So last night the party I DM for was fighting a pack of lycanthropes when, in a last-ditch spiteful attack, the wereboar gored our halfling fighter with its tusks before she killed the heck out of it. The failed the CON save so has technically contracted Lycanthropy, but looking at the monster manual, that seems to be where the rules regarding lycanthropy end.
I've looked around and seen a lot of homebrew options, so I was wondering what people's favorites were?
Some more background, the player does not want to be a wereboar and will seek a cure, so I'm not looking for rules on how to run lycanthropy long term or as a character option, but rather I'm wondering how should the curse effect her until she's able to get her hands on a remove curse or other some such cure?
I had an idea where she has to resist her first transformation, because she won't be a full lycanthrope until she transforms, so that would require regular CON checks that ramp up in difficulty. If she's able to hold off on transforming, the curse could be lifted by a lesser or greater restoration spell, but if it progresses to fill lycanthropy then it'll need a remove curse, and maybe each successful con save will still have some negative repercussions till she's cured unless she embraces the change?
Ive been wondering something. I'm running the Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign for my group right now; does the Anchorite of Talos enemy polymorph into boars or is a form of lycanthropy?
Ive been wondering something. I'm running the Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign for my group right now; does the Anchorite of Talos enemy polymorph into boars or is a form of lycanthropy?
Just polymorph. If it was lycanthropy they would be a lot scarier to see running around - wereboar form - in an adventure made for 1st-5th level party members. I'd pay to see someone run that on Twitch without the party knowing ahead of time.
So last night the party I DM for was fighting a pack of lycanthropes when, in a last-ditch spiteful attack, the wereboar gored our halfling fighter with its tusks before she killed the heck out of it. The failed the CON save so has technically contracted Lycanthropy, but looking at the monster manual, that seems to be where the rules regarding lycanthropy end.
I've looked around and seen a lot of homebrew options, so I was wondering what people's favorites were?
Some more background, the player does not want to be a wereboar and will seek a cure, so I'm not looking for rules on how to run lycanthropy long term or as a character option, but rather I'm wondering how should the curse effect her until she's able to get her hands on a remove curse or other some such cure?
I had an idea where she has to resist her first transformation, because she won't be a full lycanthrope until she transforms, so that would require regular CON checks that ramp up in difficulty. If she's able to hold off on transforming, the curse could be lifted by a lesser or greater restoration spell, but if it progresses to fill lycanthropy then it'll need a remove curse, and maybe each successful con save will still have some negative repercussions till she's cured unless she embraces the change?
Like I said, thoughts?
I like the idea of ramping up the difficulty checks the further the curse influences her. Maybe every failed save is like a death saving throw; the amount of times she can fail is up to you, each time there's more of a hint that her body is failing to resist the curse? Every success simply delays the inevitable.
I'm looking at running a full campaign, and when change I'm making is having lycanthropes only be immune to weapons while they are in beast or hybrid form. That way, unless someone embraces the curse (and the bestial mindset that comes with it), they get all of the negatives of lycanthropy and none of the benefits.
Below the stat block for most lycanthropes (See example: werewolf), there's a full description of what it means to be cursed with lycanthropy.
Some of the interesting parts:
Those that reject the curse fear what will happen if they remain among their friends and family. Those that embrace the curse fear discovery and the consequences of their murderous acts.
In its natural humanoid form, a creature cursed by lycanthropy appears as its normal self. Over time, however, many lycanthropes acquire features suggestive of their animal form.
A lycanthrope can either resist its curse or embrace it. By resisting the curse, a lycanthrope retains its normal alignment and personality while in humanoid form. It lives its life as it always has, burying deep the bestial urges raging inside it. However, when the full moon rises, the curse becomes too strong to resist, transforming the individual into its beast form — or into a horrible hybrid form that combines animal and humanoid traits. When the moon wanes, the beast within can be controlled once again.
...the cursed creature is unaware of its condition, it might not remember the events of its transformation, though those memories often haunt a lycanthrope as bloody dreams.
A character who becomes a lycanthrope retains his or her statistics except as specified by lycanthrope type. The character gains the lycanthrope’s speeds in nonhumanoid form, damage immunities, traits, and actions that don’t involve equipment. The character is proficient with the lycanthrope’s natural attacks, such as its bite or claws, which deal damage as shown in the lycanthrope’s statistics. The character can’t speak while in animal form.
If the character embraces the curse, his or her alignment becomes the one defined for the lycanthrope. The DM is free to decide that a change in alignment places the character under DM control until the curse of lycanthropy is removed.
Below the stat block for most lycanthropes (See example: werewolf), there's a full description of what it means to be cursed with lycanthropy.
Some of the interesting parts:
Those that reject the curse fear what will happen if they remain among their friends and family. Those that embrace the curse fear discovery and the consequences of their murderous acts.
In its natural humanoid form, a creature cursed by lycanthropy appears as its normal self. Over time, however, many lycanthropes acquire features suggestive of their animal form.
A lycanthrope can either resist its curse or embrace it. By resisting the curse, a lycanthrope retains its normal alignment and personality while in humanoid form. It lives its life as it always has, burying deep the bestial urges raging inside it. However, when the full moon rises, the curse becomes too strong to resist, transforming the individual into its beast form — or into a horrible hybrid form that combines animal and humanoid traits. When the moon wanes, the beast within can be controlled once again.
