Lycanthrope
Lycanthropes are humanoids who can transform themselves into animals or hybrid monsters. Also see Lycanthrope Prestige Class
Evil lycanthropes often hide among normal folk, emerging in animal form at night (especially under the full moon) to spread terror and bloodshed.
Creating A Lycanthrope
"Lycanthrope" is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the "character"). The creature's type changes to "shapechanger." The lycanthrope takes on the characteristics of some type of carnivorous animal (referred to hereafter as the "animal"). This can be any predator between the size of a small dog and a large bear. The most common are listed in the table below. Some kinds of lycanthropes can also adopt a hybrid shape that combines features of the character and the animal.
A lycanthrope uses either the character's or the animal's statistics and special abilities in addition to those set out below.
Hit Dice: Same as the character or animal, whichever produces the higher hit point total. If the lycanthrope's number of Hit Dice is important, as with a sleep spell, use the character's or animal's number of Hit Dice, whichever is greater.
Speed: Same as the character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using.
AC: The character's or animal's natural armor increases by +2, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. (A wererat in hybrid form is an exception; see the entry below.)
Attacks: Same as the character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. (A wererat in hybrid form is an exception; see the entry below.)
Damage: Same as the character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using.
Special Attacks: A lycanthrope retains all the special attacks of the character or animal, depending on which form it is using, and also gains those listed below.
Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex): Lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with normal or dire animals of their animal form. This gives them a +4 racial bonus to checks when influencing the animal's attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."
Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid hit by a lycanthrope's bite attack in animal form must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or contract lycanthropy. A wererat can spread lycanthropy with its bite or by hitting with a piercing or slashing weapon. Bludgeoning or non-penetrating attacks do nor transmit the condition.
Special Qualities: A lycanthrope retains all the special qualities of the character or animal and also gains those listed below.
Alternate Form (Su): A lycanthrope can assume the form of a specific animal (as indicated in its entry). Wererats, weretigers, and werewolves also can assume a bipedal hybrid form with prehensile hands and animalistic features. Changing to or from animal or hybrid form is a standard action. Upon assuming either form, the lycanthrope regains hit points as if having rested for a day. A slain lycanthrope reverts to its humanoid form, although it remains dead. Separated body parts retain their animal form, however. This shapeshifting ability can be difficult to control (see Lycanthropy as an Affliction, below).
Damage Reduction (Ex): A lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form gains damage reduction 15/silver.
Saves: The base saves are as for the character or animal, whichever is better. In addition, lycanthropes receive a +2 racial bonus to Fortitude and Will saves.
Abilities: For a lycanthrope in humanoid form, ability scores are unchanged. In animal or hybrid form, a lycanthrope's ability scores improve by type, as set out in the table below.
Skills: Lycanthropes receive a +4 racial bonus to Search, Spot, and Listen checks when in humanoid form. In animal or hybrid form, these bonuses increase to +8. A lycanthrope in hybrid or animal form gains the same skills as a normal animal of its form in addition to the character's skills. If a lycanthrope has a skill in both its humanoid and animal forms, use the better score. Afflicted lycanthropes also can learn the Control Shape skill as a class skill.
Feats: Same as the character. When in hybrid or animal form, the lycanthrope gains any feats a normal animal of its form has. Lycanthropes also have the Control Shape skill as a feat. Lycanthropes in hybrid or animal form have additional feats as set out in the accompanying table.
Climate/Terrain: Same as either the character or animal.
Organization: Solitary or pair, sometimes family (2-4), pack (6-10), or troupe (family plus related animals)
Challenge Rating: Same as the animal +2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Any; see examples
Advancement: By character class
Lycanthrope Characters
Since they live in the wilderness, most lycanthropes become barbarians or rangers. Wererats tend to become rogues. Becoming a lycanthrope does not change a character's favored class but usually changes alignment (see below). This may cause characters of certain classes to lose their class abilities.
| Common Lycanthropes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Animal Form | Ability Score Adjustments | Feats |
| Werebat | Dire bat | Str +6, Dex +4, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +2 | Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative |
| Werebear | Brown bear | Str +16, Dex +2, Con +8 | Blind-Fight, Power Attack |
| Wereboar | Boar | Str +4, Con +6 | Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative |
| Werecrocodile | Giant Crocodile | Str +16, Dex +2, Con +8, Int +2, Wis +2 | Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative |
| Wererat | Dire rat | Dex +6, Con +2 | Multiattack (despite only one natural weapon), Weapon Finesse (bite), Weapon Finesse (any) |
| Wereshark | Large shark | Str +6, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +2 | Blind-Fight, Power Attack |
| Weretiger | Tiger | Str +12, Dex +4, Con +6 | Blind-Fight, Multiattack, Power Attack |
| Werewolf | Wolf | Str +2, Dex +4, Con +4 | Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (bite) |
Lycanthropy as an Affliction
When a character contracts lycanthropy through a lycanthrope's bite (see above), no symptoms appear until the first night of the next full moon. On that night, the afflicted character involuntarily assumes animal form and forgets his or her own identity, temporarily becoming an NPC under the DM's control. The character remains in animal form, assuming the appropriate alignment, until the next dawn.
