WEREWOLF
Werewolves are lords of the wilderness and deadly hunters. They move swiftly and attack with brutal force, and show no mercy to those that wronged them.
RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5' 8" - 7' 2"
Average Weight: 190-280 lb.
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares (see also "Speed of the Lycan")
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonus: +2 Nature, +2 Perception
Change Shape: As a minor action, you can alter your physical form to appear as a wolf, a werewolf (also called "hybrid form"), or a unique humanoid. You can also shift one square as part of your action. You can't use your claw attack in humanoid form and can't use weapons in wolf form. All your equipment melds with the wolf form and remains active, but you drop the items that you are currently holding unless in hybrid form.
Loyalty of the Pack: Wolves will never see you as a threat unless they are feral, provoked, or commanded to do so. You also gain a +4 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks against wolves and dire wolves.
Speed of the Lycan: When in wolf form, you gain a +2 bonus to speed, and a +1 bonus when in hybrid form.
Sharp Claws: In hybrid or wolf form, your claw (both main- and off-hand) allows you an unarmed attack with +2 proficiency and dealing 1d6 + Strength modifier damage.
Lunar Blessing: You can use Lunar Blessing as a minor action.
Rage of the Moon: You can use Rage of the Moon as an Encounter power.
Lunar Blessing
Werewolf Racial Power
Your injuries seem to slowly fade and your bones begin to mend as you feel the moons pale glow on your skin.
At-will - Healing
Minor Action - Personal
Special: You must be bloodied to use this power.
Effect: Use a healing surge, but regain no hit points. Until the end of the encounter, or for as long as you are bloodied, you gain regeneration equal to your Constitution modifier +1 (+2 at 11th level, +4 at 21st level). If you take damage from a silver weapon, the regeneration doesn’t function on its next turn. Regeneration cannot be used if you don’t have any healing surges.
Rage of the Moon
Werewolf Racial Power
Your blood begins to boil, the beast inside takes hold, and it unleashes its wrath against your friends and foes alike.
Encounter – Primal
Standard Action – Close Burst 1
Special: You must be bloodied to use this power.
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity modifier damage, and take ongoing damage equal to your Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity Modifier.
Aftereffect: You are weakened until the end of your next turn.
Preferring to remain in a pack of some kind, werewolves make valuable allies once you have earned their trust, and will die protecting their allies as if they were one of their own. Fierce hunters and cunning rouges, they never give their prey the chance to escape from there sights.
Play a werewolf if you want...
- to be a lycanthrope
- to be a strong, agile, and cunning beast
- to be a strong pack hunter and a loyal companion to your friends
- To be a member of the race that favors the Fighter, Druid, Rouge, or Ranger classes.
Physical Qualities
Werewolves in humanoid form tend to be of average height, lithe and strong. Their hair is thick and usually worn long. They may have reddish, brown, white, gray, or black hair, matching the color of their canine form. They dress to fit their environment, however they try maintaining subtlety. From lavish outfits to simple cloth and leather garments. It is not unusual to see them dressed in suits of chainmail or other armors as well. Whatever they wear, their garments meld and become a part of the werewolf as it changes form, making its Hybrid or wolf forms have exotic and strange markings.
In hybrid form, the werewolf grows in size and takes on the characteristics of its respective beast, merging into a mix of man and wolf, and wields its weapon of choice with ease, interchanging with swift claw attacks if it so choses.
Most werewolves have an unnatural vitality due to their Lycanthropic heritage, and can live and remain vigorous well past 100 years of age, some legends saying even longer.
Playing a Werewolf
Werewolves are sometimes torn between their two natures, like other lycanthropes, but always feel at ease in the within their packs. They get along well with their own kind, fey beings, shifters, and other humanoids. They work well in groups and will strive to protect their allies, as well as keep attention off them in battle. Wolves are natural predators, and werewolves are no different. They hunt and forage as well as their canine relatives. This tends to drive them toward the Fighter, Ranger, Druid, and Rouge paths.
Werewolves are raised in communities of other werewolves deep in the wild or sometimes hidden among humanoid cities. They are taught how to control their inner beast and master it. They learn how to live and survive in their environments, and if necessary, to fight. They also taught to be loyal and to fight those that would intend harm to the pack that they are a part of, which protects them and supplies for them.
