The Lupine Race as Class for Hubris (and DCC)

Now that I’ve finished the first draft of my new Death is the New Pink project, Going Medieval on Yo’ Ass!, it’s time to jump back in to some good ol’ Hubris writing!

The new supplement will have new races as class, organizations, territories, at least one new patron, new monsters, magic items, spells, etc. and will be heavily inspired by Evil Dead, The Mist, Exorcist, The Thing, and the like.  I’m also taking a little inspiration from Warhammer and a taste of Ravenloft.

I started writing notes about a year ago, but not much beyond that has been done.  Here is the first race as class, the Lupine.

The lupine was inspired by Wolfsbane art (the Marvel character) and the Shifter race from Eberron.

The Lupine

Monsters, cursed beings, savages, and werewolf are all names venomously shouted at you as you walk down the street.  People do not understand you.  They are uncomfortable with your savagery, fear your appearance, and hate you for your ferocity.

Lupines have not been on Downpour for more than a few centuries, and the origins of your people are unknown.  Some claim a powerful curse was placed on your people, forcing you to live as the very beasts your clan hunted mercilessly, while others claim lupines are what happens when a werewolf is allowed to breed.  Most don’t care to ponder, choosing instead to label you as a monster and putting your kind to the sword or pyre.

You consider very few people friends as you know most people will never understand you.  They will never feel the excitement of catching the scent of prey, the exhilaration of the hunt, or thrill of the taste of blood as you devour your kill.  Only during these times do you truly feel alive.

You are wild.  You are untamed.  You are both the hunter and the hunted.  And you are free.

Hit Points: A Lupine gains 1d10 HP per level.

 

Weapon Training: A lupine is trained in these weapons: crossbow, dagger, dart, handaxe, javelin, longsword, short sword, sling, spear, and staff. Lupines tend to not wear any armor heavier than studded leather, as it hinders their ability to sneak and hide silently and channel the Aspect of the Wolf.

 

*Weapons in the Hubris campaign setting (see equipment, pg XX).

 

Alignment: Lupines are savage and fierce fighters and tend to be shunned by civilized societies.  A lupine lives for the hunt and ability to be free and wild.  Lupines tend to be neutral, however those that have issue with how their race is treated or viewed are chaotic.

 

Low-light Vison: A lupine can see in the dark up to 60’.

 

Natural Weapons: Lupines have sharp claws that deal 1d6 damage and strong jaws and can deal a bite attack that deals 1d4 damage.  A lupine is never considered unarmed.

 

Scent– The lupine has an extremely sharp sense of smell and able to detect the smell of blood, smoke, approaching creatures, track foes, or detect familiar odors.  Strong scents such as smoke, rotting bodies, offal, etc. can be detected 60’ away.  Stronger scents can be detected 90’ away.

If the source of the smell is upwind, the range is doubled, however if it is downwind it is halved (Judge decides).

To track a scent the lupine must succeed at Stamina save (DC determined by the Judge).

Two-claw Fighting: Lupines are savage fighters who prefer to use their claws instead of weapons when able.  Lupines use the following two-weapon fighting rules (DCC, pg 95) as follows:

• A lupine is always considered to have a minimum Agility of 16 when fighting with both their claws (meaning they roll 1d16 for each attack). If the lupine has an Agility score higher of 16, use that instead and consult Table 4-3 in the DCC rule book, pg 94.
• A lupine scores critical success and automatic hits on any roll of a natural 16.
• When fighting with their claws, a lupine fumbles only when both dice come up a 1.

 

Natural Predator: A lupine can move silently and hide.  A lupine has the skills Move Sneakily and Hide in Shadows as a Thief of the same alignment (DCC, pg 38).

 

Aspect of the Wolf: A lupine is able to tap in to their bloodline and enhance their natural abilities.  To utilize the Aspect of the Wolf, a lupine must roll a Stamina roll (see below) plus their level; if they are successful they select which power they desire (see Table X-XX). A lupine can only have one power active at a time, unless stated differently in the Aspect of the Wolf table.

 

Languages: At 1^st level A Lupine automatically speaks and reads Common.

