The Loup-Garou

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Thoth

Werewolves are always popular. When you come right down to it, people like wolv
es and dogs, they like the notion of personal power, and they rather like the id
ea of being free of almost all social restrictions. Of course, real wolves are n
othing like that but what are role-playing games about if not a bit of fantasy?
Ergo, by special request, here we have another Eclipse d20 interpretation of the
idea. This version is designed for the Federation-Apocalypse game, but doesn't us
e any special rules from it. It is pretty heavily optimized however, as well as
using the cheesy shapeshifting approach to getting large physical attribute bonu
ses, so it should only be used in other games with great caution.
The Loup-Garou are wolf-spirits but not wolf-spirits like the spirits of real
wolves. They are wolf-spirits as men fearfully imagined wolf-spirits to be. The
y are wolves given human attributes, predatory guardians of the wilderness, cunn
ing and deadly. They are able to communicate with both spirits and beasts, and c
an pass among both wolves and men, concealed by a superficial veil of flesh and
illusion. They are wild and terrible and bear little resemblance to real wolves,
which aren't basically very different from dogs.
Normally the Loup-Garou and related spirit beasts inhabit their own realms, d
eep in the realms of myths and archetypes but in a few shadowy places such spiri
tual realms overlap the more solid realms of men, and those of other myths and t
ales and there there is conflict. The Loup-Garou do not easily give way to those
who despoil or intrude upon the places they consider theirs.
Loup-Garou Racial Modifiers (+1 ECL):
Bestial Form (9 CP)/Shapeshift, with Attribute Modifiers, Hybrid Form with C
lear Speech, and Dire Form, Specialized and Corrupted/wolf-forms only, cannot ac
tually change forms; is locked into hybrid form.
Shape of Death and Incorporeal Forms (6 CP), Specialized/only to add fri
ghtening deathly features to forms (this does not count as a use, given that it
really has no game effect; Loup-Garou are already terrifying) and to assume spir
it-form.
Some worlds allow Loup-Garou in spirit form to possess normal humans
, and manifest through them under some conditions but the mental conflict inhere
nt is such a situation normally leads to the Loup-Garou becoming even more savag
e and bestial than it already is.
+4 Bonus Uses of Shapeshifting (3 CP), Specialized, only to allow assumi
ng incorporeal form.
Net Modifiers: Str +6, Dex +6, Con +4, Low-Light Vision, Scent, +20 Grou
nd Movement, +3 natural armor, 1d8 natural weapons, +4 bonus when tracking by sc
ent, monstrous appearance.
Inherent Toughness (32 CP): +6d4 Hit Dice (needed to qualify for Dire Wolf f
orm at level zero), Corrupted/damage from silver weapons bypasses all hit points
derived from these dice.
Adaptive Shift (15 CP total): Thanks to instinctive low-level shapeshifting,
Loup-Garou can use their strength to help absorb damage, as well as to enhance
their flexibility, agility, and precision.
Augmented Bonus/Adds Str Mod to Con Mod for HP, Specialized/only for bas
e racial and level one through level three hit dice (9 CP).
Augmented Bonus/Adds Str Mod to Dex-Based Skills, Specialized/only while
in Hybrid and Dire Wolf forms, makes the use of heavy armor impractical (3 CP)
Augmented Bonus, Adds Dex Mod to Str-Based Skills, Specialized/only whil
e in Hybrid and Dire Wolf forms, makes the use of heavy armor impractical (3 CP)
.
Regeneration (8 CP): Grant of Aid with +4 Bonus Uses, Specialized for Double
Effect (2d8+10)/restores hit point damage only, Corrupted/will not work against
damage caused acid, fire, amputation, or other tissue-destroying (rather than m
angling) effects.
Nature's Wrath (6 CP): Imbuement/Enhanced Natural Weapons. Loup-Garou claws an
d fangs start off as the equivalent of magical weapons, and will later improve e
ven more.
Inner Rage/Berserker (4 CP). Loup-Garou normally use the standard berserker
package. It is, however, Corrupted/if taunted, provoked, or seriously injured, a
DC 15 Will check is required to avoid flying into a rage and attacking the caus
e. This does not, however, count as a use of the Berserker ability.
