ATHASIAN CREATURE
The harsh and wasted landscape of Athas ensures that only the strong, swift, and cunning survive. Over the millennia, the creatures of Athas have adapted to their unforgiving world and have become more savage and cunning as a result.
Monsters with natural psionic ability cannot take this template; similarly, creatures who advance by character class can not apply this template. The latter must take levels in a psionic class to hone their mental powers.
CREATING AN ATHASIAN CREATURE
“Athasian” is an inherited template that can be added to any non-mindless creature that does not already have the psionic subtype (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). An Athasian creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Armor Class: The creatures natural armor increases determined by hit dice as shown below on Table 2-1. The increases to natural armor are cumulative
Size and Type: The creature’s type does not change, unless it is an animal (in which case it becomes a magical beast [augmented animal]). It gains the psionic subtype.
Psi-Like Abilities (Sp): A Athasian creature possesses the psi-like abilities indicated below on Table 1-1, depending on its Hit Dice. The abilities are selected from Table 1-2 and are cumulative. Unless otherwise noted, an ability is usable once per day. Manifester level is equal to the creature’s HD. The save DC’s for an Athasian creature’s psi-like abilities are Charisma-based.
Thats just IMO. Take it for what its worth (which isn't much ;) )
Looks pretty involved. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm more of a plug-and-play sort of DM. What your proposing is more of a guideline as to how to make an Athasian Creature vs that its a template you simply overlay on an existing creature.
Thats just IMO. Take it for what its worth (which isn't much ;) )
When people were looking to at the phrenic template, they were sayin gthat they wanted a little more versitality in a template. The info in this one is all base creature HD driven and a very few choices involving psi-like ability selection.
I will show how this all works out later by posting and Athasian Lion and an Advanced Athasian Dire Lion.
When people were looking to at the phrenic template, they were sayin gthat they wanted a little more versitality in a template. The info in this one is all base creature HD driven and a very few choices involving psi-like ability selection.
I will show how this all works out later by posting and Athasian Lion and an Advanced Athasian Dire Lion.
I think it would work if you stream lined it to a "maxium power level known" per the creatures HD as opposed to bottle necking the DM into picking from 4-6 select power lists. Example: a 8HD creature would have 5 powers known, none of which would be above 4th level (using wilder as a guideline).
I think it would work if you stream lined it to a "maxium power level known" per the creatures HD as opposed to bottle necking the DM into picking from 4-6 select power lists. Example: a 8HD creature would have 5 powers known, none of which would be above 4th level (using wilder as a guideline).
Good work Kalthandrix :D
But in regards to the psi-like abilities that are gained thru the template, I am more agreeing with Sysane.
IMO, the choice of powers should be left to the individual DM, just the way you did the choice of the powers you wrote yourself, but with a limit to the power's level as Sysane suggested.
Good work Kalthandrix :D
But in regards to the psi-like abilities that are gained thru the template, I am more agreeing with Sysane.
IMO, the choice of powers should be left to the individual DM, just the way you did the choice of the powers you wrote yourself, but with a limit to the power's level as Sysane suggested.
I really disagree with the idea of opening up the whole powers list to this template because it defeats the whole purpose of the idea of "template". Even the phrenic template, which is much more powerful in psionics, is limited.
The only reason I made the table the way I did with the possibility of some choice was to give the DM a little more mobility when applying the template. Open choice to all of the powers in the XPH is counter-productive in this cast.
As individuals, DM could modify the powers in Table 1-2 to suits what they want, but that would have to be house rules.
I really disagree with the idea of opening up the whole powers list to this template because it defeats the whole purpose of the idea of "template". Even the phrenic template, which is much more powerful in psionics, is limited.
The only reason I made the table the way I did with the possibility of some choice was to give the DM a little more mobility when applying the template. Open choice to all of the powers in the XPH is counter-productive in this cast.
As individuals, DM could modify the powers in Table 1-2 to suits what they want, but that would have to be house rules.
