Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk

[Cleon]

Sure, switching Alertness to Multiattack sounds good.

Treasure, alignment, environment seem fine as is. As for CR, think she's a weak CR 3 perhaps?

Challenge Rating 3 sounds good. She's got almost twice a leopard's hit points but does less damage and lacks rake attacks, compensated somewhat by damage reduction/magic at a low enough CR that's still almost worth a damn.

Updating Meeka Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

Looking good!

Tactics: In feline form, meeka hunt small animals like mice and rats, just like other domestic cats. In human form, meeka are skilled ambush predators of humanoids. They open combat by pouncing, then attack with claws and bite.


Rereading the original monster, I think we should limit the Alternate Form ability to involuntary changes only --- they should be humanoid only on the three nights closest to full moon (or something similar if we're not sticking quite so strictly to the original).

 

[Cleon]

Looking good!

Tactics: In feline form, meeka hunt small animals like mice and rats, just like other domestic cats. In human form, meeka are skilled ambush predators of humanoids. They open combat by pouncing, then attack with claws and bite.

That looks fine. I'd change the "like mice and rats" to "such as mice and rats". The original text suggests they aren't exclusively ambush hunters though.

How about:

In feline form, meeka hunt small animals such as mice and rats, just like other domestic cats. In human form, meeka are skilled predators of humanoids. They open combat by pouncing, then attack with claws and bite. An experience meeka will use trickery and deceit to pick of victims while pretending to be human. They hide the bloody remains of their ambushes to avoid leaving a trail.

Rereading the original monster, I think we should limit the Alternate Form ability to involuntary changes only --- they should be humanoid only on the three nights closest to full moon (or something similar if we're not sticking quite so strictly to the original).

While I agree that's in keeping with the original monster it also makes them a lot less flexible.

Maybe have that as an In Ravenloft subentry?

In Ravenloft
In the Lands of Mist Meeka is an involuntary shapechanger, the fluke result of a cat being injured by a wereleopard. She must assume human form on the three nights of the full moon and remain in cat form the rest of the time. She is infected with a feline equivalent of afflicted lycanthropy, so can attempt to voluntarily change forms using the Control Shape skill.

 

[freyar]

Make it an "experienced" meeka and "pick off victims," and I'll sign on to those tactics.

The Ravenloft underbar worksf or Alternate Form.

Language is maybe just Common?

Any thoughts on flavor text? Without the "injured by a lycanthrope" backstory, there's not a lot to go on.

 

[Cleon]

Make it an "experienced" meeka and "pick off victims," and I'll sign on to those tactics.

The Ravenloft underbar worksf or Alternate Form.

Updating Meeka Working Draft.

Language is maybe just Common?

I kind of like the "Sheneya speak Common plus the language of one humanoid race, typically the most numerous race in their territory."

Are you strongly attached to just Common or shall we have a dodecahedron-off.

Any thoughts on flavor text? Without the "injured by a lycanthrope" backstory, there's not a lot to go on.

I'm not feeling that creative at the moment. Let's see what we can come up with later.

 

[freyar]

I'm fine with Common plus one other humanoid language, provided you change the "sheneya" to "meeka."

For flavor, maybe:
"From time to time, a garden variety house cat survives an injury from a lycanthrope. The result is a predatory shapechanger that hunts rodents as a cat but transforms into a short human form to hunt humanoid prey." ???

 

[Cleon]

I'm fine with Common plus one other humanoid language, provided you change the "sheneya" to "meeka."

I'd better check for other holdovers from our last lycanthrope conversion.

Updating Meeka Working Draft.

Oh, and I also realized the "wereleopard" in the In Ravenloft entry should have been a "werepanther" so duly amended it.

For flavor, maybe:
"From time to time, a garden variety house cat survives an injury from a lycanthrope. The result is a predatory shapechanger that hunts rodents as a cat but transforms into a short human form to hunt humanoid prey." ???

That suggests that whenever a house cat survives injury from a lycanthrope it becomes a meeka, while I get the impression it's a rare fluke event.

Also, it doesn't restrict it to any particular kind of lycanthrope so you'd be getting Meeka created when cats get bitten by wererats, wereboars, weresharks and so on.

That doesn't seem right.

How about this:

A meeka is an extremely rare type of predatory shapechanger. They are solitary creatures who are always female. In its natural form of a house cat she hunts rodents and other tiny vertebrates, but every month or so she takes the form of a female human to hunt humanoid prey.

A meeka is created when an ordinary cat is critically wounded by the bite of a feline lycanthrope and simultaneously exposed to fluke magical forces. The details of what magical forces are required may be unique to each meeka, but so far no magician or sage has bothered researching the subject. Meeka appear to be incapable of producing more of their kind.

Oh, and I guess we need a description:

An exotically beautiful woman who moves with alluring grace. She has short-cropped black hair, dark skin and intense green eyes.

 

[freyar]

That all looks good! And then I think she's all ready to go hunting...

 

[Cleon]

That all looks good! And then I think she's all ready to go hunting...

Updating Meeka Working Draft.

Let's see, what do you fancy doing next in the way of shapeshifters?

We've done the Catwere, Werecobra and Werepanther.

That leaves the Devil Swine, Simorgyan, Weredog, Weredolphin, Weredragon, Weregorilla, Weremako, Weremole, Wereowl, Wereseal(ions) and Werespider.

Any preference?

 

[Cleon]

Let's see, what do you fancy doing next in the way of shapeshifters?

We've done the Catwere, Werecobra and Werepanther.

That leaves the Devil Swine, Simorgyan, Weredog, Weredolphin, Weredragon, Weregorilla, Weremako, Weremole, Wereowl, Wereseal(ions) and Werespider.

Any preference?

Just noticed the Meeka Working Draft. had the 3.0 "Climate/Terrain" rather than the 3.5 "Environment" in her stat block.

It's been amended.

Let's see, what do you fancy doing next in the way of shapeshifters?

We've done the Catwere, Werecobra and Werepanther.

That leaves the Devil Swine, Simorgyan, Weredog, Weredolphin, Weredragon, Weregorilla, Weremako, Weremole, Wereowl, Wereseal(ions) and Werespider.

Any preference?

I've noticed a couple of additional lycanthropes - the Wereeel in Dungeon #66] and

Out of my suggestions the Devil Swine, Simorgyan, Weredragon, Weregorilla, Weremole and Werespider are the furthest from standard lycanthropes so are arguably the more interesting.

The Wereseals and Weresharks are Mystaran monsters that are given a few additional powers in PC4 Night Howlers.

Wereseal(ion) = includes Sealion, Fur Seal and Harbor Seal lycanthropes. The Sealion is the most powerful (5+2 HD for females, 8 HD for males). The Lesser Wereseals are weaker (4+2 HD for males) and described in PC4 Night Howlers, which gives them limited true sight and seal-summoning abilities.
Wereshark (Weremako) = Medium Shark lycanthrope [usually merfolk or tritons] The PC4 version has a frenzy attack and can make a stunning ram attack. (The BECMI stats for a Bull Shark cas a stunning ram, but its Mako Shark does not.)

I'm tempted to convert a regular(ish) lycanthrope just for a change of pace.

Tha:

Weredog = Riding Dog lycanthrope
Wereeel = Giant Moray Eel or Dire Eel lycanthrope [vulnerable to Coral, the Dire Eel is closest to the original]
Weredolphin = Dolphin lycanthrope [usually sea elf. Can summon cetaceans]
Wereowl = Medium Owl lycanthrope