Werewolf: how to hide true form upon death

[Maelynn]

For my first campaign as a DM (woo boy... *exhales nervously*) I'm coming up with a lot of small quests. The idea is to let the party pick and choose, much like an RPG game. I've got some great ones already, but hit a serious snag with one of them. The setting is as follows:

A farmer from the lands surrounding the main city needs help. For the past few months, he's been occasionally losing sheep to wolves. He knows it's wolves, because they have been sighted in the area by others as well and have been known to attack several other animals - and even a human or two. The party can respond to the request to search the area, track down the wolf/wolves, and end the threat to the farmer's flock. The finale is an encounter with a large wolf.

Along the way I'll give them some opportunities to get some peculiar information, depending on how they ask around, what they decide, and what skills/checks they roll:
- the attacks happen once a month
- the wolf doesn't look like your average wolf (nature check or Druid/Ranger can help determine whether it's a large wolf, a dire wolf, or a small lycanthrope)
- the wolf seems to actively avoid attacking humans
- the wolf sometimes stands on its hind legs during combat

Plot twist: the wolf turns out to be the 10 year-old son of the neighbouring farmer, who was bitten by a Werewolf a few months ago. He himself knew what he had become, because he saw what had bitten him (out of fear he told everyone it was just a wolf), and he was afraid. He had read a bit about Werewolves, so he wisely snuck out of the house every night before the full moon would hit. Nobody figured out he had lycanthropy, they just assumed he was going through some childhood phase.

Now, here's the issue. If the party doesn't uncover the truth and decides to kill the wolf, I want them to think they've killed just that. A wolf. Well, maybe a dire wolf. Then, a short while later, I'll give them another quest to help search for the missing farm boy. During the search they'll piece together the facts and realise they killed him. And if they don't, they'll be hit with the truth when they're facing off the Werewolf pack leader, who'll tell the party the boy still had to prove himself to the pack, but because he was a weak cub he failed and got himself killed.

However. Here comes the snag.

I just discovered that Werewolves revert to their true form upon death. Can't have that, of course, because then they'd realise their mistake instantly. And that would ruin my awesome plan of having decisions of the past come back to haunt you in a follow-up quest!

So... does anyone have any ideas on how to make this work? I already thought of making the wolf run away and die out of sight, but then they'd chase after it and find the boy's corpse. Having another party kill the wolf won't have the same impact, because then it's not them who killed him. I'm really stumped.

[Unoriginal]

The boy was bitten by a Werewolf with a variant of the curse that doesn't make you return to your true form when you die.


PCs learn that by defeating a bandit that was bitten by the same Werewolf, but embraced the curse and spends his days in hybrid form, harrassing travelers.

[Maelynn]

Thanks for your suggestion. The idea of a mutated version came to mind, but then I remembered it's a curse and not a disease. Hm, maybe some sort of ring or bracer that each pack member receives when they pledge loyalty, as a means to prevent people from discovering the Werewolves.

The only thing that slightly bothers me about this is the homebrewing aspect. Maybe I'm flying my noob colours here, but to me it feels a wee bit like cheating if I can just homebrew my way out. I'd like to explore my options within the official rules first, before resorting to an adaption that better fits my needs.

[1Pirate]

You could drop some hints that the wolf is vulnerable to fire(maybe it gets oil on its fur somehow) or some other type of damage that is prone to leaving unrecognizable corpses. When the PCs kill it, have it die so the body burns away, except for a couple of tiny bones. Later on when the clues about the boy start coming in, someone could take a closer look at the bones and realize what looked like parts of the tail bone are actually vertebrae from a ten-year-old boy.

I'm not a big fan of a curse variant where they don't change back. I had something similar to this happen to me in an adventure once(the wolf did transform back to a human) and it felt like a total cheap shot. I said "personal bias" because we were all nine at the time so some of the details are a bit fuzzy and I will absolutely concede that a nine-year-old DM would handle this concept poorly.

That being said, changing back into a human is pretty integral to werewolf lore. If the villagers killed a wolf and someone went missing, they'd just assume the wolf ate that person. Dog-bites-man story. It's when the wolf turns back into a human--irrefutable proof to the witnesses that this was no ordinary wolf--that's the twist.

