#orang-pendek

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Rageshaper (Shifter Archetype)

Yesterday, we looked at the rageshaper bloodragers, and now let’s take a look at an archetype sharing the same name!

Rather than be blessed with shapeshifting talent through their rage, the shifters that share the rageshaper name instead invoke a terrible rage through their shapeshifting, becoming living engines of destruction, becoming mighty indeed, if a bit erratic.

If this is starting to sound like another Incredible Hulk-themed archetype, you’re certainly be right, but unlike the ragechemist or the brute vigilante, this particular archetype truly emulates the sort of power you expect from The Hulk, which makes them all the more dangerous when they go out of control. Not to say that those archetypes are bad, rather the rageshaper shifters are simply geared entirely towards combat, sacrificing the versatility of various animal foci in favor of raw might. The ragechemist and brute, however, gain the advantage of alchemy and talents, respectively.

 Rather than take on aspects of animals or shapeshift fully into beasts, rageshapers instead can focus their minds and bodies to gather a great rage within themselves, and transform their bodies to match it, not only gaining a fury similar to a barbarian, but also growing inside. The more masterful they are, the more pronounced this transformation. However, like a barbarian, they are often tired after having done so. However, rageshapers must be careful, as they can sometimes fail to come down from their rage, consumed by the fury as they begin to act erratically, lashing out at others, even allies. It’s also worth noting that this growth does not magically grow clothing, armor and equipment to match the newfound size.

Rather than claws, these shifters instead rely upon the raw strength of their limbs to get by, gaining mighty slams that prove quite effective at crushing foes and objects alike.

While other shifters use natural instinct to duck and dive away from blows, rageshapers take things head on, their hides toughening to block some blows and limit the harm caused by others.

Stompy and generally unstoppable as they are, most difficult terrain is simply trampled under their mighty feet, and they can simply flex to escape most forms of entanglement.

With a mighty flex of their limbs, these wild warriors can leap and bound their way across gaps with ease, even from a standstill, though they typically only do so a few times a day.

Wanna play a melee shifter with an obscene strength score and damage for a short while each day? Consider this archetype. Just remember that their overall AC buff is lower than what vanilla shifters can get from their attributes, so they’ll have to rely on armor when not in battle form, and magical buffs otherwise. Consider taking feats that let you use your massive strength in a variety of ways, not to mention devastating attacks and ways to make themselves harder to hit or take less damage. Otherwise, take a leaf out of both the shifter and barbarian book when building them.

 Like all similar archetypes, the power of this supernatural fury is a terrifying thing, even to the user. Those that do not embrace the power may find themselves actively attempting to take a route of pacifism whenever possible. Whenever there is no choice but to fight, however, foes and friends alike are given one warning: stay out of their way and out of their reach.

  Rumored to be a megaprimatus, the Great Ape of Nanju is more than it seems. In truth, it is the battle form of an old and wise orang-pendek chieftain, who uses the form to drive off the dinosaurs and other fierce beasts that roam the jungle, not to mention intimidate foreign interlopers.

 Though it vexes him time and again, Aergak remains convinced the secrets of his race’s origin lies somewhere in the blood, and has been training his body to unlock that potential. So far, he has achieved a fearsome, semi-bipedal battle form, but though this is progress, the wyvaran knows it is a far cry from the answers he seeks.

 Surprisngly, korreds can prove to be quite excellent teachers when in a good mood and not drunk off their ass. Those who catch the fey in such a good state can learn such things as the hex of hair animation, the art of thrown stones, and occasionally the brewing of alcohol. Some, however, can teach secrets the gleaned from wild and dangerous fey, such as the secrets of battle rage and “warp spasms”, like certain legendary warriors.

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Metamorph (Alchemist Archetype)

After the druid, the (currently available) class most heavily associated with shapeshifting is perhaps the alchemist, given their mutagen and an extract list that includes almost every polymorphing spell and many others that alter them in subtler ways, either granting simple buffs or granting new, temporary abilities.

While plenty of alchemist archetypes help specialize in such form-shifting, there is one that goes further than most, unlocking the secrets of form-shifting alchemy the likes of which few have ever seen.

In short, these metamorphs have, through their strange sciences, learned to unstick their own forms, allowing them to, with a force of will, reshape themselves temporarily.

