Lycanthrope

A lycanthrope is a humanoid creature that can change its shape into that of a specific animal and into a hybrid shape between the two. Lycanthropes are distinguished taxonomically from other shapechangers by the addition of the prefix "were-" to their names. Though they are not necessarily evil, they are generally hated by human society, which almost always sees them as violent, bestial, and diseased creatures.

Affliction

Two types of lycanthropes exist: those who are born with the condition, also known as natural lycanthropes, and those who acquire it during their lifetime, either through a curse or through a disease called lycanthropy; these are known as afflicted lycanthropes.
Natural lycanthropes have lived with their condition their entire life and generally have control over their transformation. Afflicted lycanthropes often change involuntarily (generally triggered by the full moon), and have little awareness of their animal or hybrid forms, often turning aggressive and homicidal. While in animal form, they also sometimes lose their identity and do not remember what occurred while they were transformed. Most legends of the violent lycanthrope come from this latter group.

Features

All lycanthropes have a peculiar connection to the moon. It often triggers a transformation in afflicted lycanthropes and gives them all a vulnerability to silver, a metal long associated with that heavenly body. They all possess three distinct forms: their humanoid form, an animal form, and a hybrid form that includes the physical characteristics of both. Lycanthropes are generally resistant to most weapons, although magic affects them normally. Weapons edged in silver can hurt and kill a lycanthrope as easily as a normal human, and they do not possess any such resistance in humanoid form. When killed, a lycanthrope always reverts to its humanoid form.
Natural lycanthropes carry the disease lycanthropy and can infect others through a bite or a scratch, or pass it on to their offspring.

Versions of Lycanthropy

Many species of lycanthrope exist across the world. The most numerous and most successful are the werewolves and the wererats; the other most feared species are wereboars, werebears, werebats and weretigers.

• Wererats: Wererats are most common in large cities, where they can best blend in with the general human and rat populations. When found in particularly large groups, they even form entire thieves' guilds to coordinate their illegal activities.
• Werewolves: Werewolves are among the best-known of the lycanthropes. They are the often violent scourge of small communities, waiting along empty roads or on the outskirts of towns to catch and kill their unsuspecting victims.
• Wereboars: Wereboars are generally aggressive, and prefer a solitary forest life. This form of lycanthropy is most common among hill giants.
• Werebears: Werebears are found in colder climates, where they hunt evil creatures.
• Werebats: Werebats are usually found in or near dense forests or jungles, and prefer to lair in caves and caverns. They often band together in flocks. There are also reports of drow werebats in the Underdark.
• Weretigers: Fierce weretigers stalk the jungles and live for the hunt. All they want is to hunt for bigger and bigger prey.
• Other lycanthropes: There exists the potential for a form of lycanthropy for every kind of animal, although some are rarer than others.

General

Type: Humanoid (Shapechanger)
CR: Varies
Environment: Varies