So what happens if my tiger animal companion contracted tiger lycanthropy?


Rules Questions


I don't know if this has ever been discussed, but what would happen if an animal companion contracted lycanthropy? Would it be able to be my AC? Would it be able to shift into a human (or if it got bit by a werewolf would it turn into a wolf?). And does it gain any intelligence? Has anyone run into this issue before, and if so how did they handle it?


While it's very difficult to find, one piece of information exists in the template for lycanthropes, which states the template is added only to humanoids, and other bits of text continue to support this.

So I think animal companions, as well as native outsiders, are immune to lycanthropy.


My understanding of lycanthropy is that it doesn't infect animals. (Though, to be totally pedantic, if your tiger did contract lycanthropy, he would turn into a wolf and back. "Lycan" comes from the Greek word for wolf.)

In paizo rules, there is the curse, "Werewolf Lycanthropy" which has the following description:

"Type: curse, injury; Save: Fortitude DC 15 negates, Will DC 15 to avoid effects

Onset: the next full moon; Frequency: on the night of every full moon or whenever the target is injured

Effect: target transforms into a wolf under the GM's control until the next morning"

Again, this seems to indicate that a being cursed with whatever-thropy turns into an animal, not a man. So an animal so cursed, assuming an animal can be affected, would turn into another animal.


To continue with the Greek, "lycos" is the word for "wolf", and "anthropos" is the word for "man" (in its meaning as human being). Thus, lycanthrope means "wolf-man" (a more generic term would be therianthrope for "animal-man"). So it wouldn't make sense for a non-humanoid to be infected.


Pathfinder often takes words and gives them in-game meanings other than their real world meanings. As for the rules:

Quote:

Lycanthropes are humanoids with the ability to turn into animals and animal-humanoid hybrid shapes. Natural lycanthropes are born with this ability and have perfect control over their shapechanging. Afflicted lycanthropes contract this ability like a curse or disease from another lycanthrope; they sometimes change form involuntarily.

Creating a Lycanthrope
"Lycanthrope" is an inherited (for natural lycanthropes) or acquired (for afflicted lycanthropes) template that can be added to any humanoid.


I see, so it doesn't matter that the save failed, it cannot be applied to my cat.


There are some game systems and fantasy literature pieces that discuss the reverse werewolf, or "wolf-were" that seems to be the name I've seen. These are natural animals that are infected with a form of lycanthropy that allows them to turn into rather feral humans, but if cured, reverts them back to normal animals.

I don't know if Pathfinder has rules for these anywhere, though.


They do. They're called therianthropes. The condition isn't contagious like lycanthropy is.


Well, there it is.

OP just needs to find himself one of those to get a man-tiger.

Be interesting to see how that would interact with the AC stats....

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