# Curse of Lycanthropy ### Traits ***Cycle of the Curse.*** The closer you draw to the full moon, the harder it becomes to resist the curse. Your **Lunar Save DC** depends on the phase of the moon as follows: | Lunar Phase | Phase duration (days) | Save DC | |:---:|:-----------:|:-----:| | New | 3 | 8 | | Crescent | 4 | 10 | | Quarter | 3 | 12 | | Gibbous | 4 | 15 | | Full | 3 | 18 | ***Lycanthropic Resistance.*** You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons *not* imparted with any of the substances listed under *Wolfssegen*. ***Wolfssegen.*** Certain substances act as wards against those with Lycanthropy. You are vulnerable to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from weapons made from or coated in any of these substances. While touching or holding an item made from or coated in any of these substances, you must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution check or drop the item in agony. If in combat, this check must be made at the start of each of your turns. If an item is made from or coated in multiple of these substances, the effects are multiplicative. Additional effects of each substance are described below. * *Silver.* Contact with silver burns to the touch. * *Wolfsbane & Wolfsbane Oil.* You have a strong allergic reaction when within 5 ft of any part of the Wolfsbane plant. Any passage or doorway over which a sprig of Wolfsbane has been hung acts as a solid impenetrable wall to you. ***Keen Smell.*** You gain Proficiency in Perception. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. ***Darkvision.*** You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You are red-green colorblind. ***Shapechange.*** The Lycanthropic curse that lives in your blood allows you to assume bestial forms. As a bonus action, you can transform into your Hybrid or Dire Wolf form. Rules for changing form are found in the subsequent Shapechanging section. When falling unconscious, roll a d20. If you roll equal to or higher than your current Lunar Phase DC, you revert to humanoid form. Otherwise, you remain in your current form. ***Full Moon.*** During the nights of the full moon, you must shift into one of your bestial forms. Additionally, while transformed, you remain in a **Feral** state. You may attempt a DC 18 Wisdom check to prevent yourself from transforming. On a success, you are able to remain humanoid but take 1 point of exhaustion. Additionally, you are unable to receive the benefits of a **long rest** during hours where the full moon is out. > ##### Feral State > Certain conditions will cause you to enter a state of blind instinctual action. While in a **Feral** state, if you have taken damage since your previous turn, you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your current Lunar Phase DC (see *Cycle of the Curse*). On a failure, you must move directly towards and attack the nearest non-incapacitated creature within sight. If there is more than one possible target, roll to randomly determine. You then regain control for the remainder of your turn. If you are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (like the Barbarian’s *Rage* feature), you automatically fail this saving throw. > > You cannot return to humanoid form while in this state. #### Removing the Curse The spell *Remove Curse* will remove this feature from a willing target. *Remove Curse* has no effect on an unwilling target. The spell *Wish* may remove this feature from any target, regardless of willingness. \pagebreak ### Shapechanging #### Forms In addition to your starting humanoid form, you may gain some or all of following forms (at your DM's discretion, based on the setting): ***Hybrid.*** You transform into a half man, half beast abomination. You can walk upright, speak, wear armor, and use equipment, spells, weapons, unarmed strikes, etc. You are a few feet taller than your humanoid form but your size remains medium. Your face elongates into a fanged snout, your hands grow claws, and your body becomes hairy. You are recognizable but noticeably beastly, and people will react to you with fear. ***Dire Wolf.*** You transform into an enormous wolf. You walk on four legs and do not have opposable thumbs. You cannot speak (except to other werewolves). You cannot wear humanoid armor, use equipment, or any tools that require the use of thumbs. You cannot cast spells. You are approximately the height and size of an adult horse, but your size remains Medium. No trace of your former humanoid form can be seen in your Dire Wolf form, and those who know you in your original form may not recognize you. #### Features While transformed, you gain the following features: | Form | Speed |STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| |:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:-:| | Hybrid | +5 | +1 | +0 | +1 | -1 | +0 | +0 | | Dire Wolf | +10 | +2 | +1 | +2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | >**Tip:** Rather than keeping track of stat changes manually, it's often easiest to have a separate character sheet for each form. This will also help remind you of changes to your spell save DC / spell attack modifiers, as well as your available actions. ***Waxing and Waning.*** You gain bonuses or penalties to your speed and ability score modifiers according to your form, as listed in the above table. ***Resilient Hide.*** Your AC becomes 12 + your Dexterity modifier. ***Keener Smell.*** You gain expertise in Perception. ***Lupine Cognition.