diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a9d75ce..eb0125c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -148,14 +148,21 @@ isolation.
 
 ### Component API
 
-These attributes can be used to provide logic for different life cycle events of your component. They follow the
-standard API for Web Components.
+These attributes can be used to provide or inherit logic for different life cycle events of your component. They follow
+the standard API for Web Components.
 
 <dl>
+<dt><code>td-extends="tag-name"</code></dt>
+<dd>
+
+Attribute to be used on the top-level definition tag. The class associated with the `tag-name` will be used as a parent
+class when building this Web Component definition. That tag must be already registered in the `customElements` registry.
+
+</dd>
 <dt><code>td-property="propertyName"</code></dt>
 <dd>
 
-Attribute to be used on a `script` tag in your component definition. This assigned property name will be attached to the
+Attribute to be used on a `script` tag in your component definition. The assigned property name will be attached to the
 element as a static property, and can be useful for adding `observedAttributes`, `formAssociated`, `disableInternals`,
 or `disableShadow`. You can also define custom static properties for your element.
 
@@ -168,6 +175,11 @@ element, and can be useful for adding to the `constructor`, or setting other Web
 `connectedCallback`, `disconnectedCallback`, `adoptedCallback`, or `attributeChangedCallback`. You can also define
 custom methods for your element.
 
+> [!tip]
+>
+> If you are using `attributeChangedCallback` you can access the parameters (`name`, `oldValue`, and `newValue`) using
+> the `arguments` keyword. See the example below to see how this works!
+
 </dd>
 </dl>
 
@@ -198,8 +210,11 @@ custom methods for your element.
 
     <!-- when the count updates, update the template -->
     <script td-method="attributeChangedCallback">
-      const span = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('span');
-      span.textContent = this.getAttribute('count');
+      const [name, oldValue, newValue] = arguments;
+      if (name === 'count') {
+        const span = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('span');
+        span.textContent = newValue;
+      }
     </script>
   </my-counter>
 </template>
diff --git a/example/index.html b/example/index.html
index f9e4a56..80da772 100644
--- a/example/index.html
+++ b/example/index.html
@@ -73,7 +73,10 @@ <h1>
 		</script>
 
 		<script td-method="attributeChangedCallback">
-			this.collapse.textContent = this.hasAttribute('collapsed') ? 'expand' : 'collapse';
+			const [name, oldValue, newValue] = arguments;
+			if (name === 'collapsed') {
+				this.collapse.textContent = this.hasAttribute('collapsed') ? 'expand' : 'collapse';
+			}
 		</script>
 	</callout-alert>
 
@@ -102,10 +105,61 @@ <h1>
 		</script>
 
 		<script td-method="attributeChangedCallback">
-			const span = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('span');
-			span.textContent = this.getAttribute('count');
+			const [name, oldValue, newValue] = arguments;
+			if (name === 'count') {
+				const span = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('span');
+				span.textContent = newValue;
+			}
 		</script>
 	</my-counter>
+
+	<!-- extended counter, does nothing addition -->
+	<my-copied-counter td-extends="my-counter"></my-copied-counter>
+
+	<!-- extended counter, changes the dom layout -->
+	<my-red-counter td-extends="my-counter">
+		<template shadowrootmode="open" shadowrootdelegatesfocus>
+			<style>
+				button {
+					cursor: pointer;
+					color: red;
+				}
+			</style>
+			<button>TOTAL CLICKS - <span>0</span></button>
+		</template>
+	</my-red-counter>
+
+	<!-- extended counter, goes down instead of up -->
+	<my-decrementing-counter td-extends="my-counter">
+		<script td-method="connectedCallback">
+			const button = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('button');
+			button.addEventListener('click', (event) => {
+				const newCount = parseInt(this.getAttribute('count')) - 1;
+				this.setAttribute('count', newCount);
+			});
+		</script>
+	</my-decrementing-counter>
+
+	<!-- button that extends an action-only interface -->
+	<removable-button>
+		<script td-method="connectedCallback">
+			this.button = this.shadowRoot.querySelector('button');
+			this.button.addEventListener('click', () => {
+				this.remove();
+			});
+		</script>
+	</removable-button>
+
+	<red-removable-button td-extends="removable-button">
+		<template shadowrootmode="open">
+			<style>
+				button {
+					color: red;
+				}
+			</style>
+			<button>Click Me</button>
+		</template>
+	</red-removable-button>
 </template>
 