Also, if you do use a curse variant, take it into account when planning any future interactions with wolves after the quest. It's not impossible that they might start treating every wolf they come across as a potential child. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, just account for it.

To be honest though, I think you still have just as interesting an adventure if the wolf turns into the boy. Do they recognize him? Do they not? Maybe you have the body unidentifiable, and that's the new quest.

Lastly, if the wolf presented any kind of danger to other people(I know you mentioned they could hear that the wolf avoids attacking humans, you also mentioned it attacked a human or two), don't count on them feeling "haunted" by the killing. Unless you railroad them into attacking it first, they might not have any qualms about having killed something in self-defense.

[Honest Tiefling]

Thanks for your suggestion. The idea of a mutated version came to mind, but then I remembered it's a curse and not a disease. Hm, maybe some sort of ring or bracer that each pack member receives when they pledge loyalty, as a means to prevent people from discovering the Werewolves.

Then magic your way out. Unoriginal's idea isn't bad, if this is your only complaint. But surely someone can muck with the curse? An evil group of druids for instance seem likely. Malar if you are playing Forgotten Realms seems likes a likely candidate.


The only thing that slightly bothers me about this is the homebrewing aspect. Maybe I'm flying my noob colours here, but to me it feels a wee bit like cheating if I can just homebrew my way out. I'd like to explore my options within the official rules first, before resorting to an adaption that better fits my needs.

Throw in hints before. Remember, a simple DMing tool is leaving three clues for your players to find to uncover a single piece of information. In this case, set up several hints that this curse isn't behaving normally:

Tales of evil druids vanquished in the past
Local druids or nature clerics have turned against the village or disappeared (or both!) despite centuries of cooperation
The bite on the boy, should it be discovered early, looks very strange.


Otherwise, maybe it's not that the curse itself has been altered, but something in the region is affecting magic, particularly of this sort. It could be something building up or was activated recently, to get around issues of the PCs not being aware of it earlier.

[Spore]

It reverts to its true form if it dies.

It does not say immediately, though. You will have a clear sky with a full moon shining brightly upon the battlefield. If the creature dies, have it convulsive weirdly hinting at the fact it's a werewolf. But it won't turn back until the full moon has set.

[Unoriginal]

Thanks for your suggestion. The idea of a mutated version came to mind, but then I remembered it's a curse and not a disease. Hm, maybe some sort of ring or bracer that each pack member receives when they pledge loyalty, as a means to prevent people from discovering the Werewolves.

The only thing that slightly bothers me about this is the homebrewing aspect. Maybe I'm flying my noob colours here, but to me it feels a wee bit like cheating if I can just homebrew my way out. I'd like to explore my options within the official rules first, before resorting to an adaption that better fits my needs.

You're the one in charge of the lore. You can say whatever you want, ultimately.


Not all the werewolf curses have to be the same. You could have the corpse turn to dust, for example. Or do any other changes you want.

[Asmotherion]

Don't torture yourself too much over it. If it happens, it happens.

You can set variables that will make the Wolf Boy less probable to be found though; Provide the players with a Homebrew Poison, that has "Wolvesbane" in it's basis or something; Perhaps the very father of the boy will provide it, to enhance the drama of the situation (after all, how did the boy have access to a book about Werewolves, if his Father wasn't a retireref Werewolf Hunter of Sorts? Perhaps that's why he was targeted by the original Werewolf to begin with, as retribution).

The poison will make the warewolf suffer, and start running away at full speed, if hit with it. They should not be able to follow him, and he should eventually get lost in the mountains, and die there. This should set the events for the next chapter. On the plus side, it was the players choice to use the poison in the first place (they could have opted not to use it), thus making it their responsibility.

This is were Player Agency comes to play it's part. You give them a Choice. If they don't take the "easy way" in the fight, they get the good ending, were they might find a cure for the boy (since he has not fed on Humans yet), otherwise they unlock the "bad ending" for this chapter.

Hope this was helpful?

