D&D 4E [4e] Lycanthropes - the easy way...

[toshi]

...as shifter hybrid druids.

Lycanthrope

Shifter Hybrid Druid

Like a Shifter Hybrid Druid with the following changes/additions:

Low-light Vision: You gain low-light vision.

Hybrid Druid Class Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Bluff, Endurance, Heal, Insight, Intimidate, Nature, Perception, Stealth.

Implements: Totems, Weapons with proficiency.
Can use weapons with proficiency as implements with beast form powers. See monks in PHB3 for details regarding weapons as implements.

Pristine Shifter: You gain both shifter racial powers, but you can use only one of them once per encounter, and you have to spend a healing surge without gaining hit ponits for doing so. To use both powers in the same encounter, you can use your Second Wind while bloodied, and instead of gaining its usual effects, you can use either the longtooth or the razorclaw shifter racial power, but this still costs you one healing surge.

The Blood Runs Wild: When you reach a milestone, you also regain one healing surge.

Lycanthropic Wild Shape: Your Druid Wild Shape ability only allows you to assume the form of a specific animal or a hybrid human-animal form of that specific animal. This hybrid wild shape form counts as humanoid form instead of (or in addition to) beast form. The choice is permanent, but it is pure flavor, with no impact on any stats. In hybrid form you can speak and still wear your equipment. You can shift 1 square only when you switch from animal form to any other form, switching from hyrid to normal does not grant you that shift.
In addition, you gain the shapechanger subtype.

Can only choose druid powers with the beast form keyword as hybrid druid powers. You can use these powers in animal form or in hybrid form, because even if this form is considered a humanoid form instead of a beast form, it is still a wild shape form.

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And if you liked the classical way with lycanthopy as an affliction:

Afflicted Lycanthrope

Afflicted Lycanthrope Multiclass Feat

[requirement: must have been infected with lycanthropy.]

You gain skill training in one of the following skills: Athletics, Nature, Perception.

You can use lycanthropic wild shape once per day as at-will power until the end of the encounter. So the first time a day you use wild shape, you can use it until the end of the encounter, and can even switch between forms, but after the encounter you need an extended rest to use do this again.

In addition, once per day when you become bloodied, you can choose to spend a healing surge and instead of regaining hit points you can use lycanthopic wild shape as free action.

You can choose one druid beast form at-will power as additional power known, which you can use in animal form or in hybrid form.

Can use weapons with proficiency as implements with beast form powers. See monks in PHB3 for details regarding weapons as implements.


Strong Blood

[requirement: Multiclass Afflicted Lycanthrope)

Once per encounter while bloodied, you can use either the longtooth or the razorclaw shifter racial power, but this cost you a healing surge to do so. In addition, when you reach a milesone, you also regain one healing surge.

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The race and half of the class are given, but lycanthropy is quite defining, so you only have the other hybrid class left to choose...

In 4e lycanthropy is no longer an affliction, but lycanthropes are a race on their own. This is why you simply take shifter as race for the hybrid druid, so you get the regeneration through longtooth shifting.
But this will work with different classes as well, leaving only the "Longtooth-Shifting"-instead-of-"Second Wind"-option for regeneration.

Playing around with Healing Surges is meant to reflect the lycanthropic nature on the one hand, and on the other hand it is meant to increase the costs of using the shifter racial power(s): as you gain one HS back every second encounter, the shifter racials are meant to be used only every second encounter. The reason for this is to adjust the power level of the lycanthope.

Diseases are still missing. Are they needed for PC-lycanthropes? Maybe something like "on a critical strike with a beast form power, the target gets infected with the disease (moon frenzy, filth fever, etc...)."

You can pick druid wild shape feats, but they work only in animal form, not in hybrid form. Primal Aspect (if chosen with hybrid talent option) works in hybrid and animal form.

Silver - if you want, you can make silver hits disrupt or surpress (for one round) the shifter racial powers. But if you want you can even add a vulnerability to silver!

Because you can use weapons as implements, they will transform along with your other equipment when you change shape into your animal form. The fact that all equipments transforms is for simplicity for PCs.

Lycanthropic druids are no problem either: they just choose hybrid druid a second time, and they can shapechange into any animal or their specific hybrid form. The "Weapons as Implement"-thing though is still only useable for beast form powers.

Some paragon paths for the different animal types would be nice, too.

What du you think?

 

[toshi]

No comments?
Why?
Is it too broken? Too boring?
Please, I need feedback!

 

[toshi]

Edit:

• added low-light vision to natural lycanthropes;
• added Bluff, Heal and Insight to class skills;
• fixed some ambiguous wording;
• removed the one hand free-requirement for beast form powers to make two weapon builds viable;
• made Strong Blood a seperate multiclass feat.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

Well, if you're looking to play a real lycanthrope, I suppose this would be a workable solution. Personally, playing a shifter of any class scratches the scary monster itch for me well enough, but if you really wanted to go all out monster for a game...this'd probably do the trick.