[MitP] Photosynthetic Creature

[Fax Celestis]

A photosynthetic creature is a creature that takes its sustenance from sunlight instead of food, like a plant.

Creating a Photosynthetic Creature
Photosynthetic Creature is an inherited template that can be applied to any nonplant living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

Size and Type
The creature’s type changes to Plant, and it acquires the (Augmented) subtype. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice
The base creature's racial hit dice (if any) become d8s.

Speed
The base creature's speed is now dependent on being in sunlight. While in sunlight (including overcast days, daylight spells, and smiliar), the base creature may move at all movement types available to the base creature prior to template addition for the full distance. While in torchlight, the base creature's movement ranges in all types of movement drop by 10', to a minimum of 10'. While in an area where there is no light (magical darkness, underground, or at night time), the base creature's movement ranges in all types of movement drop by 15', to a minimum of 5'.

Armor Class
The base creature receives a natural armor class adjustment eaccording to its size. A Small creature receives a +1 to its natural armor class. Similarly, Medium receives a +2, Large a +3, Huge a +4, Gargantuan a +5, and Colossal and larger a +6.

Attacks
The base creature retains all natural weapons and weapon proficiencies. The photosynthetic creature's base attack bonus is as a cleric of the same hit dice.

In addition, the base creature gains two whip attacks from vines grown from its back. Each deals damage according to the following table:
{table=head]Size | Damage
Fine | 1
Diminutive | 1
Tiny | 1
Small | 1d3
Medium | 1d4
Large | 1d6
Huge | 1d8
Gargantuan | 2d6
Colossal | 2d8
[/table]

Damage
Natural attacks used by the base creature are considered magic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Special Attacks
The base creature retains all special attacks.

Special Qualities
The base creature retains all previous special qualities and gains the following:

Low-Light Vision (Ex)
A photosynthetic creature, if it sees with eyes, can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is color vision.

Plant Immunities (Ex)
Creatures of the plant type are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. They are also not subject to critical hits.

Photosynthesis (Ex)
While in sunlight (including overcast days), a photosynthetic creature gains fast healing 10. While in torchlight, a photosynthetic creature gains fast healing 5. In darkness (magical or otherwise), a photosynthetic creature regenerates hit points as normal.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures gain damage resistance according to the following table:
{table=head]Hit Dice | Damage Reduction
1-3 | None
4-7 | Damage Reduction 5/slashing
8-12 | Damage Reduction 10/slashing
13-20 | Damage Reduction 15/slashing
21+ | Damage Reduction 20/slashing
[/table]

Plantlike Ability (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures gain a plantlike ability, each usable three times per day, for every three hit dice they have. The abilities are selected from the following list:
{table=head]Ability | Description
Needles | The creature gains the ability to shoot needles out to 30' as a standard action. In order to hit with these needles, the creature must make a successful attack roll. These needles deal 1d12 damage plus half the creature's strength bonus, rounded down.
Spores | The creature gains the ability to disperse spores from itself. This is a free action. These spores deal 1d8 damage to all creatures within 10'. A successful DC 15 Reflex save indicates that the affected character has dodged.
Wild Empathy | This ability works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except that the creature has a +6 racial bonus on the check, and it also functions against creatures of the Plant type
Poison | The creature's natural attacks become coated in poison, which deal 1d4/1d4 Con damage (Fortitude save to negate, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod).
Thorns | Any creature grappling with the photosynthetic creature takes piercing damage equal to the photosynthetic creature's hit dice each round.
Spell-Like Ability | The creature gains one of the following as a spell-like ability: entangle, barkskin (self only), plant growth, detect plants, or pass without trace. This ability may be taken multiple times. The caster level for all of these abilities is the photosynthetic creature's hit dice, and the associated ability is Charisma.
Double Damage Against Objects | When making a full attack against an object or structure, the photosynthetic creature deals double damage.
[/table]

Sunlight Dependency (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures who are deprived of sunlight for more than a day take one point of ability damage to each of their ability scores for each day they've been deprived. If their constitution ever reaches zero, they die and cannot be resurrected. Spending eight hours in direct sunlight removes the ability damage. A daylight spell (or higher-level spell with the Light descriptor) can be used in place of actual sunlight exposure, at a rate of exchange equal to one hour per level of the spell.

Foodless (Ex)
The base creature no longer needs food to survive, only sunlight (See Sunlight Dependency) and water.

The creature instead pulls sustenance from the sun's warmth and light, converting it into energy through chlorophyll. This causes the creature to take on a greenish color.

Vulnerability to Fire (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures take one extra point from every damage die done from a fire source.

Saves
A photosynthetic creature's saving throws change to that of a plant creature of the same hit dice.

Abilities
The base creature modifies its ability scores as follows: +2 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con

Skills
The base creature does not receive any bonus skills.

Feats and Spells
The base creature retains all feats and spellcasting ability. In addition, it also gains the Weapon Focus feat with all of its natural attacks (if it does not already have them) as well as the Multiattack feat.

Alignment
As base creature.

Advancement
As plant, plus effects of the template. Alternatively, by class, if the base creature advanced by class, plus the effects of the template.

CR
+2

LA
+3

[Lord Iames Osari]

You should specify that Wild Empathy ability works on creatures of the Plant type, as well.

[Fax Celestis]

You should specify that Wild Empathy ability works on creatures of the Plant type, as well.

Done and done.

[jindra34]

You mentioned it can be acquired. How?

