Therianthropes: Mating and Aging

[Tadelin]

Even when faced with all the possibilities that can be around in a game of any sort, I've personally always been drawn to therianthropes (a broader and more accurate name for lycanthropes) as both villain and hero type characters. I've also never taken well to the alignment restrictions placed on characters, and always thought that every non-outsider has a chance to be of any alignment, more so than the books imply should be the case. As such, I started seeing the various therianthropes as being viable (though sometimes complicated) "races" for players to use. But this had led me to two other questions that I'm having a hard time answering:

• What are the possible and logical results of a therianthrope mating with their viable humaniod and animal mates?
• How does one determine the aging from birth to maturity, middle age, and so forth for a natural therianthrope?

I've had a few ideas on the first question strike me, but I'm curious to see how other people would figure those pairings. As for the second, this one is my absolute boggle. Do the children that are natural therianthropes age to maturity as the animal or humanoid, regardless of the other side of their nature? And what happens after that point? How long do they live? Personally, I find the Monster Manuals severely lacking on these details, and I think they intend to do so because they see it as a template. But it seems odd to me for a natural therianthrope to be "just a template."

Thoughts and ideas?

[Cole Deschain]

I've also never taken well to the alignment restrictions placed on characters, and always thought that every non-outsider has a chance to be of any alignment, more so than the books imply should be the case.

While it's beside the point of your post, I feel compelled to mention that I deal with this on a setting by setting basis. In Ravenloft? The curse of the beast is precisely that, a curse. Even natural shapechangers, in my opinion, are not truly in control when their change is triggered- they just ride the frenzy a little better.

In other settings? Hell, I played Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Ran a downright heroic were-rat, too.

I play it by ear- what the story being told seems to require.

What are the possible and logical results of a therianthrope mating with their viable humaniod and animal mates?

I'd say it depends on the shape the shifter in question was wearing. If a male werewolf mates with a female wolf, the kids are going to be wolves. I would house-rule such offspring as being latent shapeshifters whose only alternate form is a bipedal hybrid, and whose bite carries a very tiny chance of transmitting the curse.

Humanoid children are far easier- the rules actually cover this.

How does one determine the aging from birth to maturity, middle age, and so forth for a natural therianthrope?

Depends on the mother, in my estimation. Children born as wolves would mature as wolves- but might live a long time if their curse is triggered.

Humanoids would age and mature as appropriate to their species.[/quote]

[Tadelin]

I'd say it depends on the shape the shifter in question was wearing. If a male werewolf mates with a female wolf, the kids are going to be wolves. I would house-rule such offspring as being latent shapeshifters whose only alternate form is a bipedal hybrid, and whose bite carries a very tiny chance of transmitting the curse.

I kinda get into this a bit with the story I'm slowly putting up. But the end result of that mating is three magical beasts and one natural weretiger. This idea here is to really figure out a logical way to explain how their numbers would grow, since afflicted were-creatures can be cured, even if the cure is complicated.

Depends on the mother, in my estimation. Children born as wolves would mature as wolves- but might live a long time if their curse is triggered. Humanoids would age and mature as appropriate to their species.

This thinking, while providing a good viewpoint, seems to imply though that therianthropes born with one animal parent would live shorter lives than those born of a humanoid parent, or even two therianthropes as parents. I don't think that sort of imbalance is the sort of thing you're going for with that idea, and I know it doesn't seem to flow well from my viewpoint either.

[Cole Deschain]

This thinking, while providing a good viewpoint, seems to imply though that therianthropes born with one animal parent would live shorter lives than those born of a humanoid parent, or even two therianthropes as parents. I don't think that sort of imbalance is the sort of thing you're going for with that idea, and I know it doesn't seem to flow well from my viewpoint either.

Where did you get that idea?

Ravenloft as a setting includes some friggin' ANCIENT werewolves (the Timothy family, for example).

All I was saying is that animal-born shifters would mature sooner. It doesn't follow that they would die sooner.