Werebear Druid

Though in most cultures the affliction of lycanthropy is seen as a curse, there are some who view its effects as a blessing-often desiring the strength it brings, but sometimes for the connection to nature that it offers.   Circle of the Full Moon Lycanthropy has the power to transform an individual from man to best and back again, similar to some powerful spells of transmutation, but without the loss of awareness or intelligence. Many druids live their lives in envy of this power, close as it is to their own ability to change forms, but not nearly so restrictive. But the wild freedom that lycanthropy offers holds its own dangers, and most druidic circles warn against contracting the disease-but while some will exile those who deliberately seek lycanthropic powers, few outright forbid it. Druids who find they can resist the draw of the wild moon, and make the choice to take the affliction on themselves, might receive an invitation from the secretive Circle of the Full Moon. Most druids view this Circle with suspicion, and many more believe it is only a myth, but the Circle of the Full Moon is a specialized druid circle whose membership includes only those who have unbound the ties of their mind with a lycanthropic connection to the moon. The druids in this circle are made up from dozens of different types of lycanthropes, from werewolves to weretigers and werebears to weresharks, and together they work to med their druidic powers with the natural gifts of their lycanthropy and study the affliction itself through a lens of natural science.   Gifts of the Circle Among the Circle of the Full Moon's greatest accomplishments is one of their simplest. First and chief among the skills a new member of the Circle learns is how to bind their lycanthropy with druidic magic, bypassing the normal triggers for their transformation. Druids of this circle do not need to fear a forced transformation from the moon, and changing forms does not require powerful emotional stress, requiring only a small push from their own druidic magic.   Additionally, with their lycanthropy reliant on their druidic magic, members of the circle are never without defense. When their magical power begins to run low, their connection to their bestial form grows stronger, eventually triggering the transformation and allowing them to continue the fight with claws and fangs rather than spell sand staves.