After coming of age, they may stay with their pack and possibly progress to become its leader. Some go out to seek adventure, possibly to start their own pack, or to join another. Or they may try to live solitary lives, some against their will, as hermits or fishermen. Werewolves respect wolves as kin, and tend to have them run with packs as protectors and hunters. The werewolves’ home is with their packs, which often tend to be nomadic. Others may take refuge in the wilderness while others may stay within civilization.
Most werewolves act out of necessity, and try to avoid conflict if possible, so they tend to be unaligned.
Male Names: Ghurraf, Grawn, Noshoba, Amaras
Female Names: Mika, Amber, Iceyes, Canna
FEATS
Savage Claws
Tier: Heroic (Level 1-10)
Prerequisite: Werewolf
Description: Your natural claw attack improves to 1d8 + Strength modifier damage with a +3 Proficiency bonus. It also gains the High Crit property.
Gouging Swings
Tier: Heroic (Level 1-10)
Prerequisites: Savage Claws feat
Description: Your claws can be used in replacement of light blades and give ongoing damage equal to your dexterity modifier when you land a critical hit, or if you use sneak attack.
Pack Tactics
Tier: Heroic (1-10)
Prerequisites: Werewolf
Description: You use gain a +1 bonus to hit a target when adjacent to another ally
Again, this is a rough draft and I expect changes, and again, your thoughts are appreciated.
Werewolf Racial Traits
Ability Scores: +2 Strength; +2 Dexterity or +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance
Bloodied Regeneration: You gain regeneration 2 while bloodied. [Increase to regeneration 4 at 11th; regeneration 6 at 21st.]
Feral Predator: You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls against bloodied targets. [Increase to +3 at 11th; +4 at 21st.]
Humanoid Form: You have the Humanoid Form power.
Immune Moon Frenzy: You are immune to Moon Frenzy and Greater Moon Frenzy.
Shapechanger: You are a medium natural humanoid with the shapechanger subtype.
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Humanoid Form (Werewolf Racial Power)
You alter your form to resemble that of the unsuspecting prey.
At-Will * Polymorph
Minor Action (Special) Personal
Effect: You alter your physical form to appear as a unique Medium humanoid. You may not assume the form of a specific individual. You retain your statistics in your new form, and your clothing, armor, and possessions do not change. You can end this effect as a minor action, and it ends immediately if you die.
Special: You can use this power once per round.
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Werewolf Racial Feats:
Hunter's Intuition [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Bluff and Insight, and an additional +2 bonus to Bluff and Insight against creatures with the Shapechanger keyword.
Silver Fang [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
Your unarmed attacks and your attacks with any power that has the Beast Form keyword are treated as if made with silvered weapons.
Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain the druid's Wild Shape power. Your beast form is a Medium gray wolf. You also gain the Savage Bite power.
Swift Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf, Wolf Form.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to speed while in wolf form.
--
Savage Bite (Werewolf Racial Attack)
Your fangs sink deeply into the flesh of your prey.
At-Will * Beast Form
Standard Action
Melee touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Your highest ability modifier + 3 vs Reflex [Increase to + 6 at 11th; + 9 at 21st]
Hit: 1d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 2 damage (save ends).
Level 11: 2d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 4 damage (save ends).
Level 21: 3d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 6 damage (save ends).
Special: This power can be used as a melee basic attack. You may use this power in your natural form (but not in your humanoid form) even though it has the Beast Form keyword.
--
Also, The way I did it was to emphasize that Werewolf had three forms, as in MM, As they can turn into wolves naturaly, so I made the trans worked three ways. Having to take a feat to use animal form seems odd. Although I should write it up better now that I think about it.
I kept it to hybrid and humanoid by default because adding wolf form increases the complexity and requires adding additional powers, which would overload the race's base stats if included there.
Wolf form is also problematic due to gear issues and attack powers, so it's abstracted by granting the druid's wildshape power along with a single attack power (that can then also be used in hybrid form) that is not implement-based.
This approach also resolves one other potential conflict: a werewolf druid is a strong thematic archetype but an innate racial wolf form using its own mechanics would interact awkwardly with the druid's wildshape, whereas this doesn't (and the werewolf druid isn't stuck with a built-in shapeshift that's inferior to its class feature).
A hybrid-form natural weapon alternative (and one that I should probably add to my writeup, now that I think about it), would be to allow werewolves to take the Gnoll Claw Fighter feat. Savage Claws as you proposed it would be a decent upgrade feat for that one.
While the lore does include silver weapons, PC race design in 4E never includes vulnerabilities or weaknesses, and the presence of silver weapons is pretty much a matter of DM fiat, so such a vulnerability it can't even be assessed against any meaningful standard for balance purposes.