 With their ability to shapeshift, these alchemists can mimic most humanoid races for hours at a time, though as they gain knowledge and power, they can later take on the forms of more monstrous humanoids, and even the forms of giants. The most powerful can shapeshift at will, though they still tire out quickly.

The drawback of this advanced research is that traditional alchemical learning lies forgotten, giving them no extracts, and no bombs and the like, though they still learn the secrets of mutagens, as well as discoveries.

Furthermore, the incredible control these alchemists have over their form allows them to alter the placement of internal organs in an emergency, helping to negate deadly blows.

Want to play a sneaky, shapeshifting character, but don’t want to wait for the shifter class, or want the sciency flavor of discoveries? This archetype can certainly provide that. Since they miss out on a lot of the major defining features of the alchemist class, one must approach them differently when building them. I definitely recommend as many discoveries that improve the mutagen as possible, including feral mutagen, as well as those that don’t rely on extracts, potions, or bombs to be of use. You could build them both as a melee tank or damage-dealer, and as a stealthy sort, using their shapeshifting to provide the perfect disguises.

 Given the nature of their transformation, its safe to say that certain percentage of alchemists that become metamorphs do so by accident, their abilities being the product of an experiment gone wrong. Some might have been this close to being brute vigilantes rather than metamorphs, depending on the specifics. Regardless, they must be wary of whom they reveal their abilities to, lest they be mistaken for lycanthropes or shapeshifting monsters.

  A victim of horrific experimentation, Vadu escaped into the wild, using his newfound abilities to survive. Now the orang-pendek have become something of a local legend, a small ape-man that can twist into the monstrous forms of gargoyles and trolls, and even, so they say, the form of a gigantic dinosaur man.

 For years, Dr. Ekrimmon has been visiting Cliff Giants in the guise of one of their own, learning their ways, and how they connect to the land. Now, he is on the verge of a breakthrough to add elemental beings to his array of forms, but he’ll need samples from elementally charged creatures, and there’s no guarantee it will work.

 Recently, reports of strange apparitions have been sighted in Orbhad, gargoyles, gnolls, and the like, all individuals, all vanishing into the streets soon after. None realize that these are all the same person, a metamorph exploring their newfound power. However, other forces in the city, both serving the law and flaunting it, have taken notice.

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Ley Line Guardian (Witch Archetype)

Before Occult Adventures, Ley Lines were mostly a focus of flavor in a setting, with only the menhir savant druid archetype making mention of them at all. However, now they represent a minor way in which a spellcaster might draw upon for a little extra power concerning a specific type of spell, or all spells in general.

In light of this, it makes sense that classes and archetypes that make use of such supernatural features of the landscape at a faster rate would simply be predisposed to take on those energies much faster and more freely than the general use subsystem.

Enter the Ley Line Guardian, a witch who uses the ley lines themselves as the conduit between themselves and their patron.

 Unlike your average witch, these spellcasters channel raw power like a live wire in a manner similar to sorcerers, and therefore only learn a certain selection of spells, including those granted by their patron, throughout their careers.

That power comes with benefits, however, and these mystics can open themselves to the raw power of a nearby ley line to potentially increase the power of the next spell. However, doing so overwhelms them for a few moments, leaving them slow to act afterwards.

Thinking about playing a spontaneous caster witch? Want a bit more arcane power in a pinch? This archetype can certainly achieve that. This works best, of course, with a build specializing in spells that have added benefit upon being cast at higher caster levels, which can vary between damage dice, duration, or other effects. Debuffing, buffing and healing, or perhaps control and damage can all benefit, but keep in mind how the archetype interacts with said spells. Keep in mind you do not gain a familiar with this archetype, so builds focused on those are right out unless you gain one from another sort

 One can only imagine the sort of patrons that provide these powers. They might be simply like any other mystical being, or they may be especially primal entities that only answer those able to handle their power, and may therefore be especially volatile in nature.

  In many places, the touch of civilization has made even the local druids lose sight of some of the oldest ways. However, in the wild jungles where Orang-Pendek thrive, they stick to the old ways, calling upon ancient beings that swim in the ley lines like fish in the sea. Gaining their attention is dangerous, however, like any beast in the deep.

