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Converting monsters from Imagine Magazine


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The way I read it, there should be a penalty. None of the examples in the SRD happen to have penalties, but the RAW seem to be that you get any modifier. Want to fudge the dire mouse?
 

Hmmm...the werecat in Monsters of Faerûn (and later Lost Empires of Faerûn) does get a Strength penalty, so apparently negative modifiers are acceptable. Which is good, since it helps differentiate them even more from the wererat.
 




OK, since it can spread lycanthropy, it appears to be a natural lycanthrope.

...and...

Lycanthropes are not my forte', so be extra critical on these fellows.

Ug! We did miss something. These creatures can't possibly be "normal" lycanthropes. Normal lycanthropes are created by starting with a humanoid creature and adding in an animal.

These creatures start with an animal form (a mouse) and move towards a humanoid form. They are more like backward-lycanthropes.

I think we need to turn the standard lycanthrope on its head and swap over the references to base creature and base animal. The base creature, in this case, is a mouse (a creature that is not valid for the standard lycanthrope template) and the base animal is going to need to change to a base humanoid.

I'm not sure if this is going to work, but lets give it a go and see if there are any gaping holes that need filling:

Reverse Lycanthrope

Reverse lycanthropes are animals or dire animals who can transform themselves into humanoids. In its natural form, a lycanthrope looks like any other members of its kind, though natural lycanthropes and those who have been afflicted for a long time tend to have or acquire features reminiscent of their humanoid forms. In humanoid form, a lycanthrope resembles a powerful version of the normal humanoid, but on close inspection, its eyes (which often glow red in the dark) show a faint unnatural lack of intelligence.

Reverse lycanthropy can be spread like a disease. Sometimes a reverse lycanthrope begins life as a normal animal or dire animal who subsequently contracts lycanthropy after being wounded by a lycanthrope or reverse lycanthrope. Such a creature is called an afflicted reverse lycanthrope. Other reverse lycanthropes are born as reverse lycanthropes, and are known as natural lycanthropes.

Combat
A lycanthrope in its animal (or dire animal) form uses whatever tactics and natural weapons are favored by others of its kind, though it tends to be slightly more aggressive. A lycanthrope possesses the senses of its humanoid form, including scent and low-light vision, and it has a deep empathy for (and ability to communicate with) humanoids of its humanoid form. An afflicted reverse lycanthrope damaged in combat may be overwhelmed by rage, causing it to change to its humanoid form involuntarily.

A lycanthrope in humanoid form fights like the humanoid it resembles, although its bite carries the disease of lycanthropy. It is preternaturally cunning and strong, and possesses damage reduction that is overcome only by silvered weapons.

Finally, a natural reverse lycanthrope (or an afflicted reverse lycanthrope that has become aware of its affliction) can assume a hybrid form that is a mix of its animal and humanoid forms. A hybrid has hands and can use weapons, but it can also attack with its teeth and claws. A hybrid can spread lycanthropy with its bite, and it has the same damage reduction that its animal form possesses.

Creating A Reverse Lycanthrope
"Reverse Lycanthrope" is a template that can be added to any animal or dire animal (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The reverse lycanthrope template can be inherited (for natural reverse lycanthropes) or acquired (for afflicted reverse lycanthropes). Becoming a reverse lycanthrope is very much like multiclassing as a humanoid and gaining the appropriate Hit Dice.

Size and Type
The base creature’s type does not change, but the creature gains the shapechanger subtype. The lycanthrope takes on the characteristics of some type of carnivorous or omnivorous creature of the humanoid type (referred to hereafter as the base humanoid).

This humanoid can be any humanoid race whose size is within one size category of the base animal’s size (Small, Medium, or Large for a Medium base creature). Reverse lycanthropes can also adopt a hybrid shape that combines features of the base creature and the base humanoid. A lycanthrope’s hybrid form is the same size as the base humanoid or the base creature, whichever is larger.

A lycanthrope uses either the base creature’s or the base humanoid’s statistics and special abilities in addition to those described here.

Hit Dice and Hit Points
Same as the base creature plus those of the base humanoid. To calculate total hit points, apply Constitution modifiers according to the score the lycanthrope has in each form.

Speed
Same as the base creature or base humanoid, depending on which form the reverse lycanthrope is using. Hybrids use the base creature’s speed.

Armor Class
The base creature’s natural armor bonus increases by +2 in all forms. In hybrid form, the lycanthrope’s natural armor bonus is equal to the natural armor bonus of the base humanoid or the base creature, whichever is better.

