Awakened Animals vs. Lycanthropes

[Dyllan]

Some background to start. In my campaign, there are no divine casters. The gods are gone, but there are relics of divine magic, a number of which the party has come across (this is how I'm dealing with healing).

Additionally, the party has all been infected with Lycanthropy. We have a Half-Dragon Spellscale Were-lizard Battle Sorcerer 3/Animal 1, a Catfolk Were-leopard Rogue2/Scout1/Animal 3 and a Goliath Were-dire badger Fighter 2/Barbarian 1/Animal 3.

There is also a community of awakened animals. Long ago, a druid awakened a number of animals (I'm thinking mostly bears, maybe some badgers), and they have bred true. The average intelligence of the animals has dropped off a bit (probably averages about 6-7), due to inbreeding with non-awakened animals, however the leaders of the community still have higher intelligence scores - they have the purest awakened bloodlines.

These animals have encountered lycanthropes (including the ones who infected the party), and consider them a corruption of the natural order (yes, intelligent animals could also be seen that way, but they've been living this way so long they see themselves as completely natural). So my question is, how would a group of intelligent bears and badgers (and I might consider other species, but not monkies, even if they do have better hands for it) go about fighting lycanthropes. They'd have learned about the weakness to silver, but they can't really use weapons... Any suggestions on methods of fighting this evil?

[Fixer]

They would have learned some new magic to adapt to the threat or they'd all have been dead long ago.

Something like a "silverfang" spell, or an "arrest lycanthropy" spell to prevent the bloodrage that normally happens in infected lycanthropes.

[TigerHunter]

They would have learned some new magic to adapt to the threat or they'd all have been dead long ago.

Something like a "silverfang" spell, or an "arrest lycanthropy" spell to prevent the bloodrage that normally happens in infected lycanthropes.
Except there's no divine magic, I don't think you can cast spells as a Wizard with 6-7 INT, and I putting sorcerers in there would probably be stretching it.

Edit: I suppose you could say that Druidic magic is "Wild Magic" instead of Divine, but that might conflict with other established parts of the setting.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Class levels. Rangers(maybe the non-magical version from CWar), Sorcerers(reasonable to show up in any population), and Magewrights/Artificers can be very dangerous, and a single level of Barb is perhaps the most deadly dip for any martial character. I'd say only to advance by HD or PC class levels, never by NPC class. Savage Species had weapons designed for animals as well, IIRC.

[Dyllan]

Class levels. Rangers(maybe the non-magical version from CWar), Sorcerers(reasonable to show up in any population), and Magewrights/Artificers can be very dangerous, and a single level of Barb is perhaps the most deadly dip for any martial character. I'd say only to advance by HD or PC class levels, never by NPC class. Savage Species had weapons designed for animals as well, IIRC.

Thanks for the tip about Savage Species - I'll check that out.

I was planning to advance primarily by HD, but I suppose a few levels in PC classes would be reasonable. No wizards - they lack the hands necessary to write in a spellbook. No Rogues for similar reasons - too many rogue abilities require dexterous fingers. And yes, druid is out. Honestly, Ranger sort of stinks anyway, as they can't use bows and will be using claw/claw attack instead of BAB based attack progression, so TWF is sort of unnecessary. But a few levels in barbarian, fighter (maybe), or sorcerer I could see. Actually, a Sorcerer Awakened Dire Bear sounds like a pretty cool leader. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the advice. And if anyone has more, keep it coming. :-)

[Starshade]

A band of intelligent beavers could devlop some way to hide their spells on trees, so they could use one or more huge tree as a community spellbook, writing spells by gnawing with their teeth. Of couse, the ability to find the tree would be their most guarded secret, and the Spell Mastery feat a must have for them, some of them perhaps taking it several times.

[OrigamiSamurai]

So if these awakened animals were awakened quite a while ago, why not give them a supernatural/extraordinary/etc power that they "developed" to give them either magical attacks, the ability to "silver" their fangs/claws, or just simply the ability to damage lycanthropes? That would take care of the NPC types.

Also, you might consider some sort of ritual ceremony in which the awakened animals coat their claws/fangs with silver. Maybe they consort with the descendants of some druids to help them with this process. That leaves room for plenty of drama, particularly if their source of silver, the humans who help them melt it down and perform the rituals, or other parts of this process become endangered. But then again it sounds like your campaign may be sans-humans, but they could be other awakened animals, etc. But you get the idea. Your party could help them solve a problem interfering with the rituals in return for help/knowledge about lycanthropy?

The players don't need to fight lycanthropes without silver weapons, so they're pretty much taken care of, correct?