The characters actions during this first episode are dictated by the alignment of its animal form. Good-aligned lycanthropes seek to avoid settlements or travelers and nonnatural environments, seeking out wilderness environs. They may hunt the natural prey of their kind, but avoid attacking good and neutral intelligent creatures. Evil-aligned lycanthropes seek to murder as many intelligent creatures as possible, often killing their own family members and friends. They generally seek our places where such victims may be found. Neutral creatures seek remote areas and avoid contact with civilization, but might attack travelers or other folk abroad in the wilderness if the travelers are few in number. However, the attack is driven by natural ferocity and hunger, nor malice, in any case, the character remembers nothing about the entire episode (or subsequent episodes) unless be succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom check, in which case he becomes aware of his lycanthropic condition.
Thereafter, the character is subject to involuntary transformation under the full moon and whenever damaged in combat. He or she feels an overwhelming rage building up and must succeed on a Control Shape check to resist changing into animal form. Any player character nor yet aware of his or her lycanthropic condition temporarily becomes an NPC under the DM's control during an involuntary change, and acts as described above depending on the alignment of his or her animal form.
A character with awareness of his condition retains his identity and does not lose control of his actions if he changes. However, each time he changes to his animal form, he must make a Will save (DC 15 + number of times he has been in animal form) or permanently assume the alignment of his animal form in all shapes. An evil lycanthrope who is aware of his actions in animal form is not compelled to murder and kill indiscriminately, but he delights in bloodshed and will certainly seek out opportunities to slaughter intelligent beings, preferably those of his own race.
Once a character becomes aware of his affliction, he can now voluntarily attempt to change to animal or hybrid form, using the appropriate Control Shape check DC. An attempt is a standard action and can be made each round. Any voluntary change to animal or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character's alignment to that of the appropriate lycanthrope.
Changing Form
Changing form is a standard action. If the change is involuntary, the character performs the change on his next turn following the triggering event. An afflicted character who is not aware of his condition remains in animal form until the next dawn. An afflicted character who is aware of his or her condition (see above) can try to resume humanoid form following a change (voluntary or involuntary) with a Control Shape check, but if he fails his check he remains in animal (or hybrid) form until the following dawn.
Curing Lycanthropy
An afflicted character who eats a sprig of belladonna (also called wolfsbane) within 1 hour of a lycanthrope's attack can attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save to shake off the affliction, if a healer administers the herb, use the character's save bonus or the healer's Heal modifier, whichever is higher. The character gets only one chance, no matter how much belladonna is consumed, The belladonna must be reasonably fresh (picked within the last week).
However, fresh or not, belladonna is toxic. The character must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Strength damage. One minute later, the character must succeed on a second DC 13 save or take an additional 2d6 points of Strength damage.
A remove disease or heal spell cast by a cleric of 12th level higher also cures the affliction, provided the character receives the spell within three days of the lycanthrope's attack.
The only other way to remove the affliction is to cast remove curse or break enchantment on the character during one of the days of the full moon. After receiving the spell, the character must succeed on a DC 20 Will save to break the curse (the caster knows if the spell works). If the save fails, the process must be repeated. Characters undergoing this cure are often kept bound or confined in cages until the cure takes effect.
Only afflicted lycanthropes can be cured of lycanthropy.
Lycanthropes As Characters
Since they live in the wilderness, most lycanthropes become barbarians or rangers. Wererats tend to become rogues. Becoming lycanthrope does not change a character's favored class but usually changes alignment (see above). This alignment change may cause characters of certain classes to lose some of their class features.
Lycanthrope characters possess the following racial traits.
- +2 Wisdom. Physical abilities are increased by the animal form's ability modifiers when a lycanthrope changes to its hybrid or animal forms.
- Size same as the base creature or the base animal form.
- low-light vision in any form.
- Scent in any form.
- Racial Hit Dice: A lycanthrope adds the Hit Dice of its animal form to its base Hit Dice for race, level, and class. These additional Hit Dice modify the lycanthrope's base attack bonus and base saving throw bonuses accordingly.
- Racial Skills: A lycanthrope adds skill points for its animal Hit Dice much as if it had multiclassed into the animal. It gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die of the animal form. Any skills that appear in the animal's description are treated as class skills for the lycanthrope's animal levels. The lycanthrope's maximum skill ranks are equal to its animal form Hit Dice + its racial Hit Dice (if any) + its class levels + 3. Any racial skill adjustments of the lycanthrope's base race and its animal form (but not conditional adjustments) are added to its skill modifiers in any form.
- Racial Feats: Add the animal's Hit Dice to the base character's own Hit Dice to determine how many feats the character has. All lycanthropes gain Iron Will as a bonus feat.
- +2 natural armor bonus in any form.
- Special Qualities (see above): Alternate form, lycanthropic empathy, curse of lycanthropy (in animal or hybrid form only).
- Afflicted lycanthrope: damage reduction 5/silver (in animal or hybrid form only).
