WOTC Spellbook: Bite of the Werewolf

[Lord Pendragon]

Occasionally, I poke around the Wizards page to see if anything interesting pops up, and I'm particularly interested in the Spellbook, a running article featuring new spells. The last series of spells focused on improving a mage's familiar (Planar Familiar, Animate Dead Familiar, Elemental Familiar, etc.) Those spells were interesting, and useful.

This time, the theme is lycanthropy. So far, there've been Bite of the Wererat and Bite of the Wereboar. The current offering:

Bite of the Werewolf
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Drd 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level

You take on certain qualities of a wolf, almost as though you were a werewolf in hybrid form. You gain a +2 enhancement bonus to your Strength score, a +4 enhancement bonus to your Dexterity score, and a +4 enhancement bonus to your Constitution score. Your face lengthens into a wolflike muzzle, and you can attack with your bite if you choose, dealing 1d6 points of damage (or 1d4 points if you are Small) on a hit. You gain the benefits of the Blind-Fight feat as well, and a +4 natural armor bonus.

Material Component: Hair from a werewolf.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how this spell can be useful. Everything it offers is trumped by the 4th-level Polymorph Self which allows a troll form (for a 10 str, 10 dex, 10 con PC, it offers a +13 str, +4 dex, +13 con, +7 natural armor, and reach). On top of all that, this spell lasts 1 round/level, while Polymorph Self lasts for hours. Is there a point to this spell? Am I just missing something??

 

[Aahz]

There are a few small advantages here. First off Druids don't get the Polymorph Spells, but they do get this one. Second, you keep the same size category when you use this spell rather than becoming large in your troll example (useful if you need the added abilities while in tight quarters). Third, There is nothing to say you can't use BOTH together, granting the increased abilities of a standard Troll plus the enhancement bonuses from Bite of the Werewolf plus a bite attack (most likely scaled up for large even).

NOTE: The natural armor bonuses will not stack.

Christopher J. Bono

 

[drnuncheon]

For the life of me, I can't figure out how this spell can be useful. Everything it offers is trumped by the 4th-level Polymorph Self which allows a troll form (for a 10 str, 10 dex, 10 con PC, it offers a +13 str, +4 dex, +13 con, +7 natural armor, and reach). On top of all that, this spell lasts 1 round/level, while Polymorph Self lasts for hours. Is there a point to this spell? Am I just missing something??

Maybe this is a sign that the polymorph spells ought to be higher than 4th level...

J

 

[coyote6]

You could up the duration to 1 minute/level, 2 rounds/level, 5 rounds/level, or whatever you think reasonable.

There are a number of spells from Magic of Faerun, WotC's website, & other sources that have too-short durations for their effect & level. (Weapon of the deity is the example that springs to mind.)

 

[Lord Pendragon]

There are a few small advantages here. First off Druids don't get the Polymorph Spells, but they do get this one. Second, you keep the same size category when you use this spell rather than becoming large in your troll example (useful if you need the added abilities while in tight quarters). Third, There is nothing to say you can't use BOTH together, granting the increased abilities of a standard Troll plus the enhancement bonuses from Bite of the Werewolf plus a bite attack (most likely scaled up for large even).

I hadn't thought of any of these ideas. The fact that a druid gets this spell and doesn't get the polymorph line slipped by me, arcanist-focused as I am. But the idea that the spells might stack is an interesting one. I hadn't thought of the spell as an enhancement to polymorph but only as an alternative.

Funny you should mention size, as my PC was recently stuck in 2 1/2 wide corridors that wouldn't allow a large shape. Had to polymorph into a halfling with base stats. Ouch!

Originally posted by Drnuncheon
Maybe this is a sign that the polymorph spells ought to be higher than 4th level...

I don't really think so. They give a wizard some neat options, but even as a troll, the wizard isn't going to be the equal of a fighter, and still stuck with dangerously low hp. Polymorph Self fills a niche and works at the level it's at, but to create another spell to fill the same niche (as I'd thought when looking at Bite of the Werewolf,) with lesser abilities struck me as pointless. Still, looking at Aahz's points, I'm not sure they were meant to fill the same niche anymore.

 

[hong]

I don't really think so. They give a wizard some neat options, but even as a troll, the wizard isn't going to be the equal of a fighter, and still stuck with dangerously low hp.

I think the fighter might be a better judge of that....