Lycanthropes and Feats

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Okay, I've finally got my werewolf coming together, though he's morphed into a Dire Werewolf (or Werewolf Lord).

He's naturally afflicted and gets his humanoid level (barbarian) before he gets his animal levels, with his human bonus feat (gotta love templates) and his level one feat, he takes Great Fortitude and Multi-Attack, he gains Iron Will for being a Lycanthrope and gains Alertness, Run, Track and Weapon Focus (Bite) because the Dire Wolf is his animal form. He gains a feat upon his third HD and sixth HD as well? That seems like a lot of feats, but that does seem like what the monster manual is claiming (which has me a little leary with it's inconsistances, as which a Werewolf Lord in Direwolf form is listed as having a speed of 40 ft., when by the monster manual's own rules, the Werewolf Lord in Direwolf form should has a speed of 50 ft like a normal Direwolf).

 

The template is considered to try t balance tihngs a bit more. I wont claim that it works, but t least they try.

Also yeah, monters gain feats and skills etc based on hitdie instead of levels. And many highpowered races that players can play like were-creatures have some beginning "hitdie" to represent their more monsterous sizeand powers etc.

This usually follows with a ECL rating that makes it much much slower for you to level up. In an attempt at balancing things.

The entire thingy about powerful races and classlevels and palyer characters can be a bit frustrating, its probablly why the players handbook limit themselves to the easy races, took them long enough just to get halforc in there.

 

It's rather nice that as a level one barbarian, my Werewolf Lord has the feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Natural Attack (Bite), Iron Will, Multiattack, Run, Track, Weapon Focus (Bite), Weapon Focus (Claw), picking up Weapon Focus (Claw) on his third hit dice and Improved Natural Weapon (Bite) with his sixth.

When in direwolf form he as an Str of 33 (2d6+16), 37 when enraged (2d6+19) and all his bite attacks come charged with the Curse of Lycanthropy as he's a Natural Lycanthrope, all for the ECL of level 10 on his first PC level. I suppose the "levels" of Animal Werebears and Dire Weres have to take are the only things that really offset their massive attribute boosts, can really screw up multiclassing.

 

what is the listed level adjustment ?

if this is like leveladjustment +10 forexample, its fun the fiurst couple of games when everyone else is level 1, but soon gets boring when everyone levelup, and your stuck as level 1 or 2 until they are closer to level 10.

I think it would be much more fun to talk to the DM and agree that he gives you some of the abilities at a time, so it feels like you are improving as well, forexample he might give you some feats and hitdices everytme the others levels up.

A buddy wanted to play a half golddragon paladin, needless to say with a strength score of 30 at level 1 he was bored of the character long before he had a chance to hit level 2.

 

All Lycanthropes have a level adjust of +3 (natural) or +2 (afflicted). A Werewolf Lord has 6 racial hit dice of animal of he has an actual level of 7 at the start of the game.

I perfer my Nephilim for characters that use a level adjust (+4 level adjust, 2 racial hit dice and oustider HD are actually very good HD to have), as I feel they have a better balance, not to mention a positive racial modifier to all their abilities (+4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha).