The Jen'Grotthu

[Matt the Radar Tech]

​

Jedi Hunters by Yvan Quinet​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a small elite group for Darth Excidium's guarding, commands and bidding
• Image Credit: CVLTNation.comhttp://www.cvltnation.com/may-force...s-fan-art/jedi-hunter-fan-art-by-yvan-quinet/
• Role: Personal guard for Darth Excidium; in his service to do his bidding
• Links: Force Phantom Smoke Demon

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: The Jen'Grotthu [Sith: "Dark Slaves"]
• Affiliation: Darth Excidium
• Classification: Guards, attack force
• Equipment: Double-bladed Lightsaber [able to disconnect into two lightsabers], Medium Armorweave Armor [including helmet, gauntlets, boots, etc] & Armorweave Cloaks

COMBAT INFORMATION

• Availability: Rare
• Deployment: Limited (only ever 3)
• Strengths & Weaknesses:

[+] Expert Combatants: The Jen'Grotthu are masters in Form VII (Juyo) lightsaber combat, using their double-bladed lightsabers, while also having a Jar'Kai variant of their trained style
[+] Force Specialists: Being trained in specific Force abilities mastery, having their training focused on: Telekinesis, Force Barrier, Tutaminis, Force Lightning, Force Sense and Force Maelstrom
[+] Stronger, Faster, Tougher: They have enhanced strength, speed and durability, which serves them well as guards and combatants. This means they can fight tirelessly, take more injury (and survive it) than standard beings such as multiple lightsaber strikes, and move quicker in action than standard beings; but excessive damage still causes dispersion
[+] Unified Strategy: Originally they were three, but they have become one, and using that unbreakable connection they are able to fight together perfectly and seamlessly, apparently through instinct without need for communication or command; this makes fighting both single and multiple opponents effective
[+] Telepathic: Each of the Jen'Grotthu are able to heed their master's commands telepathically, regardless of distance, due to the entwined bond they share with Excidium

[+/-] Living Wraiths: The Jen'Grotthu are living, yet not, and have been transformed into physical manifestations of the Dark Side and their master's will. They heed only Excidium's word, and do only his bidding. Also, they wear specific pieces of armor to fully complete their manifestation (see 'Armor Reliant' below), and can disperse their forms at will depending on situational conditions (see 'Light Burning' below). However, because they are beings mostly composed of the Dark Side, they are more detectable in the Force and are unable to hide their presence, and as with all summoned things, if they sustain too much damage they disappear into black vapor... however, due to the strong rituals and essence within them, they can reform - but this takes time, at least several hours, for their full forms to re-materialize and be effective again
[+/-] Standard Gear: Because of their reliance on armor to be fully manifested, and their being prone to disappearing into vapor after too much damage, the Jen'Grotthu do not have specialized armor or weapons; as a result, Excidium is able to replace their gear simply and quickly if required, including the basic lightsabers, which have all the standard weaknesses of similar quality weapons of the type

[-] Armor Reliant: The Jen'Grotthu require a full specified set of armor to be fully materialized, though it doesn't have to be their specific armor - so long as the face, torso, forearms and feet are covered, they will be at full strength. But if unable to gain those items, or are unable to convert armor to fit from salvage, they will be less potent in combat and Force power (until armor can be replaced)
[-] Light Burning: Being Dark Side beings, the Jen'Grotthu are more prone to damage from Light Side powers such as Force Light, Force Healing and Force Harmony; in these instances, the Jen'Grotthu have instinctual commands to disperse their forms before purge or containment is done
[-] Force-Neutral Bubbles: Because they are beings composed of Dark Side energy, they are unable to penetrate Force-neutral bubbles or areas, such as those created by Ysalamiri
[-] Limited Skills: Because of their very specific training, they lack all other Force abilities, and only have knowledge of other combat forms, but are unable to use them
[-] Task Complete: If the Jen'Grotthu complete their task, they simply return to their master or await his next commands; new commands must be given after each task

• Description: The Jen'Grotthu are beings drenched in the Dark Side. Where once they were living beings, now they are abominations contorted into wraith-like slaves, chained to the will of their master Darth Excidium. During life, these three were promising Force-Sensitives, each taken from their place in the Sith Empire, and personally trained by Excidium in combat and Force power. At their apex, the three achieved the status of Sith Knights, being highly specialized in lightsaber fighting and utilizing specific Force abilities against their designated enemies. Other aspects of their lives and training were lacking, with the purpose of the Sith Lord being solely to create Dark Side beings focused purely on guarding, fighting or otherwise heeding their master's will.

Through the Dark Arts and countless Sith Rituals, Excidium slowly began to change their physical forms. Focusing on spells and summons to lead his progress, the transformation of becoming a physically manifested wraith, held together by their very armor, was painful and time-consuming. The three suffered for many weeks, their bodies being fueled by - and ripped apart by - the Dark Side, under the careful machinations of their master. Bonding the three together, creating a unique connection in their minds, assisted in keeping their combat effectiveness high, and because of their new state of Dark Side saturated existence, they were far more durable, faster and stronger than in life... but at the cost of being unable to hide their presence, and being injured more heavily by certain Light Side powers.

