The Werewolf
The Lycanthropic Hunter
The Werewolf
In a forest alone, surrounded and cornered by countless assailants, a half-orc, left with no options, doubles over and releases a guttural roar as his body writhes and contorts, his limbs growing longer, his facial features morphing, and razor sharp claws extending from his hands. He was no longer trapped with the bandits, the bandits were trapped with him.
Creating a Werewolf
When creating a Werewolf, the most important thing to consider is how your character acquired their lycanthropy. When and how did they acquire their powers? Were they blessed (or cursed) as an infant? Or were they bitten as a young adult? Were they maybe born into a family of Lyanthropes?
Conversely, Lycanthropy is a potentially powerful ability, one that some may choose to seek willingly. Was your character someone who desired this power and accepted it? And if so, why? To destroy? Or maybe in order to protect someone they care about?
And how does your character view themselves? Do they see themselves as a monster? An abomination? a wild animal? Or maybe they view themselves as some sort of great warrior. Maybe they compartmentalize their Normal and Beast forms, treating it as if both beings were separate entities that simply exist within the same body, and fight for its control.
Lastly, It is vital to discuss with your DM the role of Lycanthropes and other Were-Beasts in their world. Is it an incredibly rare ability? Or do small communities of Were-beasts exists? Are Lycantropes persecuted? Or can Lycanthropes coexist in society? Working with your DM to define the roles and presence of Lycanthropes in their setting will provide you with expectations for how your character can expect to be treated by NPCs and general society, while Likewise allowing your DM to provide you with interesting role-play opportunities and possibilities.
Quick Build
You can make a Werewolf quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score followed by either Dexterity, Charisma, or Constitution depending on which Hunting Style you want to select at 3rd level: Night Stalker, Pack Leader, or Bloodletter (respectively). Secondly, choose the Outlander background.
The Werewolf
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Transformations | Claw Damage Die | Transformation Length (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Transformation | 1 | D6 | 30 |
| 2nd | +2 | Bestial Physique | 1 | D6 | 30 |
| 3rd | +2 | Hunting Style | 1 | D6 | 40 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 1 | D6 | 40 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 2 | D6 | 50 |
| 6th | +3 | Rending Claws | 2 | D8 | 50 |
| 7th | +3 | Hunting Style Feature | 2 | D8 | 60 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | D8 | 60 |
| 9th | +4 | Unleash the Beast | 3 | D8 | 70 |
| 10th | +4 | Adaptive Hunter | 3 | D8 | 70 |
| 11th | +4 | Hunting Style Feature | 3 | D10 | 80 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | D10 | 80 |
| 13th | +5 | Rip and Tear | 4 | D10 | 90 |
| 14th | +5 | Regenerative Tissue | 4 | D10 | 90 |
| 15th | +5 | Hunting Style Feature | 4 | D10 | 100 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | D12 | 100 |
| 17th | +6 | Armor Piercing Nails | 5 | D12 | 110 |
| 18th | +6 | Hunting Style Feature | 5 | D12 | 110 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | D12 | 120 |
| 20th | +6 | Big Bad Wolf | 5 | D12 | 120 |
Class Features
As a Werewolf, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per Werewolf level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per werewolf level after the first
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, Short Swords, Long Swords, Battle Axes, War Hammers, Hand Cross Bows
- Tools: None
- Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
- Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a martial weapon you are proficient with or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) hide armor or (b) leather armor
- (a) a hand crossbow with 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
- an Explorer's Pack and a Shield
Transformation
As a werewolf, you may call upon your inner beast to grant you incredible power and ferocity in the heat of battle. As an action, you may transform into your werewolf form and gain the following traits:
- You lose the ability to use weapons, and instead your unarmed claw strikes deal slashing damage using the damage die shown in the table for your level. You are considered to be proficient with your claws, and may add half your proficiency modifier (rounded up) to the damage of your claw attacks.
- Your Armor Class equals 10 + double your Constitution modifier. you do not gain the benefits of shields or armor while transformed.
- You gain advantage on a Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
- You gain advantage on Strength Checks and Saving Throws.
- You gain resistance to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage made from non-silvered weapons.
- You gain 60ft of dark vision.
- While Transformed, your size category is Medium. If your natural size category is small, you may choose whether to remain small on increase your size to medium when transforming.
Additionally, you gain the following weaknesses:
- Attacks against you made with Silvered Weapons or attacks that deal Fire Damage are made at advantage, both in human form or while in beast form.
- Your ability to speak is diminished while transformed, you are only able to create basic sounds and words that convey simple ideas or messages.
- You are unable to cast spells or maintain concentration on spells while transformed.
