{"id":7297,"date":"2016-10-24T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T17:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/?p=7297"},"modified":"2016-10-24T07:33:51","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T12:33:51","slug":"a-hunger-for-the-dark-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/a-hunger-for-the-dark-side\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hunger For the Dark Side"},"content":{"rendered":"

Derriphan.\u00a0 Those familiar with the history and lore regarding the Force will tell you that never has a single word been more able to evoke a sense of mystery and terror.\u00a0 While many may dismiss the Derriphan as mere legends – myths created by early dabblers unable to fully understand the nature of the Force \u2013 those who are wise will also give words of caution:\u00a0 Just because something is considered a legend, it does not mean that it may not exist.\u00a0 This is the nature of the Derriphan; shrouded in darkness, origins lost to history, but filled with an insatiable hunger that can only be sated through the power of the Dark Side.<\/p>\n

The name Derriphan has its origins in the Sith word for \u201cdevourer.\u201d \u00a0Though the earliest references to these creatures appear among Sith lore, there is some debate over what the relationship was between the Sith and the Derriphan.\u00a0 Some have speculated that the Sith created the Derriphan, or merely discovered them, and then exploited them to increase their knowledge and mastery of the dark side.\u00a0 Warnings appearing in some ancient Sith tomes and written in Sith temples seem to indicate otherwise.\u00a0 These describe Derriphan as attacking Force users, Sith and Jedi alike, with no allegiance to either.\u00a0 Therefore, it seems far more likely that in their explorations of the Dark Side the Sith conjured and created vergeances that attracted the Derriphan as the Derriphan feed off Dark Side energy.\u00a0 At first, the Sith may have thought that these new creatures – living balls of raw Force energy crackling with the power of the Dark Side \u2013 were going to enhance them symbiotically, but the truth was far different.<\/p>\n

At the very least, Derriphan are Force-sensitive parasites which live and grow at the expense of their hapless hosts.\u00a0 Here again the legends disagree about the nature of the creatures: are they parasites acting on primal instincts or intelligent beings working with dark purpose?\u00a0 Tales describe Derriphan leaving the empty, catatonic husks of their victims and moving to find their next random host; just part of one continuous life cycle. Other stories have Derriphan taking control of weak-minded individuals, using them to find powerful Force-sensitives, and then lying in ambush to take a Jedi Master by surprise; leaving its former host with no memory of what has happened while it wreaks havoc in its new host.\u00a0 The truth is probably someplace in the middle and this is the conclusion of many scholars:\u00a0 the Derriphan are cunning creatures which use the power of the Force to instinctively plot their necessary course for survival.\u00a0 Woe to those they use along the way!<\/p>\n

Derriphan [Nemesis]<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Derriphan is a truly challenging adversary whether found in its pure, Dark Side energy state or within a living host.\u00a0 In its energy state, the Derriphan is immune to physical and energy damage.\u00a0 When connected to a host, the Derriphan can be hampered through damage to its host, but it can only be truly fought\u00a0through the power of the Force.\u00a0 It is fortunate for the beings of the galaxy that encounters with Derriphan are exceedingly rare.\u00a0 They are, typically, solitary creatures and tend to avoid others of their kind.\u00a0 This may be a primal, territorial instinct; marking their hunting grounds and asserting dominance over it.<\/p>\n

\"derriphan-stat-block-989x1280\"<\/p>\n

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Feeding off the Dark Side<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Derriphan are creatures of the Dark Side and feed exclusively upon Dark Side energy.\u00a0 When hunting for living hosts Derriphan instinctively seek Force sensitives, especially those of the Dark Side, so that they may feed off the Dark Side energies created by their actions.\u00a0 The process by which a Derriphan seeks a suitable host, links with a host, and then feeds can be broken down into three steps; Probing, Hosting, and Feeding.<\/p>\n

Step 1 \u2013 Probing<\/p>\n

When in its pure energy form a Derriphan will use its natural instincts to remain hidden and search for suitable prey.\u00a0 It will use its Force Power of Sense to detect living beings and determine which is best for it to attempt to gain as a host.\u00a0 For a host, the Derriphan will always seek a being that is Force-sensitive over one who is not Force-sensitive.\u00a0 Among Force-sensitives, the Derriphan will be attracted to the being with the highest Force rating and the lowest Morality.<\/p>\n

Once the Derriphan has identified a suitable host, it will wait until its prey is asleep or alone and then move to engage the target.\u00a0 It will use its Force Powers of Bind, Influence, and Harm to chip away at its intended victim\u2019s Wounds and Strain until it can bring one of the two scores to 0.\u00a0 At this point, the Derriphan will enter the mind of its new host body and the host will awaken with complaints of fatigue and a headache; its Wound and Strain Thresholds restored and no seeming memory of the previous struggle with the dark entity.<\/p>\n

A Force-sensitive who uses the Force Power of Sense to detect the host creature\u2019s emotional state will detect Dark Side emotions of fear, anger, and hate within the host.<\/p>\n

Step 2 \u2013 Hosting<\/p>\n

The Derriphan immediately enters into a symbiotic relationship with its host.\u00a0 The external appearance of the host will not change in any way and neither will the host\u2019s actions or mannerisms except that the host will feel simmering rage and an overpowering urge to commit malicious acts of evil.\u00a0 The host will not engage in foolish acts of wanton destruction, but will instead seek to engage in coldly calculated actions that create Conflict.<\/p>\n

Any being which becomes the host for a Derriphan will immediately become a Dark Side Force User regardless of their actual Morality score and even if their current score qualifies the being to be a Light Side Paragon.\u00a0 This represents the overwhelming influence of the intelligent, Dark Side energy now dwelling within them.\u00a0 If the host did not previously have a Morality score, they will now acquire a Morality of 40 and should choose an Emotional Strength and an Emotional Weakness.\u00a0 The host being will continue to gain Conflict and will roll to adjust Morality as normal at the end of each game session.<\/p>\n

In addition, the hosted Derriphan will have the following stats:<\/p>\n

Derriphan (hosted)<\/p>\n

Brawn\u00a0(same as host)
\nAgility (same as host)
\nIntellect\u00a02 (or same as host; whichever is greater)
\nCunning\u00a04 (or same as host; whichever is greater)
\nWillpower\u00a03 (or same as host; whichever is greater)
\nPresence\u00a05 (or same as host; whichever is greater)<\/p>\n

Wound Threshold:\u00a0(same as host)
\nStrain Threshold:\u00a0(Willpower + 20)
\nSoak Value: (same as host)
\nMelee\/Ranged Defense:\u00a0(same as host)<\/p>\n

Skills<\/strong>:\u00a0same as host except the following skills which will be at the higher score of the host or the Derriphan (Coordination 3, Discipline 2, Perception 3, Resilience 5, Stealth 4, Survival 4, Vigilance 3)<\/p>\n

Talents<\/strong>:\u00a0Adversary 3 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks targeting this character three times), Fearsome 2 (The Derriphan forces any creature engaged with it for the first time to make a Fear check against an Average difficulty), Force Rating (3 + Force Rating of the host), any Talents of the host<\/p>\n

Abilities<\/strong>:<\/p>\n