Okay Sun-touched Template again

Rules 3rd Edition D&D or Pathfinder
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I know others have posted the template before. I am just trying to make one closer to what athas.org has for Sadira’s stat block. So here goes:

Sun-Touched Template

Level Adjustment: +8
Description: This template can be applied to any living, corporeal creature with levels in an arcane spellcasting class (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). It represents a singular, transformative event, instantly and permanently elevating the creature’s power.

“Sun-Touched” is an acquired template.

Template Traits

  • Type: Unchanged (remains as base creature’s type, typically Humanoid).

  • Senses: No change (senses remain as base creature’s).

  • Armor Class:

    • +6 natural armor bonus during daylight hours (stacks with existing natural armor).
    • +4 deflection bonus during daylight hours (from solar energy aura, does not stack with existing deflection bonuses).

  • Hit Points: Unchanged.

  • Resistances: Gains fire resistance 30 during daylight hours.

  • Speed: Unchanged.

  • Melee: Gains a slam attack during daylight hours (1d6 + Str modifier for Medium creatures; 1d4 for Small; 1d8 for Large).

  • Special Attacks:

    • Sun Casting (Su): During daylight hours, the Sun-Touched can choose to draw spell energy from the sun instead of plant or life energy. Sun energy treats all terrain as abundant (no defiling). When casting with sun energy:
    • Caster Level: During daylight hours, the character’s effective arcane caster level increases by +8, but only for spells cast or prepared using sun energy. This enhancement applies solely to determining spell effects that rely on caster level (such as duration, range, or overcoming spell resistance). Additionally, for purposes of determining the number of spells per day, maximum spell level accessible, and spells known (if applicable), the character is treated as being 8 levels higher in their arcane spellcasting class during daylight. For example, a 10th-level wizard becomes effectively an 18th-level wizard during daylight hours, granting access to higher-level spell slots and additional spells per day as shown on the class table. However, this does not grant any other class features associated with those levels (such as bonus feats, familiar progression, or special abilities).
    • Spending a move action (or increasing casting time by a move action for spells longer than 1 round) applies Still Spell, Silent Spell, Empower Spell, or Widen Spell without increasing spell slot level.
    • Extending casting to a full round (or adding 1 round for longer spells) applies Maximize Spell or Extend Spell without increasing spell slot level.
    • Spells cast with sun casting end at sunset or in the absence of sunlight, regardless of duration.

  • Abilities:

    • Tower-Shaped (Su): During daylight hours, the Sun-Touched’s physical form is enhanced by solar energies:
      • +10 Strength.
      • +4 Constitution.
      • Damage Reduction 10/magic.
      • Slam attack damage as noted above, enhanced by increased Strength.
      • Skin hardens, contributing to +6 natural armor (included above).

  • Weaknesses:

    • At night or in the absence of sunlight, the character reverts to their actual caster level and spellcasting progression, in addition all Sun-Touched benefits are lost (Strength and Constitution bonuses, fire resistance, natural armor, deflection bonus, damage reduction, slam attack, and caster level increase) until exposure to sunlight is regained.

  • Feats: No bonus feats granted.

  • Skills: No skill bonuses granted.

  • Challenge Rating: +6.

  • Level Adjustment: +8.

Lore Context

The Sun-Touched template is a rare and powerful transformation, historically linked to the Pristine Tower’s ancient solar energies. It allows arcane casters to wield spells without harming Athas’s fragile ecosystem, making them potent allies in the fight against defilers and dragon-kings. The transformation’s reliance on sunlight creates a duality, rendering the Sun-Touched vulnerable in darkness but formidable under the crimson sun.

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Let’s examine Sadira’s statblock from the revised edition of Dark Sun 3.5.

Sadira (FY 10) CR 16
Female sun-touched half-elf preserver 5/veiled one 5
N Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common, Elven, Tyrian
AC 24, touch 24, flat-footed 14
(+4 Dex, +6 natural, +4 deflection)
hp 65 (10 HD)
Resist fire 30
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +11
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +1 metal dagger +11 (1d4+6/19–20)
Base Atk +5; Grp +10
Atk Options Freedom 2/day
Special Actions sun casting
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 18th):
9th—meteor swarm (DC 24), shades (DC 24)
8th—incendiary cloud (DC 24), maximized silent still fireball (DC 24), protection from spells
7th—delayed blast fireball, silent still hold monster (DC 23), maximized silent still scorching ray (DC 23)
6th—acid fog, greater heroism, mage’s lucubration, entombment (DC 22)
5th—baleful polymorph, hold monster (DC 20), quickened fireball (DC 20), mass resistance, rary’s telepathic bond
4th—detect scrying, enervation, shout, phantasmal killer (DC 19), silent still invisibility (DC 19), wall of fire
3rd—dispel magic, nondetection, stinking cloud (DC 18), discerning mist
2nd—fog cloud, silent disguise self (DC 17), levitate, misdirection (DC 17), web (DC 17)
1st—charm person (DC 16), disguise self (DC 16), mage armor, magic missile, obscuring mist, sleep (DC 16)
0—detect magic, open/close (DC 15), read magic, resistance

Abilities Str 21, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 17
SQ subdual magic, tower-shaped
Feats Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Freedom, Maximize Spell, Scribe Scroll**, Silent Spell, Still Spell
Skills Bluff +16, Concentration +17, Decipher Script +9, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +5 (+7 impersonating elves/humans, +7/+9 to act in character), Gather Information +10, Handle Animal +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (local [Tyr]) +16, Knowledge (the planes) +10, Intimidate +3, Listen +4, Spellcraft +20, Escape Artist +6, Spot +4, Survival +3 (+7 others, +9 underground)
Possessions gem of seeing, ring of protection +4
Spellbook spells prepared plus 0–4, all 1st—protection from evil; 2nd—see invisibility; 3rd—fireball; 4th—dimension door

Subdual Magic When Sadira prepares a spell that inflicts lethal damage, she can choose it to do nonlethal damage instead.

