lycanthrope Image by Glenn Rane
Lycanthropes are human beings who can fully or partially transform into animals.
3 types of werewolves can be distinguished:
- True werewolves; for whom lycanthropy is a genetic trait.
- infected werewolves; their lycanthropy appears when they are injured by a real lycanthrope.
- artificial werewolves; they can control their lycanthropy through magical items.
Lycans usually have two forms; that of the human and the hybrid. The hybrid form possesses features of the animal it resembles and also possesses human features. The hybrid form is the size of the animal, and not the human. Some werewolves present a third form, which corresponds only to that of the animal, without any human traits.
Any creature that has been injured by a lycanthrope, but not killed, can contract its lycanthropy. The probability that this lycanthropy passes to the victim is greater the stronger the true lycanthrope is.
To remove the curse it is necessary to cast the appropriate spell during a full moon night, although this system is not infallible. This affliction can only be removed from infected werewolves.
True werewolves have complete control over their bodies, can change forms at will, and are not altered by the phases of the moon or darkness. These situations only affect infected werewolves. These are human during the day and usually change shape at nightfall and, more so, with the full moon.
An infected werewolf who takes hybrid form sees his strength increase as he loses control of his actions. The desires to kill and hunt become very strong. Upon returning to human form, they often have bitter memories of the acts performed.
In hybrid or animal form, werewolves are only hurt by silver or magical weapons, as other items cause wounds that heal very quickly.
The group of artificial lycanthropes is much more complex. Only some members of certain guilds can be honored with the magical item that caused their lycanthropy. When they touch the item they transform into a werewolf, and can revert to human form whenever they want as long as they are carrying the item.
When a werewolf dies they always revert to human form regardless of their state upon death.
Werewolf
Werewolves are lycanthropes that have both human and wolf traits. They are greatly feared for their aggressiveness and evil nature.
A werewolf has three forms of lycanthropy; the human, the hybrid between human and wolf, and the wolf.
In his humanoid form he is totally indistinguishable from the rest of humans. The size, intelligence and other characteristics of him are the same as those of any man.
In his hybrid form he has characteristics of both a man and a wolf. It has a fur-covered body, shorter legs (although its overall size is usually about 12 inches larger than its human form), a wolf’s head, human’s hands, and a short tail. It can walk on all 4 legs or upright.
Werewolf. Image by Bob Kehl
The wolf form is completely identical to that of any large common wolf, except for its eyes, which glow in the dark.
Werewolves, in their hybrid form, live in packs of about 6 or 7 members. They are made up of a male, a female and puppies. The cubs remain in the pack until they are 10 years old, the age at which a werewolf is considered an adult. If a werewolf mates with a human woman, the baby is fully human.
Werewolves, in their human form, do not usually live in houses as they are not very sociable beings. They do so in well-protected caves and burrows, where they keep their pups away from humans.
Werewolves, in their animal form, are often nomadic, constantly prowling in packs looking for humans and other victims.
Being very wild and aggressive, they are enemies of any being that opposes them, even other lycanthropes such as werebears.
The werewolf’s tactic is to attack by surprise, approaching carefully and taking advantage of its sharp fangs to bite and tear at its victims. A werewolf can only be hurt by magical or silver weapons.
bear man
The werebear is a werewolf who can appear in the form of a bear, a human or a hybrid of both species.
The human form is that of a tall, stocky man, muscular, usually bearded, and quite hairy. His hair color matches the fur color he has in his ursine form. The most frequent colors are brown and brown and, if they are in a very cold area, they can be blonde-white.
In the hybrid form his height is up to 70 cm above human height. Fur appears and his head transforms into that of a bear, while his lower body is more human-like, but stockier and more muscular.
Bear man. Image by Dan Wong Zi Jian
In the animal form there are not many differences with a real bear, except for its greater intelligence. In this form nothing can harm them except magical or silver weapons. The bear form usually disappears when daylight arrives.
The character of the werebears is quite peaceful and pleasant, they even help humans and animals whenever they can. However, they like to live away from towns and cities, preferring to make their home in the mountains.
Despite the fact that they have few enemies, they don’t get along very well with werewolves who live in the mountains just like them.
Tiger Man
The weretiger is a lycanthrope who can take both human and hybrid forms between a man and a tiger.
This type of lycanthrope is the least common and the most powerful. It is a wild being that also has great elasticity and agility, and can only be harmed with silver or magical weapons.
Its origin can be found in India, a country where there are numerous legends about tiger women. Some even say that at night, the farmers left traps for the tiger women and, when dawn came, they found them in their human form.
The human form is virtually indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human, except for marked musculature. They also have excellent night vision and a well-developed sense of smell.
In the hybrid form they grow to about 50 cm above their human height. On its body appears the striped fur of tigers, its hands become claws and its head is completely feline. They gain all the advantages of a wild tiger while maintaining the intelligence of a human.
Tiger Man. Image of Kazashino
They are not necessarily hostile to other breeds, in fact, some are very friendly, although they prefer to be in the company of other cats and real tigers.
When they attack, they usually do so in a hybrid form in order to use their claws and teeth. A weretiger’s bites are extremely dangerous and can tear their victim apart in a single sweep.
They can reproduce with humans and tigers, and their offspring will depend on the mother’s race.
swan woman
Swan women are humans who can transform into swan.
They have different qualities depending on whether they are in human or swan form.
A swan woman is characterized by feathers in her hairstyle, clothes, and the seal on her ring. These objects give it a special property, that of voluntarily transforming itself into a swan or a woman. She therefore belongs to the group of artificial lycanthropes. If a swan woman loses her transformation magic item she is trapped in whatever form she was in at the time.
They live in the waters of forests, where they build their fortified housing for possible attacks. These accommodations have two secret exits through which they can only escape in their swan form.
Swan woman. Image of Don Maitz
They belong to a special ranger brotherhood, and are dedicated to the protection of forests and wildlife. For this purpose they are armed with daggers, bow and arrows.
Their personality is greatly influenced by their swan form, so they are lovers of silence and friendly with forest creatures such as dryads and wild elves. They are suspicious of ferocious, aggressive and evil animals.
With a human form, it is totally indistinguishable from another woman, although they always carry a feather that gives them a characteristic touch. Even so, they are not usually found among humans.
In their swan form they usually inhabit rivers, lakes and swamps, along with other aquatic species. Swans have very keen senses with which they quickly detect an intruding presence. Faced with a hostile being, they defend themselves by stinging, jumping and striking with their wings.
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