So I see quite a few werewolf stories and they’re either the bloodthirsty sort or simply a shape shifting comrade.
Thanks to a few gags about petting a scene came to mind involving the accidental petting of a friend during a sleepover that revealed a secret or two. I wound up with a kind of backdrop and/or history stewing in my mind involving different sects of werewolves.
The very beginning is a blank slate but the first werewolves refused their wolfish natures as hard as they could and kept improving on ways to keep their wolf form bound in their homes.
One day a very odd human discovered one and convinced them to loosen up. In their diary they recorded how the wolf simply wimpered in its bindings instead of thrashing as much as its kin did. The divide was sometime after.
Those who still try to behave “properly” have dubbed themselves the Werewolf Association of Dignity. Not that they’d tell a human the full name.
Those who embrace their wolfish nature in society at least enough to look like the biggest friends ever… haven’t got any special title.
Those who attract a lot of staring but otherwise still manage to live in society have been dubbed “the domestic”. Usually it’s a joke but there are those who treat it like some badge of pride.
Then there are those that are trying to be full wolves for some reason or other. Their success is up to interpretation.
Refusing the wolf side too much for too long is actually what causes the horror stories to come true if that wasn’t clear already.
A topic I’ve played with for years and years but never really had the drove to write out.
Werewolves are so totally typecast these days and it’s sad:(
I like the idea. The subsets of their kind ect…
But why not go further Ala Vampire bloodlines. It’s an old kinda D&D vamp back drop wherein there are different species of blood suckers.
Different appearances and abilities from one to the other ect…
Why couldn’t werewolves have something similar. Varying degrees if change and control even natural abilities and the like. Kinda like different breeds of dog only more mystical;)
Fun aspect to play with once you take a step back from the typical furred menace.
Irregardless the ‘domestic and wild’ thing is an interesting twist by the by.
Bigby Wolf’s three stages of transformations is my favourite portrayal of a werewolf. First stage is a half wolf form, second stage is full werewolf form and his final stage is a very large and powerful wolf.
In all three stages he retains his mind and is fully aware and in control of his actions (perhaps because he embraces this form), the only thing that triggers them is his anger and if he felt cornered, which is very much like his animal nature.
I’ve only seen this portrayal of something closely reassembling a werewolf within the game which is a shame.
I think D&D is the only RP system I haven’t touched. Most of the RP books I’ve read were only borrowed though and it’s not like I memorized them.
The only RP book I actually own is a Stargate expansion for some spy game.
Could you expand on what you had in mind there?
Did any of your ideas involve nature spirits? Just came to mind while writing this reply actually.
edit: Actually I was thinking the varying degrees of change, control, and natural abilities would be from the individuals reaction to their wolfish nature back when I first started. I should have put that in the post. Sorry.
Having the source of their wolfish nature have some effect would still fit and actually I’d be all for it.
Bloodborne had almost every boss in it as a twisted werewolf and some monsters too and they all looked crazy and stupidly awesome cause everyone of them was unique from the jerk who killed me right from the start to the cleric beast and the other bosses like the girl in the church area who turns to be quite badass looking and quit hard to kill and the deformed one with no skin or fur and a leg coming from it’s head so bloodborne takes the cake for me in the unique werewolves/lycans part and that game made me favor werewolves over vampires as soon as I finished it
