Embracing the Beast

Lycanthropes represent the best of two worlds. They are as man, but better, stronger, faster. They are man, but with spirituality and a closer knit community. They are primal power and instinct melded with intellect, reason and planning. They represent the best fusion of man and beast, and in that vein are both atavistic and modern.

When choosing to make a lycanthrope, we recommend considering some of the following questions:

• What kind of Lycanthrope do I want to be?
  • Not all of the lycanthropes are equal with some being physically larger or having different social dynamics and instincts. Consider the group arrangements of the different species of lycans before making a choice. Some are relatively solitary and others are more social. Some prefer to run in groups, others only get together when they absolutely have to. Allow us a shameless plug - Might we suggest one of the Freak Breeds for a little slice of something old with new spice?
• What rank should I be?
  • While Alphas might be physically and spiritually more imposing, dangerous, and generally fearsome, Omegas and Betas offer something unique to each of the groups. This uniqueness may stem from powers or abilities, but also applies to mindsets. Some Omegas are Omegas not because they are submissive, but because they do not care to struggle for dominance.
• Where did your character get infected? How did they get infected? Are they in closet or open about their lycanthropy?
  • Some strains of lycanthropy are easier to contract to others, and some represent strains with creatures not native to Denver, or even the United States in general.
• How does your character view their lycanthropy?
  • Do they consider it a blessing or a curse? Do they enjoy their bestial side or do they repress it? Does it interfere with their 'normal' life or is it integrated into their normal life? Does their animal reflect on their human personality or is it a struggle to reconcile the two halves?

