Can Lycan's Speak in Animal Form?

[BlueWitch]

Does anyone know?
I think it'd be pretty cool if a WereBear in his bear form threatened someone verbally.

[hamishspence]

They cannot cast spells with verbal components while in animal or hybrid form, even though they have hands in hybrid form:


https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm


Finally, a natural lycanthrope (or an afflicted lycanthrope that has become aware of its affliction) can assume a hybrid form that is a mix of its humanoid and animal forms. A hybrid has hands and can use weapons, but it can also attack with its teeth and claws.

...

A lycanthrope’s hybrid form does not gain any special attacks of the base animal. A lycanthrope spellcaster cannot cast spells with verbal, somatic, or material components while in animal form, or spells with verbal components while in hybrid form.


so the implication is neither the animal form nor the hybrid form can talk properly since attempts to speak spell incantations automatically fail.

[ShurikVch]

Lycanthropic Spell (Faiths & Pantheons) allows to cast spells, but not speak

Master of Many Forms grants the "Shifter's Speech" - "ability to speak normally ... regardless of the form she takes."

[loky1109]

Also Black Blood Hunter gives ability to cast spells.

[ShurikVch]

And one more way to cast spells is Surrogate Spellcasting (Savage Species)

[Daisy]

As a DM I'd have no problem letting them speak in a guttural, hard-to-understand tone. But the words would be too malformed to allow spellcasting.

[BlueWitch]

Ngl, that's a bit silly in my opinion.
Like animals have vocal chords and trachea's like we do, they just aren't smart enough to use words.

But it is what it is, so thank you all for answering.

[Rebel7284]

Ngl, that's a bit silly in my opinion.
Like animals have vocal chords and trachea's like we do, they just aren't smart enough to use words.

But it is what it is, so thank you all for answering.

That is not correct. You need the correct shape voice box and a fairly flexible tongue to make all the sounds that humans can make. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCW0zyDGuXc