I feel the Athasian beast template should focus more on stat pumps (Str & Con), increased natural attack damage die, and better nat armour bonus. Psionic powers should come second IMO. Think about changing your power table to something along these lines:
[HTML]Table 1-1
HD Psionic Abilities
1–2
3–4 2/day-1 1st level power
5–6
7–8 2/day-2 1st level powers
9–10
11–12 3/day-2 1st level powers;1/day-1 2nd level power
13–14
15–16 3/day-3 1st level powers;2/day-1 2nd level powers
17–18
19–20 4/day-3 1st level powers;2/day-2 2nd level powers[/HTML]
I feel the Athasian beast template should focus more on stat pumps (Str & Con), increased natural attack damage die, and better nat armour bonus. Psionic powers should come second IMO. Think about changing your power table to something along these lines:
I have been looking this over and I am in agreement with you in this. I will be revising the tables later on. I think that the creature will end up with one 4th lvl power, two 3rd, three 2nd, and four 1st. I will still have a small table with a choice of power selections that will have those powers that focus on combat/defense options simular to the list I have now.
I have been looking this over and I am in agreement with you in this. I will be revising the tables later on. I think that the creature will end up with one 4th lvl power, two 3rd, three 2nd, and four 1st. I will still have a small table with a choice of power selections that will have those powers that focus on combat/defense options simular to the list I have now.
Nice. I look forward to seeing it
Thanks for the feedback from the few of you who have bothered to do so
- for the rest of you, hey I would like to hear your thoughts, positive 
or negitative :thumbsdow . The only way to get a decent final product is to have the feedback from as meny as possible 
.Okey, I have made some revisions to my original post to change some of the ability increases, natural armor, and a revision in the psi-like abilities and the powers that can be selected.
Thanks for the feedback from the few of you who have bothered to do so
The template isn't going to have increased damage die for natural attacks?
Example; a base creature that had a claw attack that did 1d4+Str would increase to 1d6+Str?
The template isn't going to have increased damage die for natural attacks?
Example; a base creature that had a claw attack that did 1d4+Str would increase to 1d6+Str?
All creatures get the feat improved natural weapon as a bonus feat and 11+HD creatures get Multiattack for free.
All creatures get the feat improved natural weapon as a bonus feat and 11+HD creatures get Multiattack for free.
I missed that. My bad.
Are you suppose to be adding the stats adjustments from lower listed HD if the creature is above 2 HD?
The harsh and wasted landscape of Athas insures that only the strong, swift, and cunning survive.
"insures" should be "ensures" -- unless you mean Spirits of the Land are running about selling "survival insurance" to the various beasts that live on it.
"Yes, is the owner of the cave at home? You, sir, are in luck! I'm Raaa-aasheem-a'wat-aaaaahhn-ohhww, a corporeal manifestation of your local Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company branch. Ha-ha! That's a little druidic pun, sir.
As you know, the druids are always working for you...just like us at Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company! And have we got a deal for you! Guaranteed survival or your money back! I can see the interest in your glowing yellow eyes, so let me tell you all about this wonderful plan we at Spirit of the Land have developed for creatures just like you!
If I can have just five minutes of your precious time? It is afterall the afternoon, and there's no hunting to be done in the heat of the day. That's just one way we care about our customers: we don't come around at inconvenient times and scare off your prey, like those other insurance companies! No, not at Spirit of the Land!
Excellent! Well, as you know, you can't eat me, since I'm just a corporeal manifestation of a greater power! Haha! That's just a little predator humor, sir! But let's get to the point of my visit, shall we? Survival insurance. Can you afford to live without it? Let's be honest, can you even live without it? Hah! I think not, and the Dire Athasian Lion agrees!
Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company's Survival Insurance is the best bet under the Dark Sun for insuring not only your survival but that of your progeny! Haha, that's just a little insurance humor, sir! In fact, we guarantee your survival, or your money back!
