Quote from: Ruprecht on December 28, 2024, 12:47:54 PMI'm curious how many would allow a PC to play the were-version of their character or if they become an NPC when they transform.

I'm actually designing a setting right now where some of the barbarian tribes have animal totems that PC's can eventually pledge themselves to, and become were-creature of that particular tribe's totem.

Since the first iteration of this game will be Savage Worlds, it's easy to build into the game, as the rules allow you to work towards the requirements and once you're there, and you've done all the narrative roleplay requirements, it's no different than being "Prestige Class" in d20.

Side note: I was the one that introduced this idea into 3e back in Dragon Magazine (back in Dragon #313) - man did editorial butcher it... Of course I'm sure others did it in their homebrew, perhaps in previous editions, I can't recall.

Quote from: yosemitemike on December 30, 2024, 09:23:38 AMI just think it's hilarious that, by RAW in 5e, two battling packs of werewolves can't actually hurt each other at all.

That was true when the werewolf was first introduced in the 1E Monster Manual. It's not a 5E thing.

Having lycanthropy be contagious without limits is clearly unworkable in terms of logical world-building. I prefer it where lycanthropy is inherited, but there are some people who have latent lycanthropy that could be activated by a bite, but it's only a small percent of the population. This means some risk for an individual bitten, but once you know you're not one, you're safe.

All I know is that they changed it to a curse in AD&D 2nd specifically to make paladins weaker. AD&D paladins were easily the most OP undead and lycanthrope hunters ever, so of course we can't have that anymore!

Calling it a disease for lycanthropy or vampirism are authors trying to make it more logical and believable that these creatures exist.

We all know that magic isn't real.  Even religious believers probably don't think vampires or werewolves exist. 

No, it's not a disease.  It's a mystical curse.  Unknowable, illogical, and powered by eldritch energy from the beyond. 

It's not a germ that just mutates you that way.

This; transmissable curse. BTW, anyone know of a great werewolf haunt/adventure book besides all the clan/tribe stuff in Werewolf the Apocalypse?

Quote from: easywolf32 on January 03, 2025, 09:19:00 AMThis; transmissable curse. BTW, anyone know of a great werewolf haunt/adventure book besides all the clan/tribe stuff in Werewolf the Apocalypse?

Not really? There's a few books on lycanthropes for d20/3.x I remember reading, but fantasy games generally treat lycanthropes as monsters. So there's not really much material on playing them.

Here's a few I found:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/11875/curse-of-the-moon

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/20091/slaves-of-the-moon-the-essential-guide-to-lycanthropes

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2557/complete-guide-to-werewolves

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/156315/bite-me-the-gaming-guide-to-lycanthropes

Hope this helps.

I have wanted to write my own urban fantasy setting on lycanthropes, but I don't know how many people it would actually appeal to. The White Wolf games disgust me in the extreme because they're ecofascist ableist racist bullshit, but to my disgust they're the only lycanthropy-centric game that developed any following. What the fuck is wrong with gamers?

Quote from: QueenofElflandsSon on January 02, 2025, 03:24:40 PMIt's really going to depend on your edition, I'm guessing (without having looked at it in every edition).

Very. In some editions their own attacks count as supernatural, and in others they do not.

In BX it does not say if a were-creature's attacks count as supernatural or magical.

In AD&D Were-creatures are hit by +1 or better weapons and if recall right somewhere in the rules or an explanation in Dragon it is noted what monsters attacks count as magical.
 

Found some nice reads on this subject if anyone feels like having a go:

https://dndduet.com/werewolf/

https://dndduet.com/lycanthropy/

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on January 03, 2025, 04:11:27 PM

Quote from: easywolf32 on January 03, 2025, 09:19:00 AMThis; transmissable curse. BTW, anyone know of a great werewolf haunt/adventure book besides all the clan/tribe stuff in Werewolf the Apocalypse?

Not really? There's a few books on lycanthropes for d20/3.x I remember reading, but fantasy games generally treat lycanthropes as monsters. So there's not really much material on playing them.

Here's a few I found:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/11875/curse-of-the-moon

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/20091/slaves-of-the-moon-the-essential-guide-to-lycanthropes

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2557/complete-guide-to-werewolves

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/156315/bite-me-the-gaming-guide-to-lycanthropes

Hope this helps.

I have wanted to write my own urban fantasy setting on lycanthropes, but I don't know how many people it would actually appeal to. The White Wolf games disgust me in the extreme because they're ecofascist ableist racist bullshit, but to my disgust they're the only lycanthropy-centric game that developed any following. What the fuck is wrong with gamers?

