I'm currently rebuilding the Werewolf to better suit my own campaign. While I'm not really touching the core concepts of Lycanthropy, I would prefer 'my' werewolves to be more like those from contemporary movies; Large creature, claw attacks, regeneration etc.
Now, I've managed to do the math on most of those extra's and I'm quite pleased with the result vs. CR.
However, I'm left wondering how swapping DR10/Silver for Regeneration 10/Silver factors into the creature's CR.
In your opinion, which is better? DR? Regen? And regardless, how would a change affect the Werewolf's CR? If it's not an even trade, what would you suggest I add / subtract to get a fair 'challenge vs. CR' creature?
All advice welcome!
Tough call. On the one hand, I feel Regeneration is waaaay better than DR. On the other hand, is it worth +1 CR? Probably not...? I guess I'd count it as "half" a CR. In other words: look at your monster:
In your honest appraisal is it as good as or better than most of the monsters of equal CR? If yes, Regeneration is worth +1 CR. If no, keep the CR the same.
Tough call. On the one hand, I feel Regeneration is waaaay better than DR. On the other hand, is it worth +1 CR? Probably not...? I guess I'd count it as "half" a CR. In other words: look at your monster:
In your honest appraisal is it as good as or better than most of the monsters of equal CR? If yes, Regeneration is worth +1 CR. If no, keep the CR the same.
Thanks for sharing your views!
I, for one, am not entirely sure which is the 'best' ability.DR10/Silver nabs 10 points off ALL incoming hits, unless they're silver, which isn't bad at all.
Now, Regeneration 10/Silver doesn't cancel out any damage per hit BUT it does give you back ten hit points on the following round... unless you were hit with a silver weapon last round.
Considering the above, Regen seems like the weaker ability to me: A single WW (DR version) facing a party of 4 1st level PCs with one wielding a silver longsword will (in all likelihood) take damage ONLY from that PC. On the other hand, a Regen WW takes hits from all party members and maybe heals back 10 hp on the following round IF he wasn't nicked by a silver weapon.
So, DR applies to three out of four hits (negating 30hp), while Regen applies once per round if you're lucky (negating only 10hp).
there's no way a party of 1st level PCs has a silver longsword though.
Anyway, 1 silver weapon is worst-case scenario. If everyone has silver weapons than it's a wash, right?
If nobody has silver weapons than your werewolf can't technically die. I'd say that's way better. At the very least it makes it terrifying from a roleplaying perspective.
one more thing, the werewolf is pretty fast, and he just might be a tricky Richard. He might attack, take some damage, back off and hide, regenerate up to full HP and come in for another go. That's like half of the reason that regeneration is terrifying.
If he just stands there and fights, then yeah, DR does look a lot more attractive.
there's no way a party of 1st level PCs has a silver longsword though.
Anyway, 1 silver weapon is worst-case scenario. If everyone has silver weapons than it's a wash, right?
If nobody has silver weapons than your werewolf can't technically die. I'd say that's way better. At the very least it makes it terrifying from a roleplaying perspective.
That's true... It makes it sort of a hit-or-miss ability, I guess.
Anyway, I'll try to elaborate a little on the background idea without being boring...I run a homebrew campaign and build the setting / fill in the gaps as I go. In order to avoid forcing my players to read through countless pages of text, I introduce new bits in short 'one-off'sessions with pre-gen characters. It works well.
This time, I wanted to introduce the Mara - a race of all-female werewolves (source=Scandinavian myth). In this particular scenario, I do want to give them a silver weapon to use - even though you're right that it would be too early for campaign play.
The challenge I face now is properly gauging how much they can take at L1. I'm trying to go for a CR3-appropriate werewolf encounter, using a regenerating WW and allowing access to a single, silver weapon.
heh... how much do you not want to TPK?
What you're suggesting is really tough to balance. I mean... I think it all comes down to: Is the wereworlf using tactics and fighting smart? Or Is the werewolf consumed by her bestial nature and fighting with little regard to the strategic choice?
If it's using tactics, advancing and retreating, making sure to kill the guy with the silver sword first, etc... Regeneration might just wipe out the party.
If it's a stand up and fight, your players have a good chance, I would say.
Well, it IS a one-off... :-)
Seriously though, I try going for 50-50 odds of survival on those.
You make a very good point when stating that it's mostly the tactics that make the difference... This is a good thing, as it will allow me to adjust the challenge on the fly.
Considering all the above, I would be tempted to trade out DR and Regen on a one-for-one basis here and leaving CR unchanged. DR soaks up more damage in a straight fight, but Regen is superior when using hit-and-run tactics.
Thanks for the helpful reflection, awp832!
I think DR and Regeneration/Fast Healing are about equal overall, they just shine in different scenarios.
DR makes them last longer in combat, no contest. DR is pretty darn wonderful (my Barbarian has a "mere" DR 5/- and it almost DOUBLES his survivability), and can lead to enemies being surprisingly resilient.
On the other hand, Regeneration can make for a great recurring monster. If the PCs don't have Silver, they can knock it unconscious and into apparent death MUCH easier than a monster with DR.
However, without that Silver it will never truly die. At least worth a good jump scare once (Monster gets back up after a few rounds of playing possum, mostly healed and either attacks again or runs off) and can potentially be a harrowing experience as the PCs frantically flee from the thing they can hurt, but can't kill until they find a special weapon.
To sum up, I think DR is much better for a straight fight, but Regeneration has more potential for horror, and is still pretty darn useful.
That does sum up things nicely, Rynjin - thanks!
You've both given me some helpful advice and ideas on how to properly run the encounter.