I always found the disease and curse dynamic very interesting. It's so complex that it basically has to be the work of a God or something else incredibly powerful in the game's mythos. The weaving of magic and biology into such a potent weapon is most definitely beyond a mortal sorcerer.
@@reaper_exd7498 in certain examples, they made themselves. A sorcerer might've made them, though if you read Xanathar's Guide to Everything, then you will find Beholder Lore surrounding the Beholder Xanathar's perspective, stating they dream themselves into existence.
@@BlueNEXUSGaming the beholder dreaming bit and coming from the far realm is where it has seemed to settle. Don't think Greenwood is budging on it. He loves em too much. They're elminsters old "foils"
Having done some cursory research of lycanthropy a while ago: When you mentioned "don't know about silver" at 7:25, what I've found is that since Lycanthropy (and several other "curses", such as miasma) was once believed to be a disease, the natural anti-bacterial properties of silver made silver charms and cutlery very popular in those eras. While that actual property of silver wasn't known as such, it was well documented that silver would tarnish in the presence of specific poisons, which helped common folk believe it warded off evil. Recently, I read a book where this was explained as lycanthropy was actually a legit bacterial infection, and silver would destroy any infection it touched. However, as the hybrid form was so intertwined with the actual human, this ended up fatal more often than helpful.
I just want to add that the concept of a "silver bullet" being the one thing that can kill a werewolf has been a big thing in pop culture for almost a century now. Lots of werewolf films and other media (including a recently released video game I won't name in case of spoilers but if you know, you know) involve this trope. In the context of D&D alone it might seem random that lycanthropes are weak to silver, but when they wrote werewolves into the world(s) they probably just didn't change much from what people already expected of them (and likely assumed no one would question it).
@@uggron666 If I recall correctly, the silver bullet idea came from the myth of the Beast of Gévaudan, which was a large wolf like creature that preyed upon a French village, killing women and children. There were two main expeditions to hunt down the beast, the first headed by nobility and the second by the peasants of the town. It was during this second attempt that what was presumed to be the beast killed by the hunter Jean Chastel with a silver bullet.
@@thewanderer1317 "Some authors asserted that the idea of the werewolf's supposed vulnerability to silver dates back to the Beast of Gévaudan, a man-eating animal killed by the hunter Jean Chastel in the year 1767. However, the allegations of Chastel purportedly using a gun loaded with silver bullets are derived from a distorted detail[4] based primarily on Henri Pourrat's Histoire fidèle de la bête en Gévaudan (1946). In this novel, the French writer imagines that the beast was shot thanks to fictitious medals of the Virgin Mary, worn by Jean Chastel in his hat and then melted down to make bullets." From the silver bullet wikipedia page - I thought it might interest you.
@@uggron666 I had always heard that a silver bullet (dipped in holy water) was originally against vampires, and that it wasn't until the 20th century that the 'silver bullet' thing also was taken as an anti werewolf weapon. This might explain where she got het idea from.
I would love to see a series or a video on Yuan-ti! I know there is some confusing and conflicting lore on their history. Still not sure if it was the Sarrukh or some serpent gods turning humans into the Yuan-ti.
interesting. The Loup Garro of raven loft book introduces those EXACT cure mechanics. Requiring to cast remove curse on the full moon with the saving throw you must also pass
I love how because of white wolf(vampire ,werewolf etc). Have been mainstreamed. Loup garou was unheard of before them... Other than of course France heh... Since it is just werewolf in french)think it's the elder of the terms ass well heh). Funny that. Can't wait till ppl start using philodox and ahroun moon phases heh...or theurge...
For some reason, my characters have been prone to Lycanthrope. I've had different characters become a Weretiger, Wererat, and Werewolf. Each with varying results. The first was ruled a fever dream, for balance reasons. The second got a homebrew ala Grimhollow. The last was cured ala remove curse, I didn't particularly feel safe being a lycanthrope in Strahd's domain. Fun times.
Just wanted to say that I'm really appreciating you making the efforts to delve into the lore as much as you do, and now also expanding the game's mechanics based on that, when you find them lacking. A great way to have a lasting effect on the game.
Swear to God, Rhexx goes through his script and finds the 1 word he's going to use more than any other, and goes, "That's the word I'm going to say wrong 300 times." Lycan-trope, the act of overusing lycans.
I'm just gonna take a moment to appreciate the Fact you took the time to mention on how "Therianthrope" is the proper term for the collective whole of were-creatures, even if it was just a Foot Note~ That alone, got me to Like the video~ (not that I needed any more incentive than the Content provided~)
Fun fact: the thumbnail of this video isn’t from DnD, but from the Fighting Fantasy gamebook “Howl of the Werewolf” by Jonathan Green (2007). It was rated the best Fighting Fantasy book of all by Fighting Fantazine. I highly recommend it!
24:02 this reminds me of what I read about the church of Malar, which I thought was very interesting. They're chaotic or neutral evil lycanthropes that hunt people, but if their quarry bests them and gets away they'll respect that and let them go. Part of their dogma is to "not hunt the young or pregnant, that prey may be plentiful". In the lean winter months, they even hold a festival where they hunt to provide food for nearby communities. It's paradoxical, but you can see the logic. Also, weredolphins sound ridiculous at face value but given how nasty actual dolphins are, they could actually be more terrifying than werewolves.
I loved the Creature Crucible: Night Howlers D&D book. I couldn't tell you how many times I sat in study hall reading it instead of doing my schoolwork...
This is why tabletop gaming enthusiasts like yourself are great for the community! Monster classes that are balanced enough to adventure side-by-side with more 'conventional' classes is cool, but not having a character's story END with being changed into a lycanthrope or otherwise is EPIC storytelling potential!