 <script>
@@ -122,6 +176,10 @@ <h1>
 <custom-title>Tram-Deco is Cool!</custom-title>
 <my-counter id="a" count="0"></my-counter>
 <my-counter id="b" count="12">Special</my-counter>
+<my-copied-counter id="c" count="15">Copied Counter</my-copied-counter>
+<my-red-counter id="d" count="10"></my-red-counter>
+<my-decrementing-counter id="e" count="5">Decrementing Counter</my-decrementing-counter>
+<red-removable-button id="r"></red-removable-button>
 <callout-alert collapsed>
 	<span slot="title">Import Alert</span>
 	<span>The following spoiler only works on browsers that support <code>setHTMLUnsafe</code></span>
diff --git a/example/spec.cy.js b/example/spec.cy.js
index 20a7e14..fe6586c 100644
--- a/example/spec.cy.js
+++ b/example/spec.cy.js
@@ -38,5 +38,26 @@ describe('Tram-Deco Example Components', () => {
 		cy.get('spoiler-tag').shadow().find('[aria-hidden="true"]').should('exist');
 		cy.get('spoiler-tag').click();
 		cy.get('spoiler-tag').shadow().find('[aria-hidden="false"]').should('exist');
+
+		/* validate that button that implements a shadow DOM from a parent with none works as expected */
+		cy.get('red-removable-button#r').should('exist');
+		cy.get('red-removable-button#r').click();
+		cy.get('red-removable-button#r').should('not.exist');
+
+		/* validate that extended counters with different shadow DOM work as expected */
+		cy.get('my-red-counter#d').should('have.attr', 'count', '10');
+		cy.get('my-red-counter#d').click();
+		cy.get('my-red-counter#d').should('have.attr', 'count', '11');
+
+		/* THE FOLLOWING TWO TESTS DO NOT WORK IN CHROMIUM BROWSERS */
+		/* validate that extended counters with nothing different work as expected */
+		cy.get('my-copied-counter#c').should('have.attr', 'count', '15');
+		cy.get('my-copied-counter#c').shadow().find('button').click();
+		cy.get('my-copied-counter#c').should('have.attr', 'count', '16');
+
+		/* validate that extended counters with different callbacks work as expected */
+		cy.get('my-decrementing-counter#e').should('have.attr', 'count', '5');
+		cy.get('my-decrementing-counter#e').click();
+		cy.get('my-decrementing-counter#e').should('have.attr', 'count', '4');
 	});
 });
diff --git a/example/spoiler-tag.js b/example/spoiler-tag.js
index 64d40de..2dd5c49 100644
--- a/example/spoiler-tag.js
+++ b/example/spoiler-tag.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 
 (() => {
-	class TramDeco{static processTemplate(e){[...e.content.children].forEach(e=>{TramDeco.define(e)})}static define(newElement){const tagName=newElement.tagName.toLowerCase(),shadowRoot=newElement.shadowRoot,{mode,delegatesFocus}=shadowRoot,range=document.createRange();range.selectNodeContents(shadowRoot);class BaseTDElement extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super(),this.attachShadow({mode:mode,delegatesFocus:delegatesFocus}),this.shadowRoot.append(range.cloneContents())}}const modifiedConstructor=newElement.querySelector('script[td-method="constructor"]');class TDElement extends BaseTDElement{constructor(){super(),eval(modifiedConstructor?.textContent||"")}}newElement.querySelectorAll("script[td-method]").forEach(lifecycleScript=>{const methodName=lifecycleScript.getAttribute("td-method");TDElement.prototype[methodName]=function(){eval(lifecycleScript.textContent)}}),newElement.querySelectorAll("script[td-property]").forEach(propertyScript=>{const propertyName=propertyScript.getAttribute("td-property");Object.defineProperty(TDElement,propertyName,{get:function(){return eval(propertyScript.textContent)}})}),customElements.define(tagName,TDElement)}}
+	class TramDeco{static processTemplate(e){[...e.content.children].forEach(e=>{TramDeco.define(e)})}static define(templateElement){const tagName=templateElement.tagName.toLowerCase();class BaseTDElement extends HTMLElement{constructor(e){var t;super(),e&&(this.attachShadow(e),(t=document.createRange()).selectNodeContents(e),this.shadowRoot.append(t.cloneContents()))}}const parentClassName=templateElement.getAttribute("td-extends"),parentClass=customElements.get(parentClassName)||BaseTDElement,modifiedConstructor=templateElement.querySelector('script[td-method="constructor"]');class TDElement extends parentClass{constructor(overrideShadowRoot){super(overrideShadowRoot||templateElement.shadowRoot),eval(modifiedConstructor?.textContent||"")}}templateElement.querySelectorAll("script[td-method]").forEach(lifecycleScript=>{const methodName=lifecycleScript.getAttribute("td-method");TDElement.prototype[methodName]=function(){eval(lifecycleScript.textContent)}}),templateElement.querySelectorAll("script[td-property]").forEach(propertyScript=>{const propertyName=propertyScript.getAttribute("td-property");Object.defineProperty(TDElement,propertyName,{get:function(){return eval(propertyScript.textContent)}})}),customElements.define(tagName,TDElement)}}
 
