Building Better Monsters | Werewolves

I think concepts of the curse being a punishment, but also something that spreads by bite can be combined, if in their new form, the werewolf is cursed specifically to hunt those who follow in the footsteps of their own sin, whatever it may be. If the first werewolf was punished for his denial of the gods, perhaps he is doomed to hunt down those who do the same, transforming them into his kin!

I feel like Kobolds could go for a visit with this, to me they end up just being dragon-themed goblins a lot of the time

My take on the werewolf is that it can be harmed only by ancestral silver--the werewolf's ancestral silver. Nothing else will do, and even burying it in concrete gives you just couple days while it digs itself out (it's a rage fuelled beast, after all). That way it becomes a trick monster. First you have to figure out who the werewolf is, then find a piece of silverware passed down in family for generations, forge that into a weapon and only then you can put it to rest and defeat the curse.

I would love to see your take of the shadow. I found them interesting on themself, being the trope of "your bad part that you neglected turning into an actual nightmare", but the problem is that it's only because someone is good that it appear, not because they actually hide "evil". and then there this weird mecanic of "if a character die because their strenghs hit zero, the shadow can create another shadow under their control" that feel.... out of touch for it's main theme. I would personally go full steam on the "neglected part". first by making them not undead, but having a shape/type depending of WHAT is actually hidden by the person (a "perfect" paladin with a fear of themself turning into a monster could have a savage malformed beast in dull armor as a shadow, portraying that exact fear of themself ect). and instead of being killeable, only the source of the shadow can defeat it forever, and only by accepting that part of themself they neglected can the shadow dissipate for good.

Great video! Personally, I'm a big fan of hippogriffs and griffins in general. In olden days, people just straight up thought they lived in isolated locations, protected gold, and ate horses. In some ways, they're almost like a natural dragon. Y'know, like a dragon usually is a person cursed or a blight on the world in some way, but griffins are just there, protecting ore, like knights. I feel like there's something there for a more visual mind!

Thanks for the inspiring video! Maybe you could do Golems next? They feel kind of like Dragons to me in that they're very standardized-- I'd love to hear and see your fresh take on them!

very interesting idea, and is the composition a reference to "Saturn Devouring His Son"?

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't spot the visual reference to Goya's legendary piece until you started penciling! I've been really enjoying this series — always excited to see one pop up in my sub box :) Thanks for all your hard work!

I'd love to see a video reworking goblins/kobolds. They're such common cannon fodder enemies, but I find that they lack depth

I'd love to see better Modrons. I've always thought they were a neat concept that fails under much scrutiny and they just become tiered mooks for weird arenas. Bunch of lil automata robo guys who have a biblical hierarchy based on the number of faces they have, and they're from another dimension made of complex and unknowable machinations. Add to the fact visually they're the die the game uses already and you have some really fertile ground for meta narrative hijinks.

Other easy way of making the original werewolf origin work thematically (a random bite for instance): Scars, the tragedy of chance, the spurning of tyranny and being punished; all the unfairness of life can make any good soul into a monster. All the other listed items of motivation for a werewolf kind of speak to this. The werewolf, on the whole, has normal desires, but they must be denied because of their intensity or because of their society's norms. They then have a monster within them, made out of an other wise natural (bestial, lizard brain) desire. They have a monster they have to quell. In the case of the random bite, I'd link the bite to nightmares, to fears of pain. I'd have it so the player bitten must deal with those fears, that PTSD, whenever they find themselves in another fight or stressful situation where things are going unfairly. The resentment in the BEAST could save them, but it would also threaten to become them. And none of us want to be a monster.

A player at my table got bit by a werewolf in our last encounter. We all stated/agreed that our PCs don't know what werewolves are. Really excited to see what our GM brings to the table the next full moon.

Maybe the adventure could be about finding out who this is and determining something suitable to kill him with, like his own sword that’s kept in his family crypt.

This is honestly the best redesign of any mythological thing I've seen, not even just on this channel. Altering the basic werewolf to be more tied to its curse and the lingering effect of it compared to the classic "werewolf bites man, so forth" tale, is SO genius!! Also the art is GORGEOUS!!!

I think an answer to using the traditional curse is to have a particular lust or flaw of the afflicted PC become accentuated; especially as they closer to the full moon. This could cause a lot cool drama, and make the curse removal more desirable. I also love your idea too. Very thematic. ~ Adam

Lycanthropy in my setting consists of a variety of different Fey curses that the varied Courts of the Feywild have at their disposal so this is perfect.

Oozes and gelatinous cubes are classic DND beast that are due for a make over. They even have their own demon lord, Juiblex. There is great potential there.

Kyle, I just want to thank you, I think this is my favourite TTRPG-related series period. The way you make it system neutral, add your super special spicy details and just overall well thought out design. Thank you!

oh, celestials are some of the monsters that need the most help, so thank you for covering them.. this take on the werewolf however, now this is fascinating

I always feel inspired by these videos for my own worldbuilding. When you mentioned themes for lycanthropy coming from hubris against gods/old wisdom, I immediately imagined how this would likely work in my setting. I think lycanthropy might be a curse that infects spellcasters who use arcane magic to defile nature and transform into animals. Those who transform cattle to produce more meat and milk, who experiment on the creation of new species for their convenience, and those who shift their forms in unnatural and painful ways may have the spirits of nature twist them into beasts that directly oppose mankind’s insistence on playing god.