Witchcraft • Legacy Lycanthropic Curse
Curse of Lycanthropy
Curse of Lycanthropy permanently afflicts a humanoid with a chosen form of lycanthropy under the legacy d20 rules. The exact were-creature depends on the ritual component and moon phase.
Curse of Lycanthropy at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not a default Pathfinder Witch spell |
| D&D 3.x Legacy | Witch 6, Cleric 6, Moon 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6 |
Spell Rules by Edition
5.5e / 2024
Status: no direct conversion is published here. Use the campaign’s modern lycanthropy rules instead.
5e / 2014
Status: no direct 2014 conversion is presented.
Pathfinder 1e
Status: not part of the default Pathfinder Witch list.
D&D 3.x Legacy
| School | Transmutation |
|---|---|
| Level | Witch 6, Cleric 6, Moon 6, Sorcerer/Wizard 6 |
| Components | V, S, M, F |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Touch |
| Target | One humanoid |
| Duration | Permanent |
| Saving Throw | Fortitude negates |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
The target gains the afflicted lycanthrope template corresponding to the material component. Existing lycanthropes, non-humanoids, undead, outsiders, other shapechangers and animals are unaffected.
The original spell ties each form to a moon phase: werebear—waxing crescent; wereboar—half moon; wererat—new moon; weretiger—waning crescent; werewolf—full moon. The affected creature does not transform until that phase next occurs.
Focus: a disk marked with the relevant moon phase. Material component: hair or fur from the desired lycanthrope, or a related dire animal where the Games Master permits it.
What Changed?
No later-edition conversion is assumed. The template application, moon-phase schedule and legacy save mechanics remain edition-specific.
Using Curse of Lycanthropy in Play
This is a campaign-changing curse rather than a routine combat debuff. Use it for revenge, forbidden coven rites, cursed bloodlines and plots where the cure matters as much as the initial casting.
Related Rules
Counterplay and Rulings
- Initial resistance: a successful Fortitude save or applicable spell resistance prevents this legacy curse.
- Eligible target: the printed spell works on an ordinary humanoid, not an existing lycanthrope, undead creature, outsider or other excluded type.
- Moon-phase timing: the curse is applied when cast but its first transformation waits for the specified phase. Keep that schedule visible to the players so they can investigate and seek aid.
- Dispel Magic and Remove Curse: treat the ongoing affliction and any remedy according to the chosen legacy edition’s lycanthropy and curse rules; a spell by the same name in fifth edition is not an automatic conversion.
- Character choice: for a player character, agree on how the curse, transformation and possible cure will be adjudicated before the first change takes effect.
Mythical Context
The werewolf stories of northern Europe link human identity with an animal shape, sometimes as punishment, sometimes as a transformation the subject seeks. The curse turns the fear of becoming a predator into an encounter that friends must survive without losing sight of the person beneath. See the historical encyclopaedia’s survey of werewolf traditions.
Historical Context
The term lycanthropy has been used both for legendary shape-changing and, historically, for a belief that one has become an animal. That distinction matters: written folklore records a human fear, not verified physical transformation. See the encyclopaedia’s account of the term and its usages.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks.
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