Werepig
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Basic Information

A werepig is a type of lycanthrope who transforms between the forms of human and pig … possibly with intermediate stages dependent on setting.

For those who have never seen a pig close up, this is probably pretty amusing, for those with experience of pigs less so, although it still lacks the raw menace of a werewolf or werebear.
The physical threat level of the "werepig" may be substantially increased if the pig end of the equation is actually something more like a European Wild Boar - which are pretty dangerous even without supernatural powers.

Lacking that, the werepig may be better played as a more civilised form of were, with more social skills - the Indonesian Babi ngepet is an excellent example of how this can be done. Alternatively, the werepig may reflect the traditional (as opposed to actual) character of the pig and be prone to greed, sloth and venality … like the werewolf the behaviour of the lycanthrope may be based more on his perception of how his animal form is meant to behave. The boar, by contrast, may join the werebear in being a less malevolent sort of lycanthrope.

Given the whole corpse-eating-pig meme ghoulishness could also be on the cards.

Sources

Bibliography
1. full source reference

Game and Story Use

  • Combine the whole were-pig thing with the corpse munching pigs of the War between the States for added 19th Century horror.
  • Try the idea of a huge man-pig with butcher's apron and cleaver - or chainsaw, Leatherface style - hunting your PCs for meat.
  • BECMI D&D had the were-pig from the Expert set onwards … although unusually for D&D it was called a "Devil Swine" and was characterised a lot like the babi-ngepet.
  • Wereboars are far more popular in fRPGs … usually with a whole berserking angle that matches the single minded attacking style of the European wild boar.
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