Well, this is my first time posting, so I hope I am doing it right. I started running the SC about 2 months ago, just from the magazines. My group has just finished a side quest Gluttony, because I thought they were underpowered when fighting Toungeater. (Figures they added a new chapter in the book). Anyways... One of the characters was bitten by Tougneater, failed his save and is now a werebaboon. I've looked around a lot and I haven't seen anyone else with this problem (opportunity?). We'll heres how I handled it and I hope it helps another DM. I took the wererat progression table from Wizards.com wererat because direrat and baboon both CR2 critters and the lycanthropic progression depends on the critter that you turn into. Well, heres what I changed it into.
Tongueater is the main protagonist in the first part of the Flood Season adventure. He is the leader of a band of thugs and thieves that overran a roadhouse and killed its occupants. During the fight with tongueater and his minions one of the PC’s may get bit and fail their saves. A standard werebaboon’s CR is fairly low, so this creature makes an appropriate encounter for a low-level party. However, such characters are more likely than their higher-level counterparts to fail their saving throws against the curse of lycanthropy and become werebaboons themselves. Characters who choose to keep their lycanthropic curse can progress in the werebaboon template class to gain werebaboon abilities. This template class can also be used by natural werebaboons who wish to start play at lower levels and develop their powers, or for characters who somehow acquire this form of lycanthropy from another source.
This template class assumes that the character is aware of his condition, whether because he was born a werebaboon or because he realizes he is afflicted with lycanthropy. Any ability noted as applying to all forms is available to the werebaboon in his natural, hybrid, and animal forms, but not forms acquired via polymorph or other means.
Note that each lycanthrope template class has 3 levels, but only natural lycanthropes can take all the levels it offers. An afflicted lycanthrope can take only levels 1 and 2, since his level adjustment is +2 instead of +3.
Lycanthrope template classes also follow special rules relating to the benefits such characters acquire from their animal natures. The template allows for a level adjustment of +3 (or +2 for afflicted lycanthropes), but that value does not include the Hit Dice from the lycanthrope's animal form. So while a 1st-level human natural werebaboon warrior has a level adjustment of +3, his ECL is actually 5 -- 1 from his warrior Hit Die, +3 from the template, +1 for his baboon Hit Die. Likewise, a 1st-level natural werebear human warrior has an ECL of 10 -- 1 from his warrior Hit Die, +3 from the template, +6 for his bear Hit Dice.
Thus, in addition to the 2 or 3 levels offered via the appropriate lycanthrope template class, each kind of lycanthrope also has a separate (optional) class progression for his animal abilities. Essentially, a character progressing as a lycanthrope multiclasses into the template class and can also multiclass into the appropriate animal class if desired.
The animal class is entirely optional. No would-be lycanthrope is required to take it, but doing so is an advantage, since a character without it is weaker than other lycanthropes of the same type. Taking levels in the appropriate animal template class (or just 1 level, as is the case with the baboon animal class) gives the character the animal's Hit Dice and hit points (in all forms), saving throw bonuses (in all forms), skill points (in all forms), racial skill bonuses (in all forms), conditional skill modifiers (in animal form), ability score modifiers (in hybrid or animal form), natural armor bonus, and special attacks (such as the baboon’s ability to take 10 on climb checks even if rushed). Levels in the animal class may be taken at any point after the character takes 1 level in the lycanthrope template class. He is also free to take levels in other classes between levels of the template class and the animal class, as desired. The animal class, like the template class, does not count when determining whether a character takes an XP penalty for multiclassing.
An afflicted lycanthrope that is cured of his lycanthropy (as described in the Monster Manual on page 178) immediately loses all werebaboon template class levels and baboon class levels (if any). These levels cannot be restored with restoration or similar magic; they are simply gone. Most lycanthropes that do not wish to lose their lycanthropy in this way deliberately fail their saving throws against the spell in order to prevent this traumatic change.
Table SP-3: The Werebaboon Template Class
Level CR Special
1 +1 +2 Str, natural armor +1, alternate form (baboon), low-light vision, shapechanger subtype, werebaboon feat (Alertness)
2 +1 Alternate form (hybrid), damage reduction 5/silver, baboon empathy
3 +2 Curse of lycanthropy, damage reduction 10/silver, +2 Str
Werebaboon Template Class Features
All of the following are class features of the werebaboon template class.
Ability Score Changes: The indicated ability score increases or decreases by the amount noted.
