"We are not monsters", it repeated, calmly emphasizing the point. "We are like you, like the birds and the deer and, yes, like the wolves. We are all the creations of the gods. We all do that which is in our natures to do, following the natural imperatives incorporated into every fiber of our beings. None has any choice in the matter; but we werecreatures are really quite content with the reality of the situation, unlike most humans.
"We are no different, me and my kind, from any other predators. It is merely human arrogance that labels us with the term "monster". Since we have the temerity to feed upon the self-styled kings of creation, we are hated and feared".
The creature chuckled quietly. "If deer had the power of speech", it mused, "I wonder what horrible tales they would tell of that monster humanity..".
- From the personal journals of Dr. Van Richten
As Dr. Van Richten noted earlier, virtually any predator between the size of a small dog and a large bear can provide the basis for a lycanthrope phenotype. Most but not all werebeasts are mammals, and most but not all of them are pure carnivores. The Monstrous Manual tome lists the most common, and probably most useful, of lycanthropes, but it's always a good idea to throw new creatures at the players - particularly in Ravenloft.
So how does a DM go about creating a new lycanthrope from scratch? There are six attributes to consider: phenotype, appearance, gaming statistics, special abilities, vulnerabilities, and society. Each of these is described in the following pages. To render the process as clear as possible, a sample new lycanthrope, the werebadger, is developed concordantly. The finished monster is detailed in Appendix. This procedure focuses upon the design of a true lycanthrope, but the process remains much the same for infected werebeasts.
The animal you choose will determine some of the creature's characteristics, including its most likely habitat. For this example, the lycanthrope is a werebadger (suitable for use in temperate climes both above ground and below).
The next step is to decide on the appearance of each of the creature's three aspects: human, animal, and hybrid.
Human
The primary form of the lycanthrope is that of a human (or demihuman). Pick the race that's appropriate for the adventure or encounter you have in mind. The creature's appearance usually will be reminiscent of the animal aspect. A werebadger is most commonly a dwarf in (demi)human form. The lycanthrope may display one or more of the features commonly associated with werebeasts in their (demi)human form. For example, its forefingers may be abnormally long - the same length as its second fingers - or the lycanthrope's hair or beard might have a white stripe in it, like the pelt of a badger.
The demeanor of the human form is also a characteristic of its appearance. A wereboar might be extremely ill tempered while a werefox might be flirtatious. The werebadger is likely to be an unassuming loner until provoked, at which time it would show startling aggressiveness.
Animal
The secondary form of the werebeast - that of an animal - is easiest to design, as a lycanthrope in that form generally resembles a larger version of the natural beast - larger than average, but not so much larger that its lycanthrope nature is obvious. (Note that the wererat is an exception, for its animal aspect resembles a giant rat. This point raises the possibility that other werebeasts might be able to transfigure into giant-monster forms of animals. While this is left up to the individual DM, such cases should be very rare.)
The werebadger is one such case; this lycanthrope's animal form is that of a giant badger.
Closer inspection of various body traits may yet betray the werebeast's identity. For example, its eyes might show a faint spark of unnatural intelligence, or perhaps a bit of whiteness around the irises. In any case, this feature shouldn't be immediately obvious, and the creature might well be able to suppress such characteristics in order to appear a simple "dumb animal". The lycanthrope's eyes might glow faintly red at night, but in such a way that a player character would attribute it to the reflection of a light source like a fire.
Hybrid
The tertiary form of the lycanthrope should combine animal and human features. The overall shape is largely humanoid, yet animal features, subtle or conspicuous, render this the most identifiable lycanthrope form.
A werebadger in hybrid aspect is dwarf-sized, its hands might resemble paws, yet still retain opposable thumbs. Its face might have a pronounced, badger-iike face with whiskers.
The easiest way to determine the werecreature's statistics is to extrapolate from those of existing lycanthropes. In general, a werebeast's attributes are proportional to the relative size of its animal aspect. A bear is larger and more powerful than a wolf, for example; thus, a werebear should generally be a tougher opponent than a werewolf. (Of course, those vulnerabilities specific to a bear, like a fear of dogs, can greatly alter the relative challenge of an encounter.)
Badgers are Small creatures but are very strong, due to the fact that they dig burrows in which to live. This strength should be reflected, despite the beast's smalt size and claws. Damage of 1d6/ 1d6/1d4 (claw/claw/bite) seems about right. THAC0 depends on Hit Dice - 15 for our werebadger.