[Fax Celestis]

Typo carryover from the Vampire template. Fixed.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

It was at first a magical thing, who had babies, genetically carried. It says it's hereditary. Does this mean that you can only aquire this template at first level?

[Fax Celestis]

It was at first a magical thing, who had babies, genetically carried. It says it's hereditary. Does this mean that you can only aquire this template at first level?

Yes. Hence the "inherited" bit at the top.

[Danu]

Hit Dice
The base creature's hit dice become d8s.

All hit dice, or only racial hit dice?

[Fax Celestis]

All hit dice, or only racial hit dice?

Racial. *clarifies*

[Kyace]

Sunlight Dependency (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures who are deprived of sunlight for more than a day take one point of ability damage to each of their ability scores for each day they've been deprived. If their constitution ever reaches zero, they die and cannot be resurrected. Spending one day in direct sunlight removes the ability damage.

I assume you mean "one day" as in from dawn to dusk rather than 24 hours... Or can the 24 hours be broken up between days?

Also, can use of the spell "Daylight" be used to feed a sunlight dependant creature?

[Fax Celestis]

I assume you mean "one day" as in from dawn to dusk rather than 24 hours... Or can the 24 hours be broken up between days?

Also, can use of the spell "Daylight" be used to feed a sunlight dependant creature?

Yes and yes. *edits*

[Matthew]

Yeah, looks good. I can't think of anything else in particular to say. I like Plant Monsters...

[Zherog]

Oooh - a template. The standard disclaimer: I haven't read the rest of the feedback, to avoid being influenced by the opinions of others.


Photosynthetic Creature is an inherited template that can be applied to any nonplant living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

Are there any incorporal creatures that aren't undead? There probably is somewhere, I'd imagine. Do you want this template applied to an incorporal living creature?


Speed
The base creature's speed is now dependent on being in sunlight. While in sunlight (including overcast days, daylight spells, and smiliar), the base creature may move at all movement types available to the base creature prior to template addition for the full distance. While in torchlight, the base creature's movement ranges in all types of movement drop by 10', to a minimum of 10'. While in an area where there is no light (magical darkness, underground, or at night time), the base creature's movement ranges in all types of movement drop by 15', to a minimum of 5'.

two things: You're wording is going to trigger that damn "darkness can create light!" argument.

Night time isn't guaranteed to be total darkness, either. A full moon, for example, is enough for a creature with low-light vision (or, at least, I think I recall that correctly... getting old sucks...)



Photosynthesis (Ex)
While in sunlight (including overcast days), a photosynthetic creature gains fast healing 10. While in torchlight, a photosynthetic creature gains fast healing 5. In darkness (magical or otherwise), a photosynthetic creature regenerates hit points as normal.

Fast healing 10 is pretty good. It's like receiving a Maximized cure light wounds for free every round. Given the CR and LAs you have, you might consider dropping these values. Maybe.


Plantlike Ability (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures gain a plantlike ability, each usable three times per day, for every three hit dice they have. The abilities are selected from the following list:
{table=head]Ability | Description
Spores | The creature gains the ability to disperse spores from itself. This is a free action. These spores deal 1d8 damage to all creatures within 10'. A successful DC 15 Reflex save indicates that the affected character has dodged.
Wild Empathy | This ability works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except that the creature has a +6 racial bonus on the check, and it also functions against creatures of the Plant type
Spell-Like Ability | The creature gains one of the following as a spell-like ability: entangle, barkskin (self only), plant growth, detect plants, or pass without trace. This ability may be taken multiple times. The caster level for all of these abilities is the photosynthetic creature's hit dice, and the associated ability is Charisma.
Double Damage Against Objects | When making a full attack against an object or structure, the photosynthetic creature deals double damage.
[/table]

Alright, questions/comments on each of these that are left in the table...

Spores: This is a fixed DC, not one that changes based upon the Hit Dice and/or abilities of the creature? If so, why?

Wild Empathy: You're missing the period at the end of the description.

Spell-Like Abilities: You don't mention how many times per day the ability can be used.


Sunlight Dependency (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures who are deprived of sunlight for more than a day take one point of ability damage to each of their ability scores for each day they've been deprived. If their constitution ever reaches zero, they die and cannot be resurrected. Spending eight hours in direct sunlight removes the ability damage. A daylight spell (or higher-level spell with the Light descriptor) can be used in place of actual sunlight exposure, at a rate of exchange equal to one hour per level of the spell.

Ability score names are capitalized.

***

Quite nice! This is another critter I think should be play tested a bit, just to see if the CR adjustment works out the way you expect. It might be a CR +3 template, because that fast healing is really quite good; the DR will be useful, too.

You might need to do a CR progression, sort of like they have for the fiendish and celestial creatures.

I've never been good at estimating LA; I just know WotC's values are generally too high.

[Fax Celestis]

Plantlike Ability (Ex)
Photosynthetic creatures gain a plantlike ability, each usable three times per day, for every three hit dice they have. The abilities are selected from the following list:

So, that's that.

As for the Fast Healing, I might trim it back to 5/3 instead of 10/5.

[Zherog]

So, that's that.

Ah, yes. Reading Comprehension 1, Zherog 0.

On that note: Wild empathy 3/day is pretty weak.


As for the Fast Healing, I might trim it back to 5/3 instead of 10/5.

I was thinking 6/3 wouldn't be bad. Though 5 at least gives a chance for a shortsword or shortbow to do some damage.

[Assasinater]

Fast healing from torchlight seems too much to me, if it would give any bonuses at all, it should be 1-2. Nothing can replace the sun that easy.