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Description

Lycanthropes aren't a race, so much as a group of people whom all suffer from a common curse. Lycanthropes have the ability to change into animal or hybrid forms, and they sometimes do so unvoluntarily. Any kind of giant or humanoid can suffer from lycanthropy. In Faerûn, the following kinds of lycanthropes are common: Werebat, werebear, wereboar, werecats, werecrocodile, wererat, wereshark, weretiger, werewolf, and the elven lythari, a special kind of werewolf.

"Lycathrope" is a template rather than a race, that can be added to any humanoid or giant. The example above assumes a human base creature from Faerûn regarding size, speed, languages. The level adjustment of +1 is true for afflicted lycanthropy. Natural lycanthropes have a +2 level adjustment

Each of those lycanthropes can transform from its normal humanoid form to that of a particular animal or a hybrid form that is a cross between the humanoid and the animal form.

Regions

By base humanoid race or region.

Combat

Racial Traits

Lycanthrope characters possess the following racial traits and template modifications:

Table 9-1: Lycanthrope Traits

Table 9-2: Lycanthrope Feats and Skills

Hit Dice and Basic Stats

• Abilities: Wisdom +2 in all forms. In addition, the lycanthrope's physical abilities are increased by the animal form's ability modifiers when the lycanthrope changes to her hybrid or animal forms. See Table 9-1. These adjustments are equal to the animal's normal ability score -10 or -11. For example, a were-crocodile (Str 19, Dex 12, Con 17) would add Str +8, Dex +2, and Con +6 to her normal ability scores when she takes crocodile or hybrid form. In addition, the lycanthrope may also gain an additional ability score increase by virtue of her extra hit dice.
• Racial Hit Dice: A lycanthrope adds the Hit Dice of her animal form to her base Hit Dice for race, level, and class. This modifies the lycanthrope's base attack and base saving throws accordingly. See Table 9-1.
• Hit Dice and Hit Points: Same as the character plus those of the animal. To calculate total hit points, apply Constitution modifiers according to the score the lycanthrope has in each form. For example, a human commoner with a constitution score of 11 as a human and a 15 as a wolf has 1d4 plus 2d8+4 hit points.
• Racial Skills: A lycanthrope adds skill points for her animal Hit Dice much as if she had multiclassed into the animal type. See Table 9-2. Lycanthrope Feats and Skills. She gains skill points equal to (2 + Intelligence modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Dice of the animal form. Any skills that appear in the animal description are treated as class skills for the lycanthrope's animal levels. The lycanthrope's maximum skill ranks are equal to her animal form Hit Dice + her racial Hit Dice (if any) + her class levels + 3. Any racial skill adjustments of the lycanthrope's base race and her animal form (but not conditional adjustments) are added to her skill checks in any form.
• Racial Feats: Add the animal's Hit Dice to the base character's own Hit Dice to determine how many feats the character has. All lycanthropes gain Iron Will as a bonus feat. The Improved Control Shape feat (cf. "Monster Manual 3.0"rulebooks/core-30—10/monster-manual—107/) is available to lycanthropes. – Add the animal's feats to the characters. If this results in the lycanthrope having the same feat twice, the lycanthrope gains no benefit unless the feat normally can be taken more than twice, in which case the duplicated feat works as noted in the feat description. This may grant the lycanthrope more feats than a character of her total Hit Dice would otherwise be entitled to. Any extra feats are gained as bonus feats. It's possible that the lycanthrope cannot meet the prerequisites for all her feats when in humanoid form. When this occurs, the lycanthrope still has the feats, but cannot use them when in humanoid form (see Prerequisites in Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook).
• Size and Type: Size as per the base character or creature (or by the animal form). The character's type does not change, but the character gains the shapechanger subtype. The lycanthrope takes on the characteristics of some creature of the Animal type (referred to hereafter as the "animal"). This can be any predator, scavenger, or omnivore whose size is within one step of the base creature's size. Lycanthropes can also adopt a hybrid shape that combines features of the character and the animal. A lycanthrope's hybrid form is the same size as the animal form or base form, whichever is larger.
• Speed: Same as the character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using.

Attacks and Special Attacks

• Base Attack: Add the base attack for the animal to the base attack for the character.
• Attacks: Same as the character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. A lycanthrope in hybrid form gains 2 claws and a bite for natural attacks. These deal damage based on the hybrid form's size (Claw/Bite): Small: 1d3, 1d4; – Medium: 1d4, 1d6; – Large: 1d6, 1d8; – Huge: 2d4, 2d6. A hybrid may attack with a weapon and a bite, or may attack with her natural attacks. The bite attack of a hybrid is a secondary attack, but does not penalize the character's attacks with any weapons she wields or her claws.
• Special Attacks: A lycanthrope retains all of the special attacks of the character or animal, depending on which form she is using. The humanoid and hybrid forms do not gain any special attacks of the animal form. A lycanthrope spellcaster cannot cast spells with verbal, somatic, or material components in animal form, or spells with verbal components in hybrid form.

Special Qualities

• Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by a natural lycanthrope's bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or contract lycanthropy. If the victim is not within one size category of the lycanthrope, the victim cannot contract lycanthropy from that lycanthrope. Afflicted lycanthropes cannot pass on the Curse of Lycanthropy.
• Alternate Form (Su): A lycanthrope can shift into animal form as though using the polymorph spell on itself, though her gear is not affected, she does not regain hit points for changing form, and only the specific animal form listed for the lycanthrope can be assumed. She does not assume the ability scores of the animal, but instead adds the animal's physical ability score modifiers to her own ability scores. A lycanthrope also can assume a bipedal hybrid form with prehensile hands and animalistic features. Changing to or from animal or hybrid form is a standard action. A slain lycanthrope reverts to her humanoid form, although she remains dead. Separated body parts retain their animal form. Afflicted lycanthropes find this ability difficult to control (see 'Lycanthropy as an Affliction'), but natural lycanthropes have full control over this power.
• Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex): In any form, lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with normal or dire animals of their animal form. This gives them a +4 racial bonus to checks when influencing the animal's attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend", "foe", "flee", and "attack".
• Damage Reduction (Ex): A lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form gains damage reduction 10/silver (cf. the Damage Reduction special ability in the Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 291).
• Low-light vision (Ex): The lycanthrope gains low-light vision in any form (cf. the Low-Light Vision special ability in the Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 296).
• Scent (Ex): The lycanthrope gains scent in any form (cf. the Scent special ability in the Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 298).

Other Traits

• Natural Armor: A lycanthrope gains +2 natural armor in any form. In hybrid form, the lycanthrope's natural armor bonus is equal to the natural armor bonus of her animal form or her base form, whichever is better.
• Automatic Languages: As base creature.
• Level Adjustment: Same as the character, +1 (afflicted) or +2 (natural). A natural lycanthrope has an effective character level (ECL) of 2 + animal form HD + racial HD (if any) + class levels, so a 4th-level human werebear fighter would have an ECL of 12.
• Favored Class: As base creature.
• Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature, as modified by the animal form's Hit Dice: 1-2 HD: +2 CR; – 3-5 HD: +3 CR; – 6-10 HD: +4 CR; – 11-20 HD: 5 CR; – 21 HD: +6 CR.
• Alignment: Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles or lions tend to produce doof-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, or wolves tend to produce evil-aligned lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these animals are perceived, not any innate quality of the animal itself.