Because Templates have to be loaded during creation they technically can't use Template creatures on Template creatures.
So you don't generally get Flying Dogman
For that to happen I guess you would first have to tell the RAWs what order to generate them and if the Template allows other templates to be used.
So I am thinking about how to do several templates in game for many different reasons and possibilities. Ill TRY to interpret many of Toady’s new changes when making these templates. Sorry that I don’t make these more interesting to read… Please try to contribute.
The original topic of this was for Animalmen. Partway through I realized that this could be used to finally consolidate “Template creatures”. This took longer then I thought and I got really sloppy right after animal men.
Definitions:
-Detail Parts: This is referencing parts that go onto parts that are not limbs or organs
Animalmen:
Animal men as they currently stand are mostly made up of vermin. This is a template that allows you to create an Animalman of any animal currently in the game.
Naming Scheme: *Creature*man
Creatures used: One
Creatures allowed: Living, non-intelligent, Cannot be a (Semi)Megabeast
--I realize that creatures with non-humanoid bodies may be a bit more complicated… I shall ignore it for now though.
Animalmen will always have a Body, Head, Arms, Hands, brain, and a Mouth. They always can learn and can always speak.
Lisp: Creatures with the “Reptile” tag will have the “Lisp” tag
Likes_Fighting: Creatures who are predatory will “Like_Fighting”
Size:
-Below 6:4-5
-6-10: the creature will have a size picked at random between the mean between the mean of 6 and Creature’s size rounded down and the Creature’s maximum size. A Cow would be between 7 and 9
-Above 10: The mean between 6 counted twice and Size rounded. So an Elephant would be between 9 and 11. A Whale Shark would be between 10 and 13
Flesh, Bones, Legs and Organs: These will always match that of the creature
Arms:
-Creature has Arms: In these cases it will use the original creature’s arms no matter how many of them it has.
-Arms but no hands: The creature will develop simple hands without nails or claws. It will share detail parts the arm contains such as suckers, spikes, hair, and fur.
-Armless and Legless: The creature will develop simple arms without detail parts
-No arms but Legs: The Animalman will have all the details of the legs on their new arms.
-Multiple Legs but no Arms: The creature will have arms equal to the number of legs -2 to the limit of 2 (Like Antmen)
-Arm-Legs: These are added directly to the creature, if they have no hands they develop ones
-Fingers: The creature will always try to match the number of toes/claws the creature has, lacking that it will have between 3-5 fingers
Legs:
-4 or less: The creature will have two legs
-5 or more: The creature retains all legs of original creature (Like Antmen)
Head: It uses the original Creature’s head except it always has a brain and mouth. If it needs to add a mouth then the creature will lack teeth.
--If the creature has no head (which I don’t know if it is even possible) it will use
Body: It also uses the original Creatures Body except with the addition of arms if it has none and fewer legs if it calls for it. This allows the creature to retain wings, tails, and other details.
--If creature gets more details then creatures will develop man-like features such as muscle definition.
Centaur Template:
Despite the name, this is actually an alternative Animalman method. This is much more simple then the above. So it shouldn’t take too long. I realized partway through that this could apply to a wider selection of creatures. Centaur creatures could also be Mermaids and Spider people.
Naming Scheme: *Creature1* Centaur
Creatures used: 2
First Creature: Non-Sentient Creature must have neck
Second Creature: Sentient humanoid creature
-It doesn’t have to be a human... This is just the
Size: It uses the largest of the two creature’s sizes
Environment: It uses the First Creature’s environment and a 50% chance to include the second creature’s as well
Main Body: It uses the first creature’s body
Secondary Body: The original creature’s neck, or head if it lacks a neck, is replaced with the second creature’s body
Body Details: The Secondary body will include details, such as a mane or spikes that the first body also contains.
Head: The head of the creature has a chance to be from either the first or second creature.
Head Details Differ: The head of the creature will contain any detail that one of the creatures lack on the head. (Thus an Elephant will have Tusks or an Ant will have Antenna)
Head Details are similar: If it uses the second creature’s head, each facial part will be contested for dominance until one is found.
Flesh:
-It has a 25% chance of using the stronger of the creature’s flesh for both, 25% chance of using the stronger creature’s flesh for the secondary body, 25% chance of using the second creature’s flesh for the second body, and a 25% chance of using the first creature’s flesh for the second body.
Aquatic: 25% chance of using first creature’s, 25% chance of using second, 50% chance of using both
Minotaur Template:
The third of the Animalman templates. This provides templates similar to that of Minotaur and a few other creatures. This also can produce the Naga.
