So I'm playing a low level cleric with a chaotic neutral alignment and I just got bit by a werewolf and failed the saving throw. Do I become an evil monster with no control over my actions, or can I play a good werewolf with the powers listed on the stat block?
Up to the DM, but there is a key sentence in the Monster Manual:
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.
So, when you embrace the werewolf lycanthropy, technically, you should become chaotic evil.
The character can choose to embrace the curse. If he does, his alignment changes, and he may also learn to change shape at will. (At this point he may not be fitting as a player character any more.)
If he does not embrace the curse, he has no control over the change, but he retains his normal personality in human form.
I'd interpret it that if the character doesn't embrace the curse, the player loses control over the character when a full moon forces the character to change into a beast. But the rest of the time the player retains control over the character but can't voluntarily change shape. That could make for some fun role playing once the PC figured out that he was a werewolf and needed to be restrained somehow when the moon is full.
I'd interpret it that if the character doesn't embrace the curse, the player loses control over the character when a full moon forces the character to change into a beast. But the rest of the time the player retains control over the character but can't voluntarily change shape. That could make for some fun role playing once the PC figured out that he was a werewolf and needed to be restrained somehow when the moon is full.
This is most likely the intent. The Monster Manual entry for Werebears mentions that most are good-aligned and are loners by nature, "fearing what might happen to innocent creatures around it when its bestial nature takes over."
I would ask your DM. No matter what the books say, they have final decision on what is allowed or not allowed. Especially with the Bloodhunter class (although unofficial), there is the possibility of a non-evil lycanthrope. If one of my players got hit with lycanthropy but didn't want to become evil, then, while I'd make it somewhat of a challenge to fight the curse's impulses, I'd certainly let them try to do so.
I think embracing the curse means turning into a werewolf.
I interpreted that differently. Turning into a werewolf is the curse, whether embraced or not. You can resist all you like, you'll still become a werewolf when the circumstances are right.
And that's the key there, resistance. If you resist the curse, fight it every step of the way, you are still cursed until you find the means to cure yourself of it. While cursed, you may commit vile, dark deeds, however you yourself have are not evil. You're still you, but struggling with something that is, to a degree, evil.
But if you embrace the curse, welcome the physical change and even openly seek it out, then you have indeed become something evil.
To be clear, I'm not trying saying this in a "you're wrong, I'm right" way. Both interpretations are valid, depending on the table.
The intent I think it's that if you are not trying to cure yourself then the character becomes an NPC. The reason is that becoming a lycanthrope makes you considerably stronger than the rest of the party. Especially at low levels when immunity to non-magical / silver weapons makes you largely invulnerable, and this applies wherever you are transformed or not. If you want to turn into an animal without breaking the game, take a couple levels of circle of the moon druid. Or play a shifter in Eberron.
With Lycanthropes I think the rules is a bit vague on purpose to give room for the DM to deside how to handle it.
With werewolf curse I think the intend is that a cursed person will turn "evil". His/her personality will change over time until as the curse takeover. How the change will happen can be a simple check or could be a long development. The latter opens up the possibility for some great RP situations and a Side Quest with a time limit.. "save cursed person before the next full moon etc".
in campaigns i have played iv found that taking it up with the DM works very well. i played a were-hyena gnome once and how we (me and the DM) decided to rule it is i could actively use the curse like a weapon or extension of myself, sorta like the curse was leashed in a way (she had been a were-hyena all her life, so had plenty of reasonable experience on how to possibly control it) however at certain intervals i would have to make a wisdom save while i was transformed against losing control of myself and rampaging. the times i had to make these wisdom saves were lets say i started my turn with less than half my health and fight or flight kicked in, i smelled a large amount of blood and lost myself in it, and other events where it would make sense. so while i had the curse on hand and was in control 90% of the time there were times where id have to try and continue to chain down the feral curse within or else id fall under a blood frenzy type deal (DM control bassicly). when a full moon came for instance though the DC for the wisdom save would be ESPECIALLY high, and would typically lose control completely for as long as the blasted moon reined.
in addition to try and scale down the curse (so it was more balanced) we ruled it as the immunity to attacks not made by silvered weapons was resistance instead because immunity is way to powerful (she was a barbarian anyway so raging gave her the same resistance sorta)
whatever you choose to do i think the final say is up to you and your DM and what they feel like would happen! just have fun~!! and go crazy
what would be really cool imo is if you chose to embrace it but practiced to keep it under ur control, sorta like training but training on not killing everything in the area. sorta so you would rule it as you had gained experience with the curse and had learned how to press its buttons to make it yours, instead of kneeling to it.
