REAPERS
The name Reaper is the collective term used to describe the people of Halloweentown who look... well, very humanoid. In fact, those who have been to the Human World can note the uncanny resemblance Reapers have to humans, save for the fact that they don't explode upon entry to Halloweentown. Unlike the other four faces, the different types of Reapers as subclasses rather than subspecies. Reapers are noted largely for their affinity to Fear, as Reapers are the most magically inclined race despite looking like the magicless Fear-generating humans.
Appearance:
Their humanesque appearance is what visually sets the Reapers apart from any other race in Halloweentown. They have a distinct lack of any traits found predominantly on any other race: no horns, wings, tails, or animalistic traits of any sort are seen on their person. Occasionally there may be a Reaper with these traits, however they are very rare. All in all, if someone looks like a human and doesn't explode in Halloweentown, then they're a Reaper. All Reapers look like humans. Exceptions are VERY RARE to the point where GM Approval is required ahead of time in addition to having a Damn Good Reason. For all intents and purposes, Reapers may only appear to be human. If your wish your character to have magical abilities in addition to animalistic physical traits, please consider the Demon race.
To further distinct them from any other race, every Reaper can conjure up their personal weapon. This weapon is the physical appearance of their Fear: a Reaper cannot perform any magic without this. Their weapon does not necessarily have to be a weapon, either. It can be anything from a totem to a book, to even a skellyphone. This weapon can change and grow as a Reaper improves their Fear. In addition, a Reaper is never without his or her weapon. Because their weapon is created from Fear, they can summon and dismiss it at any time. When dismissed, their weapon simply dissipates into their Fear -- think of it as disappearing into a subdimensional pocket. All Reapers have a weapon, or they have a familiar that functions as the weapon instead. No exceptions, unless you are requesting your Reaper to be able to shapeshift. For that, please see the section "Shapeshifting."
Culture:
Reapers bear a heavy stigma in Halloween. Those that have been there can note the drastic similarities Reapers have with humans: they look alike, act alike, and practically are humans aside from their ability to control Fear. It doesn't help that Reapers also dress like and live like humans, either. As a result, many Reapers choose to stick with their own kind.
Reaper cities and homes vary from owner to owner. Some Reapers prefer to keep to themselves in a fashionable lonely tower whereas others willingly group together and live in Human Victorian era-esque houses that connect to each other from the inside. Reapers come in all shapes and sizes, and the easiest way for a non-Reaper to learn more about them without directly interacting with a Reaper is to take a Human Studies class.
Notable celebrations similar to humans that Reapers also celebrate are birthdays, but a Reaper has not one but two birthdays: the day they are born, and the day they summon their weapon or familiar for the first time. Otherwise, Reapers celebrate any and every other notable holiday in Halloween even if it doesn't belong to their race. After all, it means a free day off from work!
Subclasses:
Despite their misleading appearance, Reapers have a close affinity to Fear. Many Reapers find manipulating Fear to be an easy thing, however the method and results of said Fear manipulation often determines their class. While it is true that every Reaper manipulates their Fear through a tool (normally a weapon or a familiar), their class is a summary of what they are best at.
Grim Reapers:
Grim Reapers were the very first type of Reaper to appear in Halloween, manifested originally as a personification of Death. However, Death is the least they do: they are harvesters of Fear. When a human dies, it is up to the Grim Reaper to split the Fear from the dead person's soul. Usually this Fear feeds Halloween, but if a human has enough Fear in their system it will create a ghost bearing the same name and face of the deceased person. Because of this, Grim Reapers are the most widely known variation of Reaper to the point where many citizens of Halloween believe that every reaper is a Grim Reaper when this is not the case.
In Halloween:
For a Reaper, the manipulation of Fear is their life. If they cannot manipulate Fear in a magical way, then they channel what little Fear they can magically muster to manifest itself in the way of physical alternation. In other words, Reapers who have a difficult time casting spells stick to using their weapon and enhancing that instead. In Halloween, how a Reaper's Fear manifests itself usually leads to their career of choice in life. Reapers who have an affinity for animals tend to work closely with animals or monsters for example.
In the Human World:
It is only the job of a Grim Reaper to harvest Fear from the deceased. The rest of the Reapers instead make good use of their human-like appearance to scout the Human World. Providing they hide their weapons and familiars, a Reaper can blend in effortlessly. Reapers can also spend the longest time in the Human World with no noticeable effects. If they stay for too long, however, they will begin to lose the ability to control their Fear and cast spells.
