literature

Lycanthropes - Variant Morphs

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Hunter

The Hunter is the most common lycanthrope variant morph.  They resemble the classic "man-wolf" of Hollywood, though they're really no more hideous in appearance than the average gray wolf.  They stand anywhere from six to eight feet in height and sport an impressive physique; the average Hunter is three to four times as strong as the average human.  They are capable of bipedal and quadrupedal movement, running on four legs or two.   Hunters sport wicked fangs and retractable claws that are capable of tearing through metal.  Like mundane wolves, Hunters (and all variant morphs for that matter) have an inner fur coat that is basically beige while the color of their outer coat can vary tremendously.  Sometimes the fur color will be the same (or some approximate) of the lycanthrope's hair in his or her human form, leading to werewolves with blonde or red fur.  Other times the fur coat will closely resemble a pattern observed in a sub-species of wolf.  

Hunters are capable of running impressive speeds, though they still couldn't hope to outrun a car.  Furthermore, like many predators they tire relatively easy.  Pound for pound, a human marathon runner has more endurance than the average Hunter.  They are far more nimble than their hulking bodies would suggest, though a well-trained or athletic human could match their agility.  They sport superior hearing and excellent night vision.  Their sense of smell is roughly equal to a bloodhound, sensitive enough to detect a few cells in the air and follow trails days old.  

Like all lycanthropes, Hunters heal very quickly.  Small lacerations and bruises heal in a matter of seconds.  Grievous, ordinarily life-threatening wounds such as broken bones, disembowelment and dismemberment will heal in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on how severe the damage is.  That said, there is a limit to how much punishment a Hunter can take.  Furthermore, any damage to the central nervous system – including the spine – will not heal so quickly and may lead to permanent disability or even death.  Finally, silver is toxic to lycanthropes.  Merely touching it will burn a lycanthrope; such injuries will not regenerate and must be healed 'naturally.'

Finally, all lycanthrope variant morphs possess a number of unique, seemingly supernatural abilities and Hunters are no exception.  Not all lycanthropes possess these powers; it takes practice and aptitude to develop them.

Hunter's Stare – The Hunter stares at its quarry, entrancing it. As long as the Hunter does not attack or threaten the target it will simply stay where it is, staring into the lycanthrope's eyes.  This ability does not work on other lycanthropes.

Shadow Stride – The Hunter can seemingly disappear into the shadows, reappearing anywhere within a couple hundred yards.  This ability only works in forests (e.g. any heavily wooded area) at night.

Partial Morph – Unique among all lycanthropes, an experienced Hunter can actually choose to transform only part of their bodies.  A Hunter could, for example transform their hands into claws while otherwise remaining human.  

Guardian

Guardians are massive lycanthropes.  The smallest Guardian will stand at least eight feet in height and may be as tall as ten or eleven feet.  They resemble Hunters, though their human characteristics will be more pronounced, i.e. they tend to have shorter muzzles and smaller ears.  They are bulky creatures with incredibly powerful, albeit clumsy bodies.  They are capable of feats of strength that border on the ridiculous, such as lifting an RV over their heads and tossing it for several dozen yards.  That said, they cannot match any other lycanthrope in terms of speed (though they're still faster than humans) and are not particularly graceful.  

All of the Guardian's powers are physically draining and leave the lycanthrope fatigued after using them. They may combine two or all three of their abilities, activating them all act once, but it is extremely tiring and can result in exhaustion and even death.

Berserker – Temporarily renders the guardian immune to pain and doubles its strength, though it enters an enraged state and cannot differentiate friend from foe.  

Burst of Speed – The ordinarily sluggish Guardian is capable of spurts of incredible speed.  Although it does not improve its agility, the Guardian's massive strength and size means it can generally knock aside any obstacle in its path.

Invincibility – By accelerating their metabolism through biofeedback, a Guardian can boost their regenerative powers to the point they are practically invulnerable to conventional weapons. Furthermore, their allergy to silver is mitigated.

