High templar

"I heed thy call"

- Protoss High Templar



High Templar are powerful Protoss psychics, almost always members of the Templar Caste and are sometimes referred to, simply, as Templar. They give up their rage and martial training in order to more perfectly command their awesome psionic abilities, gained through following the Khala.

High Templar use the Archives to directly commune with their ancient ancestors and thereby gain knowledge inaccessible to ordinary warriors.

Game Unit
A Templar Archives must be built before High Templars can be warped in by a Gateway. The High Templar is a physically weak unit, with 40 hit points and 40 shield points. It floats slowly over the battlefield, which prevents spider mines from detecting it.

Psionic Storm

 * Cost: 200 0 200
 * Researched at: Templar Archives
 * Energy Cost: 75
 * Range: 9

A High Templar can close their mind to the outside world, creating psychic "ripples". These can be focused through the Khala into a storm of psychic energy that can tear apart the minds of living creatures.

The attack does 112 damage over the course of four seconds, but does not harm structures. It is very useful at killing large numbers of weak units, such as Zerglings. Units that move out of the storm before it is finished (or move into it as it is in effect) take only some of the damage.

Trivia
During the early production version of the game StarCraft, there were two versions of the psionic storm - an electrical version and a purely mental version. The psi storm used in the current version of the game may be a combination of the two, which may explain why it can damage mindless devices such as spider mines.

Hallucination

 * Cost: 150 0 150
 * Researched at: Templar Archives
 * Energy Cost: 100 Energy
 * Range: 7

Some High Templar can create illusionary duplicates of other beings with no physical substance. These duplicates can scout and can draw fire. However, they cannot inflict damage, cast spells, produce units (as in the case of the Carrier or Reaver) and take more damage than usual. Combined with an energy bar that counts down to zero, the hallucinations last for a very short time. They will dispell when hit by any spell (eg. emp shockwave). Hallucinations will appear with a blue tint to the player that used this ability; others will see them as exact duplicates of the original.

Summon Archon

 * Starting Ability

Two High Templar can merge into a Protoss Archon. Their individualities are quashed by this act. Those who join the Khala in this way are honoured in the annals of the Templar Archives.

The Archon has been described as a burning effigy of the Protoss spirit, radiating psionic energy like a star. Their powerful psionic shockwave attacks have a short range but can inflict splash damage on enemies, both on the ground and in the air.

The Archon, a psionic entity, has very few hit points but many shield points. It is virtually immune to such attacks as the Zerg plague, since it has practically no hitpoints to begin with, but is for the same reason very vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse weapons.

Upgrades

 * Ground Armor
 * Plasma Shields

Khaydarin Amulet

 * Cost: 150\150
 * Upgraded at: Templar Archives
 * Adds 50 to maximum energy.

By equipping themselves with amulets carved from Khaydarin Crystal, a High Templar can access the Khala with greater efficiency.

The High Templar in StarCraft II
High Templar will develop the ability of trapping an enemy in a forcefield that can create an effective bottleneck point. It was shown "locking" Terran infantry into a Bunker, possibly preventing them from firing at their foes outside the Bunker. High Templar still has the psionic storm (albeit reduced in damage ) in StarCraft II, while it will not posses the hallucination ability.

Two High Templar, or one High Templar and one Dark Templar can combine to form a Twilight Archon.

Famous High Templar

 * Adun
 * Aldaris (actually a Judicator)
 * Artanis (portrayed as a Scout)
 * Tassadar

Other High Templar

 * Mess'Ta: Served onboard the Carrier Qel'Ha. Killed in the battle at Bhekar Ro.
 * Rassidan: A member of the Akilae Tribe, Rassidan was among those that fled to Shakuras. Although the destruction of Aiur still haunts him, he's begun to appreciate the beauty of the Dark Templar's world.2