Base Attack/Grapple
Add the base attack bonus for the base humanoid to the base attack bonus for the base creature. The reverse lycanthrope’s grapple bonus uses its attack bonus and modifiers for Strength and size depending on the reverse lycanthrope’s form.

Attacks
Same as the base creature or base humanoid, depending on which form the reverse lycanthrope is using. A reverse lycanthrope in hybrid form gains two claw attacks and a bite attack as natural weapons.

These weapons deal damage based on the hybrid form’s size. A hybrid may attack with a weapon and a bite, or may attack with its natural weapons. The bite attack of a hybrid is a secondary attack.


Code:
Hybrid Size	Claw	Bite 
Small		1d3	1d4 
Medium		1d4	1d6 
Large		1d6	1d8 
Huge		2d4	2d6

Damage
Same as the base creature or base humanoid, depending on which form the reverse lycanthrope is in.

Special Attacks
A reverse lycanthrope retains the special attacks of the base creature or base humanoid, depending on which form it is using, and also gains the special attacks described below.

A reverse lycanthrope’s hybrid form does not gain any special attacks of the base humanoid. A reverse lycanthrope spellcaster cannot cast spells with verbal, somatic, or material components while in animal form, or spells with verbal components while in hybrid form.

Curse of Lycanthropy (Su)
Any animal or dire animal hit by a natural reverse lycanthrope's bite attack in humanoid or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortutude save or contract reverse lycanthropy. Any humanoid or giant hit by a natural lycanthrope’s bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy. If the victim’s size is not within one size category of the reverse lycanthrope the victim cannot contract reverse lycanthropy (or lycanthropy) from that reverse lycanthrope. Afflicted reverse lycanthropes cannot pass on the curse of lycanthropy.

Special Qualities
A lycanthrope retains all the special qualities of the base creature and the base humanoid, and also gains those described below.

Alternate Form (Su)
A lycanthrope can assume the form of a specific humanoid (as indicated in its entry).

Changing to or from humanoid or hybrid form is a standard action.

A slain reverse lycanthrope reverts to its animal form, although it remains dead. Separated body parts retain their humanoid form, however.

Afflicted reverse lycanthropes find this ability difficult to control (see Reverse lycanthropy as an Affliction, below), but natural reverse lycanthropes have full control over this power.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
An afflicted reverse lycanthrope in humanoid or hybrid form has damage reduction 5/silver. A natural reverse lycanthrope in humanoid or hybrid form has damage reduction 10/silver.

Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex)
In any form, reverse lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with normal or giant humanoids of their humanoid form. This gives them a +4 racial bonus on checks when influencing the humanoid’s attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the humanoid is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."

Low-Light Vision (Ex)
A reverse lycanthrope has low-light vision in any form.

Scent (Ex)
A reverse lycanthrope has the scent ability in any form.

Base Save Bonuses
Add the base save bonuses of the base humanoid to the base save bonuses of the base creature.

Abilities
All reverse lycanthropes gain +2 to Wisdom. In addition, when in humanoid form, a lycanthrope’s physical ability scores improve according to its kind, as set out in the table below. These adjustments are equal to the humanoid’s normal ability scores -10 or -11. A reverse lycanthrope in hybrid form modifies its physical ability scores by the same amount.

In addition, a reverse lycanthrope may also gain an additional ability score increase by virtue of its extra Hit Dice.

Skills
A lycanthrope gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die of its humanoid form, as if it had multiclassed into the humanoid type. (Humanoid is never its first Hit Die, though, and it does not gain quadruple skill points for any humanoid Hit Die.) Any skill given in the humanoid’s description is a class skill for the reverse lycanthrope’s humanoid levels. In any form, a reverse lycanthrope also has any racial skill bonuses of the base creature and of the base humanoid, although conditional skill bonuses only apply in the associated form.

Feats
Add the base humanoid’s feats to the base creature’s. If this results in a reverse lycanthrope having the same feat twice, the reverse lycanthrope gains no additional benefit unless the feat normally can be taken more once, in which case the duplicated feat works as noted in the feat description. This process may give the reverse lycanthrope more feats than a character of its total Hit Dice would normally be entitled to; if this occurs, any "extra" feats are denoted as bonus feats.

