Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Hero
Updating the Weredrake (Vulgar Drakanthrope) Working Draft.
As I believe I've mentioned already, a Werewyvern is my preferred weredrake, but I'm tempted to do a Werepseudodragon as well, if only to see how it stats up.
Wyverns are native to Warm Hills, so ideally the base creature should be from that habitat.
How about a Hobgoblin? They've got "Environment: Warm hills" too.
For the Pseudodragon, I was thinking Forest Gnome as they both have Temperate Forest for their Environment.
Cleon
Hero
Cleon
Hero
Werewyvern
Werewyvern, Hobgoblin Form
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 studded leather, +1 light shield), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+9
Attack: Longsword +9 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +9 ranged (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Longsword +9/+4 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +9/+4 ranged (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +12, Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Spot +16, Survival +4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Werewyvern, Wyvern Form
Large Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 21 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+17
Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) or talon +12 melee (2d6+5) or bite +12 melee (2d8+5)
Full Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) and bite +10 melee (2d8+5) and 2 wings +10 melee (1d8+2) and 2 talons +10 melee (2d6+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 10/silver, drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +17, Spot +16, Survival +4
Hide 11, Listen 11, Move Silently 11, Spot 11, Survival 4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Werewyvern, Hybrid Form
Large Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 30 ft. (clumsy)
Armor Class: 21 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+17
Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison); or bite +12 melee (1d8+5); or longsword +12 melee (2d6+5/19-20); or javelin +9 ranged (1d8+5)
Full Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) and bite +10 melee (1d8+2) and 2 claws +10 melee (1d8+2); or longsword +12/+7 melee (2d6+5/19-20) and sting +10 melee (1d8+2) and bite +10 melee (1d8+2) and claw +10 melee (1d8+2); or javelin +9/+4 ranged (1d8+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 10/silver, drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +17, Spot +16, Survival +4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary, pair, or flight (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
A great vaguely humanoid reptilian with batlike wings and a long tail ending in a scorpion-like stinger. It stands roughly one and a half times taller than a human. The creature's scales are dark brown-gray, lightening to reddish-orange on its belly and underside.
Since hobgoblins and wyverns are common monsters in warm hills, drakanthropes that combine the two species are not as extraordinarily rare as other weredrakes, although there are still few in existence. Hobgoblin werewyverns are conflicted creatures; their hobgoblin love of organization and tactics clashes with the aggressive solitary nature of a wyvern. Despite their savage nature they often find acceptance in hobgoblin society. These werewyverns seldom fill leadership roles, usually becoming champions and elite warriors who use their flight ability and draconic power to scout for enemies and spearhead deadly commando raids. A hobgoblin werewyvern tends to dwell apart from normal hobgoblins, living in an aerie overlooking the goblinoids' settlement or the nearby wilderness.
A hobgoblin werewyvern's wyvern form is about 15 feet long and its hybrid form stands 12 feet high; in either form it weighs about one ton and has a tail 7 or 8 feet long. Its humanoid form is the size of a normal hobgoblin: a burly humanoid averaging 6½ feet tall.
This werewyvern speaks Common, Draconic and Goblin.
Combat
Werewyverns favor attacking from the air, either quick strikes with Flyby Attack or diving onto enemies and then unleashing full attacks. Hobgoblin werewyverns have their kind's liking for tactics and often attack in concert with combatants on the ground.
Alternate Form (Su): A werewyvern can assume a bipedal hybrid form or the form of a wyvern.
Drakanthropic Communication: A werewyvern can communicate with wyverns. It can speak Draconic when in dragon form even if the base dragon cannot.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 20, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Werewyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks. Hobgoblins have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
The werewyvern presented here is a 1st-level hobgoblin warrior, using the following base ability scores: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Notes
Base Saves: Fort +2+5+2/4, Ref +0+5+1/+2, Will +0+5+0
Hobgoblin Skills (10 SPs): Hide 3, Listen 2, Move Silently 3, Spot 2
Wyvern Skills (42 SPs): Hide 8, Listen 9, Move Silently 8, Spot 9, Survival 4 (cross-class)?
Total Skill Ranks: Hide 11, Listen 11, Move Silently 11, Spot 11, Survival 4
Werewyvern, Hobgoblin Form
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 studded leather, +1 light shield), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+9
Attack: Longsword +9 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +9 ranged (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Longsword +9/+4 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +9/+4 ranged (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +12, Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Spot +16, Survival +4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Werewyvern, Wyvern Form
Large Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 21 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+17
Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) or talon +12 melee (2d6+5) or bite +12 melee (2d8+5)
Full Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) and bite +10 melee (2d8+5) and 2 wings +10 melee (1d8+2) and 2 talons +10 melee (2d6+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 10/silver, drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +17, Spot +16, Survival +4
Hide 11, Listen 11, Move Silently 11, Spot 11, Survival 4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Werewyvern, Hybrid Form
Large Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 plus 7d12+28 (80 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 30 ft. (clumsy)
Armor Class: 21 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+17
Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison); or bite +12 melee (1d8+5); or longsword +12 melee (2d6+5/19-20); or javelin +9 ranged (1d8+5)
Full Attack: Sting +12 melee (1d6+5 plus poison) and bite +10 melee (1d8+2) and 2 claws +10 melee (1d8+2); or longsword +12/+7 melee (2d6+5/19-20) and sting +10 melee (1d8+2) and bite +10 melee (1d8+2) and claw +10 melee (1d8+2); or javelin +9/+4 ranged (1d8+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 10/silver, drakanthropic communication, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +17, Spot +16, Survival +4
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Iron Willᴮ, Multiattackᴮ
Environment: Warm hills
Organization: Solitary, pair, or flight (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
A great vaguely humanoid reptilian with batlike wings and a long tail ending in a scorpion-like stinger. It stands roughly one and a half times taller than a human. The creature's scales are dark brown-gray, lightening to reddish-orange on its belly and underside.
