BAKU

By Steve Markley (smarkley@ocean.otr.usm.edu)

Description

The Baku are a long dead race of Indian and African mystics who were killed by Garou, Simba and Ajaba during the War of Rage. They were enigmatic and wise, and kept to themselves as they followed their own paths. They were impossibly strong, but their downfall was their lack of mobility, refusal to rely on one another and because they were no good at hiding. None live today, and all their secrets and their Gifts followed them to their graves.

The Baku were the rememberers of the Earth-Mother. This is not the same role as that of the Mokolé, who is the Earth-Mother's memory. The Baku were very insightful, and could see beyond space/time, into other cycles that existed before this one. Seem complex? Read on, and I'm sure I will confuse you even more.

All things come in cycles; there have been countless incarnations of the Tellurian before this one -- alternate realities, if you will. The universe dies, is reborn, dies again, and so on to infinity. The Baku have been there -- in some form or another -- since the first incarnation of the Tellurian, and were given the responsibility of governing each cycle. They chose the races that would exist, which ones that would ascend to greatness, regulated the balance of power in the world, and made sure each "death" of the Tellurian was proper and orderly so another cycle would be born from it. Each new cycle is an experiment, so that the Baku can try different things with each world, playing with the dynamics of each incarnation until they found one that is Balanced. By peering into worlds past, the Baku could learn from the successes and mistakes made there and adjust their influence in this world accordingly. The influence they had was small, but much like making ripples in the pond, they could achieve great things by acting wisely. It was the goal of this race that the ultimate Balance be achieved, in which all things exist in total harmony.

So in this cycle, they chose the ascendancy of the Garou among the shifter children, a dynamic aspect, and set into motion plots that would ensure the ascendacy of reason (the eventual birth of the Technocracy) and that the race of vampires, who wield a unique form of static corruption, would gain much power over the mortals. The Baku are not perfect; they had made bad decisions in worlds before this, but none that affected them so badly. Their insight had always been of other worlds long past, and knowledge of the future wasn't one of their strong points. The Garou declared war on the other shifters, and attacked the Baku as they did their other brothers. However, the Simba and the Ajaba were no better, fighting the elephant changers for shrinking territory and to extort valuable and powerful Gifts. The Baku, a race that was always very small, died fairly quickly. Toward the end the entire race had become warriors in the fight to survive, and deserted the paths of enlightenment and honor, but it had not been enough to save them. They were to others an inconsequential race that was quickly forgotten among the Casualties of the War of Rage.

Now here's the problem: if the Baku were right, they were responsible for governing the end of the world so that another could be born from the current one's ashes. The Apacolypse draws nigh, and their secrets to ensuring the birth of another world is long gone. This end of the world may be more tragic and painful than any other before, because it might well die forever, with no cycles to ever come again. It shall truly be the end. Let's hope that they were wrong . . .

Baku Rank and Ways

Baku had an odd form of gaining rank and status. They had three areas in which they could advance, depending on the path they choose to follow. Only the oldest and wisest excelled in all the paths, and these were called Bodhivistas (the vampires of the Orient also use this title of esteem for their most enlightened.) Okay, pay very close attention here:

They had three separate Rank systems, and each Baku started out as rank one in any one Way. The Rank levels were acolyte (1st), scholar (2nd) and elder (3rd.) The life paths they followed could be compared to Garou Auspices, and were the Way of Knowledge (Theurge), the Way of Honor (Philodox) and the Way of Wrath (Ahroun). The Baku's title was determined by the rank she held in each of the Ways. The title for the Way of Knowledge was Buddha, the title for the Way of Honor was Indri, and the title for the Way of Wrath was Shiva. The Baku rose separately in each rank depending on the Renown she achieved. So a Baku warrior might have been an acolyte Buddha, an Indri scholar and a Shiva elder.

