The Monster Manual has the rules and mechanics for lycanthropy in 5e, but I felt like something was missing. They serve a purpose, players and NPCs gain stat bonuses, base traits, shapeshifting, and attack options, but a lot of the flavor and interesting features are entirely up to the DM.
That’s why I was so excited when The Book of House by Willy Abeel and friends was released as a fantastic supplemental ruleset that enhanced the mechanics of lycanthropy in 5e. It added depth to lycanthropy and also added entirely new forms. It was a fantastic addition to one of my favorite third-party supplements.
But the werewolf fun doesn’t stop there. Try the Build-A-Were Workshop, which takes these werewolf mechanics and expands on them. It’s 52 pages packed with werewolf awesomeness and, as the name suggests, lets you create your own werewolf. Of course, if the dozens of options included don’t appeal to you, feel free to do so.
Available on the DM’s Guild for $7.95, it’s sure to cheer up both players and DMs who are itching to scratch at the hides of fur, scales and feathers.
Take the time to savor this amazing supplement and see what else the Build-A-Were workshop has in store for you.
Layout and Editing
Like all of Willy and Leon Barillaro’s work, Build-A-Were Workshop has a tasteful, stylized layout that maintains the essence of the 5e style. The stylized layout makes the reader feel like they’re reading Sir House’s (or, more accurately, Sir House’s) notes on lycanthropy, rather than a TTRPG supplement.
It’s fun, effective and unique.
Leon’s phenomenal editing ensures that even the most detailed mechanics are communicated to the reader effectively, and while there are many complex mechanics that make up the rules of lycanthropy in this book, I never had any trouble understanding any of them.
I love the fill-in-the-blank style templates for both PC and NPC werefolk. These templates helped me streamline the creation process when building my own werefolk. The guidance they gave me allowed me to know where each trait and action needed to be placed.
Artwork
The artwork is fantastic. From the quirky yet fitting cover art by Lia Cuq to the beautiful interior artwork by BlindVoid, Jay H. Holloway, Prem, Tommi Rasila, and Gui Sommer, I was treated to beautiful artwork of the various werewolves created in the Build-A-Were workshop.
I was also happy to see my favorite pirate from The Book of House, Captain Wereshark, in the film, as well as many other Werews from The Book of House.
New and deep lycanthropy mechanics
Lycanthropes (or Beastmen – we know that’s the correct name, but this supplement uses the name Lycanthrope for flavor reasons) are shapeshifters: people who can take on the form of a specific animal, or a human-animal hybrid.
The classic example of a lycanthrope is a werewolf, but Build-A-Were Workshop offers plenty of other animal options to choose from, and you can even have multiple forms of lycanthropy, but with each additional curse it becomes more difficult to control the beast inside.
Lycanthropes are either born with the curse or are infected by other lycanthropes, the former of which can only be cured with a wish spell, while the latter can be lifted using the remove curse spell or a similar effect.
Both types of lycanthropes can learn to control their afflictions, but it is never easy: those who overcome their wild urges and urges are rewarded with enhanced reflexes and thicker skin, giving them better defenses than their less-talented counterparts.
This is manifested in the various behavioral improvements, traits, unarmed attack actions, stat bonuses, and AC bonuses given to lycanthropes. They are a powerful bunch, but these perks are not without trade-offs.
Lycanthropy is high risk but high reward
The reason I loved Willie’s take on the werewolf from the start is because there are always consequences to becoming a werewolf, and of course there is a great reward in becoming even more powerful thanks to the curse’s benefits, but it is still a curse.
Flaws are important. They create hurdles that the PCs must overcome, or weaknesses in NPCs that the party can exploit. Flaws can make the game more interesting if there are rewards that offset them.
The lycanthrope’s awesome power comes with two drawbacks. The first is that the lycanthrope’s abilities are reduced by -2, offsetting the +2 increase. The second drawback is more abstract, but the impact is the same.
When a lycanthrope drops to 0HP and falls unconscious, then stabilizes, it must make a Wisdom saving throw against its Primal DC – the more powerful the lycanthrope, the higher the Primal DC.
If the saving throw fails, the lycanthrope’s Compulsion level (base 0) increases by 1, to a maximum of 3. Each level has a different drawback built in. For example, a level 1 Compulsion gives the PC a short-term role-playing flaw.
However, the real danger comes when the Lycanthrope reaches Compulsion Level 3. When this happens, they lose control of their character and become hostile towards allies or run away. Until they or their allies can calm them down or reduce them to 0HP, they will be out of control and truly dangerous even to their closest friends.
AnyWere Templates
While there are a number of pre-built outfits to choose from, the main selling point of this supplement is, as the name suggests, the ability to build your own outfit, which it does by using the templates I praised earlier in this review combined with the list of traits and movement options provided in the supplement.
Making your own homemade clothing may seem like a daunting task, but Willie has made it easy for anyone to create the clothing of their dreams (or nightmares).
Each Were has a +2 to an ability score of your choice and a -2 to another – you can skip this part of the creation process – you also choose which ability (Strength or Dexterity) you want to use for the Were’s natural weapon.
Next, choose the size of your Were – remember that the larger the Were, the more powerful its natural weapon attacks will be – but this comes at the cost of an increased Primal DC, which in turn makes the Were harder to control if it falls unconscious.
The final step is to spend up to 5 points on various traits and movement features – the more powerful the traits and movement features, the more points you’ll need, and if you have any points left over, you can subtract 2 points from the wearer’s Primal DC.
It’s a fun, streamlined, and very accessible process for creating custom werecreatures.
Do your best to curse
There are also several feats available for PCs who want to enhance their wild senses. Some feats can help them control their lycanthropy, while others can make it stronger if they’re not careful (but make it easier to lose control).
But my favorite is having your Weir become more powerful under a full moon, which I thought was very flavorful while also providing a unique win condition for combat encounters, and it also gives your Weir the ability to cast Moonbeam to create their own moonlight, making it a lot less niche than you might first think.
Additionally, there are several racial options available for players who want to make werewolves central to their character’s background, and a family tree breakdown is also available for those who want to trace the origins of a family curse back several generations.
There’s also a new toy for DMs!
While player choice is definitely the focus of this supplement, there’s plenty of fun stuff for DMs to enjoy, too: DMs can build their own outfits, too, thanks to the quick-build templates provided for them in the form of NPC stat blocks.
Additionally, we’ve included creature stat blocks for all of the lycanthropes featured in the module, allowing you to field stronger and more interesting wearers at any time.
Bring an entire table to your Build-a-Were Workshop and you’re sure to find one that the whole family will enjoy.
Final thoughts on the Build-a-Were Workshop
The Build-a-Were Workshop is a great supplement that adds some spice to the bland RAW Lycanthropy rules. There are no limitations with this supplement; you can truly create a Were out of any animal you can imagine.
This is both terrifying and on-brand for the unconventional awesomeness Willie is pushing at the DMs Guild.
The streamlined creation process makes it a great tool for beginners and a great resource for veterans of the hobby to speed up the generation of their homebrew creatures/characters.
Build-a-Were Workshop does a great job of showing why lycanthropes are so awesome, but they also don’t shy away from showing why they are so terrifying to their friends, allies, and acquaintances. Lycanthropy’s powers come at a price, but if you’re willing to pay that price, you can gain unimaginable power.
