bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
Senses
passive Perception 14
Languages
Common
Traits
Shapechanger. The werewolf can use its action to polymorph into a wolf-humanoid hybrid or into a wolf, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics, other than its AC, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Keen Hearing and Smell. The werewolf has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Actions
Multiattack. The werewolf makes two attacks: two with its spear (humanoid form) or one with its bite and one with its claws (hybrid form).
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage, or 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
How werewolves fight
A werewolf is a CR 3 human who can use its action to become a wolf-humanoid hybrid or a wolf, and back. It has 58 hit points in every form, and its AC is 11 as a human and 12 as a hybrid or wolf. What makes it dangerous is its immunity to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered: a low-level party with ordinary steel can hit it all night and never hurt it.
Each form fights differently. As a human it throws or stabs with two spear attacks. In hybrid form it bites (1d8 + 2) and claws (2d4 + 2) each turn. In wolf form it moves 40 feet but makes only one bite a turn. The bite, in hybrid or wolf form, forces a DC 12 Constitution save on a humanoid, or it’s cursed with lycanthropy.
Running werewolves at the table
Start with a mystery. In human form a werewolf is just a villager. The best werewolf adventures are about finding out who it is before the full moon.
Fight in hybrid form. It has the best attacks, keeps its hands for doors and climbing, and still carries the curse in its bite.
Run in wolf form. 40 feet of speed and advantage on Perception by hearing and smell make it a good hunter and a hard one to escape.
Give players a way in. Silvered weapons, a magic weapon or damage spells all work. The curse gives a bitten character a reason to hunt the pack down, or to go looking for Remove Curse.
Common questions
What hurts a werewolf in 5e?
Magic weapons, silvered weapons, spells, and any damage type other than bludgeoning, piercing or slashing. It’s immune only to nonmagical, unsilvered weapon damage. In the Player’s Handbook, silvering a weapon or ten pieces of ammunition costs 100 gp.
How do you catch lycanthropy from a werewolf?
A humanoid bitten by a werewolf in hybrid or wolf form makes a DC 12 Constitution save. On a failure it’s cursed with werewolf lycanthropy. The human-form werewolf doesn’t bite.
How do you cure lycanthropy?
Remove Curse ends it for someone who was bitten. A natural-born lycanthrope can only be freed by a Wish, according to the Monster Manual.
Does Hold Person work on a werewolf?
In the 2014 rules, yes. It’s a humanoid in all three forms, so Hold Person and other humanoid-only spells work on it even as a wolf. The 2024 werewolf is a monstrosity, so they don’t.
How dangerous is a werewolf?
CR 3, worth 700 XP. By the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math, one werewolf is Deadly for four 1st-level characters, Hard at 2nd, Medium at 3rd and Easy at 4th. Without magic or silvered weapons, it’s much harder than that.
Did the werewolf change in 2024?
Yes. The 2024 werewolf has 71 hit points and Pack Tactics, and its curse works differently: a cursed creature that drops to 0 hit points becomes a werewolf under the DM’s control.
CR 1. A Large wolf with the same tricks, and no immunities to get past.
How many werewolves (human form) for a fight?
A werewolf (human form) is worth 700 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many werewolves (human form) fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
Party level
Low
Moderate
High
2nd
—
—
1
3rd
—
1
2
4th
1
2
2
5th
2
4
6
6th
3
5
8
7th
4
7
9
8th
5
9
12
9th
7
11
12+
10th
9
12+
12+
11th
10
12+
12+
12th
12
12+
12+
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
How the werewolf (human form) compares at CR 3
Against the 21 other challenge 3 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the werewolf (human form) has more hit points than 9 of them, which makes it a little frailer than most at its CR. See every CR 3 monster.
Statistic
Werewolf, Human Form
CR 3 average
Armor Class
11
14.2
Hit points
58
59
Best attack bonus
+4
+5
Werewolf, Human Form 2024 stat block
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the werewolf, human form, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
Its creature type changed from humanoid to monstrosity.
Armor Class: 11 → 15.
Hit points: 58 → 71.
Ability scores: STR 15 → 16, DEX 13 → 14.
New in its stat block: Pack Tactics, Scratch, Longbow and Shape-Shift.
Gone from it: Shapechanger, Keen Hearing and Smell and Spear.
Armor Class
15
Hit Points
71 (11d8 + 22)
Speed
30 ft.
Challenge
3 (700 XP)
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
16 (+3)
14 (+2)
14 (+2)
10 (+0)
11 (+0)
10 (+0)
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages
Common (can’t speak in wolf form)
Gear
Longbow
Traits
Pack Tactics. The werewolf has Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the werewolf’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition.
Actions
Multiattack. The werewolf makes two attacks, using Scratch or Longbow in any combination. It can replace one attack with a Bite attack.
Longbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +4, range 150/600 ft. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) Piercing damage.
Bonus actions
Shape-Shift. The werewolf shape-shifts into a Large wolf-humanoid hybrid or a Medium wolf, or it returns to its true humanoid form. Its game statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed.