Great video. I remember when I had a character who was struck with lycanthropy and my party knew it and we decided we were going to weaponize it before curing it. So I was set up to be captured by the BBEG. When the enemy had me they didn't know this little fact and in the middle of the their "interrogation" my character transformed and tore the enemy apart from the inside Making it easier for us to complete our mission. Our DM was kinda pissed that we did this because everyone that was in the enemy fortress was killed including the 1st lieutenant of the BBEG.
That's actually really clever. Too many GMs get salty over players being clever and playing the game to their advantage and not along some preset story beats.
@@evan11711 this is the same DM that ultimately banned me from playing the Divination Wizard because he didn't like how I could essentially control the outcome of everything. Then again that build was pretty busted
Glad to hear you're doing alright my guy, and sorry to hear you caught COVID. I was just rewatching your vids in the planar series and hoping last night (rather selfishly) something new would be coming out soon! Your videos are legitimately incredible to vibe to while driving. Love your work man, and I hope to see more soon! ❤
I really like the concepts behind how the class works, it's fun for everyone but not wishy washy in your lycanthropy transformation like other classes that try to do the same things. Clear weaknesses too, which is rare in this edition and something that I think we need more of.
Your videos have always been the primary source for my campaign ideas and character involvement. And speaking of inspiration... To all fellow viewers with the ability to do so, I HIGHLY recommend getting some of MrRhexx's books. They're relatively affordable, most of the balancing math for monsters and classes seems to be checking out so far, and they're LOADED with lore. Only, it's not just lore, it's also mechanics, magic items, and features that have already inspired upcoming adventures in my campaign (especially the, "Ring of Ascendancy" from the Dragon hoards book and all the plots that can weave around it). Although, if you're UNCOMFORTABLE with the SUCCUBUS monster class, I'll have you know that even if you got the book and ignored that option completely, the Deva and Ghost alone are SO SO worth it! I'd still recommend at least reading about the succubus, because MrRhexx makes an effort to convey that while you can play an evil monster, you can also play a being who was cursed and is seeking redemption (without using her body/powers for sin). Anyways, good books, just saved up spare cash and combined with b-day money to finally get all three of these. Totally worth it.
I'm reminded of this one homebrew character I played a few years ago, a Lycan Warcleric who never reverted to his human form. It was very fun rping him, purely because of how the DM structured his race as a Lycan and how he chose when and if he ever dropped the Lycan form, which he only did once to sneak into a prison and break out a prisoner and never did again
This video was really good, and the class sounds incredibly cool. I'll be buying that class. You've done a great job finally convincing me. Edit: Wow! I hadn't even noticed you included a Dragon class too. Awesome!
You should make a mini series called "What *I* don't tell you about monster classes" where you discuss your PDFs from a meta game perspective, like you did at the end of this video. Talking about how to spread your stats, what builds are good for what situations, etc.
Of all its forms I must say the wareweasel is my favorite. It’s simply so interesting how you described it in your Kobold video. Also I can’t wait for a Hobgoblin video.
Awesome video! I do love to see some of the lycan concepts where you can train to control yourself even with the new urges, so the alignment doesn't change, but you do have new temptations. Your lycan class seems great too! Reminds me a lot of blood hunter lycan. The risk/reward, embracing nature's strength vs keeping your humanity is a fun game fantasy!
In my Tyranny of Dragons campaign, one player was an Elf Druid/Cleric, devoted to Selune, Goddess of the moon. She allied with a group of good-aligned werewolf followers of Selune, and eventually underwent a ritual with them to gain a controllable induced lycanthropy.
Loved the video though it's a shame wereravens weren't mentioned too much, I know the video was more about the generalities of lycanthropy but for as much as the werewolf, bear or rat were mentioned, wereravens are super cool and unfortunately not talked about or known too much. I hope you consider adding a wereraven subclass to a future Monster Classes book or bringing attention to wereravens in general! Still very much love your video and channel though!
Can you do a necromancer book? I feel like the options for undead magic are really unexplored in 5e and with old mechanics like grafting and maybe adding a corpsecrafting ability there could finally be something for the more gruesome sciences Plus there needs to be a proper necromancer class
Minus ten points of intelligence for transformation, I'm just imagining a low intelligence character getting infected and the prospect is hilarious and terrifying. Really great vid! Hope you feel better soon. Also I mentioned on a previous vid, but if you're looking for more playable monster classes to mull over I'm definitely still interested in Salamanders. Your video on them was really fantastic and it sounds like for all their power they got the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. Definitely intrigued. Also playable Ithilids would be wild as hell.
I played a werewolf cleric in a short campaign I just ended yesterday. He was a small sort of Egyptian guy with anger issues. The party were all non-spellcasters (rogue, monk, ranger and a schizofrenic gnome who switched between stats). None were aware of my abilities and due to my light domain features I wasn't hit until late game. He was one of my favourite characters and saved the party twice. He purposfully infected himself and was fun to roleplay.
This was by the way in a short campaign and was just a test. We were only allowed to use the basic books (the players were not that experienced) and the dm and I discussed it and it was only allowed if I played a non central role in the group and agreed to be followed by a band of paladins who wanted my skin.
