Therianthropes
Cursed! Or is it a blessing?
Therianthropy is a magical disease that transforms its victims into horrifying, dangerous monstrous hybrids—half humanoid and half bestial. The most well known therianthropes are lycanthropes, also called werewolves, but many other forms exist, including werebears, wererats, weretigers, and werecrocodiles.
Contracting Therianthropy
The most common way a creature can contract therianthropy is via an infection spread by the bite or claw wound of another therianthrope. It is also possible for therianthropy to be inherited from a parent, or bestowed by a powerful animal spirit.
Once afflicted by therianthropy, a nascent fragment of a powerful primal spirit takes root inside the victim. An affected humanoid develops flu-like symptoms over several days as the body struggles against the invader. These effects persist as the spirit incubates until the next full moon.
Being a supernatural affliction, therianthropy is resistant to being cured. If a character attempts to magically cure the afflicted character of their disease, they must make an ability check using their spellcasting ability. Characters attempting a non-magical cure instead make a Wisdom (Medicine) or Wisdom (Herbalism Kit) check. The DC equals 16. On a success, the creature’s therianthropy is cured. At the DM’s discretion, curing therianthropy may require rare ingredients or obscure ritual components.
On the first night of the full moon after developing therianthropy, unless the disease has been cured, the victim transforms into a monstrous hybrid form and seeks to feed on living flesh. During this transformation, the character is under DM control until the next morning. Especially if the character is unaware of their condition, they might not remember the events of their transformation, though those memories often haunt a therianthrope as bloody dreams.
Once this transformation has occurred, the character gains the Shapechanger type. In addition, they gain the Bestial Form, Painful Transformation, and Blood Madness features as described below. In addition, the disease can no longer be cured by conventional means; only a Remove Curse or Wish spell can cure the character.
Living with the curse
Each night of the full moon, a therianthrope feels an intense urge to transform and feed. A therianthrope can either resist their curse or embrace it. A character who resists the curse attempts to live their lives as usual, but must grapple with the primal spirit inside them each time the full moon rises and the spirit is at its strongest. Others choose to embrace their curse: giving in to the whispering of the spirit or else attempting to master it.
Only a character who has embraced their curse can gain levels in the Therianthrope Racial Class.
Resisting the curse
A therianthrope can attempt to fight off the influence of the curse. Under a full moon, a therianthrope can attempt a DC 16 Constitution saving throw to prevent themselves from transforming. On a success, the DC of this saving throw lowers by 1 to a minimum of 10.
It is said that certain rare alchemical treatments can aid the afflicted in resisting the curse. For the next 8 hours after imbibing such an alchemical mixture, the next saving throw the character makes to resist transforming has advantage.
Embracing the curse
Some see the changes brought on by the disease as a blessing instead of a curse, some lack the willpower to resist the powerful urgings of the primal spirit within themselves, and still others belong to secret cults who worship the spirits and spread the disease as an act of religious devotion.
Those who choose to embrace their affliction can, in time, eventually learn to control it. Some attempt to communicate with their spirit through dreams and visions, others try to subsume the spirit through sheer force of will. Sometimes new therianthropes will seek a master—a powerful and experienced shapechanger who can guide them through their new abilities.
A character who embraces their curse can choose to gain levels in the Therianthrope racial class every time they gain a new character level.
Effects of therianthropy
Bestial Form
Under the influence of your primal spirit, you gain the ability to transform into a monstrous, bestial form. While in your Bestial Form, you cannot speak any languages. In addition, you gain the following trait:
- Damage Resistance: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered.
When novice therianthropes transform, they assume a half-humanoid Hybrid Form. While in Hybrid Form, you gain the following characteristics based on which Therianthrope Bloodline your primal spirit is aligned with:
Werebear bloodline
- You gain a climb speed of 30ft
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d10 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You gain a Claw attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 slashing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Wereboar bloodline
- Your speed increases to 40ft
- You gain a Tusk attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 slashing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- The first time you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you are reduced to 1 instead. This ability cannot be used again until you complete a long rest.
Werewolf bloodline
- Your speed increases to 40ft
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You gain a Claw attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 2d4 slashing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Wererat bloodline
- You gain a climb speed of 30ft
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Dexterity-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
- When you squeeze into a space (PHB 192) large enough for a creature one size smaller than you, you do not incur any penalties to movement, attack rolls, or saving throws, and you do not grant advantage on attacks made against you. Additionally, you can squeeze into a space large enough for a creature two sizes smaller than you. While squeezing through a space two sizes smaller than you, you incur the normal penalties for a character squeezing into a smaller space.
