Author Topic: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?  (Read 9743 times)

Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« on: July 17, 2013, 01:22:07 AM »
The minimum of 4 ECL (2 HD, one from each component creature and LA+2) really hurts. I'm not seeing much worth eating 4+ levels by RAW...

Assuming that your DM is sane and does not allow template stacking or level-draining, does a playable Tauric Templated creature basically require the PBMC Balanced ECL Variant? With it you can Monstrous vermin for Mind-affect immunity or pegasus for massive fly speed just in core. Otherwise, the ECL penalties are huge.

Perhaps the lower half is the wrong way to look and I should be looking for huge physical penalties for LA+0 (monstrous) humanoids.

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2013, 01:29:56 AM »
Any magical beast that breaks the action economy, like the chronotyryn (yeah lots of HD) or even simple powerful abilities, such as blink dog or phase spider.
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Offline Empirate

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2013, 05:34:05 AM »
AFB right now, but would tauric replace all the heads on a Hydra, or just one of them? Could you be multi-tauric? That would get us somewhere, I guess.

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2013, 11:44:56 AM »
replaces the entire upper body, so 0 hydra heads. but the severing a head thing would apply to its new head(s)

same as with a chimera losing only the middle head for a torso, and having a pair of heads at your waist. you just replace all three :(
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Offline Ithamar

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2013, 12:06:01 PM »
Though doesn't Tauric only work on medium & large sized critters?  Hydras are huge and would not qualify I think.

A simple tauric-dire badger is decent, especially if you can advance it to large size.  But otherwise, like zook stated, a blink dog is a pretty good choice.  Especially if you can get into something offering Shadow Pounce.

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2013, 03:23:13 PM »
Dungeonbred Hydra?
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Offline Ithamar

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2013, 05:18:44 PM »
Well he did indcate he wanted no templates.   :tongue

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2013, 06:29:40 PM »
yeah i guess thats true.... a baby hydra? :-p
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Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2013, 06:25:42 PM »
Any magical beast that breaks the action economy, like the chronotyryn (yeah lots of HD) or even simple powerful abilities, such as blink dog or phase spider.
ECL20, Blink dog isn't bad but requires shadowpouncing to work well. And then its not that much ahead of other shadowpouncers for 7 dead levels. Ethereal jaunt for same 7 dead levels. :(

Offline Ithamar

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2013, 06:44:38 PM »
A Blink Dog can also make use of the Sun School tactical feat from Complete Warrior.  Lets you make a single attack when you dimension door next to a foe.  Helps a little bit until you can actual get Shadow Pounce.

Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2013, 06:57:38 PM »
Some good forms with PMBC Balanced ECL Variant
(click to show/hide)

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2013, 07:45:36 PM »
its hard to have a list of 'good' options for this template. a lot of it depends on what you WANT from the base creature.

i'm not saying those are bad ideas (except the blood ape doesn't have 3+ legs, it has 2 arms, 2 legs)
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Offline snakeman830

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2013, 07:40:28 PM »
Tauric unicorn isn't too bad, with the constant Magic Circle against Evil, immunity to poison, high movement speed, and strong stats.  The spell-likes are arguable if you get them or not, due to the text suggesting they are tied to the horn.
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Offline Kasz

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2013, 06:52:25 AM »
Giant Strider? Monsters of Faerun, Has fire immunity, and fire healing... and fire subtype... and fireballs. 40ft movement speed doesn't hurt either.

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Fireball (Su): Twice per hour, a giant strider can emit a small fireball from ducts near its eyes. Each fireball has a range of 60 feet and a burst radius of 10 feet. Creatures caught by the blast must make a Reflex save (DC 14) or take 1d6 points of damage. A successful save negates all damage.
It has a low DC and doesn't seem to scale but it's twice an hour and it's SU
Quote
Fire Subtype (Ex): Fire immunity, double damage from cold except on a successful save.
Get immunity to cold asap from a spell?
Quote
Healing from Fire (Ex): Not only do giant striders take no damage from fire, they are healed by it. Once during each 3 rounds that a strider is exposed to intense heat or flame, the creature gains the benefit of a cure light wounds spell (1d8+1 hp healed). A fireball spell or other intense, fiery attack fully heals the creature instantly.
Depending on your reading, this plus the fireball (su) could result in a full hp heal twice an hour. Even on a bad reading, make a campfire...stick your hand in it...free healing and use your fireballs as cure light wounds.
Quote
Resistant to Magic (Ex): Giant striders gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws against magical effects
Nice little bonus.
It has 6 natural armour and a 1d8 damage kick too.

Not bad for a 2HD creature.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2013, 06:55:09 AM by Kasz »

Offline snakeman830

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2013, 09:34:04 AM »
Wouldn't get the Fireball ability due to that attack being tied to the eyes (which aren't inherited by Tauric), but otherwise, that looks like a great choice.
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Offline Risada

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2013, 09:57:43 AM »
I always thought a Tauric Lammasu would be quite good... If you inherit its spellcasting.

Offline Ithamar

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #16 on: July 24, 2013, 02:34:45 PM »
I don't think Giant Striders qualify for Tauric, since they only have 2 legs.  Like Zook already mentioned, the base critter has to be a quadruped.

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #17 on: July 24, 2013, 02:57:29 PM »
needs 4+ legs
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Offline Dawnmor

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2013, 07:44:07 PM »
I always played with a Halfling/blank dog tauric.  You get the dimension door of the dog and the save bonuses and stuff of the halfling :).

Rogue anyone ? :P

Offline Kasz

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Re: Good Tauric Creature combo without template-stacking?
« Reply #19 on: July 25, 2013, 01:31:14 PM »
I don't think Giant Striders qualify for Tauric, since they only have 2 legs.  Like Zook already mentioned, the base critter has to be a quadruped.

Depends if you count those little wing/leg/arm things as legs or not I guess. They're not exactly arms/hands now are they... they're like ostriches mainly... they're worth asking your DM about...Since they're explicitly used as mounts they're not unlike horses...for your classic centaurs :P