Rougarou (Template)

“The swamp remembers what the city forgets.”

The Rougarou is a cursed shapeshifter said to haunt marshlands, cypress groves, and fog-laden riverbanks. While similar to lycanthropes such as werewolves, the rougarou is steeped in regional superstition and spiritual consequence - a creature born of broken sacred oaths or deliberate curse-work by those who traffic in dark rites.

Its presence is often heralded by the distant sound of splashing water, the scent of wet earth, and the low, mournful howl of something that remembers being human.

Unlike traditional lycanthropes, the rougarou’s curse carries strange cultural bindings - rituals, foods, and customs that can influence its behavior in unexpected ways.

Creating a Rougarou

“Rougarou” is an inherited or acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or giant (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A rougarou uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type

The base creature’s type does not change, but it gains the shapechanger subtype.

Hit Dice

As base creature.

Speed

Same as base creature in humanoid form. In beast or hybrid form, base land speed increases by +10 ft.

Armor Class

Natural armor improves by +2 in beast and hybrid forms.

Attack

A rougarou gains a bite attack in beast and hybrid form:

• Bite: 1d6 (Small), 1d8 (Medium), 2d6 (Large)
  If the base creature already has a bite attack, use whichever is better.

Special Attacks

Curse of the Rougarou (Su)

Any humanoid or giant hit by a rougarou’s bite attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier) or contract the curse of the rougarou.

This curse may also be deliberately inflicted through dark ritual:

• A bokor (or similarly themed spellcaster) may bestow the curse using bestow curse, but:
  • The casting time is doubled
  • The ritual may only be performed under a completely full moon
  • The effect is considered a more powerful curse for the purposes of removal (DM adjudication, but typically requiring remove curse cast at higher caster level, or additional ritual components)

Special Qualities

Alternate Form (Su)

A rougarou can assume three forms:

• Humanoid (base form)
• Beast form
• Hybrid form

Changing form is a standard action.

Beast Form:
The rougarou’s wolf form uses the statistics of a dire wolf (MM), except where modified by this template.

Damage Reduction (Ex)

A rougarou in beast or hybrid form gains DR 10/silver.

Scent (Ex)

As the universal monster ability.

Swamp Stride (Ex)

A rougarou may move through natural difficult terrain (mud, shallow water, marsh undergrowth) at normal speed without penalty and leaves no trail unless it wishes to.

Bayou Resilience (Ex)

Rougarou gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against disease and poison.

Roux Compulsion (Su)

The rougarou is mystically bound to the culinary traditions of its curse.

• When exposed to the smell, sight, or presence of gumbo, roux, or any dish derived from a roux, the rougarou must immediately succeed on a Will save (DC 15) or be affected as follows:
  • It is calmed (as calm emotions) for 1d8 rounds
  • It immediately reverts to humanoid form
  • It becomes non-hostile and politely requests a bowl
• If provided with food:
  • The rougarou remains calm and will not attack for the duration of the meal plus 10 minutes
• If denied:
  • The rougarou must make a second Will save (same DC)
  • On failure, it immediately enters a rage-like state:
    • +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, –2 AC
    • Must shift into beast or hybrid form
    • Must attack the nearest creature for at least 3 rounds

This is a mind-affecting supernatural compulsion.

Moonbound Curse (Su)

Rougarou are influenced by the full moon:

• During the full moon, a rougarou must succeed on a Will save (DC 15) or involuntarily assume beast form
• Environmental conditions such as swamp fog, heavy rain, or ritual music may modify this save at the DM’s discretion

Abilities

+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom (in beast or hybrid form only)

Skills

In beast or hybrid form, a rougarou gains:

• +4 bonus on Survival checks
• +4 bonus on Listen checks
• +4 bonus on Move Silently checks in swampy terrain

Feats

Same as base creature, but gains Track as a bonus feat in beast or hybrid form.

Alignment

Usually chaotic neutral or chaotic evil

Challenge Rating

Same as base creature +2

Level Adjustment

+3

Lore

A rougarou is not merely a beast - it is a punishment given teeth.

The curse falls upon those who break sacred oaths, whether sworn before gods, spirits, or something older still. These oaths are not always grand or ceremonial; a whispered promise in a dark chapel, a bargain struck at the edge of a cypress swamp, or a vow made in desperation can all carry the same terrible weight. When such promises are broken, the curse does not always come swiftly. It lingers, festers, and waits for the right moment - often beneath the rise of a full and watchful moon.

In other cases, the transformation is not fate but design. Bokor and other practitioners of forbidden rites may inflict the curse deliberately, performing long and exacting rituals beneath a perfectly full moon. These workings are not undertaken lightly, for they bind not only the victim but also echo back upon the one who casts them. Still, there are always those willing to pay the price, whether for vengeance, control, or the cruel satisfaction of reshaping a soul into something monstrous.

Though its body becomes that of a predator, the rougarou is never wholly divorced from what it once was. It remembers fragments - the cadence of speech, the structure of manners, the quiet rituals of shared meals. These remnants surface in strange and unsettling ways, particularly when confronted with familiar scents and traditions. A rougarou may pause mid-hunt at the smell of a simmering pot, its violence unraveling into something almost civilized, if only for a fleeting moment.

This contradiction is the cruelest aspect of the curse. The rougarou is not a mindless beast, nor is it truly a thinking creature. It exists in a liminal state, caught between instinct and memory, hunger and habit. Those who encounter one may find themselves treated not as prey, but as guests - right up until the moment they are not.

In the end, the swamp keeps its own stories. The rougarou is one of them - a walking reminder that promises matter, that rituals have power, and that even the most refined customs can survive in the jaws of something terrible.