Did Goodman Games get this werebadger's AC correct?

[Noumenon]

I have a rules question from the Goodman Games DCC adventure "The Dragonfiend Pact." Or else it's an editing question, but I don't know lycanthrope rules that well so I could learn something here.

On page 9, there's a werecreature has 17 Dex in human form and 23 Dex in hybrid form. He's wearing studded leather, which has armor bonus of +3 and max Dex bonus of +5.

By my math his AC ought to be
AC 16 touch 13 flat 13 (human)
AC 18 touch 15 flat 13 (hybrid)

But they have
AC 18 touch 13 flat 15 (human)
AC 18 touch 16 flat 12 (hybrid)

It's like he has a shield bonus of +2 in human form, but then in hybrid form he has no mystery +2. He is getting all +6 of his Dex bonus when he shouldn't, and his flat-footed actually went down for some reason. Anyone know what parts of this are based on rules I don't know and what is messed up?

 

[Starbuck_II]

I have a rules question from the Goodman Games DCC adventure "The Dragonfiend Pact." Or else it's an editing question, but I don't know lycanthrope rules that well so I could learn something here.

On page 9, there's a werecreature has 17 Dex in human form and 23 Dex in hybrid form. He's wearing studded leather, which has armor bonus of +3 and max Dex bonus of +5.

By my math his AC ought to be
AC 16 touch 13 flat 13 (human)
AC 18 touch 15 flat 13 (hybrid)

But they have
AC 18 touch 13 flat 15 (human)
AC 18 touch 16 flat 12 (hybrid)

It's like he has a shield bonus of +2 in human form, but then in hybrid form he has no mystery +2. He is getting all +6 of his Dex bonus when he shouldn't, and his flat-footed actually went down for some reason. Anyone know what parts of this are based on rules I don't know and what is messed up?

Did you check for Natural armor?
How much does Wereform give?

 

[aboyd]

Did you check for Natural armor?
How much does Wereform give?

It gives +2 natural in all forms. Thus, the stat blocks are correct.

 

[Noumenon]

That explains the human statblock. Great. Now the hybrid form. Looks like the difference is he isn't getting to wear his studded leather in hybrid form, so he gets his full +6 dex bonus and +2 natural. Alternate Form just says "Nonhumanoid-shaped creatures can’t wear armor designed for humanoid-shaped creatures," but the hybrid form is still humanoid. Is there a rule covering the armor, or just an interpretation that he becomes too badger-shaped? I see the hybrids in the lyncanthrope page all lost their armor.

 

[Noumenon]

Oh, there's one more thing. I figured out that his melee attack is +4 with the shortsword in human form and +8 with the claw because he gets Weapon Finesse in the hybrid form. But why doesn't he get +8 with the sword in hybrid form? It's a light melee weapon. (His BAB is 2, Str is 12 and Dex is 17/23.) And why does he get +9 instead when he's in full badger form?

 

[Noumenon]

why does he get +9 instead when he's in full badger form?

I figured that out -- it's because he's Small then. What I didn't figure out is why his full attack is 2 claws +8 and bite +3 in hybrid form, but 2 claws +9 and bite -1 in badger form.

I think there is a 3.0/3.5 issue in the encounter. The werebadger has a "Control Shape" skill of +9, and the encounter tactics says he "drinks his potion, then attempts to shift into hybrid form." In 3.5, I don't see anything about trying to shift and failing -- looks like just a standard action.

 

[javcs]

I figured that out -- it's because he's Small then. What I didn't figure out is why his full attack is 2 claws +8 and bite +3 in hybrid form, but 2 claws +9 and bite -1 in badger form.

I think there is a 3.0/3.5 issue in the encounter. The werebadger has a "Control Shape" skill of +9, and the encounter tactics says he "drinks his potion, then attempts to shift into hybrid form." In 3.5, I don't see anything about trying to shift and failing -- looks like just a standard action.

Depends on whether or not the creature is a natural werecreature or an afflicted werecreature - natural werecreatures were born with it and don't need Control Shape (as per RAW), however the afflicted werecreature is not fully proficient with it's shapechanging abilities, and requires the Control Shape skill to exercise control over its shapechanging abilities. Info on Control Shape is in the very end of the Lycanthropy section in MM1 and the SRD.

 

[Noumenon]

Mmm, he is afflicted as per the adventure. Thank you. All that Control Shape stuff being in the appendix, I didn't see it. I'll have to make sure to level up his skill one point for the extra ranger level I gave him.

Man, I didn't have near this much trouble figuring out my first vampire.

Someone over at RPGnet pointed out one other mistake -- badgers are supposed to have 1 natural armor, so he should end up with three.

 

[aboyd]

Someone over at RPGnet pointed out one other mistake -- badgers are supposed to have 1 natural armor, so he should end up with three.

Except armor of the same type ("natural") doesn't stack, and should thus remain at 2. Right?

 

[Noumenon]

Lycanthrope has "The base creature’s natural armor bonus increases by +2 in all forms," so I read that as changing +1 to +3.