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Darrin
2008-03-21, 12:06 PM
1) I'm running a campaign that mixes some of the Cthulhu mythos with D&D, and I'm designing an encounter that could result in someone acquiring the Pseudonatural template. However, I'm having trouble determining the level adjustment... while the 3.5 update booklet adds a +4 LA to the MotP version, this is way too high for what it does. Unfortunately, the updated 3.5 template in Complete Arcane/Lords of Madness doesn't list any LA... but it's obviously too powerful to not have any LA at all. Looking at some similar templates... Celestial and Fiendish (LA +2) seem the closest approximates, and have similar abilities: smite 1/day, DR and SR. Would LA +2 be appropriate for Pseudonatural?

2) Stumbled on this, have to check my issue of Dragon #314 when I get home: the Fire-Souled template gives you the Leadership feat (before 6th level? hmmm...), and makes you immune to stun and daze, all for LA +1, which is easy enough to buy off. Wouldn't this pair up nicely with Born of Three Thunders?

Most BoTT builds rely on the Quick Recovery feat from Lords of Madness, but it requires a Will save. Taking the Fire-Souled template works without a save, frees up a feat, and gives you another feat/cohort. If LA buyoff is allowed, it looks much more effective than Quick Recovery.

The_Snark
2008-03-21, 04:11 PM
1. LA +2 is appropriate, since pseudonatural is more or less equal to celestial and fiendish. It's a pretty weak LA +2, though; Celestial and Fiendish are already very weak as player options. Might make it LA +1, or look into the niftier half-farspawn template from Lords of Madness.

I don't know much about Dragon magazine stuff, but I'd be careful of letting immunity to dazing into a game, if only because of Celerity (and Born of the Three Thunders is pretty strong when there's no drawback, too). It's probably a fair trade if you don't let them buy off the LA; Leadership is already one of the most powerful feats out there, after all.

Darrin
2008-03-21, 11:06 PM
1. LA +2 is appropriate, since pseudonatural is more or less equal to celestial and fiendish. It's a pretty weak LA +2, though; Celestial and Fiendish are already very weak as player options. Might make it LA +1, or look into the niftier half-farspawn template from Lords of Madness.

I'd be fine with it as LA +1, except for the Spell Resistance... I can see some similar LA +1 with comparable DR (although Mineral Warrior probably shouldn't count for LA +1), but giving out 10+CL SR worries me... although when broken out into racial template levels, the Drow get 5+CL SR at LA +1. I'll probably break down the Pseudonatural into similar two-step racial template levels.

[/QUOTE]
I don't know much about Dragon magazine stuff, but I'd be careful of letting immunity to dazing into a game, if only because of Celerity (and Born of the Three Thunders is pretty strong when there's no drawback, too). It's probably a fair trade if you don't let them buy off the LA; Leadership is already one of the most powerful feats out there, after all.[/QUOTE]

Nevermind, Crystalkeep was wrong. Fire-Souled is a LA +3 template, which is a bit too high to be useful.

cupkeyk
2008-03-22, 03:43 AM
isn't psuedo natural hd based like 0-5 hd is +0, 6-10 is +1 and +2 for 11++ hd?