PS: Use red hearings to make sure the party will want to fight the werewolf. Make the attacks start 3 months ago, the first month having a human victim casualty (the boy's mother?) as well as the boy gets bitten. This was obviously done by the other Werewolf, but nobody suspects it. The following 2 months, only ship have been attacked.

[Kane0]

Seems like an excellent time to break out the Feign Death spell, or a variant of.

[MaxWilson]

The only thing that slightly bothers me about this is the homebrewing aspect. Maybe I'm flying my noob colours here, but to me it feels a wee bit like cheating if I can just homebrew my way out. I'd like to explore my options within the official rules first, before resorting to an adaption that better fits my needs.

Don't worry about it. "Homebrewing" classes, feats, etc. is one thing, and should be fairly rare. Coming up with novel monsters and situations is something a DM should be doing constantly, for the sake of keeping things fresh. See Hackslashmaster's Ecology articles for examples on ways to change up trolls, vampires, etc.

The game loses a lot of its charm of it starts feeling like the players already know everything about this campaign, based on other campaigns they've played before. You should be consistent within a given campaign, usually, but when you're starting a fresh campaign like you are, anything goes.

[ShadowSandbag]

Another option is for you to have the PCs just mortally wound it. Maybe they knock it unconscious and it dies a few rounds after they leave.

[GreyBlack]

Your world, your rules

Maybe make it the in universe rule that they only transform back if they accept the curse. If they don't embrace the curse, they remain in whatever form they died in.

[Spore]

Your world, your rules

Maybe make it the in universe rule that they only transform back if they accept the curse. If they don't embrace the curse, they remain in whatever form they died in.

The other way round would make more sende tbh. And it would make for a welcome change to see the “innocent kid“ stereotype broken and a real bloodthirsty murderer embraces its “gift“.

Remember empathy is a learned trait.

[GreyBlack]

The other way round would make more sende tbh. And it would make for a welcome change to see the “innocent kid“ stereotype broken and a real bloodthirsty murderer embraces its “gift“.

Remember empathy is a learned trait.

Agreed. Small children are the worst. :-P

In all seriousness though, you can word it however you like. S'all good.

[Dr. Cliché]

The other way round would make more sende tbh. And it would make for a welcome change to see the “innocent kid“ stereotype broken and a real bloodthirsty murderer embraces its “gift“.

So much this.

If you want to be really cruel, you could have the party meet the boy as a human and have him be quite friendly. He doesn't appear psychotic or anything - he just sees it all as a game.

Perhaps he's really into stories of adventurers and wants to be one himself. So he looks for orcs and monsters to kill. of course, when those run out, he has to start making up his own stories. All the kids say that Mr. Foggy, the old Miller, is really a vampire. He never comes out of his mill so he must be one, right? Well, as an adventurer, he has to go and kill the evil vampire miller! And then you've Ms. Sharp, who everyone says is really a witch. She's got the black cat and everything. Well, you can't just let a witch stay in town. A proper adventurer would end her evil magic once and for all.


Sorry, I may have gotten a little carried away myself. :smalltongue:

[Maelynn]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies so far. I really appreciate how people on this forum take the time to help out. ^^

I've seen some really nice suggestions, love the creativity! I've been giving them some thought during work, here's what I've made of it for now:

- when the party accepts the quest at the bureau, they're approached by a scarred man with a limp. He overheard them taking on the wolf hunt and offers them what he calls 'an effective weapon': a variant on Alchemist's Fire, enhanced with Wolfsbane (quite an overdose, as well as silver schrapnel that the party might discover if they investigate the corpse, maybe some other stuff that is really nasty). The reason he's so helpful is personal: a few years earlier, he and his fiancée were having a picnic in a clearing in the woods when they were attacked by wolves. He was mauled, but lived... she did not. He wants revenge, but is in no shape to do so

- the weapon will prove to be a tad more effective than anticipated: in only a few rounds it will burn the wolf from the outside and the inside, turning it into a smouldering heap by the time it dies. You won't be able to tell it ever was a wolf, let alone something else

- I'm going to add a few regular wolves to the end fight, to make it less conspicuous. Might also serve nicely as a comparison, to give an advantange on a nature check when determining what kind of animal it is. And it'll give them something to fight, because the wolf/boy will avoid fighting people unless they strike him first