Werecrocodile bloodline
- You gain a swim speed of 50ft.
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d10 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You gain a Tail attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You can hold your breath up to 30 minutes
- While in wet, marshy environments, you gain advantage on Dexterity (stealth) checks.
Weretiger bloodline
- Your speed increases to 40ft
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d10 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You gain a Claw attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 1d8 slashing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
- You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Werehyena bloodline
- Your speed increases to 40ft
- You gain a Bite attack. This is a Strength-based Melee Weapon Attack that deals 2d4 piercing damage. You are proficient with this attack.
- When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on your turn, you can take a bonus action to move up to half its speed and make a bite attack.
Painful Transformation
The transformation into your Bestial Form is agonizing and prolonged: bones crack and twist as they reshape, your skin ruptures and splits as rough fur or scales push their way to the surface, and your jaw stretches and elongates.
Transforming takes 10 minutes, and lasts for 8 hours or until you feed on a living creature. You may only transform under the influence of the full moon. While transforming, you are Incapacitated by the pain.
Blood Madness
The pain of the transformation and the urging of the primal spirit infecting your soul urges you to kill. Each time you transform, you must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you must attack the nearest creature. You may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of your turns, ending this effect on a success.
If you take damage equal to ¼ of your maximum Hit Points from a single source, you must repeat this saving throw.
Theriathrope Racial Class
Therianthrope
| Level | Features | Invocations Known | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Controlled Transformation (1/rest), Primal Invocations | 1 | |
| 2nd | Menacing Form, Might of the Beast | 2 | |
| 3rd | Animal Form, Faster Transformation | 2 | |
| 4th | Multiattack, Bestial Immunities | 3 | |
| 5th | Controlled Transformation (2/rest), One With the Beast | 4 |
Class Features
As a Therianthrope, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per therianthrope level
- Hit Points per level: 1d10 + Constitution modifier
Controlled Transformation
By choosing to embrace the curse, you convince the primal spirit in your soul to share some of its power with you. You gain advantage on the saving throw to resist transforming under the full moon.
Starting at 1st level, transforming into your Bestial Form now takes only 1 minute. You are incapacitated during your transformation.
In addition to transforming under the full moon, you may choose to transform into your Bestial Form at will. Transforming in this way lasts for 1 hour or until you choose to return to your humanoid form.
Once you use this ability to willingly transform, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest. At 5th level, you can use your Controlled Transformation twice between rests.
Primal Invocations
At 1st level, you gain one Primal Invocation of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain additional class levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown in the Invocations Known column of the Therianthrope table.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level.
Menacing Form
At 2nd level, you gain proficiency in the Intimidate skill. While in your Bestial Form, you add double your proficiency bonus to Intimidate checks.
Might of the Beast
Starting at 2nd level, while transformed into your Bestial Form, you gain +1 AC from the natural armor of your fur or scales. In addition, your Strength increases to 17.
For Therianthropes with a Wererat bloodline, your Dexterity increases to 17 instead of your Strength.
Animal Form
By 3rd level, as you grow closer to the primal spirit, you learn to shape yourself in its image as well as your Hybrid Form. When you use your Controlled Transformation you can choose to assume an Animal Form. You transform into a beast based on your Therianthrope bloodline as shown in the Animal Forms table.
Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours.
Animal Forms
| Therianthrope bloodline | Animal form | Reference Page |
|---|---|---|
| Werebear | Brown bear | MM p 319 |
| Wereboar | Boar | MM p 319 |
| Werecrocodile | Crocodile | MM p 320 |
| Werehyena | Hyena | MM p 331 |
| Wererat | Giant rat | MM p 327 |
| Weretiger | Tiger | MM p 339 |
| Werewolf | Wolf | MM p 341 |
Faster Transformation
At 3rd level, you have gained increased skill with the transformation Through long practice, mastering the pain and slipping into the beast's skin with greater ease. You are no longer incapacitated during your transformation. In addition, when you use your Controlled Transformation, the transformation takes only 1 action.
Bestial Immunities
Beginning at 4th level, while in your Bestial Form, you gain immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical sources that aren't silvered.
