lycanthrope alignments?

[bweenie]

Can someone please explain the logic behind the proscribed alignments for the various lycanthropes in the MM? Why are Werebears "always good" and wererats "always lawful evil" for example? Why aren't they 'usually' good or evil or whatever?

 

[Zoatebix]

Though I don't know the folklore surrounding most of the lycanthrope types, I do know that the werewolf CE alignment was chosen simple to keep in accordance with werewolves from previous editions which, in turn, were chaotic evil to keep D&D werewolves like folklore/movie werewolves.

I'm not sure whether theirs folklore to fall back on for the other lycanthrope types - the 3.x designers may have simply been repeating something that a designer from a previous edition simply made up.
-George

 

[LoneWolf23]

I could definetly see Good Werewolves, at least in a variant template based on the mythical Benadanti from legends of regions around the Baltic and Mediterranean sea; these were benevolent werewolves, empowered by divine forces to defend the innocent from witches and demons.

 

[Zoatebix]

Ooh - tell me more about the Benedanti!

 

[Zoatebix]

There's some more information on this thread: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104230

I'll reference them over here, too.

 

[Stormrunner]

"Always" because getting infected forces an alignment change.
Of course, for "natural" weres this justification goes right out the window...

I've never been real happy with the listed alignments for weres. Wolves are more "lawful" than rats, IMO, yet werewolves are CE and wererats LE. Basically, the listed alignments come from fiction. Werewolves are usually depicted as ravening bloody berserkers, hence CE. The wererats in the Fafhrd & Grey Mouser books were cunning and organized, hence LE. Beorn in the Hobbit is a nice guy, so werebears are listed as LG (though personally, I'd peg Beorn as more CG).

 

[Zoatebix]

Thanks Stormrunner - that was what I was getting at - the alignments for weres in D&D have their roots in popular depiction of were-creatures, some of which, in turn, have origins in folklore.

I'd forgotten about Beorn - good catch.

 

[LoneWolf23]

Ooh - tell me more about the Benedanti!

Here's a page with more information: The Benadanti

 

[DreamChaser]

never been real happy with the listed alignments for weres. Wolves are more "lawful" than rats, IMO, yet werewolves are CE and wererats LE.

It depends upon how you view lawful and chaotic. Wolf packs are rule by the strongest. Just like orcs. The justification for chaotic in both situations is that the attitude of the leader determines the attitude of the tribe/pack/unit rather than a previous set of conditions that all werewolves/orcs/wolves automatically expect.

From my experience with rats (I had them as pets for years) I would call them as neutral, not lawful or chaotic but I guess they wanted a lawful evil lycanthrope.

 

[The Human Target]

If you look in the Monster Manual it says that lycanthrope alignment exists because of how people perceive them, not becuae of the innate qualities of their animal form. But to me that sounds lame. Who is to say that a culture doesn't like wolves and respect them as creatures of good? Or neutral for that matter. I use the alignment rules in a standard DnD game for the cohesion of it but in any other case I change it around. I say that they should always change on the Law/Chaos angle to neutrality to mimic real animals. But do what you feel like.