A little help with lycanthropy

[WarKitty]

Could someone explain to me the modifications to apply to a lycanthrope? I'm trying to play a lvl3 monk natural weretiger, but am a bit confused about what extra abilities I do/don't get.

[Starbuck_II]

Could someone explain to me the modifications to apply to a lycanthrope? I'm trying to play a lvl3 monk natural weretiger, but am a bit confused about what extra abilities I do/don't get.

You gain 3 LA (from being natural) and Racial HD.

You get the basics in human form:
+2 Wisdom
Low-light vision
Scent
+2 NA (0+2=2)
Racial HD (6): add those hp/BAB/saves to yours.
Racial Feats (from the HD)
Racial Skills (from the HD)
You have Iron Will as a bonus feat

In hybrid/Tiger Form:
You get all the basics + DR 10/silver
Alternate form, lycanthropic empathy, curse of lycanthropy (in animal or hybrid form only).
Pounce and Rake.
+12 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis (same as human, just thought I'd remind you).
+2 NA to the form's NA (Base 3 +2 =5).

[WarKitty]

You gain 3 LA (from being natural) and Racial HD.

LA=??

You get the basics in human form:
+2 Wisdom
Low-light vision
Scent
+2 NA (0+2=2)
Racial HD (6): add those hp/BAB/saves to yours.
Racial Feats (from the HD)
Racial Skills (from the HD)
You have Iron Will as a bonus feat

BAB=?

In hybrid/Tiger Form:
You get all the basics + DR 10/silver
Alternate form, lycanthropic empathy, curse of lycanthropy (in animal or hybrid form only).
Pounce and Rake.
+12 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis (same as human, just thought I'd remind you).
+2 NA to the form's NA (Base 3 +2 =5).

Sorry noob here.

[HunterOfJello]

If you're new to D&D you should probably avoid playing a character with lycanthropy. A Shifter from the Eberron Campaign Setting might suit the same character type and would be much simpler.


For general 3.5e D&D information the SRD (System Resource Document) is a great beginning source for random information.

This is the page that talks about playing a Monster as a race.


Level Adjustments greater than +1 are usually just a pain in the ass and unless the entire party you're in is using them, you will fall behind quickly.

[mikej]

LA=??

Level Adjustment: The formula is Class Lv + LA + Racial Hit Dice [ If any ] = Your total ECL [ Estimated Character Level]

You mention 3rd lv Monk, soo that's Monk lv 3 + 3 LA [Natural Lycantropy] + 6 Racial Hit Dice = ECL 12. That's roughly the range of challenging monster your DM would sent at you and the level you're treated as for XP to advance to ECL 13/or 4th lv Monk. I'm sure I made some errors but I'm positive another poster has the more detail reply.

If you're new to the game I suggest something a little more easier. Like maybe a Shifter Monk or no Monk at all

BAB=?

BAB = Base Attack Bonus

[WarKitty]

If you're new to D&D you should probably avoid playing a character with lycanthropy. A Shifter from the Eberron Campaign Setting might suit the same character type and would be much simpler.


For general 3.5e D&D information the SRD (System Resource Document) is a great beginning source for random information.

This is the page that talks about playing a Monster as a race.


Level Adjustments greater than +1 are usually just a pain in the ass and unless the entire party you're in is using them, you will fall behind quickly.

Thanks...I have read the SRD, although I admit I have no clue what the Eberron setting is. I know this is a challenge but I really really want to be able to be a kitty.

This is the part I have trouble with really:

# Racial Skills: A lycanthrope adds skill points for its animal Hit Dice much as if it had multiclassed into the animal type. It gains skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die of the animal form. Any skills that appear in the animal’s description are treated as class skills for the lycanthrope’s animal levels. The lycanthrope’s maximum skill ranks are equal to its animal form Hit Dice + its racial Hit Dice (if any) + its class levels + 3. Any racial skill adjustments of the lycanthrope’s base race and its animal form (but not conditional adjustments) are added to its skill modifiers in any form.
# Racial Feats: Add the animal’s Hit Dice to the base character’s own Hit Dice to determine how many feats the character has. All lycanthropes gain Iron Will as a bonus feat.

