hands vs. paws

[Leighlia]

I'm voting hand-like too, with shortened digits and claws. Although I hope I never have to give a manicure to one.

[Leighlia]

I'm voting hand-like too, with shortened digits and claws. Although I hope I never have to give a manicure to one.

[Ultraken]

I figure a third option would be better, combining a mostly-human hand with paw pads and thicker, shorter digits ending in claws--sort of like a person wearing a thick wolf paw "glove". The gestalt-form werewolf won't be doing fine manipulation (so no surgery or threading needles), but can still do most things a person wearing heavy gloves could do.

[Morkulv]

How should the nails look? Wolf nails (and more other mammal-nails) are really thick, black and round. Ours are not. Our nails are a lot sharper though, I think, since our nails are much thinner... Should the nails increase, or just complete change into that of a wolf? Or what?

[Aki]

Nails...for Human and wolf, they'd obviously be as they normally would, but for gestalt - I'd say this is where we enter the realm of things not wolf nor man. Neither species is suited for clawing, as while ours are sharpbecause of their thiness, they're frail, and not too curved or pointed, making them kinda ineffective, and wolf nails are kinda blunt for it.

So - I lean in the flavor of a nice curved talon-like claw. Something that'll tear into flesh real good. Just long and curved enough to make a good weapon, but short enough to not interfere with manipulation too much. Which is, afterall, the point of having fingers and a thumb, as opposed to digits...

[Lupin]

Well normaly wolf/dog claws aren't sharp because they're continually worn down by walking. So I don't see any reason why they couldn't be sharp on the hands at least.

Feet are another story.

[Kurayami_Ookami]

Wolf form---Full wolf paws.
Gestalt---Fingers no/not much shorter, but a little thicker. Fur, claws, and all pads, including the wrist one. Oposable thumb.

Also, I feel they should be able to regenerate...

Edit: Also, claws on hands should be sharp, as the probably even would be on any canine that didn't walk on them. Example--I just got a new puppy, who hadn't been able to walk very long, her claws were already large and thick, but as they hadn't been ground down, they were long, curved, and very sharp. Oh, and fingerprints would probably disapear/be distorted beyond recognition...

[Aki]

Well normaly wolf/dog claws aren't sharp because they're continually worn down by walking. So I don't see any reason why they couldn't be sharp on the hands at least.

Feet are another story.

Yeah, but the claws aren't meant for rending flesh.

So they'd be sharp...but not have enough useable claw to do any serious damage.

[Ultraken]

Unless worn down, they'd be fairly sharp (like puppy claws). Cats use their claws to grapple prey so they can bite it, so I figure a werewolf would do something similar.

[Morkulv]

[Furya]

I think they should be pretty close to this(without the fire ):

I think the hands should grow larger, but the hand should get more 'paw-like', but should still be predominantly hand. Shorter fingers, big claws, and pads, on a predominantly human hand.

They should be dextrous enough to open doors, pull triggers, press buttons....but not play piano.

Yep.

taking sides with lazywolf.

[Vuldari]

Post Deleted.

(unnecesary criticism)

[Skorn]

I like Lazywolf's idea. Either that of more human-like hands. Like on Underwolrd black with claws.

[Aki]

Unless worn down, they'd be fairly sharp (like puppy claws). Cats use their claws to grapple prey so they can bite it, so I figure a werewolf would do something similar.

You could have a razor sharp blade for a claw....but it was be entirely useless if it were like a wolf-claw, as they curve too dramatically, there isn't any length devoted to slashing strength. Claws on a wolf are entirely for traction, as their legs aren't built for slashing attacks.

A cat is a completely different example, their claws are made for slashing...and are retractable.

[Renorei]

I agree with Aki about claws...I want the werewolf claws to be far more dangerous than a wolf's nails (which are not dangerous at all).

In regards to retractability

In the normal sense of retraction, like a cat, where a sheath is present for the claw to slide into...I vote no.