You should take a look at the 2e lore and details on Lycanthropy. Van Richten guide to wear beast is very detailed on the types of Lycanthropy, each types weakness and cures, and the curses
I have always wanted to see a propper class centered around delibitating poisons and the wererat makes me very happy. Having read the ogre and lycanthropes there is a lot of very fun and unique ideas. Very happy with the purchase and cant wait to continue reading the other classes!
got one player who got lycanthrope not long ago and got a new player in my other game whos gonna play a lycanthrope from the beginning. This was HUGELY helpful
I would like to see a video on Driders. Their history is always changing. First they were rejects, then they were worshipped, then rejects again. I would like to see what they are now
I think in current 5e they are living rejects of loth, but depending on how the high priestess is feeling that day, driders can be used as additional muscle or complete outcasts. Killing a Drider is usually frowned on because it under minds the threat Loth is making, don’t show mercy or pity to the unworthy, and server results without fail or you end up like your naboure.
I'm getting this book. I wont be able to buy it for a week. But I have been complaining about there being no Lycanthrope books for dnd. I find it interesting we used the same stat system for the lycanthrope (and yes I do mean werewolf) mental interactions. Also, thank you for portraying Ravenloft, I have been basing alot of my game off of the same classic approach, disease, curse, etc. Actually I'm pretty mich going to memorize this clip now. Your stuff is too perfect.
It just popped into my mind I don't think MrRhexx has done a video half-dragons. I mean in the series of every dragon they're mentioned but I thought there'd be enough to make atleast a shorter video. They're also really cool!
This needs to be the next expansion for 5e. This is way more expensive and a lot more interesting than what we saw with Tasha‘s. Hope you feel better soon
Interesting timing, the party in my campaign just recently entered a city who’s criminal underground is ruled by a lycanthrope gang. They unknowingly killed a gang turncoat and now have to decide whether to make a dangerous enemy or ally of the gang.
Wow almost a million subs on this channel. Fuck I need to start a channel where I talk out my ass about things I don’t understand and call it “what they don’t tell you about xyz”. Fill it with blathering about things I have read and cover up with “well we don’t really know why xxx” lol. You’re an inspiration!
One thing on your lycanthrope class.aybe make the int/cha scores to a minimum of 2 or 3. When a character goes to a int of 1, it forgets how to walk, make noise, and generally exist, when 2-3 you can still move, and communicate to a limited degree. A cha score of 1 would essentially turn you into a wall. You don't react to things, make noises, or generally do anything. Just a pointer, because a lot of people will take that rules as written and make thier int 11 player paralyzed until they turn back.
For the transformation feature I would probably change the intelligence and charisma penalties from a -10 and -15 to a -5 and then -10 because there’s a chance that you’ll go into the negatives and basically become comatose while transformed. Awesome video and I think that it was really creative how you worked these monsters into playable classes, especially the illness feature of the wererats
Very interesting watch! I'm currently playing a beast barbarian whose grandfather was directly cursed by Malar to be a lycanthrope so there is a lot to think about in here.
Two of my curse of Strahd players just got infected with lycanthropy. One embraced, the other resisted but failed. I'm setting the full moon 7 days from the current night. I'll send the cleric of the group (who wasn't affected) the information on how to cure the curse. I'm not going to follow the rules to the letter on how I'm running it (mostly because I think the player losing control of his character permanently is a dissatisfying conclusion when I could make an entire adventure out of curing the curse), but your videos are definitely informing how I want to run it
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has thought of this but, what about dragonthropes? Or drakenthrope? Imagine a dragon being affected by lycanthropy and being bitten by that dragon, would that person then turn into a part wolf/dragon aberration? This is one wild homebrew idea that I would love to see explored.
Good to have you back with your in depth lore videos, I hope the Covid you got is making its way out and you are on the way to a full recovery! I’m excited at the prospect of a lycanthrope series, especially for the boar since they don’t get alot of love and possibly sharks since they seem canon but aren’t in any source books as far as I know
hey my dude, amazing work glad to see someone fleshout the "Monsters" that can be played. Id suggest you look into Jhebbal Sag as a lead on a Lycanthrope deity as he is The Lord of Beasts and men who become as beasts so it makes sense to me.
Ok, you know what? Fuck it. When I get some spare money, I'm getting your Monster Classes books. This one class sounds so cool and I can't wait to see what else you made. Plus the price is very manageable.
23:13 Wait. Could this spell be cast using a vial of human blood to turn someone into a wereman? Like a primal hunting human, but bigger, tougher and feral? Could this be used to essentially turn anyone into a raging barbarian for 3 nights a month against their will?
Wer is already "man", so turning a man into a man man would just still be a man, so if anything it would have to roll on RNG bellcurve table/2d6 to see if you become big primal 25% neanderthal man, weak man, dead man, regular dude in a suit aka wageslave man, strongman (complete with fake bubble weights AND real weights) or in the case of snake eyes Prince Adam.
In the Setting of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, The reason why Werebeasts are Vulnerable to Silver is because their Great power(Basically everything that makes them Werebeasts) is a Gift from Luna (the Spirit/Goddess of the Moon), and The Silver Lady Demands a Price for the power she grants, And Silver is the Material that Symbolically Represents her so she made them vulnerable to HER Metal. Seeing as Werebeasts Still Clearly have a Bond with the Moon, as shown by the fact that they Have a hard time Controlling their transformations During the Full Moon, so it would make sense that a similar thing could be happening here. (Then again, when your "Weakness" is basically just "you Treat hits from weapons made of this material the same as would anyone else instead of resisting it" I'm not sure that it's Much of a "weakness")
Thank you for doing this video, big fan of lycanthropes ever sense I was little, But I Really hope you get well. I don't care how long you need to go on break, do what you need to do to take care of yourself.
I love the idea at the start of lycanthropes being super spreaders of disease. It's a cool way to explain how it gets around so much in fantasy settings while adding a unique twists to your version of them. In regards to the later parts of the video, I am a bit confused on one thing though. At 17:20 you say non-lycanthrope genes mixed with lycanthrope dilutes the abilities and such with each generation of offspring but I feel like you gave the opposite impression when talking about the origins of it at 15:00 and when discussing true lycanthropes in general.