 The wisdom spirit Ekkuhlim has been teaching mortals the secrets of witchcraft and enlightenment for generations, whispering through the echoes of the ley lines. What few realize, however, is that this being is actually an annunaki who has learned to part the veil between their out-of-phase world and the material even when the two are unaligned.

 The witches known as ley line guardians are not named so idly, for there are forces in the world that would seek to eliminate magic by destroying ley lines, even though doing so usually means mastering enough magic to be able to sever the lines. Lesser threats, however, seek to control choice ley lines for themselves, subtly or overtly gathering forces to overtake entire regions, the conflict often resulting in domains of evil and the dread lords, which is how the night-blanketed realm known as the Twilight Coast was created, though it no longer reeks of that corruption.

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Infiltrator (Investigator Archetype)

Doors and people alike open for those deemed trustworthy, and with the art of disguise, a cunning individual can take advantage of that to undermine them from within, or simply investigate their goings-on.

Indeed, today the recurring ghost of archetypes all sharing the same name returns with yet another infiltrator! I poke fun, but today we’re looking at the investigator flavor of this concept, which specializes in undercover operations. Like an undercover cop, they infiltrate an organization specifically to learn all they can from within, and potentially use that to bring it all crashing down.

However, in a world of fantasy, these infiltrators can be much more than cops with a convincing cover story. Indeed, the ability to use alchemically-fueled shapeshifting and disguises means they can appear in forms both mundane and monstrous, to achieve their goals, a notion that reminds me of detectives in various series who dramatically rip away disguises at the right moment when making arrests. The more comedic the series, the more outlandish the disguises.

 Regardless of the nature of their disguises, these infiltrators can do a lot with them, and even their mundane disguises are incredibly impressive, able to mimic individuals vastly different from the investigator, and all thrown together in a matter of minutes.

This is supplemented by their ability to mimic voices, which they train to do quite well, though the more different the voice is than their own, the harder it can be to maintain it.

However, all of this is made even more impressive by their various applications of alchemy, as they learn how to make their various extracts tied to changing and disguising their form even more potent and long-lasting, not to mention putting their talents into making their alchemically-induced disguises all the more perfect.

Interested in a sneaky investigator that can walk into nearly any enemy stronghold given enough preparation and the right disguise? This archetype might be for you. While a social and rogue-ish build works very well with this archetype, consider also throwing in some power and prepare to cut loose with some polymorphing combat extracts.

 As masters of disguise, these investigators can adopt many different personas to suit their needs. However, that gives no indication of who they are inside, which may take real trust to bring out.

  Riding pegasi and proclaiming to be descended from angels, the Order of the Shining Eye claim to wish for nothing more than the good of all. However, Masina Devena isn’t buying it. Her investigations within have discovered that the order is digging for something, a weapon they call the Burning Eye.

 Though still unnerved by the notion of vehicular and mounted travel, Phra is no ordinary orang-pendek. Thick clothing and a few touch-ups have allowed this educated investigator to pose as a halfling from a far-away land, demonstrating uncanny genius in portraying herself as a retainer or servant to many an organization, learning all she can from within.

 The party is in the midst of routing a cultist cell, when one of the cultists reveals himself to be a double agent, willing to aid them if they do not blow his cover. Do they trust him, or do they assume he is lying, both might have terrible consequences.

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Wellcome to the Jungle!

Part Five: A Missing Link?

I appreciate that historical scientific drawings aren’t always perfect representations of their subjects, but even considering this, the above 17th Century engraving of an orang-utan is a little disconcerting. Distinctly more human in form and posture, could this be a case of mistaken identity?

On the island of Sumatra there have long been stories of another ape, dubbed ‘orang-pendek’. With a name than means ‘short man’ (compared to orang-utan or ‘forest man’), it is reported to much more human in shape and behaviour than any other Indonesian primate. And though it is generally consigned to the field of cryptozoology, locals still report encounters and expeditions continue to seek it out.

Primates previously unknown to science like the Burmese snub-nosed monkey and the Arunachal macaque are still being discovered, so could this engraving be a lost clue to the existence of another in the orang-pendek? Or is it just another dodgy drawing?

Al McCartney, Wellcome Images.

Image Credit: Wellcome Library, London.

Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons by-nc 2.0 UK: England & Wales, see http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/indexplus/page/Prices.html.