Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk

freyar said:

Description: A wet elf. ????

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We normally describe the hybrid form which, if you think about it, is going to look a bit goofy.

Hmm…

A sleek man-shaped being with the head and dorsal fin of a porpoise.

freyar said:

Did you ever post the original text for these? It might help for the flavor.

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I think so, but it's so short it's easier to just repost it:

[FONT=&quot]Weredolphins:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] These are Lawful Good beings that are able to transform themselves into elf-like humanoids or bottlenose dolphins. Weredolphins attack by ramming (2d4 points of damage). They can summon 1d10 dolphins or other small cetaceans or 1d2 whales. During the day, weredolphins may rest atop whales or come ashore. They are the enemies of the weresharks and wereseals.[/FONT]

I'm thinking the "wereseals" might be more rivals than enemies, at least compared to weresharks.

We should also use the bit about them sleeping ashore or on whales - presumably summoned ones.

This reminds me, my lycanthrope list includes wereseals (there are three varieties) and weresharks (the Mystaran mako shark version) so should we do those next?

Yes, that's a goofy description but works for me!

Background:
Wereporpoises are lycanthropes that can transform into small aquatic animals. They are bitter enemies of weresharks and rivals of wereseals. Wereporpoises often rest on shore during the day.

Since only the Faerunian ones can summon whales, I'd leave that for the underbar.

Let's do the Mystaran wereshark next since I seem to recall doing another wereshark already.

freyar said:

Yes, that's a goofy description but works for me!

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Updating Wereporpoise Working Draft.

freyar said:

Background:
Wereporpoises are lycanthropes that can transform into small aquatic animals. They are bitter enemies of weresharks and rivals of wereseals. Wereporpoises often rest on shore during the day.

Since only the Faerunian ones can summon whales, I'd leave that for the underbar.

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As "small", "aquatic" and "animal" have rule-specific meanings in 3E D&D, I'd change those. Probably also add in humanoid form to the resting bit.

How's this:

Wereporpoises are lycanthropes that can transform into marine mammals. They are bitter enemies of weresharks and rivals of wereseals. Wereporpoises often rest on shore in humanoid form during the day.

In Faerûn
These creatures are called weredolphins in Faerûn and possess the ability to communicate with and summon porpoises and whales as described below. All other abilities are the same as a standard wereporpoise. Weredolphins sometimes rest upon the backs of summoned whales floating on the sea.

freyar said:

Let's do the Mystaran wereshark next since I seem to recall doing another wereshark already.

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By the way, I've found another lycanthrope to add to the Shapeshifter list, the Mystaran Werefox.

I think I'd better update that post.

In the BECMI sourcebook PC4 Night Howlers even the "standard" werecreatures can gain additional abilities compared to the SRD versions. These powers aren't available to normal specimens, but are special abilities granted when the werecreature has advanced to a high level. i.e. a "normal monster" BECMI Werewolf is basically the same 4+2 HD monster as the AD&D version, but one that has advanced 7 levels is a 9 HD monster with a 1/day ability to howl and panic any creature within 180 yards with fewer levels than itself into fleeing in fear for 10 rounds (save vs. spells applicable).

We've already done the PC4 Mystaran Wererats as the greater wererat and ratwere, and the Devil Swine, Werefox, Weremako and Wereseals are already on my list, but that still leaves a fair few.

The abilities are:

Werebats have a 3/day stunning shriek
Werebears have a pass without trace like ability
Wereboars have an earthshaking stomp
Wererats gain DR in humanoid form
Wereseals have true seeing
Weresharks can churn the sea
Weretigers have a paralyzing roar
Werewolves have a terrifying howl

In addition, all the PC4 lycanthropes gain the ability to summon animals and their ordinary lycanthrope kin at high enough levels.

Do we want to do anything with them? Maybe create a "greater" version of the monster with those powers? Or perhaps do it as a template?

Your suggestions to finish the wereporpoise work for me.

Maybe a template for these others, but I could see new monsters if there's enough more to them.

freyar said:

Your suggestions to finish the wereporpoise work for me.

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Updating Wereporpoise Working Draft.

To account for the addition of baleen whales to the weredolphin's summon cetacean ability I revised the description from:

"A weredolphin's summoning ability increases as it gains additional hit dice. It can summon larger numbers of porpoises, and at ?? Hit Dice it gains the ability to summon orcas"

To:

"A weredolphin's summoning ability increases as it gains additional hit dice, allowing it to summon larger numbers of porpoises. At 9 Hit Dice it gains the ability to summon orcas and at 13 Hit Dice it gains the ability to summon baleen whales"

freyar said:

Maybe a template for these others, but I could see new monsters if there's enough more to them.