It should have the "+2 to one, +2 to a choice of two others" ability bonus format, since that is the new standard.
+2 Nature fits wilderness-living werewolves but may not be suitable for those who live in urban environments. +2 Perception is okay; I chose +2 Endurance to represent their hardiness; other writeups have typically gone +2 Str/Con but I feel that's a clumsy (and over-represented) combination.
Since hybrid is their natural form in 4E, giving +1 speed in that form doesn't fit very well, and the MM werewolves have speed 6 in hybrid form - they only get faster as a full wolf (which is covered by the feats present in my writeup).
Loyalty of the Pack is somewhat blurry since pretty much every wolf will fall under "feral, provoked, or commanded". +4 when dealing with wolves or dire wolves is extremely circumstantial (and the fact that it would apply to Streetwise seems a bit strange), to the point that it probably isn't a major balance issue - although +2 is the standard for skill perks.
I'd be more inclined to suggest a racial feat that gives + to nature and to dealing with wolves, for those that are wilderness oriented and/or care to focus on that aspect of their heritage (since some werewolves might well regard normal wolves as competitors rather than allies).
Say...
Call of the Wild: You gain a +3 feat bonus to Nature checks. You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight, and Intimidate checks made against wolves and dire wolves.
This is essentially Skill Focus: Nature with a minor race-specific perk added to it.
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Werewolf Racial Traits
Ability Scores: +2 Strength; +2 Dexterity or +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance
Bloodied Regeneration: You gain regeneration 2 while bloodied. [Increase to regeneration 4 at 11th; regeneration 6 at 21st.]
Feral Predator: You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls against bloodied targets. [Increase to +3 at 11th; +4 at 21st.]
Humanoid Form: You have the Humanoid Form power.
Immune Moon Frenzy: You are immune to Moon Frenzy and Greater Moon Frenzy.
Shapechanger: You are a medium natural humanoid with the shapechanger subtype.
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Humanoid Form (Werewolf Racial Power)
You alter your form to resemble that of the unsuspecting prey.
At-Will * Polymorph
Minor Action (Special) Personal
Effect: You alter your physical form to appear as a unique Medium humanoid. You may not assume the form of a specific individual. You retain your statistics in your new form, and your clothing, armor, and possessions do not change. You can end this effect as a minor action, and it ends immediately if you die.
Special: You can use this power once per round.
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Werewolf Racial Feats:
Claw Fighter [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
Benefit: When you make a weapon attack in your natural form, you can use your claw, which is a weapon in the light blade weapon group. This weapon has the off-hand weapon property and a +3 proficiency bonus, and it deals 1d6 damage. While you aren’t holding anything, you are considered have this weapon in each hand. You can enchant and disenchant your claws. When you disenchant your claws, they do not turn to dust.
Claw Focus [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf, Claw Fighter
Benefit: Your claws gain the High Critical property, and you gain a +1 feat bonus to damage rolls with your claws. At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2. At 21st level, it increases to +3.
Special: This feat counts as Weapon Focus (Claws) for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Hunter's Instinct [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Nature and Perception, and a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight, and Intimidate against wolves and dire wolves.
Hunter's Intuition [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Bluff and Insight, and an additional +2 bonus to Bluff and Insight against creatures with the Shapechanger keyword.
Silver Fang [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
Your unarmed attacks and your attacks with any power that has the Beast Form keyword are treated as if made with silvered weapons.
Special: If you have the Claw Fighter feat, your claws are also treated as silver weapons.
Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain the druid's Wild Shape power. Your beast form is a Medium gray wolf. You also gain the Savage Bite power.
Swift Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf, Wolf Form.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to speed while in wolf form.
--
Savage Bite (Werewolf Racial Attack)
Your fangs sink deeply into the flesh of your prey.
At-Will * Beast Form
Standard Action
Melee touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Your highest ability modifier + 3 vs Reflex [Increase to + 6 at 11th; + 9 at 21st]
Hit: 1d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 2 damage (save ends).
Level 11: 2d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 4 damage (save ends).
Level 21: 3d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 6 damage (save ends).
Special: This power can be used as a melee basic attack. You may use this power in your natural form (but not in your humanoid form) even though it has the Beast Form keyword.
