Circle of the Lycan
Druid Circle
Circle of the Lycan
The curse of Lycanthropy is a fate feared by many who take to nature. Between the bestial forms those inflicted take on and their transformations occurring on nights of full moons, werebeasts of all forms are oft the subject of nightmares and children's stories as threats to be avoided. Despite this common conception, there are those that strive to control their condition be it through sheer force of will, forbidden blood magic rituals, or a blessing and link to nature itself. Those who pursue the latter solution make up the Druids of the Circle of the Lycan.
Circle of the Lycan Features
| Druid Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 2 | Bestial Changes, Hybrid Shape |
| 6 | Lycan's Strike |
| 10 | Embrace the Beast |
| 14 | Mastery of the Curse |
Bestial Changes
When you select this Circle at 2nd level, your body alters due to the curse of lycanthropy spreading through it. Your senses heighten, granting you advantage on Perception checks that rely on your senses of hearing or smell. However, you also have vulnerability against silvered weapons and your creature type gains the shapechanger property for any spells or effects that specify.
Hybrid Shape
In addition, in order to control your curse's beast form, you have specialized and practiced the use of your Wild Shape to control your transitions between your normal, hybrid, and beast forms. Starting at 2nd level, select what type of lycanthrope curse you contracted from the Lycan Table at the end of this class description. You can use an action on your turn to spend a use of Wild Shape to assume a hybrid form based on the selected beast. This special transformation lasts for 10 minutes. You can revert early using a bonus action on your turn to end the transformation. You automatically revert if you are incapacitated, die, or use your Wild Shape feature again before the Hybrid Shape transformation ends.
While in your hybrid form, the following rules apply:
- Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of your chosen beast as described on the Lycan Table, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all your proficiencies, adjusting the bonuses for your rolls and your maximum hit points as needed for the duration of the transformation.
- When you transform, you gain temporary hit points equal to half of your hybrid form's hit point maximum (rounded up). When you revert to your normal form, you lose any remaining temporary hit points.
- You are able to cast spells while in your hybrid form. However, you are unable to maintain concentration on spells you cast during or before your transformation.
- You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other sources, including special senses such as darkvision.
- You gain natural weapons in the form of claws, teeth, and any other feature of your beast that could realistically be used as a weapon. Refer to the Lycan Table to determine if these weapons use your Strength or Dexterity modifier. Regardless of which modifier is applied to the damage, your natural weapons deal 1d4 piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage on a hit. This damage die changes as you gain levels in this class.
- You can still speak and use your armor and weapons as you would in your normal form while in your hybrid form.
Player Lycanthropy and the Circle
The rules established in this class option are designed to replace the rules for 'Player Characters as Lycanthropes' as described in the Monster Manual on page 207.
Lycan's Strike
Starting at 6th level, your hybrid form's natural weapons deal magical damage for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Additionally, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, while you are in your hybrid form. This additional attack does not stack with Extra Attack or other such features that grant additional attacks when using the Attack action.
Embrace the Beast
Your command over your curse has only grown stronger, allowing you to better maintain your hybrid form and better utilize the beast within. At 10th level, your Hybrid Shape can now last up to 1 hour.
In addition, while in your hybrid form you can use an action on your turn to transform into a full beast form based on your chosen beast from the Lycan Table, without spending an additional use of Wild Shape. This transformation lasts for 1 minute and can only be used once per use of Hybrid Shape. The transformation ends early if you are knocked unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
While in your full beast form you maintain the same rules and features of your hybrid form with the following changes and additions:
- Your natural weapon deals an additional die worth of damage on a hit.
- You gain an additional bonus to your damage rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier.
- Your AC becomes 13 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.
- You decide if your equipment is dropped in your space, merges into your beast form, or could reasonably be worn and used as per normal Wild Shape rules.
- You lose your ability to speak and cast spells while in your full beast form.
- Your size category becomes large, regardless of your original size and the normal size your chosen beast would be.
Mastery of the Curse
All of your efforts in controlling your lycanthropy and maintaining a balance between the savage beast within and your normal self has borne fruit. Starting at 14th level, your Hybrid Shape can now now last up to a number of hours equal to half your druid level just like your normal Wild Shape and your full beast transformation from Embrace the Beast now lasts up to 10 minutes. Additionally, if your Hybrid Shape transformation ends early without you using your bonus action to do so, you retain any remaining temporary hit points from the transformation.
Lycan Table
| Beast | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Natural Weapon Stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear | 18 | 13 | 14 | Strength |
| Boar | 14 | 13 | 18 | Strength |
| Rat | 13 | 18 | 14 | Dexterity |
| Tiger | 18 | 14 | 13 | Strength |
| Wolf | 14 | 18 | 13 | Dexterity |
Natural Weapon Damage Die
| Druid Level | Damage Die |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1d4 |
| 6 | 1d6 |
| 10 | 1d8 |
| 14 | 1d10 |
Other Lycan Species
The Lycan Table lists beasts based on the Monster Manual entries for Lycanthropes. If you would like your curse to transform you into another form of beast, work with your DM how it would differ from the beasts already listed and what stats it should grant during your transformations. As a general guideline, the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores provided on the Lycan Table are set around an average score of 15, based on both the Monster Manual stats for lycanthropes and CR1 beasts that Circle of the Moon Druids can assume such as Dire Wolves and Lions.
Change Log
V 1.1
Hybrid Shapes
- Specified temporary hit points are calculated using the hybrid form's maximum.
- Corrected typo saying Natural Weapons start at d6 when it should be d4.
Lycan's Strike
- Added Extra Attack clause.
- Because a melee subclass for a non-martial class should get it at 6, along with the magic damage.
Embrace the Beast
- Altered Unarmored AC calculation to be 13 + Dexterity + Wisdom.
- Altered damage roll benefit from proficiency bonus to Wisdom modifier, and removed extra bonus to AC.
- Changed size category to default to large when entering full beast form.
- Removed additional Temporary Hit Points, was too much of an extra boon.
Mastery of the Curse
- Wording specification.
Lycan Table
- Adjusted stat spreads: All flavors use an 18/14/13 spread, allocated as best suits their beast.
- Bear: 18-13-14
- Boar: 14-13-18
- Rat: 13-18-14
- Tiger: 18-14-13
- Wolf: 14-18-13
V 1.2
Embrace the Beast
- Reworded portion about unarmored AC to instead be an AC override.
- Changed what happens to equipment in full beast form to the default options of Wild Shape.
- Reordered and formatted the granted abilities to flow better.