Looking for templates, monsters for a "mad scientist"

[NevinPL]

Something that came to be, due to some cruel, insentient experiments, accidents, etc., but something more "uncommon" than Owlbear, or a skeleton, and no Eberron stuff.

Examples:

Alchemical Golem from MM III,
Alchemical Undead from Dragon 350,
creatures "created" using grafts, (other than Aboleth, Beholder, Fiendish, Illithid, Maug, Silthilar, Undead, or Yuan-ti, or things mentioned here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?190350-Fleshwarping-A-List-of-Grafts-Symbionts-and-Related-Goodies),

[unseenmage]

Living Spells from Eberron would seem t fit the bill with some refluffing.

Brain in a Jar from Libis Mortis too.


I'll drop back by when I've had sleep and can think of some others.

[DrMotives]

You could use Tauric Creature & Chimeric Creature templates, but describe the monsters as having obvious surgical scars from being grafted together. Also the Cadaver Golem from Heroes of Horror fits very well.

[Starbuck_II]

Arachnoid template? I saw it in City of Spider Queen. It makes them spider-like. Works on Animals and Magical beasts. So you can do it on a Owlbear! Adds 4 limbs to attack with.

[unseenmage]

Animate Objects on alchemical items and special weapon materials can be very mad. Can also use it on Quintessence since, like Wall of Stone, the instantaneous duration of the spell means the thing it makes is real and permanent.

The Effigy template applied to crazy base creatures can be very insane. Even more so the Elder Eidolon template from lords of Madness IIRC. It's just like the Effigy template but it has an actual aura of madness.

The Greater Humanoid Essence spell turns target Construct into a Humanoid, meaning you can then use the tumor/cyst spells from Libris Mortis of that Construct before it turns back into a magic robot. Veeeery mad scientist-ey IMHO.

[DrMotives]

Animate Objects on alchemical items and special weapon materials can be very mad. Can also use it on Quintessence since, like Wall of Stone, the instantaneous duration of the spell means the thing it makes is real and permanent.

The Effigy template applied to crazy base creatures can be very insane. Even more so the Elder Eidolon template from lords of Madness IIRC. It's just like the Effigy template but it has an actual aura of madness.

The Greater Humanoid Essence spell turns target Construct into a Humanoid, meaning you can then use the tumor/cyst spells from Libris Mortis of that Construct before it turns back into a magic robot. Veeeery mad scientist-ey IMHO.

Animate Object has a duration of 1 round per CL, it doesn't make permanent real minions without permanency. You can make a magic trap with Animate Object though, a trap that makes a short term minion out of an otherwise ignored bit of setting dressing.

[The Viscount]

Symbiotic Creature and Spellstitched are good templates depending on what sort of direction you're going with. Fleshwarper is great if you're making the scientist themself.

[SovelsAtaask]

It's third party, but the Bastards and Bloodlines book might have some good things for this. Half-(anything) templates should also work. Half-golem is the first that comes to mind.

[unseenmage]

Animate Object has a duration of 1 round per CL, it doesn't make permanent real minions without permanency. You can make a magic trap with Animate Object though, a trap that makes a short term minion out of an otherwise ignored bit of setting dressing.

Well there is also the Minor Servitor spell from Savage Species which is just like Animate Objects only it makes Permanent (Dispellable) sentient Constructs which are free willed and friendly towards you.

There's also the Awaken Sand spell from Sandstorm. It makes a huge sized sentient free-willed Construct from sand or dust or dust-like material. In my sig there's a thread detailing all sorts of fun sand and dust and dust like materials. Shapesand fromSandstorm is an alchemical item that is absolutely hilarious with Awaken Sand.

[NevinPL]

Thank you all for ideas.


[...]
Living Spells are from Eberron, and I prefer something more "fleshy".
Brain in a Jar is okay, although I would prefer something living not undead.


[...]
Tauric, Chimeric creatures are very nice.
Cadaver Golem, is good too, but I prefer the alchemical one. It feels, fits better for what I have in mind.
Although, now I see a nice mini quest regarding it, and a reason for PC's to came back to that laboratory.


[...]
Arachnoid template is also in Underdark, but it's too "environment" specific IMO.


[...]
Animating objects isn't what I'm looking for.
Effigy is too high level (I want something around CR\ECL 12).
Elder Eidolon is too high level, and not enough "fleshy".
Greater Humanoid Essence is from Eberron.
Mother Cysts bits are reserved for my necromancers "arc".


...
Symbiotic Creature looks nicely mad science-ish.
Spellstitched is nice, but I "reserved" it for my necromancer(s).
Fleshwarper is the class I had in mind for him. Maybe with a bit of Blood Magus.


[...]
I'm not against good 3rd party, but I don't have it.
Most Half-X templates are just: "Your mom fornicated with X", so not so much what I had in mind. Though Flesh Half-Golem is interesting.


[...]
Minor Servitor spell is interesting.
Awaken Sand is not what I'm looking for.
I'm planning on using Shapesand shenanigans, but not "now".

[Vaz]

Have you looked at Grafts? I believe their is a graft handbook.

[Afgncaap5]

You want grafts, but nothing from Eberron? Aww... the Elemental grafts and Plant grafts from Eberron are really nice for this kind of thing.

Is there a certain flavor of mad scientist that you want? I get the sense that you're gearing yourself more toward the mad chemist and mad biologist than the mad physician or mad engineers. If that's the case, how would you feel about rebuilding an Invisible Stalker as either a Humanoid or an Aberration?

Also, the Chuul itself is, I believe, designed with a mad science (or mad arcanist, at least) background built right into it.