*** If you begin your turn with no more than half of your maximum hit points, you enter a **Feral** state. You exit this state when your HP rises above 50% or when no longer in combat. ##### Spellcasting You may cast spells while in Humanoid and Hybrid form, but not while in Dire Wolf form. In Hybrid form, be sure to consider your modified stats for Spell attack modifiers and Spell save DCs. Transforming breaks concentration on any active spells. However, while transformed you may continue taking actions that are part of a spell, such as Call Lightning, that you've already cast and that does not require concentration. \columnbreak ##### Attacking While Transformed ***Claw Attack.*** You can attack with your jagged claws. Your Claw counts as a melee weapon with which you are proficient. It has reach 5 ft., targets one creature, and deals 1d4 + (strength mod) piercing damage. This damage die scales with level, increasing to 1d6 at 5th, 1d8 at 11th, and 1d10 at 17th. ***Bite Attack.*** You can attack with your powerful jaws. Your Bite counts as a melee weapon with which you are proficient. It has reach 5 ft., targets one creature, and deals 1d4 + (strength mod) piercing damage. This damage die scales with level, increasing to 1d6 at 5th, 1d8 at 11th, and 1d10 at 17th. On a hit, if the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with Lycanthropy. #### Returning to Humanoid Form The moon beckons you. The closer you are to the full moon, the harder it gets to deny the beast within. You may use a bonus action to attempt and return to your humanoid form. Make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to your current Lunar Save DC. On a success you return to your original form. After a failure, you cannot try to make this save again for another 10 minutes. Alternatively, you may take 60 seconds of concentration to return to your humanoid form without the need for a saving throw. During this time you may not move or take any actions. Otherwise, regular rules for concentration apply. ##### On Hit Point Maximums Because your hit point maximum is different in different forms, when transitioning between two forms, you must subtract (max HP of current form - max HP of desired form) from your current HP. This can cause you to fall unconscious and begin death saving throws if you are brought to 0 hit points. >For example, say your Direwolf max HP is 48 and your Humanoid max HP is 40. When transitioning from Humanoid to Direwolf form, you would add 8 from your current HP. Subsequently, when transitioning from Direwolf to Humanoid form, you would subtract 8 from your current HP. > >This is meant to preserve the status of "full health" between forms, meaning neither form is preferential for receiving healing. This does mean injuries your bestial forms could withstand might overtake you upon becoming humanoid again, so watch out! \pagebreak ### Additional Content #### Optional Rule: Equipment and Clothing Unlike the gentle magic of a Druid or Wizard, which folds a transformed beings' clothing and possessions into its new shape, the violent shapechanging of a lycanthrope twists your flesh and bones with brutal, careless efficiency. When you shift forms, untailored clothes are destroyed and any equipment on your person is discarded at the site of transformation. You may choose to pay a tailor to alter your clothing in such a way as to break away rather than tear. <div class="descriptive"> ##### Lycanthrope Fashion *An unexpected fact about werewolves packs is that they have some of the best tailors in the known lands. When you're constantly under threat of tripling your body mass in an instant, you develop some ingenious ways of modifying clothing.* *One might assume a Lycanthrope would wear shabby garments and remain apathetic to their destruction, or even just go about nude. But the Lycan are people as well as beasts, and without fur they're as cold and ashamed as any of us.* *So instead Lycanthrope society (such that it is) has developed a preference for sturdy, well-made clothes, which are sewn and tied in such ingenious fashion as to fall away, intact, upon transformation. They also prefer bright colors and bold patterns, so that clothing can be easily retrieved from the forest floor (after all, they would never need to be stealthy in human form!).* *Given the complex social dynamics present in Lycan packs, clothing can become a bit of a status symbol, and a source of pack hierarchy disputes. Fine jewelry and body art are especially prized, given that they remain post-transformation. Laundry day in a Lycan pack is always an event to behold.* </div> ***Armor.*** Light armor can be easily ripped away during transformation, but medium and heavy armor is durable enough to trap your rapidly expanding body. If you transform while wearing medium or heavy armor, you become paralyzed and take 3d4 force damage per turn until the armor is removed. ***Coins and Trinkets.*** It is not uncommon for Lycanthropes to carry small pouches around their necks or under their tongues. This is often the only safe place for small valuables, such as coins and mementos. Lycanthropes often carry custom pocketwatches or calendars to track the lunar phases, or other important personal baubles or accessories. These items can be either worn around the neck, attached to the body via piercing, or pinned into hair. Generally, a Lycanthrope will try to keep their possessions limited to a few small, quality objects, unless they have a permanent safehouse or territory where possessions can be stored without issue while the individual is transformed. ### Sources / Credit / Inspiration - Adapted from [this post]( https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/homebrew-house-rules/45948-feedback-request-lycanthrope-curse "title") by mouse0270 on the dndbeyond homebrew forum - Blood Hunter: Order of the Lycan (Mercer) - Werewolf, Monster Manual - Druid's Wild Shape ability, from the Player Handbook. - Playtested during a *Curse of Strahd* campaign.