Therianthropy

Overview

Individuals suffering from the curse of lycanthropy exist in two states, human and animal. They are capable of shifting between these two forms at will, and may shift involuntarily when under duress. The more time a person spends in the animal form, they more their personality adapts to the animal nature. Individuals may cease to engage in human behaviour entirely if they survive long enough.

It is commonly believed that the curse spreads through the bite of a lycanthrope, and anyone bitten will themselves become a monster under the next full moon. It is also believed that weapons of pure silver are the only means by which these beasts can be permanently slain.

Typically the animal forms of these creatures manifest as larger predatory carnivores, but strange cases exist in which the animal form is more benign.

Abilities

Regeneration

Lycanthropes are capable of healing at an accelerated rate in either form. While not instantaneous, their natural body heals at a rate five times faster than ordinary creatures, usually without scaring, and some regrowth of severed appendages has been reported.

Transformation

The ability to shift between forms begins as a dormant psionic talent, capable of passive triggering during times of acute stress. This ability takes years develop finer control and most are slain long before reaching any state of balance. While in beast form the human personality and mind is somewhat suppressed, less so the longer one has been a shifter. The change is painful, relatively slow, and awkward as the body contorts and rearranges.

Infection

The disease may be spread through any mixing of body fluids (blood, saliva, etc.) between the victim and the lycanthrope in any form (human, animal or hybrid). If one succumbs to the illness instead of dying they gain the ability to transform between beast and human form. The curse may also be inherited genetically from either parent, remaining dormant until puberty. An animal infected by a human lycanthrope can develop the same disease and switch from their natural form to human. The secondary form is always the natural form of the source if the species (victim and lycanthrope) are different, and the alternate form if the species are the same.