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In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lycanthrope (pronounced /ˈlaɪkənθroʊp/ or /laɪˈkænθroʊp/.^[1] (LY-kun-throhp or LY-kan-throhp)^[2]) is a humanoid shapeshifter based on various legends of lycanthropy. In addition to the werewolf, in Dungeons & Dragons, weretigers, wereboars, werebears and other werebeings are considered lycanthropes.

Publication history [link]

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976) [link]

The werebear, the wereboar, the weretiger, and the werewolf first appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974)^[3] The wererat (or rat men) first appeared in the Greyhawk supplement (1975).^[4] Lycanthropes in general were further detailed in the 1975 Blackmoor supplement.^[5]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988) [link]

The werebear, the wereboar, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977).^[6] The werebear, the wereboar, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared as player character races in Dragon #24 (April 1979). The werebear appeared as a character class in White Dwarf #17, by Lewis Pulsipher.^[7] The werebadger, the werebison, the weredire, the werejaguar, the wereleopard, the werelion, the wereram, the weresabre, the weresloth, and the wereweasel appeared in Dragon #40 (August 1980). The foxwoman and the wereshark first appeared in the original Monster Manual II (1983).^[8]

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999) [link]

The werebear, the wereboar, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977,^[9] 1981, 1983). The devil swine appeared in the D&D Expert Set (1981, 1983). The wereshark appeared in the adventure module War Rafts of Kron (1984). The werebat, the werefox, and the wereseal appeared in the Master Rules set (1985). All of these lycanthropes appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).^[10] The devil swine, the werebat, the werebear, the wereboar, the werefox, the werejaguar, the greater wererat, the wereseal, the wereshark, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared as player character classes in Night Howlers (1992).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999) [link]

The werebear, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared in the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),^[11] and the wereboar and the werefox (foxwoman) appeared in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989);^[12] all of these were reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).^[13] The werepanther and the werepanther lord appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two (1995). The werespider appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).^[14] The wererat was expanded in further detail in Dragon #251 (September 1998).

The werebison, the werecat, the weredog, the weredolphin, the wereleopard, the wereowl ("wrowl"), the werepanther, and the werespider appeared for the Forgotten Realms setting in Hall of Heroes (1989). The werecrocodile appeared for the Forgotten Realms setting in Old Empires (1990), and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996). The werebat and the wereraven appeared for the Ravenloft setting in the Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) and Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II (1996). The werebat appeared for the Forgotten Realms setting in Drow of the Underdark (1991) and the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix II (1991) under the "bat, deep" entry. The werehyena and the werelion appeared for the Al-Qadim setting in the Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix (1992).^[15] The werebadger and the werejaguar appeared for the Ravenloft setting in Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts (1993),^[16] and the loup du noir (skin-changer) appeared in Dark of the Moon (1993); these were reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994).^[17] The werejaguar and the wereswine appeared for the Mystara setting in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).^[18] The wereshark appeared for the Forgotten Realms setting in the City of Splendor boxed set (1994), and reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two (1995). The werejackal, the werejaguar, the wereleopard, Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994)

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007) [link]

The lycanthrope appeared as a creature template in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),^[19] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003); sample creatures included the werebear, the wereboar, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf. Several lycanthropes are presented for the Forgotten Realms setting in Monsters of Faerûn (2001) including the werebat, werecrocodile, and the wereshark. Lycanthropes are presented as player character races in Races of Faerûn (2003). The werebear, the wereboar, the wererat, the weretiger, and the werewolf appeared as player character races in Dragon #313 (November 2003).^[20] The werecrocodile is also presented again in Sandstorm (2005).^[21]

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-) [link]

The wererat and the werewolf appeared in the fourth edition in Monster Manual (2008). The wereserpent appeared in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (2008), the wereboar. The weretiger, and the werewolf lord appeared in Monster Manual 2 (2009).

Description [link]

In the standard Dungeons & Dragons rules, lycanthropy is both hereditary (the children of lycanthropes are lycanthropes of the same type) and infectious (victims of lycanthrope bites become lycanthropes themselves, of the same type as the attacker). 3.5 Edition rules distinguish between natural and afflicted lycanthropes, according to the cause of lycanthropy, and handle them by different rules.

Most lycanthropes in animal form can communicate with animals of their type, and do so with a +4 bonus to Charisma checks. In humanoid form, they can use any weapon, and in animal form they use natural weapons like the corresponding animals, but each type has a different fighting style in hybrid form.