Regarding your writeup? It should have the "+2 to one, +2 to a choice of two others" ability bonus format, since that is the new standard. +2 Nature fits wilderness-living werewolves but may not be suitable for those who live in urban environments. +2 Perception is okay; I chose +2 Endurance to represent their hardiness; other writeups have typically gone +2 Str/Con but I feel that's a clumsy (and over-represented) combination. Since hybrid is their natural form in 4E, giving +1 speed in that form doesn't fit very well, and the MM werewolves have speed 6 in hybrid form - they only get faster as a full wolf (which is covered by the feats present in my writeup). Loyalty of the Pack is somewhat blurry since pretty much every wolf will fall under "feral, provoked, or commanded". +4 when dealing with wolves or dire wolves is extremely circumstantial (and the fact that it would apply to Streetwise seems a bit strange), to the point that it probably isn't a major balance issue - although +2 is the standard for skill perks. I'd be more inclined to suggest a racial feat that gives + to nature and to dealing with wolves, for those that are wilderness oriented and/or care to focus on that aspect of their heritage (since some werewolves might well regard normal wolves as competitors rather than allies). Say... Call of the Wild: You gain a +3 feat bonus to Nature checks. You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight, and Intimidate checks made against wolves and dire wolves. This is essentially Skill Focus: Nature with a minor race-specific perk added to it.
Okay, The call of the Wild idea fits, and actually makes more sense, considering how you put it, The speed I was intending to take out originally, except for when in wolf form, but considering your points about them changing shape, I would most likely make that a optional feat, possibly. I reconsidered that stat bonuses and did what you did, as this opens them to more classes, as well as fitting them better.
I will also edit some of the Playing a Werewolf part to fit with the changes. Other wise it seems pretty solid. Well, to me at least. Any other suggestions?
I also see one common typo: Rouge should be Rogue.
The Attack line ought to look something more like the Savage Bite power in my entry.
It probably should not be a default racial power since it's of limited value to ranged characters. Allowing the PC to take it as an alternative to their 1st level encounter power (perhaps via a power-swap feat, like the Wolfstone one for humans) is probably a better idea.
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Moonblood Frenzy [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf
Benefit: You replace one of your encounter attack powers with the Rage of the Moon racial attack power.
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One point that ought to be made though: the thematic distinction for werewolves is that they do more damage to bloodied targets rather than doing more damage while/when they themselves are bloodied. (Dragonborn, gnolls, minotaurs, and shifters favor the latter.)
Edit: Also, this power might not be usable in humanoid form, since it seems to revolve around biting at everything (which a humanoid-form werewolf can't do). Alternately, it might have a Special: rider that causes the werewolf to return to its hybrid form as part of the attack if it's in humanoid form at the time.
WEREWOLF
Werewolves are lords of the wilderness and deadly hunters. They move swiftly and attack with brutal force, and show no mercy to those that wronged them.
RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5' 8" - 7' 2"
Average Weight: 190-280 lb.
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity or +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonus: +2 Endurance, +2 Perception
Lunar Blessing: You gain regeneration 2 while bloodied. [Increase to regeneration 4 at 11th; regeneration 6 at 21st.]
Feral Predator: You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls against bloodied targets. [Increase to +3 at 11th; +4 at 21st.]
Immune Moon Frenzy: You are immune to Moon Frenzy and Greater Moon Frenzy.
Shapechanger: You are a medium natural humanoid with the shapechanger subtype. You also have the Humanoid Form power
Humanoid Form (Werewolf Racial Power)
You alter your form to resemble that of the unsuspecting prey.
At-Will * Polymorph
Minor Action (Special) Personal
Effect: You alter your physical form to appear as a unique Medium humanoid. You may not assume the form of a specific individual. You retain your statistics in your new form, and your clothing, armor, and possessions do not change. You can end this effect as a minor action, and it ends immediately if you die.
Special: You can use this power once per round.
Preferring to remain in a pack of some kind, werewolves make valuable allies once you have earned their trust, and will die protecting their allies as if they were one of their own. Fierce hunters and cunning rogues, they never give their prey the chance to escape from their sights.
Play a werewolf if you want...
- to be a lycanthrope
- to be a strong, agile, and cunning beast
- to be a strong pack hunter and a loyal companion to your friends
- to be a member of the race that favors the Fighter, Druid, Rogue, or Ranger classes.
Physical Qualities
Werewolves in humanoid form tend to be of average height, lithe and strong. Their hair is thick and usually worn long. They may have reddish, brown, white, gray, or black hair, matching the color of their canine form. They dress to fit their environment, however they try maintaining subtlety. From lavish outfits to simple cloth and leather garments. It is not unusual to see them dressed in suits of chainmail or other armors as well. Whatever they wear, their garments meld and become a part of the werewolf as it changes form, making its form have exotic and strange markings.