I see what you're thinking, sir. If you don't survive, you won't have much use for the money! Rest assured, we place all non-returnable funds into an account for the Preservation and Restoration of Athas. In the event of your passing, your monies will go towards helping your friends, neighbors, and children with a better Athas. We're not greedy like those other insurance companies out there; we're looking out for you and all of Athas, because its OUR future, and we can all care about that!
As a special bonus for you mammalian child-rearing types that don't eat your own young, since it's not mating season yet, if you sign on now this package will extend to any offspring you happen to create after the policy is in effect! Don't delay and leave your progeny out in the cold, let your species benefits from your Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company policy...or heck, create a whole new species better adapted to survival in harsh Athasian wilderness!
We've got claws, we've got armored plating, we've got poisonous secretions! Whoops, better get that checked out with a local vet! Hahah! Just a little survival-mutation humor, sir! But best of all, we've got this year's hot new feature: psionic defenses! Everyone's got psionic attacks, now you can beat them at their own game! You can tell that nightmare beast where to go and what to do from the safety of your own Intellect Fortress!
You don't look like the intellectual type though, sir, so maybe you'd prefer our Tower of Iron Will model? Haha, I'm just kidding, sir! I can tell you're a sharp consumer and know a good deal when you hear one! We at Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company like to joke, but we don't joke about the benefits of our Survival Insurance.
Interested? Great! Just head on down to see Mister Rajaat at the Head Office, located in the lovely Pristine Tower district, and we'll get you set up with the complete package, or one tailored to your specifications and your budget. I'll set up an appointment for you right now. Remember, we guarantee a stable and beneficial adaptative mutation for you and your progeny, or your money back!"
(hehehe!)
Over the millennia, the creatures of Athas have adapted to their unforgiving world and have become.
Your sentence ends prematurely. Become what?
Monsters who naturally possess psionic ability are not found as Athasian creatures. Similarly, creatures who advance by character class are usually not Athasian creatures—they simply take levels in a psionic class to hone their mental powers.
Suggested rewrite: Monsters with natural psionic ability cannot take this template; similarly, creatures who advance by character class can not apply this template. The latter must take levels in a psionic class to hone their mental powers.
Your best joke yet Greyorm!
That bit of writing was really funny BTW, but now I have to sick the
on you!Anyway...I have corrected those glaring errors in grammer and sentance structure that have been pointed out to me by his greatness, Greyworm.
Thanks for the feedback and the brief trip into insanity :D
Question on your table for stat increases.
Are you suppose to be adding the stats adjustments from lower listed HD if the creature is above 2 HD?
Kal,
My question still stands
:PKal,
My question still stands
Sorry to keep you waiting Sysane, you are a piller of patience!
Well, it says in the Abilities discription that:
Abilities: Increase from the base creature determined by hit dice as indicated below in Table 2-1. The ability increases are cumulative.
So yes, if I understand the question, they do add together.
BTW I am posting a Athasian Lion on, well, the Athasian Lion thread if you would like to see how the template works.
Sorry to keep you waiting Sysane, you are a piller of patience!.
Ha, sorry, I get bored at work.
Well, it says in the Abilities discription that:
So yes, if I understand the question, they do add together.
It might be a good idea to just list the totals of what the base creature receives as stat bumps for their HD. Less math and easier to apply the template to the base creature.
Like so:
[HTML]Table 2-1
HD Natural Armor Ability
1-2 +2 +2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Cha
3-4 +3 +2 Str, +2Dex, +2 Con, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
5-6 +4 +4 Str, +2Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
7-8 +5 +4 Str, +2Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
9-10 +4 Str, +4Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +4 Cha
11-12 +6 +6 Str, +4Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +4 Wis, +4 Cha
13-14 +6 Str, +4Dex, +6 Con, +2 Int, +6 Wis, +4 Cha
15-16 +7 +6 Str, +6Dex, +6 Con, +2 Int, +6 Wis, +6 Cha
17-18 +8 Str, +6Dex, +6 Con, +2 Int, +6 Wis, +6 Cha
19-20 +8 +8 Str, +6Dex, +6 Con, +2 Int, +6 Wis, +6 Cha [/HTML]
I will also change the language in the section stating that these numbers are totals, not ones that need to be added together.
