A question about Hengeyokai and templates.

[zoryu]

Hi, this is my first post (I hope I'm doing this right) and I had a question I wanted to ask:




When a hengeyokai contracts vampirism, does the curse affect all three forms it can magically transform into or just its natural (hybrid) form?




What about other templates? Would a half-dragon hengeyokai shows signs of its draconic lineage in all three forms?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Hi, this is my first post ...

Welcome!

When a hengeyokai contracts vampirism, does the curse affect all three forms it can magically transform into or just its natural (hybrid) form?

A hengeyokai is a shapechanger, not humanoid or monstrous humanoid, and therefore cannot acquire vampirism.

What about other templates? Would a half-dragon hengeyokai shows signs of its draconic lineage in all three forms?

It appears that the human form is the main form, so I think you would apply the half-dragon template (or any other valid template) to the main form and then apply the normal polymorph other (or self, depending on which one you choose to accept on pg 10 of OA) rules. Strangely, the hengeyokai Alternate Form ability was not errata-ed like others.

 

[the Jester]

A hengeyokai is a shapechanger, not humanoid or monstrous humanoid, and therefore cannot acquire vampirism.

In 3.5, shapechanger is a subtype rather than a type. I don't know whether there is "conversion errata" for OA, but I'll wager that hegeyokai are humanoids (shapechanger) or monstrous humanoids (shapechanger) in 3.5.

It appears that the human form is the main form, so I think you would apply the half-dragon template (or any other valid template) to the main form and then apply the normal polymorph other (or self, depending on which one you choose to accept on pg 10 of OA) rules. Strangely, the hengeyokai Alternate Form ability was not errata-ed like others.

I agree with this.

 

[Maleketh]

Dragon Magazine issue #318 contains official Oriental Adventures errata. Among many other things, hengeyokai are now humanoids with the shapechanger subtype. Probably as a consequence of this change, they also no longer have a level adjustment.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I did not think that there was a 3.5 update for OA (I do not read Dragon), so I had assumed the OP was using 3.0. Is the Dragon update specifically towards 3.5? Does it apply the Alternate Errata that wasn't previously applied? Does it 'fix' the other/self 'bug'?

 

[Maleketh]

Is the Dragon update specifically towards 3.5?

Yep. It's designed as a 3.0 -> 3.5 update for the book. It's pretty exensive and nicely done.

Does it apply the Alternate Errata that wasn't previously applied? Does it 'fix' the other/self 'bug'?

I can't really say I know what you're talking about here.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Sorry, I forgot a word. I meant to say "Alternate Form". If you look in the hengeyokai section of OA, you'll see that their shapechanging is referenced as polymorph other in one case and polymorph self in another. Alternate Form has been changed (errata-ed) across the board to not use polymorph self (or presumably other, but I can't recall another instance of any creature treating it as polymorph other). It's this reference to polymorph other/self that I call a 'bug'.

 

[Maleketh]

Ah, that. No, the update was written well before the polymorph errata. I'd probably consider it an alternate form effect, but there's no official ruling that I know of.

 

[zoryu]

Ah... Thanks for your responses guys.






I must say... Some of my ideas for Hengeyokai just went *poof* and disappeared...





So I guess a Hengeyokai Lycanthrope wouldn't be able to mix its hybrid forms, huh?... (and to think my head was full of ideas of things like humanoid wolf-monkeys and tiger-foxes and crocodile-crabs and etc.) :\