Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk

[freyar]

I still need to look through those adventures. But we can start anyway. Something like the following, but with a better name...

Unusual Curse (Su): Werepanthers do not involuntarily transform to animal form under the full moon or when damaged in combat. Rather, each werepanther has a specific curse. When the curse is triggered, the werepanther must succeed at a DC XX Control Shape check or transform into animal form. As with other lycanthropes, a werepanther that is not aware of his/her condition acts as a panther under the control of the DM; a werepanther that is aware of its conditions retains control of its actions when transformed and may make Control Shape checks to voluntarily transform into hybrid or animal form. The curse of lycanthropy otherwise functions as for other lycanthropes.

EXAMPLE CURSE TRIGGERS

 

[Cleon]

I still need to look through those adventures. But we can start anyway. Something like the following, but with a better name...

Okay, I had a look through the adventures FRE1 Shadowdale and FRE2 Tantras and could only find two mentions of Kelemvor transforming.

In FRE1's Encounter 2: Tilverton (page 28) he involuntarily becomes a panther while trying to rescue a villager from a Jackalwere.

In FRE2's Event 3: Bloodshed at Blackfeather Bridge (page 16) he turns into a panther to defend the party from the attacks of a group of archers.

Note that these two incidents involve Kelemvor performing a "deed not in his best interest", which is the trigger for his curse.

I noticed FRE2 has multiple events that occur under moonlight with no mention of Kelemvor turning into a panther, so it's pretty definite that his curse is not triggered by moonlight.

Both the adventures and FR7 Hall of Heroes say "Kelemvor cannot control his transformation into a panther." If we applied that literally than this Werepanther should not be able to make Control Shape checks to transform, or to prevent the curse trigger turning them into a panther.

Unusual Curse (Su): Werepanthers do not involuntarily transform to animal form under the full moon or when damaged in combat.

I'm inclined to keep the involuntary change when damaged. If we only allow the curse-trigger to cause the transformation than it makes it a lot less likely for the werepanther to become a beast.

We could allow a Control Shape check (or maybe a Will save?) to prevent the involuntary change when damaged.

 

[freyar]

I glanced through FRE3 this morning and didn't notice anything about Kelemvor transforming --- he's not so present in that module.

I agree about the "damage transformation" with the usual Control Shape check. So something like this:

Unusual Curse (Su): Werepanthers do not involuntarily transform to animal form under the full moon. Rather, each werepanther has a specific curse. When the curse is triggered, the werepanther transforms into animal form; the werepanther cannot control the transformation using a Control Shape check. As with other lycanthropes, a werepanther that is not aware of his/her condition acts as a panther under the control of the DM; a werepanther that is aware of its conditions retains control of its actions when transformed and may make Control Shape checks to voluntarily transform into hybrid or animal form. The curse of lycanthropy otherwise functions as for other lycanthropes, including involuntary transformations when the werepanther is damaged in combat.

EXAMPLE CURSE TRIGGERS

 

[Cleon]

I glanced through FRE3 this morning and didn't notice anything about Kelemvor transforming --- he's not so present in that module.

That's hardly surprising, as Kelemvor's not a werepanther in FRE3 - he was cured of his curse around the end of FRE2.

I agree about the "damage transformation" with the usual Control Shape check. So something like this:

Unusual Curse (Su): Werepanthers do not involuntarily transform to animal form under the full moon. Rather, each werepanther has a specific curse. When the curse is triggered, the werepanther transforms into animal form; the werepanther cannot control the transformation using a Control Shape check. As with other lycanthropes, a werepanther that is not aware of his/her condition acts as a panther under the control of the DM; a werepanther that is aware of its conditions retains control of its actions when transformed and may make Control Shape checks to voluntarily transform into hybrid or animal form. The curse of lycanthropy otherwise functions as for other lycanthropes, including involuntary transformations when the werepanther is damaged in combat.

EXAMPLE CURSE TRIGGERS

Erm, our current version of the Werepanther doesn't have a hybrid form, so we don't need the references to it.

Also, the adventures are quite clear about Kelemvor not being able to transform voluntarily.

A more literal translation would be something like the following. I've broken it up into small paragraphs for the sake of clarity:

Unusual Curse (Su): A werepanther's curse of lycanthropy does not follow the normal rules for either a natural or afflicted lycanthrope. Each werepanther has a specific curse, which causes him to involuntarily change into animal form when triggered - the werepanther cannot prevent this transformation using a Control Shape check. Examples of possible curse triggers are given below.

