Let's talk about werewolves

[WinterFlower]

Hello. The reason I'm posting this here and not in mod requests or general discussion is because it's intended to be on "idea-level", i.e. brainstorming, for possible modifications.

 

 

The problem:

 

Werewolves aren't really cursed. I mean, yes, they don't go to Sovngarde, but that doesn't quite affect the game outcome =P And yes, they don't get a restful sleep, but frankly, restful sleep isn't very useful either. In return for disease resistance and rambo mode and whatnot, they get nonexistent drawbacks. To sum it up and repeat, lycanthropy is not a curse.

 

 

 

 

The current solution:

 

There are some really wonderful mods that make werewolf experience much more immersible (?). Night transformations during full moon, hunters tracking you, transform-at-will, et cetera. But that really doesn't cut it to curse-point, since you can simply spend some nights away from civilisation and who can't defeat hunters anyway. There is also a mod that breaks your items every time you transform, along with other quirks, but that's a bit too extreme and not Dawnguard-compatible either.

 

 

 

 

What we really need:

 

Something that makes you weigh the pros and cons of being a servant of Hircine, in addition to what we already have as mods. Some ideas of mine:

 

- Characters with lycanthropy are vulnerable to silver in human form as well.

 

- Wolfsbane poison. It can force a transformed werewolf back into human, prevents transformation, and is capable of paralyzing. Werewolf hunters usually carry this. Characters who are willing to play as WW hunters can make this, too.

 

- Werewolf hunters are immune to howls to prevent being dispatched so easily.

 

- Carnivore. Subsequent hours without eating a heart can have consequences.

-- Vanilla stage (0-16 hours). No bonuses, no penalties.

-- Hungry (16-32 hours). Magicka is reduced by 30. Hand to hand damage is increased by 10 + (level x 0.5).

-- Starving (32-48 hours). Magicka is reduced by 60. Hand to hand damage is increased by 15 + (level x 0.5). People distrust you and may refuse to talk to you. Everybody follows you on sight. Occasionally character may faint when out of combat.

-- Frenzied (48-64 hours). Cannot use magicka at all. Hand to hand damage is increased by 20 + (level x 0.5). Occasionally character may get enraged and attack the nearest NPC for a few seconds.

-- Insatiable (64+ hours). Forced transformation into Beast form. Applies the 'carnage' debuff, which increases damage by 30 + (level x 0.5) and prevents transformation into human. Feeding on a corpse removes carnage.

 

- Voluntarily transforming into wolf without eating anything will advance a carnivore stage. It consumes a lot of energy and shouldn't be used too liberally, e.g. for the sprinting/encumbrance bonus.

 

- Werewolves in human form can feed on corpses and eat "human heart" to revert to vanilla stage. Feeding in beast form also reverts to vanilla stage. Being witnessed eating a corpse awards +1000 gold bounty.

 

- Enhanced senses. Humans with lycanthropy should be able to see in the dark and use scent of blood. There are many times I've been frustrated because of that disability.

 

- Enhanced strength. Sprinting power attacks in human form should knock enemies down.

 

- Rage lesser power (shout... growl?). Enhances hand-to-hand damage +30 and damage/magic resistance +30% and makes character immune to stagger, but drains all magicka (-1000 regen/sec) and prevents any weapon from being equipped and potion/ingredient from being used if possible, or entirely inventory access if possible, and also blurs vision and slightly drains health over time (-3/s). May last 15 seconds or something. Cooldown of 30.

 

 

Well... feel free to discuss/add ideas! ^^;''

Edited September 8, 2012 by WinterFlower

[AnkhAscendant]

I don't generally play werewolves, but I sympathise since I had the same problem with vampires. Never was really inconvenienced by it.

 

I have to say that I really like all of your ideas; they would be a lot more dynamic, I think. I agree that human-form werewolves should have night-eye and their enhanced nose, enhanced strength, et cetera... Your character should change when s/he becomes a werewolf.

 

I also really like your stages with their bonuses/penalties, especially the forced frenzy. I would tweak some of them, though, such as making the Insatiable stage not actually damage health, since werewolves don't classically drop dead, they go crazy and get killed for being dangerous. If you want to go crazy and be a feral werewolf, you should be able to play your game that way. It seems like it would be fun to play a ravenous transformed werewolf who lives in cave and mauls passersby. ^^ Add more hunters in that stage instead, since word has gotten around that there's a dangerous werewolf and a Jarl has put a bounty on your fuzzy head? Of course the hunters would have to actually be dangerous then.

 

I'd also make the cannibalism bounty higher, like double or more, to make it seem that much worse than just murder, but that's just nitpicking.

 

Of course I can't make your suggestions come true, but I do like the ideas and wanted to say that.

[WinterFlower]

Thank you for the insight! I realised you were right about the losing health thing. But additional hunters shouldn't be needed, there's enough of them already :3

The 1000 bounty was made just because being witnessed transforming is also 1000 bounty. It seems that's their standards for being a werewolf D=

(who the hell pays 1000 bounty anyway? I always serve jail time)

 

But again, thank you! *hugs*

[Sohyun]

I really like these ideas! Really, the only input I can thing of right now, is maybe lessening the boost to unarmed damage at lower levels (add scaling, maybe?), because with some of those values you could easily punch things to death much more efficiently than using an actual weapon.

 

Regardless, I'd love to have a mod like this! :3

[WinterFlower]

I really like these ideas! Really, the only input I can thing of right now, is maybe lessening the boost to unarmed damage at lower levels (add scaling, maybe?), because with some of those values you could easily punch things to death much more efficiently than using an actual weapon.

 

Regardless, I'd love to have a mod like this! :3

 

Thank you for the insight! I was comparing the unarmed damage bonus to Khajiits' claw racial, but you are right that +30 damage on level 1 is a bit too much :P

ALTHOUGH I use Scaling Stopper, which makes most enemies I meet level 15-20, which makes them hard to tackle nonetheless. D= Misjudgement there on my part :P

 

(added some stupid formula that would linearly scale the damage from +20 (level 1) to +45 (level 50))

[gulogulo]

"- Enhanced senses. Humans with lycanthropy should be able to see in the dark and use scent of blood. There are many times I've been frustrated because of that disability."

 

Well check out my mod Nature of the beast II. You can have those for sure, I mean night eye and smell

[Grakchawwaa]

Most of those mods are already done but what I would love to see is a hunger tweak for mods or a whole new mod for werewolf hunger - I have yet to find a proper hunger mod for werewolves :P

[jackowonderful]

it's not a curse is it. it's suppose to make you stronger, for the hunt.

[mathern]

Great idea! BUT, I prefer my no-drawbacks-werewolf-carnage the way it is, thanks! :P. I actually modded my game so that I can be both a werewolf AND a vampire lord and the effect of having both removes any negative effects of either.. plus I boosted the unarmed strength of them both because my mods make the game much harder and the two forms were getting me killed all the time because I couldn't heal fast enough.. ha!

 

That said, I saw a mod once that forced the player to transform into a werewolf on full moon nights for the whole night.. that would be awesome, because I find that I often forget that I am a werewolf and go long periods of time without using the ability.. would force me to be more aware of my "curse".