Lycanthropy Test Rules (or, You're a Were-Shark!)

[Ron Lundeen]

Hey, all. I'm writing my next full adventure path, which uses the Skull and Shackles base set. It's called Bloodlust Corsairs, and it uses two new sets of rules. The first of these is presented below, and I'd like to get some feedback on it. These are rules for playing lycanthropes; they are powerful, but can be very dangerous if your lycanthropy is reckless or ill-timed. In Bloodlust Corsairs, the PCs become were-sharks--hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks initially, but dire sharks and such later on--but I want rules that work equally well if you want to be were-crocodiles or were-stirges or were-bandits or whatever.

Please give me any comments, criticisms, or edits you have!

Lycanthropy
If a scenario uses the Lycanthropy rules, assemble the lycanthropy cards indicated in the scenario instructions. These are the lycanthropy cards for the scenario. Shuffle them together. After drawing starting hands, each character chooses one of the lycanthropy cards at random without looking at it and shuffles it into his deck. Set any unused lycanthrope cards aside without looking at them.
Hybrid Form
When you draw a lycanthropy card, display it next to your deck; your character is now in animal-humanoid hybrid form. Your character remains in hybrid form as long as the lycanthrope card is displayed.
While your lycanthrope card is displayed, you may use the “Check to Defeat” number on your lycanthrope card in place of your Strength die result instead of rolling your Strength die. If the top card of the blessings deck is a Blessing of the Gods, increase this number by 3. You cannot play weapons on a check if you choose to use this number as your result. Blessings or other abilities that would add dice to your check add your normal Strength die.
Example 1: Lini is playing scenario 2-B and has her lycanthrope card—a Hammerhead Shark henchman—displayed. When she encounters a Zombie monster, she chooses to use the “Check to Defeat” number on her lycanthrope card, which is 9 + 2 (for the adventure deck number) of 11 in place of her Strength die result for the combat check, defeating the Zombie.
Example 2: Valeros is playing scenario 3-B and has his lycanthrope card—a Tiger Shark—displayed. He encounters a Giant Anaconda and chooses to use the Tiger Shark’s “Check to Defeat” of 11 in place of his Strength die result. He has the skill Melee +3 and notes that the Blessing of the Gods is atop the blessing discard pile, for another +3. He plays a Blessing of Pharasma from his hand, which adds 1d10 (his normal Strength die). His result is 11 + 3 + 3 + 1d10, for a 21, which defeats the Giant Anaconda.
The Lure of Blood
At the beginning of your move step, put a marker on your lycanthrope card. You may then attempt a Wisdom check to remove all markers from your lycanthrope card and discard it (your character returns to humanoid form). The difficulty of this Wisdom check is 5, plus the number of markers on your lycanthrope card. If the top card of the blessings deck is a Blessing of the Gods, increase the difficulty of this Wisdom check by 3.
Although your lycanthrope card is discarded, it could end up back in your deck (if you use a Potion of Healing, for example). If you draw it again, your character again assumes a hybrid form.
The Red Rage
If the game ends while your lycanthrope card is displayed, you go into a frenzied rage and come to your senses much later with equipment missing and erstwhile allies slain. Shuffle together your deck, discard pile, displayed cards (other than your lycanthrope card) and buried cards; then banish 1 random card, plus 1 additional random card per marker on your lycanthrope card. Then rebuild your deck as normal.
End of the Game
Banish your lycanthrope card at the end of a scenario.

[jones314]

You have a really great idea here that captures lycanthropy really well. Balancing it will be tricky though. Since you need Wisdom to get rid of the card, characters with high Wisdom will be less likely to pay a penalty. And since the benefit is to replace a Strength die, high Strength characters won't see much benefit. So a low Wisdom, high Strength character will be weaker and the high Wisdom, low Strength character could gain a lot. Maybe you have different cards for different characters?

Also, during the Red Rage, are the cards that ended in your hand exempt from the mix-it-up and randomly banish?

[isaic16]

This is a really cool idea you have here. I think there's still a lot of polish left, but it's a great start.

I feel like the red rage penalty is a bit too punishing, especially, as jones said, if you have a low wis character that can't reliably drop it when you're getting close to the end. It may be better to do something that any character can reliably perform. I'd also consider making the tokens a bit harder to get rid of, but make the banishing less random, so players have a bit more control and don't lose their awesome loot or something just because they couldn't roll a 4 on a d12 3 turns in a row.

One idea I had (which I'm pretty much stealing from Magic:tG's Werewolves, is a mechanic based on how many explores you've done. If you take a turn with no exploration, you activate werewolf mode (It's 'night time') and if you take 2 or more explores and you are in werewolf form, you transform back (it is 'day time'). I'm not sure if you'd want the day/night cycle to work only for your turn, or if everyone transformed due to each individual's turn, that would probably require testing.

Final suggestion, and this is probably something that will happen organically eventually, but wanted to bring it up now, is that I'd like to see the lycanthropes have some effect beyond just power boosting. If possible, something even related to the type of lycanthrope you choose. I feel like just having the strength boost, while powerful, makes it too obvious what the best/worst 'lycanthropes' are, and I'd rather there be options.

[Ron Lundeen]

Thanks for the thoughts! First of all, yes, the banishing should include cards in your hand, too.

Second, there is a secondary benefit for being in "hybrid form" that interacts with the other new rule in Bloodlust Corsairs (in short, there are some limitations on movement that you can ignore when in hybrid form.

I'll look at making the change something that non-Wisdom characters have more control over--tying it to explores seems a good alternative.

[skizzerz]

Just a templating thing, but the wording on the hybrid form power is weird, I'd use the following instead:

Quote:

For your Strength or Melee check, you may use your Strength or Melee skill. Add the highest check to defeat on your displayed lycanthropy card to your check instead of rolling any one Strength or Melee die. You may not play a Weapon on this check.

Wording is still a bit clunky, but it addresses a number of issues and vagaries with the previous wording. First off, some lycanthropes care that the top card of the blessings discard isn't BotG. If we expand to WotR and they have lycanthropes, then BotG simply doesn't exist. This wording future proofs for those such cards to apply their regular powers that impact the check to defeat. Second, since it specifies the skill to use, it shows that playing blessings will add dice corresponding to that skill. Any skill feats additionally apply, which wasn't clear if it did or not in the original wording (the examples said they do, but the text didn't otherwise make that clear).

[skizzerz]

Random idea for the Lure of Blood removal of markers: instead of only a Wisom 5 check could do the following:

Quote:

At the start of your move step, put a blood mark on your displayed lycanthrope card. Then, you may then succeed at a Strength Dexterity Constitution Intelligence Wisdom Charisma check with a difficulty of 5 plus the number of blood marks on your lycanthrope card to remove all blood marks from it and discard it. The difficulty of the check is increased by 3 if the top card of the blessings discard pile has the Basic trait. Cards and Powers may not be played on this check.

This makes it possible for low wisdom characters to shrug off their lycanthropy without making it too easy (they now need to do it without any help):

Using Strength indicates that they were strong enough to force themselves to transform back into human form.
Using Dexterity indicates that they managed to move themselves into some space where they could wait out the transformation without being able to break out.
Using Constitution indicates that the human part of their mind was able to hold out long enough to regain control and force a reversion.
Using Intelligence indicates that they remembered that staying in hybrid form too long is damaging to themselves and those around them so they need to revert back before that could happen.
Using Wisdom indicates that they felt that something bad could happen soon if they stay in hybrid form and it would be a good idea to revert back.
Using Charisma indicates that the human part of their mind was able to convince the animal portion that reverting back is desirable.

Reasons are rather contrived, but they're reasons at least!

Doing a system where you can skip your first explore to remove a number of marks could also work, either a set amount like 3 or by rolling 1d6; when all marks are removed then the card is discarded.

[Sandslice]

How would a system like this interact with characters that can take monster cards in hand, such as Balazar?