I've heard stories that lycanthropes have been in shadowrun and not just the awakened animals.

From what i heard from the stories it is definitely a lycan because it had a hybrid form as well like in dnd.

Or is this just a house rule thing they did.

There are shifters. There's no hybrid. The humanoid form gets some benefits, though.

There wolves.

More specifically, in Runner's Companion, pp. 66-67, 86-88.

If you saw mechanics for it, it was a house rule thing someone did. If you're referencing some fluff for it, there's possibilities someone was reading too much into the old novel Wolf and Raven (which is a complicated tangle of powers and ideas, in large part because Mr. Stackpole wrote it before the Shadowrun rules were really things yet).

Also Runner's Companion, pg. 80 has the Loup-Garou, for the feral wolfman version of a werewolf.

Both wolf shapeshifters and loup-garou are suboptimal choices, though. The wolf shapeshifter was used as the "base", which gets no Attribute bonuses for the 55 points you spend on it. Spend 20 more points to get a tiger shapeshifter, and you get your base Attributes increased by ten. Loup-garou, on the other hand, are conspicuous (they don't have a human or wolf form, just their wolfman form), and the mechanics for their going berserk really hurt them (they go berserk like bear shamans do, and also are treated as if they had a rating: 2 adrenal pump). It wouldn't be as bad if they had regeneration, but they don't.

And there was much rejoicing.

From who?^^

Anybody fighting a loup-garou during its rage that's not regenerating....

Hmmmm....you could be right.^^

Meh, even with the Adrenal Pump active a LG's stats are not that impressive compared to a baseline ghoul...crazy strong but just standard human BOD, won't last long when it charges its prey in mad bloodlust.

Which is why people are happy it doesn't regenerate....

Well, we can easily create a Werewolf

Ghoul
Animal Peelage
Tail
Genefreak (Wolf features)
Claws
Fangs
Severe Allergy (Silver)

The whole transformation and full moon might be a bit more difficult.

Ghouls got claws.

I house ruled werewolves into my game a few years back. Worked pretty well and scared the crud out of my players. Had them show up as a gang in London, calling themselves "Dog Soldiers". Corny I know but they stopped groaning when the pack started chasing them through the under city of London.

I guess it depends on how big a fan you are. We've already got shifters *and* loup-garou; how many distinct werewolves do you need?

I'd like one more created by wearing enchanted belts.

Then I'd make a mage named Harry.

Do one more as the result of a pact with a shadow spirit? The individual gets luck throughout the day but at night the spirit changes him or her into a rage monster that prawls the streets.

Sounds suitably tainted for SR

I dunno, Parazoology gave us like six different weasels, and they're not even playable. Maybe there's a market for a whole ton of different werewolf types.

Just as long as Shadowrun doesn't have "sparkly" vampires then I can live with it.

Apparently people will be severely beaten if that happens.

People do love them weasels.

Not to worry. The only sparkly vampires in Shadowrun are ones you hit with a cold-aspected elemental attack spell. And considering one big behind-the-scenes push is called "Operation: Desparkle" right now, for a trend some of us are trying to reverse...well...let's just say frozen solid vampires are the only sparkly ones you'll likely ever have to worry about, in the Sixth World.

It might be too late.

JetBlack, anyone? He probably sparkles some.

All you need is one freelancer making a SURGEd vampire with the 'unusual skin' quality...

Very easy. Just a standard dream pact with a suitable spirit.

Two ways to do a Wolfgang Kies-type werewolf:

- Make him a Twisted Adept, using the pre-SR4 suggestion of the twisted magic making powers manifest physically.

- Use a Totem's Way Adept and apply the Shamanic mask option.

I dont think there is anything that prevents a wolf shifter from having a Critter form (wolfman) spell. You could give it as a spell knack or give the beasty full magic.

And if there is anything in the rules that says you cant do this, screw it, you're the DM!

(If you are not the DM, simply tear out the pages that say you cant do this)

You can't do this.

Well, not unless you find an existing non-paranormal critter that looks like a wolfman, that is.

Not with Critter Form/Shapechange, no. But you can always research and create a New "Wolfman Hybrid" Shapechange spell.

Of course! (GM allowing...) But that's not what he suggested, now is it?

Even if it worked, 'building' something that's wolfman-like out of the existing rules (Wolfman Form, or like The Jopp's SURGE Ghoul) is never the right solution. The fluff would be clearly wrong.

Neener Nenner...

Heh. You are, of course, correct.

I do think that a twisted Totem's Way Adept with shamanic mask fits, though - you can even add suitable geasa to make it more powerful during the full moon. It won't be infectious, of course, but many would probably treat the character as if he were - and if the GM allows, let the Twisted Adept 'self-learn' some blood magic adept metamagics, as suggested in Street Magic.

And then you have an initiatory group full of them calling themselves "The Circle," who lead a mercenary company called "The Companions," and...

Free Beast Spirit Inhabitation Hybrid-Form Merge.

Done.

EDIT: A couple steps further...

A Dream Pact where the above basically happens, but only on the full moon. Make the beast spirit a Blood spirit and give it Energy Drain (karma, physical damage).

Loving it!

Make it high-force, but keep the Allergy and Vulnerability to silver.

Well, inhabitation by a malevolent spirit actually is what the classical werewolf myths describe, so this fits quite nicely. I would make it a Shadow Spirit, though, they simply seem to fit better into the "deal with the devil" theme.

PS: On the other hand, people used to explain many things with evil spirits and whatnot. IC, Loup-Garou are just like headaches or epilepsy: People used to explain it with possession from downstairs, but it turns out to be something else entirely.

Used the pact idea over the weekend. Went really well. The players felt challenged and the fact that the humans entered into the pact freely to acquire "luck" in their every day lives means the shifters are up and comers in whatever field they are working in which just makes things that touch more difficult for runners to deal with.

And another group of driven mercenaries called the Silver Hand wants them dead for multiple murders.

You can get a shadow spirit with Energy Drain (physical, karma). I have a thread that details how toxic, blood, shadow, and insect spirits can go nearly every which way.

Them people are Nancys.
Wolfman ought to be scary.

I like the idea of a pack of of them charging and getting blasted on their backside by gunfire, then getting up and continuing to charge.

Give em 2 magic and they'll regenerate pretty slow, but still be an increased threat.

Fixed that for you. I had a troll western drake adept blood mage as an enemy for my group once. Something like 24-27 Bod and a Magic of like 7-9 and they dropped him in about 2 CT.

A dzoo-no-qua mystic blood adept is pretty tough, especially with MAG 8, 19 BOD, 9 WIL and 9 in counterspelling

Make him a Skinwalker, just for the laughs...

Oh, i forgot - he was a SURGE III fomori also ...

Aww man, now i have to go and make a viking archer adept with commanding voice.

Mild Addiction(Mead)
Vendetta: Lofwyr

Doc Wagons about to get a lot of calls regarding knee related injuries.

Really? Never heard of that before (not saying that you're wrong, though).

"I used to be a Shadowrunner, until I took a Trollbow Arrow to the knee. Took my whole damned leg off."