Lycanthrope ability modifiers

[Perun]

I was just going through the lycanthrope description, and I'm wondering how would you handle lycanthropes whose base animal form would give them negative physical ability modifiers?

For example, let's say you're making a halfling wereraven. According to the SRD, the lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form uses the base creature's ability scores, but applies the base animal's ability modifiers.

Let's say our halfling has the same abilities as in the MM (or the SRD): Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12. These already include halfling ability modifiers.

Raven has Str 1, Dex 15, and Con 10. that makes cat's ability modifiers Str -10, and Dex +4. Constitution is not modified.

So, our halfling wereraven shifts in his raven form, and he is now Tiny, and has Str 1, Dex 17, Con 12. It's perfectly OK, since he's tiny.

But, when he assumes hybrid form, he becomes a Small creature (with feathers, beak, and claws (or talons), but not wings -- at least not functional wings). However, his ability scores remain the same as in his animal form: Str 1, Dex 17, Con 12.

To make matters more confusing, the SRD mentions how the base animal's ability modifiers improve the ability scores of the animal and hybrid forms (emphasis mine):

In addition, when in animal form, a lycanthrope’s physical ability scores improve according to its kind, as set out in the table below.

However, it then goes on...

These adjustments are equal to the animal’s normal ability scores –10 or –11. A lycanthrope in hybrid form modifies its physical ability scores by the same amount.

Logically, it seems perfectly clear and one really shouldn't be nitpicking like this. But, I'm bothered by the hybrid form's Str modifiers in examples such as the halfling wereraven above. A Small creature with a Strength scroe of 1?! Seems incredibly silly.

So, I was thinking to rule 0 it so that, in cases where the base animal has negative modifiers to Strength, those don't apply to the lycanthrope's hybrid from only. That is, his animal form still has lower Strength, but his hybrid form uses the base creature's Str score.

To return to our halfling wereraven, in his hybrid form he would have Str 11, Dex 17, Con 12.

What do you think?

Regards.

 

[LGodamus]

sounds about right to me

 

[dark2112]

Logically, it seems perfectly clear and one really shouldn't be nitpicking like this. But, I'm bothered by the hybrid form's Str modifiers in examples such as the halfling wereraven above. A Small creature with a Strength scroe of 1?! Seems incredibly silly.

Regards.

I believe that the raven having a 1 Str is partly because it is tiny, and not necesserily entirely racial. Thus, following table 4-2: Changes to Statistics by Size on page 291 of the 3.5 MM, you'd find a Tiny Raven that became Medium sized would gain a net +8 Str, thus having a 9 Str. Using that, you could give your small Raven Hybrid a -4 Str, which would probably fit. (At least better than a Str 1!) Now, the downside to using that is that the player may wish to use the rest of that table to net a Con increase...