- at the end of the fight, if there is one, I'll have them roll perception. The highest roll will spot a large shadowy figure watching them from the shadows, but not attacking. It growls and runs into the woods as soon as he's spotted. This is the pack leader, who was keeping an eye on the boy to see if he'd pass his initiation (little setup for the follow-up quest)

- if there's a Cleric/Wizard/Warlock in the party, I'm going to hold back this quest until they're level 5. Shouldn't take too long as they'll start my campaign at level 3-4, but at that level they'll have access to Remove Curse... should they figure out the truth in time

[Maelynn]

If you want to be really cruel, you could have the party meet the boy as a human and have him be quite friendly. He doesn't appear psychotic or anything - he just sees it all as a game.

Perhaps he's really into stories of adventurers and wants to be one himself. So he looks for orcs and monsters to kill.

I'm actually really liking this idea. Maybe not the psycho kid version, but the "I wanna be an adventurer just like you!" bit. Have them meet the kid really early on, like during their first quest; a brief interaction with just a random NPC. And then they either save him and all is well, or they get the follow-up quest and find out the boy wanted to be a hero and went to take on the wolf himself...

Oh hey, that might also explain what another poster said about the boy knowing stuff about Werewolves.

[Fayd]

I mean it’s your setting. They don’t have to revert unless you’ve already said they do.

[Consensus]

- if there's a Cleric/Wizard/Warlock in the party, I'm going to hold back this quest until they're level 5. Shouldn't take too long as they'll start my campaign at level 3-4, but at that level they'll have access to Remove Curse... should they figure out the truth in time

The warlock and wizard can't change up spells every night like the cleric, they may just not pick remove curse

[iTreeby]

Just have the final fight be on a rushing rapids, jagged cliff, or a protect the moving cart type setting where the wolves that get picked off get swept away, fall out of sight, or get left behind quickly. Make it clear that they aren't being paid per wolf or anything like that buy having a first light skermish with wolves and if the players do something like collect all the bodys for trophies/meat/rewards per kill, you emphasize what a pain it is to actually go through that effort, that way when the werewolf's body isn't immediately recoverable they will leave it be. Then you can lead them back to the screen of the fight later for the reveal.

This way has some advantages, 1)you don't homebrew a new curse 2) you can practice with a more dynamic battle area.

[SirGraystone]

Let the PCs chase after the wolf up to the top of cliff, fight the cornered beast, let it fall off the cliff on the dying blow.

[Coec]

You could embrace the idea of the werewolf reverting back into the boy upon his death. Have the PCs meet the boy and his father early on by having them hunt regular wolves thay have been attacking local livestock. As they help the father with his regular wolf problem, keep introducing the kid as someone who is likeable and fun. Maybe have the quest be like a goal of 'x' amount of wolves killed. Don't introduce the pact leader, a dire wolf, right away; leave that for a later date when the PCs have "moved" on from wolf hunting to something else. Always find a way to have the boy around. Maybe he's at the store when they sell loot or eating lunch with friends at the inn; keep him in the background as much as possible but not too much that the PCs start to catch on. Then one day the father runs up frantically looking for the PCs that had once helped him and that his son idealized. This is where you introduce the missing son quest. Tracking the son could lead to multiple wolf tracks that lead the party to the dire wolves den. The pact leader not wanting a fight after he lost so many children to the party before explains that a new predator lives in the woods. It is at this point you introduce the werewolf quest line. They start finding large wolf tracks similar but not quite the same as the dire wolf tracks. This whole concept would give the party an interesting decision. What do they do when they find out that the werewolf is the boy or vice versa? A lot would depend oon when they find the place he's hiding. At night he's the wolf, but in the daytime he's the boy. How do they handle bringing him back home? what do they do if they killed him and then realized the werewolf was the kid, how would they react.
Lots of possible challenges for the group. Could be a really fun story arc.

[Maelynn]

The warlock and wizard can't change up spells every night like the cleric, they may just not pick remove curse

Nothing a well-placed Scroll of Remove Curse in an earlier quest can't fix. ;)

Or even better... in a pouch they find during the hunt. Containing the spell scroll, a healing potion, and a silver dagger. Makes for another hint to the true nature of what they're hunting, as well as giving them the means to cure the boy.

