diff --git a/ent/class.go b/ent/class.go
index 8669f74..b38e53b 100644
--- a/ent/class.go
+++ b/ent/class.go
@@ -19,8 +19,12 @@ type Class struct {
 	fieldNames map[string]int
 }
 
-func (c *Class) New() *Entity {
-	return &Entity{Class: c}
+func (c *Class) New(serial int) *Entity {
+	return &Entity{
+		Class:  c,
+		slots:  make([]interface{}, len(c.Fields)),
+		serial: serial,
+	}
 }
 
 func (c Class) String() string {
diff --git a/ent/decoders.go b/ent/decoders.go
index bcaacd6..65170b3 100644
--- a/ent/decoders.go
+++ b/ent/decoders.go
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ type decoder func(bit.Reader) interface{}
 func newFieldDecoder(n *Namespace, f *Field) decoder {
 	Debug.Printf("new decoder: type: %s name: %s sendNode: %s\n\tbits: %d low: %v high: %v\n\tflags: %d serializer: %v serializerVersion: %v\n\tclass: %v encoder: %v", f._type, f.name, f.sendNode, f.bits, f.low, f.high, f.flags, f.serializer, f.serializerVersion, f.class, f.encoder)
 
-	switch f._type.String() {
+	typeName := f._type.String()
+
+	switch typeName {
 	case "bool":
 		return decodeBool
 	case "uint8", "uint16", "uint32", "uint64", "Color":
@@ -33,7 +35,7 @@ func newFieldDecoder(n *Namespace, f *Field) decoder {
 	}
 
 	switch {
-	case strings.HasPrefix(f._type.String(), "CHandle"):
+	case strings.HasPrefix(typeName, "CHandle"):
 		return decodeVarInt32
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/ent/dict.go b/ent/dict.go
index b6b1f8c..faf153c 100644
--- a/ent/dict.go
+++ b/ent/dict.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ const e_limit = 2048
 //   be used on the client.
 type Dict struct {
 	*Namespace
-	entities []Entity
+	entities []*Entity
 	br       *bit.BufReader
 	sr       *selectionReader
 
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ type Dict struct {
 func NewDict(sd *stbl.Dict) *Dict {
 	d := &Dict{
 		Namespace: new(Namespace),
-		entities:  make([]Entity, e_limit),
+		entities:  make([]*Entity, e_limit),
 		br:        new(bit.BufReader),
 		sr:        new(selectionReader),
 		base:      sd.TableForName("instancebaseline"),
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (d *Dict) createEntity(id int) error {
 	if len(d.Namespace.classes) == 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to create entity %d: namespace has no classes", id)
 	}
-	d.br.ReadBits(17) // ???
+	serial := int(d.br.ReadBits(17))
 	classV := int(bit.ReadVarInt(d.br))
 	className := d.classIds[classId]
 	class := d.Class(className, classV)
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ func (d *Dict) createEntity(id int) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to create entity %d: no class found for class name %s, version %d", className, classV)
 	}
 	Debug.Printf("create entity id: %d classId: %d className: %v class: %v\n", id, classId, className, class)
-	e := class.New()
-	e.Read(d.br, d.sr)
-	return nil
+	e := class.New(serial)
+	d.entities[id] = e
+	return fillSlots(e, d.sr, d.br)
 }
 
 func (d *Dict) getEntity(id int) *Entity {
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func (d *Dict) getEntity(id int) *Entity {
 		Debug.Printf("edict refused getEntity request for invalid id %d", id)
 		return nil
 	}
-	return &d.entities[id]
+	return d.entities[id]
 }
 
 func (d *Dict) updateEntity(id int) error {
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func (d *Dict) updateEntity(id int) error {
 	if e == nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("update entity %d refused: no such entity", id)
 	}
-	e.Read(d.br, d.sr)
+	// e.Read(d.br, d.sr)
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func (d *Dict) deleteEntity(id int) error {
 	if id < 0 || id >= e_limit {
 		return fmt.Errorf("delete entity %d refused: no such entity", id)
 	}
-	d.entities[id] = Entity{}
+	d.entities[id] = nil
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ func (d *Dict) syncBaselines() {
 		}
 
 		if c.baseline == nil {
-			c.baseline = c.New()
+			c.baseline = c.New(-1)
 		}
 
 		if e.Value == nil || len(e.Value) == 0 {
@@ -200,8 +200,8 @@ func (d *Dict) syncBaselines() {
 
 		d.br.SetSource(e.Value)
 		Debug.Printf("syncBaselines has new baseline for class %v", c)
-		if err := c.baseline.Read(d.br, d.sr); err != nil {
-			Debug.Printf("syncBaselines failed to read a baseline: %v", err)
+		if err := fillSlots(c.baseline, d.sr, d.br); err != nil {
+			Debug.Printf("syncBaselines failed to fill a baseline: %v", err)
 			continue
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/ent/entity.go b/ent/entity.go
index 6a16256..8af22bd 100644
--- a/ent/entity.go
+++ b/ent/entity.go
@@ -1,47 +1,11 @@
 package ent
 
