Kugutsu
Kugutsu refers to the art of trap-making and the utilization of weaponized puppets. It is a deadly art that originated in Sunagakure but has since spread to all of the shinobi nations. It involves using chakra strings to manipulate mechanized puppets capable of fighting with various weapons and poisons. One's ability to successfully manipulate a puppet is governed by their Coordination stat. The Kugutsu Skill is necessary for learning the Puppet Technique, and while those with knowledge of Kugutsu may create simple puppets (C Rank and below) only Craftsman are capable of engineering sophisticated puppets. Both the Chakra String Technique and the Puppet Technique are considered the cornerstones of any Kugutsu user's arsenal and as such it is important to understand how they function.
Chakra Strings Technique
- Spoiler:
- Name: Chakra Strings Technique
Rank: C
Cost: C (Activation) D (Upkeep)
Range: 0m-60m
Element: N/A
Classification: Open
Handseals: N/A
Requirements: N/A
Description: The Chakra Strings Technique allows the user to focus and manipulate their chakra into fine tuned strings that can be used to manipulate objects. Once attached, chakra strings can be used to manipulate any object in accordance to the user's Coordination stat. Obviously the user's ability to successfully manipulate an heavy object will depend on their Strength stat. This generally applies only to objects as opposed to people and puppets which are considered to complex to manipulate via strings alone and thus require a secondary technique for utilization. Chakra strings can be temporarily suppressed to minute stubs on a puppeteers fingers when not in active use (although an upkeep must be paid lest the want to repay the activation cost).
Drawbacks: The strings can be cut by any chakra based or enfused weapon or technique C Rank or greater. Cut strings must be re-activated by the user.
Puppet Technique
- Spoiler:
- Name: Puppet Technique
Rank: C
Cost: E
Range: 0m-60m
Element: N/A
Classification: Open
Handseals: N/A
Requirements: Kuchiyose Skill/D Rank Coordination
Description: The Puppet Technique refers to the art of using Chakra Strings to manipulate the complex inner-workings of puppets for the purpose of battle. Normally, manipulating an object as heavy as a standard puppet would require tremendous strength but by using Chakra Strings to control various gears within a puppet via distinct movements of the hands, a Puppeteer can control gargantuan constructs without raw strength. The Puppet Technique is useful in that it can also be used to trigger projectiles or other weapons hidden inside the puppet allowing for offensive and defensive capabilities. The Coordination stat is a critical part of determining a puppeteer's skill with the Puppet Technique. Coordination determines how many puppets the user can control at one time and at one what level of complexity. A base Coordination of D is required for the Puppet Technique.
Guide
D: 1 Puppet/ D Ranked Puppets
C: 4 Puppets/ C Ranked Puppets
B: 6 Puppets/ B Ranked Puppets
A: 8 Puppets/ A Ranked Puppets
S: 10 Puppets/ S Ranked Puppets
Drawbacks: N/A
Puppet Creation
Puppets of C Rank or lower can be created by anyone with the Kugutsu Skill however puppets B Rank and up require the knowledge of one of the Crafting Skills (either Weaponry, Armour, or Engineering will do). Puppets like jutsu are ranked E-S and as such have the same word count training requirements. The Speed and Coordination of the puppet itself is governed by the user's Coordination stat assuming normal manipulation with The Puppet Technique and Chakra Strings (although puppeteers may register their own custom means of puppet manipulation). The Strength and Constitution of the puppets are determined by their rank at creation, however both stats are capped at A even for S Rank puppets. This cap for Strength and Constitution can only be exceeded by UAs or techniques. Puppets are registered with their own special templates that describe how powerful the puppet is. Note that puppet creation requires a word count with the puppet's ranking corresponding to the appropriate amount of words necessary to write before it can be used (similar to jutsu). However once the words are written and the puppet is approved for update, multiple iterations of the same puppet do not require word count.
Name: The name of your puppet. This can be in any language you wish, though it is common practice to include an English translation for ease of reference.
Rank: The puppet's rank. This is the overall worth of the puppet as a whole, including its raw power and overall utility. Ranks are lettered in increasing order as follows: E, D, C, B, A, and S.
