Therianthrope

A slender elf woman bounds through and over the underbrush, finally setting sight on her quarry. With a shudder, her form melts into that of a panther, and she lets out a roar of challenge as she leaps upon her prey.

Guards lead a half-elf man in cuffs to a cell. He pleads for release – not for his safety, but for theirs.

His captors laugh and leave him to the mercy of his cellmates. Come morning, the cell lies empty, its bars bent outward, the iron tang of blood thick in the air.

Bursting from the water and stepping onto the shore, a wereshark hoists a large fish over his shoulder. A young human girl runs to him, smiling, as the wereshark shrinks into the form of a grinning man.

These are all examples of therianthropes, individuals with the ability to shift into an animal hybrid form. For many, this is a curse, a terrible affliction that devastates not only their own lives, but the lives of those around them. Some, however, have mastered this change and wield its remarkable gifts in a manner they choose.

Creating a Therainthrope

There are two key aspects to consider when creating a therianthrope character. First, what sort of beast do you embody when you assume your wereshape?

Secondly you should think about how your character views their ability to transform. Is it a blessing to be cherished, honed, and protected? Or is it a mark of shame to be hidden and a burden to be endured?

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Ferocity Die	Beast Traits
1st	+2	Therian origin, therian form, wereshape	–	–
2nd	+2	Beast traits, ferocity	1d4	2
3rd	+2	Feast	1d4	2
4th	+2	Ability score improvement	1d4	2
5th	+3	Extra Attack	2d4	3
6th	+3	Apex predator, therian form feature	2d4	3
7th	+3	Enduring form	2d4	4
8th	+3	Ability score improvement	2d4	4
9th	+4	Grim visage	2d4	5
10th	+4	Dark flight	2d4	5
11th	+4	Therian form feature	2d6	5
12th	+4	Ability score improvement	2d6	5
13th	+5	–	2d6	6
14th	+5	Wild Regeneration	2d6	6
15th	+5	–	2d8	7
16th	+5	Ability score improvement	2d8	7
17th	+6	Therian form feature	2d8	7
18th	+6	–	3d8	8
19th	+6	Ability score improvement	3d8	8
20th	+6	Sanguine frenzy	3d8	8

Class Features

As a therianthrope, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per therianthrope level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution Modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per therianthrope level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, light crossbows.
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a spear or (b) two daggers
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• A set of traveler’s clothes

Multiclass Therianthrope

As a multiclass character, to take a level in the therianthrope class, or to take a level of another class if you are already a therianthrope, you must have a minimum Constitution score of 13, as well as a score of at least 13 in either Strength or Dexterity.

Savagery

Some of your therianthrope features and beast traits require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Savagery save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher)

Therian Origin

At 1st level, you choose your Therian Origin from between Cursed, Gifted, or Inherited. You also count as a shapeshifter for spells and other effects that affect that type of creature. Your origin also affects how you can use your Wereshape feature, which is detailed later in this section.

Cursed

You acquired your gift from a powerful curse, or you were bitten by another therianthrope and survived the encounter. Your power is strong, but only mostly under your control.

Predatory Critical. As a result of your curse, your instincts are especially deadly. You can add half your therianthrope level (rounded up) to damage you deal as a result of a critical hit while in your wereshape. However, the thrill of this savagery might overwhelm you. After dealing damage from the critical hit, you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your savagery DC. On a failure, you cannot attack another creature until you reduce the creature you just hit to 0 hit points.

Gifted

You were granted this form as part of a pact with a powerful being, or through communion with the wilds and the beasts inhabiting them. Your form is more fluid as a result.

Animal Form. You can use your Wereshape feature to take an animal form resembling your wereshape.

For example, you can become an otter if your wereshape is a wereotter. You are treated as being in your wereshape while in this form, but your type is Beast, and you can be size Medium or Small. Your ability to speak or take actions is restricted to the limits of your new form.

You resemble this animal, but observers can make an Intelligence (Investigation) check versus your savagery DC to determine your true nature as a shapeshifter.

Inherited

You were born with the ability to take your hybrid form as a result of your ancestry. Perhaps you come from a family of therianthropes, or the power takes root in only certain individuals of your bloodline.

Regardless, your affinity for transformation eases the physical stress of your Wereshape feature.

Innate Adaptation. As long as you aren’t incapacitated, once each turn you can transform either into or from your wereshape without using your bonus action. You also no longer gain levels of exhaustion from your Wereshape feature.

Removing the ‘Curse’

Whether your therianthrope considers themselves cursed, others may seek to “cleanse” you in one way or another. Due to the variety of ways to become a therianthrope, talk with your Gm to decide if being affected by magic like the remove curse spell will prevent further progress in this class.

