So, in trying to make a new, and more insidious monster, I accidentally made it too overpowered

So, in trying to make a new, and more insidious monster, I accidentally made it too overpowered.
Originally, the idea was to take a werewolf, then have the curse twist their mind their first full moon (Permanently, unlike their physical transformation) as well, making it so that when turned they retain their intelligence and cunning, and when unturned they still have the same mindset, goals, etc as they did when a wolf.
Essentially, the wolf-them and the them-them are the same, just twisted so that they have new goals:
-Convert as many into werewolves as they can
-Kill/Convert anyone who is a potential threat
-Avoid death, unless their death would help create more wolves/prevent the deaths of more wolves
As if that weren't enough, I figured that they should be somewhat stronger/tougher/faster than a normal human, their strength waxing and waning with the moon.
And that, when turned (AKA In werewolf form, with actually looks more like pic related than the "Big bear-wolf-man" that a lot of modern ones are), they are incredibly dangerous monsters, and even more so when collaborating with partners.
And, to add to the horror factor, when their minds are twisted, it often makes them take on some sort of vice, which may range from smoking to massive pedo bestiality necro orgies. Though this was also meant to be a way of identifying a werewolf via behavior changes/shifts like this.

So, how do I make them weaker without taking away from the original concept?
I just don't see how I can add them in without them becoming more dangerous than the BBEG himself.

Personally, with your concept, I'd say fuck the BBEG and go full wolfman apocalypse. Like a zombie apocalypse but with scarier, hairier zombies.

Yeah, but these guy's are sneakier.
And literally anyone could be one.
The only surefire way to tell is once a month, and that's also when they're at their most dangerous.
I'm just a little worried that, even as the BBEG itself, they mat be a bit to dangerous.
Though I guess it could potentially work in a more grimdark setting.

Give them some classic folktale rules that keep them in check:
Can't cross still water
Warded away by a type of flower
If you throw a chicken at them they have to stop and count the feathers.
Weak to an iron stoked in fire
They have to fully circle holy ground nine times before entering.
The vice thing, make it an obsessive absolute, if it's there the monster has to partake. That way the players can keep one smoking or gambling, etc.
Their true self can be revealed in a reflection and which then tries to spiritually kill its corrupted self, so they avoid mirrors.

I don't follow OP, these sound like perfectly normal werewolves from Folklore or Ravenloft.

Play less Forgotten Realms ffs.

Anyway, every werewolf has three weaknesses. One is silver, one is an allergen (Belladonna/wolfsbane is the common one but it can be anything, it's nauseating and gives rashes to the were), and one is a trigger that causes almost immediate shift/berserk rage. The classic is the full moon, but it can be literally anything, from a song to a smell to an emotion.

If they're still "turned" even when in human form it makes sense for silver to work on them even then.

They aren't really turned though.
At least not physically.
But maybe I will go with silver, to atleast make killing them easier.
Or maybe some other precious metal, like gold, just to fuck with people who go "lol werewolf, stab it with silver"

I'd say go with something kind of odd. Like maybe the fire hardened bone of a warrior. Could make some pretty bitchin weapons from it

if it's a curse and they're changed in some way, you could go with the old cold iron if you don't want to do silver.

You should have the party hunt the bbeg, they fight their way to the castles throne room only to find it empty.

Turns out he was killed by the werewolf army.

Now the PC's have to kill all of the werewolves lest they destroy the kingdom

Why not have the infected slowly mentally degenerate until they're raging monsters all of the time?

>humans are vulnerable to silver weapons

whoa

>-Convert as many into werewolves as they can
>-Kill/Convert anyone who is a potential threat
So the species is driven to reproduce, but instead of raising children they infect humans.

>-Avoid death, unless their death would help create more wolves/prevent the deaths of more wolves
How is this a change? do humans in your setting not already try to avoid death?

honestly, I'm missing the part that makes them villians. a human gets "infected" and that consists of getting a huge upgrade in abilities, at the price of... feeling motivated to share the benefit with everyone instead of hoarding it for themselves/ those close to them?
what is any individual humans motivation to not volunteer to get infected?

as in, the touch of silver is fatal to them. Even light contact.

Make them very singular in what they focus on.

Sure they are clever, rational and terrifying, but they forget things other than their prey exist. While hunting they don't look for another raptor in the bush, they only see the one they are hunting.

You could also work in a SERIOUS superiority complex, making them general jackasses to everyone around them. Except, of course, their own.

You could also make the transmission chance extremely low, so they have to wipe out a town in order to gain a few numbers. Easier to track after the fact, but requires a lot of stealth and machinations until the attacked

Or you could have them degrade over time, losing what sapience they have and become literal monsters as they age, possibly gaining size and strength to do so, but losing being humanish.

This

Well, it also makes them become super addicted to something. So you might end up with a bunch of superhuman sadomasochists walking around, which might not be the best thing ever..?

But yeah, I don't see the villain thing either.

Make it a split personality sort of thing. The "werewolf" personality is intelligent, but not active all the time except at the full moon. After they change back, the human has limited memories of their time as a wolf, with some memories being altered or completely fabricated, so even they don't know they're a werewolf.

The wolf can only use its full intelligence if the human isn't aware of the connection and actively resisting; otherwise, they'll freak out and revert to a feral state, as they won't have access to human mental faculties. They have to carefully tamper with evidence of their activities so that even they won't uncover it, and they avoid looking at their own reflections while transformed for fear of alerting their human hosts. Conversely, indulging in their bizarre vices helps alleviate the dissonance between human and wolf, as the werewolf subconsciously accepts the metaphorical monster inside of them, allowing the literal monster inside of them to become more dangerously intelligent and cunning.

Also, it would help if they weren't single-minded conspiracy machines who are totally fixated on infection, hiding, and survival. Giving them more nuanced (but still inhuman) personalities, that can succumb to their alien emotions much like a human can be misled by theirs, would make them less unstoppable but also more horrifying.

>trying to make a new, and more insidious monster
>just tweaked a werewolf a tiny bit

Shit, you're a modern-day genius. So imaginative.

I've recently subscribed to the Gaming philosophy that if you give your players strong monsters you should be giving your players more options. I find that temporary things are good for this, like ammo and wands, although you may have to get your players used to the idea of using their shit instead of hording it. NPCs offering one time help with this specific task is also good because it gives them more bodies to work with (and lose) while planning to take it down.
I agree that this thing needs a weakness. Either finding it or finding out what it is before it next strikes might be a fun way of going about this.

>A thread that has started with some good replies and varying approval of this concept.
>(You) decided to post this.

>a bunch of retards don't know their arse from their elbow
>"but muh argumentum ad populum!!1!"

That vice shit is edgy and gay.

The simple fix is to give them a weakness, or several, so once the PCs find it out then they're both forced to act defensively and creatively to keep from getting killed.

Suggestions: weakness to sliver, extremely vulnerable during transformation, vulnerable to wounds from their own teeth, which frequently fall out and regrow when turned.

That last one makes it so identifying specific culprits becomes key to killing them. That'll do it for ya.