- You are susceptible to any toxins or poisons targeted at affecting beasts or were-beasts.
The duration of your transformation at each level is listed in the Class Features table.
While transformed, you can choose to either drop your equipment where you transformed, or have it merge into your transformed state.
All damage taken while Transformed carries over to your normal form.
If you are reduced to 0 HP while transformed, you revert to your normal form at 1 hp.
You may manually revert to your normal form at any time while you are transformed as a bonus action, however you must expend another use of your transformation if you choose to transform again, even if you still had time remaining on your previous transformation.
The number of uses of the Transformation feature are listed in the Class Features table. You regain all expended uses of Transformation after a Long Rest.
Beastial Physique
At 2nd level, your normal senses have become intertwined with those of your beast form, and your beast form's physical abilities have been pushed to their limits.
While transformed, your movement speed increases by 10ft. While in normal form, you gain 60ft of dark vision.
Hunting Style
At 3rd level, you choose your preferred method of hunting, which changes the abilities of both your normal and transformed state. You may choose between 3 options: Night Stalker, Pack Leader, and Bloodletter, all of which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th levels
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can Attack twice instead of once whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
Rending Claws
At 6th level, your claws have been honed to the point of unnatural might. your Claw attacks count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.
Additionally, your normal form may now make Claw attacks using a d6 as the damage die.
This changes to a d8 at 11th level, and a d10 at 16th level. You are still considered to be proficient with your claws while in normal form, but do not add half your proficiency to your damage rolls
Unleash the Beast
At 9nd level, your transformations have become second nature to you. Transforming into your beast form now costs a bonus action instead of an action.
Adaptive Hunter
At 10th level, you have adapted to hunt in any environment. You gain a swimming speed equal to your movement speed while in normal form, and a climbing speed equal to your movement speed while transformed.
Rip and Tear
At 13th level, your killer instincts rush forth when making claw attacks. If you make 2 claw attacks against the same target (in either normal or beast form), you may spend your bonus action to immediately make a third claw attack at the same target.
Regenerative Tissue
At 14th level, your werewolf blood grants you incredible regenerative abilities. As a bonus action, you may expend one use of your Transformation feature to immediately regain hit points equal to 4d10 + your werewolf level.
Armor Piercing Nails
At 17th level, your claws have hardened to the point of tearing through iron and steel with ease. Your claw strikes gain a +2 to attack rolls and a +1 to damage rolls.
Big Bad Wolf
At 20th level, both your human and beast forms swell with incredible size and strength. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2 (to a max of 22).
Additionally, when transforming, you may spend an additional use of your Transformation feature in order to increase your size category to Large for the duration of your transformation.
While Large, you gain the following benefits:
- You gain an additional d6 to damage rolls
- Your carrying capacity doubles and your weight is quadrupled
- You occupy a 10ft x 10ft space
- Your claw attacks gain 5 feet of reach
Lastly, while Large, you have disadvantage on all Dexterity checks and count as half cover for any creature so long as you are directly standing between the attacker and target.
Hunting Styles
At 3rd level, you may choose from 1 of the three following hunting styles. You gain additional features at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th levels based on your hunting style
The Night Stalker
Night Stalkers use the cover of night and their superior predatory instincts to isolate and ambush single targets, sowing fear through enemy ranks. Picking off stragglers and culling the heard is what Night Stalkers do best.
Pounce
At 3rd level, you focus on eliminating isolated targets. You gain the ability to hide as a bonus action.
Additionally, while transformed, you gain the ability to Pounce as an attack action once per turn.
Choose a target within your movement range. You immediately leap to a space adjacent to the target (this movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity). The target must then make a Strength saving throw against your Pounce DC:
Pounce Save DC
On a failed save, the target is knocked prone if its size category is no more than one category above yours.
On a successful save, the target is not knocked prone.
This check is made at disadvantage if you were hidden from the target.
You gain a number of uses of this feature equal to 1 + your Dexterity modifier. You regain all expended uses of this feature on a Long Rest. If you are able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this Attack can replace one of them, and counts as an attack.
Hit and Run
At 7th level, you become adept in darting in and out of the shadows, always remaining out of sight. Upon reducing a creature to 0 hit points, you may Dash or Disengage as a bonus action.
Blessing of the New Moon
At 11th level, your natural stealth abilities are augmented with arcane power. Once per long rest, as an Action, you may turn invisible as though you were under the effects of the Invisibility spell for a duration equal to your half your transformation length. You may maintain this invisibility while transformed.
Go for the Throat
At 15th level, you are trained to take down your prey in a single strike. You claw attacks score a critical hit when you roll a 19 or a 20.
