Monstrous - Discussion Thread

Posted!

(Incidentally, I rewrote the Hildegard & Sloane short story for a contest that I then chickened out of. It's much better than the original version, and you can read it here.)

So, what should we do for the Van Helsings?

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.

Where are they at the moment? TBH I have lost track of some characters. Anyway, there's panicking people everywhere in San Lorenzo right now seeking to either hide or attack anything that might look the littlest bit threatening. Feel free to write your own incidents about that.

Okay. I'll depict them being badasses then.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.

Do that. Ironically, I'm having a blast playing the least badass character I ever have created.

If the Jubokkos are going to be a group, should I post a species overview like was made for vampires and werewolves?

Argue everything you can argue. Doubt everything you believe. Ask every question you have. Argue, doubt and ask. Through this we learn.

That would be helpful. But please post it in this thread since I still cannot modify the Signup Thread OP.

Okey-dokey then.

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Species Name: Jubokko

• Jubokko Youths: Natural born jubokko begins life as a normal tree that, in its infancy, had sufficient death and suffering around it to give it a constant nourishing supply of blood till it was old enough to find its own, and enough suffering to "soak in" and turn it into a species of yokai. Usually, this means that jubokko has either grown on a battlefield or has been painstakingly raised by some variety of powerful vampire(including a jubokko) or other variety of man-eater that kills on a scale capable of sustaining a jubokko. These "nursery jubokko" tend to be under the care of something that draws a lot of attention. While initially helpless they will get more powerful with age, with food, and with names.
• Standard Jubokko Appearance: They look like the kind of tree they originally started out as, but with unusual fingerlike leaves.
• Standard Jubokko Strengths:
  • Jubokkos merely being in the shape of a tree grants many advantages. Among them is the multitude of branches capable of being used as arms, stakes, and mouths. Another is the fact that when a tree can move, it is really good at hiding in a forest.
  • Jubokko "blood-sap" has healing properties that apply to the trees as well as anyone who can take it. This grants the jubokko a minor healing factor, spread out damage(burns and such) tends to heal quicker than focused damage(ax wounds and such), since a similar amount of sap will reach both wounds at all times. This healing can be jump started by feeding.
  • Despite the low intelligence of a run-of-the-mill unnamed jubokko they are known to strategize and often confuse people by moving around when they aren't looking until their hapless victim is surrounded. If you are in this position you have three options, try to bargain and pray that there is a named one among the group, try to fight your way out, or cry. One of these doesn't do any good.
  • Unique Strengths can come from the type of tree a jubokko is formed from. I.E. A blackthorn tree will have something pertaining to spikes.
• Standard Jubokko Weaknesses:
  • It's a tree for starters. You can burn it, freeze it or kill it in most ways you can kill a tree. Poisons are not preferred as they have to get into the tree through poisoning its food or putting it in through a wound. Both put something killable in its reach.
  • Axes tend to work when cutting down a tree.
  • It's own "sap" and branches can be taken from it and prepared for it's healing properties, allowing one to heal up from the fight. Alternatively, "blood" from a strong enough jubokko can be taken raw. Of course, it will still probably be holding on to its victim, so look out for that.
• Changes Post Name: Names can be achieved in two ways. 1) given by a powerful individual like "Little Red" 2) Be given colloquially by enough individuals to give it a name with meaning. Any meaning will work like a bunch of vampires calling it "Count Mayanaka's Murder Tree" or "The one with spikes"
  • When Jubokko is named they gain an increased intelligence, beyond movement, eating and hunting patterns. They develop something of a personality, a recognition of when they need to leave their usual stomping grounds for food, the ability to bargain and more. This compounds with each name the jubokko receives. Eventually (like LR) they will be capable of human speech, things like manipulation, blackmail, and are less likely to do something stupid in a bargain (like letting somebody leave without assurance that the other party will fill their half.)
  • With names, The jubokko becomes less tree and more of a yokai. This means what once would have been more effective against it as trees would now be less effective. But obtaining a growing weakness to magic and symbols of faith.
  • Their sap grows stronger with each name given. Sufficiently powerful sap can be taken straight, and can basically cure anything. Eventually, it becomes capable of healing aches and pains the taker didn't even know they had, becoming very addictive. At this point, it can heal basically anything. Like Cancer, or Cursed "permanent" wounds. The sap's effects also grows comparatively stronger for the tree, if it can heal to this degree then the tree will usually heal faster than slow methods of cell destruction can kill it.
  • The jubokko gains an increased power over the minds of the unsuspecting, allowing befuddlement, emotional manipulation, and mind reading.
  • A jubokko with a name gains a broadened pallet. No longer restricted to just human blood.
• Strength with Age:
  • As a jubokko grows it's wood grows stronger and more knotted, resistant to damage, as well as more capable of taking the more forceful physical exertions.
  • The Sap grows stronger. See Names.
  • Bigger. With more branches. This should be self-explanatory.
  • The Elder jubokko's leaves turn red and can gain a sort of subservient intelligence. The Elder is capable of sending these leaves off in the form of a batlike creature, which hunts down prey and feeds for the Elder from far-ranging food sources. The leaves attacking can be compared to a swarm of really big locusts. You can kill them of course, but one bullet will kill one leaf, and trees have a lot of leaves. Or flamethrowers work as well.
  • If named, the Elder will have grown wiser, merely from experience and a long life.
• Nature of Groups: In the standard group of jubukko there will only be one tree that would be incredibly dangerous to a group of sufficiently well-supplied people with a well thought out plan or the group will haveno such tree at all. By the times most trees grow strong enough to pose such a threat they are off making their own grove. Some jubokkos will likely stand out from the pack, but will still be far below the strength of the big cheese. The trees will form groups in regular stomping grounds, and usually only move on when people wisen up and stop coming, except in certain cases where "help" has been enlisted. When a potential victim enters their area, they will generally move around when their prey isn't looking. This simultaneously makes their victims lost and gives an opportunity to surround them. If there is a named amongst the group it can bargain, and that is often the preferable course of action should you find yourself facing one unprepared.