Great to have you back with a vid. Werecreatures are a super cool topic, so seeing them explored is awesome. A few ideas of mine would be videos for Corellon, Bahamut and Archfey, if one of those catches your fancy xD
Glad to see you're back! Covid sucks :/ Just got the PDF, and I definitely like the new class options available; However, for the dragon class specifically I feel as though the frightening presence ability at 3rd level should be kicked up to a higher level, as should at will casting of detect magic. Both seem kinda strong when added with other abilities at the level they are presented. In addition; since they already get ability score improvements at levels 4 , 8 , ect. the draconic supremacy trait should only add to the maximum, not the current ability scores. but that's just me
As mentioned in some comments, silver is an antibacterial material. Silver spoons and such back in the day helped against disease. So the idea of silver hurting a were-creature makes some kind of sense against the disease side of it. :)
I bought the pdf and I really like the dragon and Lycanthrope, but I was most exited about the ogre (I love playing big beefy tanks). I do like the ogre... but having absolutely no subclass options mean there's almost no mechanical customisation so you're really locked in if you decide to play it. Basically all I'm saying is I'd like to see some subclasses or some other method of customisation to give the class some more replayability. BTW loved the vid it's good to have you back making these amazing lore deep dives
I'm working on my own TTRPG that's DnD parallel (Like Pathfinder) with some folks, and in it, we've made Were-beasts a product of the Fey, which in this world are on a class close to gods, at least the more powerful ones are. Druids are essentially clerics of Fey, and their beast forms is a controlled form of lycanthropy.
The change to Werewolf (the original were form of legend if I recall correctly) was always associated with the full moon. Historically in myth, legend, astrologically and symbolically in many religions (Judeo Christianity is not alone) the moon has long been associated with the color silver. Thus silver, the color belonging to the moon can hurt a werewolf - especially when the moon is full - because the moon is at its maximum power vs. the curse and the werewolf is at its most vulnerable.
Because we're talking about lycanthropes and Shifters, I'd like to point out a couple of official 5e sourcebooks. "Eberron : Rising from the Last War" has player race stats for Shifters, including different subraces of Shifter. "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft" has Were Ravens in it as NPC/Monster statblocks.
My player wanted to be a were owl for our campaign. Now I have a flying spell slinging wizard who rushes first into every fight. It's kind of fun. The other players appreciate it because he can test the damage monsters can do without being overly at risk. He does take double damage from silver and suffers from poison if he fails a con save
Check out the Lycanthrope class I wrote here! www.mrrhexx.shop/ Let me know what you think :D
Covid-brofist!
It succed!
😁
There you are, was worried about you; Covid eh?. no bueno, great to see you’re okay/have you back. ☺️
Hope you get better soon.
Silver is considered a Purifying metal if I remember right from 2nd & 3.5th edition. This is why it does dmg to lycanthropes & undead.
Yes!!! Finally!!! You have made me so happy with this lol any chance you're going to do lore on GrimmHollows or do videos more on your books?
I always found the disease and curse dynamic very interesting. It's so complex that it basically has to be the work of a God or something else incredibly powerful in the game's mythos. The weaving of magic and biology into such a potent weapon is most definitely beyond a mortal sorcerer.
For a moment I though you were talking about MrRexx and covid, not the actual topic of the video...
Idk. Isnt the Beholder supposed to be made by a sorcerer of some sort?
@@reaper_exd7498
in certain examples, they made themselves. A sorcerer might've made them, though if you read Xanathar's Guide to Everything, then you will find Beholder Lore surrounding the Beholder Xanathar's perspective, stating they dream themselves into existence.
I find your Wording of Lycanthropes as "weapons" Rather... Worrying... Also don't underestimate a Sorcerer or Wizard casting Wish
@@BlueNEXUSGaming the beholder dreaming bit and coming from the far realm is where it has seemed to settle. Don't think Greenwood is budging on it. He loves em too much. They're elminsters old "foils"
Having done some cursory research of lycanthropy a while ago: When you mentioned "don't know about silver" at 7:25, what I've found is that since Lycanthropy (and several other "curses", such as miasma) was once believed to be a disease, the natural anti-bacterial properties of silver made silver charms and cutlery very popular in those eras. While that actual property of silver wasn't known as such, it was well documented that silver would tarnish in the presence of specific poisons, which helped common folk believe it warded off evil.
Recently, I read a book where this was explained as lycanthropy was actually a legit bacterial infection, and silver would destroy any infection it touched. However, as the hybrid form was so intertwined with the actual human, this ended up fatal more often than helpful.
I just want to add that the concept of a "silver bullet" being the one thing that can kill a werewolf has been a big thing in pop culture for almost a century now. Lots of werewolf films and other media (including a recently released video game I won't name in case of spoilers but if you know, you know) involve this trope.
In the context of D&D alone it might seem random that lycanthropes are weak to silver, but when they wrote werewolves into the world(s) they probably just didn't change much from what people already expected of them (and likely assumed no one would question it).
@@uggron666 If I recall correctly, the silver bullet idea came from the myth of the Beast of Gévaudan, which was a large wolf like creature that preyed upon a French village, killing women and children. There were two main expeditions to hunt down the beast, the first headed by nobility and the second by the peasants of the town. It was during this second attempt that what was presumed to be the beast killed by the hunter Jean Chastel with a silver bullet.