I can see why most Half-Golem things wouldn't appeal to you. However, have you looked at the process for creating Half-Golems in Monster Manual 2? Even if you don't wind up using them, that process is a fun thing that you might be able to include in the notes of a scientist somewhere. (Also, while I can't recall where it's from, I think there's a "Half Stained-Glass Window Golem" wandering around somewhere. This might be my fevered imagination, and may also not suit your purposes, but I have no idea why someone decided that creating this would be a good idea for any arcane or scientific purposes other than mad ones.)

Since you're talking more about creatures created through transformations or experiments... the Verdant Reaver technically fits through its lore, but I don't know if "transformed by overexposure to dryad charm" would quite fit what you're going with.

Oh, and mention should go to the Clockroach.

[unseenmage]

Hmmm, apologies but Constructs are my niche so they do tend to be my answer for everything. :smallbiggrin:

If you're willing to utilize 3rd party material the Monstrous Lycanthrope (http://greenronin.com/blog/2014/10/30/monster_week_monstrous_lycanth/) template from the Advanced Bestiary allows you to combine any two creatures. It's almost identical to the template of the same name in their 3.x book, which I own. Just ignore the CMB and CMD and you're good to go.

The template lets you combine any two creatures into a lycanthrope. I've used it for a character before, a prototype warforged scout (small warforged) porcelain doll who transformed into her war-form self, a winged (medium sized) warforged. What is merely odd to us was horrifying for her, to discover that she had this warrior form built into her all along.
As a point of style I usually have Monstrous Lycanthropes change during the new moon instead of the full moon too to emphasize their experimental and slanted nature.


Advanced Bestiary also has the Amalgam template where you literally cram any two creatures together. Requires a lot of DM adjudication but having the process laid out is nice, often even helpful.
Both of the above templates can be applied to whatever creatures you can imagine and are as 'fleshy' as you see fit.


Dragon magazine #350 (IIRC) has magical pollution locations and templates that could also prove useful for enhancing a mad magic-science theme.

[Razanir]

Give him levels in PF Summoner and send in his Eidolon? Or you're the DM. You have the power to fluff monsters and describe their existence as "A wizard made it". (That's how I'm explaining the dragon. The latest and most powerful creation from the mind that brought you the owlbear™)

[Honest Tiefling]

This might not work, but I've always had a soft spot for the Desiccator from I think Libris Mortis. I mean, what mad scientist wouldn't take it as a challenge to remove the water from creatures literally made out of elemental water?

[NevinPL]

[...]
I did look at grafts, hence the "exclusion list" of grafts I know.


[...]
Yes - mad chemist. Alchemist to be exact, as the names of the two monsters I've listed might suggest :)
Invisible Stalker as an " The Invisible Man" is a thought, but for some other time.
Yeah, according to Dragon 330 Chuuls are the result of "mad science", but too "neat" for what I have in mind.
Yes, I did look at the creating process for Half-Golems, that's why I've said the flesh one is interesting.
No, Verdant Reaver doesn't fit.
Clockroach instead of the "flying broom" is a nice idea.


[...]
Monstrous Lycanthrope is also too "neat", and I'm not familiar with PF.
Yes, Dragon 350 has some stuff that I'm looking for, that's why I've mentioned the Alchemical Zombie as an example.


[...]
Eidolon was "discussed" earlier.
I don't like
"- Why ?
- Because."
approach.


[...]
Desiccator and other undead elementals are nice.

[unseenmage]

...


Monstrous Lycanthrope is also too "neat", and I'm not familiar with PF.
Yes, Dragon 350 has some stuff that I'm looking for, that's why I've mentioned the Alchemical Zombie as an example.


...

Except you don't have to be familiar with PF as the original book is for 3.x. And the only PF material in the linked template is the CMB and CMD which can be ignored for 3.x.
I also suggested the Amalgam Template from the same book in case you missed it.

Do you mean 'neat' as in gimmicky or 'neat' as in orderly and clearly communicated? Because that template is only one of those things IMHO.

[NevinPL]

Except you don't have to be familiar with PF as the original book is for 3.x. And the only PF material in the linked template is the CMB and CMD which can be ignored for 3.x.
Will remember in the future.


I also suggested the Amalgam Template from the same book in case you missed it.
No, seen it, but also PF, so...


Do you mean 'neat' as in gimmicky or 'neat' as in orderly and clearly communicated?
Too neat as in too clean. _This_ is for "lost and forgotten laboratory", and first attempts of said "mad scientist", so the monsters should be somewhat "used up", not complete, "buggy", etc. (yes, Gibbering Mouther, pseudonatural template with a bit of re-flavoring will probably be used. Hmmm... Pseudonatural Gibbering Mouther ?).

[Rijan_Sai]

If you're willing to use 3.0 material, Van Richten's Arsenal Vol. 1 from Ravenloft has the Philosophical Child and it's "upgrade," the Enlightened Child.
"It is as much a form of alchemical life as a homunculus, and if the formula is imperfect, the side effects can be severe."
Sounds like this is right in line for what you're asking, I would say look it up! (Page 67 for the P. Child, 71 for the E. Child, 71-73 for the actual template, and 63 for the potential failures!)

[Shalist]

Handy master template list (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1117261). One in particular that seems worth mentioning...:

When a dungeon builder needs a deterrent, the only thing better than a giant pit of acid is a giant pit of acid with a shark in it...http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/dungeonscape_gallery/102767.jpghttp://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m294/Armitage72/UxUioAENmHukU3jrNrb_zpsd3062b08.gif

[NevinPL]

[...]
I still find S&S books strange...
Even with some flaws, it's still too neat, but it'll probably would fit in later "stages".


[...]
Not really helpful, and good, old Crystalkeep: "Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition Index – Templates" is handier.
Also, I'm more of a "Underwater Ninja Tiger" fan, although I like the "Bond Villain" flavor of that shark.