Many Reapers go into the Human World for reconnaissance. They take note of what's been scaring humans lately and what events have been going on, then report this information back to Halloween. If there hasn't been a good horror movie in awhile, oftentimes it will be up to a team of Reapers to infiltrate the Human World's movie industry and make one, just to keep the Fear flowing.
ABILITIES
Racial Ability:
Summon Weapon
A Reaper's weapon is the physical incarnation of their natural Fear. Every Reaper knows how to call upon his or her weapon -- they need to summon said weapon in order to be able to perform any magic. While a Reaper's weapon is something to be reckoned with, in officiated spars it deals non-lethal damage. Even if a scythe is razor sharp, the Fear that it channels may only be enough to cause a small papercut on an opponent's arm.
A Reaper can summon/dismiss their weapon at will. They are unable to perform any sort of magic or Fear ability without their weapon. Summoning/Dismissing a weapon does not weaken a Reaper's Fear.
Weapon Guidelines:
Reapers are the ONLY Race in This is Halloween allowed to wield a weapon.
Weapons can be summoned and dismissed at will.
Weapons can grow and change over time, just like students. A Reaper's weapon IS the physical form of their natural Fear, after all.
A Reaper cannot cast magic at all unless their weapon has been summoned AND they are touching it. Reapers channel their magic through their weapons.
Not all weapons are created equally. While a laser sword with guns on it that shoots other swords on cold fire sounds awesome, it won't fly. Please keep the setting in mind! Fantasy is okay, sci-fi is not.
Familiar:
Should a Reaper wish to, they may have a familiar instead of a weapon. In doing so, however, they forgo their weapon completely. The familiar IS their weapon, and follows the standard reaper weapon advantages but with twists:
Advantages:
Familiars can talk to anyone.
Familiars can think and move around on their own.
A Reaper does not have to be touching their familiar in order to cast spells.
A familiar can be summoned/dismissed like a normal weapon.
Familiars can be just about any animal Within Reason. If your familiar is unacceptable, it will be addressed through the enrollment process.
Disadvantages:
No weapon. A Reaper looks weaker without one.
Can't find your familiar and don't feel like summoning it? Your Reaper can't cast spells.
A familiar, if feeling ill towards a Reaper, can botch spells on purpose.
A familiar IS a living being. It still needs food and attention.
Dismissing your familiar turns it into your natural Fear. Others may see this as a sign of animal cruelty. Dismiss and summon with caution.
Note: Reapers may have either a weapon OR a familiar, not both! You may only pick ONE of these for your racial ability!
Reaper Subclass Natural Ability - Varies, see Subclass Entry Below
Every subclass of Reaper has a special ability that particular class can do. You may only have one natural ability. If there is more than one listed, please pick only one. When there is more than one ability listen, think of it as different "orders" of that class. Each "order" has their own natural ability. If you do not see a natural ability that would fit your student, or if you wish to change your natural ability, please PM the shop mule to discuss.
Shapeshifting:
Reapers CAN NOT change their shape. Reapers simply cannot channel the Fear required to change their own shape through their weapon. While there are some Reapers who can, they are very rare. Reapers who pursue the art of shapeshifting often end up with nothing to show for it, as for Reapers it is next to impossible to do.
If you are dead set on having a Reaper who can shapeshift, please speak to staff with a Very Damn Good Reason. Otherwise, Shapeshifting is an ability reserved for the more inhuman characters, just as weapons are reserved for the humanoid Reapers.
In addition, please keep in mind that when it comes to shapeshifting and Reapers, the results are TEMPORARY. A Reaper can have this as their Fear in which they temporarily shapeshift to deliver a powerful blow to their opponent in a spar. They may NOT shapeshift and lounge around in this form all day. The act of shapeshifting is a brief focus of energy lasting less than a minute.
In addition, these are the qualifies that MUST be met if you wish your Reaper could shapeshift:
1) Your Reaper must be based on a myth base involving the transportation of souls.
2) Said myth base MUST include an animal form.
3) Your Reaper will NOT have a weapon or any kind of natural ability until they proceed further in their education.
4) You must have GM approval for this.
Shapeshifting is the specialty of Monsters, just as Weapons are /the specialty of Reapers.
