Larry Talbot

Larry Talbot artwork by Jordan Nelson

> "Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night; May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
>
> -Maleva

Larry Talbot is a player character in campaign 1 of DnDark. He is played by Jordan Nelson.

After a trip to Wales to bury his recently deceased brother, Larry Talbot's chance encounter with an antique shop owner permanently changed the path of his life. His affections for her were rewarded with a cane topped with a silver wolf's head followed by a prophetic curse...

That night, he was attacked by a wolf and afflicted with lycanthropy. After several deaths by his hand, he fled to the countryside, aided by the fortune teller, Maleva, to seclude himself from society and prevent himself from causing further damage. A dire prediction by Maleva has since drawn him out of hiding and sent him off to St. Mary's Cathedral where he would encounter the rest of the party as they began their journey.

Larry is a Warlock with a home-brewed patron "The Tarot".

## History

After a brief stint overseas, Larry Talbot returned to his home in Llanwelly, Wales, to assist his estranged father Sir. John Talbot in arranging the funeral for Larry's older brother. During his time back home, he encountered Gwen Conliffe, the owner of a local antique shop. Captivated by her, Larry purchased a cane decorated with a silver wolf head, which Gwen explained represents the werewolf, reciting to him a poem frequently echoed by villagers in town.

"Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night;
May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
After walking home late that same night, Larry was attacked by a large wolf. With the help of his silver cane, he managed to kill the beast, barely surviving the attack and falling unconscious shortly thereafter. He awoke bandaged at home, informed that he was found horribly lacerated next to a man whose head was caved in. Larry insisted he was attacked by a wolf, but his explanation was chalked up to a trauma-induced hysteria, he was then left alone to recover from wounds, that Larry was surprised to find had all but healed...

Searching answers, Larry visited the funeral site for the man, where he would meet the man's mother, Maleva praying over the body, "*The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end*".

Maleva then explained to Larry that her son was a werewolf, and that now that Larry had slain him, he would take on the curse and transform every full moon seeking to destroy and devour everything in his path. The only way Larry could ever be free of the curse was for someone else to kill him with silver and take on the burden of the curse themselves. Larry ignored her warning until after the next full moon, when he awoke to discover he had indeed transformed and took the life of a local policeman. He then returned to Maleva, seeking her help to control the beast.

Through trial and error Larry learned to successfully restrain himself to prevent further bloodshed, using the silver on his cane as a warning of his impending transformations. Larry attempted to return to a normal life, taking up employment at Gwen's antique shop, where the two would form a strong friendship and affection for one other over the next year and a half. Larry's chance at a normal life eventually came to an end one fateful full moon night, when Larry lost track of the calendar month and left to an evening with Gwen without his cane. Unable to prevent catastrophe, he awoke to find himself in Maleva's arms with a gored Gwen Conliffe beside him and his horrified father clutching the cane and shaking with terror.

Larry and Maleva promptly left Llanwelly, Wales, heading for The "Engl-ish" Countryside where Larry would seclude himself until Maleva's prophecy sent him to Saint Mary's Cathedral, where he would meet the rest of the party and join them on their journey.

## Relationships

### Maleva

Larry's guide and confidant, Maleva was the first to know of Larry's curse. Gaining knowledge and experience after caring for the previous bearer of the curse, her son Bela, she has made it her own personal mission to ensure the destruction caused by the wolf is kept at a minimum. Though she has spent considerable time with Larry assisting him, she has always kept him at arms length.

### Gwen Conliffe

Larry's good friend during his time in Wales, he was incredibly smitten by her when she sold him the cane that would ultimately save his life from The Wolf. Gwen defended Larry from the town's accusations after the initial wolf attacks and eventually offered him a job at the antique shop. The two grew incredibly close, but Larry would never tell Gwen about his curse, dodged any chance at a relationship out of fear of endangering her. Ultimately his fears became a reality when Larry's carelessness led to him transforming in front of Gwen and killing her. Larry feels immense amounts of guilt over the blood on his hands, blaming himself for what should have been an easily preventable death.

### Mary Frankenstein

Larry and Mary were good friends almost immediately, as they initially bonded over being among the only members of the party to share genuinely altruistic values and outlooks on life. In Ep. 8: Maledict Stonecroft's House of Mysteries, Larry and Mary further bonded over keeping a drunken Phantom alive, the three of them forming a strong mutual friendship. The two have continued to share small sentimental moments throughout the campaign such as Mary promising Larry to help "Find his calm" and reassure him that he would protect everyone from The Wolf. In Ep. 43: Thunderstruck, Larry and Mary's mutual promise to try to do good in the world, regardless of being "monsters" was an instrumental factor in Mary's multiclassing into Paladin.

