Bashmu
Base Cost: ranges from 35 (normal) to 45 (colossal)
| Melee RV 10 |
Coordination RV 6 |
Brawn RV 10 |
Fortitude RV 20 |
Intellect RV 4 |
Awareness RV 10 |
Willpower RV 4 |
Lifestyle RV 0 |
Repute RV -10 |
| Health: Fortune: |
46 18 |
Origin:
Bashmu are not the creation of natural evolutionary processes, their ancestor being a divine chimera Tiamat fabricated on a whim. With Teshub recreating bashmu after slaying the original, these legendary beasts can be found in almost any arid climate.
Known Powers:
Battle Tail: while on the ground, bashmu may use their serpentine bodies as can any snake: for locomotion. However, while held aloft with their arms or their wings, bashmu may inflict their Brawn +1 RS in Bashing damage with their lower body in melee combat (2 points).
Body Armor: thanks to their scaly bodies, bashmu possess a modicum of protection from injury, having this power at rank value 2. This isn't much, at least where standard bashmu are concerned, but the larger they get, the more these scales render assaults impotent (1 point).
Emotion Control: perhaps their most dangerous weapon, bashmu have the rank value 20 ability to overwhelm everyone within Near distance of their person with soul-chilling fear. This power is both strongly limited (fear only) and strongly enhanced (wide broadcast) (5 points).
Fangs: notoriously venomous, the deadly bite of the bashmu is legendary. They can use their fangs to inflict their Brawn value in Slshing damage, which helps them to either shred their meals or trap them while swallowing them whole. And that's before the poison (4 points).
Growth: while a young adult starts out approximately human sized, bashmu inevitably swell as they grow older. Starting at rank value 0, this power can increase from that level all the way to rank value 100, depending on how ancient a given bashmu is (from 0 to 10 points).
Poison: at their leisure, bashmu may inject a deadly poison into their foes upon biting them, adding rank value 30, 2x SD Metabolic damage to the harm inflicted. This power is both strongly limited (injected poison) and weakly enhanced (doubled Metabolic slider) (5 points).
At the same time, the chaotic power of Tiamat flows through her monsters. Their very blood is poisonous, which inflicts rank value 30 SD Deionic damage on contact. This divine trait is both weakly limited (contact poison) and extremely enhanced (Deionic damage) (7 points).
Wings: magically delicious creatures that should not exist whatsoever, bashmu possess powerfully large, feathery wings. These magnificent appendages allow them to fly unaided with rank value 4 ability, moving at up to sixty miles per hour through the air (4 points).
Limitations / Enhancements:
(none)
Equipment:
Generally none. However, bashmu are capable of manipulating tools with their hands as can any human, and are distressingly clever. Sure, they probably couldn't operate a can opener, but should a given bashmu have success with a given item, they may retain it for later use.
Quirks:
Abnormal Attribute: bashmu are flying snakes! There's no hiding that, barring ascendant assistance, so people will readily notice a bashmu in their midst. Assuming it didn't sneak up on them first, that is, because people generally don't watch the skies when looking out for snakes.
Skills:
(none)
Contacts:
(none)
Characteristics:
Relentless hunters possessed of an insatiable hunger, bashmu stalk anything within their territory that moves. They are not evil, lacking self-awareness as a general rule, but sure enjoy toying with their meals. And whenever possible, bashmu consume those meals whole.
Appearance:
Bashmu are large horned serpents, about eighteen feet long. Of course, most serpents lack fully functional humanoid arms, not to mention large, feathery wings. Bashmu typically assume a pose with the front third of their body raised upright, allowing them to bring all limbs to bear.
Ecological Niche:
The artificial creation of Tiamat, bashmu belong to no rational evolutionary process. Nonetheless, bashmu are a powerful and invasive magical species, spreading far and wide from their initial home on the Serpent's Mouth to all manner of arid climates across reality.
Labbu
Labbu was the original bashmu, created by Tiamat herself! Though humbled by Marduk during Tiamat's war against the Anunnaki, Labbu survived the conflict relatively unscathed. As created by Tiamat, Labbu was the largest possible bashmu, possessing rank value 100 growth.
Upon deciding to destroy humanity a second time, Enlil enlisted Labbu as his weapon of choice. Somehow engorging Labbu to rank value 5000 size, Enlil then set the six mile long flying serpent upon the fertile crescent, at least until it was slain by Enlil's own son and brother, Teshub.
Legal Hoopajoob:
This Edition 13 text is provided under the the Creative Commons Attribution license. You may use this material in any way you see fit, whether copying, distributing, or displaying all or part of said text, as long as I am credited in works utilizing it.
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