I have been looking and cannot seem to find any hard and fast rules about alignment changes in regards to contracting lycanthrope. If the base animal is neutral, and they all are, why would someone who is aware of their condition be forced to change alignment? You retain all abilities, including Intelligence, so you should be able to make a choice even in animal form about how you act. Yet I have read many posts that the GMs seem to force a change of alignment. I'm a CG rogue with a werewolf affliction, there is a lot of potential fun roleplaying there, but not if my alignment changes to CE.
I'd like to read some thoughts on the subject. My GM hasn't made a ruling yet as this just happened and I still may get cured.
A creature that catches lycanthropy becomes an afflicted lycanthrope, but shows no symptoms (and does not gain any of the template's adjustments or abilities) until the night of the next full moon, when the victim involuntarily assumes animal form and forgets his or her own identity.
This isn't to say that good-aligned werewolves are unknown, but they're certainly a minority among their kind, and most werewolves are evil murderers who delight in the hunt and the succulent taste of raw meat.
Afflicted lycanthropes just don't really work as PCs. I would be surprised if a DM would allow a PC werewolf given the above.
A creature that catches lycanthropy becomes an afflicted lycanthrope, but shows no symptoms (and does not gain any of the template's adjustments or abilities) until the night of the next full moon, when the victim involuntarily assumes animal form and forgets his or her own identity.This isn't to say that good-aligned werewolves are unknown, but they're certainly a minority among their kind, and most werewolves are evil murderers who delight in the hunt and the succulent taste of raw meat.Afflicted lycanthropes just don't really work as PCs. I would be surprised if a DM would allow a PC werewolf given the above.
That's only for Afflicted Werewolves, though. Natural Werewolves have complete control over their transformations.
That's only for Afflicted Werewolves, though. Natural Werewolves have complete control over their transformations.A creature that catches lycanthropy becomes an afflicted lycanthrope, but shows no symptoms (and does not gain any of the template's adjustments or abilities) until the night of the next full moon, when the victim involuntarily assumes animal form and forgets his or her own identity.This isn't to say that good-aligned werewolves are unknown, but they're certainly a minority among their kind, and most werewolves are evil murderers who delight in the hunt and the succulent taste of raw meat.Afflicted lycanthropes just don't really work as PCs. I would be surprised if a DM would allow a PC werewolf given the above.
OP clearly stated he was afflicted.
The lycanthrope entry also suggests that if you are going to play a lycanthrope to play a natural one. The issue then becomes balancing that lycanthrope against the other player characters.
But after the first full moon, or when I get hurt, whichever comes first, I can get a DC20 Will save to realize I have the condition. Once I realize it then I can have some control (penalties during a full moon) over my actions.
Quote: The character remains in animal form until the next dawn and remembers nothing about the entire episode (or subsequent episodes) unless he makes a DC 20 Will save, in which case he becomes aware of his condition.
Quote: An afflicted lycanthrope can assume animal or hybrid form as a full-round action by making a DC 15 Constitution check, or humanoid form as a full-round action by making a DC 20 Constitution check. On nights when the full moon is visible, an afflicted lycanthrope gains a +5 morale bonus to Constitution checks made to assume animal or hybrid form, but a –5 penalty to Constitution checks made to assume humanoid form. An afflicted lycanthrope reverts to its humanoid form automatically with the next sunrise, or after 8 hours of rest, whichever comes first.
So until I become aware of my actions, the GM will have complete control. But there is nothing saying I have to become a raging uncontrollable monster.
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Hey Milliken funny thing one of my PCs was just afflicted a couple of sessions ago and here is how I run it.
My player is a NG Druid who is fully aware of his condition. Unfortunately he has long since miss the change to cure himself. We work on some house rules where he has to roll will saves to maintain control of his werewolf form.
Generally speaking becoming a werewolf shouldn't be an advantage to a PC. It's a curse and a PC should desire to be rid of it or at least fear it. Either way when it comes to alignment my Druid stays NG when he enter his werewolf form. In my opinion the individual itself is still good but when he loses control the werewolf form takes over. He retains his alignment as I feel it's more like an raging violent creature on the loose then it is his own actions.
Generally speaking a werewolf is 'assume' to be a uncontrollable monster. It's really all up to your DM and how he handles it. If he wants to make you a raging beast then that's what becomes of you. I don't think you deserve an alignment change over something you have no control over. I mean when your character isn't a werewolf isn't he still just himself?
You can always cure yourself by taking Wolfsbane.
Just be sure you can make a DC 16 Fort save, or you're gonna suffer some CON damage.
OP clearly stated he was afflicted.
The lycanthrope entry also suggests that if you are going to play a lycanthrope to play a natural one. The issue then becomes balancing that lycanthrope against the other player characters.
The point I was attempting to (and admittedly failed) to make was that there's more he can do besides cure himself of it. Maybe the GM would be willing to let him keep it, but find a way to make him a Natural instead of Afflicted.
Lycanthropy is problematic because (1) a large portion of it is run by DM fiat and (2) it creates a power imbalance between PCs.
Assuming you can get (1) by your DM, how fun is the game going to be if one character is significantly more powerful than the others? This is much more pronounced at lower to mid levels where that DR is really powerful.
You can always cure yourself by taking Wolfsbane.Just be sure you can make a DC 16 Fort save, or you're gonna suffer some CON damage.
The point I was attempting to (and admittedly failed) to make was that there's more he can do besides cure himself of it. Maybe the GM would be willing to let him keep it, but find a way to make him a Natural instead of Afflicted.OP clearly stated he was afflicted.
The lycanthrope entry also suggests that if you are going to play a lycanthrope to play a natural one. The issue then becomes balancing that lycanthrope against the other player characters.
Obliterating that distinction would be super houseruley and really against intent (there are supposed to be two classes of lycanthropes and never the twain shall meet). You could make it work (mechanically) by allowing things like ability focus to apply as a bonus to those constitution checks, but that is still houserule territory.
It's a curse. Unless you're born into it and are able to get some mastery over it; it's always gonna suck. Sure, once you've figured out you're a Were you can transform "at will" with the con check, but as the sidebar on page 196 of the Beastiary says:
When a PC becomes a lycanthrope, you as the GM have a choice to make. In moste cases, you should take control the of the PC's actions whenever he is in animal or hybrid form-- lycanthropy shouldn't be a method to increase a PC's power, after all, and what an affliceted lycanthrope does while in animal or hybrid form is often at odds with what the character would actually want. If a player wants to play a lycanthrope, he should make a lycanthrope and follow the guideline on page 313 for playing a character of a powerful race.
Read the bold; While you may control when you switch after you realize what's happening; but it's not gonna be a boon to your character. Or at least it shouldn't.
That said, you may not feel bad about your condition and it may not even change your alignment.
If by DM benevolence, all your episodes involed were running around the woods hunting deer & other woodland creatures; then you might not feel the need to get cured. You may even feel it may be a good idea to change in the middle of a big battle if you get into trouble... Just don't be suprised if in that situation your character kill an ally while in were form or abandons them all to their fate as your animal side decides to flee rather than fight. Then how you deal with it from there will be what defines your PC's alignment.
Thanks for all the insight. It's given myself and my DM something to think about. I'll be honest, I think that with the affliction the rules should not give a PC the opportunity to transform at will. The affliction should just stay under DM control. A natural lycanthrope would be different but there is just too much open for interpretation here. Being aware of a condition and being able to control it are two very different things.