Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Vorpal Tribble 12-08-05, 10:28 AM	Where do these freaks turn up? I've been trying to figure out how to introduce lycanthropes into a campaign world I've been writing up that has no moon. Then I noticed that there are lycanthropes that have nothing to do with being bitten and subsequent altering of shape depending on phase of the moon. However, how in the world are you born with these strange abilities? It doesn't say anything about the mother or father or some such having to be bitten to give birth to a natural one, so how does this work? This mean anyone could potentially be born with the knowledge they can sprout hair and fangs?
BelRex 12-08-05, 10:50 AM	In faerun, they have the elven lythari(I think that is the correct spelling). They are chaotic good werewolf elves. They have been around since the beginning of elven history in Faerun. If you want, you could have them worship a goddess of the Moon(like Selune, who has dominion over good lycanthropes). Other than that..I'm not really sure about stable families of lycans. I would think that if either parents have it, and couple, their child would be a natural lycan. You would probably be a very wild child, but having all that time to deal with it, I assume, allows you to avoid alignment changes.
JiCi 12-08-05, 10:53 AM	Simple, if one of the parents is an afflicted, or natural, lycanthrope, the resulting offspring is a natural lycanthrope. Now, for how they know about their heritage, well it's all up to you. It could have learned it from the afflicted parent or on its own when it reached maturity. For how to put them in your campaign, there's a spell called Curse of Lycanthropy, IIRC, that could serve as a starting point.
Ront Iron-Roar 12-08-05, 11:08 AM	As, explained in an article about Dire Weasels and Kobolds, Lycanthropy also sprouts from a races or cultures deep devotion and kinship to a certain race. Once, in a while through some odd event one member of a race begins taking the traits of the favored animal before degressing into a Lycanthrope. In addition, I think Malar in faerun is also responsible for some Lycanthropy.
The Vorpal Tribble 12-08-05, 11:15 AM	If you want, you could have them worship a goddess of the Moon(like Selune, who has dominion over good lycanthropes). Well, as I mentioned, theres no moon around this world. Simple, if one of the parents is an afflicted, or natural, lycanthrope, the resulting offspring is a natural lycanthrope. I'm thinking of there being no afflcted weres, only natural, bloodlines, and shifters as the afflicted seem to have alot to do with the phases of the moon. As, explained in an article about Dire Weasels and Kobolds, Lycanthropy also sprouts from a races or cultures deep devotion and kinship to a certain race. Once, in a while through some odd event one member of a race begins taking the traits of the favored animal before degressing into a Lycanthrope. Hrmmm, that has potential I guess. Basically this world, about three thousand years ago, went into an ice age and lycanthropy suddenly became, if not common, at least not unheard of. The druids of the world had to go into a frenzy of preservation to keep the balance, so I'm thinking maybe they casted a great spell over the land so that many would become weres and with their toughness and thick fur survive.
CzarGarrett 12-08-05, 01:08 PM	You could always have it more astrologically set, rather than lunar. That way you can treat them mostly the same, except that the 'full moon' could be various Constellations. Constellation 1 at Zenith- 'Full moon' for Werewolves Constellation 2 at Zenith- 'Full moon' for Werebears etc, etc
Dionon 12-08-05, 01:24 PM	You could always have it where there was ONCE a moon, but it was destroyed in a great war when a Afflicted Lycanthrope General gathered an army of Lycans and started to rampage throughout the world. Someone, I don't know who could have done it, but someone destroyed, or, and heres a though, hid the moon and the Afflicted lost their power to change, but that didn't stop their children from changing as they were born naturals :D
The Vorpal Tribble 12-08-05, 02:34 PM	Another question, do weres die of old age? Seems they'd just keep living and living until they got silvered or something.
savant_warlord13 12-08-05, 03:13 PM	one of the parents could have gotten to your campaign world by spelljamming!
