Monsters with innate spellcasting ECL 9 or lower

[Stryyke]

I know it's virtually impossible, but I want to play a spell-caster; but a mandatory 4 LA is so brutal for spellcasters. I know Sylph from MMII, but I'm not sure I can sell my DM on a Sylph because of the setting. It seems to me the only option is to get a creature that has innate spellcasting. Please make sure you list the source book, because if it's anything that isn't MM, the DM will need to check it. If you have another possible option to be an ECL 9 creature with a mandatory 4 LA and appropriate magic levels, I would be happy to hear it.

3.5 primary, but I may be able to sell other iterations if it's balanced.

[Hackulator]

Aranea in the Monster Manual

[Inevitability]

Cheshire Cat (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c) has 3 HD, 3 LA, and 3rd-level sorcerer casting.

Also, a wyrmling steel dragon has 4 HD, +2 LA, and 1st-level sorcerer casting.

[Remuko]

Pixie is from MM1 and the SRD and has the LA4 you need without any racial hit die so if you want to be a full caster you wont lose any caster levels. it doesnt have innate casting but it doesnt need it since youre not losing casting levels from it. plus it has tons of good benefits. if you MUST use +4 LA then Pixie is great.

[ATHATH]

Would a Human with the Half-Fey and Phrenic (remember that PLAs are automatically augmented up to your HD for free!) templates work?

[ViperMagnum357]

Bozak, from the Dragonlance Campaign Setting Rulebook, which is first party. ECL 7, with LA+3 and 4 RHD with 4 levels of Sorcerer casting. Not great, and low ability modifiers, but the RHD are dragon, and +8 Natural AC.

If you could go a little higher, the Aurak from the Revised Bestiary of Krynn is ECL 12; 8 Dragon RHD with 8 levels of Sorcerer casting, and LA+4.

[lylsyly]

Pixie is from MM1 and the SRD and has the LA4 you need without any racial hit die so if you want to be a full caster you wont lose any caster levels. it doesnt have innate casting but it doesnt need it since youre not losing casting levels from it. plus it has tons of good benefits. if you MUST use +4 LA then Pixie is great.

Plus, it has some pretty good SLAs of it's own.

EDIT: Red Dragonspawn from DLCS is LA+4 gets bonuses to all six attributes, has a 4d10 breath weapon AND casts as Sorcerer 1.

[Crake]

Also, a wyrmling steel dragon has 4 HD, +2 LA, and 1st-level sorcerer casting.

This can be further boosted to 3rd level wizard casting with loredrake from dragons of eberron, and the spellhoarding dragon psychosis from dragon magazine. Loredrake will turn your racial HD to d10s, which is still pretty good for a caster, and spellhoarding is mostly a straight side-grade, converting your spellcasting to wizard, and your scales become your spellbook, with some interesting options like being able to scribe any spell you counter instantly into your spellhoard at the cost of some gems that basically cover the costs it would normally require to scribe spells, as well as the option to burn spells out of your spellhoard to cast them without preparation (which means having duplicates is a good thing). As far as I'm aware, the spellhoard has no page limit either. Oh, also, -4 wis, but +2 int.

Steel wyrmling is also nice, because you get alternate form, so you don't even have to worry about fitting into the party, or walking about town. Pretty good for ECL 6 i reckon.

[Thurbane]

Complete list of Innate Spellcasting? [3.0/3.5/PF] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?136021)

...not many fall into ECL 9 or less, though.

[ATHATH]

Tome Dragons get innate Sorcerer spellcasting (with ALL Conjuration and Divination Sorcerer spells automatically treated as spells known(!)) and free metamagic reduction on all of their spells, IIRC. They're playable, too- slap Loredrake (and maybe Riddled as well) on that baby and wreck face/campaign worlds with your new lean(?), mean spellcasting machine.