@@thewanderer1317 "Some authors asserted that the idea of the werewolf's supposed vulnerability to silver dates back to the Beast of Gévaudan, a man-eating animal killed by the hunter Jean Chastel in the year 1767. However, the allegations of Chastel purportedly using a gun loaded with silver bullets are derived from a distorted detail[4] based primarily on Henri Pourrat's Histoire fidèle de la bête en Gévaudan (1946). In this novel, the French writer imagines that the beast was shot thanks to fictitious medals of the Virgin Mary, worn by Jean Chastel in his hat and then melted down to make bullets." From the silver bullet wikipedia page - I thought it might interest you.
@@uggron666 Ah danke schön
@@uggron666 I had always heard that a silver bullet (dipped in holy water) was originally against vampires, and that it wasn't until the 20th century that the 'silver bullet' thing also was taken as an anti werewolf weapon. This might explain where she got het idea from.
I would love to see a series or a video on Yuan-ti!
I know there is some confusing and conflicting lore on their history. Still not sure if it was the Sarrukh or some serpent gods turning humans into the Yuan-ti.
I would love a breakdown of yuan-ti too. Very cool snake people!
This
A man of culture aswell I see
AJ made a good video about them.
Not sure if you still want it if we're going by 5th cuz they pulled a lot of the lore out cuz "it's problematic "
interesting. The Loup Garro of raven loft book introduces those EXACT cure mechanics. Requiring to cast remove curse on the full moon with the saving throw you must also pass
The werewolf, no contest against... FUEGO!!... oh, loup garou... Uh oh.
I love how because of white wolf(vampire ,werewolf etc). Have been mainstreamed. Loup garou was unheard of before them... Other than of course France heh... Since it is just werewolf in french)think it's the elder of the terms ass well heh). Funny that. Can't wait till ppl start using philodox and ahroun moon phases heh...or theurge...
@@WaltRBuck the building was on fire. And it wasn't my fault
The only weird thing bout the Garou is when you kill the Alpha it removes the curse from others it infected.
For some reason, my characters have been prone to Lycanthrope. I've had different characters become a Weretiger, Wererat, and Werewolf. Each with varying results. The first was ruled a fever dream, for balance reasons. The second got a homebrew ala Grimhollow. The last was cured ala remove curse, I didn't particularly feel safe being a lycanthrope in Strahd's domain. Fun times.
You may secretly be a furry
The Order of the Lycan Bloodhunter is pretty fun
Just wanted to say that I'm really appreciating you making the efforts to delve into the lore as much as you do, and now also expanding the game's mechanics based on that, when you find them lacking. A great way to have a lasting effect on the game.
Swear to God, Rhexx goes through his script and finds the 1 word he's going to use more than any other, and goes,
"That's the word I'm going to say wrong 300 times."
Lycan-trope, the act of overusing lycans.
100%. It's almost uncanny
He was so sick, his accent disappeared!
I'm just gonna take a moment to appreciate the Fact you took the time to mention on how "Therianthrope" is the proper term for the collective whole of were-creatures, even if it was just a Foot Note~
That alone, got me to Like the video~ (not that I needed any more incentive than the Content provided~)
Unfortunately he also claimed belladona is wolfsbane which it isn't lol, oh well
Fun fact: the thumbnail of this video isn’t from DnD, but from the Fighting Fantasy gamebook “Howl of the Werewolf” by Jonathan Green (2007).
It was rated the best Fighting Fantasy book of all by Fighting Fantazine. I highly recommend it!
Oh yeah I've read that book. Shame there isn't a ending where you get to stay a Werewolf and not turn evil.
24:02 this reminds me of what I read about the church of Malar, which I thought was very interesting. They're chaotic or neutral evil lycanthropes that hunt people, but if their quarry bests them and gets away they'll respect that and let them go. Part of their dogma is to "not hunt the young or pregnant, that prey may be plentiful". In the lean winter months, they even hold a festival where they hunt to provide food for nearby communities. It's paradoxical, but you can see the logic.
Also, weredolphins sound ridiculous at face value but given how nasty actual dolphins are, they could actually be more terrifying than werewolves.
I loved the Creature Crucible: Night Howlers D&D book. I couldn't tell you how many times I sat in study hall reading it instead of doing my schoolwork...
This is why tabletop gaming enthusiasts like yourself are great for the community! Monster classes that are balanced enough to adventure side-by-side with more 'conventional' classes is cool, but not having a character's story END with being changed into a lycanthrope or otherwise is EPIC storytelling potential!
Curse of Lycanthropy from the 3.5 Spell Compendium is one of my favorite spells both to cast and also the effect it has on its victim.
Great video. I remember when I had a character who was struck with lycanthropy and my party knew it and we decided we were going to weaponize it before curing it. So I was set up to be captured by the BBEG. When the enemy had me they didn't know this little fact and in the middle of the their "interrogation" my character transformed and tore the enemy apart from the inside Making it easier for us to complete our mission. Our DM was kinda pissed that we did this because everyone that was in the enemy fortress was killed including the 1st lieutenant of the BBEG.
That's actually really clever. Too many GMs get salty over players being clever and playing the game to their advantage and not along some preset story beats.
This is an awesome and creative solution, any dm should be proud if their players pull a stunt like this! 👍
@@evan11711 this is the same DM that ultimately banned me from playing the Divination Wizard because he didn't like how I could essentially control the outcome of everything. Then again that build was pretty busted
@@hyperguyver2 I just made a chronurgy wizard with the lucky feat lol, I know how you feel. Luckily my dms more chill.
@@evan11711 considering that I have been a forever DM for the better part of 20 years so I got to sew a little chaos of my own
So I imagine this will be the beginning of a larger series covering the various werecreatures, not counting the wererat that you've already covered.
