Sword of Spirit
Legend
So my friend and I (who share DMing in a campaign) are having a tough time coming to a consensus on how to deal with hengeyokai.
The first question that comes up is "what is their natural form?" In 3.0, the Force Shapchange spell refers to true forms, and hengeyokai were the shapechanged subtype, with no disclosed true form. As of the 3.5 update, they are humanoids with the shapechanger subtype. But they have two humanoid forms--human and hybrid.
The other question is a real mess. We're attempting to determine what to do about hit points for a dog hengeyokai, who gets a +2 Con in his hybrid form. By standard D&D rules for alternate form in either 3.0 or 3.5, hit points don't change from that of your natural form, even when your Con changes. So I have to know whether it's the human or hybrid form to know what their hit points will be.
The easiest way would be to say that it is their human form, since that's what you start with before granting the bonus ability score in hybrid form. But that is really unsatisfying conceptually, as the text and tradition consistently refers to them as "shapechanging animals." Of course animal form as true form would be odd since the animal form has stats based on the animal, rather than your own determined ability scores. And in 3.5 since they humanoids, the animal form isn't an option.
Which leaves human or hybrid, and creates a crazy mess with trying to fit concepts with hit points.
Thoughts?
The first question that comes up is "what is their natural form?" In 3.0, the Force Shapchange spell refers to true forms, and hengeyokai were the shapechanged subtype, with no disclosed true form. As of the 3.5 update, they are humanoids with the shapechanger subtype. But they have two humanoid forms--human and hybrid.
The other question is a real mess. We're attempting to determine what to do about hit points for a dog hengeyokai, who gets a +2 Con in his hybrid form. By standard D&D rules for alternate form in either 3.0 or 3.5, hit points don't change from that of your natural form, even when your Con changes. So I have to know whether it's the human or hybrid form to know what their hit points will be.
The easiest way would be to say that it is their human form, since that's what you start with before granting the bonus ability score in hybrid form. But that is really unsatisfying conceptually, as the text and tradition consistently refers to them as "shapechanging animals." Of course animal form as true form would be odd since the animal form has stats based on the animal, rather than your own determined ability scores. And in 3.5 since they humanoids, the animal form isn't an option.
Which leaves human or hybrid, and creates a crazy mess with trying to fit concepts with hit points.
Thoughts?