Due to the ritual commands in place, the Jen'Grotthu are protected from complete destruction, due to being compelled to disperse their forms if in danger of being purged or contained by Light Side powers.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

[member="Darth Excidium"]

Under review.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

[member="Darth Excidium"]

Telekinesis, Force Barrier, Tutaminis, Force Lightning, Force Sense and Force Maelstrom

Force Maelstrom is a highly specialized power, so I'm not comfortable approving a unit that is proficient in it. Please remove it. It's unusual to see a unit bogged down with this many powers as well, so please choose between keeping either Tutaminis and Force Barrier.

The Jen'Grotthu are masters in Form VII (Juyo) lightsaber combat, using their double-bladed lightsabers, while also having a Jar'Kai variant of their trained style

Juyo is an exceedingly difficult form to master, not to mention rare, so I don't think I can approve an NPC unit that claims to specialize in it. You'll have to pick another style, or just remove this one.

Through the Dark Arts and countless Sith Rituals, Excidium slowly began to change their physical forms. Focusing on spells and summons to lead his progress, the transformation of becoming a physically manifested wraith, held together by their very armor, was painful and time-consuming. The three suffered for many weeks, their bodies being fueled by - and ripped apart by - the Dark Side, under the careful machinations of their master. Bonding the three together, creating a unique connection in their minds, assisted in keeping their combat effectiveness high, and because of their new state of Dark Side saturated existence, they were far more durable, faster and stronger than in life... but at the cost of being unable to hide their presence, and being injured more heavily by certain Light Side powers.

Did he transform them into the Smoke Demons you listed in canon? If not, you're going to need to submit a new species for this.

 

[Matt the Radar Tech]

[member="Feeto Chivaro"]

Force Maelstrom is a highly specialized power, so I'm not comfortable approving a unit that is proficient in it. Please remove it. It's unusual to see a unit bogged down with this many powers as well, so please choose between keeping either Tutaminis and Force Barrier.

I'm quite happy to remove Tutaminis, however I want to maintain Force Maelstrom, as this is effectively a combined effect of their powers - if it's possible, perhaps the ability can be altered so that each member of the trio must be present to apply a specific power to complete the maelstrom? One for force bubble, one for telekinesis, one for force lightning? So if any of them is dispersed or otherwise not in the area, it can't be done (strength and weakness).

Also I'd like to point out that these powers are the only ones they have. There are no access to other abilities at all, not even at Apprentice/Acolyte levels, unlike other Force Using NPCs. Five total, not including the (to be) removed Tutaminis.

Juyo is an exceedingly difficult form to master, not to mention rare, so I don't think I can approve an NPC unit that claims to specialize in it. You'll have to pick another style, or just remove this one.

I can understand those points. I don't necessarily agree, as a lot of characters have expert and mastery in Juyo. But, given these are NPCS and as a compromise, could the trio master Niman/Jar'Kai, and be skilled in utilizing individual Force powers (of their above listed abilities) in combat?

Did he transform them into the Smoke Demons you listed in canon? If not, you're going to need to submit a new species for this.

The idea was to instead make them contained manifestations more akin to Force Phantoms and less so Smoke Demons; The Smoke Demons, as mentioned, was more an indication of their physical representation when dispersing or lacking armor pieces (smoke-like, perhaps lacking some form to limbs that aren't contained), but phantoms also serve this visual purpose. I can remove that Demon link to avoid confusion, if you prefer.

In terms of what they are, Force Phantoms held together by ritual bindings (armor sources) would be the most accurate description, as phantoms require a life-source to be summoned to, which is why three Acolytes were chosen, and used as hosts that were turned into a consistent fuel source with dark arts. They have some differing qualities only in the sense that they can turn to smoke, and reform, rather than being summoned again (like Force Phantoms), as the source energy from the original hosts remains to be reformed, so long as there is enough time and some ritual bindings to use.

I'd also like to point out that these three were chosen and trained solely for this task, serving in this capacity. So their training was specific and long-term (from Acolytes).

Thanks for the review so far. Hopefully these are some good compromises.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

[member="Darth Excidium"]

Again, I'm not comfortable with any aspect of this submission involving the ability to use Force Maelstrom. The Niman/Jar'kai mastery should be enough on its own, especially with those other Force Powers. Other Force Using NPCs are typically submitted as individuals, so more leeway is given... But again, the usual restrictions still apply. We typically don't allow several specialized powers rolled up into one. Since this is a combat unit with an availability of rare, this will be more strict.

Regardless, if these are essentially like Force Phantoms and not explicitly Force Phantoms, this is going to require an species submission. You can either submit one and get it approved or make drastic edits to this one. Either way, I will have to move this unit into the Pre-Codex while you make the changes. If you don't want to do either, I can archive this for you.

 

[Matt the Radar Tech]

Archiving is fine, thank you.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

[member="Darth Excidium"]

Archived per request.