Templates that have listed methods of acquisition

[Zanos]

Has anyone put together a list of the topic? Just generally looking for templates that have some printed method of applying them other than DM fiat. 3.5 or Pathfinder or weird third party is all fine.

Off the top of my head:

3.5:
Lich
Necropolitan
Vampire(Flesh of Orcus or just get bitten)
Lycanthrope
However you spell the bug one of the above
Fiendish(Undead only, via Vile Death)
Mineral Warrior
Bone Creature
Corpse Creature
Juju Zombie
Enhanced Undead(If you want to wait around for centuries and roll percentiles)
Curst


Mostly familiar with undead templates.

[Khedrac]

Two more undead templates for you:
Dry Lich and Worm that Walks

[Inevitability]

Dark (Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis)

All the God-Blooded templates in MMV.

Ghosts can arguably be created with the Raise Ghost spell from ghostwalk if you argue that the spell itself remains usable but now refers to the 3.5 MM ghost template (which is, in a way, an 'update' to anything from 3.0 ghostwalk).

[Tzardok]

I would argue against it because the 3.5 ghost template is an update to the 3.0 ghost template, which are both independent from and unrelated to the ghosts of Ghostwalk (for the bare minimum, Ghostwalk ghosts are outsiders, while both templates are undead).

[ciopo]

Draconic (dragon devotee)

[Gadora]

Dark (Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis)

All the God-Blooded templates in MMV.

Ghosts can arguably be created with the Raise Ghost spell from ghostwalk if you argue that the spell itself remains usable but now refers to the 3.5 MM ghost template (which is, in a way, an 'update' to anything from 3.0 ghostwalk).

Nah, Ghostwalk just uses ghosts that are different than those from other settings. The 3.5 update document for Ghostwalk doesn't change things back to the MM ghost template, in favor of just updating the template in the book.

[Telonius]

Half Golem (from MM2, but I believe it was officially updated to 3.5). Various craft checks to make the limbs, etc

[loky1109]

Half-dragon (Dragon Disciple)

[Metastachydium]

Yellow Musk Zombie;
Yuan-Ti Tainted One;
Yuan-Ti Broodguard;
(arguably) Voidmind?

[Chronos]

Half-fiend, via Montebank (Dragon Compendium), except that it sucks and damns you to Hell at the same time you get the template.

[Prime32]

Skeleton and Zombie don't count?

Darkenbeasts, Incarnate Constructs and Sanctified Creatures have dedicated spells for their creation.


Vampire(Flesh of Orcus or just get bitten)

There's also the "Master forgive me, I must use that technique" method, courtesy of the shadow sun ninja PrC.

[Bullet06320]

celestial, fiendish, axiomatic, or anarchic
for a familiar, special mount, animal companion, or other companion acquired as a class ability
via the Planar familiar spell
https://web.archive.org/web/20161101150926/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011020a

[Jackaccount]

You can use the Vow of The Spider Queen feat to become a drider.

[Inevitability]

You can use the Vow of The Spider Queen feat to become a drider.

Which I think is a great segue into pointing out that there is, in fact, a drider template (https://web.archive.org/web/20161101150824/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20011118a).

[Beni-Kujaku]

You can craft a Spellstitched Undead.
This guy (https://web.archive.org/web/20161101075005/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20020519a) can turn you into a fungus zombie (physically similar but legally distinct from regular zombie).
You can Haunt Shift an undead into a Haunting Presence.
An evil druid can change any squirrel into a Frenzy Dog (http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/dogs2.htm).
If lycanthrope is here, then so should the Entomanothrope.
Animate Dread Warrior is a spell that exists.

[ShurikVch]

Templates that have listed methods of acquisition
Do you asking for methods which any suitable character can use, or also for those which are outside of PC control?
I mean - such templates as Shade and Shadow-Walker are required interaction with churches of Shar and Mask respectively, and Fire-Souled Creature (Dragon #314) - outside of rare spontaneous cases - required ritual in the Brotherhood of the Burning heart
Also, what's about templates which require some very specific item - like Shadow Shard for Shadowslain template (Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land), or the Black Cauldron for Cauldron Spawn template (Dragon #340)?