[Spore]

Nothing a well-placed Scroll of Remove Curse in an earlier quest can't fix. ;)

Yes, but then you might as well paint "WEREWOLF IN HERE!" in bright red letters onto the little kid's house.

[Unoriginal]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies so far. I really appreciate how people on this forum take the time to help out. ^^

I've seen some really nice suggestions, love the creativity! I've been giving them some thought during work, here's what I've made of it for now:

- when the party accepts the quest at the bureau, they're approached by a scarred man with a limp. He overheard them taking on the wolf hunt and offers them what he calls 'an effective weapon': a variant on Alchemist's Fire, enhanced with Wolfsbane (quite an overdose, as well as silver schrapnel that the party might discover if they investigate the corpse, maybe some other stuff that is really nasty). The reason he's so helpful is personal: a few years earlier, he and his fiancée were having a picnic in a clearing in the woods when they were attacked by wolves. He was mauled, but lived... she did not. He wants revenge, but is in no shape to do so

- the weapon will prove to be a tad more effective than anticipated: in only a few rounds it will burn the wolf from the outside and the inside, turning it into a smouldering heap by the time it dies. You won't be able to tell it ever was a wolf, let alone something else

- I'm going to add a few regular wolves to the end fight, to make it less conspicuous. Might also serve nicely as a comparison, to give an advantange on a nature check when determining what kind of animal it is. And it'll give them something to fight, because the wolf/boy will avoid fighting people unless they strike him first

- at the end of the fight, if there is one, I'll have them roll perception. The highest roll will spot a large shadowy figure watching them from the shadows, but not attacking. It growls and runs into the woods as soon as he's spotted. This is the pack leader, who was keeping an eye on the boy to see if he'd pass his initiation (little setup for the follow-up quest)

- if there's a Cleric/Wizard/Warlock in the party, I'm going to hold back this quest until they're level 5. Shouldn't take too long as they'll start my campaign at level 3-4, but at that level they'll have access to Remove Curse... should they figure out the truth in time

Unless you decide to change it, a Werewolf transformed by the full moon's influence isn't in a state where they'd avoid hurting people. Might still flee for their lives or play it safe, sure, but avoid hurting people? Nope.

[Dr. Cliché]

Oh, one other thing - don't discount the possibility of making the werewolf come back in some way.

All the best monsters don't stay dead. :smallamused:

[Davrix]

One thing to note if I recall by real folk-lore. They love to eat the heart.

Also I think it would be more compelling for the wolf to revert to the boy upon being killed

Also you should have crumbs to find out the boy was cursed. Its fine if the party doesn't find the information that the wolf was the boy. Its not fine if as a Dm to trick the party into killing a boy while they did some decent information gathering to that point.

Case in point, if they figure out its a werewolf before they kill it, make sure you have some kind of hint they can follow if they ask. If they don't and just load up on silver daggers and go hunter then yea by all means shock moment incoming.

[Dr. Cliché]

One thing to note if I recall by real folk-lore. They love to eat the heart.

I'm so using that next time I have a werewolf villain.

[Davrix]

I'm so using that next time I have a werewolf villain.

I mean just think of the set up.

You find a corpse just off the side of the road, its face down in the dirt. You don't see anything wrong with him at first but as you draw close you notice the earth has grown dark with blood.

Someone turns him over.

Upon turning him over you see the gaping hole that has been torn in the deceased man chest. His rib cage has been cracked and broken. The bones either missing or sticking out at odd angles and where the heart would lay only a bloody hole remains. The corpse otherwise is untouched save for some claw marks along his arms.

[hymer]

Unless you decide to change it, a Werewolf transformed by the full moon's influence isn't in a state where they'd avoid hurting people. Might still flee for their lives or play it safe, sure, but avoid hurting people? Nope.
I think there's some wiggle room with someone accepting their curse there, but at any rate, the pack leader is probably a natural lycanthrope. That's what I thought, anyway, until I saw your comment.