Each Way had its own separate Gifts that the Baku could access once he had achieved the proper rank. In the above example, the warrior could access Shiva Gifts of all three ranks, but could only access first and second level Indri Gifts and first rank Buddha Gifts. For access to breed and general Gifts, use the highest rank of the Baku. Bohdivistas have access to all the Gifts of the paths, plus forth and fift rank breed Gifts and their own awesome magics. These Gifts will be detailed later. Baku also gained physical mutations based on their rank, becoming something bizarre and awesome to behold as they approached divinity. These will be detailed later.

Rank was a very personal thing with Baku, much closer to the concept of mage Ascension than the politics of other changers. The were-elephant achieved rank separately from other Baku; once he had achieved enough enlightenment in his Way, his mind opened to learning Gifts from the spirits and other Baku. They took their Ways far too seriously to take shortcuts to power.

Those who focused on this path, called Buddhas, were thoughtful and comtemplative, and sought the secrets of this universe and others. They held the most station, for they commanded the secrets of other realities. Most Buddhas did little but sit and meditate, gaining glimpses into other cycles and giving guidelines to the Indri based on the understanding they achieved.

As they gained rank, they grew additional eyes on their foreheads to reflect their understanding. A Baku had an additional eye for every rank she achieved (so a scholar would have two additional eyes.) These eyes exist in all forms but Homid and Hatii (see Forms.) Each extra eye adds a die to visual Perception rolls and those Perception rolls involving supernatural awareness (Gifts.)

Indri were given the important task of manipulating events and people in this cycle based on the wisdom gained by the Buddhas. While the Buddhas were of other worlds, the Indri were solidly based in this reality and knew how to effect it and its inhabitants, and thus were very important. As those who followed the Way of Honor had more to do with outsiders, they were the first to be culled by the wolves and others.

Those who gained on the path of Honor sprouted additional trunks in their Crinos and Mali-fut forms, representing their increased manipulation of fate. These trunks were used for a variety of tasks, and the more trunks the better. Highly dexterous manipulation became possible, as well as a +1 Str bonus per extra trunk when lifting objects.

Sometimes playing with the cycles is a dirty job, and this is where the Shiva came in. Named for the Indian God of destruction (or perhaps his legends were based on followers of this Way!) these Baku were terrible sights to behold. Their way wasn't not the most esteemed among their race, but was necessary and probably the easiest path to follow. They were the defenders of their kind, and their failure during the War of Rage was a bitter one.

Those who followed the path of the warrior displayed massive tusks, and their most powerful members even sprouted a second pair. At acolyte level, the tusks lengthen, doing an additional die of damage. At scholar level, the Baku sprouts another pair of tusks, making it harder for opponents to dodge a tusk attack (the diff for a Tusk Gore is lowered to 5.) At the elder level, the second pair or tusks lengthen, and the damage is further increased to +2 (for a total of Str +4.) These super-tusks only exist in Crinos and Mali-fut forms.

Many Baku started on the daunting path toward gaining full mastery of all the Ways, but only a select few ever achieved that level of enlightenment. These were the heroes of that race, the most balanced and wise of the race that was most balanced and wise. Bodhivistas gain access to spirit magics that can summon elephant herds from the Umbra or reveal the secrets of other worlds with ease. They also gained enormous control of mind and body, sensing the spirit world and effecting it with their bodies and resisting the pull of Frenzy.

A Bodhivista gains the following benifits: she can learn Bodhivista Gifts, as well as fourth and fifth level breed Gifts; she grows an additional trunk (for a total of five); Spirit Sight (as the Bastet Gift) becomes an innate abitity, requiring no Gnosis expenditure; her tusks become capable of striking spirits or creatures on the other side of the Gauntlet if she spends one Gnosis (this effect lasts for one scene); and the Bodhivista adds 2 to her rolls to resist Frenzy, making the final difficulty 9.

