Is a template a good place to start for a newbie? Are they easy to modify and customize? I'm sorry I am not too knowledgeable yet.

I suggest taking a look at the free styles offered here (http://www.vbulletin-styles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=531) and dissecting a couple to see how they're coded.

is it legal to modify vb templates? i mean because i know Vbulletin is not opensource....

so does it come under the Vbulletin licensing scheme to edit the templates??