Therian Form

At 1st level, you choose a Therian Form from Aquatic, Brute, or Cunning, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Wereshape

At 1st level, you gain access to a transformation called a wereshape. To determine your wereshape and appearance, choose a beast. Your wereshape is a mixture of the beast upon a humanoid skeleton and resembles the chosen beast. The extent of your wereshape’s monstrous appearance is at your discretion. Once chosen, your wereshape and its form’s appearance do not change.

You can transform into your wereshape or end its effects as a bonus action on your turn. While using your wereshape, the following rules apply:

• You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• Your creature type is Monstrosity, and you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• You can maintain your Wereshape for a number of hours equal to half your therianthrope level (rounded up).
• Dropping to 0 hit points causes you to immediately assume your normal form.
• Your ability scores and proficiencies remain unchanged. Traits gained from your race such as Fey Ancestry or features you gained from other classes, such as the barbarian‘s Rage feature or Spellcasting are suppressed, and you cannot use them while in your wereshape.
• You are resistant to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage from non-magical weapons that aren’t silvered.
• While wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Strength or Wisdom modifier (whichever is higher).
• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, or merges into your new form. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you exit Wereshape.
• You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 plus your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) without penalty. Each time you use your wereshape thereafter causes you to suffer a level of exhaustion.

You regain all penalty-free uses of your wereshape when you finish a long rest.

Beast Traits

At 2nd level, you gain two beast traits of your choice. Your beast trait options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain therianthrope levels, you gain additional beast traits of your choice, as shown in the Beast Traits column of the Therianthrope table.

Ferocity

Starting at 2st level, while in your wereshape, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike, and its damage is slashing. This die changes as you gain therianthrope levels, as shown in the Ferocity Die column of the Therianthrope table.

In addition, when you take the Attack action and attack with an unarmed strike on your turn, you can make one additional unarmed strike as a bonus action.

Feast

Starting at 3rd level, while in your wereshape, you can use your action to deliver a powerful bite. Make an unarmed strike. If the attack hits, the damage is piercing instead of its normal type, and you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) plus your therianthrope level. Once you hit with this attack, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Apex Predator

Starting at 6th level, while in your wereshape your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Enduring Form

Starting at 7th level, your therianthrope blood makes you immune to disease.

Grim Visage

Starting at 9th level, when you use your wereshape feature, you can fill your enemies with desperate panic. As part your wereshape transformation, you can choose a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within 60 feet that can hear and see you. These targets must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your savagery DC or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Dark Flight

At 10th level, your movement speed increases by 10 feet.

Wild Regeneration

Starting at 14th level, while in your wereshape, at the start of each of your turns, if your current hit points are less than half your hit point maximum, you regain a number of hit points equal to half your therianthrope level (rounded up). You don’t regain hit points from this feature if you have 0 hit points or if you took damage from a silvered weapon since the end of your last turn.

Sanguine Frenzy

Starting at 20th level, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with an attack while in your wereshape, you can make another attack against a creature within range.

Additionally, you can maintain your wereshape indefinitely without suffering levels of exhaustion.

Therian Forms

Therianthropes differ widely in the form their wereshape takes. Although variations are as many as there are animals, there are three wide classifications: aquatic, brute, or cunning.

Aquatic

Therianthropes of the aquatic form largely inhabit the coastal regions of the world, but are sometimes known to travel inland. Though their strength is formidable, the aquatic form’s favored method of attack is to drag unsuspecting prey into the deeps to drown them.

The various therianthropes that commonly make up aquatics include weresharks, wereorcas, and werecrocodiles, although many other variations exist.

Aquatic therianthrope have appearances suited to traversing the watery depths. They typically have gills, or are capable of storing oxygen. Aquatics are known to have webbed fingers, fins, or webbed feet to allow them to swim, as well as claws, crushing jaws fitted with terrible teeth, fangs, or even beaks.

Fathom Dweller

Starting at 1st level, you gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, your wereshape gains the following benefits.

• You can breathe both air and water.
• While underwater, your darkvision range extends to 120 feet.

Abyssal Maw

Starting at 6th level, when you hit a creature using your Feast feature, you can attempt to grapple the target with your powerful jaws. The creature you hit must make a Strength saving throw against your savagery save DC or become grappled by you. When a creature attempts to escape from this grapple, you can use the result of your Strength (Athletics) check or your savagery DC, whichever is higher, for the contested roll.

Hunter in The Deeps

Starting at 11th level, while in your wereshape, you have blindsight out to a range of 30 feet while underwater.

Additionally, while in your wereshape, when you take the Dash action and you move at least 10 feet on your turn, you can make a melee attack targeting a creature that is in a space next to you during your movement.

Blood in The Water

Starting at 17th level, while in your wereshape, you have advantage on all attacks against a creature that is below its hit point maximum.

Additionally, after using your Feast feature, you can immediately move up to your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Brute Form

Brute Form therianthropes include the more “classical” shapechangers, such as werebears, wereboars, and werewolves.