The Forms

I understand that these stat adjustments are probably immensely unbalancing. A Frenzying were-elephant warrior with a 12 Strength and ten Health Levels is a scary thing. But keep in mind that these are were-elephants, and are going to be much stronger than even Gurahl. Besides, they are extinct, which cuts down on the potential for player-character abuse, so it doesn't really matter that much.

Health Levels: OK/ OK/ -1/ -1/ -2/ -2/ -5/ Inc

Description: The Homid form of the Baku was always really big and rotund; petite or skinny baku were unheard of. Heights of up to seven feet tall and weight upwards of 300 lbs were common place among them. They had an additional Bruised Health Level in this form, giving them the Huge Size Merit for free (the Huge Size Merit cannot be taken again for a double-stack, assuming someone talks their Storyteller into letting them play a Baku.)

Adjustments: Str +2, Sta +2, Man -2, App -2, +1 to soak rolls from hide

Adjustments: Health Levels: OK/ OK/ -1/ -1/ -1/ -2/ -2/ -3/ Inc

Description: A big, ugly humanoid between nine and ten feet tall, covered in thick hide. Its advantage is that it channels some of the power and mass of the Baku's elephant heritage without sacrificicing agility. Its face is mostly human, though it's covered with rough grey hide and devoid of hair except for a few tufts.

Adjustments: Str +5, Dex -2, Sta +3, Man -3, App 0, +2 soak

Health Levels: OK/ OK/ -1/ -1/ -1/ -2/ -2/ -2/ -5/ Inc

Description: This is where it gets scary. Imagine an upright-standing elephant, say twenty feet tall on average, with humanlike hands. Add in things like multiple trunks, tusks and eyes, and you have something that can probably kill with looks alone. This form is very powerful, but is as slow as a rock. Think of the Indri the Indian god, and you have a good picture of what this form looks like. Available attack forms for the Crinos include Tusk Gore, Throw, and things like punches and weapon attacks. Crinos Baku with lots of trunks recalls the traditional portraits of Cthulhu; as the Baku are the ones standing at the ends of worlds, there might be something to this . . .

Adjustments: Str +7, Dex -2, Sta +4, Man -4, App 0, +2 soak

Health Levels: OK/ OK/ -1/ -1/ -1/ -2/ -2/ -2/ -5/ Inc

Description: A form that blends the Baku's supernatural heritage with the form of an elephant, the Mali-fut form is the most commonly used form for combat. It possesses any extra trunks, eyes and tusks gained from rank and has about 30% more mass than an ordinary elephant, much of it concentrated in the shoulders and limbs. Its legs are almost bear-like, giving the Baku the ability to move its bulk quickly if necesary, equipped with large claws (which are used for gaining purchace rather than to attack). Assuming one was around in modern times, a Baku in Mali-fut form could demolish tractor trailers with little effort. Attacks include Tusk Gore, Trample and Throw. I considered calling this form the "helliphant", but that would be silly. :)

Adjustments: Str +5, Dex -1, Sta +3, Man -2, +2 soak

Health Levels: OK/ OK/ -1/ -1/ -1/ -2/ -2/ -5/ Inc

Description: An ordinary elephant, sans weird appendages and anything unusual. It was still a very intimidating form for purposes of combat, assuming the Baku didn't want to violate the Veil. Attacks include Tusk Gore, Throw and Trample.

Breeds

The Baku had only the human and elephant breeds, as they did not allow metis among them. They were very similar in outlook and got along well, and there was no great difference between the breeds. Assume a starting Gnosis of 3 for both.

Tribes

The Baku didn't divide themeselves into tribes. There were two species of elephant among them, the African and Indian varieties. The African tended toward the Way of Wrath, while many of those in India were Buddhas.

Rage and Willpower

Baku as a whole were level-headed and calm, but had the potential to become enraged like their smaller cousins, especially those who followed Shiva's path. Their Frenzy difficulties remained at a steady 7, and were not effected by the moon. Assume a starting Rage of 4. They were a race of strong will; Willpower base of 5.

