Harley_Chase

“Gods, not AGAIN! I just wanted to go swimming!”-Harley, shortly after receiving a new, rather… distracting revelation.

There are many, oh-so-many, gods and goddess of the hunt. Artemis, with her unerring bow. Pakhet, the hunting lioness. Woden, the leader of the wild hunt. Obad-Hai. Erastil. The list goes on.

And like so many gods, they each have their priests and priestesses. Those who either sought them out or were called to serve, the glory of the hunt resonating in their souls. The desire to revel in the chase, the challenge, the necessity of taking life to continue living, their actions honoring an endless cycle of nature. Hunters and huntresses, trappers, even warriors seek their guidance and blessings.

But there are other gods. Lesser known, nearly nameless. For the prey pray, too, and so there is a god of all whose lives are destined to end in a crunch squeak or gooey, squelching churn. Few even know of the god’s existence, so they must choose their own priests, granting them a portion of their deific power-Whether they want it or not.

Which brings us to Harley Chase.

The black-haired, rabbit earred lad is frequently dressed in a simple pair of pants (jeans, in modern-day) and a drab, off-white tunic (or short-sleeved shirt). Simple sandles cloth his feet, and he often tries to hide those rather obvious ears beneath a cap or hood. He finds them rather embarassing! Perhaps, because Harley did not always look as he does-

It was in his 19th year that he received a divine revelation in the form of an intensely vivid, unasked for daydream. He was a rabbit, running desperately from a fox. He could *feel* his heart pounding as he darted through underbrush, scrambling through brambles, rushing through the tall grass. And then, something slammed into him. He could feel the weight of the fox upon him, it’s warm, hot breath washing over his face as it rolled him onto his back. It’s jaws parted wide, descending over his head, and- *glk*.

At that first heavy, warm swallow (nevermind that most foxes don’t eat that way!), Harley awoke with a yelp and a heavy blush. It might have been easy to dismiss the strange vision as an odd daydream-But most day dreams don’t leave you with rabbit ears on the top of your head, or a little cotton tail on your butt.

From that point on, Harley was marked by the God of the Hunted, charged with… well… um. He’s not actually sure what he’s supposed to do with his ‘powers’, especially since the damn god doesn't actually talk to him. It's more of an empathic connection, an instinctual itch. He isn't really even sure if he's just a 'priest', or if he's the god's new avatar, or something else entirely.

Needless to say, this is rather frustrating for the lad.

And then there's the fact that his deity-granted powers' aren't... really that ‘powerful’ to begin with. He can run a bit faster than before, and he’s got far more stamina than most folks. His senses (and the sensations he gets from them) are vastly heightened, and he and he seems a good bit more resistant to damage than a normal human-but that’s it. It’s not even to the level of a ‘super-power’. A sword or gun or churning gut can still easily take him out-though the latter might take a good bit longer than before.

One other ‘power’ is odder, and more specific. A strange sort of ‘spider-sense’: At times, he *keenly* aware when someone (or some still-living animal) nearby is, for lack of a better word, churning away in a predator (or simply being run down), along with a vague, faint, almost empathetic sensation of what they’re going through. This doesn’t extent to all prey, all the time, nor does it only correlate to important or sapient prey-instead, it tends to be sporadic, and with out warning. He’s not sure what the ‘maximum’ range is, but he’s pretty sure he’s felt something that was going on at least a hundred miles away once.

This… tends to be very distracting, and he’s not sure why he has this power, or what he’s supposed to do with it. He suspects, though, he has it simply to *have* it, to bear witness to the prey’s sacrifice. It comes coupled with the vague, often frustrating instinct to memorialize the prey once they pass. Sometimes it’s as involved as a compulsion to seek the spot they were devoured on and leave a small prayer necklace, or to find their… ‘remains’ and place a small grave marker. Other times, it’s as simple as holding a brief mental ceremony for their passing. In all cases, he is almost mentally compelled to perform this task, growing ever-more distracted until he fulfils his duties.

Buried deep within his mind, too, is the knowledge that as a chosen of the god of the hunted, his own life is destined to end somewhere dark, and slick, and squeezey.
It is, perhaps, understandable that he’s often a little grumpy.

Work In Progress:

Passives:
Hunted's Senses:
Due to his 'gift', Harley's senses are a good deal more acute than a normal human's. He gets a +1 against any attacks that involve hiding, illusion, ambushes, etc. However, this also includes his sense of smell: this means Harley recieves a -1 against any phermone-based (or simillar) attack.

Hunted's Destiny: Poor Harley's *fate* is almost certainly to end up somewhere dark, hot, and squeezy. Even fortune itself seems to gently nudge him towards these ends-He gets a -1 on all escape attempts once he's been tucked away in a gut, womb, or sac. This is only to escape the chamber-escape attempts on the way to that 'stage' recieve no penalty.

Hunted's Endurance: What fun is a hunt that ends quickly? The chase and struggle are part of the hunt, too! Harley starts with 15 HP, as opposed to 10.

Rabbit's Drive: Though a little shy, Harley's begun taking on some... mental aspects of the species his ear and tail reflect. Any seduction or otherwise carnal-themed attack gets a +1 modifier against him.

Activated Abilities:

Rabbit's Kick:
In desperation, Harley... basically drop-kicks an opponent (Or knees them in the gut, etc etc) . If it succeeds, the opponent is stunned for two rounds. If it succeeds by five or more, the opponent is stunned for three rounds. If it fails, he's prone, and counts as immediately grappled. If it fails by five or more, he also loses his next turn, having had the wind knocked out of him (perhaps by a counter-attack, or some such). Can only be used outside of opponents. (And when they're outside of him. He's not gonna knee HIMSELF in the gut!)

Second Wind:
Endurance is the name of the game when you're a prey. After ten turns, Harley may recieve a sudden burst of energy-If he beats his opponent's roll when using this technique, he gains +2 to his rolls for the next 3 turns. If he wins by 5 or more, it's for the next five turns. If he loses, he's at -2 for the next three turns, having simply fatigued himself. This can only be used twice a match.

Turnabout:
Sometimes, the hunted becomes the hunter. Once per match, Harley can make an opposed roll with his opponent, with no modifiers. If he succeeds, any point penalty (-2, -3, etc) instead becomes a bonus. This lasts for three turns. If he fails, he is stunned for one round. Can only be used when he is already in a losing position (Lower HP than opponent, and/or held/inside the opponent)