 

 

Piece by Chrisscalf– not for Hubris

 

 

Table 1-13: Lupine
Level	Attack	Crit Die/Table*	Action Die	Ref	Fort	Will
1	+1	1d10/III	1d20	+1	+1	+0
2	+2	1d12/III	1d20	+1	+1	+0
3	+2	1d14/III	1d20	+2	+1	+1
4	+3	1d16/IV	1d20	+2	+2	+1
5	+4	1d20/IV	1d20	+3	+2	+1
6	+4	1d24/IV	1d20+1d8	+3	+3	+2
7	+5	1d30/IV	1d20+1d12	+4	+3	+2
8	+6	1d30/IV	1d20+1d16	+4	+4	+2
9	+7	2d20/IV	1d20+1d20	+5	+4	+3
10	+8	2d20/IV	1d20+1d20+1d10	+5	+5	+3

* The critical success tables can be found in DCC, pg 82-83.

 

 

Table 1-14: RACE NAME HERE Titles
Level	Title by Alignment
	Neutral	Chaotic
1	Pup	Whelp
2	Tracker	Stalker
3	Strider	Reaper
4	Seeker	Savage
5	Hunter	Big Bad

Aspect of the Wolf (Personality Check)

1- Lost and Humanity Loss.

2-11- Lost.  Failure.

12-13- Failure, but ability is not lost.

14-15- The lupine gains an Aspect of the Wolf for 1d2 rounds.

16-17- The lupine gains an Aspect of the Wolf for a number of rounds equal to their level + 1.

18-19- The lupine gains an Aspect of the Wolf for a number of turns equal to ½ their level.

20-21- The lupine gains an Aspect of the Wolf for a number of turns equal to their level.

22+- Gain an Aspect of the Wolf for a number of turns equal to double the lupine’s level or 2 Aspect of the Wolf abilities for a number of rounds equal to the lupine’s level +1.

 

Table 1-15: Demonic Powers
Power	Effect
Agile	The lupine becomes more lithe and agile.  Their climbing and jumping checks are made one step higher on the die ladder (with either Strength or Agility).
Elongate Claws and Fangs	The lupine’s claws and fangs grow and become stronger.  Increase claw damage to 1d8 and bite attack to 1d6.
Heightened Hunter	The lupine moves as though they are made of smoke.  All tests for Move Stealthily or Hide in Shadows are made one step higher on the die ladder.
Howl	The lupine channels the wolf and issues a glorious howl to bolster allies and rattle foes.  Allies within 60’ can reroll one failed save roll within 1 hour.  Enemies must succeed a Will save (DC equal to lupine’s roll) or make their next two rolls one step lower on the die ladder.
Keen Nose	The lupine rolls all attempts to scent (and track) a target one step higher on the die ladder and all ranges are doubled for the duration (see Scent, pg XX).
Rend	When the lupine successfully attacks a single creature with both claws, they pull their arms away, shredding the target and deal an extra 1d6 damage.
Thickened Hide	The lupine’s hide becomes thicker and tougher.  They ignore 2 points of damage per attack.
True Wolf	The lupine can transform into a large wolf.  Increase Initiative by +3, MV by 10’ and instantly heal 1d8 HP when they transform into the wolf and back into normal form.  In True Wolf form, the lupine loses their claw attack, but their bite attack is increased to 1d6.
Unbridled Life	The lupine summons forth extra vitality that keeps them fighting when normal creatures fall beneath their foes.  When a lupine is dropped to zero HP, they are revitalized to 1d4 HP and can keep fighting.  This effect must occur within the duration of the Aspect of the Wolf ability.
Vengeful Wrath	Wolves become savage creatures when backed into a corner and the lupine is no exception to this.  The lupine becomes filled with savage fury and gains a free attack on any target that successfully makes a melee attack on them.

 

Humanity Loss: Rolling a 1 represents a loss of humanity for the lupine.  While already bestial-looking, each time the lupine loses humanity, their animalistic features become more pronounced (i.e., thicker whiskers, nose looking more like a wolfs, voice becoming more like a growl/bark, thicker fur, etc.) This has no mechanical benefit except when interacting with the civilized world (up to the Judge).   When the lupine suffers humanity loss, they lose 1d4 Personality.  This signifies their slipping further into their animalistic nature.  When a lupine is reduced to 3 or less Personality, they become a savage beast creature.

 

Additionally, when a lupine suffers humanity loss, they must succeed on a DC 14 Will save or fly into a blind rage, attacking any target within reach for 1d4 rounds.  After that time, the lupine can roll a new Will save each round to regain their sense of self.