Wingpin (3.5e Template)

Wingpin
A winged grappler creature is a creature that originally is without wings but due to one reason or another, has grown wings. These wings are specialized, giving the creature enhanced abilities to grapple their foes. Furthermore, by focusing on their wings, the new creature can enhance their grappling even more through the use of a feat.

Creating a Wingpin
This template can be applied to any creature that does not already have a flight speed and is not barred from gaining a fly speed. Such creature is called the base creature. Even humanoids such as humans and dwarves can take this template.

Type
The type does not change.

Wing Type
You may choose a theme for your wings. Some such examples of types are: Aberrant, Celestial, Chaotic, Demonic, Devilish, Earth, Electric, Fiery, Icy, Perfect (lawful), Watery. You gain no statistical abilities from this choice. This is really here to remind you that not all wings are the same.

Flight
The base creature gains the following extraordinary abilities.

Gliding (Ex): You can use your wings to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. You glide at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability). Even if your maneuverability improves, you cannot hover while gliding. You cannot glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.

If you become unconscious or helpless while in midair, your wings naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen the wings. You descend in a tight corkscrew and take only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter the actual distance of the fall.

Flight (Ex): When you reach 5 hit dice, you become able to fly at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability). You cannot fly while carrying a medium or heavy load or while fatigued or exhausted.

Grapple
The base creature gains the following special ability.

Wingpin (Ex): You are considered one size larger for the purposes of grappling or being grappled. This means that your size modifier increases by +4. Furthermore, you get an additional +2 bonus on grapple checks to prevent a pinned opponent from breaking free. This ability works as long as you are making a conscious effort to use your wings only for the purposes of grappling. Any other ability based on your wings may not be used while Wingpin is in effect.

Feats
While no feats are given by this template, this template, or rather the Wingpin ability, is the prerequisite for Improved Wingpin.

Challenge Rating
+2

Advancement
As base creature.

Level Adjustment
+Level Adjustment::1