What do folks usually do when this happens? My point of reference is like Elder Scrolls Skyrim, where you could get turned into a werewolf/vampire over time after a bite. OR cure yourself from it.
Well, they're werewolves now. The specifics are up to you. However, I think we call that "emergent content." Or an adventure hook, if you'd rather. At the next full moon, they become monsters-- which your players probably shouldn't have control over-- the classic approach is to make them kill an innocent person. Then the players will have to figure out a way to cure themselves, lest more innocent people die.
It's situations like this where I feel player agency is really important. Make getting a cure easy and then the player can decide if they want to take the cure or not.
now all of what I've seen so far is the typical "oh no i don't want to kill people must find cure" thing. what if the player accepted and embraced the curse. this would allow them to be in more control of themselves when they change shape. this is also really interesting if the player is a spellcaster as one minute they are casting fireball(what other spell is there to cast lol) and the next they are a werewolf that is ripping into people. you can also make it so they turn on nat 1's and 20's (with player permission. that's something you ask not do) so that it's more randomised. and if you do go with the typical evil lycanthrope then make the cure harder to get than cure wounds. maybey a rare potion maker needs to be found then they send you to find are herbs in a crypt of undead
it is also worth noting that being a lycanthrope can change stats depending on what type you are. for instance i had a player who became a wererat and his dexterity got boosted from a 13 to a 15 as the lycanthropy rules state. i think the rules are in the monster manual under the L category.
A player in my campaign got lycanthropy after an encounter with a pack of wererats. I slowly started to described to others the bad smell emanating from the PC, his sleep getting more agitated during long rests, often sniffing, moving, squealing). Next full moon i will have him transform into a wererat uncontrollably and attack the party. I assume the party will then try to find a cure rapidly.
A PC in my campaign is turning into a wereshark. It’s been one level and 2 full moons since he was infected. The player knows, but the PC doesn’t.
Because he’s a Wereshark he is jumping overboard into the water before he changes, so he hasn’t had the opportunity to kill any of his friends yet. So far his strength has increased to 19, which is useless to a sorcerer, and he can breathe both water and air. He’s only immune to non-magical damage when he’s in shark form, so he doesn’t have that as a clue either. Sooner or later he’s going to make a wisdom saving throw and figure out what happened to him.
I think on a meta level my players know what's up, but it's not yet clear their PCs do. None of whom are high enough to remove curse anyway, but we're playing in a world where it'd be easy (probably) to find a high level cleric or bard to do that. So my challenge with them might simply be to tease out the transformation unless they decide "well I was bitten by a wererat, so...prolly should go get someone to detect curse on me". I'm not sure how much of a challenge I want to make that for them - go do a task for this level 3 spell, or pay me X gold for the service - since in this case it was actually a failing on my part not to better anticipate a failed CON save when going up against 12+ wererats.
At least it's pretty straight out of the DMG what boosts they get, and I got some ideas posted here I can steal for how to flavor the onset of the curse and the actual transformations.
I take it the immunity to non-magical weapons/non-silvered weapons only occurs in hybrid or full-lycanthrope form?
I take it the immunity to non-magical weapons/non-silvered weapons only occurs in hybrid or full-lycanthrope form?
Thats up to you, the way my DM for our party when two of us became werewolves was we didn't get the immunity until after we had transformed (we managed to do it in a controlled enviroment, and he ruled it only needed to be for a minute to get "control" of our lycanthropy [so we could change at will]). At that point we got resistance to non-magical and non-silvered attacks in regular, hybrid and full lycanthrope, and we were around level 5/6 at that time, so it was really useful but not gamebreaking. Then at level 9 we got the full immunity, in every form, but most enemies dealt magical damage, so it was balanced.
It is also worth considering that at higher levels the full transformation forms fall behind regualar classes, a giant rat can't swing a greatsword, a wolf can't cast fireball. It is worth giving the players something in regualar form. I never used my full transformation for combat, I only used it for movement, and thats only because as a wolf I got 40ft of movement compared to 25 as a dwarf, so when we needed to be quick I would transform and no longer fall behind.