- Natural lycanthrope: damage reduction 10/silver (in animal or hybrid form only).
- Automatic languages: As base creature.
- Favored Class: Same as the base creature.
- Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural).
Other Lycanthropes Of The Realms
Following the Time of Troubles, a variety of new lycanthrope forms appeared in the Realms. Rumors persist of such strange creatures as werebison, weredogs, weredolphins, wereleopards, wereowls, and werepanthers.
Lythari
These elf-werewolves share all the abilities of common werewolves, except that they do not have a hybrid form. Their alignment is always chaotic good, and they are often higher-level characters in elf form.
In wolf form, lythari are beautiful, with pale gray or silver fur and intelligent blue or brown eyes. In wood elf form, they are beautiful and otherworldly, even for elves. Tall and pale-skinned, they have light blue or green eyes and silver hair.
Lythari can only pass on their lycanthropy to other elves, and only in a special ritual performed with the complete consent of both parties.
Werecat
These chaotic good lycanthropes are humans who can assume the form of ordinary cats. A secretive sisterhood of werecats known as the Eyes of the Evening serves the goddesses Sharess and Selûne, though their exact aims are unknown. They are rumored to hunt cultists of Shar and Loviatar during nights of the full moon.
Sample Lycanthropes
Werebear: Werebear, Bear Form.
Werebear, Human Form
Werebear, Hybrid Form
Wereboar: Wereboar, Boar Form.
Wereboar, Human Form
Wereboar, Hybrid Form
Wererat: Wererat, Rat Form.
Wererat, Human Form
Wererat, Hybrid Form
Weretiger: Weretiger, Tiger Form.
Weretiger, Human Form
Weretiger, Hybrid Form
Werewolf: Werewolf, Wolf Form.
Werewolf, Human Form
Werewolf, Hybrid Form
Werebat: Werebat, Bat Form.
Werebat, Drow Form
Werebat, Hybrid Form
Werecrocodile: Werecrocodile, Crocodile Form.
Werecrocodile, Human Form
Werecrocodile, Hybrid Form
Wereshark: Wereshark, Shark Form.
Wereshark, Human Form
Wereshark, Hybrid Form
Blacktooth Lycanthropy
Blacktooth lycanthropy is an acquired template that can be applied to any giant or humanoid. The differences between blacktooth lycanthropy and normal lycanthropy are listed here:
Size and Type: Same as normal lycanthropy.
Speed: Same as normal lycanthropy, but a blacktooth lycanthrope receives a +10 bonus to his base speed in all forms.
Armor Class: The base creature's natural armor bonus increases by +8 in all forms. In hybrid form, the lycanthrope's natural armor bonus is equal to the base creature's natural armor bonus +8 or the base animal's natural armor bonus +8 (whichever is better).
Base Attack/Grapple, Attacks, and Damage: Same as normal lycanthropy.
Special Attacks: A blacktooth lycanthrope retains the special attacks of the base creature or base animal, depending on which form it is using, and also gains the special attack described below.
A blacktooth lycanthrope's hybrid form does not gain any special attacks of the base animal. A blacktooth lycanthrope spellcaster cannot cast spells with verbal, somatic, or material components while in animal form, or spells with verbal components in hybrid form.
Curse of Blacktooth Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by a first-generation blacktooth lycanthrope's bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or contract blacktooth lycanthropy. Victims who succumb to the disease suffer their first involuntary transformation one minute after failing the save. If the victim's size is not within once size category of the blacktooth lycanthrope's base animal, the victim is immune to this effect. Second-generation or younger blacktooth lycanthropes spread the standard curse of lycanthropy as other natural lycanthropes.
Special Qualities: Same as normal lycanthropy, except the blacktooth lycanthrope gains the additional special qualities below.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A blacktooth lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form has damage reduction 10/silver and magic.
Darkvision (Ex): A blacktooth lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form has 60-foot darkvision.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A blacktooth lycanthrope has spell resistance equal to 10 plus its hit dice.
Base Save Bonuses: Same as normal lycanthropes.
Abilities: All blacktooth lycanthropes suffer a -2 penalty to their Wisdom scores. The blacktooth fungus dulls the natural cunning of the base creature, even as it increases its ferocity. In addition, when in animal or hybrid form, a blacktooth lycanthrope's physical ability scores improve by an amount equal to the base animal's physical ability scores -10 (for even scores) or - 11 (for odd scores).
Skills: Same as normal lycanthropy.
Feats: Same as normal lycanthropy, except that blacktooth lycanthropes gain Improved Natural Attack with all the animal's natural attacks, in addition to Iron Will as bonus feats, even if they do not meet the prerequisites.
Environment: Same as either the base creature or the base animal.
Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature, modified according to the Hit Dice of the base animal: 1-2 HD, +4; 3-5 HD, +5 6-10 HD, +6; 11-20 HD, +7 21 or more HD, +8.
Treasure: Standard.
Alignment: Always chaotic evil.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +5. In addition, a blacktooth lycanthrope's character level is increased by the number of racial Hit Dice the base animal has.