Greater Lycanthrope (3.5e Creature)

Greater Lycanthrope

Greater Lycanthropes are rare mutations of Lycanthropes. Usually this occurs when a creature that normally wouldnt have the Curse of Lycanthropy becomes afflicted somehow. Usually any creature not immune to diseases can carry lycanthropy, but only for a short time. Greater Lycanthropes made from this template that are similar to normal lycanthropes, such as wolves, bears, or tigers, are simply more connected to their curse, making them stronger then other lycanthropes.

Creating a Greater Lycanthrope

"Greater Lycanthrope" is a template that can be added to any humanoid or giant (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The Greater Lycanthrope template can be inherited (For natural lycanthropes) or aquired (For afflicted lycanthropes).

Size and Type: The base creature's type does not change, but the creature gains the shapechanger subtype. The lycanthrope takes on some of the characteristics of some type of carnivorous creature of the animal type (referred to hereafter as the base animal). This animal can be any predator or scavenger. The "base animal" does not necessarily have to be an animal. For example a creature can be a Greater Lycanthrope with a bullette as the base animal. The base animal must be within one size category of the base creature. In very rare cases, the base animal is with two size categories. The rules for this are detailed below. Lycanthropes can adopt a hybrid shape that combines the forms of the base animal and base creature. A greater lycanthrope's hybrid form is the larger size of the base creature or the base animal.

Hit Dice and Hit Points: Same as base creature, plus any hit dice the base animal has. Calculate total hit points by applying the base creature's constitution modifier to the new hit dice.

Speed: Same as the base creature or base animal +10ft, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. Hybrids use the base creature's speed plus the additional 10ft.

Armor Class: The base creature's natural armor bonus increases by +3 in all forms. In hybrid form, the lycanthrope's natural armor bonus is equal to the base animal or base creature, whichever is better

Base Attack/Grapple: Add the base attack bonus for the base animal to the base attack bonus of the base creature. The lycanthrope's grapple bonus uses it's attack bonus and modifiers for Strength and size depending on the lycanthrope's form.

Attacks: Same as the base creature or base animal depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. A lycanthrope in hybrid form gains two claw attacks and a bite attack as natural weapons. These weapons deal damage based on the hybrid form's size. A hybrid may attack with a weapon and then bite, or attack with just natural weapons. The bite attack of a hybrid is a secondary attack.

Damage: Same as the base creature or base animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is in.

Special Attacks: A Greater Lycanthrope retains the special attacks of the base creature or base animal, depending on which form it is using. The Greater Lycanthrope gains the abilities listed below. A lycanthrope's hybrid form doesn't gain any special attacks of the base animal. A Lycanthrope spellcaster cannot cast spells with verbal, somatic, or material components while in animal form. A Greater Lycanthrope cannot cast spells with verbal components while in hybrid form.

Curse of Greater Lycanthropy: A Greater Lycanthrope holds inside it a curse. Any humanoid or giant hit by a greater lycanthrope's bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed a Fort DC 15 or contract Greater Lycanthropy. Anyone who contracts Greater Lycanthropy goes into a hallucinogenic coma for one week. The hallucinations usually consist of being chased by the base animal. The creature that contracts Greater Lycanthropy must succeed a Fort save DC 20 for six days or die. On the seventh day the creature must succeed a Will save DC 20 or loose himself to the beast. His Int and Wis drops to the base animal's score, and his alignment changes to resemble the base animal's. CE for Wolves, for example. The lycanthrope is then driven to spread the curse. Unlike normal lycanthropes, an afflicted greater lycanthrope can still pass on the curse. Normally when a child is born from a lycanthrope, it either has no curse, is afflicted, or a natural lycanthrope. In the case of the Greater Lycanthrope, not matter what situation the child always has the curse. If one parent is afflicted and the other isn't cursed, then the child is afflicted. If one parent is natural, the child is always natural.

