Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition
lycanthropes & lineages
The Complete Guide to Lycanthropes and Lineages in Dungeons & Dragons 5E
While I have a page covering all of the different races/subraces available to play in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, I chose not to add these 14 lineages and lycanthropes to that page. The reason why I ignored them there is because they aren’t properly races themselves, but are more like a coat that you put on the races. Usually a really bitey coat, but a coat nonetheless. A dwarf werewolf still has his dwarf attributes underneath, but some new things have been added to it. The dwarf gets to keep many of its race stats and can even keep its class if it has one (which all of the PC’s will, of course). It’s like when I get sick with the flu- I’m still a human, but one with some new characteristics due to a condition which is affecting me. And these are definitely conditions which are affecting your race. They can usually be cured, often through a difficult process, bringing you back completely to your prior race/subrace as before, but often the players would prefer their PC not be cured. So this is the page for those conditions.
The Monster Manual describes the basic conditions for lycanthropy affecting player characters. Cursed PC’s gain the lycanthrope’s speed in nonhuman form, traits, damage immunities, actions not involving equipment, and proficiency with their natural attacks and those damage stats. In addition, they cannot speak while not in human form. Which begs the question of whether that holds for the wereraven? Best to ask your DM how they feel if you get pecked by a raven.
Dhampir (Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft p. 16) Dhampirs are humanoids- not quite undead, but toeing the line. When your PC becomes cursed, it’s walking speed changes to 35 feet, and it can keep its skill proficiencies as well as climbing, flying and/or swimming speeds. If it chooses not to keep those, it can replace them with 2 skill proficiencies. Otherwise, all other racial qualities are lost. The dhampir curse includes darkvision to 60 feet, no need to breathe, climbing speed of 35 feet which improves at 3rd level, a vampiric bite that replenishes your hit points by the damage dealt (1d4 piercing damage) and the amount of piercing damage is added to your next attack roll or ability check (once per long rest you can do this your proficiency bonus number of times), and you attack with advantage with your bite when you are below half your hit points.
Hexblood (Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft p. 18) Hexblood are the result of making bargains with hags or the like in return for something very powerful. When your PC becomes cursed, its speed is 30 feet, and it can keep its skill proficiencies as well as climbing, flying and/or swimming speeds. If it chooses not to keep those, it can replace them with 2 skill proficiencies. Otherwise, all other racial qualities are lost. The hexblood curse includes darkvision to 60 feet, once per long rest they can cast Disguise Self and Hex, and can remove a part of their body to make an eerie token. The eerie token can be used as a communication device with whoever is given the token, or can be used to allow the hexblood keep an eye on an area where the token is placed, up to 10 miles.
Reborn (Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft p. 20) Reborn have died, but come back from the dead, yet are somehow not undead, but not properly alive either. They don’t remember their past lives apart from possibly little glimmers that break through. They may be more flesh golem or more zombie, but they are definitely not quite right. The reborn curse includes a speed of 30 feet, and it can keep its skill proficiencies as well as climbing, flying and/or swimming speeds. If it chooses not to keep those, it can replace them with 2 skill proficiencies. Otherwise, all other racial qualities are lost. The curse includes advantage on saves against disease and being poisoned, resistance to poison damage, advantage on death saves, don’t need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep (but must be inactive for 4 hours), and can add 1d6 to an ability check your proficiency number of times per long rest.
Vampire (Ixalan) (Plane Shift: Ixalan p. 13) The Plane Shift resources, while official, are not much discussed, and are pretty sloppy and weird. This one is no exception. Unlike the Zendikar vampire, at least this one is clearly undead, and states that humans are turned into vampires through the Rite of Redemption. If it were mentioned again, we would even know how vampires are made. Seriously unhelpful. Perhaps your DM will make something up to let you use either of these two vampires from Plane Shift, but it’s more likely that they won’t be allowed- I know I won’t be allowing anything from the Plane Shift worlds into my game. These vampires have CHA +2 WIS +1, have a speed of 30 feet, are resistant to necrotic damage, know Vampire, drink blood to injure foes while healing your hit points, and after drinking blood speed increases by 10 feet and STR & DEX checks are made with advantage for 1 minute.
Vampire (Zendikar) (Plane Shift: Zendikar p. 14) The Plane Shift resources, while official, are not much discussed, and are pretty sloppy and weird. This one is no exception. The vampires in this book are kind of treated as a race, and we’re told that they are not undead, but are created by the spread of a disease. But then it says that all vampires either arose as the result of some godlike titan (but doesn’t go into what that means) or is spawned by one of the originals (but doesn’t go into what that means, but it sounds like how we know vampires spread) and all of the mythology is just vaguely hinted at, so there’s no way to tell if vampires can turn other humanoids into vampires or if they have babies. It gives stats for making vampire PC’s, but doesn’t tell you how to convert a PC into a vampire. Basically, it’s a hot mess. If your DM allows it though, this is a way to play a weird vampire, I guess? Maybe your DM will sort a way to transform you if that’s what your desire is. This vampire has CHA +2 and INT +1, seem to be largely immortal?, have a speed of 30 feet, darkvision to 60 feet, resistance to necrotic damage, can read Vampire, and can drink blood, which returns lost hit points to the vampire.
