Homebrew Worgen Species Details
Cursed Recluses
Behind the formidable Greymane Wall, a terrible curse transformed some of the stalwart citizens of the isolated kingdom of Gilneas into nightmarish lupine beasts known as worgen. Human scholars intensely debated the origins of the curse, until it was revealed that the original worgen were not—as previously believed—nightmares from another dimension, but cursed night elf druids.
Worgen History
Long ago, amid a brutal war between the night elves and the demonic satyrs in Kalimdor, a group of druids practiced the ability to transform into a powerful yet unwieldy form that embodied the fury of the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn. Taught by Ralaar Fangfire, these Druids of the Pack sought to use the Scythe of Elune, a mystical artifact, to temper the uncontrollable rage inherent in their chosen form.
Rather than abate the druids’ fury, however, the Scythe transformed Ralaar and his followers into worgen: bestial humanoids enslaved by their own primal instincts.
Ralaar’s druids tore through friend and foe alike. Night elves wounded by the beasts contracted a virulent curse that turned them into worgen as well. Desperate to staunch the affliction’s spread, Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage banished the worgen to a part of the Emerald Dream—Azeroth’s spirit world—where they would be in peaceful slumber for all eternity.
The worgen threat was contained for millennia, until Archmage Arugal pulled the wolf-beasts from the Dream. Summoned by order of King Genn Greymane, the worgen battled Scourge forces encroaching on the kingdom of Gilneas. Yet the feral creatures soon spread their curse throughout the human population, infecting Gilnean soldiers stationed beyond the Greymane Wall.
The night elves, feeling responsible for the creation of the curse and the destruction it caused, agreed to help the Gilneans. With the Scythe of Elune, the night elves could not permanently cure the affliction, but managed to teach the Gilneans how to control their curse; shapeshifting at will from human to worgen, and back again. Now, these self-disciplined worgen have rejoined the Alliance as powerful allies, prepared to fight to keep their humanity and their place in society.
Worgen Traits
Due to their ties with the wilds, worgen are able to call upon their bestial fervor to defeat their enemies and travel great distances.Darkvision
Your curse grants you the ability to see in dark conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Aberration
You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage.
Worgen Form
- When you are in worgen form, your default human unarmed attacks are replaced with a bite attack that does 1d6 piercing damage, or a claw attack that does 1d4 slashing damage.
- You can use the Dash action as a bonus action.
- Any unarmed attack you make with your claws can automatically grapple a target if they are of a size smaller than yours.
- The damage dice for your worgen form's unarmed attacks increase by one level (from 1d6 to 1d8, and 1d4 to 1d6) at 5th, 11th, and 17th levels.
- If you have a magic weapon, you can fold its power into your form while you are shifting. While shifted, you cannot use the magic weapon, but can treat your unarmed attacks as if magical.
Worgen Curse
- Embrace the Beast. The curse more heavily affects your body than your mind or abilities of perception. You can shift as a bonus action instead of an action. While shifting, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Stamina modifier (minimum of +1), although you can only gain temporary hit points once per long rest, regardless of how many times you shift to worgen form. Furthermore, when you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike with your natural weapon on your turn, you can make another unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with your claws, you can also make an unarmed strike (bite) as a bonus action, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn.
- Reject the Beast. The curse more heavily affects your mind and spirit, enhancing your abilities to track and perceive, but is unable to fully take hold of you. At the end of a long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level. When you are in worgen Form, these temporary hit points are suppressed, but you gain keen senses, and have advantage on Perception checks that involve scent. You are also proficient in the Insight and Perception skills, and gain expertise in one of them if you are already proficient in both. Lastly, so long as you are not shifting, you have advantage to contested checks to track (as if you had the Favored Enemy ability, but not restricted to a creature type).
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age
Worgens reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.
Affiliation
Independent or Alliance. The Worgen of Gilneas re-joined their brethren of the Alliance once the Worgen Curse spread through their people, but in most cases, Worgen prefer to cater to their own hungers and ambitions.
Size
Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.
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