Since hobgoblins and wyverns are common monsters in warm hills, drakanthropes that combine the two species are not as extraordinarily rare as other weredrakes, although there are still few in existence. Hobgoblin werewyverns are conflicted creatures; their hobgoblin love of organization and tactics clashes with the aggressive solitary nature of a wyvern. Despite their savage nature they often find acceptance in hobgoblin society. These werewyverns seldom fill leadership roles, usually becoming champions and elite warriors who use their flight ability and draconic power to scout for enemies and spearhead deadly commando raids. A hobgoblin werewyvern tends to dwell apart from normal hobgoblins, living in an aerie overlooking the goblinoids' settlement or the nearby wilderness.
A hobgoblin werewyvern's wyvern form is about 15 feet long and its hybrid form stands 12 feet high; in either form it weighs about one ton and has a tail 7 or 8 feet long. Its humanoid form is the size of a normal hobgoblin: a burly humanoid averaging 6½ feet tall.
This werewyvern speaks Common, Draconic and Goblin.
Combat
Werewyverns favor attacking from the air, either quick strikes with Flyby Attack or diving onto enemies and then unleashing full attacks. Hobgoblin werewyverns have their kind's liking for tactics and often attack in concert with combatants on the ground.
Alternate Form (Su): A werewyvern can assume a bipedal hybrid form or the form of a wyvern.
Drakanthropic Communication: A werewyvern can communicate with wyverns. It can speak Draconic when in dragon form even if the base dragon cannot.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 20, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Werewyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks. Hobgoblins have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
The werewyvern presented here is a 1st-level hobgoblin warrior, using the following base ability scores: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Notes
Base Saves: Fort +2+5+2/4, Ref +0+5+1/+2, Will +0+5+0
Hobgoblin Skills (10 SPs): Hide 3, Listen 2, Move Silently 3, Spot 2
Wyvern Skills (42 SPs): Hide 8, Listen 9, Move Silently 8, Spot 9, Survival 4 (cross-class)?
Total Skill Ranks: Hide 11, Listen 11, Move Silently 11, Spot 11, Survival 4
Last edited:
Cleon
Hero
Realised we need a tweak to the SA line of the Weredragon Working Draft so the werewyvern's sting retains its poison. As written it's a nonpoisonous sting!
I've changed:
In hybrid form a weredrake retains the special attacks of the base creature and gains the special attacks described below. If both base forms possess the same special attack, the hybrid form uses the base dragon's version.
To:
In hybrid form a weredrake retains the special attacks of the base creature and gains the special attacks described below. If the base dragon has a special attack tied to another natural weapon, such as the poison of a wyvern's sting attack or the tail sweep of a Huge albino wyrm's tail-slap attack, it also retains that special attack in hybrid form. If both base forms possess the same special attack, the hybrid form uses the base dragon's version.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Yes, I like that change. Good point!
For tactics, borrow the SRD hobgoblin's "strong grasp of strategy" and the wyvern's flyby and grab?
Werewyverns are capable of sophisticated strategies. They favor quick strikes, using their flyby attacks in concert with melee combatants on the ground. They often coordinate with hobgoblins and wyverns.
??
For tactics, borrow the SRD hobgoblin's "strong grasp of strategy" and the wyvern's flyby and grab?
Werewyverns are capable of sophisticated strategies. They favor quick strikes, using their flyby attacks in concert with melee combatants on the ground. They often coordinate with hobgoblins and wyverns.
??
Cleon
Hero
That wording suggest that werewyverns in general employ sophisticated strategies instead of being flying venomous murder-lizards like regular wyverns. It'd seem better to separate the hobgoblin attributes more clearly.
How about:
Werewyverns favor attacking from the air, either quick strikes with Flyby Attack or diving onto enemies and then unleashing full attacks. Hobgoblin werewyverns have their kind's liking for tactics and often attack in concert with combatants on the ground.
Cleon
Hero
Updating the Werewyvern Working Draft.
Here's a start:
A great vaguely humanoid reptilian with batlike wings and a long tail ending in a scorpion-like stinger. It stands roughly one and a half times taller than a human. The creature's scales are dark brown-gray, lightening to reddish-orange on its belly and underside.
[Bit of background?]