Core types [link]

Five types of lycanthropes are described in the 3.5 Edition Monster Manual:

Werefox (Foxwoman) [link]

Described in Monster Mythology and not updated since, werefoxes are always chaotic evil in alignment. Whereas other lycanthropes can be male or female, all werefoxes are female; thus, they are often called foxwomen. In humanoid form, all foxwomen have lustrous silver hair sporting a widow's peak, and are incredibly attractive. Often dwelling in secluded woodlands, foxwomen are rarely seen in numbers as they prefer to act alone. A foxwoman's only purpose in life is pampering herself and raising an heiress. In hybrid form, known as vixen, werefoxes use their claws and their poisonous bite, and sometimes long swords. They rarely use their animal form for battle, but when they do they may use their claws and trip attacks. Foxwomen worship the goddess Eshebala.

Other lycanthropes [link]

Several other versions of lycanthropes have been described briefly outside the core rulebooks, some based on non-carnivorous animals. This list includes werecats, werecrocodiles, werebadgers, weredogs, weredolphins, weredragons, werejackals, werepanthers, and wereravens.

Related creatures [link]

The wolfwere and jackalwere are often seen as variant offshoots of werecreatures, but are not, in fact, the same type of creature. Similarly the lythari, an elven version of the werewolf, are actually good-aligned and considered protectors of the elven lands.

Campaign settings [link]

Forgotten Realms [link]

In the Forgotten Realms, many werewolves worship Malar. They may help hunters and others who worship or pay homage to Malar by hunting for them during Winter in areas where this is a concern. Packs of werebeings who worship Malar, will engage in what is called a "High Hunt" in which a human is hunted. If the human evades the pack, they are given one boon. If the human is captured, it will be slain, and eaten.

Beings who have been infected with lycanthropy can control or remove the curse by the administration of a special potion provided by worshipers of Selune. Other beings can learn to control their lycanthropy, such as the Black Wolf. (Information obtained form various Forgotten Realms Novels, Including but not limited to The Black Wolf)

Eberron [link]

In Eberron, lycanthropes don't have alignment restrictions, but are more often evil than good. Lycanthropes of all alignments have been almost eradicated from the world of Eberron due to a zealot effort from the Church of the Silver Flame. Although pushed almost to the point of extinction, Lycanthropes may still be found in small, secluded parts of Khorvaire. Shifters are a race that may have descended from lycanthropes, although they don't have as much shapeshifting capability.

Critical reception [link]

The werewolf was ranked sixth among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors described the werewolf as "a classic monster" and "the best illustration of a monster with damage reduction; unless characters have a silver weapon, they will have a hard time hurting this creature". The authors also note that "Werewolves are shapechangers, which means players can never be entirely sure whether that surly villager might indeed be the great black wolf who attacked their characters out in the forest."^[23]

References [link]

1. ^ "Lycanthrope - Dictionary.com". https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lycanthrope?r=75&src=ref&ch=dic. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 
2. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_FAQ.asp&date=2008-10-03. Retrieved 2008-10-03. 
3. ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
4. ^ Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975)
5. ^ Arneson, Dave. Blackmoor (TSR, 1975)
6. ^ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
7. ^ Pulsipher, Lewis (February/March 1980). "My Life as a Werebear" (article). White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (17): 33. 
8. ^ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II (TSR, 1983)
9. ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)
10. ^ Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991)
11. ^ Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989)
12. ^ Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989)
13. ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
14. ^ Pickens, Jon, ed. Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (TSR, 1996)
15. ^ Baur, Wolfgang and Steve Kurtz. Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix (TSR, 1992)
16. ^ Findley, Nigel. Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts (TSR, 1993)
17. ^ Wise, David, ed. Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (TSR, 1994)
18. ^ Nephew, John, Teeuwynn Woodruff, John Terra, and Skip Williams. Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (TSR, 1994)
19. ^ Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual. Wizards of the Coast, 2000
20. ^ Poisso, Dean. "Animal Ancestry." Dragon #313 (Paizo Publishing, 2003)
21. ^ Bruce R. Cordell, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and JD Wiker. Sandstorm. Wizards of the Coast, 2005
22. ^ Wererats are also found in various games inspired by or based on Dungeons & Dragons such as NetHack, DragonQuest, and Neverwinter Nights.
23. ^ Slavicsek, Bill; Rich Baker, Jeff Grubb (2006). Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 373. ISBN 978-0-7645-8459-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=xNU7E01MCEgC&pg=PA361&dq=%22mind+flayer%22&lr=&as_brr=3&client=opera#PPA361,M1. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 

External links [link]

• Lycanthrope
• Lycanthropes and the Purge