Wyrd Bearer 12-08-05, 03:18 PM	Well, as to why there are natural lycanthropes, ask yourself why there are albinos born, or better yet (on a more fantastic basis), how do mutants such as the X-Men come into being? Evolution as genetic codes mutate and change and adapt. As for why they could exist in your moonless world, do you have druids? Perhaps natural lycanthropes sprang forth from a cabal of specific druids who felt a deeper connection to the natural world than they did to their humanity (or orcidity, dwarfness, gnomeitude, etc [what? I don't know how to if there is a proper word for "being an orc" like there is for "being a human"]) who spent much of their time in their wildshape form. The more powerful druids could spend all their lives in animal form if they wished. Now, as they live like this (please keep mature here), perhaps they eventually went "natural" and actually bred with normal animals. Their offspring could be nature's response; an animal that seeks to be more human, sort of a reverse druid. In this case, the lycanthropes would be more like animals imitating people, so their natural form would be the animal form and the hybrid and human forms would be their assumed forms.
Darth Sephiroth 12-08-05, 03:33 PM	If you don't want to bother explaining how they got into the world for a while, but to introduce them into the world, the Bad Moon Waning free adventure is a great starting point for a lower level party.
twad 12-08-05, 03:47 PM	ideas like that on the fly.. you could simply say that "werewolves" are actually only anthropomorphics humanoids having some wolf-like features. No magic/curse and all, they just evolved like that. No moon needed. They are allergic to silver.. why? just because they are. You could use the shifter race form ebberon too. You could also change that werewolves only transform during the hot season/equinoxes/whatever natural event that happen from time to time..
savant_warlord13 12-08-05, 03:49 PM	another idea, the shapechange could be activated by solstices or other asrtrological events, although solstices do come around a lot less often than full moons
Wyrd Bearer 12-08-05, 04:10 PM	ideas like that on the fly.. you could simply say that "werewolves" are actually only anthropomorphics humanoids having some wolf-like features. No magic/curse and all, they just evolved like that. No moon needed. They are allergic to silver.. why? just because they are. You could use the shifter race form ebberon too. You could also change that werewolves only transform during the hot season/equinoxes/whatever natural event that happen from time to time..I did that in an all human campaign, play a shifter that is. I convinced the DM that I was basically a freak of nature, born the way I was and so instead of the feat and skill bonuses, I instead had the shifter traits. It was fun, I was basically the monster in the world, despite being one of the heroes.
DeciusNero 12-08-05, 04:15 PM	I've always thought that lycanthropy was result of some magical mutation, usually between a race and its surrounding animals (dont i sound all quasi-scientific?) I think i got the idea when looking at the 'Elite Opponents', the kobold entry. 1/100 kobolds is a natural wereferret/wereweasel, because of the domestication of dire weasels. just specualtion
Sarlax 12-08-05, 11:37 PM	However, how in the world are you born with these strange abilities? In Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts (2E Ravenloft), the child of a natural lycanthrope father had a 50/50 chance of being born untainted or being born a true lycanthrope. If, however, the mother is the natural lycanthrope, there's a 50/50 shot of the child being born infected or natural; there's no chance of the child escaping unaffected. If two natural lycanthropes breed, the child is definitely natural. If the parents are both lycanthropes, I suggest checking for the contagion separately for each parent.
