Werewolf for a PC

[Drakkenkin]

I'm working on getting a game up and running in my area. One of the players would like to play a werewolf type character. After talking with him it seems like it will fit in, but I’m not sure how to work it out on paper

I have seen the two major ways to do this (Multiform and Shape Shift) but I'm looking for a mix of the two.

The player would like to keep their skill and combat related abilities while in all the forms (Man, Wolf and Wolfman), but wants each form to have a different feel (change in stats and powers.)

What would a good way to do this?

I was thinking of having him get Shape Shift with stats and physical changes, like bite and claws, with the limitation 'only in X form.'

Then again I could have him get all the skills in his other forms with the multiform. I think this would be cleaner, but I’m not sure how this would play out as the character advances form experience.

What are all of your thoughts on this?

[Nolgroth]

I wrote up the Shape Shift method for a never-played campaign. It isn't precisely a werewolf, but it is close. The total cost of everything I included came out to 89 points, but I added Summon Wolf and Talk to Wolves abilities to the mix. Without those two, it comes out to 58 points.

With the shape shift method, the character will always have access to his other skills. He may not be able to use them depending on the form he's in, but each form will have the same basic skills.

You can do that with mutiform, but I always found it a headache to try and balance the kewl powers and augmented stats with the existing skills.

Just my $0.02.

P.S. If you are interested and have Hero Designer, I can toss the Package Deal file your way. Disadvantages are also included. It would be a base upon which to build whatever else you or your player wanted to add.

[Markdoc]

Then again I could have him get all the skills in his other forms with the multiform. I think this would be cleaner, but I’m not sure how this would play out as the character advances form experience.

What are all of your thoughts on this?

I'd do this. You are right: it's cleaner and will be cheaper than buying "power X only in wolf form" "power Y only in hybrid form" etc. It also covers those cases where a skill is not appropriate. It doesn't matter if you have "seduction" in your human form - that's not going to translate over to your wolf form, even with other wolves. On the other hand, it lets him buy appropriate skills/powers as required to fit concept. There's no problem with simply duplicating much of his human skill set. There's also no problem - as far as I can see - with dropping (or reducing) skills/KS's that are irrelevant and simply saying they just don't function in a different brain.

I've had such a character in my game - a player who wanted to play a hengeyokai (an animal shapeshifter: a rat in his case). I was initially against it, but in fact, it worked out fine.

As for character advancement, that was no problem - the only thing to keep an eye on is that since the multiforms are bought at a discount, that the player doesn't pour all his points into making the wolfman an uber-combat machine - which he then uses every time combat threatens.

cheers, Mark

[Vondy]

Then again I could have him get all the skills in his other forms with the multiform. I think this would be cleaner, but I’m not sure how this would play out as the character advances form experience.

What are all of your thoughts on this?

Like Markdoc, I'd do it this way, for the same basic reasons he states. One thing I would add, however, is that you will want to be clear about what the werewolf mythology is like in the game, and that you and the player have an understanding between the two of you on this. Preconceived notions that do not align are one of the biggest causes of GM-Player tension. Also, it would probably be best if werewolves (or at least some of them), maintained their self-control in their hybrid and wolf forms, but that's just my 2 AP.

[Cancer]

As someone who plays a werewolf character in a Buffy campaign ... you can spice up the roleplaying challenge by having the werewolf form be unable to form coherent spoken words, which is a pretty standard but not universal characteristic of lycanthropes. The player can talk OOC about irrelevancies or game-mechanics stuff during combat, but if they want to communicate in character they have to leave were-form. It definitely makes the play more complicated, especially when you don't remind the other players about the were-form's "speech impediment" when you go into that form. You can take orders but not give them (except by prearranged gesture signal, basically), and you can't make reports or make tactical suggestions. Definitely makes for an interesting roleplaying challenge, at least for me. YMMV.

[Hugh Neilson]

I'd go with Multiform, with a clear understanding up front that no form may ever be based on more total points than the campaign starting points + xp earned. In other words, the player can't spend his first 5 XP to buff one of the three forms by +25 points. If the game is 75+75, and he earns 5 xp, no form can have total points greater than 155.

[Killer Shrike]

Here is a werewolf PC from my Nine Arrows campaign:
Spatzenjagr

[Drakkenkin]

Thanks for the suggestions. I believe I’ll be using the multiform power.

I've talked it over with the player and he seems okay with the concept we have worked out. There will be both Lycanthropic werewolves and the sifter that the player is going to be (still needs a name.) Both have similar traits but the sifter will not be as much of a killing machine (no regen, not as much RPD, ETC.) Also he will not be subject to multiform amnesia nor will he be subject to going Berserk (only a -8 enraged). On the Down side he will have to work with all the stereotypes that people have of Lycanthropic werewolves as most people can not tell them apart... or care to.

I could write up the whole idea if anyone wants.

I like the idea of the "speech impediment" and I'm going to use it thanks.

I’ll also try out the limitation for the multiform suggested by Hugh Neilson. It should help with both the player and I staying on the same page and relieve some of the frustration that could come up.

Also, thanks for the link. It gave me some ideas.

[CraterMaker]

Yeppers, I'd like a peek at him when yer done..

_CraterMaker

[NuSoardGraphite]

I would go with a Multiform version with a Requires Skill Roll limitation and of course and Accidental Change Disadvantage (during full moon or times of stress).

I would also allow the character a small multipower to represent the fact that he can access various aspects of the wolf while still in human form, like the ability to grow claws, or to temporarily take on the senses of the wolf. Of course, this would require a skill roll as well...

[Lord Liaden]

Here are links to a number of different HERO werewolf writeups from various sources. Perhaps they can provide some additional ideas.

A sample from Michael Surbrook's article in Digital Hero #18: http://www.herogames.com/digitalHero...s/d18beast.jsp

A couple of interpretations of the character Oz, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
http://surbrook.devermore.net/adapta.../buffy/oz.html
http://angel.fcpages.com/csoz2.html

Several Package Deals for werewolves from:
D&D - http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/pawerewolf3.html
Palladium - http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/pawerewolf.html
Underworld - http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/pawerewolf2.html