Eviscerate
At 18th level, your skill in tearing your opponents apart with equal parts brutality and precision is unparalleled. On a critical hit, you may treat any damage roll lower than your Strength Modifier to be equal to your Strength Modifier.
The Pack Leader
Pack leaders overwhelm their prey with not only superior numbers, but by rallying their allies and debilitating their foes. By using squad tactics and leadership abilities, Pack Leaders assert their dominance over all foolish enough to oppose them.
Howl
At third level, you gain the ability to release an ear-splitting howl that strikes fear into all that hear it. While transformed, as an action you may Howl, causing all enemies within a 20ft radius to make a Wisdom sawing throw against your Howl DC:
Howl Save DC
On a failed save, the target is considered to be Frightened for 1 minute and can make a save to end this status on the end of each of its turns.
On a successful save, the target is not frightened by you.
You gain a number of uses of this feature equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. You regain all expended uses of this feature on a Long Rest.
Rallying Roar
At 7th level, your Howl bolsters your allies and terrifies your foes. When taking the Howl action, you may now, instead of inflicting fear on your enemies, choose to grant all allies within 20ft 2d4 + your Charisma modifier temporary hit points which last for 1 minute, and any ally within range affected by Fear, Charm, or Sleep may spend their reaction to make a save against their condition.
Additionally, you may now Howl while in normal form.
Strength in Numbers
At 11th level, you have become adept in leading your pack to focus down a single target. You gain advantage on all attack rolls made against a target when there is either one or more other allies within melee range, or the target has been attacked by 2 or more allies since the end of your last turn.
United We Stand
At 15th level, your leadership experience has taught you that a leader must always put his followers first. While transformed, your movement speed is not halved when carrying an unconscious ally.
Furthermore, you may expend one use of your Howl feature to cause an unconscious ally within 20ft to get back up with 1hp. Each ally may only be affected by this ability once per long rest.
Rush Down
At 17th level, you can coordinate strikes with your pack against a single target to devastating effect. When you use the Howl Action, you can mark one enemy within range.
Until the end of your next turn, the first attack on each turn made against the marked target is made at advantage.
Additionally, when you roll for initiative and no uses of your howl feature remaining, regain 1 use.
The Bloodletter
Bloodletters delight in the pain and agony of their prey, using their razor-sharp claws to make their targets bleed to death. Once a Bloodletter has drawn the blood of their victim, there is no escape.
Lacerate
At 3rd level, your claws are honed to the point of effortlessly drawing blood. After taking damage from your claw attacks for the first time on a turn, a creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your Bleed DC:
Bleed Save DC
On a failed save, the target begins to Bleed profusely and takes 1d4 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns. Your Bleed Die damage increases to 1d6 6th level, 1d8 at 11th level, and 1d10 at 16th level.
On a successful save, they resist the bleed and are unaffected.
This Bleed lasts for one minute, and to stop the bleed, the creature must either be treated with a healers kit, have Lesser Restoration cast on them, or succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Bleed DC at the end of its turn for the duration of the bleed.
Creatures that are immune to necrotic damage or those that do not possess any form of blood are immune to this effect.
Thirst for Blood
At 7th level, you relish in the pain of your foes, so much so that inflicting suffering bolsters your vitality. When making a melee attack against a target that is afflicted by your Bleed, instead of reapplying the Bleed, you may instead heal an amount equal to your Bleed Die.
You may use this feature once per round and have a number of uses of this feature equal to your constitution modifier.
You regain all expended uses of this feature after a short or long rest.
No Escape
At 11th level, you can differentiate even the smallest differences in the scent of a targets blood and can track them with absolute confidence. When you successfully apply or reapply Bleed on a target, you can choose to mark them.
This mark persists for a number of hours equal to your Werewolf Level, even after the Bleed effect ends.
So long as they remain within one mile of you, you always know the target's exact location. The target can't become hidden from you, and if it's invisible, it gains no benefits from this condition against you.
You may only have one marked target at a time.
Anticoagulant
At 15th level, your claws are coated in a deadly anticoagulant agent, preventing your prey from recovering. Constitution saves to resist your bleed effect are made at disadvantage, and all healing effects on creatures afflicted with bleed are halved.
Soul Render
At 18th level, your claws tear not only flesh and bone, but the essence of a creature, ensuring that none are safe from you. Your bleed effect can now affect all creatures, even those that do not have blood or those that are immune to necrotic damage.
Credits
Cover Art: "Dota 2: For The Sake of Revenge" by Indfries from DeviantArt
Created by /u/Golbezbajaj using GMBinder