Natural Armor Improvements: At 1st level, the werebaboon's natural armor bonus increases by +1. A character that does not normally have a natural armor bonus (such as a human) is considered to have an initial natural armor bonus of +0 for the purpose of this ability. Thus, a human's natural armor bonus would increase to +1 at 1st level.
Alternate Form (Su): At 1st level, the werebaboon can take the form of a baboon, and he undergoes this change involuntarily on the nights of the full moon or in times of stress, as described in the Monster Manual. Unless the werebaboon is a natural lycanthrope, he does not automatically have control over this ability and must attempt a Control Shape check to intentionally change form or to resist an involuntary change. For an afflicted lycanthrope, Control Shape is a class skill for all classes as well as racial Hit Dice, if any. Natural lycanthropes have full control over when they change shape and do not need to take ranks in this skill. Changing form is a standard action that can be attempted once per round.
A werebaboon who is aware of his condition retains his identity and does not lose control of his actions when he changes. Each time he involuntarily changes to his animal form, however, he must make a Will save (DC 15 + number of times he has been in animal form) or permanently assume the alignment of his lycanthrope type (lawful neutral for werebaboons) in all forms. Any voluntary change to baboon or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character's alignment to lawful neutral.
Until the character has taken the optional 1 level in the baboon animal class (see Baboon Abilities, below), changing shape to baboon form does not give him the abilities of a baboon -- he simply is able to take that creature's shape, as if he had a perfect disguise. Since this ability is of limited use, most characters taking levels in the werebaboon template class choose to take the optional 1 level of the baboon class as well in order to gain the full abilities of their animal forms.
At 2nd level, the werebaboon gains the ability to assume a hybrid form -- a shape between his humanoid and his baboon forms. As with the baboon form, this change is purely cosmetic unless the character has taken the baboon class to gain the appropriate abilities.
Shapechanger Subtype (Ex): At 1st level, the lycanthrope gains the shapechanger subtype.
Werebaboon Bonus Feats: At 1st level, the werebaboon gains the feats indicated on Table SP-3, assuming that he doesn't already have them. If the werebaboon doesn't meet the prerequisites (if any) for a bonus feat, he gains the feat but cannot use it until he does meet the prerequisites.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): A 1st-level werebaboon gains low-light vision.
Baboon Empathy (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a werebaboon in any form can communicate and empathize with normal or baboons. This ability gives him a +4 racial bonus on checks made to influence the attitude of baboons. It also allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."
Damage Reduction (Ex): At 2nd level, the werebaboon gains damage reduction 5/silver. At 3rd level, a natural lycanthrope gains damage reduction 10/silver. An afflicted lycanthrope's damage reduction does not improve beyond 5/silver.
Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): At 3rd level, a natural lycanthrope can infect other creatures with lycanthropy. Any humanoid or giant hit by the bite attack of a werebaboon in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy. Afflicted lycanthropes do not transmit lycanthropy.
Table SP-4: The Baboon (Lycanthrope) Class
Level HitDice BAB Fort. Ref. Will Skill Points Special
1 1d8 +0 +2 +2 +2 2 + Int mod. +4 Dex, +2 Con, bite, baboon abilities, climb, scent
Bite: The baboon animal class gives the werebaboon a bite attack. The bite is a natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage.
Baboon Abilities (Ex): Upon taking a level in the baboon animal class, the character gains the baboon's Hit Dice (in all forms), base attack bonus (in all forms), base saving throw bonuses (in all forms), ability score modifiers (in hybrid and animal forms), and skill points (in all forms), as well as the special abilities indicated on Table SP-4.
In baboon form, the werebaboon's speed changes to 40 feet, and he gains a climb speed of 30 feet. Class skills for the baboons racial Hit Die are Climb, Control Shape, Intimidate, Listen, and Spot. A werebaboon in baboon or hybrid form uses his Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is greater) for Climb and Swim checks. He has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks in baboon form and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Scent (Ex): As a 1st-level baboon, a werebaboon in any form gains the scent ability.
Well, I hope that turns out better on the post. Anyways you can see how I just copied pasted and modified. I also was thinking about adding the Multiattack feat to the second level of the werebaboon class. What I really wanted though was feedback on what you all thought of this. Comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
TounguEater was afflicted, not natural, therefore he can't pass on lycanthropy. (That's why his DR was 5/silver and not 10/silver)
-c
As my SCAP is set in Eberron, I am planning on making him a natural lycanthrope. Anyways, thank you for this!