Thick Fur/Immunity/natural weather conditions (Common, Minor, Trivial, 3 CP)
. Loup-Garou are resistant to normal extremes of temperature and weather, and ca
n survive them unprotected with ease.
Skill Bonus (18 CP): Loup-Garou have a +3 racial bonus to Survival, Hide, Ju
mp, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot. In conjunction with the Wiles of the Beast
effect (below) this provides a +6 bonus on each of those skills.
Languages (3 CP): The Loup-Garou instinctively speak the tongues of the fey,
of nature spirits, and of canines (even if that is an extremely limited language)
.
Innate Enchantment (16 CP total):
Veil of Flesh: An effect resembling a lesser version of Alter Self which
only works on hybrid forms: the user may opt to look fully human losing their n
atural weapons and armor, but gaining a +2 bonus on charisma-related skill check
s or to look like a full animal, losing their manipulative hands and ability to
use most equipment while gaining a +2 bonus on perception-related checks and +10
ground movement (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x 2000 GP for use-activated
unlimited use x .7 for personal-only = 1400 GP).
Void Sheathe: Clothing and equipment not suited to the user's current form
is automatically shunted into an extradimensional pocket (Spell Level One x Cas
ter Level One x 2000 GP for use-activated unlimited use x .7 for personal-only =
1400 GP).
Speak with Animals (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x 2000 GP for use
-activated unlimited use = 2000 GP).
Gift of the Wolf: +2 Wisdom (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x 2000 G
P for use-activated unlimited use x .7 for personal-only = 1400 GP).
Wrath: +2 Str, +2 Con, +1 Will, -2 AC when in use. (Spell Level One x Ca
ster Level One x 2000 GP for use-activated unlimited use x .7 for personal-only
= 1400 GP).
Wiles of the Beast: Provides a +3 Competence Bonus to Survival, Hide, Ju
mp, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x 2000 G
P for use-activated unlimited use x .7 for personal-only = 1400 GP).
Immunity/Stacking limits when combining innate enchantment effects w
ith external effects (Common, Minor, Trivial only covers L1 effects, 2 CP).
Privilege/Gift of the Wolf and Wiles of the Beast are considered Ext
raordinary Powers rather than Enchantments (3 CP)
Immunity/the normal XP cost of Innate Enchantments (Uncommon, Minor,
Trivial [only covers first level effects at caster level one], Specialized/only
to cover initial racial abilities, 1 CP).
Privilege (3 CP): The Loup-Garou have access to a selection of twelve-po
int package deals of their own, passed on through their bloodlines and from vari
ous totems.
All that adds up to 126 CP quite a bit. Of course, for good or ill, the Loup-
Garou package comes with some serious problems:
They have bestial minds, and are incapable of purchasing magic levels in any
spell progression or of using rune magic, thaumaturgy, dweomer, or theurgy, and
can only take mystic artist, channeling, or path of the dragon abilities with s
pecial permission from the game master. If they want magic, they usually have to
rely on favors, witchcraft, rituals, and innate abilities.
As nature spirits, they are considered fey creatures, and are affected by ef
fects which target the fey or nature spirits, as well as by those which target s
hapeshifters.
They have powerful canine instincts, which they must sometimes make (DC GMO)
Will checks to avoid giving in to.
As guardians of nature, they are primary targets for the undead, aberrant ho
rrors, pseudonatural opponents, and similar creatures and usually return the fav
or by hating such things quite unreasonably.
They have a predatory aura, which tends to frighten normal creatures (-3 to
all social checks) even when they're disguised as humans or normal animals. In the
ir true form they tend to provoke terror in normal folks, defiance and attacks f
rom adventurers, and panic animals.
They must regularly consume large amounts of raw meat and (preferably) the v
ital energies of live prey.
They regard themselves as guardians of the natural world, and can't get points
for taking duties or other disadvantages that overlap with those responsibiliti
es.
Overall, that's enough to make the entire package Specialized reducing the cost
to +1 ECL instead of the +3 ECL that would normally amount to. Of course, that
also lets them in for enormous amounts of trouble, which is why they get a price
break in the first place.