Vampire (Monster Manual p. 295) This is a very powerful being, and to become one you need to be slain by a vampire, buried, then rise as a vampire spawn, which is a slave to the vampire who created it. Most vampire spawn are kept as slaves (because why wouldn’t you?) but sometimes a vampire will allow a spawn to drink some of its blood and then it will become a full vampire. This is obviously extremely rare, because now instead of free help, the vampire has competition. If the vampire dies without letting the spawn drink its blood, the vampire spawn gains its freedom, but still doesn’t become a vampire. So it’s very, very difficult AND unlikely that a PC will be turned into a vampire. If that does somehow happen, the PC becomes a lawful evil character which is GROSSLY overpowered compared to the rest of the party, unless they are level 20 perhaps. At that point the DM should probably take the character sheet and play it as an NPC (even the Monster Manual suggests doing this) as it will cause major problems within the party. Basically, this is hard to happen, so as DM make a point to not let this happen. It’s a party killer. When a PC turns into a vampire, vampires are cursed with STR, DEX, & CON 18 if their score isn’t higher already, gain darkvision to 120 feet, have resistance to necrotic damage and nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, attack & damage rolls are STR based, get all of the vampire traits from the vampire stats (shapechanger, legendary resistance 3/day, misty escape, regeneration, spider climb), it’s few weaknesses (running water, stake through the heart, extreme sunlight sensitivity, must be invited in), and its actions (multiattack, unarmed strike, bite, charm, and children of the night). Having a PC like this in the party is going to make the other players unhappy, and if they are roleplaying evil characters that must drink blood constantly it’s going to be disastrous. Stake that story progression in the heart before it starts.
Vampire spawn (Monster Manual p. 295) Vampire spawn are humanoids killed by a vampire which rise from the dead as the vampire’s slave. The slave part should be enough to keep PC’s from wanting to become one. If not, the reality of being a slave later will take a lot of the shine off of it. Like the vampire, this is too overpowered (even though nowhere near as bad as the vampire). Don’t do it, unless the plan is to keep it from progressing further and to use it as a plot enhancement device (You must save your friend and cure the vampirism before the next full moon or he will be lost to you forever!) Vampire spawn are cursed with STR, DEX, and CON 16 if their score isn’t already higher, gain darkvision to 60 feet, have resistance to necrotic damage and nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, attack & damage rolls are STR based, get all of the vampire traits from the vampire spawn stats (regeneration, spider climb), it’s few weaknesses (running water, stake through the heart, extreme sunlight sensitivity, must be invited in), and its actions (multiattack, claws, and bite). it’s much weaker than the vampire, but still not a good fit as a party member. Don’t do it.
Werebat (Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage p. 317) Werebat lycanthropes are cursed with DEX 17 if their score isn’t higher already and attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR or DEX based, whichever is higher.
Werebear (Monster Manual p.207) Werebear lycanthropes are cursed with STR 19 if their score isn’t higher already, has +1 to AC in bear or hybrid forms, and attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR based.
Wereboar (Monster Manual p. 207) Wereboar lycanthropes are cursed with STR 17 if their score isn’t higher already, has +1 to AC in boar or hybrid form, attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR based, and for their charge the DC is 8 + proficiency bonus + STR modifier.
Wererat (Monster Manual p. 207) Wererat lycanthropes are cursed with DEX 15 if their score isn’t higher already and attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR or DEX based, whichever is higher.
Wereraven (Curse of Strahd p.242) Wereraven lycanthropes are cursed with DEX 15 if their score isn’t higher already, and their pecking beak attack, which deals 1 piercing damage coupled with the curse of wereraven lycanthropy as a raven. Their beak damage roll as a hybrid and beak attack roll for hybrid or raven form is made with either STR or DEX, whichever is higher.
Weretiger (Monster Manual p. 207) Weretiger lycanthropes are cursed with STR 17 if their score isn’t already higher, attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR based, and their pounce DC is 8 + proficiency bonus + STR modifier.
Werewolf (Monster Manual p. 207) Werewolf lycanthropes are cursed with STR 15 if their score isn’t higher already, have +1 to AC in wolf or hybrid form, and attack & damage rolls for natural weapons are STR based.
