Lycanthrope

[Derren]

I only have to say:

Welcom to NPCdom.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

My character was bitten by a wererat in my D&D game yesterday, and he failed his save. Can anyone enlighten me as to what, exactly, I might expect to happen?

You need to provide a lot more information if you want an answer that has even a slight chance of being accurate. For instance, does your DM not mind DMing for evil PCs? Is your group comprised of evil PCs already? If the answer to either of these questions is "yes" then it may be that you'll wind up with an LA and an alignment shift, when all is said and done.

If the answer to those two questions is "no" then you're looking at other, possibly more dire, possibilities. There may be an upcoming adventure focused on getting you cured. In such an adventure you might play yourself (with fellow PCs forced to take precautions against your affliction.) Or you might play a temporary character, while your PC is locked up for everyone's good. Or, your DM may have altered the lycanthrope rules to allow for other possibilities, such as racial class levels without an alignment shift.

There are, in essence, countless possibilities. It all depends on why your DM placed lycanthropes in the game to begin with, and how he plans to use the fact that you've been bitten by one.

 

[Tonguez]

. A full-fledged D&D Vampire or Werewhatever would hand her her shapely behind any night

I know I would love to hand he shapely behind any night

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Races of Faerûn has some nice info about lycantrhopes. It might even be possible to play an afflicted character with the original alignment, but that will mean that you'll lose control of that character periodically, and the party has to go to ground and restrain you.

This is assuming you fight the curse all the time. If you give in to it even once, your alignment will change irrevocably (baring the usual wish-work, but that's not something you run into at every street corner).

I think the DM will shamelessly use this as a plot-hook. The next session, maybe even sessions, will involve looking for the cure post-haste (there is not much time before it becomes incurable).

(edit below)

I reiterate: talk to your DM. He's the only sure source you have. He might alter the rules about this, and all we can tell you out of our books is null and void. He might already have planned things about it. He might give you at least some info. He might want you to wriggle like a bait on the proverbial hook.