Lycanthropy
One of the most ancient and feared of all curses, lycanthropy can transform the most civilized humanoid into a ravening beast. 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. On close inspection, its eyes show a faint spark of unnatural intelligence and might glow red in the dark.
Evil lycanthropes hide among normal folk, emerging in animal form at night to spread terror and bloodshed, especially under a full moon. Good lycanthropes are reclusive and uncomfortable around other civilized creatures, often living alone in wilderness areas far from villages and towns.
Curse of Lycanthropy. A humanoid creature can be afflicted with the curse of lycanthropy after being wounded by a lycanthrope, or if one or both of its parents are lycanthropes. A remove curse spell can rid an afflicted lycanthrope of the curse, but a natural born lycanthrope can be freed of the curse only with a wish.
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. Especially if 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.
Some individuals see little point in fighting the curse and accept what they are. With time and experience, they learn to master their shapechanging ability and can assume beast form or hybrid form at will. Most lycanthropes that embrace their bestial natures succumb to bloodlust, becoming evil, opportunistic creatures that prey on the weak.
Variant: Nonhuman Lycanthropes
The statistics presented in this section assume a base creature of human. However, you can also use the statistics to represent a nonhuman lycanthrope, adding a verisimilitude by allowing a nonhuman lycanthrope to retain one or more of its humanoid racial traits. For example, an elf werewolf might have the fey ancestry trait.
Werebear
Werebears are powerful lycanthropes with the ability to temper their monstrous natures and reject their violent impulses. In humanoid form, they are large, muscular, and covered in hair matching the color of their ursine form's fur. A werebear is a loner by nature, fearing what might happen to innocent creatures around it when its bestial nature takes over durring the full moon.
When a werebear transforms, it grows to enormous size, lashing out with its claws. It fights with the ferocity of a bear, though even in its bestial forms, it avoids biting so as to not pass on its curse. Typically, a werebear passes on its lycanthropy only to chosen companions or apprentices, spending the time that follows helping the new lycanthrope accept the curse in order to control it.
Solitary creatures, werebears act as wardens over their territory, protecting flora and fauna alike from humanoid or monstrous intrusion. Though most werebears are of good alignment, some are every bit as evil as other lycanthropes.
Wereboar
Wereboars are ill-tempered and vulgar brutes. As humanoids, they are stocky and muscular, with short, stiff hair. In their humanoid and hybrid forms, they use their fists, while in hybrid or animal form, they gain a devastating goring attack with their tusks through which their curse is spread. A wereboar infects other creatures indiscriminately, relishing the fact that the more its victims resist the curse, the more savage and bestial they become.
Wereboars live in small family groups in remote forest areas, building ramshackle huts or dwelling in caves. They are suspicious of strangers but sometimes ally themselves with orcs.
Wererat
Wererats are cunning lycanthropes with sly, avaricious personalities. They are wiry and twitchy in humanoid form, with thin hair and darting eyes. In their humanoid and hybrid forms, wererats prefer light weapons and use ambush tactics rather than fighting as a pack. Although a wererat can deliver a nasty bite in its rat form, it favors that form for stealthy infiltration and escape rather than combat.
A wererat clan operates much like a thieves' guild, with wererats transmitting their curse only to creatures they want to induct into the clan. Wererats that are accidentally cursed or break loose from the clan's control are quickly hunted down and killed.
Wererat clans are found throughout urban civilization, often dwelling in cellars and catacombs. These creatures are common in the sewers beneath major cities, viewing those subterranean areas as their hunting grounds. Rats and giant rats are commonly found living among wererats.
Weretiger
Weretigers are ferocious hunters and warriors with a haughty and fastidious nature. Lithe and sleekly muscular in humanoid form, they are taller than average and meticulously groomed. Weretigers grow to enormous size in animal and hybrid form, but they fight in their more refined humanoid form when they can. They don't like to pass on their curse, because every new weretiger means competition for territory and prey.
Weretigers live in jungles on the fringes of humanoid civilization, traveling to isolated settlements to trade or revel. They live and hunt alone or in small family groups.
Werewolf
A werewolf is a savage predator. In its humanoid form, a werewolf has heightened senses, a fiery temper, and a tendency to eat rare meat. Its wolf form is a fearsome predator, but its hybrid form is more terrifying by far, a furred and well-muscled humanoid body topped by a ravening wolf's head. A werewolf can wield weapons in hybrid form, though it prefers to tear foes apart with its powerful claws and bite.
Most werewolves flee civilized lands not long after becoming afflicted. 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 the wild, werewolves form packs that also include wolves and dire wolves.
Player Characters As Lycanthropes
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.
A humanoid hit by an attack that carries the curse of lycanthropy must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 +the lycanthrope's proficiency bonus+ the lycanthrope's Constitution modifier) or be cursed. 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.
The following information applies to specific lycanthropes.
Werebear. The character gains a Strength of19 if his or her score isn't already higher, and a+ 1 bonus to AC while in bear or hybrid form (from natural armor). Attack and damage rolls for the natural weapons are based on Strength.
Wereboar. The character gains a Strength of 17 if his or her score isn't already higher, and a+ 1 bonus to AC while in boar or hybrid form (from natural armor). Attack and damage rolls for the tusks are based on Strength. For the Charge- trait, the DC is 8 +the character's proficiency bonus +Strength modifier.
Wererat. The character gains a Dexterity of 15 if his or her score isn't already higher. Attack and damage rolls for the bite are based on whichever is higher of the character's Strength and Dexterity.
Weretiger. The character gains a Strength of 17 if his or her score isn't already higher. Attack and damage rolls for the natural weapons are based on Strength. For the Pounce trait, the DC is 8 + the character's proficiency bonus + Strength modifier.
Werewolf. The character gains a Strength of 15 if his or her score isn't already higher, and a+ 1 bonus to AC while in wolf or hybrid form (from natural armor). Attack and damage rolls for the natural weapons are based on Strength.