-import (
-	"fmt"
-
-	"github.com/jordanorelli/hyperstone/bit"
-)
-
 type Entity struct {
 	*Class
-	slots []interface{}
+	serial int
+	slots  []interface{}
 }
 
-func (e *Entity) Read(br bit.Reader, sr *selectionReader) error {
-	if e.Class == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unable to read entity: entity has no class")
-	}
-	Debug.Printf("entity %v read", e)
-
-	if err := sr.read(br, htree); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unable to read entity: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	for _, s := range sr.selections() {
-		switch s.count {
-		case 0:
-			panic("field selection makes no sense")
-		case 1:
-			Debug.Printf("direct selection: %v", s.path())
-			field := e.Class.Fields[s.vals[0]]
-			Debug.Printf("field: %v", e.Class.Fields[s.vals[0]])
-			fn := field.decoder
-			if fn == nil {
-				Info.Fatalf("field has no decoder: %v", field)
-			}
-			v, err := fn(br), br.Err()
-			Debug.Printf("value: %v err: %v", v, err)
-			if err != nil {
-				Info.Fatalf("field decode error: %v", err)
-			}
-		default:
-			Debug.Printf("child selection: %v", s.path())
-			return fmt.Errorf("child selections aren't done yet")
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}
+func (e *Entity) getSlotValue(n int) interface{}    { return e.slots[n] }
+func (e *Entity) setSlotValue(n int, v interface{}) { e.slots[n] = v }
+func (e *Entity) getSlotDecoder(n int) decoder      { return e.Class.Fields[n].decoder }
diff --git a/ent/field.go b/ent/field.go
index c24159d..95dd15e 100644
--- a/ent/field.go
+++ b/ent/field.go
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ type Field struct {
 	class             *Class   // source class on which the field was originally defined
 	encoder           *Symbol  // binary encoder, named explicitly in protobuf
 	decoder                    // decodes field values from a bit stream
+	isTemplate        bool     // whether or not the field is a template type
+	templateType      string
+	elemType          string
 }
 
 func (f Field) String() string {
diff --git a/ent/selection.go b/ent/selection.go
index cd20dc0..6720987 100644
--- a/ent/selection.go
+++ b/ent/selection.go
@@ -18,6 +18,31 @@ type selection struct {
 
 func (s selection) path() []int { return s.vals[:s.count] }
 
+func (s selection) fill(dest slotted, br bit.Reader) error {
+	Debug.Printf("fill selection %v", s)
+	switch s.count {
+	case 0:
+		panic("selection makes no sense")
+	case 1:
+		fn := dest.getSlotDecoder(s.vals[0])
+		if fn == nil {
+			switch v := dest.(type) {
+			case *Entity:
+				Info.Fatalf("%v entity has no decoder for slot %d (%v)", v.Class, s.vals[0], v.Class.Fields[s.vals[0]])
+			default:
+				Info.Fatalf("slotted value %v has no decoder for slot %d", dest, s.vals[0])
+			}
+		}
+		val := fn(br)
+		old := dest.getSlotValue(s.vals[0])
+		dest.setSlotValue(s.vals[0], val)
+		Debug.Printf("%v -> %v", old, val)
+		return nil
+	default:
+		return fmt.Errorf("child selections aren't done yet")
+	}
+}
+
 // selectionReader reads a set of field selections off of the wire. the
 // selections are represented as arrays of slot positions to be traversed in
 // order to select an entity slot.
@@ -33,25 +58,23 @@ type selectionReader struct {
 	all [1024]selection
 }
 
-func (r *selectionReader) read(br bit.Reader, n node) error {
+func (r *selectionReader) readSelections(br bit.Reader, n node) ([]selection, error) {
 	r.cur.count = 1
 	r.cur.vals[0] = -1
 	r.count = 0
 	for fn := walk(n, br); fn != nil; fn = walk(n, br) {
 		if err := br.Err(); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("unable to read selection: bit reader error: %v", err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to read selection: bit reader error: %v", err)
 		}
 		fn(r, br)
 		r.keep()
 	}
 	if err := br.Err(); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unable to read selection: bit reader error: %v", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to read selection: bit reader error: %v", err)
 	}
-	return nil
+	return r.all[:r.count], nil
 }
 
-func (r *selectionReader) selections() []selection { return r.all[:r.count] }
-
 // adds i to the current selection
 func (r *selectionReader) add(i int) {
 	r.cur.vals[r.cur.count-1] += i
diff --git a/ent/slotted.go b/ent/slotted.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3666524
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ent/slotted.go
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package ent
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jordanorelli/hyperstone/bit"
+)
+
+type slotted interface {
+	getSlotValue(int) interface{}
+	setSlotValue(int, interface{})
+	getSlotDecoder(int) decoder
+}
+
+func fillSlots(dest slotted, sr *selectionReader, br bit.Reader) error {
+	selections, err := sr.readSelections(br, htree)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range selections {
+		if err := s.fill(dest, br); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}