Help me decide: Half-ogre werebear or human werebear barbarian?

[calypso15]

I'm making a character for an ECL 7 game. I'm kinda thinking either a:

1) Half-Ogre (LA 2) + Natural Lycanthrope (LA 2) + Werebear (3 HD); or

2) Human (LA 0) + Natural Lycanthrope (LA 2) + Werebear (3 HD) + Barbarian (2 HD)

Either way, I'd eventually be heading for Warshaper.

Calypso

EDIT: The first one gives me an AB of ~13 in hybrid form. The second gives me ~12.

 

[frankthedm]

I'm making a character for an ECL 7 game. I'm kinda thinking either a:

1) Half-Ogre (LA 2) + Natural Lycanthrope (LA 2) + Werebear (3 HD); or

2) Human (LA 0) + Natural Lycanthrope (LA 2) + Werebear (3 HD) + Barbarian (2 HD)

Either way, I'd eventually be heading for Warshaper.

Calypso

You looking at 3.0 or something? A Natural Werebear has 6HD.That adds into your ecl 1 for 1. If you were using the much weaker black bear, it has 3 HD, so that would leave you with 1 level left, not 2.

Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural).

 

[calypso15]

You looking at 3.0 or something? A Natural Werebear has 6HD.That adds into your ecl 1 for 1. If you were using the much weaker black bear, it has 3 HD, so that would leave you with 1 level left, not 2.

Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural).

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

1) Yeah, I'm using the black bear.
2) It's Forgotten Realms, so it's +1/+2, rather than +2/+3.

Though one question I did have... is Half-Ogre (2) + Lycanthrope (2) + Black Bear (3) = 7 even valid, or do I have to have at least one class level?

Calypso

 

[Sejs]

Erm - lycanthropy is cheaper in the Realms now? Come again?

Anyway, personal suggestion, just one cube's opinion and all -

Human w/ Jotunbrud, Barbarian (7). Maybe use the Bear Totem variant from UA. Start taking levels in Bear Warrior from 8th and up.

Can't go wrong with simple. *nod*

 

[Magesmiley]

Big comment: go with a natural lycanthrope rather than the afflicted. One spell can ruin your day otherwise (how do you feel about someone curing your affliction?). The benefit of the improved control over the shape and the increased DR are also worth it. You don't want to go through much of the grief of being an afflicted lycanthrope.

That would kind of preclude being a half-ogre though.

Look at the dwarf instead of the human too.

 

[calypso15]

Big comment: go with a natural lycanthrope rather than the afflicted.

Yeah. I never even entertained the possibility of being afflicted. Too much drama and whatnot, plus as you say I'd rather the enemy isn't able to cast Remove Curse on me and *POOF*, no more lycanthropy.

Calypso

EDIT: Actually, on closer inspection, I could just voluntarily fail the save.

 

[frankthedm]

Plus the spell only works if they tag you with it in the full of the moon.

A remove disease or heal spell cast by a cleric of 12th level or higher also cures the affliction, provided the character receives the spell within three days of the lycanthrope’s attack.
The only other way to remove the affliction is to cast remove curse or break enchantment on the character during one of the three days of the full moon. After receiving the spell, the character must succeed on a DC 20 Will save to break the curse (the caster knows if the spell works). If the save fails, the process must be repeated.

 

[boolean]

2) It's Forgotten Realms, so it's +1/+2, rather than +2/+3.

Erm - lycanthropy is cheaper in the Realms now? Come again?

Races of Faerun lists the LA as +1/+2. Checking the dates, RoF was published March 2003, so it predates the 3.5 PHB and MM (July 2003), but it does seem to include 3.5 content (Survival instead of Wilderness Lore for example).

So it might be an edition issue. Can anybody remember what the LAs for for Lycanthropes were in 3.0?

Ultimately, it's up to the OPs DM what LA he wants to use, of course. If he thinks natural lycanthropes are balanced at +2 LA then he can allow whatever he wants.

Though one question I did have... is Half-Ogre (2) + Lycanthrope (2) + Black Bear (3) = 7 even valid, or do I have to have at least one class level?

Looking at the MM, all the example lycanthropes have at least one hit dice from their original form (1d8 warrior HD in most cases).

 

[geosapient]

Don't you have to be lawful as a werebear? My books aren't handy at the moment but I think that werebears are 'always' LG as opposed to 'usually' LG. This would mean that you couldn't take barbarian as a natural werebear.

I'm not totally sure if that is the case but I kind of recall seeing that if you are inflicted that you have to change over to that were-creature's alignment.

 

[calypso15]

Don't you have to be lawful as a werebear? My books aren't handy at the moment but I think that werebears are 'always' LG as opposed to 'usually' LG. This would mean that you couldn't take barbarian as a natural werebear.

I'm not totally sure if that is the case but I kind of recall seeing that if you are inflicted that you have to change over to that were-creature's alignment.

The rules are silent on whether natural lycanthropes are restricted by their animal's alignment.