Weak jubokko are popular prey for professional hunters since they tend to rack up kills and are made of extremely useful materials while remaining relatively small potatoes when properly prepared for. While more powerful ones have much more valuable sap and branches, it is usually considered wise to stay within your hunting level, and the strong ones are often hunted only when becoming a serious problem or a multitude of people are in need of a cure-all, and have the means to do it.

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Close enough to done and losing internet connection.

edited 24th May '17 2:15:07 AM by TopGof

Argue everything you can argue. Doubt everything you believe. Ask every question you have. Argue, doubt and ask. Through this we learn.

So I assume this is based on Japanese myth? Never heard of it.

Yeah, Japanese. One of the less detailed ones actually, which is good as I'm having to think out of the box for these things because of how the myths mix in Monstrous. Also one of the more gruesome ones. Toned them down a bit to make it TV Tropes safe.

edited 19th May '17 9:59:51 PM by TopGof

Argue everything you can argue. Doubt everything you believe. Ask every question you have. Argue, doubt and ask. Through this we learn.

Good work then.

We still going? Cause I want to attack with the Nuckelavee.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.

Please wait until we resolve the Panic thing. It should not be long now.

Speaking of which, I would like if the Hoffman characters figured out that you need to remove the video from Utube to do that. We will handle things from there.

Will do.

Heavily updated the sign up sheet for the Nuckelavee. I intend for this guy to be a Complete Monster, utterly irredeemable. When he shows up, things will be getting very dark.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.

@secretlyasuperhero: Sorry for not responding to Lark, I didn't see your post until after I had posted.

That's okay, it happens.

[TOP SECRET]

Lagarto will probably need help with the Nuckelavee.

To be absolutely clear, the Nuckelavee is an Omnicidal Maniac. He just hates the shit out of everything that lives, and enjoys tormenting them before killing them. He loves to make any living thing suffer.

edited 3rd Jun '17 1:58:35 AM by Vampireandthen

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.

Hildegard and Sloane will intervene if they catch wind of it.

Post where here's Lagarto's back up. She'll kill him if he takes one step towards the children, but she's focused on the Nucklavee right now.

[TOP SECRET]

Lagarto is actually fairly well known in San Lorenzo as a wrestler. Even if the Kelpie doesn't recognize him the picnickers might.

The Kelpie just wants to protect the children. And maybe eat some adults.

[TOP SECRET]

Concept: Witches

Magic can hypothetically be learned by anyone. Like any skill, it requires talent and experience, or you can skip all the boring learning and just get right to the cool stuff.

Witches are magic users who basically did just that. For them, magic is less of a skill and more like a superpower. While there are some spells that require full rituals, all witches have an affinity: a specific spell or type of magic that they excel at. It could be scrying the future, or controlling fire, or changing color.

While many witches were created by the M-reactor, some of them got their power the old-fashioned way: by making deals with nature spirits or demons, or just being born with it.

So, I just want to get it clear across that the Nuckelavee is meant to be an arc villain, capable of going toe to toe with multiple foes at once. However, his big weakness is an aversion to fresh water, and he could be killed conveniently, if you hit him hard enough. Burn him after dousing him in gasoline kinda thing.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.