Templated Animal Lycanthropes

[TenaciousJ]

Is there anything stopping me from making a lycanthrope out of something like a horrid animal or a titanic animal (or a horrid titanic animal)?

The rules text on the SRD says:

This animal can be any predator, scavenger, or omnivore whose size is within one size category of the base creature’s size (Small, Medium, or Large for a Medium base creature). Lycanthropes can also adopt a hybrid shape that combines features of the base creature and the base animal. A lycanthrope’s hybrid form is the same size as the base animal or the base creature, whichever is larger.

The horrid and titanic templates won't change the animal's type, so those animals seem like they are fair game for a lycanthrope assuming a suitably sized humanoid base.

[zook1shoe]

Those templates are still fine for lycanthropes. But, remember that the creature gains the animal HD, which Titanic creatures jump to 20 or 25. So the ECL jumps quickly.

Were-Titanic Raven can only be applied to a Huge or larger Giant/Humanoid.

[TenaciousJ]

My players (all level 16, a bardblade with pounce, a persist-abusing artificer, and a conjurer) handled an 18th level druid wildshaped into a choker with a voidmind half-fire elemental titanic horrid weasel that was being buffed by an ulitharid level 16 telepath.

I'm sure some Were-Titanic-Horrid Weasel won't stop them.   And it will make me chuckle a bit.

[Ithamar]

Lycanthropy is based on Alternate Form which states:

A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. A true seeing spell or ability reveals the creature’s natural form. A creature using alternate form reverts to its natural form when killed, but separated body parts retain their shape. A creature cannot use alternate form to take the form of a creature with a template.

So no, I don't think that works.

[linklord231]

Lycanthropy is based on Alternate Form which states:

A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. A true seeing spell or ability reveals the creature’s natural form. A creature using alternate form reverts to its natural form when killed, but separated body parts retain their shape. A creature cannot use alternate form to take the form of a creature with a template.

So no, I don't think that works.

Yes and no.  Technically, he'd be unable to use his Alternate Form ability to take the form of a Titanic creature, but he might still be able to benefit from the increased stats and special attacks of the templated form while in hybrid form.  It's tricky to figure out, especially when you realize that Lycanthrope is itself a template, which means by RAW a Lycanthrope can't use his Alternate Form ability to take his own form. 

[TenaciousJ]

Somehow I need to further terrorize them with enormous variants of weasels.  I'm not sure that making a regular Were-Dire Weasel will have the proper essence of weasel if I'm just using transmutation and/or psychometabolism effects to make the creature enormous.

[Ithamar]

Half-Gorristro Dire Weasels?