Approved NPC Basic Cultist

[The Amalgam]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To make a basic Cultist in The Cult

• Image Credit: https://www.deviantart.com/nomad1975/art/Aether-959918494
• Role: These are the most basic low level Cultists one can encounter, and are already basically psychotic killers powered by the Dark Side. They perform many rituals on the field and lead units into battle and seemed to be treated almost like their equivalent of Jedi Padawans still getting their footing. A Cultist can be seen leading from the front, due to their sadism and bloodthirsty nature
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: Force Spawn

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: Cultist Coven
• Affiliation: Cult of The Brain Demon
• Classification: Sith Witch
• Description: As with all Cultists, or those affiliated, they are often seen on House Io battlefields, assisting operations of low to medium importance, and always in a skintight white catsuit that's the Cult's calling card. Every normal, non Cult worshipping House Citizen is scared to death of them despite their shockingly friendly and helpful demeanor to said Citizens and allies

COMBAT INFORMATION:

• Unit Size: Medium
• Unit Availability: Rare
• Unit Experience: Trained
• Equipment:

Melee:

Krath War Blade (Primary melee Weapon. Not as Powerful as a True Sith Sword, but is able to fend off lightsabers due to being forged with the Dark Side, and if they actively channel the Dark Side through it while wielding the blade, they can grind Force Lightning Against it and reflect blaster bolts. Cultists can become awfully attached to these, even after ascending in rank

Ranged:

Sith Sniper Rifle (Primary ranged weapon for Covens dominated by Personas that favor distance)

Armor:

Natth Cowling (Custom Appearance)

Ship

• 
• Combat Function: They serve the Cult in multi purpose ways, everything from rituals to public events. Covens are the most commonly seen form of Cultist in House Io, and among the most...welcome, for lack of a better word. They are always friendly, helpful, and cheerful to allied units, even when in the midst of commiting the most heartless cruelties imaginable, creating incidences of accidental comedy in certain situations. Often serve as Torture Specialists in their off time, but on the battlefield, may serve in a ranged or up close capacity
• Force Abilities (Force User Units Only):

NOTE: the listed abilities are more or less possessed by basic Covens, But the Primary Persona of a Coven only has access to Sense, Rage, Drain, Tear Knowledge, and Force Resistance, and Sith Magic the rest being shared by the personas they use the most often as back up. The Six Powers of the primary Persona are all at Knight Rank, and the other powers are two, but only other personas can use them. No Coven that is not a PC also has more powers than what are listed here

Force Sense (Knight)
Force Rage (Knight)
Force Poison (Knight)
Force Drain (Master)
Force Lightning (Knight)
Tear Knowledge (Master)
Sith Alchemy (Master)
Sith Magic (Knight)
Force Destruction (Knight)
Dark Illusion (Knight)
Force Resistance (Knight)
False Light Side Aura (Knight)




Strengths:

• All purpose psycho: Sadistic Shapeshifting Shi'ido Force Spawn (Say THAT ten times fast!) , whose host body contains up to two dozen separate or slightly more absorbed Personas of other evil witches, Covens are a deadly threat to even experienced Jedi, and can serve equally well at ranged or melee combat depending on what their Primary Persona focuses on (They usually either focus on Swords+Dark Side or Ranged Weapon+ Dark Side. Rarely will a Coven's primary Persona be skilled at both) and command powerful use of the Dark Side in their Primary Persona and somewhat in their alternates, using Sith Magic to create defenses against Force Attacks when their ability to resist it is not enough. They combine their talents into one potent package to overwhelm prey and aid allies. Preserved samples of their flesh can even be used to regrow slain examples of particular Cultists, if placed in areas with a strong Dark Side Nexus, which will take many months to regrow it (This can lead to IC paranoia as to the uncertainty of whether a particular Coven has been truly slain) If their body is recovered in an intact enough state, it can be regenerated by being placed in a Sith Sarcophagus Or Dark Side Nexus and subjected to multiple dark rituals, a process that can take weeks, if not months to revive it as a blank slate, ready for the habitation of new personas. (Their primary Persona does not always survive this latter process.) Their last and most insidious ability is to absorb the life essence and personality of victims. They mainly reserve this ability to target rival covens but there are usually one or two who has killed and absorbed a Jedi for a somewhat imperfect disguise... albeit they are able to imitate their victims in a ballpark estimate. This is how Covens advance in the Cult, killing and absorbing their rivals within the Cult as well as enemies outside it. For everyone they kill and absorb, their own primary persona's power ticks up by a very, very small percentage. With enough victims, it can stack up...
• Variety: When the Primary form isn't quite cutting it, they may switch between the Primary Persona and certain personalities with more specialized focus on the powers or combat techniques all covens know, potentially surprising opponents when their tactics (and appearance) dramatically change, to the point they really are basically fighting someone completely different from who they were previously. Such a surprise can and has proven absolutely lethal to unprepared Jedi.
• Shock value: Some Jedi (And even Sith) are just not prepared for the cruelty exhibited by a basic Coven, and may find themselves coming up blank at how to deal with such depravity. This uncertainty can cost their opponents valuable time and resources while a Coven continues killing
• Glamour: Cultists by their primary personas look like absolutely voluptuous women of multiple humanoid species, and they fully play up this aspect to persuade the opposite or same sex to do what they want with regular success rates. Regular House Citizens of course, are much too terrified of them for this to work.
• Command: Their authority is equal to that of a Model 1 Nuetralizer (They are counted as special forces) and can take command of any operations if there are no others of similar rank
• Corrupter: They Excel at not just corrupting Jedi they encounter, but other Light Side groups, and are excellent at corrupting perfectly ordinary people on their side or whoever willingly approaches them for a favor thanks to their unique approach to interacting with them. House Citizens are somewhat resistant at this point having long had exposure to their inherent depravity, and having long since learned to not be at ease around a pretty face. With Jedi, they sometimes study a particular one for months, becoming obsessed with them on a personal level, learning the ins and outs of the targeted Jedi's psychological make up long before ever actually engaging them, giving them a great chance at successfully leading them down the dark path, often by taking a remarkably light handed approach at certain points, subtly twisting the actions of a Jedi's allies and even their faction into things that become ultimately negative in the mind of the Targeted Jedi. This was the exact same approach the Amalgam, and later The Battalion, used to draw Laertia Io completely to the Dark Side