It’s possible that a reverse lycanthrope cannot meet the prerequisites for all its feats when in animal form. If this occurs, the reverse lycanthrope still has the feats, but cannot use them when in animal form. A reverse lycanthrope receives Iron Will as a bonus feat.

Environment
Same as either the base creature or base humanoid.

Organization
Solitary or pair, sometimes family (3-4), pack (6-10), or troupe (family plus related animals)

Challenge Rating
By class level or base creature, modified according to the HD of the base humanoid: 1 HD or 2 HD, +2; 3 HD to 5 HD, +3; 6 HD to 10 HD, +4; 11 HD to 20 HD, +5; 21 or more HD, +6.

Treasure
Standard.

Alignment
Any. Noble creatures such as dwarves, elves, gnomes and halflings tend to produce good-aligned reverse lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as drow, durgar, goblins and orcs tend to produce evil-aligned reverse lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these humanoids are perceived, not any innate quality of the humanoid itself, so the alignment of the humanoid form can be arbitrarily assigned.

Advancement
By character class.

Level Adjustment
Same as the base creature +2 (afflicted) or +3 (natural). In addition, a reverse lycanthrope’s character level is increased by the number of racial Hit Dice the base humanoid has.

Reverse Lycanthropy As An Affliction
When an animal contracts reverse lycanthropy through a reverse lycanthrope’s bite or a lycanthrope's bite (see above), no symptoms appear until the first night of the next full moon. On that night, the afflicted character involuntarily assumes humanoid form and forgets its own identity. The character remains in humanoid form, assuming the appropriate alignment, until the next dawn.

The animal’s actions during this first episode are dictated by the alignment of its humanoid form. The animal remembers nothing about the entire episode (or subsequent episodes) unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom check, in which case it becomes aware of its reverse lycanthropic condition.

Thereafter, the animal is subject to involuntary transformation under the full moon and whenever damaged in combat. It feels an overwhelming rage building up and must succeed on a Control Shape check (see below) to resist changing into humanoid form. Any animal not yet aware of its reverse lycanthropic condition acts according to the alignment of his or her humanoid form.

An animal with awareness of its condition retains its identity and does not lose control of his actions if he changes. However, each time it changes to its humanoid form, it must make a Will save (DC 15 + number of times he has been in humanoid form) or permanently assume the alignment of his humanoid form in all shapes.

Once an animal becomes aware of its affliction, it can now voluntarily attempt to change to humanoid or hybrid form, using the appropriate Control Shape check DC. An attempt is a standard action and can be made each round. Any voluntary change to humanoid or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character’s alignment to that of the appropriate reverse lycanthrope.

Changing Form
Changing form is a standard action. If the change is involuntary, the animal performs the change on his next turn following the triggering event. An afflicted animal who is not aware of his condition remains in humanoid form until the next dawn. An afflicted animal who is aware of his or her condition (see above) can try to resume animal form following a change (voluntary or involuntary) with a Control Shape check, but if it fails its check, it remains in humanoid (or hybrid) form until the following dawn.

Curing Reverse Lycanthropy
An afflicted animal that eats a sprig of belladonna (also called wolfsbane) within 1 hour of a reverse lycanthrope’s (or lycanthrope's) attack can attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save to shake off the affliction. If a healer administers the herb, use the animal’s save bonus or the healer’s Heal modifier, whichever is higher. The animal gets only one chance, no matter how much belladonna is consumed. The belladonna must be reasonably fresh (picked within the last week).

However, fresh or not, belladonna is toxic. The animal must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Strength damage. One minute later, the animal must succeed on a second DC 13 save or take an additional 2d6 points of Strength damage.

A remove disease or heal spell cast by a cleric of 12th level or higher also cures the affliction, provided the animal receives the spell within three days of the reverse lycanthrope’s attack (or the lycanthrope's attack).

The only other way to remove the affliction is to cast remove curse or break enchantment on the animal during one of the three days of the full moon. After receiving the spell, the animal 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.

Animals undergoing this cure are often kept bound or confined in cages until the cure takes effect.

Only afflicted reverse lycanthropes can be cured of reverse lycanthropy.​

I think this will still need a bit of work, but I think it is the correct starting point.
 

Isn't it just that they're in mouse form to start with? Especially since they refer you to the regular lycanthropy rules.

Just in case, though, there are some other reverse lycanthropes around, like jackalweres, but I think they're mostly unique (don't know of a template).
 

There is a "therianthrope" template in Tome of Horrors, but I agree with freyar that this is a case of them just being encountered as mice first.
 


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