In hybrid form, the werewolf grows in size and takes on the characteristics of its respective beast, merging into a mix of man and wolf, and wields its weapons of choice with ease, interchanging with swift claw attacks if it so chooses.
Most werewolves have an unnatural vitality due to their Lycanthropic heritage, and can live and remain vigorous well past 100 years of age, some legends saying even longer.
Playing a Werewolf
Werewolves are sometimes torn between their two natures, like other lycanthropes, but always feel at ease in the within their packs, or clans. They get along well with their own kind, fey beings, shifters, and other humanoids. They work well in groups and will strive to protect their allies, as well as keep attention off them in battle. Wolves are natural predators, and werewolves are no different. They hunt and forage as well as their canine relatives. This tends to drive them toward the Fighter, Ranger, Druid, and Rogue paths.
Werewolves are raised in communities of other werewolves deep in the wild or sometimes hidden among humanoid cities. They are taught how to control their inner beast and master it. They learn how to live and survive in their environments, and if necessary, to fight.
They also taught to be loyal and to fight those that would intend harm to the pack that they are a part of, which protects them and supplies for them.
After coming of age, they may stay with their pack and possibly progress to become its leader. Some go out to seek adventure, possibly to start their own pack, or to join another. Or they may try to live solitary lives, some against their will, as hermits or fishermen. The werewolves’ home is with their packs, which often tend to be nomadic. Others may take refuge in the wilderness while others may stay within civilization.
Most werewolves act out of necessity, and try to avoid conflict if possible, so they tend to be unaligned.
Male Names: Ghurraf, Grawn, Noshoba, Amaras
Female Names: Mika, Amber, Iceyes, Canna
Racial Feats
Claw Fighter [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
Benefit: When you make a weapon attack in your natural form, you can use your claw, which is a weapon in the light blade weapon group. This weapon has the off-hand weapon property and a +3 proficiency bonus, and it deals 1d6 damage. While you aren’t holding anything, you are considered have this weapon in each hand. You can enchant and disenchant your claws. When you disenchant your claws, they do not turn to dust.
Claw Focus [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf, Claw Fighter
Benefit: Your claws gain the High Critical property, and you gain a +1 feat bonus to damage rolls
with your claws. At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2. At 21st level, it increases to +3. Special: This feat counts as Weapon Focus (Claws) for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Hunter's Intuition [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Bluff and Insight, and an additional +2 bonus to Bluff and Insight against creatures with the Shapechanger keyword.
Loyalty of the Pack: You gain a +3 feat bonus to Nature checks. You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight, and Intimidate checks made against wolves and dire wolves.
Pack Tactics [Heroic]
Prerequisites: Werewolf
Description: You gain a +1 bonus to melee attack rolls against an enemy that is adjacent to an ally.
Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf.
You gain the druid's Wild Shape power. Your beast form is a Medium gray wolf. You also gain the Savage Bite power.
Swift Wolf Form [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf, Wolf Form.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to speed while in wolf form.
Savage Bite (Werewolf Racial Attack)
Your fangs sink deeply into the flesh of your prey.
At-Will * Beast Form
Standard Action
Melee touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Your highest ability modifier + 3 vs Reflex [Increase to + 6 at 11th; + 9 at 21st]
Hit: 1d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 2 damage (save ends) .Level 11: 2d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 4 damage (save ends). Level 21: 3d6 + your highest ability modifier damage, and the target takes ongoing 6 damage (save ends).
Special: This power can be used as a melee basic attack. You may use this power in your natural form (but not in your humanoid form) even though it has the Beast Form keyword.
Optional Power Swaps
Moonblood Frenzy [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf
Benefit: You replace one of your encounter attack powers with the Rage of the Moon racial attack power.
Rage of the Moon
Werewolf Racial Power
Your blood begins to boil, the beast inside takes hold, and it unleashes its wrath against your friends and foes alike.
Encounter – Beast Form
Standard Action – Close Burst 1
Special: You must be bloodied to use this power.
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + the highest of your Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity modifier damage, and take ongoing damage equal to your Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity Modifier.
Aftereffect: You are weakened until the end of your next turn.
Special: This attack causes the werewolf to return to its hybrid form as part of the attack if it's in humanoid form when used.
--
Pack Tactics [Heroic]
Prerequisite: Werewolf
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to melee attack rolls against an enemy that is adjacent to an ally.