@ OP: Your solution sounds really good, and adding the possibility of a hint on the pack leader early on is likewise great. If I were in your shoes, I'd be prepared for the PCs to mess up the plan, like if they forget or neglect to use the alchemical fire/garlic/silver bomb weapon. In which case I'd just let them realize right then and there what they did, maybe throw in a condescending laughter from the pack leader as he lopes off. That way the scenario remains largely intact, and the reveal is just moved. Hopefully the PCs will be burning for revenge and a chance to cleanse themselves.
Oh, and consider the chance they may try to track the werewolf. I'd offer them a small reward for their tenacity (like a little extra foreshadowing, perhaps with a fact that will be useful in the coming scenario - maybe the pack leader hates water, e.g.), though I'd make it highly unlikely they'd manage to catch him just then.

Maybe also keep in mind that you shouldn't get too attached to making the reveal. The players are likely to like it a whole lot more if they are forcing the reveal (or feel like they are). It's one of the differences between regular storytelling and interactive storytelling.

[Unoriginal]

I think there's some wiggle room with someone accepting their curse there, but at any rate, the pack leader is probably a natural lycanthrope. That's what I thought, anyway, until I saw your comment.

The pack leader is the kid, who from what I gather hasn't accepted his curse yet.

[Ganymede]

Just change the werewolf stat block so that the wolf form is a werewolf's true form as opposed to the humanoid form.

[Dr. Cliché]

Just change the werewolf stat block so that the wolf form is a werewolf's true form as opposed to the humanoid form.

Isn't that a Wolfwere? :smalltongue:

[Maelynn]

Yes, but then you might as well paint "WEREWOLF IN HERE!" in bright red letters onto the little kid's house.

Well, I don't want to be too obvious about it, but I do intend to place enough hints for the party to figure out the truth.

I have no wish to steer them in a specific direction - au contraire, I want to provide a few different paths for them to follow, where they themselves end up choosing which one to travel along. Have them decide the outcome. And in order for that to work, I just have to get a solid story with no discrepancies that works for all paths - and that's the reason I posted here.


Unless you decide to change it, a Werewolf transformed by the full moon's influence isn't in a state where they'd avoid hurting people. Might still flee for their lives or play it safe, sure, but avoid hurting people? Nope.

Had it been an adult, I would've agreed. But this is a 10-year old, so I'm going to use that to make him less vicious and downright scared. He hasn't tasted human blood yet (which actually was going to be his initiation that night) and is still struggling to reject the curse. He didn't go look for the pack leader, he sort of bumped into the pack one night when he was fleeing away from his home during the transformation. Still working on the details, but that's the angle I'm going for that allows me to make him a half-assed Werewolf that is very reluctant to attack humans.

And by making him so reluctant to attack, I'm hoping the party will sense something's off - which will hopefully make them realise they can use the spell scroll to cure him. The point of no return will be their first strike; if they hit him, he'll snap and fight to the death.


be prepared for the PCs to mess up the plan, like if they forget or neglect to use the alchemical fire/garlic/silver bomb weapon

Oh yes, I'm trying to predict which directions they might go and then try to parry these beforehand. As for the bomb, well, I've got one player who told me he really wants to play an Alchemist (homebrew, yes, but the pdf he found was set up so well it looked almost legit so I allowed it). He loves the idea of bombs, which will make this weapon irresistable for him. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. ;)


The pack leader is the kid, who from what I gather hasn't accepted his curse yet.

Uhm, no. The pack leader is a vicious lycanthrope, much like hymer assumed. The kid is an innocent, who was bitten by the pack leader a few months earlier. He's still in the middle of his transgression, fighting hard to resist because he's just too damn scared. He'll be the one they might be fighting in the initial wolf hunt quest. Should they kill him, then later on they're offered the follow-up to search for the missing boy where the party will eventually encounter the pack leader in the woods.

[furby076]

little known lore, were creatures do not revert to normal form, upon death, if its during a full moon. the power of the curse and moon relationship prevents this. also, allows you to prove you didnt kill an innocent, just wait until the next moon.

....or, so i have been told somewhere...i think, maybe i read it somewhere... who would have known? people tell me things