Lycantropy as a gift?

[Ashaman]

Normally the greatest disadvantage of lycantropy, is the chance of an involuntary change (a Control Shape check, DC 25):
From SRD: "The afflicted character must make a check at moonrise each night of the full moon to resist involuntarily assuming animal form. An injured character must also check for an involuntary change after accumulating enough damage to reduce his or her hit points by one-quarter and again after each additional one-quarter lost."

By rules, an afflicted lycanthrope can try to control his shape (accepting the alignment change) with a Control Shape check and assume the animal or hybrid form.

Now my questions:
1 - What happens if the character is already in animal or hybrid form when he need to check for involuntary changes?
2 - If the affliction grants both animal and hybrid shapes (a werewolf for example), what form the character gain after an involuntary change?
3 - A lycantrope in hybrid form has an human-like voice? Can a spellcaster use spells?
4 - There are disadvantages other than involuntary changes and alignment change?

Thanks

 

[dvvega]

To answer your questions:

1) As far as I can tell (from the MM) you change from human into another form. In effect you're forced into your "animal" side. If you're already in Werewolf form then you're not changing.

2) I'd make it a 50/50 ... or perhaps you could say that in combat or at the sight/smell of blood it's hybrid, and if he's out in the wilderness it's the wolf ... the form suits the situation.

3) yes ... Dungeon Magazine had a write up of a Werewolf Priest of Malar who could cast in Hybrid form. You could check that.

4) Disadvantages? Not that I can tell. It's all good. Of course you're a shapechanger type, so perhaps things that affect that type would hurt.

 

[James McMurray]

Also, the change invokes mental changes as well. You don't just take the form of a ravening beast, you become one. Thus, if you were walking around with your own personality in a hybrid form, you would stay hybrid, but go into full-on wolf mode as far as attacking everything, etc.

 

[Tar-Edhel]

Nope, a curse...

Now my questions:
1 - What happens if the character is already in animal or hybrid form when he need to check for involuntary changes?
2 - If the affliction grants both animal and hybrid shapes (a werewolf for example), what form the character gain after an involuntary change?
3 - A lycantrope in hybrid form has an human-like voice? Can a spellcaster use spells?
4 - There are disadvantages other than involuntary changes and alignment change?

Thanks

IIRC (I don't have my books with me)

1- Involuntary changes always force the animal form. You must control your shapechange to achieve hybrid form

From SRD: "The afflicted character must make a check at moonrise each night of the full moon to resist involuntarily assuming animal form (emphasis mine)."


2- Animal form

3- I'd say yes

4- Social rejection, excrutiating pain when changing shape, normal animals might fear you... Mostly role-playing disadvantages. If you don't take those point seriously, lycantropy becomes a gift indeed.

In fact, until the player learns to control it, you should take control of the character with each transformation. Attach the party's pack animals or have them flee when the character transforms. Have him attak innocent people if he is an evil lycanthrope.

Priests of Malar (or other lycanthrope deity) may try to capture the PC to 'convince' him to join the church (if evil lycanthrope) or kill him (if good lycanthrope).

 

[Darkness]

1 - The character stays in animal form. However, I'd say he'll also "becomes a ravening beast, forgetting his or her own identidy. The character remains in animal form, assuming the appropriate alignment, until dawn and remembers nothing about the incident."

 

[FANGO]

Actually, a lycanthrope would not be feared by animals of it's type. Quite the contrary, actually...

Lycanthropic Empathy (Ex): Lycanthropes can communicate and empathize with normal or dire animals of their animal form. This gives them a +4 racial bonus to checks when influencing the
animal’s attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."

So the animals actually like the lycanthrope much better then usual. Other types of animals may not like you too much, which could be explained by some sort of unnatural feeling that animals get when around a lycanthrope....but I personally would want to downplay this aspect (as a DM or player), because it is kind of strange.

 

[Tonguez]

Generally the MMwriteup on Lycanthorpes generally makes it a 'gift' as the only real drawbacks are roleplaying ones.

Lycanthrorpy should be as much a mental condition as a physical one each change should start the lycanthorpe on a road to permanent insane ravenous hunger (perhaps even resembling rabies)
I also think that the Animal Empathy thing should actually be a 'Dominant Animal' type ability which allows the Lycanthorpe to force animals of its type into serving it involuntarily.

Personally I like the 'American Werewolf in London/Paris' penalty too - that is that the undead ghosts of your victims continue to haunt you! (but I'm not sure how viable this would be in DnD)