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Well pretty much they all have two powers that standard versions of their lycanthrope breed don't as well as advancing in Hit Dice a bit. They can summon creatures of their type and gain one special ability particular to their type. For example, a "Mystaran Greater Werewolf" can summon wolves or werewolves plus once a day can utter a Howling that may terrify any weaker creature that hears it.

Oh, and in BECMI lycanthropes are immune to charm person since they are not considered "persons", like in 3.0 were Lycanthropy changes the victim from the Humanoid type to the Shapechanger type.

Mechanically, it works somewhat like a 9 level "prestige class" version of a savage species class. At each level they gain additional Hit Dice and/or an additional power. The only major difference between most of them is the special ability they gain at level 7, which is specific to their lycanthrope type. The rate of HD progression (capping at 6 extra HD at level 8 followed by +2 hp per level) is pretty much the same except a few species add a stray extra hp or two (i.e. the "level 8" Wereboar had HD of 6d8+2 over a "normal" wereboar, not the 6d8 extra most lycanthropes have).

I'd probably do something like that approach if asked to convert the BECMI lycanthropes, except I'd probably use a 10-level prestige class.

Anyhow, we can decide what to do while we work on the next Lycanthrope.

Are you still fancying the mako version of the wereshark next?

The baleen whale fix looks good.

Yeah, the wereshark sounds good to tackle next.

A prestige class is an interesting idea for these things. We'll have to continue discussing that.

freyar said:

The baleen whale fix looks good.

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Good oh! That's another one done then.

freyar said:

Yeah, the wereshark sounds good to tackle next.

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We'd better call it a "Weremako" since there's already a 3E Wereshark based on the AD&D version. Said wereshark uses a Great White Shark as the base animal, while the BECMI wereshark uses a Mako Shark.

Speaking of which, BECMI also gives stats for a Mako Shark, so we may want to convert that first. A standard Medium Shark might do in a pinch, but that seems a bit boring.

I'll post the Original stats for both.

freyar said:

A prestige class is an interesting idea for these things. We'll have to continue discussing that.

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Good, I already have a few ideas on that. Should we start a separate "Special Conversion" thread to discuss it to avoid cross-cutting that issue from the Lycanthropes we're doing on this thread?

Mystaran Wereshark Original Stats

This creature first appeared in X7 War Rafts of Kron (1984) as part of its Shark entry. I omitted the Bull Shark and Great White Shark that it also described, since they aren't germane to this conversion:

Shark

Sharks are vicious predators. They have little intelligence and are unpredictable. They are attracted to the scent of blood within 300 feet which will drive them into a feeding frenzy (they attack but make no morale checks). They attack by making long, curving passes. Sharks are found in salt water.

Mako shark: These 12-feet long sharks are blue-gray or tan in color. Mako sharks are extremely unpredictable, ignoring swimmers one moment, and then suddenly attacking.

Wereshark: These are mermen, or tritons inflicted with a form of lycanthropy which enables them to take the form of a mako shark when they choose, so long as it is in darkness. When the moon is full they must change into a shark and will maraude the seas. Under this forced change, they lose their intelligence and become bloodthirsty killers. Unlike a mako shark, weresharks are intelligent and only magic or silver weapons harm them.

On the islands to the south there have been rumors of humans that are weresharks. Weresharks have treasure type C in their lair. They save as a 4th level fighter. Weresharks have an XP value of 125.

The Wereshark was reprinted in the D&D Companion Set (1984) with the same stats but a slightly altered description that omits the rumours about human weresharks:

Wereshark: These are mermen, or tritons inflicted with a form of lycanthropy which enables them to take the form of a mako shark when they choose, so long as it is in darkness. When the moon is full they must change into a shark and will maraude the seas. Under this forced change they lose their intelligence and become bloodthirsty killers. The only difference between a wereshark and a mako shark is that weresharks are intelligent and only magic or silver weapons will harm a wereshark.

Weresharks have treasure type C in their lair. They save as a 4th level fighter and have an XP value of 125.

The last of the BECMI "monster" Wereshark writeups appeared in the Rules Cyclopedia (1993), were it featured in the Lycanthropes entry rather than the Shark entry:

Lycanthrope*

t The number in parentheses is the creature’s armor class when in human form.

Wereshark: These are mermen, inflicted with a form of lycanthropy that enables them to take the form of a mako shark anytime they choose so long as it is in darkness. When the moon is full they must change into a shark and will maraud the seas. Under this forced change they lose their intelligence and become bloodthirsty killers. The only difference between a wereshark and a mako shark is that weresharks are intelligent and only magic or silver weapons will harm a wereshark. In island areas there are rumors of humans that are weresharks.

Shark

Monster Type: Normal Animal (Common).

