dear rog mods,
how's it going? i hope it's going well.
old profile here.
additions are in red for your ease. i've removed a few things because i found them pointless. those removals are noted.
thanks in advance,
~ya boy gum
Overview of Strengths
- Gum enjoys a powerful connection to:
- Other realms.
- Spirits.
- Nature.
- Via these connections, the shaman attempts to manipulate & deceive.
- Via connection to nature & spirit world, has slightly higher than average perception.
- Gum can shapeshift into other creatures.
Overview of Weaknesses
- In spite of imposing appearance, Gum remains middle-aged human with all associated frailties.
- In human form, Gum has below average:
- Speed.
- Strength.
- Endurance.
- Defence.
- Agility.
- Without transforming into a Xangu jungle cat, Gum has little hope of inflicting damage.
- While he carries a rudimentary axe, his ability with it is unremarkable.
- Gum can transform into a forest trickster.
- The forest trickster is a monkey-like mammal with bandy arms and large, round eyes. The the trickster is small, no bigger than a domestic cat.
- Benefits while in forest trickster form:
- Able to swing through the trees at considerable speed (four times faster than the average person on foot). After fleeing for a period of time (four posts), the shaman tires and slows to the same pace as an average person running on the ground.
- The spirits of the forest come to the trickster's aid and leave phantom footprints leading away into the woods. The shaman can avail of this trick twice per fight.
- The spirits of the forest come to the trickster's aid and appear as apparitions in the form of the human Gum do Mugu. These spirits appear as Gum for less than a second before fading into the shadows. The apparitions are always running into the woods, in an attempt to lead any foes in the wrong direction. The shaman is able to avail of this trick two times per encounter.
- Limitations and details:
- Transformation only takes a moment to complete.
- Transformation from human to trickster does not cause confusion or fatigue, but returning to human form from trickster form leaves Gum disorientated and tired for two posts.
- Ability can only be used in thick forest.
- Gum can transform into a Xangu jungle cat.
- Benefits while in big cat form:
- Jaw muscles give him the strength to pierce a skull with his canines, other bone would be more difficult to bite through.
- Burst speed is increased in cat form, Gum can reach 40mph for a short chase before slowing significantly.
- Can leap short distances, typically to aid in climbing trees and other structures.
- Piercing claws, able to slice through flesh and cloth, but not thick leather.
- Limitations and details:
- Transformation only takes a moment to complete.
- Transformation from human to big cat does not cause confusion or fatigue, but returning to human form from cat form leaves Gum disorientated and tired for two posts.
- Gum can transform into a Xangu dire troll.
- Benefits while in dire troll form:
- Increased size. In dire troll form, Gum is eight feet tall.
- Increased strength. Gum is ten times stronger than average.
- Increased reach. In dire troll form, his arms are four feet long.
- Limitations and details:
- Transformation only takes a moment to complete.
- Transformation from human to dire troll does not cause confusion or fatigue, but returning to human form from troll form leaves Gum disorientated and tired for two posts.
- Unlike other forms, dire troll form has limited duration. Duration is either 10 posts or approximately 30 minutes of "real time" IC.
- As a shaman of the Xangu people, Gum is responsible for curing sickness in his people. A common sickness in the Xangu Basin is the Ungotuu Magic Fever. In order to draw the sickness from an individual, the shaman must store the sickness in a glass jar with a cork top.
- Gum carries one jar of of Ungotuu Magic Fever with him at all times for use in combat. The shaman will toss the glass jar at the ground at the foot of his enemy. Once the jar shatters, the sickness enters the air and quickly infects the target.
- Ungotuu Magic Fever affects the brain, causing the following symptoms:
- Mild bleeding from the nose and eyes.
- Creeping anxiety and dread.
- Suicidal thoughts.
- To be infected, the target must be within three feet of the jar when it smashes.
- With no immediate host to infect, the disease dies quickly in the open air.
- Gum is able to toss the jar fairly accurately for six feet only, beyond that his aim is very unreliable. The shaman is able to lob the jar up to twenty feet, but with no accuracy whatsoever.
- The symptoms of Ungotuu Magic Fever are inhibited by adrenaline and therefore in a combat setting the disease only lasts a short while (3 posts)
- As a shaman of the Xangu people, Gum is responsible for curing sickness in his people. A common sickness in the Xangu Basin is the Fat Belly Bloat. In order to draw the sickness from an individual, the shaman must store the sickness in a glass jar with a cork top.
- Gum carries one jar of of Fat Belly Bloat with him at all times for use in combat. The shaman will toss the glass jar at the ground at the foot of his enemy. Once the jar shatters, the sickness enters the air and quickly infects the target.
- Fat Belly Bloat affects the abdomen, causing the following symptoms:
- Severe stomach ache.
- Grotesquely swollen belly; it causes the belly to quadruple in size.
- To be infected, the target must be within three feet of the jar when it smashes.
- With no immediate host to infect, the disease dies quickly in the open air.
- Gum is able to toss the jar fairly accurately for six feet only, beyond that his aim is very unreliable. The shaman is able to lob the jar up to twenty feet, but with no accuracy whatsoever.
- The symptoms of Fat Belly Bloat are inhibited by adrenaline and therefore in a combat setting the disease only lasts a short while (3 posts)
- Gum has the ability to pull the spirits of the dead into the world of the living.
- This projection of the dead gives them the appearance of being made of flesh and blood.
- However, they are just spectres with no physical matter and as such can only act as a distraction.
- Limitations and details:
- Gum can only summon three ghosts per fight before he needs to meditate and recover his energy.
- He can either summon all at once, one at a time, or a combination of two and one at different points in the fight.
- Gum can only maintain his hold over the spirits for three posts before the bond is broken.
- Gum has the ability to summon a three-legged crow.
- The crow has two abilities Gum can call upon. He can only use one of the two choices per fight.
- The crow possesses five seconds of accurate foresight and is therefore able to assist with combat by providing insight into the coming moments. If Gum chooses to request his companion's advice, then that knowledge changes the future and so the bird's foresight is compromised (only usable once per fight).
- The three-legged crow also knows the ghosts of an individual's past. As such, Gum can call upon the bird to inform him of the spirits of a person's past.
- Able to summon a storm spirit.
- Storm spirit blasts a 20 foot diameter around Gum.
- The storm blast includes:
- Squalls strong enough to knock down an average human.
- Static energy, i.e. weak electric shocks.
- Heavy rain.
- Limitations and details:
- Four post recharge time.
- Storm blast lasts only a second and then disappears entirely.
Skills
Master Headshrinker
Gum do Mugu has the knowledge and skill to remove the skulls of the dead, prepare the remaining flesh and then shrink their heads.
Spirit World
Gum, via a sacred ritual, is able to commune with the dead. The dead can provide information the living cannot. As such, he is able to use information gleaned from the souls of the deceased to his advantage.
Totem Carving
Using an obsidian shard borrowed from his axe, Gum is able to carve small totems from dead wood. These totems are used in the shaman's sacred rituals.
Underworld
During twilight, Gum can travel to the underworld--i.e. the world of the dead. While in this state, his body is left behind, in a trance.
Notes, addendum, etc
- Changed name of transformation from "jaguar" to "Xangu jungle cat".
- Removed "animism weeping willow"from level 4 update.
- Removed skills aquaculture & vision portals (the latter was op and stupid)
