Therianthropes
One of the largest supernatural groups, and one of the best known, is therianthropes. Werewolves and their shape shifting cousins. therianthropes of every flavor are found through every cultures legends and lore.

All but one group of therianthropes, the cursed werewolves, are born as what they are. Some are born human and later shift to their inner animals and some are born as animal then turn into a human. Because of this the animal instincts of that animal are very much apart of the shapeshifter. They're not just a human who can change into an animal. The human and animal are one, a hybrid, sharing one body and switching which form they show the world. You can often tell what kind of animal a therianthropes is just by their personality.

Shapeshifters can change form at any time, not just at the full moon. They have three forms: human, in between, and full out animal. Their in between form is sometimes called their war form, since it's good for doing battle in.

Changing shape isn't a walk in the park. There's no magical 'poof!' of smoke and you're suddenly a wolf. It's a painful process that takes a few minutes, a few minutes that if you're not hidden well enough could been your life since you're as defenseless as a new born baby while the change is going on. Bones are shifting and changing size, organs are moving around. Not the prettiest thing in the world.

Each type of therianthropes has its one society and way of life, each depending on the animal in question. therianthropes are very much like their cousins. They often take after them in mating and in social relations. Wolves have packs with alpha and are very territorial. Bears hibernate and so on. For the most part the different species of therianthropes get along. Some of the more arrogant ones like coyotes that seem to think they're better than the wolves don't get along so great though. Of course therianthropes that are prey animals in the wild don't feel real cozy around predators.

All therianthropes are highly allergic to silver. Just a touch of it will burn their skin. Being shot or some how otherwise getting silver in their system is death. Even their enhanced healing is not going to be able to heal it. In fact, wounds caused by silver are slow healing and usually scar. Wounds made by the teeth or claws of another therianthropes also heal slower.

Non silver wounds heal quickly and can be made to heal even quicker by changing forms. Limbs that were ripped off are remade the next time they shift into animal form. therianthropes are faster and stronger than a normal human and some can jump great heights.

Probably because of their healing abilities, therianthropes have a longer life span than humans. Some therianthropes live to be two hundred. So why are we over ran with therianthropes if they live for so long? Because it's hard for a therianthropes to conceive. It could be years before a werecouple manages to have a child. No one is sure why and some therianthropes have became doctors so that they can study the problem.

It's not unheard of for a werecouple to give birth to a child that is human. And when a therianthropes has a child with a human, there's less than a 50% chance that the child will be like the therianthropes parent.

All therianthropes are tied to the moon. During the full moon all therianthropes are forced into their animal forms. During the new moon they are forced to be human. If the therianthropes is young or it is too close to the full moon, the scent of blood can cause them to shift into their animal form.

The way to tell if a human is a therianthropes is to cut off a limb and then look on the inside of the skin. If there is fur, then they are a therianthropes. They will grow the limb back upon their next shift. However, it's not a good idea to cut the limb if he/she is merely a human.

The following are some of the known therianthropes species:
Werebears
Werefoxes
Werehyenas
Werejaguars
Wereleopards
Werelions
Wererats
Weretigers
Werewolfs
Wereswans
Wereravens
Werecoyotes

Note:
When playing a therianthropes it is asked that you do some research on the animal that you choose so that you are aware of that animal’s habits, social structure, and so on. Doing this saves us the time of having to write such things out in detail and allows us to allow you more wereanimals to choose from.

Cursed Werewolves
There exists a strained of lycanthropy that is spread through the bite of another werewolf. It is unknown how this came about, only that cursed werewolves are not like those that are born.

They're called cursed for a reason. Humans that are forced in to a man/wolf hybrid upon the rising of the full moon. During the raising of the moon they have little control over their actions and much seek a way to control themselves, other by means of cage and chain, or magic to control the beast within.

The disease is spread through the bite of one that is all ready an infected werewolf. Being bitten by a born werewolf is not going to make you one. Only someone who bares the curse can give it to another. The disease is not spread through genetics. A bitten, cursed werewolf does not have to worry about passing the disease on to their offspring.

Cursed werewolves are allergic to silver in the same manner as born wolves. They have some healing abilities, but will scar and can not grow limbs back.

Cursed werewolves have been known to change outside of the change. If one doesn't have good self control, the smell of blood, being in the middle of high amounts of violence, or being angered can cause the change. On the flip side, cursed werewolves have been known to shift in order to save a loved one.

After the change, which is as painful as a born werewolf's, a cursed werewolf passes out for several hours only to waken with no memory of what happened while they were in their hybrid form.

Werewolf Pack Information