question about werewolves.

[Mystic Muse]

in the passage concerning them in the MM it sounds like changing into the hybrid form automatically makes you chaotic evil. Is this true?

[Suzuro]

It says you can arbitrarily assign alignments, standby and I'll find the blurb.



Alignment

Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles, and lions tend to produce good-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, and wolves tend to produce evil-aligned lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these animals are perceived, not any innate quality of the animal itself, so the alignment of the animal form can be arbitrarily assigned.
Advancement

from the SRD

-Suzuro

[Oracle_Hunter]

Also: infected lycanthropy usually includes a "madness" component. Part of that madness can certainly be a radical alignment shift.

[PinkysBrain]

in the passage concerning them in the MM it sounds like changing into the hybrid form automatically makes you chaotic evil. Is this true?
For afflicted lycanthropes a voluntary change has an alignment shift yes.

[Draxar]

From the SRD


When a character contracts lycanthropy through a lycanthrope’s bite (see above), no symptoms appear until the first night of the next full moon. On that night, the afflicted character involuntarily assumes animal form and forgets his or her own identity, temporarily becoming an NPC. The character remains in animal form, assuming the appropriate alignment, until the next dawn.

The character’s actions during this first episode are dictated by the alignment of its animal form. The character remembers nothing about the entire episode (or subsequent episodes) unless he succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom check, in which case he becomes aware of his lycanthropic condition.

A character with awareness of his condition retains his identity and does not lose control of his actions if he changes. However, each time he changes to his animal form, he must make a Will save (DC 15 + number of times he has been in animal form) or permanently assume the alignment of his animal form in all shapes.

Once a character becomes aware of his affliction, he can now voluntarily attempt to change to animal or hybrid form, using the appropriate Control Shape check DC. An attempt is a standard action and can be made each round. Any voluntary change to animal or hybrid form immediately and permanently changes the character’s alignment to that of the appropriate lycanthrope.

Natural Lycanthropes tend to have the alignment associated with their type, but don't have to, and don't get forced to by shifting.

[Lycanthromancer]

I prefer anthropomorphic animals (from Savage Species) or divine minions (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a) (flavored liberally with the animal(s) of your choice).

One guy in my game is a divine minion of a moon god, and can turn into a wolf and a dire wolf.

Make him a shifter or a changeling for even more fun.

[Asbestos]

I didn't think that going hybrid specifically made you CE, I thought that just being a werewolf made you CE (hybrid form or not)

[Lycanthromancer]

Purposefully changing (into hybrid or animal form) at all will change your alignment.

So, you either try to control yourself so as not to put others in trouble and turn CE (and probably go on a bloody rampage through innocents) or you get to keep your alignment for awhile and be totally irresponsible because you lose control and start killing.

Nice catch-22 there.

[Draxar]

Purposefully changing (into hybrid or animal form) at all will change your alignment.

So, you either try to control yourself so as not to put others in trouble and turn CE (and probably go on a bloody rampage through innocents) or you get to keep your alignment for awhile and be totally irresponsible because you lose control and start killing.

Nice catch-22 there.

Actually, the moment you become aware of your affliction (note that it's knowledge, not the exercising of control) you become fully able to control your actions whilst shapeshifted.

It makes some sense that when you are unaware of what you're doing that your alignment doesn't change.



To me, the stranger thing is the recently afflicted Werebear...

Every month, on the nights of the full moon, this twisted creature is forced to turn into a bear, and act in a Lawful Good fashion. Now I have the image of a bear helping an old lady across the road, or aprehending criminals, and bringing them to the appropriate authorities, paying his taxes, and then waking up and remembering nothing of it, while the city is going "Who was that heroic bear?"