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Alize the Gnoll
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So I'm playing a low level cleric with a chaotic neutral alignment and I just got bit by a werewolf and failed the saving throw. Do I become an evil monster with no control over my actions, or can I play a good werewolf with the powers listed on the stat block?
Up to the DM, but there is a key sentence in the Monster Manual:
So, when you embrace the werewolf lycanthropy, technically, you should become chaotic evil.
So can I turn into a werewolf without embracing the curse?
I think embracing the curse means turning into a werewolf.
Here is another relevant quote: https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/mm/monsters-l#Lycanthropes
The character can choose to embrace the curse. If he does, his alignment changes, and he may also learn to change shape at will. (At this point he may not be fitting as a player character any more.)
If he does not embrace the curse, he has no control over the change, but he retains his normal personality in human form.
But, as always, your DM makes the final decision.
I'd interpret it that if the character doesn't embrace the curse, the player loses control over the character when a full moon forces the character to change into a beast. But the rest of the time the player retains control over the character but can't voluntarily change shape. That could make for some fun role playing once the PC figured out that he was a werewolf and needed to be restrained somehow when the moon is full.
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This is most likely the intent. The Monster Manual entry for Werebears mentions that most are good-aligned and are loners by nature, "fearing what might happen to innocent creatures around it when its bestial nature takes over."
I would ask your DM. No matter what the books say, they have final decision on what is allowed or not allowed. Especially with the Bloodhunter class (although unofficial), there is the possibility of a non-evil lycanthrope. If one of my players got hit with lycanthropy but didn't want to become evil, then, while I'd make it somewhat of a challenge to fight the curse's impulses, I'd certainly let them try to do so.
I interpreted that differently. Turning into a werewolf is the curse, whether embraced or not. You can resist all you like, you'll still become a werewolf when the circumstances are right.
And that's the key there, resistance. If you resist the curse, fight it every step of the way, you are still cursed until you find the means to cure yourself of it. While cursed, you may commit vile, dark deeds, however you yourself have are not evil. You're still you, but struggling with something that is, to a degree, evil.
But if you embrace the curse, welcome the physical change and even openly seek it out, then you have indeed become something evil.
To be clear, I'm not trying saying this in a "you're wrong, I'm right" way. Both interpretations are valid, depending on the table.
The intent I think it's that if you are not trying to cure yourself then the character becomes an NPC. The reason is that becoming a lycanthrope makes you considerably stronger than the rest of the party. Especially at low levels when immunity to non-magical / silver weapons makes you largely invulnerable, and this applies wherever you are transformed or not. If you want to turn into an animal without breaking the game, take a couple levels of circle of the moon druid. Or play a shifter in Eberron.
With Lycanthropes I think the rules is a bit vague on purpose to give room for the DM to deside how to handle it.
With werewolf curse I think the intend is that a cursed person will turn "evil". His/her personality will change over time until as the curse takeover. How the change will happen can be a simple check or could be a long development. The latter opens up the possibility for some great RP situations and a Side Quest with a time limit.. "save cursed person before the next full moon etc".
in campaigns i have played iv found that taking it up with the DM works very well. i played a were-hyena gnome once and how we (me and the DM) decided to rule it is i could actively use the curse like a weapon or extension of myself, sorta like the curse was leashed in a way (she had been a were-hyena all her life, so had plenty of reasonable experience on how to possibly control it) however at certain intervals i would have to make a wisdom save while i was transformed against losing control of myself and rampaging. the times i had to make these wisdom saves were lets say i started my turn with less than half my health and fight or flight kicked in, i smelled a large amount of blood and lost myself in it, and other events where it would make sense. so while i had the curse on hand and was in control 90% of the time there were times where id have to try and continue to chain down the feral curse within or else id fall under a blood frenzy type deal (DM control bassicly). when a full moon came for instance though the DC for the wisdom save would be ESPECIALLY high, and would typically lose control completely for as long as the blasted moon reined.
in addition to try and scale down the curse (so it was more balanced) we ruled it as the immunity to attacks not made by silvered weapons was resistance instead because immunity is way to powerful (she was a barbarian anyway so raging gave her the same resistance sorta)
whatever you choose to do i think the final say is up to you and your DM and what they feel like would happen! just have fun~!! and go crazy
what would be really cool imo is if you chose to embrace it but practiced to keep it under ur control, sorta like training but training on not killing everything in the area. sorta so you would rule it as you had gained experience with the curse and had learned how to press its buttons to make it yours, instead of kneeling to it.
Alize the Gnoll