I might also halve the stat changes. If I remember right, that template has a +4 to all stats on top of everything else. That would be like a second rage, but with +2 AC, and +2 to all saves.
I am mostly worried because the bonuses seem like a lot for the level. Barbarians already dominate that level range just from getting a similar buffs to just two stats. And this will stack with rage.
Of course, this is an 'npc', not an enemy, right? If it is an neutral party or ally, then it is fine. At most, it will be a DMPC that wipes out a few enemies- a problem under your control. As long as you don't overcompensate and add in enemies that gives the animal lord trouble (which means it has numbers that make it hard for the party to touch them) then it should be fine.
The PCs might actually fight him. Depends on interactions. So it is important that his CR is appropriate. So, you would divide the DR in half and the ability bonuses? And he would be a CR +1 until level 10?
Yeah, sounds about right.
This is, of course, in consideration of all the other abilities. The advanced template is a +4 to all stats thing too, but that is all it does. The advanced template doesn't have DR, or whatever animal specific stuff it gets. So I would saying the 'just halve everything to make it even' sounds about right.
DR/silver is a fairly easy one to get by, but that often means that the party has to waste time drawing the right weapons, and natural attack/unarmed users are just out of luck. So that alone seems worth lowering the boosting in stats when compared to the advanced template.
Why not simply make the character a regular lycanthrope instead?
Why not simply make the character a regular lycanthrope instead?
I would imagine it is because many lycanthropes are more direct 'enemies'. The classic werewolf is usually very hostile, and has a nasty curse that is harsh for parties that might be below 5th level.
Animal lords are more neutral, which probably fits better in the role of an npc that might never fight the party.
A Werebear(LG) might make a good neutral NPC if the Werewolves are too evil to apply here. A Wereboar(CN) could also work for a short tempered version of this NPC.
I would imagine it is because many lycanthropes are more direct 'enemies'. The classic werewolf is usually very hostile, and has a nasty curse that is harsh for parties that might be below 5th level.
Animal lords are more neutral, which probably fits better in the role of an npc that might never fight the party.
Okay, but rather than take a template that is designed to work with higher HD (and correspondingly, CR) creatures and apply it to a low HD/CR character, doesn't it make more sense to just use the Lycanthrope template and remove the Curse of Lycanthropy.
As far as being hostile vs. neutral, that is firmly in the hands of the DM without any rules changes. Even CE werewolves aren't necessarily immediately hostile, depending on the circumstances.
A Werebear(LG) might make a good neutral NPC if the Werewolves are too evil to apply here. A Wereboar(CN) could also work for a short tempered version of this NPC.
Lycanthropes don't have alignment restrictions.
I think...
animal lord is prety much a lycanthrope with all the hybrid benifits put into the base form and the advanced template tacked on the cost of the stat increases is already calculated into the cr increase and with out them it would be a +2 cr template but with only a +1 cr value
Yeah, I realize.
But when someone tells me he is a were creature, I pull out my sword and tell him to keep his diseased face away from me. Werecreatures have been fairly encoded into us as 'monster type' rather than as 'a NPC we can work with'.
But when a cat looking guy tells me that he is THE LORD OF LIONS, MASTER OF THE SOUTHERN SAVANNAHS, I am more willing to listen. I think "oh, I should ask this guy for directions, and maybe he will be cool and fight along with me".
I realize that paizo often breaks the standard bestiary mold, and has done that with some of the lycanthropes... but this has been encoded into us from pop culture. We can more readily accept 'a guy that just happens to be able to turn into a cat man' than a 'were lion', since lycanthropy is closely related to disease and madness in our minds. The animal lord comes off as 'a druid or ranger or something? Something natur-y" while the lycanthrope is "a plague upon the land".
Yeah, Animal Lords and Lycanthropes do not have the same flavor and thus do not have the same impact on players and the story.
See, but that's a matter of individual perspective.
When I look at the Animal Lord, I just see a uber-lycanthrope.