Werepanthers do not involuntarily transform to animal form under the full moon (unless that's listed as a curse trigger).

If a werepanther is aware of the condtions of his curse, he may choose to deliberately break them to trigger an involuntary transformation.

A werepanther may involuntarily transform if injured, using the normal rules for an afflicted lycanthrope (e.g. he must succeed at a Control Shape check each time his hit points are reduced by one-quarter or assume animal form.)

A werepanther cannot use Control Shape checks to voluntarily change into wereform, but can attempt to use Control Shape to change from animal form to hybrid form (or vice versa).

As with other lycanthropes, a werepanther who is unaware of his condition acts as a panther under the control of the DM; a werepanther that is aware of his conditions retains control of his actions when transformed, and may make Control Shape checks to voluntarily return to humanoid form.

In most cases, a werepanther's curse does not spread like a disease via its bite. It may be unique to an individual, carried down the bloodline of a cursed ancestor, passed on to whoever next claims a cursed object, or transmitted to whoever's "closest" to the werepanther when he dies.

EXAMPLE CURSE TRIGGERS

 

[freyar]

Ugh, forgot to take the hybrid form out of copy-paste. (And that bit about Kelemvor's curse.)

I think I might allow voluntary transformations with a very high DC --- perhaps Kelemvor wasn't able to invest ranks in Control Shape for some reason. I also don't want to feel too tied to those adventures. What do you think? If it's important to you, I can go along...

The rest is fine. Shall we come up with some triggers? Performing altruistic acts/performing acts unaltruistically certainly has to be there.

 

[Cleon]

Ugh, forgot to take the hybrid form out of copy-paste. (And that bit about Kelemvor's curse.)

I think I might allow voluntary transformations with a very high DC --- perhaps Kelemvor wasn't able to invest ranks in Control Shape for some reason. I also don't want to feel too tied to those adventures. What do you think? If it's important to you, I can go along...

I'd be fine with that. If we set the difficulty class to, say, DC 25 then it'd require a Wisdom of 20+ or a character who's advanced multiple levels as a lycanthrope to have any chance of shifting voluntarily.

The rest is fine. Shall we come up with some triggers? Performing altruistic acts/performing acts unaltruistically certainly has to be there.

The altruism trigger definitely needs to be in their. For the others, how 'bout:

• Hearing the scream of a panther?
• Smelling the blood of a particular type of creature (e.g. elf, deer, any humanoid who isn't a goblin)?
• The anniversary of a particular event?
• Being frightened or panicked?
• Failing a save against a particular type of magic (e.g. healing conjurations like cure wounds, harmless transmutations like bull's strength)?

 

[freyar]

I like these! Does failing a save include accepting the harmless spell (ie, cases when you voluntarily "fail")?

How about accepting a service without payment/barter?
Eating a certain type of food
Taking some type of ability damage

 

[Cleon]

I like these! Does failing a save include accepting the harmless spell (ie, cases when you voluntarily "fail")?

Yes.

How about accepting a service without payment/barter?
Eating a certain type of food
Taking some type of ability damage

Isn't the first one Kelemvor's curse, which we've already agreed to add?

The second one's fine - I had wondered about putting something similar on my previous post by including "tasting meat" in the lists.

The "Some type of ability damage" seemed a trifle too game-mechanical to me; mainly because the same type of ability damage can be caused by all sorts of different effects. Why would the curse consider Strength damage from such different sources as a spell, disease, poison and a shadow's touch all be the same trigger for lycanthropy?

Then again, the curser would presumable use words with a bit more verisimilitude when laying the conditions, e.g. "when your limbs grow weak" (instead of "if you take Strength damage").

Might as well add all three to the list.

 

[freyar]

The first is sort of a reverse-Kelemvor: he can't perform a service without accepting payment, but this example can't receive a service without paying. In an extreme case, that could include, say, healing magic from the party cleric.

 

[Cleon]

The first is sort of a reverse-Kelemvor: he can't perform a service without accepting payment, but this example can't receive a service without paying. In an extreme case, that could include, say, healing magic from the party cleric.

Oh right, so the curse victim has to pay for everything he receives.

That'd work.