish template for the duration (usually 5 or 10 rounds).
There's also a spell that makes you a were-X, but I forget the name.

[Phelix-Mu]

Seconding the ritual idea. If you don't like magic circles and chanting, see if the DM will allow bacta tanks, magical liquids, injections, and other mad scientist stuff.

Or, perhaps you have to sit as a master painter uses magical pigments to paint a portrait of you as the creature you are going to become.

Or maybe it's a Matrix-type thing, where the creature gets their brain plugged into a big magitech device that transports their consciousness into a new body.

Or straight-up Dr. Frankenstein it.

Or time travel flavor.

Or genetic mutation.

Or *bleep* and *bleep* with a bunch of crazy outsiders.

Or nanomachines!

Anyway, these could all use a ritual-like mechanic with whatever colorful flavoring best fits the character and the setting.