Sharks are predators, feeding mostly on fish. They have little intelligence and are unpredictable. They are attracted to the scent of blood within 300′ and it will drive them into a feeding frenzy (they attack but make no morale checks). Sharks are found in salt water.

Mako Shark: These are 12′ long and blue-gray or tan in color. Mako sharks are very unpredictable, ignoring prey one moment and attacking another.

Terrain: Ocean.

Finally, the PC4 Night Howlers (1992) supplement had rules for Weresharks as a player character race:

Weresharks
Weresharks can be found in any ocean. They are most commonly sea-people (tritons and merrow) infected with lycanthropy. For detailed information on role-playing player-character tritons, mermen, and mermaids, see the CREATURE CRUCIBLE™: The Sea People. This accessory details the abilities and cultures of many oceanic races, and describes Undersea, a campaign setting. It also includes general rules (some appropriate to Weresharks) and detailed rules for underwater combat.

Sometimes a human contracts lycanthropy from a wereshark. These human weresharks typically roam shallow shorelines when in shark form. The newly infected wereshark must be near water whenever the change comes upon him, because his were-form breathes through gills, not lungs.

“Drowning”
If forced to transform into beast form away from water, a wereshark will die—but not instantly. He can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution score (halved if the character is fighting or otherwise exerting himself). After that time, Constitution checks are required or the character begins to “drown.” The first check is made normally, but subsequent checks have a cumulative –1 penalty. Once the wereshark fails a check, he will die in a number of rounds equal to one-third his Constitution score. Splashing water on the wereshark’s gills delays this death by one round per gallon, but only immersion in water eliminates the danger.

A wereshark in shark form can move at only 10′ per round on land.

Wereshark Alignment
Weresharks are Neutral but highly unpredictable. Hunger is their main motivating force. They may ignore prey one moment, only to attack the next. During involuntary transformations, they become insatiable killers and maraud the sea.

Player Character Weresharks
Weresharks usually take the form of mako sharks. They are blue-gray or tan in color. A wereshark who stands 6′ in human form becomes 12′ long in shark form and weighs 2.5 times his normal weight.
Special Abilities
I. Must take shark form the night of the full moon, as well as the night immediately preceding or following. Can take shark form any night the moon is visible.
II. Normal weapons do half damage (round up). Can transform at night (even without the moon).
III. Can speak with sharks and other weresharks while in beast form.
IV. Can take shark form at any time, including daytime.
V. Normal weapons do only ¼ damage (round up).
VI. Immune to normal weapons.
VII. Can summon 1d2 Bull or Mako sharks, provided some are in the area. Sharks arrive in 1d4 rounds if in the immediate vicinity; otherwise 1d4 turns. At 2nd-level, the wereshark can summon 1d4 sharks; at 4th level 1d6; at 6th level 1d8; and at 8th level 1d10. Every 4 levels thereafter, add 1d10. At 5th level and higher, a wereshark can summon Great White sharks as well as lesser species.
VIII. Can recover 1d4+1 hit points for every full day and night of rest while remaining in were-form; increase by +1 every 3 additional levels.
IX. Can summon weresharks, as well as normal sharks. The DM determines how many of those summoned are weresharks.

Wereshark Special Ability—Sea Fury
X. (Shark)—Sea Fury. At 7th level and above, weresharks can thrash about and magically cause the sea to churn for one turn. The effect spreads out from the wereshark in all directions. The weresharks experience level determines the size of the area of effect—the sphere (measure in feet) has a radius equal to the wereshark’s experience level. Each day, a wereshark can cause sea fury three times, plus one additional time per two experience levels gained after 7th level. Thus, a 7th-level wereshark can cause the sea to churn in a sphere 14′ in diameter, three times each day. All creatures within the area of effect are at –2 to hit due to the eddies and currents of the water. In addition, all movement within the area is halved.

The Shark-Man
At 9th level (1,572,000 XPs), a wereshark gains the ability to transform into a shark-man. This beast-man form looks like a shark with long flexible fins ending in clawed fingers, two scaly but sturdy legs, and a short finned tail. A shark-man can breathe either air or water, and has all the capabilities that come with mastering the beast-man form: see “Were-Heroes.”

Combat
Weresharks at normal monster level and higher have a natural Armor Class of 4. Weresharks can move only 10′ on land in shark form, although their shark-man form has a movement of 120′ (40′). Both were-forms swim at 180′ (60′).

Weresharks attack with one bite for 2d6 points of damage (cubs do only 1d6). They may ram an opponent first. If hit, the victim must save vs. paralysis or be stunned for 1d3 rounds.

A wereshark’s morale is normally 9.

Carrying Capacity
Weresharks can carry up to 1,500 cn at full speed; 3,000 cn at half speed. Only magical or seashell armor (AC3) can be worn; barding multiplier is ×2.