However, as most of you have realized, I am a huge proponent of werewolves being able to shift individual body parts. IMO, a werewolf in gestalt form could shift the claws on it's hands anywhere between huge, razor sharp, flesh rending claws, all the way back down to human nails. The default would be the flesh rending kind, but if an experienced werewolf in gestalt form needed to do something that would require lots of dexterity, I think he could shift his human nails back.

NOTE: I've come to believe that, the more delicate and precise an individual body part shift, the more experience a werewolf would need to have to be able to do it. They might start out shifting major limbs, then with practice maybe narrow it down to smaller body parts, like the tongue, eyes, digits, or claws.

[Aki]

like the tongue

Mwhahaha. That'd be fun. Imagine sticking a tongue that long out at someone.

[Chhayawolf]

*pictures a really long tongue* Yeah that would definitely make me wanna looking at the person doing something like that. All the better to give you wet slobbery kissey licks on your face my dear!

[hydrocarbon]

On the subject of claws, do any of you people have dogs? If so, you'll notice that the dog's dewclaw is friggin' sharp and curved (especially if you forget to clip it back a little). My beagle raked the skin of my foot and nearly opened up some large veins the other day with that thing (i needed a fair few bandaids, eegh) :p He also uses his claws to grip onto things - not only for traction on the ground.
Then again, he could be some freakish abberation of a beagle, the likes of which the world has never seen

But I figure the claws would be pretty sharp, enough so to open up and slash some stuff (but, like, not to the extent of a deinonychus or whatever).

[Chhayawolf]

My sister's dog's claws are sharper when they're just cut than when they grow out. Not to deviate from the subject that much but my sister noticed this, the dogs paws smell like....smelly human feet. Now this makes me wonder....Would werewolf hands/paws smell the same way?

[Vuldari]

My sister's dog's claws are sharper when they're just cut than when they grow out.

Thats because they dull from scraping on the ground while walking. However, a claw that never touches the ground, and is allowed to grow uninterrupted (like the "dew claws") becomes quite needle sharp.

...so I agree that, unless the werewolf starts scratching at the ground or the walls while transforming, dulling the claws, then they would take on the condition that natural claws do after uninterrupted growth...needle sharp.

...at least untill they start using them. I'd imagine that needle point would get dulled down or broken off quite soon and easily. But immediately after a completed TF...they would be razor sharp.

[WolfVanZandt]

Hands are more "evolutionarily" sensible. In other words, anything creation process that would tend toward an optimal Werewolf would produce a four footyed beingwith paws and a two footed being with hands.

My own personal vision of a werewolf has him being able to choose, to a large extent, what changes is a partial transformation. So the Wolf form could conceivebly have grasping hands.

[Aki]

My sister's dog's claws are sharper when they're just cut than when they grow out. Not to deviate from the subject that much but my sister noticed this, the dogs paws smell like....smelly human feet. Now this makes me wonder....Would werewolf hands/paws smell the same way?

Wolves have scent glands on their paws, so I doubt Dogs have lost this feature. So in wolf form a Werewolf would undoubtly have this feature, in Gestalt, I'd say the feet/paws would have this but the hand/paws wouldn't.

[Set]

My sister's dog's claws are sharper when they're just cut than when they grow out. Not to deviate from the subject that much but my sister noticed this, the dogs paws smell like....smelly human feet. Now this makes me wonder....Would werewolf hands/paws smell the same way?

Wolves have scent glands on their paws, so I doubt Dogs have lost this feature.

They haven't. One of the ways a dog will mark their territory is by rubbing their paws (usually the hind ones) on the ground. It looks funny, but that's what they do. Females are more prone to this since they don't hike their legs and pee to mark.

[black-wolf-]

yup...human type hands i voted for
but i must say both look rather good

[Renorei]

yup...human type hands i voted for

I thought of Yoda when I read this.


"When 900 years old you are, look this good you will not."