These therianthropes often reside in heavily forested areas where prey abounds, and the therianthrope makes use of their overwhelming speed and ferocity to dispatch foes.

This form’s distinctive traits include fangs or sharp teeth and claws.

Primal Anatomy

Starting at 1st level, your speed increases by 10 feet.

Additionally, while in your wereshape, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence checks that rely on smell or hearing.
• As a bonus action, you can take the Search action.

Preternatural Being

At 6th level, gain one of the following features.

• Your hit point maximum increases by 12. Whenever you gain a level in this class your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points.
• You gain a d4 frenzy die. Once on your turn when you roll for damage for a melee attack, you can add this frenzy die to the roll. If you dealt damage during your last turn, your frenzy die becomes a d6, increasing with each subsequent turn you deal damage by one step, from a d6 to a d8, to a d10, and finally to a d12 maximum. If you do not deal damage on your turn, your frenzy die reverts to a d4.

Unrelenting

Starting at 11th level, while in your wereshape, you ignore non-magical difficult terrain. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws and ability checks against effects that would reduce your movement speed or prevent you from moving.

Flesh-Ripper

Starting at 17th level, while in your wereshape, you can use your action to tear into a creature of your choice within 5 feet. That creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your savagery DC taking 10d6 + 10 slashing damage on a failure, or half as much on a success. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

Cunning Form

The Cunning Form therianthrope comprise the most unusual of the various werebeasts in the world.

Focusing on their natural agility and cleverness, these therianthropes are found closer to civilization, and are made up by wererats, werebadgers, and werefoxes.

Therianthropes of this form tend to look more humanoid than others when transformed. They retain more of their normal instincts and tend to keep their mannerisms, like wearing clothes or using weapons, while on their hunts. Most therianthropes in this form choose to carry weapons and wear custom armor suitable for both their normal form and wereshape. Regardless, their appearance is still marked by sharpened teeth, claws, or talons.

Scavenger

Starting at 1st level, you gain a climb speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, when you transform into your wereshape, you can choose to keep your equipment on. The Gm decides whether it is practical for the new form to benefit from a piece of equipment.

You also have a knack for finding ways to use objects in your environment to your advantage in combat. You are proficient with improvised weapons and use your ferocity die instead of the normal damage die. If you throw an improvised weapon, you can use either Strength or Dexterity modifier for both the attack and damage rolls.

Slinking Shadow

Starting at 6th level, you can Hide as a bonus action on your turn.

In addition, anytime you hit a creature that is surprised, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your savagery DC or become stunned until the end of its next turn.

Pack Tactics

Starting at 11th level, while in your wereshape, you have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and that ally isn’t incapacitated.

Swarm Lord

At 17th level, as a bonus action, you can point out a weakness in a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. Allies that can see the target and can hear you have advantage on attacks against that creature until the beginning of your next turn.

Avian Form

Most elusive and rare are the therianthropes of the avian form. They take to the sky freely, and stake their territory in isolated mountains or any other place difficult to reach without the gift of flight.

Avian therianthropes flit in and out of combat, preferring to strike and flee to a safe distance, but must be wary of dangers that can remove their ability to fly. Among their ranks are werebats, wereravens, and wereowls.

The distinctive features of this form’s wereshape include wings, claws or talons, and a beak or sharp teeth. Wings may grow out of a therianthrope’s arms, or simply sprout from their back. Whatever the case, armor and weapons must be made to accommodate the transformation to be useable while in wereshape.

Aerial Build

Starting at 1st level, while in your wereshape and not wearing armor, you gain a fly speed equal to half your walking speed.

Additionally, you can use your wereshape feature as a reaction when you fall more than 10 feet.

If you are falling when you enter your wereshape, you can fly a number of feet equal to the number of feet you have fallen.

Aerie

Starting at 6th level, you can spend an hour while in your wereshape gathering twigs, branches, and small stones to construct a nest. Your nest can be up to a 10-foot radius sphere, with walls up to 1-foot thick.

The nest provides full cover, as well as shelter from the elements. It has an AC equal to your savagery DC, a number of hit points equal to five times your level, and is immune to psychic and poison damage. While constructing this nest, you can choose to include a trigger mechanism, which upon using your action to interact with, destroys the nest immediately.

This may be a perfectly positioned twig or small stone, known only to you, that once removed causes the collapse of the structure.

Improved Aerial Build

When you reach 6th level, your wings have grown and heart strengthened. While in your wereshape, your fly speed increases to equal your walking speed.

Cut And Run

Starting at 11th level, while in your wereshape, when you hit a creature with a melee attack, you don’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn.

Ruler of the Skies

Starting at 17th level, while in your wereshape, your flying speed increases by 20 feet.

