Before I go off on a building spree that should really be reserved for working on The Tourist, has anyone put together a lycanthrope (technically that would be therianthrope…) playbook? A bit of googling has turned up nothing.
If not, I’m thinking of starting in the vicinity of the Initiate’s Signature Style move, defining your inner beast’s attributes via a series of categories, and building it out into druid/barbarian territory, conceptually speaking.
It shouldn’t be a full playbook. Aim for a Compendium Class.
I disagree, but input appreciated regardless.
There are lycanthrope rules in Number Appearing, which is available for download if you look around.
Thanks much! I was unaware of that supplement, and it has a lot of groovy stuff in it. I don’t think it’s quite what I’m looking for in a lycanthropic flavor, but if nothing else, it’s definitely good source material!
I think there is thematic space for a fully devoted ‘beast within’ class, that explores werewolves, Jekyll and Hyde, and similar themes. The key would be to make the “civilised” aspect as engaging to play as the beast.
What do you think, feel, and do as a person when you have to deal with the consequences of the beast?
Most of these archetypes are about our reason and compassion struggling against our darker angels, and that’s where the feel of the class would lie.
I wasn’t even thinking in Jekyll and Hyde terms; that opens up all kinds of thematic doors. Exciting stuff! Thanks!
Haha! Ive been working on a therian playbook for a few weeks now (months on and off) ….as I am therian I thought it would be quite cool, let me know if your up for bouncing ideas off each other.
Boing on the SomethingAwful forums had an interesting idea to combine two existing playbooks with a transformation move; the Brute and Noble were mentioned as good candidates! I reckon it’d be a good starting off point. As Adrian Thoen says, I reckon the really interesting stuff would be in the civilised nature of the class giving way to the brutal undersides. I’m exploring something a bit similar with my Marked class, whose power comes from wards and runes on their skin. One of the thematic ideas is someone who’s had a demon warded into their skin, and can unleash/ repress it with concentration.
You can check Urban Shadows for inspiration, it’s an urban fantasy Apocalypse World hack, you can find all the classic archetypes in there: vampires, werewolves, faeries, ghosts, mages.