D&D (2024) Lycanthropes in the MM

[TwoSix]

The problem is that puzzles don't work if everyone knows how to solve it anyway.

Back then, monster stats were kept a secret. Was part of the fun. Today every player can google.

I would disagree.

In my experience, players like "Monster needs special tactic X", spend game time to utilize and set up "special tactic X", and monster is successfully defeated.

They don't tend to like "Monster chews face off while they ineffectively flail on it, and have to retreat to try and figure out how to kill it." They don't tend to mind if its "Monster has a weakness, but we can figure it out and use what we already have."

Maybe some players DO like having to run away because they're in the dark, but I haven't played with them.

 

[dave2008]

It's not bad, but it doesn't feel nearly threatening enough to me for a CR 13. It should have greater than human strength and agility (at least 22), and should have enough offense to one-round down a caster-type if it gets all its attacks off.

I would drop its hit points down to 100 or so, but give it regen 50 if not hit with silver (or some other discovered weakness).

But I'm also generally of the opinion that lycanthropes (other than wererats) should be more "puzzle monsters" than just stock brutes.

I was really talking about CR or threat level. Personally, after a finish a few requests and my Tiamat project, I am going to stop using CR and create my own monster by level designs. Much more clear that way.

 

[TwoSix]

I was really talking about CR or threat level. Personally, after a finish a few requests and my Tiamat project, I am going to stop using CR and create my own monster by level designs. Much more clear that way.

Yea, it's not about CR for me. I just think 5e monster designs in general have too much endurance and too little burst damage for how I like to play.

 

[dave2008]

Yea, it's not about CR for me. I just think 5e monster designs in general have too much endurance and too little burst damage for how I like to play.

Well those do effect CR, so it is a "thing" if you are using CR.

Personally, I don't agree with you on endurance (though I do in some cases), but I do agree on damage.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I would disagree.

In my experience, players like "Monster needs special tactic X", spend game time to utilize and set up "special tactic X", and monster is successfully defeated.

Yes... But not for werewolfs...

They don't tend to like "Monster chews face off while they ineffectively flail on it, and have to retreat to try and figure out how to kill it." They don't tend to mind if its "Monster has a weakness, but we can figure it out and use what we already have."

Maybe some players DO like having to run away because they're in the dark, but I haven't played with them.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

In my experience, players like "Monster needs special tactic X", spend game time to utilize and set up "special tactic X", and monster is successfully defeated.

They don't tend to like "Monster chews face off while they ineffectively flail on it, and have to retreat to try and figure out how to kill it." They don't tend to mind if its "Monster has a weakness, but we can figure it out and use what we already have."

This is precisely my experience over the last 30+ years also.

If the monster is hard to kill, and they know it is, and have some way to find out how to kill it, the players love and feel like they're cool even if it's weirdly trivial lol.

If they have to fight a monster completely blind to it having some powerful stuff that makes it nigh-unkillable, and especially where the way to kill it isn't something available in the fight (or not practically) so, they become frustrated.

 

[Stalker0]

In my experience, players like "Monster needs special tactic X", spend game time to utilize and set up "special tactic X", and monster is successfully defeated.

This is also a chance to insert monster intelligence and planning into the mix. Its fair that if its just random wearwolf X and the party comes in knowing about wearwolves, they can use their silver or magic weapons and its done.

But...perhaps the wearwolf is a noble that weapons have to be checked and bound in the armory before going into their home? Or perhaps the wearwolf has planted superstitious that silver is poisonous to people and so people in an area dont' allow silvered weapons or anything of the kind.

There are opportunities to craft an encounter beyond the statblock that can be much greater than what the stat might otherwise indicate.

Which is a good segway to regeneration. Regeneration honestly in terms of a fight rarely matters (partly is because its just too damn low for most monsters). Getting 5-10 hp a round back just doesn't change much.

BUT....where regen shines is outside the encounter. Ok your wearwolf escapes....and suddenly a couple of minutes later the party is now dealing with a freshly healed wearwolf ready to go again, while they are still beat up. That kind of threat is what makes fighting those kinds of creatures particularly scary, you cannot let them live, because otherwise all the work you did to defeat them was for naught.

 

[Corinnguard]

This is also a chance to insert monster intelligence and planning into the mix. Its fair that if its just random wearwolf X and the party comes in knowing about wearwolves, they can use their silver or magic weapons and its done.

But...perhaps the wearwolf is a noble that weapons have to be checked and bound in the armory before going into their home? Or perhaps the wearwolf has planted superstitious that silver is poisonous to people and so people in an area dont' allow silvered weapons or anything of the kind.

There are opportunities to craft an encounter beyond the statblock that can be much greater than what the stat might otherwise indicate.

Which is a good segway to regeneration. Regeneration honestly in terms of a fight rarely matters (partly is because its just too damn low for most monsters). Getting 5-10 hp a round back just doesn't change much.

BUT....where regen shines is outside the encounter. Ok your wearwolf escapes....and suddenly a couple of minutes later the party is now dealing with a freshly healed wearwolf ready to go again, while they are still beat up. That kind of threat is what makes fighting those kinds of creatures particularly scary, you cannot let them live, because otherwise all the work you did to defeat them was for naught.

Werewolf, not wearwolf. A wearwolf is a lycanthrope who wears a magically enchanted animal pelt that's both stylish and functional.

 

[TwoSix]

This is also a chance to insert monster intelligence and planning into the mix. Its fair that if its just random wearwolf X and the party comes in knowing about wearwolves, they can use their silver or magic weapons and its done.

But...perhaps the wearwolf is a noble that weapons have to be checked and bound in the armory before going into their home? Or perhaps the wearwolf has planted superstitious that silver is poisonous to people and so people in an area dont' allow silvered weapons or anything of the kind.

Yea, I tend to use more of an "urban fantasy" approach to werewolves. They're around, but they're more of a faction, with named NPCs; they don't tend to show up as random brutes in a random encounter.

Which is a good segway to regeneration. Regeneration honestly in terms of a fight rarely matters (partly is because its just too damn low for most monsters). Getting 5-10 hp a round back just doesn't change much.

If they don't regen at least a quarter of their max hit points, I generally don't bother.

 

[Corinnguard]

Yea, I tend to use more of an "urban fantasy" approach to werewolves.

I have read a couple of Urban Fantasy novel series that had lycanthropes as one of the supernatural races living alongside humanity. The Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton. The Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs. The former has several were species in it.