Lycanthropy, specifically wererats.

[Lord Ben]

Okay, on the first full moon you become a wild animal and forget your identity. What happens after that when you change? Do you still forget your identity, or are you in perfect control. The PC still insists he's in perfect control and if a farmer chased him away from a farmhouse he'd push him around and intimidate him instead of killing and eating him. Just wondering if there are any official examples of how to do it. The Monster Manual leaves too much up to the DM which leaves arguements with players a near certainty.

The players in question is about to miss his second session in a row so I am going to discribe what villanous acts the other PC's hear about happening in farms in the countryside. When I consulted with the player to get his input he said he'd just want to scare them... he said he'd still be in control because he wants to be cured.

 

[Kershek]

Look at this sentence in the SRD:

When returning to normal form after an involuntary change, the character attempts a Wisdom check (DC 15) to realize what has happened. If the check succeeds, the character becomes aware of the affliction and can now voluntarily attempt to change to animal or hybrid form, using the appropriate DC. An attempt is a standard action and can be made each round. Any voluntary change to animal or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character’s alignment to that of the appropriate lycanthrope.

This leads me to believe that they are not aware of their affliction and transformation until they make their Wisdom check. Once they do, then they have control when they involuntarily change.

Not to hijack your thread, but I was actually just going to post a question on lycanthrope.

Is there a spell someone can cast to see if a person has lycanthrope?

 

[Marius Delphus]

I assume the character was bitten (and thus contracted lycanthropy) rather than having been born a wererat. In general, afflicted lycanthropes have a very difficult time retaining their personalities in animal form. IMO, the second time it happens is far, far too soon. To my mind, the rules imply that until the character is cured, his animal form is at the mercy of his animal instincts. Note that afflicted lycanthropes also have a chance of transforming involuntarily when damaged in combat....

As far as general behavior, wererats (IMC, at least) tend to be pushy bullies who are inclined toward violence but who will cower or flee at the first sign of a real threat. Your average farmer does not present a real threat to a wererat in animal form (dire rat with DR 15/silver).

While the Wisdom check Kershek pointed out will enable the character to control when he changes to animal form (as well as granting certain lycanthropes a hybrid form and the ability to control changes into that form), the player *did* say he wanted to be cured. The penalty for voluntarily changing into animal or hybrid form is surrendering to the beast inside... not a pretty picture, and hopefully not something the character is willing to go through. (IMC, such a character would immediately become an NPC, though it's never happened.)

The stereotypical afflicted lycanthrope becomes very paranoid when aware of the affliction: nervous, confused, and extremely frightened that he'll hurt someone else while a beast. Instead of allowing the beast to run wild, a character who truly wishes to be rid of the affliction will find some way to pen himself in during the nights of the full moon. If aware of the possibility of transforming when hurt, the stereotypical character would most likely try to disappear in combat.

 

[Lord Ben]

Do you take over the PC when he's in animal form? Or is he still in control of himself?

 

[Marius Delphus]

Personally, I infer from the rules that the player entirely loses control over an afflicted-lycanthrope character in animal form. IOW, the character retains decision-making powers, but the decisions originate in the DM-controlled lycanthrope personality rather than the player-controlled hero personality. The lycanthrope is therefore a DM-run monster for the entire period the character remains in animal form.

 

[Mal-2]

I would only allow the player control after the character had made his first voluntary change, and thus taken on the alignment of the creature.

Mal-2

 

[Kershek]

Is there a spell someone can cast to see if a person has lycanthropy?

 

[Henrix]

I can't think of any spell that can detect whether or not someone is a lycanthrope.
You could always try and target him with spells that only affect humanoids.

 

[Voadam]

from the srd:

When a character contracts lycanthropy through a lycanthrope’s attack (see above), no symptoms appear until the first night of the next full moon. On that night, the afflicted character involuntarily assumes animal form and becomes a ravening beast, forgetting his or her own identity. The character remains in animal form, assuming the appropriate alignment, until dawn and remembers nothing about the incident.

Thereafter, the character is subject to involuntary transformation under the full moon and whenever damaged in combat. He or she feels an overwhelming rage building up and must succeed at a Control Shape check to resist changing into animal form (see the sidebar).

So the first time he loses his id and remembers nothing, thereafter it only says he must make a check to remember. It does not say he loses his ID everytime he involuntarily saves.

Also from the srd:

When returning to normal form after an involuntary change, the character attempts a Wisdom check (DC 15) to realize what has happened. If the check succeeds, the character becomes aware of the affliction and can now voluntarily attempt to change to animal or hybrid form, using the appropriate DC. An attempt is a standard action and can be made each round. Any voluntary change to animal or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character’s alignment to that of the appropriate lycanthrope.

An afflicted character who is aware of his or her condition can also try to return to humanoid from after assuming animal or hybrid form, using the appropriate DC. Only one attempt is allowed, however, as described above.

If he loses his ID how can he try to regain his human form.

I believe that according to the rules he is in control with his normal personality after the first time, he is just forced to change during trigger events and might not be able to change back immediately.

 

[Caliber]

I could be wrong (and I likely am) but I think True Seeing tells you if a creature is polymorphed or not. I also believe this works for Lycanthropes. I dunno if it shows that they can change, but it might. Without my books on me, however, I cannot suggest anything else.