Help with Wererat PC!!

[beldar1215]

I run a game for kids at a local game store and have one kid playing a wererat PC. I've never let them play monsters as PC's but decide to try it this time. We are playing WLD. My question is how do I make his PC equal to the others in the group. They are all 1st level.

Thanks for any help on this.

Beldar

 

[smootrk]

One method I used recently to reduce the Level Adjustment for a wererat character was to lock the character into the hybrid form, until he reached level 4. He lost some effectiveness for the shapechange ability so I reduced the ECL by 1 for that. I gave back the ability later in the campaign (through roleplay) at a time (level wise) when the ability did not seem so overbalanced.

Anyway, that is one method to bring em down a notch closer to regular 1st level characters.

 

[FireLance]

Try to find a copy of Dragon #313. It has an article on lycanthrope monster classes which allow you to play a lycanthrope PC from 1st level.

 

[Scharlata]

Thanks for any help on this.Beldar

Hi!

Maybe, that's of some help to you....?

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a

Kind regards and happy gaming.

 

[LeapingShark]

Just take out the two supertraits: +2 natural armor & DR 5/silver. And the +6 dex, +2 con is way too big an advantage; maybe tone it down to +2 dex only. Other than that, the other traits of a wererat seem pretty fair (shapechanging, etc), and it should be a fun character.

 

[Simplicity]

Unless you're using monster class levels, the wererat PCs is *going* to ruin your game.
Wererats are STRONG especially when played in combination with a rogue class. In a game of mine a player became a wererat, and it was so nasty I was forced to put him in a situation where he killed a "master wererat" to end his "curse" (which it really wasn't).

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Unless you're using monster class levels, the wererat PCs is *going* to ruin your game.
Wererats are STRONG especially when played in combination with a rogue class. In a game of mine a player became a wererat, and it was so nasty I was forced to put him in a situation where he killed a "master wererat" to end his "curse" (which it really wasn't).

I agree that if you ignore the LA of the wererat template and simply allow a wererat to hang with a 1st-level party, you're going to have problems.

The LA is there for a reason. Either monster class levels need to be used, so the wererat slowly comes into his powers like any other class, or you need to start your game at a higher ECL, allowing the wererat to spend his ECL on the template, while others gain additional levels.

I have a wererat in my current game. Currently, he's an ECL 6 in a 6th-level party. While he's hard to hurt (so far he's managed to keep his nature a secret, so he hasn't had to deal with enemies bearing silver weapons...yet) he also doesn't do a huge amount of damage. The LA of the wererat plus the racial hit die really are a balancing factor. Thus far, the wererat hasn't proved a problem at all in my campaign.

 

[Alzrius]

Try to find a copy of Dragon #313. It has an article on lycanthrope monster classes which allow you to play a lycanthrope PC from 1st level.

Hi!

Maybe, that's of some help to you....?

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a

Between these two options, I think the one in Dragon #313 is better. Despite both being 3.5E, the one in Dragon seems to be mechanically better, as it has the last level of the monster class only being available if you're a true lycanthrope, meaning your PC won't be turning his enemies into wererats also.

 

[ZuulMoG]

The best solution is to only allow non-evil PCs. PCs are supposed to be the heroes of the story, not the terrors.

 

[glass]

Another approach, coincidentally just posted in another thread:

There is also the alternate rule for playing high LA characters at low levels. It allows first level characters to keep there abilities, but gives a penalty to just about everything equal to their LA, which reduces by one each 'level' until they get back to where they should be.

EDIT: It's from one of the FR books, but I'm afraid I can't remember which one.

Not sure if it works with creatured with racial HD though. I'll have to check it out.


glass.


glass.