Multiattack
At 4th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you may attack twice with the attacks granted by your Hybrid Form instead of once. If your Hybrid Form grants you two different attacks, you must use each of them once.
One With the Beast
When you reach 5th level, you have mastered your therianthropy through diligent practice and a complete embrace of your primal spirit. You gain the following benefits
- You no longer need to make the saving throw against your Blood Madness as a result of you transforming into your Bestial Form.
- When you use your Controlled Transformation, it lasts for a number of hours equal to half your level rounded down or until dismissed.
- You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks that aren't silvered while in your natural form
Primal Invocations
Beast Speech
While in your Bestial Form, you may speak any languages you know.
You also gain the ability to communicate with other animals of a similar type while transformed. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day.
Bone-crushing bite
Prerequisite: Werehyena bloodline
When you roll a 1 on a damage die for a Bite attack that you make while in Bestial Form, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1.
Crushing Grasp
Prerequisite: Werebear bloodline
While in your Bestial Form, when you attempt to grapple a creature, you add double your proficiency bonus to your Strength (Athletics) check instead of your normal proficiency bonus. In addition, the target of your grapple may be up to two sizes larger than you are instead of one.
If you hit with a Claw attack while in your Bestial Form and the target is a creature, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple that creature.
Death Roll
Prerequisite: Werecrocodile bloodline
While in your Bestial Form, you can attempt to restrain your foes. If you succeed with a Bite attack against a creature that is your size category or smaller, you may use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the creature. On a success, until the grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and you can't bite another target.
Diminutive Form
Prerequisite: Wererat bloodline and Animal Form
When you use your Controlled Transformation to assume your Animal Form, you may take the form of an ordinary Rat (MM 335)
Enhanced Regeneration
Once per long rest, you can use a bonus action to grant yourself the following trait:
Regeneration. For the next minute, as long as you have at least 1 hit point, you gain a number of hit points equal to your level at the start of your turn. If you take damage from a silvered attack, this trait doesn't function at the start of your next turn.
Extra Transformation
Once per long rest, you gain an additional use of your Controlled Transformation. If you transform using this invocation, when you return to your humanoid form, you gain one level of exhaustion.
Foundering Bite
Prerequisite: Werewolf bloodline
When you hit with a Bite attack while in your Bestial Form and the target is a creature, you may make a free Shove attempt against the target to try and knock them prone.
Gigantic Form
While in your Bestial Form, you may use an action to swell to enormous proportions. For 1 minute, you magically increase your size, doubling your dimensions. This growth increases your size by one category—from Medium to Large, for example. If there isn't enough room for you to double your size, you attain the maximum possible size in the space available.
While you are enlarged, you double the damage dice for the natural attacks granted by your Bestial Form. In addition, you make Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.
Goring charge
Prerequisite: Wereboar bloodline
If you move at least 15 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a Tusk attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 1d8 slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency + Strength) or be knocked prone.
Hearty Transformation
When you transform into your Bestial Form, you gain 1d10 + Constitution temporary hit points.
Instinctive Transformation
If you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your Bestial Form before doing anything else on that turn.
One With Nature
Prerequisite: One With the Beast
The intensity of your connection to your primal spirit has allowed you to connect more deeply with the natural world around you. With your primal spirit as a conduit, you can attune to your surroundings to gain knowledge of the surrounding territory.
You can cast the commune with nature spell, but only as a ritual.
Preternatural Senses
Few can evade the keenness of your sense of smell or hearing. You gain blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
Primal Strikes
Prerequisite: Character Level 5th
The attacks you gain from your Bestial Form count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.
Rapid Transformation
Prerequisite: Faster Transformation
When you transform using your Controlled Transformation feature, the transformation takes 1 bonus action
Rending strike
Prerequisite: Weretiger bloodline and Multiattack
You may use two Claw attacks as part of your Multiattack. If you hit with both attacks against the same creature, it takes an additional 1d8 + Strength damage.
Stalk of the Predator
You can track other creatures while traveling at a fast pace, and you can move stealthily while traveling at a normal pace.
Terrifying Form
Prerequisite: Menacing Form
While in your Bestial Form, you gain the following action:
Terrifying Presence. Each creature of your choice within 30ft. must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency + Charisma modifier) or become frightened of you for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to your Terrifying Presence for the next 24 hours.