Anyway:
Half-Celestial - Planar Embrace psionic power - [good] version (1 round/level; Complete Psionic)

Half-Fiend - besides the aforementioned, Demon's Breath drug (for 1d10+50 minutes; Dungeon #95), Disciple of Ashardalon PrC capstone, Planar Embrace psionic power - [evil] version (1 round/level; Complete Psionic), and Nar Fiendbond spell (for Humanoids with 4+ Int; Lost Empires of Faerûn)

Hollow (https://web.archive.org/web/20031206134150/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/re/re20021021a)

Pseudonatural Creature /non-[epic] version/ - Green Rapture poison (for non-Humanoids; Dragon #358), or water from the Lake of Hali (Dungeon #134)

Half-Farspawn - water from the Lake of Hali (Dungeon #134), if 6+ HD

Chosen of Hastur (Call of Cthulhu d20) - the Unspeakable Oath spell (Sorcerer/Wizard 5, 1,000 XP)

Bodak Creature, Ghastly Creature, Ghoulish Creature, Mummified Creature, Wight Creature, and Wraith Creature - can be argued to apply those templates instead, when non-templated Undead should be created
Vampire Spawn (template can be reverse-engineered from monstrous class in the Libris Mortis) - Vampires make them

[Remuko]

If lycanthrope is here, then so should the Entomanothrope.

It was, OP just forgot the spelling of the name


However you spell the bug one of the above

and that^ was said right below Lycanthrope

[ShurikVch]

One more template - Companion of Flame and Hate (Polyhedron #147): it applied to Animal Companion by submerging it in a Douse of Flame and Hate (Brew Potion, CL 13, Awaken, Dominate Animal, Firestorm; market price 3,000 gp). Unfortunately, CoFaH lives only for 5 days (Druid would need Atonement)

[Zanos]

Thanks for all the contributions, I suppose I might as well put these in a spreadsheet or something since I hate forum tables.


Ghosts can arguably be created with the Raise Ghost spell from ghostwalk if you argue that the spell itself remains usable but now refers to the 3.5 MM ghost template (which is, in a way, an 'update' to anything from 3.0 ghostwalk).
There's like a whole page in Ghostwalk about how the Ghost template in the book isn't a core rules Ghost. I'll still include this, just call out that it's for GW Ghosts.


Skeleton and Zombie don't count?
Forgot about them because they lose so much, but yeah I'll add them.


Darkenbeasts, Incarnate Constructs and Sanctified Creatures have dedicated spells for their creation.
I'm fairly sure Darkenbeast isn't a template.


There's also the "Master forgive me, I must use that technique" method, courtesy of the shadow sun ninja PrC.
Wow, this sure is a stupid class feature. Oh well, it fits the criteria.



(arguably) Voidmind?
I'll include it. I'll leave engineering a situation where you've got three illithids plugging your skull up with mucus without experiencing a fate worse than death an exercise for the reader, though.


You can use the Vow of The Spider Queen feat to become a drider.
Drider isn't a-


Which I think is a great segue into pointing out that there is, in fact, a drider template (https://web.archive.org/web/20161101150824/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20011118a).
Nevermind.


Do you asking for methods which any suitable character can use, or also for those which are outside of PC control?
I was originally trying to compile this because I was interested in all the ways that one of my very high level wizards could make his slaves soldiers more powerful (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjogCytzX0s). But really now I'm just interested in all the ways that were actually printed to apply templates to creatures that aren't just "sometimes if a god likes you you get a cool template" or other things that are very abstract. So stuff that doesn't work for PCs is fine, I'm just looking for stuff that doesn't include a lot of "sometimes" and "maybes". I'll just add a note that it removes your intelligence or specifically makes you an NPC or whatever else makes it unsuitable.


I mean - such templates as Shade and Shadow-Walker are required interaction with churches of Shar and Mask respectively
I'm not familiar with Shadow-Walker, but isn't Shade the template applied to the Netherese that returned from the plane of shadow? I don't think I should really count stuff that's linked to unique environmental or divine causes, or the list would be basically every acquired template.

and Fire-Souled Creature (Dragon #314) - outside of rare spontaneous cases - required ritual in the Brotherhood of the Burning heart
If there's a ritual I think that's fine.

Also, what's about templates which require some very specific item - like Shadow Shard for Shadowslain template (Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land), or the Black Cauldron for Cauldron Spawn template (Dragon #340)?
Templates that require artifacts are fine.


Vampire Spawn (template can be reverse-engineered from monstrous class in the Libris Mortis) - Vampires make them
Unless there's a printed vampire spawn template outside the monster class advancement, I don't think I should include this.

