Transformation: Wereraven (Level 1)

BECOMING A LYCANTHROPE
There are two documented methods of contracting the Lycanthrope curse. The first is being bitten by a Lycanthropic and not curing the curse before it takes hold. The second is to complete a druidic ritual known as the Lunar Sacrament. Once you have become a Lycanthrope, consider how your character feels about the curse. Do they wish to understand it and make peace with the beast that resides within?

Few mortals have ever transformed into giants or, more accurately, few mortals have survived the experience. Those who were able to transform had some ancient ancestry that included giants, completed one of a handful of arcane procedures, earned the blessing of a giant high priest, stumbled upon some ancient eldritch giant magic. Becoming a giant isn’t just about growing in size—it also relies on tapping into the primordial prowess of the giants that allowed them to survive against the wilds when the world was new.

BECOMING A WERERAVEN
Wereravens are secretive and extraordinarily cautious lycanthropes that trust one another but are wary of just about everyone else. Although skilled at blending into society, they keep mostly to themselves, respect local laws, and strive to do good whenever possible.

In their human and hybrid forms, wereravens favor light weapons. They are reluctant to make bite attacks in raven form for fear of spreading their curse to those who don’t deserve it or who would abuse it.

A Kindness of Wereravens. Wereravens refer to their tightly knit groups as kindnesses. A kindness of wereravens usually numbers between seven and twelve individuals. Not surprisingly, wereravens get along well with ravens and often hide in plain sight among them.

Charitable Collectors. Wereravens like to collect shiny trinkets and precious baubles. They are fond of sharing their wealth with those in need and, in their humanoid forms, modestly give money to charity. They take steps to keep magic items out of evil hands by stashing them in secret hiding places.

TRANSFORMATION FEATURES
A Lycanthrope has the following transformation features

PREREQUISITES
Ability Scores: Strength Score of 13.
Roleplay: You must have contracted the Curse of Lycanthropy. This usually comes from being bitten by a Lycanthrope and surviving the encounter. Alternatively, you may have completed the Lunar Sacrament and been imbued with Lycanthropy. Discuss with your GM how you can achieve this within your backstory or in-game.

Transformation Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier

LEVEL MILESTONES:
The following are examples of possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:

• Establishing a pack of other Lycanthropes.
• Killing an Alpha Lycanthrope.
• Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
• Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

TRANSFORMATION LEVEL 1
Starting at 1st level, you gain all the following Transformation Boons and this level's Transformation Flaw.

HYBRID TRANSFORMATION (Transformation Boon)
As an action, you may transform into a monstrous raven hybrid: half-beast, half-sentient. While in your hybrid form, the following rules apply:

• You can't cast spells or concentrate on spells. Your ability to speak is reduced to short, basic, guttural responses.
• Your stats remain the same as your humanoid stats.
• Any armour you are wearing merges into your Hybrid Form or immediately drops to the ground. The GM may decide if they feel the armour is too large to merge.
• You a gain a fyling speed equal to your walking speed.
• You can mimic simple sounds you have heard, such as a person whispering, a baby crying, or an animal chattering. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC10 Wisdom (Insight) check.
• While transformed you can use weapons and equipment as normal, unless specified elsewhere.
• You roll a d6 in place of the normal damage for your unarmed strikes. Attacks using your claws deal piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage.
• When making the attack action you may substitute one attack to make an unarmed bite attack. If the attack hits, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. If you make a bite attack, you cannot make another until the beginning of your next turn.
• If you made the attack action, as a bonus action you may make an unarmed claw attack or bite attack, provided you have not already used your bonus action.

Your hybrid form lasts for a number of hours equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) and ends early if you are knocked unconscious or reduced to 0 hit points. You can end your Hybrid Form by using an action on your turn.

SHAPECHANGER'S FORM (Transformation Boon)
Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and it cannot be increased beyond 16 this way.

You become a Shapechanger in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect Shapechangers of a specific CR have no effect on you.

LUST FOR SHINY TRINKETS (Transformation Flaw)
The collecting nature of your curse sometimes causes you to lose control. These ferocious tendencies are a constant struggle between you as a humanoid and the raven within. When you are in your hybrid form, you must succeed at a DC10 Wisdom saving throw at the beginning of each turn or lose control. If you are in the light of a full moon, you automatically fail this saving throw, you are subjected to the following until you succeed:

• You must move toward the closest non-player creature you can see, smell or hear, prioritising helpless creatures. That creature must be holding or wearing an object that is shiny and/or precious like metal. If you end your movement and no non-player creature is within 5 feet on you, then you must use your action to dash toward one.
• If there is a non-player creature within 5 feet of you and you have not used your action, you must make a grapple attack against it, prioritising helpless creatures.
• If you made a grapple attack against a creature, and that creature is grappled, then you must use your bonus action to make a special disarm attack against the same creature to make it drop 1 held item (excluding shields and armor):
  • Your STR (Athletics) vs. the target's STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) to drop 1 held item (excluding shields and armor).
  • Disadv. if they hold it with 2+ hands.
  • Target rolls Adv. if larger. Disadv. if smaller.

Additionally, if you are subjected to the light of a full moon you must succeed at a DC20 Wisdom saving throw or automatically turn into your hybrid form and cannot transform back until dawn. If you succeed in this saving throw, you are immune to its effects for 24 hours.

HELPLESS CREATURES
The defenceless  and downtrodden are met with a modicum, of sympathy by most. However, to the bestial side of a Lycanthrope, these creatures represent prey. This Transformation refers to helpless creatures in multiple instances. For game purposes a helpless creature is a humanoid that is unconscious, restrained, blinded, paralized or frightened. Additionally, creatures that are so vulnerable in their current situation, they are completely defenceless are also considered helpless. For example, a disarmed and defeated enemy, pleading for mercy. In these instances the GM decides if the creature is considered helpless or not.