General Rules: Monsters - Lycanthrope: Greater Werewolf (Template)

Greater Werewolf (adapted from Twisted Lore and Races of Færûn)

Greater werewolves are humanoids or giants who can transform themselves into dire wolves. In humanoid form, greater werewolves look much like a normal member of their race, but with somewhat more body hair. In its animal form, a greater werewolf's eyes (which often glow red in the dark) show a faint spark of unnatural intelligence.

A greater werewolf can assume a hybrid form that is a mix of its humanoid and animal forms. A hybrid has hands and can use weapons, but it can also attack with its teeth and claws. A hybrid can spread lycanthropy with its bite, and it has the same damage reduction that its animal form possesses.

Lycanthropy can be spread like a disease. Sometimes a lycanthrope begins life as a normal humanoid or giant who subsequently contracts lycanthropy after being wounded by a lycanthrope. Such a creature is called an afflicted lycanthrope. Other lycanthropes are born as lycanthropes, and are known as natural lycanthropes.

Combat
A greater werewolf in its humanoid form uses whatever tactics and weapons are favored by others of its kind, though it tends to be slightly more aggressive. A lycanthrope possesses the senses of its animal form, including scent and low-light vision, and it has a deep empathy for (and ability to communicate with) animals of its animal form. Greater werewolves are primal hunters that revel in slaughter and love to command others.

"Greater werewolf" is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature, that creature referred to hereafter as the "character". The greater werewolf takes on the characteristics of a dire wolf, referred to hereafter as the "animal". Creatures with this template use all of the base creature's statistics and special abilities, except as noted here:

Size and Type: The creature's type does not change, but the creature gains the shapechanger subtype. Many lycanthropes can adopt a hybrid shape that combines features of the character and the base animal. A lycanthrope's hybrid form is the same size as the animal form or the base form, whichever is larger.

Hit Dice: Same as the character plus those of the animal. To calculate total hit points, apply Constitution modifiers according to the score the lycanthrope has in each form.

Speed: As character or animal, depending on which form the lycanthrope is using.

Armor Class: As character or animal's natural armor +2, depending on which form the greater werewolf is using.

Attacks: As character or animal, depending on which form the greater werewolf is using.

Damage: As character or animal, depending on which form the greater werewolf is using.

Special Attacks: As character or animal, depending on which form the greater werewolf is using (plus curse of lycanthropy in animal form).

• Lycanthropic Affinity (Su): Greater werewolves can communicate and empathize with normal or dire wolves. This gives them a +8 bonus on checks made to influence the wolf's attitude and allows the greater werewolf to communicate simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands to the animal, such as "friend", "foe", "flee", or "attack". They may also command up to four times their Hit Dice of normal or dire wolves. The greater werewolf maintains a telepathic connection with any such creatures up to 10 miles away, and they will always obey its orders without hesitation.
• Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid injured by a greater werewolf but not actually killed has a chance to contract lycanthropy after the encounter is over. This chance equals 1% per point of damage dealt by the lycanthrope's natural attacks; if several lycanthropes of the same type injure the character, add the chances together. Damage from different types of lycanthropes must be tracked separately. A character killed by a lycanthrope and then raised or resurrected has a 100% chance of contracting lycanthropy. A character that contracts lycanthropy from a greater werewolf becomes a normal werewolf.

Special Qualities: All greater werewolves gain the following special qualities:

