Lycanthropy and weapon use

[jarlaxlecq]

I'm putting together a Barbarian thats aquired Lycathropy. My plan is to initially have it as a secret from the rest of the party. I want it to be something hes struggaling with, something that he doesn't want to take over. I hope that in the long run he'll be able to take control if it and make it something benifitial. Anyway my question is this.

1) when someone morphs into their Hybrid form, can they still use items (weapons armor etc) or his he naked fighting with tooth and claw.

2) whats would you suggest for this type of build? Dwarf that turns into a werebager maybe? Half Orc that turns into Were boar? Human into a Were Bear? or the traditional Werewolf?

3) In terms of alignment, werebears are Lawful good. Would that potentially cause problems with a Barbarian build?

 

[Magic Slim]

A hybrid has hands and can use weapons, but it can also attack with its teeth and claws

Alternate Form (Su): A lycanthrope can shift into animal form as though using the polymorph spell on itself, though its gear is not affected

Alignment: Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles, and lions tend to produce good-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, and wolves tend to produce evil-aligned lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these animals are perceived, not any innate quality of the animal itself, so the alignment of the animal form can be arbitrarily assigned.

Slim

Edit: as for builds... hmm let's see...

Dwarf / Were-Ape
Half-Orc / Were-bear
Half-elf / Were-camel
Sultry half-drow / Were-panther
Elf / Were-eagle
Halfling / Were-hawk
Human / Were-octopus
Dwarf / Were-rhinoceros
Wood elf / Were-snake (viper)
Goblin / Were-weasel

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

As a side note, the cohort of one of my players is a sylvan elf wereweasel. Do hybrid forms get claw attacks even if the animal doesn't? I know that wolves have claws, even if they can't use 'em properly.

 

[Camarath]

As a side note, the cohort of one of my players is a sylvan elf wereweasel. Do hybrid forms get claw attacks even if the animal doesn't? I know that wolves have claws, even if they can't use 'em properly.

From SRD

Attacks: Same as the base creature or base animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using. A lycanthrope in hybrid form gains two claw attacks and a bite attack as natural weapons.
These weapons deal damage based on the hybrid form’s size. A hybrid may attack with a weapon and a bite, or may attack with its natural weapons. The bite attack of a hybrid is a secondary attack.
Hybrid Size Claw Bite
Small 1d3 1d4
Medium 1d4 1d6
Large 1d6 1d8
Huge 2d4 2d6

 

[DM2]

Hey Mayhem,

I she a wereweasel or were-dire-weasel? I'd hate to see her try to damage opponents with claw or bite attacks given the -6 strength penalty she gets in hybrid or weasal form if its just weasal

DM2

 

[Camarath]

Assuming she was medium sized she would have to be a Dire Wereweasel because a normal Weasel is Tiny so it can't be used to make a lycanthrope with medium sized creature.

 

[Stormrunner]

As a side note, the cohort of one of my players is a sylvan elf wereweasel. Do hybrid forms get claw attacks even if the animal doesn't? I know that wolves have claws, even if they can't use 'em properly.

Actually, wolves (and other canines) have nails, not claws. It's not just a matter of skill, but anatomy. A wolf's "claws" are just claw-shaped fingernails - they provide a little better traction on slippery surfaces, but if you tried to rip flesh with them they'd break/tear off. True claws, like those of felines, are made of bone with a sheath of nail and firmly anchored to the other bones - in essence, the tipmost bone of each "finger" becomes claw-shaped, with the nail growing into a hollow shell around it. (When you trim a housecat's claws, you're just trimming the nail-tip.) True claws are thus much stronger. If the claws are to be retractable, another finger-joint becomes the "lever" which moves the claws forward and back - to have a race of "cat-people" with both retractable claws and useable fingers, they'd need a couple extra finger-joints.
Fantasy, of course, just ignores all this. Werewolves with slashing claw attacks looks cool in comics and movies, so weres in gaming get claw attacks.

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

Actually, wolves (and other canines) have nails, not claws.
*snip*
Fantasy, of course, just ignores all this. Werewolves with slashing claw attacks looks cool in comics and movies, so weres in gaming get claw attacks.

All of a sudden, Crinos seems wanky.

 

[Sabaron]

Allow me to hijack this thread just a bit. In a recent game, a Glaive-wielding dwarf barbarian got turned into a werewolf. I wasn't aware of the rules for lycanthropes using weapons, so I said he could keep using it until he dropped it, at which point I ruled that he was too concerned with tearing foes apart (lycanthropic rage) to pick it back up. So, was this wrong?

 

[Norfleet]

Nope. I'd say that's pretty well spot-on.