### Jack Griffin

Larry first encountered an overwhelmed Jack in the crypt of St. Mary's Cathedral. Larry empathized with Jack, having had a similar reaction when he was first cursed, and attempted to help explain the occult and ease him into this new reality. In Ep. 13: Nobody Suspects the Stratford Inquisition, Larry promises to reveal the details of his curse to Jack only if Jack opens up in kind. The two then commiserate on the desire to be free of their afflictions, beginning a trend where the two would often try to avoid dealing with their own emotional baggage by helping the other process theirs.

### Imhotep

Despite Larry's initial shock at seeing Imhotep's skeletal form, Larry was one of the quickest to accept and normalize Imhotep's unusual nature. The two would grow closer in Ep. 10: The Groundskeeper Dies at the End", where Imhotep would open up to Larry about his dread over potentially reuniting with his former Pharaoh and facing his past. In Ep. 25: Til Death do us Part, Imhotep's reconciliation with Anck Su Namun would go on to inspire Larry's own conviction to release the souls trapped first by Mother Carrionite before eventually The Wolf.

### Phantom of the Opera

Larry and The Phantom's initial relationship was founded on deflections and lies on both accounts. In spite of this, Larry was the only party member to accept The Phantom into the group and would soon become one of very few people he allowed to regularly call him by his real name. The two continued to grow closer in Ep. 8: Maledict Stonecroft's House of Mysteries, forming a mutual friendship with Mary. The photograph that The Phantom prestidigitated to commemorate the occasion became an important keepsake of Larry's. Their relationship began to grow more tense as Larry began to pry into The Phantom's history. The Phantom's disregard for human life, and his prioritizing monetary value over sentimental value would continue to sour their friendship.

### Carmilla

Despite Larry's first impression of Carmilla being immediately bitten by her, the two quickly became quite amiable. When Carmilla first parted ways with the team, she left him her bat companion, Caprisun. In later reunions with the party, Carmilla was always overjoyed to see Larry, who she developed a sort of maternal fondness for. Larry would go on to become a vital mediator between Carmilla and Baron Vordenberg, helping temper both of their emotions into a fragile truce. Larry has consistently championed her developing humanity, and in spite of her eccentricities sees more goodness in her than many of his other party members have allowed themselves to.

## Physical Appearance

Larry Talbot is a 5'10" lanky awkward man, with dark shaggy hair, and an unkempt face accompanied by a mustache. He wears a faded green button-up with suspenders holding up khaki pants. His neck is adorn with a nickle bolo tie his brother got for him the last time he visited US-Ehh. Larry commonly carries around his cane, which is notably adorned with a silver wolf head butted up against a pentagram.

## Fan Art

Larry Fanart by Jenai PellarinLarry vs Wolf Fanart by Jordan NelsonLarry Tarot Fanart by Jordan Nelson
## Powers and Abilities

Larry is a **Lycanthropic Warlock** with a homebrew Race and Patron. His Pact Boon is Pact of the Tome.

### Racial Features

**Lycanthrope**

* **Shapechanger:** Once per long rest, as an action, Larry can Transform into a Medium Wolf, which he refers to as his *Dog Form* or revert back from a Wolf into his Human Form.
* **Alpha Curse:** Larry's burden of Lycanthropy is the source of all werewolves and as such is more tenacious and aggressive than any other offshoots. His curse overpowers any and all other magical afflictions, making him immune to being cursed or becoming undead.
* **Keen Hearing and Smell:** The enhanced senses of Larry's other forms somewhat carry over to his human form, giving him advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.

**Dog Form**

In his Dog Form, Larry has the abilities of the Fighter class whose level is equal to his Warlock level. His subclass is Champion

* Larry's Dog Form has obtained the Mage Slayer **Feat**.
* Larry's Dog Form has the **Protection** Fighting Style.
* **Pack Tactics:** Larry has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of his allies is within 5 feet.
* **Lycanthropy:** If Larry succeeds on a Bite attack against a living humanoid, they must succeed on a Constitution Saving Throw, or be cursed with werewolf lycanthropy.

**Werewolf Form**

* See: The Wolf

### Class Features

Larry has obtained the Ritual Caster **Feat**.

When giving a tarot reading, Larry is considered proficient in Persuasion, Deception, and Insight.