Glad to hear you're doing alright my guy, and sorry to hear you caught COVID. I was just rewatching your vids in the planar series and hoping last night (rather selfishly) something new would be coming out soon! Your videos are legitimately incredible to vibe to while driving. Love your work man, and I hope to see more soon! ❤
I really like the concepts behind how the class works, it's fun for everyone but not wishy washy in your lycanthropy transformation like other classes that try to do the same things. Clear weaknesses too, which is rare in this edition and something that I think we need more of.
Your videos have always been the primary source for my campaign ideas and character involvement. And speaking of inspiration...
To all fellow viewers with the ability to do so, I HIGHLY recommend getting some of MrRhexx's books. They're relatively affordable, most of the balancing math for monsters and classes seems to be checking out so far, and they're LOADED with lore. Only, it's not just lore, it's also mechanics, magic items, and features that have already inspired upcoming adventures in my campaign (especially the, "Ring of Ascendancy" from the Dragon hoards book and all the plots that can weave around it). Although, if you're UNCOMFORTABLE with the SUCCUBUS monster class, I'll have you know that even if you got the book and ignored that option completely, the Deva and Ghost alone are SO SO worth it! I'd still recommend at least reading about the succubus, because MrRhexx makes an effort to convey that while you can play an evil monster, you can also play a being who was cursed and is seeking redemption (without using her body/powers for sin).
Anyways, good books, just saved up spare cash and combined with b-day money to finally get all three of these. Totally worth it.
I'm reminded of this one homebrew character I played a few years ago, a Lycan Warcleric who never reverted to his human form. It was very fun rping him, purely because of how the DM structured his race as a Lycan and how he chose when and if he ever dropped the Lycan form, which he only did once to sneak into a prison and break out a prisoner and never did again
Have you checked out Grimhollow's transformations? They have a really nice rules for Lycanthrope and others.
This video was really good, and the class sounds incredibly cool.
I'll be buying that class. You've done a great job finally convincing me.
Edit: Wow! I hadn't even noticed you included a Dragon class too. Awesome!
I’ve played the lycanthrope class as a werewolf and I love it. My favorite class in the game now. Thank you soooo much 🐺
You should make a mini series called "What *I* don't tell you about monster classes" where you discuss your PDFs from a meta game perspective, like you did at the end of this video. Talking about how to spread your stats, what builds are good for what situations, etc.
Of all its forms I must say the wareweasel is my favorite. It’s simply so interesting how you described it in your Kobold video.
Also I can’t wait for a Hobgoblin video.
This is neat. Has me reimagining Kelemvor’s struggles with lycanthropy under these new mechanics.
Hey Norton 😌
So my druid was given the curse of the werewolf last session. Glad you made this. Reckon I better watch twice.
It makes my heart so happy to hear you mention Dragon Age: Origins. It's my favorite game of all time and what made me originally interested in DnD.
Omg. I'm sorry you're sick but I'm very excited about this video. I love lycanthropes. And I love monster classes.
Awesome video! I do love to see some of the lycan concepts where you can train to control yourself even with the new urges, so the alignment doesn't change, but you do have new temptations. Your lycan class seems great too! Reminds me a lot of blood hunter lycan. The risk/reward, embracing nature's strength vs keeping your humanity is a fun game fantasy!
In my Tyranny of Dragons campaign, one player was an Elf Druid/Cleric, devoted to Selune, Goddess of the moon. She allied with a group of good-aligned werewolf followers of Selune, and eventually underwent a ritual with them to gain a controllable induced lycanthropy.
Loved the video though it's a shame wereravens weren't mentioned too much, I know the video was more about the generalities of lycanthropy but for as much as the werewolf, bear or rat were mentioned, wereravens are super cool and unfortunately not talked about or known too much. I hope you consider adding a wereraven subclass to a future Monster Classes book or bringing attention to wereravens in general! Still very much love your video and channel though!
Werelizard appreciates your sentiment.
Can you do a necromancer book? I feel like the options for undead magic are really unexplored in 5e and with old mechanics like grafting and maybe adding a corpsecrafting ability there could finally be something for the more gruesome sciences
Plus there needs to be a proper necromancer class
I'm so glad you bring up Therianthrope, that really should be the term.
Minus ten points of intelligence for transformation, I'm just imagining a low intelligence character getting infected and the prospect is hilarious and terrifying. Really great vid! Hope you feel better soon.
Also I mentioned on a previous vid, but if you're looking for more playable monster classes to mull over I'm definitely still interested in Salamanders. Your video on them was really fantastic and it sounds like for all their power they got the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. Definitely intrigued. Also playable Ithilids would be wild as hell.
Can’t help it if you get sick, my man. Just glad you’re ok :)
I hope you get well soon! My favourite lycanthrope is the Swanmay - I've included it in my latest project :)
Glad you’re back and hope you get to feeling much better soon!! Much love to you
MrRhexx: Lycanthropes are broken
Also MrRhexx: I made a werebear class that gets more powerful the more it gets hit, and also when it hits people.
Rob
I played a werewolf cleric in a short campaign I just ended yesterday. He was a small sort of Egyptian guy with anger issues. The party were all non-spellcasters (rogue, monk, ranger and a schizofrenic gnome who switched between stats). None were aware of my abilities and due to my light domain features I wasn't hit until late game. He was one of my favourite characters and saved the party twice. He purposfully infected himself and was fun to roleplay.
This was by the way in a short campaign and was just a test. We were only allowed to use the basic books (the players were not that experienced) and the dm and I discussed it and it was only allowed if I played a non central role in the group and agreed to be followed by a band of paladins who wanted my skin.
This is one of my favorite channels in the whole UA-cam. Só glad you are back.
