When Does a Character Know They've Contracted Lycanthropy?

[Lakesidefantasy]

As opposed to the Player, when does a Character who has been bitten by a Lycanthrope know that they have of have not contracted Lycanthrope?

Given that they show no symptoms until the night of the next full moon, I have kept the Fortitude save a secret from the Player.

[Beopere]

PFSRD wrote:

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.

This suggests to me they aren't aware if they did or did not contract it for quite awhile. This is the case with many diseases. You can know for sure you DO have it in some circumstances, but it is impossible to prove you DON'T have it.

If they haven't contracted it you could even have him wakeup feeling strange and learn about rumors of slaughtered sheep or something. Just to mess with him.

[cnetarian]

I suppose a detect curse would give it up too.

According to Hollywood it is possible for a person to contract lycanthropy and not know it even after changing. If the character doesn't know then there is no reason the player should know until the character finds out about his lycanthopic alter-ego. Waking up naked in a ditch covered in blood after a full moon would give it away to most people, but given the lifestyle of the average PC, the character might write it off as too much to drink. If you play things right you can get a few months of hinting that the character might be a lycanthope before you have to reveal to the player whether or not the character is a lycanthrope.

hmm, ideas, ideas.

[Tinalles]

The PC in my solo campaign (AND her cohort!) got infected with lycanthropy. Afterwards, I gave them a knowledge check to see if they knew about lycanthropy: how it works, options for cures, etc. Because it's a curse, I chose Knowledge (Arcana); and I used DC 15 (the same DC as the curse itself). You might reasonably allow a PC to roll Knowledge (Nature) as well, since lycanthropy is also a disease.

In my case, both PC and cohort failed that knowledge check. So did the cohort's familiar, whom I allowed to try it using his mistress's skill ranks.

So. They were both clueless until after the initial transformation at the next full moon, when they both of them woke up from a night spent slaughtering and eating a camp full of innocent gnomes and successfully made their Will saves to remember doing it.

[Lakesidefantasy]

cnetarian wrote:

I suppose a detect curse would give it up too.

When I refused to reveal the results of the Fortitude check my players immediately began combing through their books for a "detect curse/disease" spell, but apparently such a thing does not exist.

Right now the Players and their Characters know they have three days to cure the disease, but they won't know if their efforts were successful till the night of the full moon.

[blahpers]

I would not reveal it unprompted, as it is asymptomatic apart from the turning into a rabid animal every so often.

@Lakesidefantasy: Ultimate Magic does include diagnose disease. However, your players are metagaming so hard and deserve to be punished with some homebrew content that they can't look up.

[Samasboy1]

Diagnose Disease detects the presence of disease and what it is. Ultimate Magic.

There are also 3rd party spells Detect Disease and Detect Curse

[Greylurker]

When they wake up naked in the woods covered in the blood of the innkeeper would seem the most obvious answer.

[LazarX]

Greylurker wrote:

When they wake up naked in the woods covered in the blood of the innkeeper would seem the most obvious answer.

Usually however that doesn't generally clue in to the cursed one. Presumably they block the memory of making it back home. It's usually up to others to notice the change. A sudden preference of red meat by your vegan companion is a sure fire clue though.

[seebs]

Super easy. Look in a mirror, see whether your hair is perfect. If it is, either you're a scientist named Carlos or you're a werewolf.

[Mystic_Snowfang]

blahpers wrote:

I would not reveal it unprompted, as it is asymptomatic apart from the turning into a rabid animal every so often.

@Lakesidefantasy: Ultimate Magic does include diagnose disease. However, your players are metagaming so hard and deserve to be punished with some homebrew content that they can't look up.

Using this spell after that strangely humaniod critter took a chunk out of your arm is no more metagaming than it is to check for filth fever after that sewer rat bit you or you fell down in a sewer with multiple cuts in your body.

[cnetarian]

Greylurker wrote:

When they wake up naked in the woods covered in the blood of the innkeeper would seem the most obvious answer.

Sure, that would true for a farmer or banker, but your average murder hobo player-character is likely to wade through blood on such a regular basis that it wouldn't even register. Naked might be a give away but I've never actually had a fantasy character specify that they were wearing pajamas to bed, so presumably they either sleep in their armor or the altogether, so waking up naked might just be a sign of sleepwalking.

[seebs]

"To you, the moment when you woke up naked in the woods covered in the blood of the inkeeper was the moment your entire life fell apart. To me, it was Tuesday."