The Vorpal Tribble 12-09-05, 01:09 AM	Hows this sound as an explanation for one of the big, bad were-BBEG's of the world... I I doubt the players will ever encounter him, but I like to stat the powers that be. Warning: Long read ahead... -=-=-=-=-=-=- A figure rose out of the nearby snow and glanced about. A pounding sleet stung the exposed face, the only skin exposed to a chill that gnawed with a hungered intensity. Though dark as only a moonless night beneath thick clouds could be, the figure surveyed the surrounding area with piercing scrutiny. All around the figure lay dozens of bodies, the slush of frozen blood spotting their forms. The figure bared fangs and the jaw muscles strained to keep in the rage that threatened to bleed from between the chapped lips. It reached down and retrieved a huge spear with a head carved of bone. As it straightened up however a grunt escaped its lips and a hand went to its swollen belly. She clenched her jaw and squared her shoulders proudly, refusing to give in to even the weakness that her child-to-be imposed upon her already weakened stamina. For four days she hiked without food or sleep, fleeing the nearby human lands and the noses of their hounds as fast as she could manage. Pangs of the approaching birth filled her with agony, but she resolutely refused by sheer will to allow her child to be born where it would surely die. As the horizon darkened on that fourth evening she stumbled from weariness and fell into a stupor. "AAAAGH!" she roared as brutal pain jolted her awake. Her eyes flying open and rolling to her feet in a single motion. Before her hulked a massive beast of fur and muscle. An overwhelming stench emanated from its form and fresh blood dribbled down its jaw. Momentarily glancing to her left arm she saw a great ammount of flesh had been torn away clear to the bone. The rumble sounded in the beast's chest and its nostrils flared, taking in her scent. It lunged forward but she through herself to the side and fell the stiffness of the spear beneath her. Clutching it with her good hand she circled around the brute. She knew that the chances of defeating such a creature was slim, for even the wolverine of minimal stature commanded respect. The horror before her however was of the deep frosts, and it commanded anything it wished. Taking a moment to sniff the air and locate its former prey in the lightless murk, it found the scent and turned. Allowing it to approach, she awaited an opening. As its maw parted she hurled the spear forward, but instead of piercing the roof of its mouth it sunk into gums. A canine longer than her hand splintered off at the root and disapeared down its gullet as it inhaled in the sudden pain. However, the expected roar never came, replaced with a rasping cough deep with its chest. It arched its back and thew its head from side to side, but breath refused to come. Take advantage of this, the soon-to-be mother pulled the spear out with a spew of froth. It fell to one knee with wretched hacking and so she clambered up atop its lowered back. She stood a moment in triumph and then drove the spear deep into its back. She went along the ridge, piercing its spine along the full length. As it lost control of its muscles the beast began to twitch violently and she had to leap clear as it fall to its side. Finally its chest rattled and the upwards staring eye glazed over. Its paws continued to jerk, but she knew the beast was dead. Despite the cold a sweat had formed on her brow, and as the wind blew she realized just how close to death she was herself. As she looked upon her kill a thought came into her mind, "A warm place... for a cold night." Retrieving the spear once more, she approached its belly and drove in its head. With its ragged edge she sawed open the beast's bowels, releasing a great torrent of ichor and organs. Without a moment's thought she grabbed at the steaming entrails and fed. When she could hold no more she scraped clean its body cavity and bundled within. The squeal of a newborn was heard that night, and those with clear hearing might also have noticed how when it met with the howling wind it seemed to combine to form the roar of the once live beast. There was great surprise when she approached the edge of a city of tents, holding a large bundle of fur. The massacre weeks before was well known, and all were killed or captured by the worm-crapping human soldiers. Respect turned to great admiration as the woman told her story. None doubted her tale, and the chief of the great orc tribe of the southern frosts we entranced by her resilience. He took her as his head wife, and the babe was raised as his own. Teh he was called, and he grew quickly, which was well, for such a terror few orcs had encounted in one so young. Within but a few months all teeth had grown and he bit and howled whenever he didn't roll about in a sleep that would be disturbed by a mere breath of wind. By the age of one he was quick on his feet and would chase other children with whatever hard object he could get his little hands on. It was after a fit of rage in his third year that he killed the chief's son who was three years Teh's elder. Found smashing the head of the already dead body repeatedly into the ground, it took two grown guards to forcefully pry him off. The chief was greatly angered, but he saw that one with such a spirit would be of great aid to him and though younger by far than