A hobgoblin werewyvern is about 15 feet long in wyvern form and 12 feet high in hybrid form; in either form it weighs about one ton and has a tail 7 or 8 feet long. Its humanoid form is the size of a normal hobgoblin: a burly humanoid roughly 6½ feet tall.
This werewyvern speaks Common, Draconic and Goblin.
[Bit of background?]
A hobgoblin werewyvern is about 15 feet long in wyvern form and 12 feet high in hybrid form; in either form it weighs about one ton and has a tail 7 or 8 feet long. Its humanoid form is the size of a normal hobgoblin: a burly humanoid roughly 6½ feet tall.
This werewyvern speaks Common, Draconic and Goblin.
I have to do stuff, so that'll have to do for now!
Cleon
Hero
Adding a bit of background and slightly tweaking the description…
A great vaguely humanoid reptilian with batlike wings and a long tail ending in a scorpion-like stinger. It stands roughly one and a half times taller than a human. The creature's scales are dark brown-gray, lightening to reddish-orange on its belly and underside.
Since hobgoblins and wyverns are common monsters in warm hills, drakanthropes that combine the two species are not as extraordinarily rare as other weredrakes, although there are still few in existence. Hobgoblin werewyverns are conflicted creatures; their hobgoblin love of organization and tactics clashes with the aggressive solitary nature of a wyvern. Despite their savage nature they often find acceptance in hobgoblin society. These werewyverns seldom fill leadership roles, usually becoming champions and elite warriors who use their flight ability and draconic power to scout for enemies and spearhead deadly commando raids. A hobgoblin werewyvern tends to dwell apart from normal hobgoblins, living in an aerie overlooking the goblinoids' settlement or the nearby wilderness.
A hobgoblin werewyvern's wyvern form is about 15 feet long and its hybrid form stands 12 feet high; in either form it weighs about one ton and has a tail 7 or 8 feet long. Its humanoid form is the size of a normal hobgoblin: a burly humanoid averaging 6½ feet tall.
This werewyvern speaks Common, Draconic and Goblin.
Casimir Liber
Adventurer
Just a comment about the scope of this thread - is it for 3.5e and 5e or just 3.5e? If the latter would it be prudent for an admin to rename the thread to "Special 3,5e Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk"?
Cleon
Hero
Yes, we pretty much only use Lycanthropes and their ilk for 3.5 conversion destined for the Creature Catalog, like most of the threads here.
We could try asking an admin to rename those threads and add
and 
tags, but considering the admins haven't returned the Displaced Creature Catalog Threads and we asked them back in 2019 I wouldn't hold your breath!This is something of "the Forum the Admins forgot," presumably partly because it doesn't get much traffic/attention. There are often only a couple of people here.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
I think it would be better to have separate 3.5e and 5e threads. I don't have a lot of time to post, so I'd completely lose whatever we're doing on a 3.5e conversion if it got mixed up with the 5e work you're doing. We have a somewhat quixotic quest to convert all previous critters to 3.5, and we're actually sort of getting close!
Actually, that reminds me: Cleon, if we have more 3.X conversions that would make sense for the threads with 5e conversions in them, we should start new threads. I didn't lose track of one already, did I?
On the werewyvern, the proposed description and flavor look great! So I think that one's good. Still want to do the werepseudodragon?
Cleon
Hero
Yes, I agree we need some way to keep the 5E and 3.5 conversions separate and using separate threads seems the sensible way to do so.
How about from this point on I start new threads with "Fifth Edition" in the thread title once Casimir and I do a 5E conversion from a particular source?
I'd rather leave the old threads for 3.5 Creature Catalog conversions as that's their original purpose. If I can edit any of those thread titles to, say, "Third Edition (3.5)" I'll do so, but I didn't create most of them so can't edit the first post.
Cleon
Hero
Do I want to make another overly complex 3.5 creature?
Why even bother asking the question when you know the answer will be yes!
You OK with Forest Gnome as the humanoid as initially proposed?
Cleon
Hero
Oh, and updating the Werewyvern Working Draft.
Updating the Weredrake (Vulgar Drakanthrope) Working Draft.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
I think some of the old threads have become 5e threads (I don't think we had any ongoing 3.5 conversions in them, but you'd know better, since I would just have lost track). Maybe better to start new threads for new 5e conversions, though.
It's socially acceptable small talk to ask!
And the Forest Gnome sounds like a great base humanoid whenever you're ready to go on it.
It's socially acceptable small talk to ask!
And the Forest Gnome sounds like a great base humanoid whenever you're ready to go on it.
Cleon
Hero
I agree we're better off starting new 5E threads for those conversions as they're non-CC.
We've got a few 5E conversions in the Converting First Edition Monsters thread so I'd better start a 5E version for that…
Done!
Named the new thread 5E: Converting AD&D Monsters to Fifth Edition so we can convert generic 2E monster conversions for 5E as well as 1E ones.
Oh and I've added "5E" and "Fifth Edition" as a prefix/postfix to the Converting Monsters from White Dwarf Magazine thread, since that was created for 5E conversions.
Cleon
Hero
It's socially acceptable small talk to ask!
Feel like taking things easy now, but might get a start on the werepseudodragon this evening.
Cheerio!
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