Naming Scheme: *Creature*tyr, *Creature*aur, *Creature*ur
Original Creature: One animal
Secondary Creature: Sentient Living Humanoid
Size: Original creature
Head: It uses the original creature’s head
Upper Body: It uses the Secondary Creature’s body
Lower Body: It uses the Original Creature’s Body
Legs
-Original has none: No legs
-Original has 1-4: Use two
-Original has 5+: Use number -2
Chimera:
I know the official definition of a Chimera, in this case it is in reference to something closer to the mythological Chimera.
Original Creature: Megabeast
Secondary Creature: Must have a head
Third Creature: Must have a head
Size, Body, Wings, Tail: The Largest creature gets priority
Legs: The creature with the most legs are used
Secondary legs: The creature with the strongest legs (or fastest) are used in the back
Note: If they all have the same number of legs then the strongest is used
Speed: Mean between the fastest and most legged creature taking into account their size.
Formula: ((Speed1 x Size1) + (Speed2 x Size2)) / (Size1 + Size 2)
Example: A
Arms:
-Number: The creature with the most arms has as many of its arms on the creature as possible
-Strongest: The strongest arms take up slots of the highest number
-Most Damaging: The most damaging arms take up slots, if it is filled with the strongest arms, then it is able to absorb up to half the strongest arms to add the most damaging.
-Only two: The Strongest and the Most Damaging get one arm each
-Only One: The strongest wins out
Heads: All three creatures’ heads, starting from their neck if they have one, are used.
It contains all special abilities, Biome types, of all three creatures that apply.
Flesh body: Strongest Flesh.
Flesh Neck and Head: It uses the flesh of the strongest creature divided by the strength of the creature its head comes from
Giant:
This is the exact point I got in writing when I realized that the Animalman Templates could be used to allow templates in general and perhaps in a limited way curses. (though Ill deal with curses in another suggestion if I feel like it). So as we know Giants are larger versions of already existing creatures.
-Note: Ugh, some giants don’t follow the original creature’s things.
Naming Scheme: Giant *Creature*
Creatures Involved: 1
Requirement: Non-sentient creature
Size: between 6-10
Creature is size is 7 or higher: Creature size + 3
Ability if Size 10+: Building Destroyer
Biome: Use original. If creature is subterranean then it loses all other biome adaption
Winged:
This is really where I realized it can go further
Naming Scheme: Flying *Creature*, Winged *Creature*
Requirement: Non-flying, Non-winged, Creature
Add Wings, made of creature’s material, to creature and give them flier ability.
If Aquatic, become amphibious.
Universal Multi-creature Template Machine:
This is a collection of methods that the RAWs could possibly be used so players can create their own versions of Animalmen, Chimera, and all that. Please don’t judge them by the name of the Raw.
ALT_NUM: 0-Inf
-This is the number of creatures under this template that you’re telling the game to generate
STAPLE: #; Creature1, Creature2, Creature3; Creature1, Creature2, Creature3;
-These are breeds that the game will always generate.
--BLANK should be used if you want for example… there always to be a Centaur-esk creature who uses a Giant’s body as the second one, but you don’t mind how random the second one is. These do not apply to the creatures the game will generate.
Likes_Original: 1 or 0
Original_Likes: 1 or 0
-Some creatures lose their bond with the original creature. A Centaur isn’t considered a human anymore though a Mule would definitely feel welcome in horse or donkey society.
Breed: 1 or 0
-Ignoring the misleading name. This asks if the creature is considered a breed of the original creature and thus can be seen happily living beside them
Template_Breed
Template_Like
-These are how the creature treats those of the same template. Animalmen would be part of this group, they overall consider themselves one large group or at least related.
Template exception: *Template*
Exception occurs if: *Creature*
-These are creatures that are original creatures that will occur if they are selected as a template
If_Creature_Name= Insert creature here
-Sometimes certain combinations always produce a creature by an entirely different name. Perhaps you want a Chicken Dragon Hybrid to be called a Cockatrice. Maybe you want a giant ant to be a Devastation ant.
Generateingame: 1, 0
-These creatures will have the ability to generate new types in game when appropriate.
Spell: 1 or 0
Spell Name: Name here
Spell requirements: (This will need fleshing out if we get magic)
Memory
-This allows the template to be used as a spell. Thus allowing you to turn minions giant on the spot or create new creatures by putting two together.
Splitbreedchance*Creature*: #%
-If the creature has a chance to breed appart the species that it is made from
I realize now that Template creatures use a lot of “What if” and “If more then”. Ill need to do an example of how such a template could work later. I’ve written a lot so far…