any normally trained, he was allowed to join early the training groups taught by battle-hardened veterans. He learned with a will that was near frightening to see, but it was soon apparent that the child was possessed of something. Mercy, even in practise spats was foreign to him, and once he was locked in combat, he could not stop. Every training exercise, every spar was to the death unless the combatants were forcefully seperated. He was threatened and then punished, but as all this did was fuel whatever inner demons writhed within and in whatever way he could, he had his revenge. As he went from boy to man he and his brethren were sent out into the wilds to test their worthiness to become full warriors. Only Teh returned. He simply ignored all questions until his his adopted sire called him forth. With a tone of near bragging he eventually told of his exploits in the mountains, and how one by one he hunted down the others and fed upon them to strength himself. In a great fury over the loss of a whole troop of potential warriors the chief commanded him to be put to death. Teh threw back his head in a laugh and hair sprouted all over his body as he grew large enough for the tent to be lifted from the ground. Within moments a horrible creature stood before the chief and his guards. He howled as he dispatched the bodyguards and with a disdaining gesture crushed in the chest of the chief himself. Teh's mother approached and grinned fiercely and lifted her fist to her son. "OUR LORD!" she shouted, and as she repeated these words nearby orcs joined in the call until the entire village echoed with it. During the ceremony his mother presented him with a gift. A great bow, fashioned of the very bones and preserved tendons of the great dire wolverine that she had brought down so long ago. Along with this came a quiver of arrows, each tipped with the tooth of the great beast. As he took the bow it suddenly began to twist and strange spots speckled over ts surface. Within moments flesh and fur grew thickly over the bones and it became warm to the touch. Beneath his hands he felt a distinct pulse of hot blood flowing through it, matching the rythum of his own. A horrible smile formed on his face and he bowed his head to his parent. From that time forward the nearby human lands found it much more difficult to defeat the hoardes, and none at all survived that went out to scout for the home of the intruders. Along with gaining the support of other tribes Teh has gained to his side a great number of Shifters, along with a variety of other evil weres who revere him to the point of near godhood. Those who join with the tribe never again leave, for those who attempt it are soon tracked and found, the great howl of Teh the last sound they ever hear. He amuses himself with these chases and the gathering of his forces until the day he can strike into the capitals of the civilized lands themselves... Warlord Teh, The Vicious Chillbeast, Terror of the Frost (Barbarian 12, Fighter 4, Orc Paragon 3) Orc Dire Werewolverine, Hybrid Form, Large Humanoid (shapechanger) Hit Dice: 24d8+195 (303 hp) Initiative: +5 Speed: 40 ft. Armor Class: 20 (+5 dex, +6 natural, -1 size) Base Attack/Grapple: +22/+37 Attack: Claw +33 melee (1d6+11), or +2 seeking/wounding bonebow +36 ranged (1d10+15/19-20 x3) Full attack: Claw +33 melee (1d6+11) and Bite +27 melee (1d8+5); or Bite +27 melee (1d8+5) and +2 seeking/wounding bonebow +36 ranged (1d10+15/19-20 x3) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Greater rage, improved uncanny dodge, rage 4/day, uncanny dodge Special Qualities: Cold resistance 5, darkvision 90 ft., damage reduction 12/silver, low-light vision, scent, trap sense +4 Saves: Fort +27, Ref +15, Will +15 Abilities: Str 33, Dex 21, Con 26, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 17 Skills: Climb +17, Intimidate +24, Jump +24, Listen +14, Spot +19, Survival +19 Feats: Alertness, Cold Endurance, Endurance, Far Shot, Improved Cold Endurance, Improved Critical (bonebow), Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Rapid Shot, Toughness, Track, Weapon Focus (bonebow), Weapon Specialization (bonebow) Challenge Rating: 29 Treasure: Bow of the Hot Blood Alignment: Chaotic Evil Human Slayer (Ex): Teh can channel his hatred of the human race. He gains a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against humans. Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Teh canot be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than Teh has barbarian levels. Rage (Ex): Warlord Teh can fly into a rage 4 times per day. He temporarily gains a +6 bonus to Strength, a +6 bonus to Constitution, and a +3 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. Trap Sense (Ex): Teh gains a +4 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Teg retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. -=-=-=-=-=-=- Bow of the Hot Blood The bow of the hot blood is considered a Seeking, Wounding +2 bone bow (Frostburn, p. 75). The wielder of the bow hears a growl in his mind when he wields it and feels it pulse in time with his own heartbeat. A flash of heat seems to course through the new wielder as it joins, dealing 1d6 points of fire damage, but until another take possession of the bow it never strikes again. For every point of constitution it drains with its wounding ability when it hits, the wielder gains a temporary hit point that fades away within 24 hours.