Basically, I have statistics and such hashed out, I'm just a little confused as to how to manage my feats and skill points.

[AbyssKnight]

Could I suggest a Tibbets or Cat Folk if you want to play a feline character a little simpler than a full Weretiger.

[Yuki Akuma]

You have six animal hit dice. These give you:

1d8+Con hit points per hit die.
A base attack bonus of +4.
2 + Int skill points per hit die. Class skills are Balance, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot and Swim.
The Alertness, Improved Natural Attack (bite) and Improved Natural Attack (claw) feats.

Note that, as a level 3 monk natural weretiger, you are a level twelve character (3 class levels + 6 natural hit dice + level adjustment of 3). You are not a level 3 character and you'd better not be in a party with a bunch of level 3 characters.

[WarKitty]

Just a note: I do not have access to anything past the basic manuals. So characters that rely on any sort of variant are out of the question. Plus it's fun (I'm with a rp-intensive group, and they already all know about my feline obsession).

Thanks Yuki...think I got it now.

[WarKitty]

Oh just noticed...Yuki could you point me to where it adds the HD to the level? I'm meant to be a level 6 or so.

[Yuki Akuma]

If you were a halfling, gnome or other Small race, you could be a werecat. They only have one racial hit die, so they don't swallow up quite so many class levels.

Edit: ... There's no need to point out where it says it adds the HD to levels. Hit dice are levels. Period.

Be a level 2 halfling werecat instead.

[HunterOfJello]

Just a note: I do not have access to anything past the basic manuals. So characters that rely on any sort of variant are out of the question. Plus it's fun (I'm with a rp-intensive group, and they already all know about my feline obsession).

Thanks Yuki...think I got it now.

http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php has information on almost every official piece of information about 3.5e d&d in it.

[WarKitty]

Ok figured it out. Going to shift it over to a wereleopard with only 1 level of monk (ECL 7, which is within our party parameters). Thanks everyone!

[HunterOfJello]

If you actually want to be useful to your party in a fight you might consider playing a Tibbit and picking a different class. A Tibbit Rogue would be very useful.


Tibbits are from Dragon Magazine #135 and can also be found in the Dragon Compendium.

they have


Monstrous Humanoid (Shapeshifter) Type
-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Small Size (+1 AC, +1 attack, +4 to hide, smaller weapons, etc.)
Land Speed 20 ft.
Darkvision
+2 Spot
+2 Jump, Escape Artist
Automatic Languages: Common and Feline
Bonus Languages: Any
Favored Class: Rogue

they also have the ability: Feline Transformation

it turns them into a house cat (similar to polymorph but a bit different)


in cat for you'd have

Scent Feat
Tiny Size (+2 attack, +8 to hide)
+10 ft. Land Speed
-8 Strength, +2 Dexterity
1d2 claw weapons
1d3 bite weapon (you can attack with 2 claws and 1 bite as a full action with -5 to all attacks)

transformation takes a full-round action. after returning to humanoid form it takes 1 hour to go back to cat form.


~~~

Tibbits are +0 LA and have no racial hit dice so if the group is level 6 you'd be able to turn into a cat and also have 6 levels of a character class like Monk or Rogue.

[PinkysBrain]

He seems to be playing from the SRD ... Wereleopard should work okay if you play to it's strength, which is to say pounce.

Warkitty, you will be more effective in your animal form than your hybrid form because of pounce (doesn't work in hybrid form). Combining your unarmed strike with your natural weapons in animal form requires a bit of imagination though (headbutt ... bite claw claw rake rake). If you do want to go this way get the feat multiattack as your level 1 feat.