Rules vs fairness:Werewolf syndrome

[CyberThread]

So in todays rules vs fairness, we cover the condition of being cursed to become a werewolf.

Question:
So if you player gets bitten, is it fair to slap an LA adjustment on them, if they happen to be leveling up?


Things to Consider:

Do you plan on letting the player or does the player want to keep the condition?

If the player has no intention of keeping the condition, then do not hinder them, but make it a top priority to fix the issue, then make the curse get worse.

Have it start affecting how they interact and roleplay. Including the often forgotten bit of forced alignment change.


So in end you have three paths, If a player intends to get rid of it and shows they get rid of it, do not give them LA when they level up with the rest of the part.

If the player wants to keep it, make them aware of the side affects of the curse and provide a method to keep the template without turning EEVVVVVILLLLL


If the player says they don't want it, but make no real effort to fix the problem , then start enforcing the LA rules when it is time to level up, and start making those wisdom roles.

[limejuicepowder]

I would not inflict the LA until the character fully embraced their were-ness, and even then I'd probably only make it +1 (or even none, if they were high enough level). Basically, I'd give them automatic and free use of buying off the LA, retroactively if necessary.

Under no circumstances would I demand an alignment change. I would hope and expect them to roleplay a bit differently perhaps, but I would not force them to become chaotic evil (just make them an NPC at that point). They can be more savage, more bloodthirsty, and more prone to violence and still maintain their basic outlook on life.

[Big Fau]

A way I've handled lycanthropy in the past is to alter the character's race by adding Shifter traits (in a method similar to the Dragonborn transformation, albeit over the course of lycanthropy's incubation period). They would shift every so often without warning, and I would allow them to try and resist it. Once they succeeded in fighting off two or three shifts (not necessarily consecutive), I would tell them they have a choice: Continue resisting it (progressing as a normal character, but with Shifter traits and abilities), embrace it (take levels in the Weretouched Master PrC), or get cured (removing the Shifter racial traits I applied to them).

I never really made an attempt to hide the lycanthropy from the afflicted player, so if the player wanted to get cured he usually did so within the first few sessions that the shifting occurred. But I have had players take levels in Weretouched Master of their own accord after being infected, and they loved the way I handled it over going through the LA or the Lycanthrope Racial Class. It actually made full-blow Lycanthropy a goal for the character rather than a drawback, and it did help the noncasters who caught it.

And one time a player took levels in Bloodclaw Master in order to "pretend" he was afflicted (the campaign ended before he could go Weretouched Master, but he said he wanted to do it).

[Vaz]

Yes.

However, if Lycanthropes are prevalent, I'd ensure that the means to cure the lycanthropy is available. I.e; Break Enchantment, etc.