• Alternate Form (Su): All greater werewolves can shift into the form of a dire wolf and a dire wolf-humanoid hybrid. Changing to or from animal or hybrid form is a move-equivalent action. Upon assuming natural form, the lycanthrope regains hit points as if having rested for a day. If slain, the lycanthropic creature does not revert to its humanoid form, though it remains dead. A part of the body separated from the whole retains its natural form however. This shapeshifting ability can be difficult for some lycanthropes to control.
• Damage Reduction (Su): A greater werewolf's animal and hybrid forms gain damage reduction 25/moonblessed. Greater werewolves may be harmed by a weapon forged entirely under the light of a full moon. In addition, the weapon must be blessed in a difficult, taxing ritual by a good or neutral cleric or druid. Any level cleric or druid may perform the ceremony, but any weapon so blessed will only affect a greater werewolf with Hit Dice equal to or less than the total combined levels of all divine casters performing the ceremony. Any caster performing the ceremony may not cast any spells the day before or the day after.
• Spell Resistance (Su): The greater werewolf gains spell resistance 22.
• Low-Light Vision (Ex): The greater werewolf gains low-light vision in any form.
• Darkvision (Ex): The greater werewolf gains darkvision with a range of 120 feet in any form.
• Scent (Ex): The greater werewolf gains scent in any form.
• Trip (Ex): A greater werewolf in dire wolf or hybrid form that hits with its bite attack can attempt to Trip an opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to Trip the greater werewolf.
• Rend (Ex): A greater werewolf in dire wolf or hybrid form that hits with both claw attacks latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This automatically inflicts an additional 2d6 +6 points of damage.
• Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Three times per day - expeditious retreat, obscuring mist, and pass without trace; once per day - greater magic fang and suggestion. These abilities are cast as if by a sorcerer equal in level to the greater werewolf's total Hit Dice. The save DC's for these spell-like abilities are Charisma-based

Saves: Add the base saves for the animal to the base saves for the base creature.

Abilities: A greater werewolf in humanoid form receives a +2 to Wisdom, due to its animal cunning. In animal or hybrid form, a greater werewolf receives the following ability adjustments: Strength +12, Dexterity +8, Constitution +8, and Wisdom +2.

Skills: All lycanthropes gain a +4 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks no matter what form they are in. A greater werewolf also gains a +4 bonus to Move Silently checks and a +2 bonus to Hide checks. Greater werewolves gain a +4 bonus to Survival checks when tracking by scent. Greater werewolves in animal or hybrid form gain the same skills as a normal dire wolf in addition to any skills they have in their humanoid forms. If a greater werewolf has a skill in both is humanoid and animal forms, use the better score.

Feats: As the character plus Iron Will. Lycanthropes can also learn the Improved Shape Control feat. When in animal or hybrid form, a greater werewolf gains the Blind-Fight, Cleave, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, and Track feats.

Climate/Terrain: As character or dire wolf.

Organization: Solitary, pack (3 - 7) plus followers (2 - 8 regular werewolves, 6 - 12 dire wolves, 8 - 24 normal wolves).

Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature +4.

Treasure: Standard.

Alignment: Always neutral evil.

Advancement: By character class.

Lycanthropy As an Affliction
There are no afflicted greater lycanthropes. Greater werewolves are either born or intentionally made via evil rituals. Anyone afflicted with lycanthropy by a greater werewolf becomes a normal werewolf.

Greater Werewolves as Characters
Becoming a greater werewolf does not necessarily change a character’s favored class but usually changes alignment (see above). This alignment change may cause characters of certain classes to lose some of their class features.

Greater werewolf characters possess the following racial traits:

• Abilities: +2 Wisdom. In dire wolf or hybrid form the greater werewolf character gains +12 Strength, +8 Dexterity, and +8 Constitution.


• Size: Same as the base creature or the base animal form.


• Racial Hit Dice: A greater werewolf gains 6d8 racial hit dice. As a result of these hit dice, a greater werewolf has +4 Base Attack Bonus, a +5 base Fortitude save bonus, a +5 base Reflex save bonus, and a +2 base Will save bonus.


• Racial Skills: A greater werewolf adds skill points for its animal Hit Dice. It gains skill points equal to (2 + Intelligence modifier, minimum 1) x 9. The greater werewolf's racial skills are Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival. The greater werewolf’s maximum skill ranks are equal to its animal form Hit Dice + its racial Hit Dice (if any) + its class levels + 3. Any racial skill adjustments of the greater werewolf’s base race and its animal form (but not conditional adjustments) are added to its skill modifiers in any form.


• Racial Feats: Greater werewolves gain Blind-Fight, Cleave, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Track, and Iron Will as bonus feats.


• +2 natural armor bonus in any form.


• Special Qualities: Alternate form (dire wolf or dire wolf-humanoid hybrid), wolf empathy, curse of lycanthropy (in animal or hybrid form only), trip, rend, SR 22, spell-like abilities, low-light vision, darkvision 120 feet, and scent. In addition, a greater werewolf gains damage reduction as follows:
  
  • Natural lycanthrope: Damage reduction 25/moonblessed (in animal or hybrid form only).


• Automatic Languages: As base creature.


• Favored Class: Same as the base creature.


• Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +8.

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