Special Qualities: A lycanthrope retains all the special qualities of the base creature and the base animal, and also gains those described below.

Alternate Form: A lycanthrope can shift into animal form as though using the polymorph spell on itself, though its gear is not affected, it does not regain hit points for changing form, and only the specific animal form indicated for the lycanthrope can be assumed. It does not assume the ability scores of the animal, but instead adds the animal’s physical ability score modifiers to its 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 its humanoid form, although it remains dead. Separated body parts retain their animal form, however. Afflicted lycanthropes find this ability difficult to control, but natural lycanthropes have full control over this power. In very rare cases, a Greater Lycanthrope may have a base animal that is two size categories larger or smaller then itself. In this case, the physical change from one form to another is painfull to the lycanthrope. This deals 1d12+4 points of lethal damage to the lycanthrope, and it increases the lycanthropes level adjustment, see below.

Damage Reduction: An afflicted Greater Lycanthrope gains Damage Reduction 10/silver. Natural Greater Lycanthropes are more in tune with their heritage, and do not suffer the vulnerability of silver. Natural Greater Lycanthropes gain Damage Reduction 10/-.

Regeneration: Natural Greater Lycanthropes can regenerate their bodies, they gain Regeneration 5. While they can resist silver, it still burns enough to hinder their regeneration.

Lycanthropic Empathy: In any form, lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with normal or dire animals of their animal form. This gives them a +4 racial bonus on 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.”

Low-light Vision: A Greater Lycanthrope gains low-light vision in any form.

Darkvision: A Greater Lycanthrope gains Darkvision 60ft, in any form.

Scent: A Greater Lycanthrope gains scent in any form.

Base save Bonuses: Add the base save bonuses of the base animal to the base save bonuses of the base creature.

Abilities: All Greater Lycanthropes gain +2 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. They also gain a +3 to Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity. In addition, when in animal form, a lycanthrope’s physical ability scores improve according to its kind, as set out in the table below. These adjustments are equal to the animal’s normal ability scores –10 or –11. A lycanthrope in hybrid form modifies its physical ability scores by the same amount. In addition, a lycanthrope may also gain an additional ability score increase by virtue of its extra Hit Dice.

Skills: A lycanthrope gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die of its animal form, as if it had multiclassed into the animal type. (Animal is never its first Hit Die, though, and it does not gain quadruple skill points for any animal Hit Die.) Any skill given in the animal’s description is a class skill for the lycanthrope’s animal levels. In any form, a lycanthrope also has any racial skill bonuses of the base creature and of the base animal, although conditional skill bonuses only apply in the associated form.

Feats: Add the base animal’s feats to the base creature’s. If this results in a lycanthrope having the same feat twice, the lycanthrope gains no additional benefit unless the feat normally can be taken more once, in which case the duplicated feat works as noted in the feat description. This process may give the lycanthrope more feats than a character of its total Hit Dice would normally be entitled to; if this occurs, any “extra” feats are denoted as bonus feats. It’s possible that a lycanthrope cannot meet the prerequisites for all its feats when in humanoid form. If this occurs, the lycanthrope still has the feats, but cannot use them when in humanoid form. A lycanthrope receives Iron Will as a bonus feat.

Enviroment: Any, same as base creature and base animal.

Organization: Solitary or pair, sometimes family (3–4), pack (6–10), or troupe (family plus related animals).

Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature, modified according to the HD of the base animal: 1 HD or 2 HD, +2; 3 HD to 5 HD, +3; 6 HD to 10 HD, +4; 11 HD to 20 HD, +5; 21 or more HD, +6

Treasure: Standard.

Alignment: Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles, and lions tend to produce good-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, and 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, so the alignment of the animal form can be arbitrarily assigned.

Advancement: By character class.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +3 (afflicted) or +4 (natural). If the base animal is two size categories larger or smaller then the base creature, then increase the Level Adjustment by +1. In addition, a lycanthrope’s character level is increased by the number of racial Hit Dice the base animal has.

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