You should take a look at the 2e lore and details on Lycanthropy. Van Richten guide to wear beast is very detailed on the types of Lycanthropy, each types weakness and cures, and the curses
I was just thinking about this channel yesterday
Sorry to hear that you were sick, but glad you're feeling better
Glad you are feeling better. Always looking forward to your videos. Glad you're back.
I hope you feel better! Missed you while you were sick. Thank you for bringing us this content!!!!
I have always wanted to see a propper class centered around delibitating poisons and the wererat makes me very happy. Having read the ogre and lycanthropes there is a lot of very fun and unique ideas. Very happy with the purchase and cant wait to continue reading the other classes!
got one player who got lycanthrope not long ago and got a new player in my other game whos gonna play a lycanthrope from the beginning. This was HUGELY helpful
No need to apologize take care of your self
*also me: checking daily to make sure I didn't miss a new MrRhexx video
The Lycanthrope class sounds so awesome, I'm gonna keep an eye out for your store when it's no longer out of stock.
I would like to see a video on Driders. Their history is always changing. First they were rejects, then they were worshipped, then rejects again. I would like to see what they are now
I think in current 5e they are living rejects of loth, but depending on how the high priestess is feeling that day, driders can be used as additional muscle or complete outcasts. Killing a Drider is usually frowned on because it under minds the threat Loth is making, don’t show mercy or pity to the unworthy, and server results without fail or you end up like your naboure.
21:27 Indeed, good luck trying to pierce the armoury hide of that with a flint weapon!
I'm getting this book.
I wont be able to buy it for a week.
But I have been complaining about there being no Lycanthrope books for dnd.
I find it interesting we used the same stat system for the lycanthrope (and yes I do mean werewolf) mental interactions.
Also, thank you for portraying Ravenloft, I have been basing alot of my game off of the same classic approach, disease, curse, etc.
Actually I'm pretty mich going to memorize this clip now.
Your stuff is too perfect.
I was really happy when I saw the new video online. Thanks for your hard work and have a nice recovery.
Been a minute my friend! Hope you continue to get better!
It just popped into my mind I don't think MrRhexx has done a video half-dragons. I mean in the series of every dragon they're mentioned but I thought there'd be enough to make atleast a shorter video. They're also really cool!
Glad you touched on werefoxes. Would love a video on them, since they're interesting.
This needs to be the next expansion for 5e. This is way more expensive and a lot more interesting than what we saw with Tasha‘s.
Hope you feel better soon
Interesting timing, the party in my campaign just recently entered a city who’s criminal underground is ruled by a lycanthrope gang.
They unknowingly killed a gang turncoat and now have to decide whether to make a dangerous enemy or ally of the gang.
Wow almost a million subs on this channel. Fuck I need to start a channel where I talk out my ass about things I don’t understand and call it “what they don’t tell you about xyz”. Fill it with blathering about things I have read and cover up with “well we don’t really know why xxx” lol. You’re an inspiration!
No need to apologize.
Glad your feeling better
One thing on your lycanthrope class.aybe make the int/cha scores to a minimum of 2 or 3. When a character goes to a int of 1, it forgets how to walk, make noise, and generally exist, when 2-3 you can still move, and communicate to a limited degree. A cha score of 1 would essentially turn you into a wall. You don't react to things, make noises, or generally do anything. Just a pointer, because a lot of people will take that rules as written and make thier int 11 player paralyzed until they turn back.
Glad to have you back, but hope you feel 100% better sooon
For the transformation feature I would probably change the intelligence and charisma penalties from a -10 and -15 to a -5 and then -10 because there’s a chance that you’ll go into the negatives and basically become comatose while transformed.
Awesome video and I think that it was really creative how you worked these monsters into playable classes, especially the illness feature of the wererats
Very interesting watch! I'm currently playing a beast barbarian whose grandfather was directly cursed by Malar to be a lycanthrope so there is a lot to think about in here.
I was wondering where you had been, glad your on the upswing, hope you feel better soon :)
Two of my curse of Strahd players just got infected with lycanthropy. One embraced, the other resisted but failed.
I'm setting the full moon 7 days from the current night. I'll send the cleric of the group (who wasn't affected) the information on how to cure the curse.
I'm not going to follow the rules to the letter on how I'm running it (mostly because I think the player losing control of his character permanently is a dissatisfying conclusion when I could make an entire adventure out of curing the curse), but your videos are definitely informing how I want to run it
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has thought of this but, what about dragonthropes? Or drakenthrope? Imagine a dragon being affected by lycanthropy and being bitten by that dragon, would that person then turn into a part wolf/dragon aberration? This is one wild homebrew idea that I would love to see explored.
Sage 😇
Good to have you back with your in depth lore videos, I hope the Covid you got is making its way out and you are on the way to a full recovery! I’m excited at the prospect of a lycanthrope series, especially for the boar since they don’t get alot of love and possibly sharks since they seem canon but aren’t in any source books as far as I know
Hey great to see you being okay, started to worry a bit because of how long you weren't posting. Hope you're better now.
hey my dude, amazing work glad to see someone fleshout the "Monsters" that can be played. Id suggest you look into Jhebbal Sag as a lead on a Lycanthrope deity as he is The Lord of Beasts and men who become as beasts so it makes sense to me.
Ok, you know what? Fuck it. When I get some spare money, I'm getting your Monster Classes books. This one class sounds so cool and I can't wait to see what else you made. Plus the price is very manageable.
Take care dude. I just got covid too and I didn’t get anything done for half a week. Hope you feel better
So glad that you are on the mend sir. Good to see you back
YES! I've been waiting on this for awhile. Thank you. Question, can I put in a request? I really want to see a video on gnolls and Yeenoghu.