The Umbra

Baku were highly spiritual, and could naturally enter the Umbra through reflective surfaces or achieving deep meditation.

Attacks

Diff 7, Str + 2 non-Agg, 2 actions

The Baku must be in Crinos, Mali-fut or Hatii form to perform this maneuver. He grabs his enemy in his trunk and tosses him to the ground, possibly breaking bones and setting him up for a trample attack. An attack roll must be made to grab the target, and then the Baku rolls a contested Str + Brawl against the victim's Dex + Dodge; if the Baku wins the contest the victim is thrown to the ground for Str +2 non-Agg damage.

Diff 8, Str + 5 non-Agg, only action that turn

The Baku must be in elephant or near-elephant form to perform this maneuver, and this is the only action he can take that turn (no die pool splitting, extra Rage actions, etc.) He runs toward his target and if lucky hits him, bowling him over and then trampling him with his feet. Rarely has this failed to kill an opponent.

Diff 6^*, Str +2^* Agg, 1 action

In Hatii, Mali-fut or Crinos form, the Baku lunges his head forward and impales his enemy with his tusk. Those with especially large Tusks can inflict more damage, and a second pair of tusks reduces the diff to 5 (see the Way of Wrath.)

Damage

Baku regenerated as do Garou and most other changers. They didn't have connections to the sun or moon, so they didn't take Aggravated damage from gold or silver. However, they were mystically linked to the earth, and sharp stone damaged them greviously when wielded against them. Why they didn't take Agg from stones when it wasn't wielded as a weapon (such as when they walked on rocky ground) is open to question.

Gifts

Breed Gifts: Use appropriate ones from Werewolf.

General Gifts

Level 1: Dowsing (as Bastet), Mother's Touch (as Theurge), Crafty Trunk

Level 2: Step Like the Mouse (as Stargazers: Surface Attunement), Sense Balance, Trumpet (as Bastet: Shriek)

Level 3: One With The Earth, Shatter (as metis Bastet: Fist of Cahlash), Meditative Mastery

Gifts of Knowledge

Level 1: Mnesis, See Beyond

Level 2: Clarity (as Stargazers), Visit the Grave

Level 3: Farsight (as Bastet), Open the Spirit Passage (as Theurge: Parting the Velvet Curtain)

Gifts of Honor

Level 1: Persuasion (as homid), See No Untruth (as Philodox: Scent of the True Form and Truth of Gaia, must speak with target)

Level 2: Form Like Clay, Command Respect (as Silver Fang: Awe)

Level 3: Wise Mind, Command (as Silver Fang)

Gifts of Wrath

Level 1: Resist Pain (as Philodox), Knock Down (as Ahroun: Falling Touch)

Level 2: Skin Like Stone (as Khan: Skin of Jade), Quake

Level 3: Unstoppable Charge, Shattering the Earth

Bodhivista Gifts

Break Worlds, Calling the Spirit Herd, Penetrating (as the fifth level Qualmi Gift: No Hidden Thing), Wisdom of All Worlds

Using Baku in a Chronicle

The Baku race is a tragic victim of the War of Rage, one that could have contributed to the world a great deal had they survived. Because of their senseless death (ironically brought about by their own tinkering), all of reality may be in danger as this cycle draws to a close and there are none to usher in the new one. Characters might unearth records of Baku culture or manage to find accounts of their extinction during the War of Rage. A Storyteller running a Chronicle focusing on the Apacolypse could increase the tension and mood of hopelessness by revealing that the Baku are no longer around to fulfill their purpose. Baku are best used sparingly as a background information, rather than the focus of a Chronicle or allowing them as to be played as characters.

If a Storyteller wants to allow them as PCs, then its her choice. But they are immensely powerful if played as war-machines, which a player eventually will, though a hjistorical game or one focusing on the last of their kind struggling to survive is a possible option.