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

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

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

A greater weretiger 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 weretiger 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 weretigers are confident manipulators who enjoy toying with their prey.

"Greater weretiger" is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature, that creature referred to hereafter as the "character". The greater weretiger takes on the characteristics of a dire tiger, 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 weretiger is using.

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

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

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

• Lycanthropic Affinity (Su): Greater weretigers can communicate and empathize with normal or dire tigers. This gives them a +8 bonus on checks made to influence the tiger's attitude and allows the greater weretiger 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 tigers. The greater weretiger 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 werewtiger 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 weretiger becomes a normal weretiger.

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

• Alternate Form (Su): All greater weretigers can shift into the form of a dire tiger and a dire tiger-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 weretiger's animal and hybrid forms gain damage reduction 25/moonblessed. Greater weretigers 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 weretiger 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 weretiger gains spell resistance 24.
• Low-Light Vision (Ex): The greater weretiger gains low-light vision in any form.
• Darkvision (Ex): The greater weretiger gains darkvision with a range of 120 feet in any form.
• Scent (Ex): The greater weretiger gains scent in any form.
• Pounce (Ex): If a greater weretiger leaps upon a foe in the first round of combat, it can make a full attack, even if it has already taken a move action. The greater weretiger can also rake.
• Improved Pounce (Ex): If a greater weretiger uses its bite attack in conjunction with its spring attack, it may use its pounce ability, improved grab, and rake abilities and continue moving after the attacks. Moving in this way does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the opponent attacked.
• Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the greater weretiger must hit with its bite attack. If it does, it can try to get hold without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If it gets hold, it can rake.
• Rake (Ex): A greater weretiger can make two rake attacks at its full Base Attack Bonus against a held creature with its hind legs to inflict 2d4 + ½ Strength damage each.
• Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Three times per day - charm person, entangle, expeditious retreat, and see invisibility; once per day - greater magic fang, haste, and suggestion. These abilities are cast as if by a sorcerer equal in level to the greater weretiger'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 weretiger in humanoid form receives a +2 to Wisdom, due to its animal cunning. In animal or hybrid form, a greater weretiger receives the following ability adjustments: Strength +16, Dexterity +10, Constitution +10, 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 weretiger also gains a +4 bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, a greater weretiger's Hide bonus increases to +8. Greater weretigers in animal or hybrid form gain the same skills as a normal dire tiger in addition to any skills they have in their humanoid forms. If a greater weretiger 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 weretiger gains the Dodge, Improved Critical (Claw), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Mobility, and Spring Attack feats.

Climate/Terrain: As character or dire tiger.

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

Challenge Rating: By class level or base creature +5.

Treasure: Standard.

Alignment: Always lawful evil.

Advancement: By character class.

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

Greater Weretigers as Characters
Becoming a greater weretiger 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 weretiger characters possess the following racial traits:

• Abilities: +2 Wisdom. In dire tiger or hybrid form the greater weretiger character gains +16 Strength, +10 Dexterity, and +10 Constitution.


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


• Racial Hit Dice: A greater weretiger gains 16d8 racial hit dice. As a result of these hit dice, a greater weretiger has +12 Base Attack Bonus, a +10 base Fortitude save bonus, a +10 base Reflex save bonus, and a +5 base Will save bonus.


• Racial Skills: A greater weretiger adds skill points for its animal Hit Dice. It gains skill points equal to (2 + Intelligence modifier, minimum 1) x 19. The greater weretiger's racial skills are Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot. The greater weretiger’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 weretiger’s base race and its animal form (but not conditional adjustments) are added to its skill modifiers in any form.


• Racial Feats: Greater weretigers gain Dodge, Improved Critical 9Claw), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Move Silently, Spring Attack, and Iron Will as bonus feats.


• +2 natural armor bonus in any form.


• Special Qualities: Alternate form (dire tiger or dire tiger-humanoid hybrid), tiger empathy, curse of lycanthropy (in animal or hybrid form only), pounce, improved pounce, improved grab, rake, SR 24, spell-like abilities, low-light vision, darkvision 120 feet, and scent. In addition, a greater weretiger 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 +18.

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