Werepanther
@ werepanther (human) .png){kind=small}
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 2d4 physical |
| Base level | 5 |
| Base experience | 64 |
| Speed | 15 |
| Base AC | 10 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | -7 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 1 (Very rare) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | Medium |
| Resistances | poison |
| Resistances conveyed | lycanthropy |
|
A human werepanther:
| |
| Reference | SLASH'EM 0.0.7E7F2/monst.c#line3654 |
f werepanther (animal) .png){kind=small}
| |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 7 |
| Attacks |
Bite 1d10 lycanthropy, Claw 1d6 physical, Claw 1d6 physical |
| Base level | 5 |
| Base experience | 59 |
| Speed | 15 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 20 |
| Alignment | -7 (chaotic) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | Always starts in human form |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 600 |
| Nutritional value | 300 |
| Size | Large |
| Resistances | poison |
| Resistances conveyed | conveys lycanthropy |
|
An animal werepanther:
| |
A werepanther, @ / f, is a type of monster that appears in SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM and Hack'EM. The werepanther is an omnivorous human werecreature that can shift between human and feline form - in both forms, they possess enhanced regeneration and can be seen via infravision. In human form, werepanthers will seek out and pick up items.
A werepanther in human form has a weapon attack—in panther form, they have a bite that can cause lycanthropy in the hero, two claw attacks, and the ability to summon other felines on nearby squares when in melee range. Werepanthers possess poison resistance and drain resistance, and are weak to silver.
A werepanther corpse is poisonous to eat, and a hero eating a werepanther corpse or tin will be given lycanthropy.
Generation
Randomly-generated werepanthers are always created hostile and in human form. They are not a valid form for normal polymorph.
A werepanther summoning help has a 4⁄5 chance of generating a hostile jaguar and a 1⁄5 chance of generating a hostile panther on each applicable square[1] - characters that get lycanthropy from a werepanther can summon these monsters as pets using the #monster extended command, which costs 10 power.
Werepanthers may appear among the @ generated within the Lawful Quest's Chamber of Junk, including ones that are created peaceful.
A werepanther in animal form will not leave a corpse upon death, as it will always revert to human form if possible.
Strategy
Werecreatures in SLASH'EM and SlashTHEM are already made more dangerous than in NetHack due to changes in polymorph mechanics, which allows them to revert to human form if killed while in animal form—if the hero cannot dispatch the werecreature fast enough, they may have to be "killed" several times before going down for good.
The new lycanthropes introduced in these variants are also far more dangerous than their NetHack counterparts, and the werepanther is one of the greatest threats among them: they move fast at 15 speed and hit hard in animal form; they tend to appear somewhat early on levels like the mall, Minetown and/or the Oracle level; and they can also summon hard-hitting panthers and jaguars. A hero should always use the far look command to identify any feline at a distance. Lycanthropes cannot follow the hero to other levels, so do not be afraid to run away if necessary!
As always, silver items are good options for dealing with werepanthers and other lycanthropes, and there is a better selection of silver weapons and items available compared to NetHack. The ring of protection from shape changers is considerably stronger against lycanthropes, since they only need to be killed once while locked into human form, and cannot give the hero lycanthropy or summon help. Ranged weapons with multishot bonuses can bring them down before they get close enough, and engraving Elbereth can scare off both a werepanther in animal form and any help they summon in order to either create space for an escape or more efficiently kill them.
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Origin
The concept of humans shapeshifting into animals has been a common concept in folklore among various human eras and cultures, while "therianthropy" and related terms as a means of describing specific forms of human-animal shapeshifting have been in use since the early 20th century. A werecat (also written in a hyphenated form as were-cat) is an analog to "werewolf" for a feline therianthropic (or "ailuranthropic") creature - some tales from European folklore depict certain werecats as being able transform into panthers, and they are generally labelled witches even if they lack any magical ability other than self-transformation; African legends similarly describe werepanthers and other similar creatures.
Werepanthers appear in Dungeons & Dragons, where they make their debut in the 2nd Edition "Hall of Heroes" sourcebook. Werepanthers are lycanthropes with incredibly sharp senses, from keen night vision to acute smell and hearing. They have three forms: a human form, a panther form and a hybrid humanoid form. The human form of a werepanther is usually dark-skinned and powerfully built, with extremely high strength and dexterity, while the panther form resembles a coal-black mountain lion; the hybrid form is humanoid with a feline face and covered in ebony black fur, with yellow eyes that have dark pupils like those of the great cats. In hybrid form, the werepanther's teeth are far sharper and it moves with a predatory walk.
Werepanthers fight using their sharp claws and fangs in their panther and hybrid forms, and though neither transmitted lycanthropy (as opposed to their bites in variants of NetHack), they could inflict heavy scarring and even lethal wounds; in human form, they use weapons such as black maces, blades or whips. Like other lycanthropes, they can only be damaged by silver or magical weapons, though silver only deals half as much damage as enchanted weapons. A werepanther is usually unapproachable, and boasts an arrogant and proud personality: their interactions with other humans were rare and usually negative, and they prey upon humanoids that enter their territory; weretigers and wemics (lion-like "tauric" beings) are their sworn enemies.
Encyclopedia entry
- See the encyclopedia entry for werecreature.
