Werewolf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the werewolf is a type of lycanthrope.
Publication history
As a Dungeons & Dragons monster, the werewolf has appeared in:
- the original Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974)[1]
- the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977).[2]
- Dragon #24 (April 1979) as a player character race
- the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977,[3] 1981, 1983)
- the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).[4]
- Night Howlers (1992) as a player character class
- the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),[5]
- the Monstrous Manual (1993).[6]
- Dragon #313 (November 2003).[7] as a player character race
- the fourth edition in Monster Manual (2008)
The werewolf lord appeared in Monster Manual 2 (2009).
The lycanthrope appeared as a creature template in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),[8] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003), with the werewolf as a sample creature.
Description
A werewolf is a chaotic evil lycanthrope that is very difficult to detect in its human form, for a werewolf can be of nearly any build and of either sex. A werewolf is prone to retain bipedal form in its wolf state.
Critical reception
The werewolf was ranked sixth among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors described the werewolf as "a classic monster" and "the best illustration of a monster with damage reduction; unless characters have a silver weapon, they will have a hard time hurting this creature". The authors also note that "Werewolves are shapechangers, which means players can never be entirely sure whether that surly villager might indeed be the great black wolf who attacked their characters out in the forest."[9]
Other publishers
The werewolf is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Classic Horrors Revisited (2009), on pages 58–63.[10]
References
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
- ^ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)
- ^ Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991)
- ^ Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989)
- ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
- ^ Poisso, Dean. "Animal Ancestry." Dragon #313 (Paizo Publishing, 2003)
- ^ Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual. Wizards of the Coast, 2000
- ^ Slavicsek, Bill; Baker, Rich; Grubb, Jeff (2006). Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. For Dummies. p. 373. ISBN 978-0-7645-8459-6. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Jacobs, James, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. Classic Horrors Revisited (Paizo, 2009)