I don't know how long your campaign is, but if it still has a lot left, don't be afraid to change the effects as time goes on. Maybe at the start you only get resistance to non-magical and non-silvered attacks in hybrid or lycanthrope form, and its an action to transform. Then see how that is, you can always make it a BA to transform, change the resistance to immunity, add something to the normal form. Tweak it to fit your campaign, but don't give everything at the start, they have to earn those moments they feel unstoppable.
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"The D&D rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren't in charge. You're the DM, and you are in charge of the game" - Dungeon Masters Guide
I think you’ll find that PCs with werewolf abilities will trivialize pretty much all combat. I let a PC do the werewolf thing and the regret was almost immediate.
The alignment listed in the MM used to be a requirement, as in if a character became a werewolf, it became chaotic evil as well as becoming an npc. Effectively lycanthropy was a death sentence. However, it’s your game and your players, you’d really know best how they want to handle it. Sounds like they’ll be furries now.
Ultimately, it depends on what you want to allow and how much of the story you want it to dominate. You can make it a quick, one-session fix with high enough charisma checks/payment with the right NPC. Or you can make it a whole campaign arc involving travel to a remote location on the Blood Moon where the players must drink of the Moonflower's nectar the first night it blooms in order to cure themselves.
When my fighter contracted lycanthropy, my DM gave me a slight boost to STR and that was it. (I might have also gotten the immunities, but I was ranged and rarely got hit, so I didn't notice.) He also let me roll athletics and strength checks at advantage in certain scenarios if I tapped into the wolf. On full moons, I had no control over my character, but after the first transformation and on off-nights, I was in complete control of the werewolf form. It was less a mechanical thing and more RP fodder, and I loved it.
In my own campaign, lycanthropy is incurable short of divine intervention because it was created by the gods themselves for a specific purpose. My players are becoming aware that lycanthropy will play a big role in defeating the BBEG, and I intend to give them the option of becoming lycanthropes. If they do, they will benefit from the damage immunities in all forms (and speed increases in hybrid form), which will allow them to fight the BBEG's minions more effectively. This is especially fun because one character is the world's only cured werewolf, and she doesn't know why. RP is king in my game, so that's the main draw for me making being a werewolf as big of a deal as it is.
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What do folks usually do when this happens? My point of reference is like Elder Scrolls Skyrim, where you could get turned into a werewolf/vampire over time after a bite. OR cure yourself from it.
Well, they're werewolves now. The specifics are up to you. However, I think we call that "emergent content." Or an adventure hook, if you'd rather. At the next full moon, they become monsters-- which your players probably shouldn't have control over-- the classic approach is to make them kill an innocent person. Then the players will have to figure out a way to cure themselves, lest more innocent people die.
It's situations like this where I feel player agency is really important. Make getting a cure easy and then the player can decide if they want to take the cure or not.
In my group, all but one of us (me) contracted lycanthropy and the full moon was coming soon.
It basically became a race for Me (the wizard) to find access to the remove curse spell before the whole party changed
now all of what I've seen so far is the typical "oh no i don't want to kill people must find cure" thing. what if the player accepted and embraced the curse. this would allow them to be in more control of themselves when they change shape. this is also really interesting if the player is a spellcaster as one minute they are casting fireball(what other spell is there to cast lol) and the next they are a werewolf that is ripping into people. you can also make it so they turn on nat 1's and 20's (with player permission. that's something you ask not do) so that it's more randomised. and if you do go with the typical evil lycanthrope then make the cure harder to get than cure wounds. maybey a rare potion maker needs to be found then they send you to find are herbs in a crypt of undead
it is also worth noting that being a lycanthrope can change stats depending on what type you are. for instance i had a player who became a wererat and his dexterity got boosted from a 13 to a 15 as the lycanthropy rules state. i think the rules are in the monster manual under the L category.
Helpful gang, thanks!
A player in my campaign got lycanthropy after an encounter with a pack of wererats. I slowly started to described to others the bad smell emanating from the PC, his sleep getting more agitated during long rests, often sniffing, moving, squealing). Next full moon i will have him transform into a wererat uncontrollably and attack the party. I assume the party will then try to find a cure rapidly.
A PC in my campaign is turning into a wereshark. It’s been one level and 2 full moons since he was infected. The player knows, but the PC doesn’t.
Because he’s a Wereshark he is jumping overboard into the water before he changes, so he hasn’t had the opportunity to kill any of his friends yet. So far his strength has increased to 19, which is useless to a sorcerer, and he can breathe both water and air. He’s only immune to non-magical damage when he’s in shark form, so he doesn’t have that as a clue either. Sooner or later he’s going to make a wisdom saving throw and figure out what happened to him.
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I think on a meta level my players know what's up, but it's not yet clear their PCs do. None of whom are high enough to remove curse anyway, but we're playing in a world where it'd be easy (probably) to find a high level cleric or bard to do that. So my challenge with them might simply be to tease out the transformation unless they decide "well I was bitten by a wererat, so...prolly should go get someone to detect curse on me". I'm not sure how much of a challenge I want to make that for them - go do a task for this level 3 spell, or pay me X gold for the service - since in this case it was actually a failing on my part not to better anticipate a failed CON save when going up against 12+ wererats.
At least it's pretty straight out of the DMG what boosts they get, and I got some ideas posted here I can steal for how to flavor the onset of the curse and the actual transformations.
I take it the immunity to non-magical weapons/non-silvered weapons only occurs in hybrid or full-lycanthrope form?
Thats up to you, the way my DM for our party when two of us became werewolves was we didn't get the immunity until after we had transformed (we managed to do it in a controlled enviroment, and he ruled it only needed to be for a minute to get "control" of our lycanthropy [so we could change at will]). At that point we got resistance to non-magical and non-silvered attacks in regular, hybrid and full lycanthrope, and we were around level 5/6 at that time, so it was really useful but not gamebreaking. Then at level 9 we got the full immunity, in every form, but most enemies dealt magical damage, so it was balanced.
It is also worth considering that at higher levels the full transformation forms fall behind regualar classes, a giant rat can't swing a greatsword, a wolf can't cast fireball. It is worth giving the players something in regualar form. I never used my full transformation for combat, I only used it for movement, and thats only because as a wolf I got 40ft of movement compared to 25 as a dwarf, so when we needed to be quick I would transform and no longer fall behind.
I don't know how long your campaign is, but if it still has a lot left, don't be afraid to change the effects as time goes on. Maybe at the start you only get resistance to non-magical and non-silvered attacks in hybrid or lycanthrope form, and its an action to transform. Then see how that is, you can always make it a BA to transform, change the resistance to immunity, add something to the normal form. Tweak it to fit your campaign, but don't give everything at the start, they have to earn those moments they feel unstoppable.
"The D&D rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren't in charge. You're the DM, and you are in charge of the game" - Dungeon Masters Guide
I think you’ll find that PCs with werewolf abilities will trivialize pretty much all combat. I let a PC do the werewolf thing and the regret was almost immediate.
The alignment listed in the MM used to be a requirement, as in if a character became a werewolf, it became chaotic evil as well as becoming an npc. Effectively lycanthropy was a death sentence. However, it’s your game and your players, you’d really know best how they want to handle it. Sounds like they’ll be furries now.
Ultimately, it depends on what you want to allow and how much of the story you want it to dominate. You can make it a quick, one-session fix with high enough charisma checks/payment with the right NPC. Or you can make it a whole campaign arc involving travel to a remote location on the Blood Moon where the players must drink of the Moonflower's nectar the first night it blooms in order to cure themselves.
When my fighter contracted lycanthropy, my DM gave me a slight boost to STR and that was it. (I might have also gotten the immunities, but I was ranged and rarely got hit, so I didn't notice.) He also let me roll athletics and strength checks at advantage in certain scenarios if I tapped into the wolf. On full moons, I had no control over my character, but after the first transformation and on off-nights, I was in complete control of the werewolf form. It was less a mechanical thing and more RP fodder, and I loved it.
In my own campaign, lycanthropy is incurable short of divine intervention because it was created by the gods themselves for a specific purpose. My players are becoming aware that lycanthropy will play a big role in defeating the BBEG, and I intend to give them the option of becoming lycanthropes. If they do, they will benefit from the damage immunities in all forms (and speed increases in hybrid form), which will allow them to fight the BBEG's minions more effectively. This is especially fun because one character is the world's only cured werewolf, and she doesn't know why. RP is king in my game, so that's the main draw for me making being a werewolf as big of a deal as it is.