**Major Arcana:** Larry's signature Ability is pulling from the power of the Major Arcana cards of a tarot deck. At the beginning of each session, Larry draws a card from a shuffled stack of the 11 Major Arcana cards. Each card grants a unique boon that lasts for the duration of the session before returning to normal. The Arcana abilities are as follows:

* **Death:** Larry has resistance to necrotic damage and can cast Speak with Dead.
* **Judgement:** Larry can cast Detect Evil and Good at will. Once per short rest he can deal an extra 1d10 damage to any creature he's detected this way.
* **Justice:** Once per Short Rest Larry can either grant Inspiration to a creature with a Lawful alignment or force a Creature with a Chaotic alignment to roll with disadvantage.
* **Strength:** Larry gains an additional +1 to his Strength Modifier and is considered proficient in all saving throws.
* **Temperance:** Larry gains resistance to poison and acid damage and is immune to the poisoned condition. Spells that deal poison or acid damage do 1d6 additional damage.
* **The Chariot:** The Party adds 10 to their movement speed.
* **The Devil:** Larry gains expertise in Slight of Hand and can sense the nearest valuable item or cache of treasure. As a bonus action, he can make a Sleight of Hand check against an enemy to either steal an object from them or plant an object on their person.
* **The Emperor:** Larry gains expertise in Intimidation. Once per short rest, he can cast Command.
* **The Empress:** Larry gainst expertise in Persuasion. Once per short rest, he can cast Suggestion.
* **The Fool:** Larry takes half damage from falling and does not suffer ill effects from heat or cold. He gains the Rustic Hospitality feature from the Folk Hero background.
* **The Hanged Man:** Larry gains temporary Hit points equal to 1d8 + Charisma. Once per short rest, he can heal one creature for an amount equal to his temporary HP and he takes an equivalent amount of necrotic damage.
* **The Hermit:** Larry's range of vision is extended by 30 feet, and he has advantage on saving throws against illusions. Once per short rest, he can cast Zone of Truth.
* **The Hierophant:** Larry gains expertise in Religion. Once per short rest, he can force one creature to make a Wisdom Save or be under the effects of the Cleric ability Turn Undead.
* **The High Priestess:** Larry gains expertise in Nature and can speak with animals. Once per short rest, he can use the Knowledge Domain ability Object Reading.
* **The Lovers:** Larry can use an action to know what a creature most desires. Once per short rest he can cast Charm Person or Charm Monster.
* **The Magician:** Larry gains expertise in Arcana and temporarily learns one wizard cantrip. Once per Short Rest he can cast Magic Missile.
* **The Moon:** As an action, Larry can transform into The Wolf.
* **The Star:** Larry gains 60 ft of darkvision and can cast Faerie Fire at will.
* **The Sun:** Larry gains resistance to fire and radiant damage. Spells that deal fire or radiant damage do 1d6 extra damage.
* **The Tower:** Larry gains +2 AC and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
* **The World:** Larry gains resistance to thunder, lightning, and force damage. Spells other than Eldritch Blast that he casts that deal thunder, lightning, or force damage deal 1d6 extra damage.
* **Wheel of Fortune:** Instead of rolling, Larry can declare an automatic result of 20, however, his next two rolls will have automatic result of 1.

**Card Captor's Curse:** At level 6, Larry can use a bonus action to place a curse upon a creature he has dealt damage to. The curse remains until he is killed or incapacitated. If the cursed creature is killed, their essence is captured in a card and Larry temporarily gains an ability possessed by that creature as determined by the DM.

**Eldritch Invocations:**

* **Agonizing Blast:** Larry's Eldritch Blast deals an additional 3 damage.
* **Eldritch Arcana:** When Larry casts Eldritch Blast, he can draw a card from the Minor Arcana, granting the blast an extra effect.
	+ **Coins:** 1d4 gold pieces fall to the ground.
	+ **Cups:** An ally within 120 feet gains 1d4 temporary hit points.
	+ **Swords:** Larry deals 1d4 additional damage.
	+ **Wands:** Larry gains 1d4 temporary hit points.
* **Stacked Deck:** At level 5, When drawing his Major Arcana, Larry can draw two cards, choose one and discard the other.

## Trivia

* From an un-aired trial run of DnDark, Larry acquired a strong fear of spiders, and ghost-spiders.
* After becoming a lycanthrope, Larry has opted for a life of Vegetarianism.
* The silver on Larry's cane burns hotter the closer it gets to a full moon.
* An early original player-character concept for Larry was a 'Circle of the Moon' Druid, who was at peace with their werewolf-self. This idea didn't feel right for The Wolfman and was quickly scrapped. (Sorry Larry, trauma is an important part of your story...).