Why are Lycanthropes less virulent now?

[HeavenShallBurn]

Why are they less virulent? Because they've been taking Lycanex(tm). Lyncanex is clinically proven to reduce lycanthropic outbreaks and transmission of the lycanthropic curse. Side effects include nasuea, headaches, urinary tract infection, and mange. Do not take Lycanex if you are pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant.

From someone who's actually HAD sarcoptic mange I must say I'd rather have Lycanthropy.

 

[khyron1144]

I believe that it's for game balance reasons.

Becoming a lycanthrope is a power boost.

Giving a free power boost easily is not what 3e is about.

 

[Tonguez]

You could easily have a small city of nothing but infected lycanthropes!

The PCs arrive late at a town that seems strangely abandoned. The Innis still open and a fire burns upon the hearth. The Stew in the pot is still warm and the place is well kept. The PCs decide to camp for the evening

The next morning the PCs awaken to find the town filled with people going about their lives...

 

[Nyeshet]

The PCs arrive late at a town that seems strangely abandoned. The Innis still open and a fire burns upon the hearth. The Stew in the pot is still warm and the place is well kept. The PCs decide to camp for the evening

The next morning the PCs awaken to find the town filled with people going about their lives...

Now that is a good idea! I'm not sure I'll be able to use it any time soon, but I'll definitely have to keep it in mind.

 

[Creeping Death]

Why are they less virulent? Because they've been taking Lycanex(tm). Lyncanex is clinically proven to reduce lycanthropic outbreaks and transmission of the lycanthropic curse. Side effects include nasuea, headaches, urinary tract infection, and mange. Do not take Lycanex if you are pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant.

I thought you were going to do something like this:

Picture a man and a woman standing next to each other, clearly a couple.

Man: I have lycanthropy.
Woman: And I do not.
Man: And we want to keep it that way. That is why I talke Lycanex.
Woman: It may not reduce the number of outbreaks but it does reduce the chance that I'll get it.

Official voide: Side effects include .......

Later,

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Because in D&D alignments are absolutes. So if you become a werewolf, you don't get a choice to struggle.

Then you misunderstand alignment, or at the very least the rules regarding alignment and lycanthropes. "Absolute" alignment is a tool for the use of the DM in running monsters (more on that in a second). It has no effect whatever on the alignment of player characters, barring magical influences that change alignment (a one-time deal) and/or KEEP it changed (an ongoing curse, such as might attend an artifact).

You become evil and that's it. Granted, the DM can make executive decisions to the contrary, but the game mechanic doesn't really lend itself to that sort of stuff.

The lycanthrope template indicates an alignment of "Any", and has notes indicating that certain animals that the creature is based on will TEND to produce certain alignments, and that the DM [as should go without saying] can make changes. The MM glossary indicates an alignment modifier of "Always" is, again, NOT going to be applicable to player characters as INDIVIDUALS can change alignments. The fact that the number of monsters the PC's encounter which defy an "always" alignment will be rare doesn't alter the fact that unless the DM demands otherwise the PLAYER CHARACTER lycanthrope will be whatever alignment the player has him behave as. Nothing about lycanthropy in the RAW indicates that PC lycanthropes bitten by evil creatures are themselves then evil, or especially that they may never then change alignment - unless the DM declares that in his campaign it will be otherwise.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Historically, werewolves didnt pass on lycanthropy. That's entirely a product of modern hollywood (Much like the current view of vampires).

Check me if I'm wrong but Hollywoods version of werewolves has been that although all it takes is a bite to pass the curse it doesn't happen that often because it's only the victims that SURVIVE the attack that become werewolves. The great majority of werewolf victims are simply killed, which may mean a non-normal afterlife but not becoming a werewolf. Werewolves, unlike vampires, don't rise from the dead. As far as Hollywood is concerned, that is.

 

[Klaus]

Then you misunderstand alignment, or at the very least the rules regarding alignment and lycanthropes. "Absolute" alignment is a tool for the use of the DM in running monsters (more on that in a second). It has no effect whatever on the alignment of player characters, barring magical influences that change alignment (a one-time deal) and/or KEEP it changed (an ongoing curse, such as might attend an artifact).
The lycanthrope template indicates an alignment of "Any", and has notes indicating that certain animals that the creature is based on will TEND to produce certain alignments, and that the DM [as should go without saying] can make changes. The MM glossary indicates an alignment modifier of "Always" is, again, NOT going to be applicable to player characters as INDIVIDUALS can change alignments. The fact that the number of monsters the PC's encounter which defy an "always" alignment will be rare doesn't alter the fact that unless the DM demands otherwise the PLAYER CHARACTER lycanthrope will be whatever alignment the player has him behave as. Nothing about lycanthropy in the RAW indicates that PC lycanthropes bitten by evil creatures are themselves then evil, or especially that they may never then change alignment - unless the DM declares that in his campaign it will be otherwise.

I like the Eberron take: a true lycanthrope of a specific alignment will always produce lycanthropes of that alignment, so a CE werebear will produce inflicted lycanthropes with CE alignment, while a NG werewolf will always produce NG werewolves.

 

[Storyteller01]

True Lycanthropes (those born werewolves) still spread the disease, but infected one do not. That is a big important deal and a welcomed change. While infected are the traditional "angst" dual-personality lycanthropes, it didn't make sense that lycanthropes could spread the disease willy-nilly. Assuming each Lycanthrope bit (and infected) one person every month (during the three day full moon) that means every month the lycanthrope population doubled.

But by this standard everyone should be dead from AIDS, polio, the common cold, etc. The viral population explosion doesn't account for weres being killed off by a much greater 'normal' population.

It's easier in D&D to kill werewolves than in the myths or stories. Any village with torches or lanterns can beat the DR, even make malitov cocktails with nearby alcohol. Being trapped in a burning barn has a nasty habit of ignoring DR as well. Most midlevel adventures can just overload the DR if needs be.

There are just too many 'antibodies' to let weres/undead get a decent foothold.

 

[The_Gneech]

It was either Ghostbusters or a latter-day Scooby Doo, and I can't remember which now, that had a small village that was 1/2 vampires and 1/2 werewolves -- unknown to the heroes who had been called in by one faction to get rid of the other. Sorta like a cross between the World of Darkness, and Yojimbo.

By the end of the episode, open war had broken out and both factions were biting each other liberally -- so you had a town of vampiric werewolves battling werewolf vampires.

Coolest episode ever. I just wish I could remember which show it was from now.

-The Gneech