Templates are how Red Ash will apply certain specialized conditions to a character. Only one template can be applied to any given character at a time. So you can not have a vampire and a werewolf template on one character. Templates do not have the usual cost related to them like when you build a new species and buy various powers. They are applied after the character is adventuring either by design or misfortune. However a character gains a template they should be considered to be a monster to those that discover the template they have, if they can not tell right away.