Innate Powers & Abilities

• Awakened Spirit - After their first change, lycanthropes develop a spirit which is attached to, and indivisible from, their own human spirit. This animal soul, or beast, as it is sometimes called is not so much a separate individual as it is the manifestation of the lycanthrope's animal side. This spirit twin has a personality that mirrors the human, sometimes with a few quirks. Some of a lycanthrope's powers derive from this infusion of spirit energy and the beast is the source of the animal instincts which can and sometimes will override the human soul's impulses, especially as the moon waxes.
  • The beast exists on the astral plane, and in general is immune to harm from physical or supernatural sources. The spirit cannot even be perceived except by other lycanthropes and vampires of the Master of Beasts bloodline.
  • In addition, the awakened spirit gives the ability for lycanthropes of the same species to share in a sort of common tongue. Wolves can communicate through howls and yips, rats can communicate to other wererats by chittering. This unique language is only among lycanthropes of the same species, and is a mixture of noises, sounds, body language, and pheromones.
• Change Form - All lycanthropes have access to their usual human form and the shape of the animal whose lycanthropy they are infected with. The animal form a lycanthrope takes is usually much larger and heavier than normal for its species. Changing shapes usually takes several minutes. To change into animal form is an excruciatingly painful experience and one that requires vast amounts of energy. Body temp spikes in the moments before a change, bones break and reshape, and the whole body contorts. All lycanthropes must shift sometime during the three day duration of the full moon.
• Frenzy - All animals have a flight or fight instinct that can 'activate' at times of high stress or in dire circumstances. Lycanthropes also have this particular instinct. When a lycanthrope's life is danger such as from lack of food after a shift coma, when faced with mortal peril, or times of high emotional stress there is a chance the lycanthrope will succumb to a frenzy.
  • There are three types of frenzy: feeding, berserk, or flight. During a feeding frenzy, a lycanthrope attacks the nearest food source with the intent to kill it and eat it. The lycanthrope will not stop attacking its selected meal until it is dead and will ignore other threats to consume its prey. During a berserk frenzy, the lycanthrope lashes out at the threat and does not stop attacking until the threat is dead or they are. During a flight frenzy, the lycanthrope flees the area by the fastest and most immediate means available to it. It only attacks individuals that bar its path and does so only to the extent necessary to escape. In all cases, it is rare for a frenzied lycanthrope to turn on his group (pack, pard, rodere, etc.).
  • During a frenzy lycanthrope does not feel pain, regenerates at a substantially increased rate and is not rational until the situation that provoked the frenzy is resolved.
• Infection - In almost every strain of lycanthropy, contact with bodily fluids while the lycanthrope is in animal or a hybrid shape has a chance to infect someone with the disease. In addition, contact with their blood even in human form will pass on the contagion.
  • In no case can a vampire become infected with any strain of lycanthropy.
  • Psychics and magicians almost always lose all of the powers they had before as the lycanthropy burns away previous gifts.
  • Necromancers that become infected lose all of their abilities as the powers of death are overwritten by the lycanthropy. If a Necromancer does become infected with lycanthropy, the bonds with the servants are broken. This is likely to induce psychic shock/coma, but the parties bound will live.
  • A person can only be infected with a single strain of lycanthropy, and lycanthrope vaccines must be administered before the first full moon change to be effective.
• Shift Depletion & Shift Comas - The vast quantities of energy expended by the transformation into animal form must come from somewhere. Typically, lycanthropes must eat immediately after transforming into their animal forms or suffer the risk of frenzy or starvation and inability to return to human shape. Upon obtaining food, the lycanthrope can enjoy its animal shape for as long as it pleases. While in its animal form, a lycanthrope is at its strongest, fastest and enjoys there sharpest sensory acuity. Upon returning to human form, the lycanthrope is exhausted and must sleep for an extended period of time, after which they will awaken ravenous. This "shift coma" can last anywhere between 10 and 12 hours for Omega lycanthropes, with decreasing time required for Beta and Alpha lycanthropes.
• Supernatural Dexterity - Lycanthropes are more agile, faster, and have substantially increased reflexes compared to human beings. All lycanthropes can run faster than the human eye can see. They can equal or even outrun vampires in their speed, depending on their age. Their speed is not as great in their human form (becoming merely superhuman), though they still move faster the mere humans.
• Supernatural Endurance - Lycanthropes are supernatural creatures and they do not grow tired quite like normal people do. Lycanthropes are able to run at an easy pace for hours without tiring, jog for even longer, and are capable of spending days in a row awake without suffering loss of function. They are immune to most diseases, poisons and drugs (legal or otherwise) unless a dose is sufficiently high enough to offset the lycanthrope's metabolism or specifically created to target lycanthropes.
  • This increase in fortitude comes at a price though. A lycanthrope's metabolism is a potent thing, one that must be fed regularly and in large doses. Lycanthropes have higher body temperatures than normal people with temperatures over 102 being considered normal. This temperature is a sign of their rapidly functioning metabolism and lycanthropes must eat at least twice as much food as normal humans. Lycanthropes that do not take in the minimum amount of food rapidly begin losing power, strength, speed, and their ability to think, as their bodies burn away muscle, bone, and tissue. The larger the animal of the strain of lycanthropy, the more food and water must be taken in. Because of this increased metabolism, Lycanthropes are also vulnerable to drowning, and have higher respiration rates the normal human beings.
• Supernatural Healing & Regeneration - Lycanthropes can recover from almost any wound other than those caused by silver weapons or fire, and even very weak individuals heal faster than humans. Transformation can allow a lycanthrope to regrow freshly lost limbs and critical body parts, although if the injuries are extensive or repeated they might not heal in entirety with a single transformation. If a lycanthrope is too weak from their injuries to transform, some very powerful individuals can force them to change shape to save their life. Alpha lycanthropes, by dint of their increased supernatural power, heal faster than Beta lycanthropes, and Betas will heal faster than Omega lycanthropes. Their regeneration slows in their human form (becoming merely superhuman), though they still heal faster the mere humans.
• Supernatural Senses - Lycanthropes have acute senses, even in human form. Richard could "smell" emotions or lies. Nathaniel could hear a person's heart beat or the blood moving in the body, even in human form. Their senses sharpen further when in animal or hybrid form. It is nearly impossible for a living person, lycan or otherwise, to lie to another lycan. They hear the changes of heart rate, smell the increase of stress chemicals excreted in sweat, and see the way pupils dilate. Their senses are less acute in their human form (becoming merely superhuman), though they still have better senses than mere humans.
• Supernatural Strength - Lycanthropes strength seems to depend on their actual size and their level of supernatural power. Their strength is on par with vampires and they are fully able to fight off and even overpower them. Omegas are substantially stronger than humans, Betas will overpower Omegas, and Alphas will overpower both. Their strength is lesser in their human form (becoming merely superhuman), though they are still far stronger than humans.
• Draw the Spirit - Reserved to the leaders of the group (Pack, Rodere, Pard, etc.), this power allows the leader of the group to draw on the collective power of the group in order to conduct and empower group rituals, or to channel more power into resisting the call of very powerful vampires. This ability can be dangerous if the leader is drawing on the strength of subordinate animals as it draws power from those lower in the hierarchy first. This means that if an Ulfric or Nimir-Raj is thoughtless or distracted the Omegas may be killed during the process. Fortunately, with a bit of care, the leader can adjust how much power he draws from which rungs of the hierarchy. This power is inherited automatically when a lycanthrope takes over leadership of the group and can be shared with a bonded mate (such as a Nimir-Raj and a Nimir-Ra, Rex & Regina, etc.).

Weaknesses

• Silver - Lycanthropes are effectively allergic to silver and feel physical pain from even skin contact. Some lycanthropes enjoy silver jewelry for this very reason. Wounds caused by silver weapons heal much more slowly than other wounds.
• Silver Nitrate - Burns like silver and prevents healing until removed from the wound, and even after heals slowly.
• Fire - Damage caused by fire heals human-slow.
• Massive Damage - The healing abilities of lycanthropes can be overwhelmed by sufficient trauma, that damages multiple places or in multiple ways all at the same time. An example would be fully automatic weapons fire, or being attacked by multiple individuals.

Power Limits