Therianthropy on the Emerald Main (v1.0)
Like most DnD worlds, therianthropes plague, or protect, the Emerald Main. While creatures such as werewolves and werebears prowl the forests and mountains of inland realms, the Main is home to far more therianthropes of an aquatic nature. Below are rules and descriptions for some of these more unusual marriages. If you have one of these conditions from a feat, you can use your bonus action to transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all uses of this ability on a long rest. The transformation ends after 10 minutes pass, you fall unconscious, or you choose to end it.
Wereshark
By far the most common therianthrope on the Main, the wereshark can be best described as a bear trap with limbs. With a ravenous hunger and a violent disposition, weresharks are often found in gangs of pirates, smugglers, slave catchers and other unsavory professions that allow them to exercise their capacity for bloodshed.
Contracting therianthropy does not necessarily make someone evil, but their tendency towards brutality and crime often makes them that way. Some rare individuals may take on the aspect of a more docile species, and they are able to avoid the urge to kill, but their jaw weapons are rendered useless.
Through one way or another, you have contracted wereshark therianthropy, which allows you to transform into a humanoid-shark hybrid or a hunter shark. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn't transformed. While in hybrid form, you gain the following benefits:
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Size. Your size increases by one category.
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Amphibious. You can breathe water and air, and gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.
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Statistics. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2, and your Intelligence and Charisma scores decrease by 2. Ability scores cannot exceed 20 or fall below 1 in this way.
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Bite. Your jaws are a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d10 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. You must use Strength for the attack and damage rolls, even if another ability says otherwise.
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Blood Sense. You can smell the presence of blood within 1 mile, both on land and in water. In addition, you have advantage on Survival checks made to track bleeding creatures.
Alternative Therianthropy:
Werecrocodile and Wereorca
Though rarer, werecrocodiles lurk in the marshes and estuaries of the Main, and wereorcas swim the same waters as their shark cousins. If your DM lets you choose either of these alternatives, replace the Amphibious feature with the following:
- Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for 10 minutes.
Wereoctopus
Of all the therianthropic transformations to exist on the Main, none are as grotesquely unique as the wereoctopus. At a glance, the hybrid form of this therianthrope looks just like an ilithid, and one might be forgiven for making the assumption. They do indeed possess a sac-like head with tentacles where the mouth should be. However, there are 8 tentacles at the mouth rather than the 4 on a mind flayer. Whats more, the wereoctopus has 8 more tentacles to serve as limbs, with 2 typically combining to serve as a humanoid limb.
Art Credit: Biago D'Alessandro
Art by: Grzegorz Rutkowski
Octopus therianthropy instills in it's bearer a heightened curiosity and increased mental acuity. This sometimes comes with a sense of superiority over other creatures, often leading the wereoctopus towards manipulative and abusive tendencies. To them, people fall into two categories: pawns that can be used for their own ends, or useless sheep to be subjugated. While the wereoctopus has an easier time resisting violence, they still have a tendency towards evil.
Through one way or another, you have contracted wereoctopus therianthropy, which allows you to transform into a humanoid-octopus hybrid or a giant octopus. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn't transformed. While in hybrid form, you gain the following benefits:
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Amphibious. You can breathe water and air, and gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.
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Squeeze. You can move through a space as narrow as 6 inchs wide while squeezing.
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Statistics. Your Intelligence and Charisma scores increase by 2, and your Strength and Dexterity scores decrease by 2. Ability scores cannot exceed 20 or fall below 1 in this way.
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Ink. As an action, you can spray ink in a 30 foot line. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC of this saving throw is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, a creature is blinded. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of it's turns, ending the effect on a success. Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until the next time you transform into your hybrid form.
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Underwater Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made while underwater.
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Eight Limbs. You have 8 tentacles instead of your normal limbs. 2 of them alone are not enough to support your weight, so you must stand on at least 4. The other 4 can attack, push, pull, grab, grapple, hold and otherwise interact with objects and creatures. This does not increase the number of attacks you can make, and you can still only benefit from one shield at a time.