Dude, I don't care if you let us without content for a while, take care of yourself please, you're awesome!
YO PERFECT! I'm about to incorporate Lycanthropy in my campaign. The timing is GOAT
23:13 Wait. Could this spell be cast using a vial of human blood to turn someone into a wereman? Like a primal hunting human, but bigger, tougher and feral? Could this be used to essentially turn anyone into a raging barbarian for 3 nights a month against their will?
lol
Wer is already "man", so turning a man into a man man would just still be a man, so if anything it would have to roll on RNG bellcurve table/2d6 to see if you become big primal 25% neanderthal man, weak man, dead man, regular dude in a suit aka wageslave man, strongman (complete with fake bubble weights AND real weights) or in the case of snake eyes Prince Adam.
I'm guessing it could be used to turn an animal into a beastwere. Like, a wolfwere or ravenwere
In the Setting of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, The reason why Werebeasts are Vulnerable to Silver is because their Great power(Basically everything that makes them Werebeasts) is a Gift from Luna (the Spirit/Goddess of the Moon), and The Silver Lady Demands a Price for the power she grants, And Silver is the Material that Symbolically Represents her so she made them vulnerable to HER Metal. Seeing as Werebeasts Still Clearly have a Bond with the Moon, as shown by the fact that they Have a hard time Controlling their transformations During the Full Moon, so it would make sense that a similar thing could be happening here. (Then again, when your "Weakness" is basically just "you Treat hits from weapons made of this material the same as would anyone else instead of resisting it" I'm not sure that it's Much of a "weakness")
Thank you for doing this video, big fan of lycanthropes ever sense I was little, But I Really hope you get well.
I don't care how long you need to go on break, do what you need to do to take care of yourself.
You need a podcast of all of this be the best.
Oh!!! 🙏🙏🙏 Gt better soon, Mr. Rhexx !!!
Best regards from Tabasco, México [Land of The Olmecs]!
Good to hear you back. great vid. Get well!
I love the idea at the start of lycanthropes being super spreaders of disease. It's a cool way to explain how it gets around so much in fantasy settings while adding a unique twists to your version of them.
In regards to the later parts of the video, I am a bit confused on one thing though. At 17:20 you say non-lycanthrope genes mixed with lycanthrope dilutes the abilities and such with each generation of offspring but I feel like you gave the opposite impression when talking about the origins of it at 15:00 and when discussing true lycanthropes in general.
Great to have you back with a vid. Werecreatures are a super cool topic, so seeing them explored is awesome.
A few ideas of mine would be videos for Corellon, Bahamut and Archfey, if one of those catches your fancy xD
Glad to see you're back! Covid sucks :/
Just got the PDF, and I definitely like the new class options available; However, for the dragon class specifically I feel as though the frightening presence ability at 3rd level should be kicked up to a higher level, as should at will casting of detect magic. Both seem kinda strong when added with other abilities at the level they are presented. In addition; since they already get ability score improvements at levels 4 , 8 , ect. the draconic supremacy trait should only add to the maximum, not the current ability scores. but that's just me
I love the wererats, dont get me wrong, but "you start the game with three diseases, and you can collect more!" will never not be funny
As mentioned in some comments, silver is an antibacterial material. Silver spoons and such back in the day helped against disease. So the idea of silver hurting a were-creature makes some kind of sense against the disease side of it. :)
My guy..been wondering where tf you been. Glad you good and keeping this up. Your shit has been on replay over here. Stay healthy.
Thank you for the video! I hope you recover quickly!
I bought the pdf and I really like the dragon and Lycanthrope, but I was most exited about the ogre (I love playing big beefy tanks). I do like the ogre... but having absolutely no subclass options mean there's almost no mechanical customisation
so you're really locked in if you decide to play it. Basically all I'm saying is I'd like to see some subclasses or some other method of customisation to give the class some more replayability.
BTW loved the vid it's good to have you back making these amazing lore deep dives
Welcome back bro! Glad you're feeling better
I was actually researching Lycanthropy today! It's come in very handy.
I'm working on my own TTRPG that's DnD parallel (Like Pathfinder) with some folks, and in it, we've made Were-beasts a product of the Fey, which in this world are on a class close to gods, at least the more powerful ones are. Druids are essentially clerics of Fey, and their beast forms is a controlled form of lycanthropy.
Davis 😀
@@LauRoot892 Laura
@@edwarddavis7858 ED 😚
@@edwarddavis7858where ya from ? How old are ya ! 🥲
I’m glad you’re back, love your videos. :)
The change to Werewolf (the original were form of legend if I recall correctly) was always associated with the full moon. Historically in myth, legend, astrologically and symbolically in many religions (Judeo Christianity is not alone) the moon has long been associated with the color silver. Thus silver, the color belonging to the moon can hurt a werewolf - especially when the moon is full - because the moon is at its maximum power vs. the curse and the werewolf is at its most vulnerable.
Because we're talking about lycanthropes and Shifters, I'd like to point out a couple of official 5e sourcebooks. "Eberron : Rising from the Last War" has player race stats for Shifters, including different subraces of Shifter. "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft" has Were Ravens in it as NPC/Monster statblocks.
I thought that you were going to make another video involving the Outer Planes, But I don't mind seeing your products either. Nice video.
Awesome Video like always. Hope you recover fine from Covid. Still hoping for a Platinum Dragon video.
My player wanted to be a were owl for our campaign. Now I have a flying spell slinging wizard who rushes first into every fight. It's kind of fun. The other players appreciate it because he can test the damage monsters can do without being overly at risk. He does take double damage from silver and suffers from poison if he fails a con save
4:30 start of the video.