I feel that the stats shouldn't max out over the following:
+6 Str, +4 Dex, +6 Con, +4 Wis, +4 Chr.
I also feel that it shouldn't grant more than a +5 natural armor bonus or powers above 3rd level.
Lastly, I think the template should benefit non-psionic animals, magical beasts, and vermin.
Kal, I think your doing a great job with the template be feel it needs to be refined in the ways I pointed out above. Thats just IMO though. Do what you feel works. I'm just offering up my two bits
. Every thing I created and/or changed to day I did on the fly at work (don't tell :P ). I was just adjusting the ruler so to speak.
Here are some changes I am going to make. Stat max boost will by +6 for Str, Dex, and Con and I am going to remove the Int bonuses. The type will be Augmented (Animal, Plant, Vermin) (Psionic), this change is to perhaps make it so that the normal animals from the MM are easily adapted to the template, and the template will be restricted to being applied to animals, plants, and vermine that already do not possess psionic ability. For the most part, none of the creatures modified will be receiving the bonuses from the 11HD+ just due to the base creatures natural HD.
The natural armor and psi-abilities I am leaving as is.
And sorry Sysane, but when I was witing out the table with the stat increases totaled for each HD section, I thought it looked too confusing so I am not going to change that.
I will update the Athasian Lion with the changes and some of the suggestions made on that thread.
Sorry Sysane- I am kinda getting a mixed bag from you. In post #7 you wanted higher nat armor, 4th level psi-abilities, and increased nat attacks
That was more of an "on the fly" example. Having a 3rd level powers seems powerful enough, especially if its going to automatically be augmented.
Here are some changes I am going to make. Stat max boost will by +6 for Str, Dex, and Con and I am going to remove the Int bonuses. The type will be Augmented (Animal, Plant, Vermin) (Psionic), this change is to perhaps make it so that the normal animals from the MM are easily adapted to the template, and the template will be restricted to being applied to animals, plants, and vermine that already do not possess psionic ability. For the most part, none of the creatures modified will be receiving the bonuses from the 11HD+ just due to the base creatures natural HD.
Agreed
The natural armor and psi-abilities I am leaving as is.
I feel that having a +7 to nat armor was a bit much. Especially with having increased Dex. A 20 HD creature would have a +11 to their AC between their Dex and nat armor!
And sorry Sysane, but when I was witing out the table with the stat increases totaled for each HD section, I thought it looked too confusing so I am not going to change that.
Look at it as if it were a table for a class. Those have BAB, Saves, and Power Points all totaled at each level. Its written in that format for a reason and is the standard for most tables in d20 products.
[HTML]Table 2-1
HD Natural Armor Ability
1-2 +2 +2 Str, +2 Con
3-4 +3 +2 Str, +2Dex, +2 Con
5-6 +3 +4 Str, +2Dex, +2 Con, +2 Cha
7-8 +4 +4 Str, +2Dex, +2 Con, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
9-10 +4 +4 Str, +2Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
11-12 +5 +4 Str, +4Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
13-14 +5 +6 Str, +4Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, +4 Cha
15-16 +6 +6 Str, +4Dex, +4 Con, +4 Wis, +4 Cha
17-18 +6 +6 Str, +4Dex, +6 Con, +4 Wis, +4 Cha
19-20 +7 +6 Str, +6Dex, +6 Con, +4 Wis, +4 Cha [/HTML]
I still think that having a +8 stat max is to much as well as having a +7 max nat armor bonus. But I maybe alone in feeling that.