[ShurikVch]

I'm not familiar with Shadow-Walker
It's in the Unapproachable East
In the same book also the Blooded One template - they created by immersion in alchemically treated blood (but it must be done before the adulthood - for adults it's poisonous: 1d10/1d10 Con damage)

Magic of Faerûn have Crypt Spawn template (via Undeath after Death spell), and Spectral Mage (it's said "A spectral mage is an undead arcane spellcaster given unlife by magic, sometimes willing, sometimes not.")
Similar to the aforementioned is Spectral Savant (Complete Psionic): "A spectral savant is an undead psion who has discovered the means to extend his life unnaturally."

Hiveblood Creature (Dungeon #127) - via Hiveblood Serum

How about the Bloodstained (http://web.archive.org/web/20210811141124/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/pg20011212b)?

Environment-based (like Magic-Infused Creature (http://web.archive.org/web/20140716141732/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20041222a))?

"Template-by-infection" - Blightspawned (Unapproachable East), Plaguelost (Sinister Spire), Scarlet Child (Dungeon #85), Savage Creature (Dungeon #140)?

[Feantar]

Well, technically you can create Tainted Minions and Tainted Ravers by dominating a minion and having them cast an evil spell (fron a scroll if need be) which causes their Corruption or Depravity to go beyond a limit.

There's also an artifact gauntlet that can create revenants, iirc.

[Clause]

Dragonborn of bahamut

[Promethean]

There was the Ka-Tainted templated in the dragon magazine 315. You could get it by ritually killing dinosaurs and bathing in their blood.

[YellowJohn]

Vampire spawn
Unless there's a printed vampire spawn template outside the monster class advancement, I don't think I should include this.

Correct; Vampire Spawn isn't a template. Doesn't matter if you killed a baby halfling or a level 20 half orc, the vampire spawn produced will be exactly the same (which makes no sense, but hey). They get a monster class because they have intelligence and can therefore gain class levels, but a vampire spawn is a new creature with no mechanical relation to its past life.

Don't think anyone has mentioned the 'Axiomatic Creature' spell from BoED yet (p.91). The target gains benefits identical to the Axiomatic Creature template. The spell has duration: permanent, not instantaneous, so it can be dispelled but has no level adjustment.

[Metastachydium]

Just remembered another one: Mirage MullahSand. All it takes to acquire it is to stay the night in a Fey Oasis.


Correct; Vampire Spawn isn't a template. Doesn't matter if you killed a baby halfling or a level 20 half orc, the vampire spawn produced will be exactly the same

Actually, that's likely an editing error. Blood Drain can only turn creatures of 4 HD or less into Vampire Spawn; anything above that becomes a full Vampire. Energy Drain was likely supposed to work out the same way.

Granted, even then, a result would be the same human-looking Medium thing regardless whether it used to be a Muckdweller, and Anthropomorphic Bat, a Crucian or a Centaur. And that's just gloriously dumb.

[YellowJohn]

Actually, that's likely an editing error. Blood Drain can only turn creatures of 4 HD or less into Vampire Spawn; anything above that becomes a full Vampire. Energy Drain was likely supposed to work out the same way.

I pondered that, but then realised a creature killed with energy drain kind of has 0 hit dice at time of death (negative levels = positive levels; total levels = 0).

[Metastachydium]

I pondered that, but then realised a creature killed with energy drain kind of has 0 hit dice at time of death (negative levels = positive levels; total levels = 0).

…
You know, that's a very solid point, actually.

[Promethean]

I pondered that, but then realised a creature killed with energy drain kind of has 0 hit dice at time of death (negative levels = positive levels; total levels = 0).

Oddly enough, they don't.
Creatures don't actually lose their hit-dice until the fortitude roll 24 hours later.
A creature with negative levels equal to their hit dice still has all their hit dice, they just also have a number of negative levels as well.
They theoretically can't lose those negative level after 24 hours as well. As a corpse they're both an object and a creature, which gives them object immunities to fortitude saves(which opens up the weird raw that a creature could avoid level loss by killing themselves and resurrecting after the 24-hour period)

[Metastachydium]

Oddly enough, they don't.
Creatures don't actually lose their hit-dice until the fortitude roll 24 hours later.
A creature with negative levels equal to their hit dice still has all their hit dice, they just also have a number of negative levels as well.
They theoretically can't lose those negative level after 24 hours as well. As a corpse they're both an object and a creature, which gives them object immunities to fortitude saves(which opens up the weird raw that a creature could avoid level loss by killing themselves and resurrecting after the 24-hour period)

OR it's a "specific trumps general" situation on more ways than the victim just not turning into a Wight upon death as normal.