Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Lycanthrope - Fletnern Rules

Even a man who is pure in heart
and says his prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.

OK - but which moon? Fletnern has three: Beagodon, Seuwis and Tilliat. Beagodon is most closely associated with natural magic and it is the most powerful moon concerning were-creatures. Seuwis, although being considered the “Death Moon”, has very little effect on lycans. Many people believe this proves that were-creatures are not “evil” by nature, but it simply proves that the magic surrounding the changes are not associated with necromancy. Tilliat surprisingly enough does have some impact on the werefolk, but not as much as Beagodon. The reason for this is most likely that it produces the strongest moonlight of all three and therefore has some impact.
OK - let’s make some rules. Beagodon is full for three nights, while Tilliat is only full for one. (Seuwis is full for three as well, but it doesn’t matter.) Beagodon is strongly waxing (almost full) for four nights, while Tilliat is strongly waxing for two. These are going to be the only conditions that will cause a were-creature to change unintentionally.
We’re introducing a new skill: Lycan Control. This is a 5-point Willpower based skill. It will allow the were-person to either resist the changes brought on by the moon cycles or force themselves to change when the conditions are not right. Let’s focus on forced changes first. Each combination of moon cycles will lead to a percentage chance that the person will change into their animal form. This percentage can be resisted (if the character chooses) by their Willpower (x5% as with any resistance) and their Lycan Control levels (also x5%). OK - so here is the chart:
Beagodon Tilliat Seuwis Chance of Turning
Full Full No Effect 105%
Full Strg. Wane No Effect 90%
Full No Effect No Effect 70%
Strg. Wane Full No Effect 70%
Strg. Wane Strg. Wane No Effect 55%
Strg. Wane No Effect No Effect 35%
No Effect Full No Effect 35%
No Effect Strg. Wane No Effect 20%
No Effect No Effect No Effect 0%
Full Full Full 125%
We’re going to throw a curve ball at this. Anyone without Lycan Control levels suffers a -15% to their resistance. No, that is not a normal issue, but it seems appropriate to alter the rule in this specific case.
Let’s think about some examples. A new werewolf who has a Willpower of 5 and no Lycan Control levels, has a 105% chance of turning, less his 10% resistance (Wx5% - 15% non-skilled), or a 95% chance of turning. A more experienced werewolf with a Willpower of 6 and three levels would only have a 60% chance of turning (105%-Wx5%-Level x5%). Still, not a good option for the villagers nearby. If only Beagodon is full in the sky, and Tilliat offers no modifier (either because it is not strong or not visible), the new werewolf will have a 60% chance of turning (70% base - (Wx5%-15% non-skilled)), while our more experienced lycan will have a 25% of losing control and turning (70%-30%-15%). As you can see, even an experienced lycan is highly likely to change on the Festival of the Three Moons.
Remember, as long as the were-creature can maintain a Knowledge of 2 and a Psyche of 2, they can use their own skills and form their own thoughts. They will not become vicious killing machines with an appetite for human flesh. (cool imagery though, huh?)

Lycanthrope should be different on every planet. The moons are different, and they exert different effects on the people that live under their reflected light. Many might think that these rules are too soft on the lycans and allow them a chance to resist the call of the wild. They are supposed to be. Lycanthrope is not intended to be unbearable on Fletnern, but hat doesn’t mean that you need to make it easy on your lycans on your game world!

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