Alternative Therianthropy:
Weresquid and Werecuttlefish
Weresquids have been documented sparsely, but they have been confirmed to exist. The werecuttlefish, however, has not, though you could be the first if your DM allows it. If you choose either of these alternatives, replace the Eight Limbs. feature with the following:
- Ten Limbs. You have 10 tentacles instead of your normal limbs. 2 of them alone are not enough to support your weight, so you must stand on at least 6. The other 4 can attack, push, pull, grab, grapple, hold and otherwise interact with objects and creatures. This does not increase the number of attacks you can make, and you can still only benefit from one shield at a time.
Werecrab
While the wereshark may be the most common beast form on the Main, the werecrab sits comfortably as the runner up. Out of all of the aquatic shifters on the Main, the werecrab arguably has the easiest time staying hidden. When a werecrab does transform, it is usually under the cover of darkness and near the safety of the ocean. Their hybrid form most resembles a drider, but with the bottom of a crab, and arms replaced with menacing claws. Rather than violence or subterfuge, the werecrab's most egregious trait is it's greed. Individuals who were once generous public benefactors become miserly recluses after contracting this type of therianthropy. Werecrabs have a tendency to hoard items they deem valuable, which could range from gold coins and pearls to scrimshaw and bottle ships.
Through one way or another, you have contracted werecrab therianthropy, which allows you to transform into a humanoid-crab hybrid or a giant crab. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn't transformed. While in hybrid form, you gain the following benefits:
- Amphibious. You can breathe water and air, and gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Art by: Der-Reiko
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Statistics. Your Strength and Dexterity scores increase by 2, and your Wisdom and Charisma scores decrease by 2. Ability scores cannot exceed 20 or fall below 1 in this way.
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Armored Shell. You gain a +2 bonus to armor class, even if you are wearing armor or carrying a shield.
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Claw. Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to grapple. While you are grappling a creature, that creatures takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage at the start of each of it's turns.
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Scuttle. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
Alternative Therianthropy:
Werelobster and Wereisopod
Whenever a werecrab is born or created, there is a small chance they may become a werelobster later in life. Only 2 documented cases of wereisopods exist, though the only thing stopping you from being the third is your DM. You may choose either of these alternatives with your DM's permission.
Werebeast Origins
Therianthropy can happen in a multitude of ways. In most DnD worlds, the condition can be spread by the bites and claws of existing therianthropes, or it can be hereditary, being passed down from one shapeshifter to the next. Even still, some DnD worlds treat the condition like a curse that can be inflicted by a knowledgeable magic-user. Consult the table below and roll or choose an origin for your therianthropy.
Therianthrope Origin
| d8 | origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You tangled with a therianthrope that infected you. It may or may not still be alive and hunting you. |
| 2 | You let yourself get bit by a therianthrope as part of an initiation rite into it's cult, gang or crew. |
| 3 | You were handling a set of the creature's remains in a vodou priestess' abode and scratched yourself on it. |
| 4 | You were the victim of a Sahuagin ritual intended to turn you into an animal. You escaped before it ended. |
| 5 | You ran afoul of a sea hag, siren, marid, bokor, or other sorcerer, who cursed you with the condition. |
| 6 | One or both of your parents were therianthropes, and so are you. |
| 7 | You received the condition as a gift from a kraken or other beastly patron as a reward for faithful service. |
| 8 | A storm giant saved you from drowning at sea by turning you into a shapechanger. |
Therianthropy at the Table
In a typical DnD game, therianthropy can only be contracted by infection from an existing therianthrope. In the event of infection, the Monster Manual provides some guidance on how to run therianthropy in players. The exact details of therianthropy vary from setting to setting, and can be either a curse, a blessing, or a bit of both. In vanilla 5e, it can be argued that it is almost exclusively a blessing, given that a player can transform at will, gaining immunity to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage. These conditions were written to be open-ended in the transformation: as a feat, it can be controlled. As an accident, it might not. The DM decides how to rule therianthropy, and can edit the rules, both the ones written here and in the Monster Manual.