Evil acquired templates

[Kish]

I'm looking for examples of templates which 1) are traditionally evil, 2) are acquired rather than born (so, e.g., half-fiends don't qualify), and 3) are fairly recognizable to people who don't know D&D (so even if there's a "yuan-ti" acquired template somewhere that wouldn't qualify). Vampire, lich, and werewolf are examples that spring readily to mind.

[Brendanicus]

Is there a mummy template somewhere?

There's always the cop-out solution of using non-werewolf lycanthropes.

EDIT: Do you necessarily need templates? You could apply fiendish/aberation grafts on people and call it a day. Maybe give this new faction a snappy name.

[DrMotives]

Corpse creature, bone creature, shade (from FRCS), ghost. Most everything is a werebeast or undead, except for shade really.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Is there a mummy template somewhere?

The mummified creature template is in Libris Mortis, updated from Savage Species.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Ghost. Umbral Creature (shadow) and Wight templates are in Savage Species.

Half-Fiend can be acquired (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a), as can many others (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/sp).

[Curmudgeon]

Lolth-Touched is pretty easy to understand (Monster Manual IV, pages 93-94). The Spider Queen has been mentioned in a lot of the novels so a non-player might have heard of her.

[Crake]

If you're going for ease of understanding, just look for things that look and sound evil, and your players will likely assume it to be evil.

Edit: Funnily enough, with a lot of the more recent werewolf/vampire media that's been released, players will actually be less likely to automatically associate them as being caricatures of evil.

[Bhu]

List of Templates that change alignment from ye olde template handbook:

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=12219.msg209817#msg209817

page 1 of the thread shows where to find said templates.

[KillianHawkeye]

While not actually a creature template, a flesh golem is fairly recognizable as Frankenstein's monster, and it IS made from pieces of people that may or may not have been known by the viewer during life.

[danzibr]

Corrupted Creature (BoVD) is just generically evil.

[Hiro Quester]

Is a Lich recognizable enough? The explanation of "Skeletal undead wizard" is easy to understand.

[goto124]

As a newbie: Liches are everywhere!

Aka yes, recognizable.

[Inevitability]

Half-golem sounds recognizable enough. 'Evil Cyborg' is a common enough trope.

[Yuki Akuma]

Corpse creature, bone creature, shade (from FRCS), ghost. Most everything is a werebeast or undead, except for shade really.


Ghost. Umbral Creature (shadow) and Wight templates are in Savage Species.

Half-Fiend can be acquired (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a), as can many others (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/sp).

The ghost template doesn't change your alignment - it's just as likely for a ghost to be Good as to be Evil. Or Neutral.

Ghosts aren't really 'traditionally evil' either - there's all sorts of folkloric tales about ghosts who are simply tortured spirits who need to be helped, or even ones who help the protagonist.

[Thurbane]

Tainted Raver (HoH) (NPC only).