Hey man, that's some great stuff right there, will get em at some point, just went down a rabbit hole myself, my head's bonked.

Here's some good ones I found, think I'll be good for a while now lol.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17504/dark-of-the-moon-2e

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/390688/shepherd-s-bane-5e

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17508/howls-in-the-night-2e

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/436277/hunt-of-the-winter-werewolf

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/494214/moonshadow-a-werewolf-adventure?src=by_author_of_product

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/61518/werewolf-the-dark-ages

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/101122/red-blizzard-savage-worlds

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/60375/under-the-skin-hunter-the-vigil

One story within this Dread book https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/83854/dread

Some pretty cool sound rules/situations

https://www.tiltingatwindmills.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/full-moon-intro.pdf

Just stay away from anything by White Wolf. The way they handle werewolves is gross because it takes what would be considered the villains in any sane universe and treats them as the heroes. Ecofascism, racism, ableism, domestic violence, incest, date rape, bestiality, cannibalism, mass murder, human sacrifice, red weddings, etc. One of the lead writers was nicknamed "Satyr" even. The only thing it doesn't have is male pregnancy.

Thanks, I didn't bother I don't like tribes of werewolves, etc...neither do I want to play one. But now that you tell me that, I'm glad I avoided that crap lol.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on December 29, 2024, 11:48:01 AMYeah, the problem with the Talbot style lycanthropy is that it's a one-trick pony. There's only so many stories you can tell with such precise limitations. Werewolf themed media has been hugely stagnant as a result of this.

This a fair point. Among exceptions, the Dresden Files novels have several non-traditional takes on werewolves, and those appear in the DF RPG. (It uses the FATE system which I don't like much, but it could be adapted to other systems.)

DF lycanthropes change non-physically based on the phase of the moon. They become animalistic and have heightened abilities but don't physically change into wolves.

DF loup garous are a family curse where someone of the bloodline turns into a wolf-like demon, and can only be harmed by silver heirloom of the family.

DF hexenwolves are a sort of sorcerer who use a magical wolfskin that they put on to transform.

Quote from: jhkim on January 05, 2025, 01:41:42 AM

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on December 29, 2024, 11:48:01 AMYeah, the problem with the Talbot style lycanthropy is that it's a one-trick pony. There's only so many stories you can tell with such precise limitations. Werewolf themed media has been hugely stagnant as a result of this.

This a fair point. Among exceptions, the Dresden Files novels have several non-traditional takes on werewolves, and those appear in the DF RPG. (It uses the FATE system which I don't like much, but it could be adapted to other systems.)

DF lycanthropes change non-physically based on the phase of the moon. They become animalistic and have heightened abilities but don't physically change into wolves.

DF loup garous are a family curse where someone of the bloodline turns into a wolf-like demon, and can only be harmed by silver heirloom of the family.

DF hexenwolves are a sort of sorcerer who use a magical wolfskin that they put on to transform.

So they used the French name to create a distinction, and the hexenwolves are just skinwalkers.

Also DF?

Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 05, 2025, 04:33:31 AMSo they used the French name to create a distinction, and the hexenwolves are just skinwalkers.

Also DF?

DF = Dresden Files

I'm not particularly a big fan, but it's a media franchise that differs from the standard that BoxCrayonTales was complaining about.

Ah, lupine theriomorphs. I'm familiar. https://dresdenfiles.fandom.com/wiki/Lupine_theriomorph

I've read Werewolves: A Hunter's Guide and Chill's Lycanthropes for comparison too.

The Hunter's Guide recounts the most common patterns in folklore and fiction. Astral projection werewolves, viral lycanthropy, witches who wear magic wolfskins, people with clinical lycanthropy, and people cursed to spend seven years living as wolves. https://g.co/kgs/fGAXLqx

Chill's lycanthropes include viral (based on The Howling movie, not Universal), witches that use magic, wolfen (ripped off from the movie Wolfen), and hereditary curses (they follow the Talbot rules to a tee, but it's hereditary rather than infectious). https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2901/lycanthropes

Pelgrane Press had an article on werewolves for Night's Black Agents: https://pelgranepress.com/2018/02/01/the-plain-people-of-gaming-houndhounds-of-bucharest/

While there are a few exceptions like that, overall the supermajority of werewolf media is limited to the Talbot stereotype and generally doesn't go outside it.