Here are some changes I am going to make. Stat max boost will by +6 for Str, Dex, and Con and I am going to remove the Int bonuses. The type will be Augmented (Animal, Plant, Vermin) (Psionic), this change is to perhaps make it so that the normal animals from the MM are easily adapted to the template, and the template will be restricted to being applied to animals, plants, and vermine that already do not possess psionic ability. For the most part, none of the creatures modified will be receiving the bonuses from the 11HD+ just due to the base creatures natural HD.
The natural armor and psi-abilities I am leaving as is.
Sounds good - better to keep the ability scores balanced. +7 armour bonus is large, but not too much for a creature that already has 19 or 20 HD - it should be OK, I guess. As I mentioned in the other thread, I like the idea of limiting the template to the creature types you mentioned, but that's purely a personal preference. I'd be interested to see a couple more sample creatures to get an idea of the template in play. What about some other options like poison or spines, as an alternative to psionics, or is that going to give us too many menus to choose from?
I still think that having a +8 stat max is to much as well as having a +7 max nat armor bonus. But I maybe alone in feeling that.
I agreed with you on this (the stats), so I did change the max stat to +6, but kept the nat armor at +7.
The table you put together looks good- I did not think to do it that way, I left blanks where there was no increases. I will think about it, but I might do it the way you did. Thanks
Sounds good - better to keep the ability scores balanced. +7 armour bonus is large, but not too much for a creature that already has 19 or 20 HD - it should be OK, I guess. As I mentioned in the other thread, I like the idea of limiting the template to the creature types you mentioned, but that's purely a personal preference. I'd be interested to see a couple more sample creatures to get an idea of the template in play. What about some other options like poison or spines, as an alternative to psionics, or is that going to give us too many menus to choose from?
I have been thinking of adding just a few more powers to the table, like pre-vemon and such. Spines could appear as part of the creatures nat. armor, but not to do damage enless someone wants to come up with a 2nd or 3rd level power (I might on that note) that lets a creature maybe sacrifice some of their natural armor bonus to sprout sharp spines
I would as for an alternitive- I don't think so. Just apply the template to a big snake or porcupine (spelling).
I will work on converting a few other animals, along with maybe hitting a few dire versions too.
Question- do you guys think that the CR addition is too low? I have thought of changing it to like 1-4 +1, 5-8 +2, 9-12 +3, 13-16 +4, 17-20 +5. It is just a thought.
Here is the template- I have not done the convesions yet but will get to it soon.
Just want to get some feedback from you guys on the functionality of the template first.
Very nice! More cookies for you ;)
Just some editing notes:
"insures" should be "ensures" -- unless you mean Spirits of the Land are running about selling "survival insurance" to the various beasts that live on it.
"Yes, is the owner of the cave at home? You, sir, are in luck! I'm Raaa-aasheem-a'wat-aaaaahhn-ohhww, a corporeal manifestation of your local Spirit of the Land Insurance & Holding Company branch. Ha-ha! That's a little druidic pun, sir.
(Sorry to hear about your week. Hope you are feeling better!)
Many of the current creature features are highly adapted or "mutated" from there original archetype. I think that adding something along those lines in addition or instead of some of the mods you have would be more versatile and really keep the players on their toes...
I have contemplated revisiting this template to give it is few additional tweeks and adjustments, but time has not allowed for such activities.
this template was intended to allow a DM to convert the normal animals from the MM into creatures more suited to life under the crimson sun - not to create surpa-beasts.
I wasn't meaning supra-beasts, but there aren't really that many "animals" that aren't quite evolved, take the Athasian Sloth for instance. I just think having some possible "mutations" cosmetic or otherwise would really keep that flavor. Athas is really "evolved" in a somewhat excelerated rate, and there are new beasts that crop up from time to time. I don't think everything should be powered up, but definately different from the norm.
To keep power levels in check, I'd have evolutionary changes that improve beyond cosmetic be taken instead of attribute advances...
I have contemplated revisiting this template to give it is few additional tweeks and adjustments, but time has not allowed for such activities.
I hear ya there, so much to do, so little time.