Characters who can turn into monsters and lose control of themselves are quite compelling. They can create exciting plot twists when a lovable NPC is an enemy without them even knowing about it. Lycanthropy is a powerful concept for many stories in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons, but there's a part that can make the game complicated: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:players can get it.
What happens if a player gets bitten by a werewolf? How will you deal with that as the game progresses? Let's talk about how to work with that, creating drama without fully taking away the player's agency with a monster that takes over them.
5 Read Up On Lycanthro෴py Rules 💞
Before discussing what you can do, it's always good to check the official rules, as you can simply follow them to the letter or use them as the base. Lycanthropy is divided into a few transformations: Werewolves, Werebears, Wereboars, Weretigers, and Wererats. They all have a bite attack that will force the target into a Constitution saving throw, and if the target fails, they'll be cursed.
While transformed, some of the player's ability scores and Armor Class may change. They'll be unable to speak, and, unless they've learned to control the transformation, they'll act as monsters, meaning you can take over the character to do as you please, or if your player is up to the roleplaying, they can start attacking the other players as an out-of-control animal.
It's also important to know that their alignment will change according to the monster, as marked in each of their stat blocks in the Monster Manual. Curiously, Weretigers are neutral, and Werebears are actually good, so they don't need to start rampaging just because the player lost control of themself.
A character can try to control the urge to kill, but they'll lose control on a full moon, or they can embrace it, transforming whenever, but they'll have to embrace the alignment that comes with the transformation, turning evil in the process. You can get rid of Lycanthropy with Remove Curse or something more potent unless the character was born with the curse. Then only the Wish spell will save them.
4 ❀ Let The Players Try To Handle It
If the player chooses to resist it, the transformation will only be a problem sporadically, as it only happens during the full moon. That said, this can be an inten🎐se moment for the party, as they know one of the characters needs to be ke🍎pt in check for a few days every month, and they can create some sort of plan to contain the Werebeast. You might not even need to intervene here.
Give them the details of the curse, maybe ꧅through an expert NPC, anꦺd let them elaborate on temporary solutions as they find a way to eliminate or control the transformation for good. And, if said idea fails, you can have dramatic moments of a monster on the loose, creating many problems, and have the player deal with the consequences.
3 Consider Buffing The Transf🔜ormation
Truth be told, Lycanthropy isn't that strong. A Werewolf or a Werebear will be a challenge to a low-level party, but if the group reaches level seven or above, they can get rid of these creatures easily. In fact, by level five, one of the players will be able to obtain Remove Curse — depending on their class — and solve the whole thing.
If you want to make the transformation a big deal, you should 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:consider tweaking some details. Maybe if they stay cursed for too long, Remove Curse will no longer work, and solving this will require a whole side quest with multiple sessions. That said, if fighting Werebeasts is common in your scenario, don't make getting rid of it too difficult, as there is a good chance they'll get cursed multiple times.
You can also buff the stat block, like increasing some ability scores, armor class, health, or proficiency bonus along with their levels. Still, keep in mind that the transformation keeps passive racial abilities. A Half-Orc Werewolf can still use Savage Attacks, for example, so remember that if you're going to buff the transformation.
2 ♔ Tweak The Control P💛arameters
Unless we're talking about Werebears, these transformations don't have a good alignment. The player can accept it or resist it. However, why not let the player learn to control it positively and become a good Werewolf? Doing that is not even homebrewing; the Monster Manual says that most people turn evil, but not all of them.
The player can try many methods, such as meditation, seeking guidance, or using magic to try to keep in control, and you can use all sorts of saving throws and challenges. The other players can help with their own spells⭕ or simply talk to their transformed friend, giving advanꦿtages to the saving throws, for example.
They shouldn't be able to gain complete control in a single attempt. Still, as their successes start to stack, you can lower the saving throws' difficulty until you eliminate them for good, giving your player the power to transform whenever they want while keeping control of the transformation.
1 ❀ ⭕ Let Them Succumb
If your player✅ wants to go evil, then why💛 not? Sure, it has downsides, but if the player and the group are on board, that is a valid option. By being corrupted, they can fully control the transformation if they are willing to do evil roleplaying, and they can also corrupt the party in the process and create a more neutral party or even an evil one.
Alternatively, the player can become an enemy and be a Boss fight for the group. There's a good chance 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:they'll die and need to create another character, but it is a fun experience to have, and you can even boost the transformation since one player against the rest of the party will likely get destroyed with ease. Still, as mentioneಞd before, as long as the players are on board, this is a valid tactic that can give them a quite unique moment in the campaign.