So, am I blind, or...?

[Strigon]

So, when creating characters/creatures, an easy way to make it more unique is to give it a template, right?
Well, I've scoured through most of the handbooks I have, and all I can find in terms of templates is the section in the Monster Manual explaining what they are. As far as I can tell, it lists no actual templates, nor do any of the other handbooks I've read (Unless I missed something, which is beginning to look more and more likely.)
In fact, the only templates I've found have been online when I got fed up and did a google search, and most of those seemed to be homebrew.

Where are all the templates? Am I missing something horribly obvious?

[AmberVael]

There are a few different templates in the Monster Manual! Here are some examples:

Half Celestial (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfCelestial.htm)
Half Dragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfDragon.htm)
Half Fiend (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfFiend.htm)
Skeleton (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/skeleton.htm)
Vampire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm)


What you may be confused by is that frequently there is an example creature attached to a template, which is written up just like a normal monster.

[Sian]

Master Template List (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1117261)

[Telonius]

Some others:

Ghost (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ghost.htm)
Lich (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lich.htm)
Zombie (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/zombie.htm)
Lycanthrope (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm)

I think that's all of them from the Monster Manual. There are a few others in the SRD from XPH and Epic, as well.

[Strigon]

(Proof that I am actually incapable of functioning)

That is deeply embarassing. Thank you for clearing that up for me, though!

(This thread can be locked now, I guess.)

[Segev]

They're scattered around amongst the monsters (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/monsters.htm) in all the various monster manuals, splat books, etc. A few examples from the SRD include:

Celestial Creature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/celestialCreature.htm)
Half Celestial (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfCelestial.htm)
Fiendiesh Creature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/fiendishCreature.htm)
Half Dragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfDragon.htm)
Lich (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lich.htm)
Skeleton (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/skeleton.htm)
Vampire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm)
Ghost (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ghost.htm)
Zombie (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/zombie.htm)

[AmberVael]

Don't feel bad about it. D&D has enough rules that probability pretty much ensures you'll miss something obvious at some point. The fact that you realized that something was off seems intelligent enough to me.

Seriously, this forum has a ton of people really well versed in the rules, and nonetheless, I've seen pretty everyone (myself included) make mistakes on something.

[Segev]

Indeed. Well-thought-out questions will clear research (or at least, clear seeking for an answer) behind them are always welcome. We like helping people find rules; it's part of why we're here. Because we like studying and discussing them.

[Flickerdart]

FYI, be careful when looking at the sample templated monsters in the books. As with any example builds, many of them have incorrectly calculated numbers and can be flat out illegal in rare cases.

[Necroticplague]

FYI, be careful when looking at the sample templated monsters in the books. As with any example builds, many of them have incorrectly calculated numbers and can be flat out illegal in rare cases.

See also: The example Sybiotic Creature. Someone apparently forgot that a Stirge is a Magical Beast.

On a related note, Savage Species has quite a few templates. Most books that are mostly creatures will have a few templates hidden somewhere in there. Dragon sometimes has articles that are nothing but a few templates (like the mutation ones, or the various half-undead).

[SimonMoon6]

See also: The example Sybiotic Creature. Someone apparently forgot that a Stirge is a Magical Beast.

That's because in 3.0, a Stirge was just a "beast" not a "magical beast".

[Necroticplague]

That's because in 3.0, a Stirge was just a "beast" not a "magical beast".

The problem still stands. The Symbiotic template can be applied to humanoids, plants, vermin, or animals. Beast and Magical Beast are both off-limits.

[SimonMoon6]

The problem still stands. The Symbiotic template can be applied to humanoids, plants, vermin, or animals. Beast and Magical Beast are both off-limits.

Weren't beasts allowed in the 3.0 version?

I don't have my books handy.

[Necroticplague]

Weren't beasts allowed in the 3.0 version?

To my knowledge, there weren't two versions of SS.