Mythos
Dev Diary 3: Werewolves
Possessing the ability for a man to change into a wolf, werewolves have long been a part of European superstition and folklore. While some folklores tie lycanthopy in with vampirism or witchcraft, for Mythos' purposes, it is a separate entity.
Secrecy
Much like vampires, werewolves are represented by two traits - one trait giving the werewolf their abilities, and one representing whether they have remained a secret to the rest of the world.
All werewolf start off as secret werewolves. While a werewolf is powerful, humans far outnumber you, and remaining hidden is one of your best defenses. Through spying, hunting apostates, obvious regeneration, or your own overaggressive behavior, you may eventually be discovered
Once revealed, monster hunters can try to depose you, and until you spread the werewolf culture, the peasants may rise up as well. Unlike vampires, werewolves being discovered isn't a matter of time. Since werewolves age and die like normal humans, they may live their entire life in secrecy.
Control
Different werewolves have different levels of control with different effects.
Werewolves with low control are represented by the full and gibbous moon. These werewolves change more with the moon, stress, and rage. They have enhanced personal combat, heal faster, and are better at leading troops directly, but lower martial and intrigue while also being more likely to get caught. Werewolves with low control are also more likely to receive werewolf-specific events of all types, which can be an advantage or a hindrance depending on the event.
Werewolves with high control are represented by the new and crescent moon. These werewolves change by their own will. They've tamed the beast without, at the cost of its power and rage. They have higher martial, higher intrigue, and are less likely to be caught, but restraining the wolf weakens their personal combat and healing while focusing on maintaining control hinders their abilities to lead troops.
Control changes based on your decisions in events. Some events may give a loss or increase in control at a cost, while others may have the change in control as a part of larger effects.
One of the most famous traits of werewolves is their ability to rapidly heal from injuries that would permanently cripple or event kill normal humans. Werewolves will, over time, recover from injuries, lost limbs, blindness, castration, and other similar wounds. This healing occurs more quickly for werewolves with lower control. Werewolves with extremely low control can even heal from being incapacitated. However, healing from an obviously permanent injury will draw suspicion and may reveal your true nature.
Spreading
Like Vampires, Werewolves are able to spread with a targeted "Offer to Turn" decision. However, werewolves are living creatures and are able to spread in a more natural way.
Children may be born with a hidden "Wolf-blooded" trait. Children whose parents are werewolves are significantly more likely to receive this trait, though fully human parents may rarely have wolf-blooded children and werewolves may sometimes have human children. Although the trait can't be seen by parents or guardians, they may eventually notice their children's strange behaviors. How they handle this can impact both the child's chance to become a werewolf and the control they will have when they reach adulthood.
When they reach the age of 16, wolf-blooded children may either outgrowth their strange child behavior or become a full werewolf. Children with werewolf parents and parents who encouraged their behavior are more likely to turn, while human parents and parents who tried to stop the child from turning are more apt to stay fully human.
If a child turns, their control starts based on the control of their parents and the choices during childhood.
In werewolf culture, an unfit ruler does not stay at the head of the pack for long. If werewolf culture is adopted in your realm, lower werewolf vassals may challenge their liege in a fight for dominance under certain situations. Initially, new, young, female, tyrannical, weak, physically deformed, incapable, non-werewolf, and wrong-culture rulers can be challenged for the throne, though additional laws may be passed restricting when challenges can be issued.
When a challenge is issued, the challenger and the ruler will fight each other in one-on-one combat, handled by a series of events. Child rulers will have a champion, regent, or parent stand in for them, while incapable rulers will be unable to defend themselves, though another werewolf may answer the challenge and fight for the title themselves. Vassals may put their support behind one side in hopes that their support should be remembered if they win, offering a small boost.
The fights are not necessarily to the death, though death is possible, and heavy injury is common.
Other DLC
Werewolves with the Horse Lords DLC may receive some of the wolf-blooded events in addition to other werewolf events.
I may add one additional Dev Diary before release to give more time for some bug testing and QoL tweaks. The additional diary will cover the changes to the magic system. Most notable, the Magic focus has been fleshed out and 4 new lifestyles are available with their own decisions.