 	const importTemplate = document.createElement('template')
 	importTemplate.setHTMLUnsafe(`<spoiler-tag>
diff --git a/tram-deco.js b/tram-deco.js
index a90bd24..c302927 100644
--- a/tram-deco.js
+++ b/tram-deco.js
@@ -4,50 +4,49 @@ class TramDeco {
 	// function to process template tags that have component definitions
 	static processTemplate(template) {
 		// for each definition in the template, define a web component
-		[...template.content.children].forEach((newElement) => {
-			TramDeco.define(newElement);
+		[...template.content.children].forEach((templateElement) => {
+			TramDeco.define(templateElement);
 		});
 	}
 
-	static define(newElement) {
+	static define(templateElement) {
 		// set the tag name to the element name in the template
-		const tagName = newElement.tagName.toLowerCase();
-
-		// pull the shadow root (we expect this to have been built by DSD)
-		const shadowRoot = newElement.shadowRoot;
-
-		// we have to manually pull out the attributes from the shadowRoot
-		// since there's no native way to just clone the shadowRoot fragment -.-
-		// we do this using a Range document fragment
-		const { mode, delegatesFocus } = shadowRoot;
-		const range = document.createRange();
-		range.selectNodeContents(shadowRoot);
+		const tagName = templateElement.tagName.toLowerCase();
 
 		// TDElement class, which has the core functionality that all Tram-Deco
 		// Web Components will need
 		class BaseTDElement extends HTMLElement {
-			constructor() {
+			constructor(shadowRoot) {
 				super();
 
-				// attach the shadow root, with the options used in the DSD
-				this.attachShadow({ mode, delegatesFocus });
+				if (shadowRoot) {
+					// attach the shadow root, with the options used in the created declarative shadow DOM
+					this.attachShadow(shadowRoot);
 
-				// clone the shadow root content
-				this.shadowRoot.append(range.cloneContents());
+					// clone the shadow root content using a document range
+					const shadowRootRange = document.createRange();
+					shadowRootRange.selectNodeContents(shadowRoot);
+					this.shadowRoot.append(shadowRootRange.cloneContents());
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
+		const parentClassName = templateElement.getAttribute(`td-extends`);
+		const parentClass = customElements.get(parentClassName) || BaseTDElement;
+
 		// we need to pull the constructor method separately
-		const modifiedConstructor = newElement.querySelector(`script[td-method="constructor"]`);
-		class TDElement extends BaseTDElement {
-			constructor() {
-				super();
+		const modifiedConstructor = templateElement.querySelector(`script[td-method="constructor"]`);
+		class TDElement extends parentClass {
+			// overrideShadowRoot will be a templateElement.shadowRoot of a sub-class (if we have one)
+			// otherwise, we'll default to using the shadowRoot of this element.
+			constructor(overrideShadowRoot) {
+				super(overrideShadowRoot || templateElement.shadowRoot);
 				eval(modifiedConstructor?.textContent || '');
 			}
 		}
 
 		// pull all other script tags for methods, and add them to the prototype
-		newElement.querySelectorAll(`script[td-method]`).forEach((lifecycleScript) => {
+		templateElement.querySelectorAll(`script[td-method]`).forEach((lifecycleScript) => {
 			const methodName = lifecycleScript.getAttribute('td-method');
 			TDElement.prototype[methodName] = function () {
 				eval(lifecycleScript.textContent);
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ class TramDeco {
 		});
 
 		// pull script tags for properties, and add them to the class as getters
-		newElement.querySelectorAll(`script[td-property]`).forEach((propertyScript) => {
+		templateElement.querySelectorAll(`script[td-property]`).forEach((propertyScript) => {
 			const propertyName = propertyScript.getAttribute('td-property');
 			Object.defineProperty(TDElement, propertyName, {
 				get: function () {