CelestialStick
2008-07-21, 05:25 PM
It's not clear to me whether the type pyramid from pages 142 and 143 applies to the type of the base creature or just the type of an added template. An outsider, for instance, appears at the very top of they pyramid. If you've added an outsider template to a base creature and then add a dragon template, the pyramid causes the creature to remain an outsider. That much is clear from the language on page 143 under "Construct, Outsider, Undead:" "If some other template is applied to them, they generally retain whichever of these three types they have."
What causes confusion is the language "if some other template," which implies that the base creature became an outsider by the application of a template. To me it would make sense that it doesn't matter whether a creature started as a outsider or became an outsider from a template, that either way you can't change the outsider type with the application of a template, whether it's another template or the only template.
So if you took the half-dragon template and applied it to the scyllan, an outsider from Stormwrack, would it become a dragon (replacing its d8 hit dice with d12 hit dice and its 8 skill points per die with 6 skill points per die) because dragon is the first template applied and the pyramid applies only to creature type from templates? Or would it remain an outsider because the pyramid applies to creature type regardless of its origin?
How do you interpret it, and why? Thanks.
What causes confusion is the language "if some other template," which implies that the base creature became an outsider by the application of a template. To me it would make sense that it doesn't matter whether a creature started as a outsider or became an outsider from a template, that either way you can't change the outsider type with the application of a template, whether it's another template or the only template.
So if you took the half-dragon template and applied it to the scyllan, an outsider from Stormwrack, would it become a dragon (replacing its d8 hit dice with d12 hit dice and its 8 skill points per die with 6 skill points per die) because dragon is the first template applied and the pyramid applies only to creature type from templates? Or would it remain an outsider because the pyramid applies to creature type regardless of its origin?
How do you interpret it, and why? Thanks.