Lycanthropes by Michael D. Johns, Rob Barnes, Bernhard Bihler and Shawn Bond is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with Hârn and HârnMaster. This is a bestiary article.
The supplement is available as a six-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $4.98 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale.
The opening paragraphs explain that lycanthropes are humans cursed to involuntarily alter into a half-human, half-animal creature, most often during the night of the full moon. Werewolves are the most common, but there are other forms, and though lycanthropes are intelligent, they are rarely rational and are compelled to kill whatever creature crosses their path. The sidebar covers other shapechangers, which are those who can change their form, and scholars believe the Earthmasters could. Shapechangers are not lycanthropes, cannot affect others and their animal form tends to be more complete. Humans can become shapechangers through spells or rituals.
The Origin of Lycanthropes explains that, though folklore usually has a human being cursed to become one, it is actually a rare disease spread through bodily fluids, most often through injuries from werecreature attacks. Some, though, are the result of magical artefacts called Morivian Skins. It’s believed mothers can pass the disease on to their children and that normal animals can become affected.
The Transformation covers how the change happens, usually whilst the accursed is asleep.
Fighting Lycanthropes explains they are dangerous foes and, though they can be damaged by mundane weapons, they heal very fast from such. Enchanted weapons heal at the normal rate, psionic abilities have negligible but varied effects and magic is determined normally except fire does double damage. This also explains how lycanthropes fight and that their human form is normal, heals all inflicted wounds on transforming back into it and the curse is not contagious.
Remedies explain that there is no known cure apart from divine intervention, though the Irreproachable Order has amassed the greatest knowledge on the subject. There are measures believed to be effective at repelling lycanthropes themselves.
The sidebar covers how people are infected and the religious views of the carious religions on lycanthropes.
Generating Lycanthropes has rules for making them and on the effect of the full moon, with a sidebar having tables to randomly generate type, the attribute and skill modifiers for each type and optional rules for hereditary lycanthropy and animal transmission.
Werewolf covers the most common type and reports of attacks they are believed to be responsible for. Their stats are in the sidebar.
Werebear covers these, a rare strain most often found in those of Ivinian descent. Their transformation is also triggered by rage. There are details on some reports of such, with the stats in the sidebar.
Werecat explains that three types have been reported on Hârn and it looks at these and their possible origins, with again the stats being in the sidebar.
Lycanthropes in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and at this length doesn’t need them. Navigation is fine. The text maintains a single column with sidebar format and appeared to be free of errors. There are several colour images, including one for each creature. Presentation is good.
As is common in bestiary articles, this is a combination of world-building fluff and stats. The stats are naturally only useful for HârnMaster, but the amount of fluff means that it is possible to integrate lycanthropes from other systems into Hârn. Lycanthropes can be found by clicking here.
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