...the cursed creature is unaware of its condition, it might not remember the events of its transformation, though those memories often haunt a lycanthrope as bloody dreams.
A character who becomes a lycanthrope retains his or her statistics except as specified by lycanthrope type. The character gains the lycanthrope’s speeds in nonhumanoid form, damage immunities, traits, and actions that don’t involve equipment. The character is proficient with the lycanthrope’s natural attacks, such as its bite or claws, which deal damage as shown in the lycanthrope’s statistics. The character can’t speak while in animal form.
If the character embraces the curse, his or her alignment becomes the one defined for the lycanthrope. The DM is free to decide that a change in alignment places the character under DM control until the curse of lycanthropy is removed.
Yeah I did see that, but I was thinking more mechanically on like, how does one resist/vs failing to resist, how difficult is it, etc. The MM rules just kind of give you a yes/no option.
Have you tried looking around the DMs Guild for any ideas in to this? If I find any resource that might seem handy, I'll PM it. Even if you won't use the resource constantly, there might be snippets that could give you an idea in what you're going for.
Below the stat block for most lycanthropes (See example: werewolf), there's a full description of what it means to be cursed with lycanthropy.
Some of the interesting parts:
[Post shortened]
Yeah I did see that, but I was thinking more mechanically on like, how does one resist/vs failing to resist, how difficult is it, etc. The MM rules just kind of give you a yes/no option.
This post really has me thinking. A minimalist reading of the monster manual does seem to say that you just automatically lose control on the night of a full moon, unless you have the curse’s preferred alignment.
That’s fine for short term use, but things like the werebear’s description about mastering the curse while maintaining their alignment, implies something more nuanced.
Here are some proposals based on old editions:
For full moons, a lycanthrope must make a Wisdom save for control, and a separate Constitution Save to resist the physical transformation (the difficulty should be fairly high, at least DC 15).
At the DM’s discretion, extreme emotion like anger, fear, or hunger could trigger the same contest for control, and sometimes for transformation.
You might also introduce a feature (perhaps a Feat) ti represent the kind of discipline a werebear practices to control its lycanthropy, without changing its alignment. Characters with this feat can change shape at will, and have advantage on saves to retain control, and resist involuntary changes.
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So last night the party I DM for was fighting a pack of lycanthropes when, in a last-ditch spiteful attack, the wereboar gored our halfling fighter with its tusks before she killed the heck out of it. The failed the CON save so has technically contracted Lycanthropy, but looking at the monster manual, that seems to be where the rules regarding lycanthropy end.
I've looked around and seen a lot of homebrew options, so I was wondering what people's favorites were?
Some more background, the player does not want to be a wereboar and will seek a cure, so I'm not looking for rules on how to run lycanthropy long term or as a character option, but rather I'm wondering how should the curse effect her until she's able to get her hands on a remove curse or other some such cure?
I had an idea where she has to resist her first transformation, because she won't be a full lycanthrope until she transforms, so that would require regular CON checks that ramp up in difficulty. If she's able to hold off on transforming, the curse could be lifted by a lesser or greater restoration spell, but if it progresses to fill lycanthropy then it'll need a remove curse, and maybe each successful con save will still have some negative repercussions till she's cured unless she embraces the change?
Like I said, thoughts?
Ive been wondering something. I'm running the Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign for my group right now; does the Anchorite of Talos enemy polymorph into boars or is a form of lycanthropy?
Just polymorph. If it was lycanthropy they would be a lot scarier to see running around - wereboar form - in an adventure made for 1st-5th level party members. I'd pay to see someone run that on Twitch without the party knowing ahead of time.
I like the idea of ramping up the difficulty checks the further the curse influences her. Maybe every failed save is like a death saving throw; the amount of times she can fail is up to you, each time there's more of a hint that her body is failing to resist the curse? Every success simply delays the inevitable.
I'm looking at running a full campaign, and when change I'm making is having lycanthropes only be immune to weapons while they are in beast or hybrid form. That way, unless someone embraces the curse (and the bestial mindset that comes with it), they get all of the negatives of lycanthropy and none of the benefits.
In case you didn't know...
Below the stat block for most lycanthropes (See example: werewolf), there's a full description of what it means to be cursed with lycanthropy.
Some of the interesting parts:
Yeah I did see that, but I was thinking more mechanically on like, how does one resist/vs failing to resist, how difficult is it, etc. The MM rules just kind of give you a yes/no option.
Have you tried looking around the DMs Guild for any ideas in to this? If I find any resource that might seem handy, I'll PM it. Even if you won't use the resource constantly, there might be snippets that could give you an idea in what you're going for.
This post really has me thinking. A minimalist reading of the monster manual does seem to say that you just automatically lose control on the night of a full moon, unless you have the curse’s preferred alignment.
That’s fine for short term use, but things like the werebear’s description about mastering the curse while maintaining their alignment, implies something more nuanced.
Here are some proposals based on old editions:
You might also introduce a feature (perhaps a Feat) ti represent the kind of discipline a werebear practices to control its lycanthropy, without changing its alignment. Characters with this feat can change shape at will, and have advantage on saves to retain control, and resist involuntary changes.