Shaman

Of all the variant morphs, the Shaman is the most mysterious.  These lycanthropes tend to be very tall – standing taller than most Guardians – but thinly built, almost gangly.  Their eyes glow brighter than any other lycanthrope.  Despite their willowy bodies their physical prowess, speed, agility and senses are just as acute as any Hunter's.  Their regenerative powers, however, are weaker than any other variant morph.  While capable of recovering from wounds that would kill the average human they heal relatively slowly and are particularly vulnerable to silver; even a small amount can cause them grievous harm. Balancing this weakness, Shamans have extremely potent abilities that allow them to read emotions, thoughts, and the future.  

Aura Sight – Shamans can ascertain a creature's general emotion state simply by looking at them.  Shamans say they perceive it as a 'color aura.'

Thought Sense – By touching a being they are able to 'read' their surface thoughts.  Humans and other sentient creatures tend to think in words and images while animals think in terms of emotions, urges, and instincts. Experienced Shamans can use this ability to communicate with creatures telepathically or even manipulate their thoughts.  

Portends – A Shaman occasionally (and uncontrollably) has brief visions of the immediate future.  Although always accurate, these visions are not set in stone; they can be changed through intervention on the Shaman's part.  

Beast

Were it not for its tremendous size (standing four feet at its withers) and glowing eyes the Beast variant morph would be indistinguishable from an ordinary gray wolf.  Unlike all other lycanthropes, Beasts cannot speak while Changed (they can grunt or bark approximations of words, but their throats simply aren't built to produce the same range of phonemes humans can) and cannot walk on two legs.  Furthermore, they do not have claws.  They are much stronger than ordinary wolves, roughly equal to a Hunter in terms of sheer physical power and slightly better in terms of agility and speed.  Their healing powers, however, exceed all other variant morphs with the exception of a Guardian when using its invincibility ability (see above).  Hacked off limbs, broken bones, gouged eyes, and other serious injuries heal within minutes and silver, while still capable of doing lasting damage, does not sear a Beast's flesh simply on contact.  Beasts also have access to some extremely unusual and potent abilities.

Lupine Empathy – Beasts can communicate with mundane wolves, conveying simple concepts such as friend, food, enemy, play, danger, and so forth.  They can command wolves simply by taking the role of alpha, which requires earning the wolves respect.

Howl of Rage – Beasts can emit a deafening, supersonic roar that terrifies any who hear it.

Song of the Moon – One of the most mysterious lycanthropic powers, only Beasts can sing the Song of the Moon.  It is a beautiful, haunting, wordless melody that entrances any human who hear it.  After listening for the song for a few minutes, humans slowly transform into lycanthropes (always Hunter variant morphs).  Individuals transformed by the song enter hypnotic, suggestible state of mind and can be readily commanded by the Beast.  Unlike true lycanthropy, the change is temporary – the individuals affected revert to their human forms a few hours later and remember the experience as a strange dream.  Lycanthropes find the melody beautiful, but are otherwise unaffected.

Tracker

The Tracker is the rarest variant morph of all.  They are smaller than their Hunter counterparts, sometimes not growing any larger than their human alter ego.  Although packed with tight, wiry muscles, they are generally weaker than all other lycanthropes.  A particularly brawny human could probably match or even overpower the average Tracker.  However, they are the fastest living creatures on Earth, capable of outrunning a cheetah on open ground.  Furthermore, their senses of smell, sight, and hearing are preternaturally good.  Their reflexes are similarly impressive and their regenerative powers are on par with a Hunter.  

Blood Trail – Trackers who ingest another creature's blood will be able to discern its location unerringly for a month thereafter.

All-Sense – Trackers are capable of focusing their senses to the point they have absolute knowledge of every detail of their immediate surroundings.

Quicksilver – Like Guardians, experienced Trackers can use biofeedback to accelerate their metabolism.  Instead of improving their regenerative powers, however, quicksilver enhances their reflexes, hand-eye-coordination, and agility.  When Trackers activate quicksilver the world around them seems to slow down, all motion besides their own becoming sluggish and exaggerated.  Using this ability is extremely tiring.  
I wrote up a quick guide to the varieties of werewolves featured in my Lycanthrope Club series. A little cheesy, I know, but I'm a sucker for things like this.
© 2011 - 2024 Heliotroph
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W0lfManJoe's avatar

Hunters are cool, but I prefer the Guardians better.