Materials: This is where you list the materials that you will need to have purchased in order to create your puppet. This includes weapons such as senbon, kunai, and shuriken to raw materials that will provide the frame and base of your puppet. All of this must be purchased IC at a Shinobi Marketplace. Prices can be found here.
Weapons: The offensive objects and mechanisms that the puppet has. This is where you describe how the materials you have purchased will be used as weapons by the puppet. This can range from contraptions allowing your puppet to fire or wield kunai to more complex systems such as a flamethrower.
Defenses: The defensive objects and mechanisms that the puppet has. This is where you describe how the materials you have purchased will be used as defenses by the puppet. This can include shields, reflectors, or complex systems like interceptors.
Stats: What is the Strength and Constitution of your puppet? Your puppet's base speed and coordination will be determined by your Coordination stat but the base Strength and Constitution are determined at registration.
General Description: This is where you talk about the general appearance and functioning of the puppet itself. Anything not explicitly covered in the Weapons and Defenses section must be detailed here.
Requirements: Any specific requirements in order to use the puppet. These are most often certain levels of stats or techniques. If not applicable, write "N/A".
Weaknesses: Every puppet has some sort of weakness. The more weaknesses a puppet has, the more powerful it may become, and vice versa. Use your imagination to think of any possible ways to defeat your own puppet. You may choose to exclude some weaknesses to avoid revealing to others how to beat your puppet, but just remember that any weaknesses not mentioned won't be considered when judging the overall balance of your puppet.
Price: How much your puppet will cost. This is the amount of money for all the materials you have purchased plus more depending on the complexity of what you are engineering. You can list whatever price you think is an appropriate and depending on the rank and sophistication of the puppet, staff may suggest you increase or decrease that price. There is a general puppet price list so you have a strong idea on how much your puppet should cost depending on the rank. This list does not include the added cost of whatever materials you'll need.
Puppet Price
E: 1,000
D: 5,000
C: 10,000
B: 20,000
A: 50,000
S: 100,000
Template
- Code:
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Materials:[/b]
[b]Weapons:[/b]
[b]Defenses:[/b]
[b]Stats:[/b]
[b]General Description:[/b]
[b]Requirements:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Price:[/b]
Puppet Modification
There are times where you may want to modify the designs of an existing puppet. There is a special template for this allowing you to register such modifications for approval. Keep in mind when registering modifications always quote the original puppet the modification is being added to as if your modification is significant it may cause the rank of the puppet to increase thereby forcing you to pay the difference between ranks.
Modification Description: This is where you describe the modification to your existing puppet.
Rank: Puppet's rank after the modification
Materials: This is where you list the materials that you will need to have purchased in order to modify your puppet. This includes weapons such as senbon, kunai, and shuriken to raw materials that may provide a new frame and base of your puppet. All of this must be purchased IC at a Shinobi Marketplace. Prices can be found here.
Weapons: The offensive objects and mechanisms that the puppet has. This is where you describe how the materials you have purchased will be used as weapons by the puppet. This can range from contraptions allowing your puppet to fire or wield kunai to more complex systems such as a flamethrower.
Defenses: The defensive objects and mechanisms that the puppet has. This is where you describe how the materials you have purchased will be used as defenses by the puppet after the modification. This can include shields, reflectors, or complex systems like interceptors.
Stats: What is the Strength and Constitution after the modifications? Keep in mind your puppet's Speed and Coordination is governed by your Coordination stat assuming standard methods of puppet manipulation (Chakra Strings/Puppet Technique).
Requirements: Any specific requirements in order to use the puppet after the modification?
Weaknesses: Do the modifications create weaknesses? Keep in mind the stronger the mods make your puppet the more likely it will need weaknesses to balance out.
Price: How much your puppet will cost. This is the amount of money for all the materials you have purchased plus the difference between ranks if those modifications put it in another rank of power. For example, if you had a B Rank puppet that turns A after the modifications you would need to be 30,000 dollars as the base puppet price in addition to the price of materials you used to make the modifications.
Puppet Price
E: 1,000
D: 5,000
C: 10,000
B: 20,000
A: 50,000
S: 100,000
Template
- Code:
[b]Modification Description[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Materials:[/b]
[b]Weapons:[/b]
[b]Defenses:[/b]
[b]Stats:[/b]
[b]Requirements:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Price:[/b]