Additionally, while flying, when you take the Attack action, you can augment your attack with special techniques to peck out your opponent’s eyes or sink your talons into vulnerable spots. The first time you hit on your turn, the target must also make a Dexterity saving throw against your savagery DC. On a failure, the target is either blinded until the end of its next turn or the target’s speed drops to 0 until the end of its next turn (your choice). A creature can only be affected by this feature once every 8 hours.

Beast Traits

You can take each beast trait only once, unless the beast trait’s description says otherwise. If a beast trait has prerequisites, you must meet them gain the trait. You can learn the beast trait at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Ambush Hunter

You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. If you already have proficiency in Stealth, choose another skill available to the therianthrope class in which to gain proficiency. While in your wereshape, if you are lightly obscured, you are treated as being heavily obscured.

Bounding Assault

While in your wereshape, you can use an action to triple your jump distance until the end of your turn.

Additionally, if you use your action in this way and jump as part of your movement, you can make one attack against a creature as part of your movement.

Cursed Bite

Prerequisite(s): 12th level, Cursed Origin

You can use your Feast feature twice between short or long rests.

Additionally, if you reduce a creature to 0 hit points using your Feast feature, but do not kill it outright, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your savagery DC. On a failure, they are inflicted with therianthropy.

The Gm determines when they assume their wereshape, and whether they are hostile to creatures in this form. If that creature takes a level in this class, its wereshape appearance, Therian Origin, and Therian Form are identical to yours.

Diminutive Form

Prerequisite(s): Gifted Origin When you use your wereshape feature to assume your animal form, you can choose to be Tiny size.

If you assume a Tiny size with this feature, the damage you deal with unarmed strikes is reduced to 1.

Dire Form

Prerequisite(s): Gifted Origin When you use your wereshape feature to assume your animal form, you can choose to be one size larger than your normal size.

Feint and Retreat

Prerequisite(s): Cunning Form

If a creature makes a melee attack against you and misses, you can use your reaction to immediately move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Feral Charge

While in your wereshape, if you move at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hit it with a melee attack on the same turn, that creature must make a Strength saving throw against your savagery DC or be knocked prone.

Horrifying Visage

Prerequisite(s): 15th level, Cursed Origin

Your Grim Visage feature affects any number of targets of your choice that can see you.

Additionally, you can use your Grim Visage feature twice between short or long rests.

Ingrained Ferocity

Prerequisite(s): 5th level

You have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Instinctive Shift

Prerequisite(s): 7th level, Inherited Origin

If you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can use your reaction to assume your wereshape.

Lurking Threat

Prerequisite(s): 15th level

When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move, take an action, or take a reaction.

Kindred Spirit

Prerequisite(s): Gifted Origin

At the Gm’s discretion, through vocalizations and body language, you can communicate with animals of the same species as your chosen form (including dire varieties). Such communication is limited by the Intelligence of the conversing creatures, who can often only express simple ideas and concepts like hunger or fear.

Moon Beast

At night, you can use your wereshape feature without suffering levels of exhaustion.

On the night of a full moon, your wereshape is especially potent. Once per night while in the presence of a full moon, as an action, you can unleash your full fury. For 1 minute, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC and can make one additional attack whenever you take the attack action.

Partial Shift

Prerequisite(s): Inherited Origin

You can concentrate your transformation onto a single body part as a bonus action to gain one of the following effects. These effects last until you are incapacitated, until you end them as a bonus action, or until you use your wereshape feature.

• You can use your ferocity die for your unarmed strikes.
• You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, instead increase its range by 30 feet.
• You cannot use Partial Shift while in your wereshape.
• At 5th level, you can choose two effects instead of one, and at 11th level, you can choose to gain all listed effects.

Planar Form

You have tapped into planar energies and gained the ability to mutate your wereshape as a result. When you use your Wereshape feature, you can choose to be one of these types instead: Aberration, Celestial, Elemental, Fey, or Fiend. Your wereshape appearance may change to suit this new type.

You can select this beast trait multiple times. Each time, you must choose a different creature type.

Predator

You can focus your eyesight to magnify a portion of what you see up to five times its normal size. You can focus this way on something up to a mile away. If you know a creature’s scent, you can tell if has been within 30 feet of where you are within the past 24 hours.

Additionally, you add double your proficiency bonus to ability checks made to track creatures while in your wereshape.

Additionally, while in your wereshape, you can add double your proficiency bonus to Intimidation checks.

Supernatural Reflexes

You have advantage on initiative rolls while in your wereshape.

Run With The Pack

While in your wereshape, if an ally within 10 feet of you takes the Dash action, you can use your reaction to move up to your speed in the direction of your ally, so long as you end your movement within 10 feet of the triggering ally.

Terror in the Night

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. If you already have proficiency in Intimidation, choose another skill available to the therianthrope class in which to gain proficiency.