[Maltore]

Silversheen is a substance in the DMG that you can smear onto your weapon to make it act as a silver weapon for a while (don't know how long). I'd say they could dab their claws in it. Fangs... hmm. It could be poisonous, or hallucinogenic, or addictive, or a combination, which could lead to interesting new cults.

[OrigamiSamurai]

It could be poisonous, or hallucinogenic, or addictive, or a combination, which could lead to interesting new cults.

Forget cults. What about a gang of punk teenager dire badgers that go around "silvered" all the time, wearing stupid humanoid-style jewelry and painting their fur, the old-timers shaking their heads at the new generation? :smallsmile:

[Dyllan]

I suppose silversheen could work. I could give Craft Wonderous Item to the Awakened Dire Bear Sorcerer, and give him a few other magic items as well.

Knowing my party (or the current characters they're playing anyway), they will probably attack these animals on sight. I plan to make sure they lose that battle - but that the animals take them captive and interrogate them in hopes of finding out where the lycanthropes who infected them are. What happens after that, I'll play by ear.

Any suggestions on what spells the Dire Bear should know? I'm making him a level 6 sorcerer. I'm looking for stuff that would be useful to the community of awakened animals, as well as things that would be useful in fighting lycanthropes. I'm thinking he might know haste, and definitely want mage armor. Oh, and he's taking eschew materials, so components aren't a problem as far as that goes.

[Lycanthromancer]

I suppose silversheen could work. I could give Craft Wonderous Item to the Awakened Dire Bear Sorcerer, and give him a few other magic items as well.

Knowing my party (or the current characters they're playing anyway), they will probably attack these animals on sight. I plan to make sure they lose that battle - but that the animals take them captive and interrogate them in hopes of finding out where the lycanthropes who infected them are. What happens after that, I'll play by ear.

Any suggestions on what spells the Dire Bear should know? I'm making him a level 6 sorcerer. I'm looking for stuff that would be useful to the community of awakened animals, as well as things that would be useful in fighting lycanthropes. I'm thinking he might know haste, and definitely want mage armor. Oh, and he's taking eschew materials, so components aren't a problem as far as that goes.

Psions and psychic warriors. Both are excellent fits with monstrous creatures (ie, non-humanoids), and psionics is all about communing with the universe, delving within and bolstering your own mind, etc. Have an order of sages (psions), with an order of psychic warriors to guard them. They rule the tribe (if only as an advisory body to the titular leader), and are the primary militant force protecting their culture.

It'd be easy enough for one of the higher level shapers to use fabricate to make silvered weapons that animals can use. Tail-blades, claw-sheaths, and so on.

A group of higher level psionic animals would be more than a decent challenge for any number of lycanthropes.

[Copacetic]

Psions and psychic warriors. Both are excellent fits with monstrous creatures (ie, non-humanoids), and psionics is all about communing with the universe, delving within and bolstering your own mind, etc. Have an order of sages (psions), with an order of psychic warriors to guard them. They rule the tribe (if only as an advisory body to the titular leader), and are the primary militant force protecting their culture.

It'd be easy enough for one of the higher level shapers to use fabricate to make silvered weapons that animals can use. Tail-blades, claw-sheaths, and so on.

A group of higher level psionic animals would be more than a decent challenge for any number of lycanthropes.


Pyschic Bear. PYSCHIC BEAR. PYSCHIC BEAR


Anyway, In some useful information, I agree with the above. Psionics is your best bet right now.

[Lycanthromancer]

Pyschic Bear. PYSCHIC BEAR. PYSCHIC BEAR


Anyway, In some useful information, I agree with the above. Psionics is your best bet right now.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/bear-how-about-no.jpg

Psychic bears for the win.

[Asbestos]

Psions and psychic warriors.

I was thinking that too, but what about Incarnum maybe? Bunch of Bear Totemists would be terrifying.

[hewhosaysfish]

I can't help but imagine a Brown Bear Barbarian... with a level in Bear Warrior.

A big bear which, when it gets angry, turns into a smaller bear. Which makes it stronger. :smallconfused:

[Blackfang108]

I can't help but imagine a Brown Bear Barbarian... with a level in Bear Warrior.

A big bear which, when it gets angry, turns into a smaller bear. Which makes it stronger. :smallconfused:

LOL.

I like that one.

And, so I'm not insane to have put together an awakened Dire Wolf Sorceror/Barbarian... (I wanted to be able to open doors.)

[Dyllan]

I can't help but imagine a Brown Bear Barbarian... with a level in Bear Warrior.

A big bear which, when it gets angry, turns into a smaller bear. Which makes it stronger. :smallconfused:

Maybe I should homebrew a variant of that PrC. Would require being an awakened bear to gain entry. Human Warrior