Templates
Troop Template
Troops represent organized groups of the same creatures working together as a close-knit unit. The individual creatures making up the troop are mostly irrelevant; only the troop as a whole matters in combat. A defeated troop means that the unit has been broken up and no longer represent a threat as a whole. Survivors of the troop that are still willing to fight can be dealt with as individual creatures.
Creating a Troop
"Troop" is an acquired template to any creature, referred to hereafter as the base creature. A troop of creatures retains the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Challenge Rating: As base creature + 3.
Type: As base creature.
hp: As base creature multiplied by 10.
AC: As base creature.
Defensive Abilities:
- Immunity to being Staggered or Dying: A troop is never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage.
- Immunity to being Tripped or Bull Rushed: A troop cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, except by area effects that include such effects. A troop can grapple an opponent.
- Immunity to Single Target Spells: A troop is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate and multiple target spells such as haste), though it is affected by spells or effects that target an area or a nonspecific number of creatures (such as fireball or mass hold monster).
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to Area Effect Spells: A troop takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area. If a troop is rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage, it disperses and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Attacks: A troop does not need to make an attack roll. It automatically deals damage as the base creature with a bonus equal to its Hit Dice, and combat maneuvers automatically succeed. The troop retains the same number of attacks as the base creature.
Space: A troop occupies the same space as eight of the base creatures. The area occupied by a troop is completely shape-able, though the troop must remain in contiguous squares to accurately reflect the teamwork of trained military units.
Reach: As base creature.
Special Abilities:
Chaos of Combat (Ex) Because of the chaos of combat, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a troop or within its reach requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level), even when casting defensively. Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a successful DC 20 Will save.
Esprit de Corps (Ex) A troop counts as its own ally for any teamwork feats it possesses, and for any other ally-required effect that can be applied to it.
Surround Foe (Ex) A troop can move through an enemy's space without needing an Acrobatics check, but still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If an enemy creature is the troop's space during the troop's turn, the troop's bonus to damage is doubled. Moving through a troop's space is considered to be moving through difficult terrain, and provokes as normal.
Volley (Ex) A troop with ranged weapons can target an area equal to its own space, and deals automatic damage to all creatures with that area during its attack without needing an attack roll.