Weaknesses:

• Feeding: Do to the strong concentration of dark power within them, they are required to feed on a massive amount of life force (One Jedi is equivalent to an entire village of people), once every few weeks. Without this, they waste away, becoming a skeleton in a sagging skin suit. Feeding on life force causes their bodies to deform and warp horrifically, giving away their unnatural nature
• Alt weaknesses: Sure, they have over two dozen personalities, but no Coven in the entire history of the Cult has ever bothered to actively use more than four, the rest kept in storage, so to speak, merely for the power increase. Only extremely unusual circumstances would prompt them bothering to resort to any at the "bottom of the ladder", so to speak (This unit never resorts to more than four separate personas, and never all at once for the purposes of balancing during RP). A Coven's most preferred personas will have at least one warrior type persona, one Mage type Persona, and a third Persona that's often a victim of theirs or a more specialized Sith Persona, which is used to get close to victims, with the fourth being the primary Persona, which has six skills deliberately kept weak in other personas to maintain control. Also, all alternate personas are ultimately weaker than the primary one, even if they have certain skills or powers at Knight rank. Resorting to another persona than their own means taking on that Personas weaknesses, whether psychological or physical, and all alternate personalities are much weaker and are killed faster by every other weakness listed in the weakness section of this sub, making manifesting them a possibly extreme risk if they misjudge the threat of their opponent. Seven times out of ten, the Primary Persona will choose to deal with matters personally, rather than delegate the task to one inside them who might not have what it takes
• Telekinesis: Almost none but the most powerful Cultist has any skill at using telekinesis, and a Coven is no exception
• Force Light: Average strength Force Light Force Light inflicts horrifying burns and lesions, causing their bodies to completely deform, their skin starting to sag off and burst with pus filled sores unless they destroy whatever is generating it. Even then, they are left weakened until they find a large amount of victims to drain to recover, or they will continue to break down until they die in about three hours after exposure without sustenance. Covens, understandably to prefer being ambush predators when given the chance. Even stronger manifestations of Force Light can cause them to burst into flames or even break down into rotted, unrecognizable sludge.
• Nullification Resin: Nullification Resin is extremely poisonous if introduced into their system, severely weakening their command of the Force and if not purged could completely necrotize their bodies. Falling into a pool of the stuff would outright dissolve them
• Not a free action: Transforming into an alternative persona takes a significant amount of time, up to a minute of relatively little movement. Thus they cannot instantly switch between personas during combat, as transforming would be extremely dangerous and leave them open to attack, close to suicidal by the judgement of most Cultists. Also, while in an alternative personality, their imitation is so precise they actually believe they are that personality, and can get "stuck" and unable to revert to their true form, possibly for years. This was exactly what happened to the Amalgam when she took the form of the false Jedi Ursula Sandraven to train Maple Harte and Laertia Io
• Cannot be hidden: Their presence is truly fowl with the darkness, to the point it can't be hidden
• Null Fields: Entering Force Voids, either natural or created by Ysalamiri renders them emaciated and skeletal looking, nearly feral with hunger. They could die in seven minutes or less if they don't leave and will be desperate for life force to feed off as they will still be emaciated, and severely weak. Entering one as an alternate persona risks killing them. Void Stone not only blocks their powers, but causes them to catch fire if it gets on them
• Unholy: They are unable to enter Light Nexuses without breaking down into sludge. Holding light imbued objects burns their flesh unless they are strong enough to corrupt what they are touching. But they will immediately need to feed afterwards, as they will have been heavily weakened, growing gradually more and more emaciated looking by the hour. If not imitating a Jedi they can't hide their dark presence
• Replacements: Being a Coven is hard work, constantly under threat of absorption from those in their own rank or even those of higher rank. If enough Covens got killed at once it would be long work to find candidates and sufficiently convert and train them
• Neutral: So polluted with the dark side are these Cultists, they are no longer able to call upon any Neutral Force Power other than Force Sense or Resistance
• Resurrection weakness: They cannot resurrect on their own. Significant assistance is required, and it is not always certain that a given Cultists remains can be reached, especially if an enemy was smart enough to destroy the corpse thoroughly (Recommended disposal methods include disruptors, acid, and fire)
• Restricted Darkness. The Primary Persona of a given Coven can only use Six out of their total Force Abilities (Sense, Rage, Drain, Tear Knowledge, Force Resistance, and Sith Magic), the rest divided up into the alternate personalities they use the most. That said, they are very, VERY creative in applying those abilities and getting the most out of them