Armor Class (AC) depends upon the innate toughness (thickness of hide, etc.), speed, and dexterity of the natural animal. Werebears have a low AC largely because they're such powerful, thick-skinned animals. However, a wererat's AC derives mainly from its quick, darting movements, which allow it to evade a blow. Since badgers are small, low to the ground, and have a thick, furry hide, an AC of 5 seems about right for our werebadger.
Don't forget that the Armor Class may alter with the lycanthrope's own change of form. A hybrid's AC should lie somewhere between that of the animal form and AC 10 (since armor owned by a werebeast would have to be donned after the change). Consider how much of the animal form's natural AC would remain with a hybrid. Our werebadger would certainly lose some of its advantages - namely, being low-slung and the thickness of hide in hybrid aspect - so AC 7 seems about right.
Of course, attribute scores and armor dictate the AC of the human form.
Most other attributes derive from the nature of the phenotype. Badgers tend to live alone, unless it's a mother with young. While they prefer to avoid confrontations with creatures larger than themselves, they are fierce fighters if cornered or protecting young. Badgers are not solely predators, but omnivores. Our werejaguar might have treasure class M, Q, or V, if any. While normal badgers are neutral in alignment, a werebadger (especially in Ravenloft) would have an alignment of chaotic evil. Number appearing would normally be 1. Badgers are aggressive fighters when provoked, so a Morale of Elite (14) is appropriate.
Certain types of lycanthropes, by virtue of their phenotype, gain some special capabilities. For example, werefoxes have an ability to charm victims. A werebeast's special skill k might be magical or simply a physical ability. It might be arbitrary or related in some way to the phenotype. DMs have a free hand in this area, giving them the chance to create unique (and PC-surprising) lycanthropes.
Our werebadger is a skilled digger and, as mentioned, can be quite ferocious when angered. Extrapolating from this, werebadgers are likely to do more damage with their claws than with their teeth, and they also may go berserk in combat.
Each werebeast has at least one nonmagical vulnerability. Most, but not all, creatures of a particular phenotype share the same vulnerability (werewolves fear silver, for example). DMs should first decide upon a basic vulnerability for a new phenotype, and then decide whether the individual creature(s) in question conforms to the generic weakness. The vulnerability might be something traditional (wolfsbane, silver, etc.), or it might be symbolically related to the nature of the phenotype.
As noted elsewhere in this text, the oil of poppy seeds (and to a lesser extent, the seeds themselves) are poisonous to werebadgers.
Social behavior should relate to the characteristics of the natural animal. If the animal is pack-oriented, the lycanthrope will be social. If it is aggressively territorial, so is the lycanthrope. These creatures are intelligent, however, so they can suppress their natural tendencies if necessary. The propensities will remain, however, even if they're not obvious, and they will tend to color the creatures' philosophies and behaviors.
Badgers are often solitary. Hence, the werebadger might be a lone adventurer or a hermit living on the outskirts of a settlement.
Appearance of a comet
Emergence of spring flowers
Entering a specific locale or type of
terrain (swamp, graveyard,
mountains, childhood home, etc.)
Exposure to a particular type of
plant, animal, or mineral
Extreme fear
Healing magic
Hunger
Intense anger or embarrassment
Intense passion
Lunar or solar eclipse
Necromantic magic (or magic from
any specific sphere or school)
Participation in combat
Particular sound or music
Phase of the moon
Physical pain
Seeing a particular image or type of image
Sighting the phenotypic animal
(a were-wolf changes at the sight of a wolf)
Sight or smell of blood
Sleep
Snowfail
Solstice or equino
Sunset or sunrise
Thunderstorm
Total darkness
Bone
Bronze
Cold iron
Copper
Flint
Gold
Lead
Obsidian
Silver
Wood (specific type)
Sample Chemical Susceptibilities
Aloe
Amaranth
Belladonna
Camphor
Chamomile
Clover
Fennel
Garlic
Ginseng
Ipecac
Juniper berries
Laburnum extract
Lotus
Mandrake
Mangrove leaves
Mistletoe
Mercury
Poppy
Quince
Saffron
Skullcap
Sulfur
Tamarind
Wolfsbane
+2 bonus to resist bloodlust
Breath weapon (as stinking cloud spell)
Can enter btoodlust at will
Can sense presence and location of
"infective progeny"
Charm by gaze
Charm by voice
Fear by voice
Gaseous form
Magic resistance (1d8 x 5%)
Regeneration (1 hit point/round)
Rogue skills (climb walls, hide in
shadows, move silently: 50%-95%
chance)
Summon animal allies
Super jump
Two attacks per round
Waterwalk