Sun Casting (Su) During the daylight hours, Sadira can choose whether to utilize plant energy or energy from the sun when casting spells. If using sun energy, the terrain is considered abundant. Sun energy has no impact on the environment. If Sadira spends a move action during her casting (or increases her casting time by a move action for those spells that last longer than a round), she may use the Still Spell, Silent Spell, Empower Spell, or Widen Spell feats without an increased level of the spell or spell slot. If she is also extending casting to a full round (or increases the casting time by a round for spells that take longer than 1 round), she may use the Maximize Spell or Extend Spell feats without an increase to the level of the spell. Spells cast using sun casting do not have to match how long their duration are.

Tower-shaped (Su) Sadira was heavily transformed by the influence of the Pristine Tower. She receives a +10 Str and +10 Con racial bonus to ability scores, confers a +6 natural armor bonus to AC and damage reduction 10/magic. She gains a slam attack, the damage for her size.

During the night (or otherwise absence of daylight), she has the following statistics
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 14
hp 65
Fort +4
Grp +5
Melee +1 metal dagger +6 (1d4+1/19–20)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 10th):
5th—cloudkill (DC 20), hold monster (DC 20), transmute rock to mud
4th—hate tentacles (grapple +26), silent still fireball (DC 19), phantasmal killer (DC 19), wall of fire
3rd—dispel magic, nondetection, stinking cloud (DC 18)
2nd—fog cloud, invisibility (DC 17), levitate, misdirection (DC 17)
1st—charm person (DC 16), disguise self (DC 16), mage armor, magic missile, obscuring mist, sleep (DC 16)
0—detect magic, open/close (DC 15), read magic, resistance
Abilities Str 11, Con 15
Skills Concentration +15
Hook “I have the power of the Crimson Sun to call upon. Do you think you can top that?”

Sadira was a slave in the Mericles household, which is where she met Rikus, but she was also a preserver and a free thinker. She was among those who helped put the Alliance’s plan to kill King Kalak into motion by getting Rikus to agree to throw the Heartwood Spear.

The young half-elf became very involved in the politics of Tyr, for she had an intense love of freedom and a desire to see the city-state retain the liberty she helped ignite. During the decade of change that started with Kalak’s death, Sadira was married to both Rikus and the nobleman Agis. It was through her actions and the help of her friends and lovers that the Dragon was ultimately destroyed and Rajaat remained imprisoned.

At the Pristine Tower, Sadira gained the ability to draw magical energy to power her spells right from the crimson sun. The circumstances surrounding her original transformation were unique, so it’s doubtful any other sun wizards can ever be created.

In FY 9, Sadira helped bring the Veiled Alliance out of the shadows. She serves on the OverCouncil as the preservers’ leader and representative. Those preservers long practiced the veil of secrecy don’t trust her, and she has many other enemies among the hidden defilers, templars hoping to hold power structure, and nobles who see her as a threat to their own power and ambitions.

Rikus remains her steadfast ally in the defense and preservation of Free Tyr.

As we can see, her sun-touched ability doesn’t merely increase caster level by +8, it also advanced spellcasting progression, that is, the maximum level of spells known and number of spells known.

So for daytime, you add +8 to Caster Level, and progress number of spells known and the maximum level by 8. Look at the table for wizard for an 18th level wizard. Assign nothing else granted to a wizard of that level like feats.

Its a quite unusual mechanic.

For what it’s worth, here is my simplified version.

Sun-Touched Template

This template can be applied to any living, corporeal creature with levels in an arcane spellcasting class (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). It represents a singular, transformative event, instantly and permanently elevating the creature’s power.

“Sun-Touched” is an acquired template.

Special Qualities:
A Sun-Touched creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following abilities.

Permanent Abilities

Shadow Apotheosis (Ex):
Upon acquiring this template, the creature undergoes a complete transformation. The creature gains four levels in its primary arcane spellcasting class. This is a true and immediate increase in character level. Adjust the creature’s Hit Dice, skill points, Base Attack Bonus, base save bonuses, and feat progression accordingly.
This is an instantaneous, one-time benefit.

Daytime Abilities
The following abilities are granted by the creature’s Sun-Bond (Su), a metaphysical link to the sun. These abilities are active only as long as the sun is above the horizon at the creature’s location, regardless of physical or magical obstructions. They are completely dormant at night.

Daylight Potency (Su):
The creature gains a +4 enhancement bonus to its caster level for all arcane spells it casts.
This affects spell penetration, duration, range, and other level-dependent effects.

Daylight Defenses (Su):
The creature gains:

+6 natural armor bonus to AC

Damage Reduction 10/adamantine

Resistance to Fire 10

Environmental Adaptation (Su):
The creature gains the constant benefit of an endure elements effect.

Challenge Rating:
Same as the base creature +4 (night); base creature +6 (day).
(The permanent four levels provide a baseline CR +4, with the daytime abilities increasing the threat significantly.)

Level Adjustment:
Same as the base creature +8.
(Gaining four full character levels from a template is a benefit of almost unprecedented power, making any character with this template suitable primarily for a role as a major, epic-tier NPC.)

I think this simplifies things and is closer to what we see in The Amber Enchantress.

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Okay thanks as always RedKing. I’ve included the improved language.

Peace,
Rob.

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