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Covens are the most basic Cultist that can be encountered by House Citizens. Murderous shapeshifter Sith Sorceresses wielding old fashioned weapons, their unsettlingly friendly demeanor with House Citizens belies their monstrous savagery towards victims, sacrificing them in bloody rituals to a powerful Dark Side Abomination known as the Brain Demon.

Covens are the lowest ranking Cultists in their Order, a hodge podge of evil personas cobbled together by senior Cultists and stuffed into A Shi'ido body altered by the Dark Side, Covens are equivalent to Jedi Padawans, leading important operations against the Cult's worst enemies. Normal House Citizens try to avoid them at all cost, but every now and then one gets desperate enough for some reason to make a deal with them, and they are happy to oblige. When a citizen expresses interest in their beliefs, they do all they can to educate them. Should an adherent prove ruthless enough, they are turned into covens and must compete to be the worst of the worst. The often try to corrupt Jedi Light siders, people in general by almost any means at their disposal, sincerely believing they are improving galactic society by doing so.

Abominations such as these were so deadly they were classified as an extreme threat by surviving elements of the Jedi Order during the Gulag Era, for their savage rampages that destroyed entire communities, and occasionally, entire cities. When faced with one of these horribly evil creatures, do not hesitate. Show no mercy.

And if you decide to make a deal, Force spare you, because they will honor it. To the letter.

Be very, VERY, exact in your wording should you choose the latter path...

 

[Judah Lesan]

The Amalgam

All purpose psycho: Sadistic Shapeshifting Shi'ido Sithspawn (Say THAT ten times fast!) , whose host body contains up to two dozen separate or slightly more absorbed Personas of other evil witches, Covens are a deadly threat to even experienced Jedi, and can serve equally well at ranged or melee combat depending on what their Primary Persona focuses on (They usually either focus on Swords+Dark Side or Ranged Weapon+ Dark Side. Rarely will a Coven's primary Persona be skilled at both) and command powerful use of the Dark Side in their Primary Persona and somewhat in their alternates, using Sith Magic to create defenses against Force Attacks when their ability to resist it is not enough. They combine their talents into one potent package to overwhelm prey and aid allies. Preserved samples of their flesh can even be used to regrow slain examples of particular Cultists, if placed in areas with a strong Dark Side Nexus, which will take many months to regrow it (This can lead to IC paranoia as to the uncertainty of whether a particular Coven has been truly slain) If their body is recovered in an intact enough state, it can be regenerated by being placed in a Sith Sarcophagus Or Dark Side Nexus and subjected to multiple dark rituals, a process that can take weeks, if not months to revive it as a blank slate, ready for the habitation of new personas. (Their primary Persona does not always survive this latter process.) Their last and most insidious ability is to absorb the life essence and personality of victims. They mainly reserve this ability to target rival covens but there are usually one or two who has killed and absorbed a Jedi for a somewhat imperfect disguise... albeit they are able to imitate their victims in a ballpark estimate. This is how Covens advance in the Cult, killing and absorbing their rivals within the Cult as well as enemies outside it. For everyone they kill and absorb, their own primary persona's power ticks up by a very, very small percentage. With enough victims, it can stack up...

Everything I read in this particular strength, specifically the highlighted portion, points me to one conclusion... I am going to ask that you submit a species submission to attach to this NPC.

The strength itself is a massive paragraph which contains information belonging in a species sub.

Once that submission is completed and attached to this sub we can pick this up again.

 

[Judah Lesan]

The Amalgam

Any updates here?

 

[The Amalgam]

Need two more days, Judah Lesan , still working on the race sub

 

[The Amalgam]

Gonna need four more days, Judah Lesan

 

[The Amalgam]

I require three more days, as digging up examples for the race is taking longer than I expected and RL is also causing delays, Judah Lesan

 

[The Amalgam]

Have added species, Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

The Amalgam

Thanks for making a species for this. This looks great!

[APPROVED]