#Jikiniki (食人鬼)
The battlefield is a table. The flesh of the fallen is my sustenance, and their bones are my armor.
- Role: melee combat, Wounds absorption, sustained-combat domination
- Core Attributes: Courage (勇), Physique (體)
- Core Zone Entry: forced Breakthrough
- Base Class: Hanyo × Wildlander
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: Demon direction (can shift, but not Loyalty/Compassion)
- Skills Eligible for Master: Unarmed Combat, Survival, Intimidation, Hardiness, Infiltration, Scouting
- Starting Automatic Skills: Unarmed Combat Trained, Survival Novice, Hardiness Novice, Intimidation Novice
Common to Fiend Classes: GM permission required. Designed as an NPC villain, but if a player wants, it can be played as a "path of corruption." See Villain Play Guide.
#Scent — The Karma of Cannibalism
A human eats a human. In every culture, that is taboo; in every religion, it is a condition for damnation. But on the battlefield of Konsei Reiyotan, hunger is not a matter of good and evil, but life and death. A samurai suffering through famine ate the flesh of the war dead. The first time was survival. The second was habit. From the third onward, it was pleasure. Hannyakai found him and recorded him as a successful subject of a "mutation experiment." The experiment implanted yoma factors into a human body. Most went mad and died, but this one survived. No, he did not survive; he changed.
The Jikiniki is neither hanyo nor Wildlander, but something between them. Memories of being human remain, but the body is already that of a yoma. Its teeth chew steel, its claws tear armor, and its stomach breaks down any poison. When it swallows the body of a fallen one on the battlefield, enemy or ally, that Wound force is absorbed into the Jikiniki. The more it eats, the stronger it becomes; the stronger it becomes, the more it wants to eat. Hannyakai called this a "perfect self-sustaining weapon." The longer the battlefield continues and the more corpses pile up, the more unstoppable the Jikiniki becomes.
But that power has a price. The Jikiniki's body constantly demands human flesh. If it cannot eat during combat, the body begins digesting itself and Wounds fall rapidly. There is no place for a Jikiniki in human society. Hiei League classifies Jikiniki as "gaki risen from hell," and Kagura Domain executes them on sight. Even Hannyakai treats Jikiniki only as "tools," never as companions. A being for whom eating is everything: that is the karma of the Jikiniki.
- Recommended Weapons: bare hands (yoma-transformed claws/teeth), club (made of bone)
- Recommended Schools: Gaki-do (Hannyakai practical school), Beast Fighting Style (Wildlander tradition)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Hannyakai (experimental subject management) or battlefield wandering (independent action)
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Corpse Absorption (屍體吸收) [aptitude]
[aptitude] Corpse Absorption (屍體吸收)
Effect: **Devour** 1 incapacitated unit in the same zone.
When devouring, your Wounds +1 (can exceed maximum; no cap).
The devoured unit disappears completely: cannot be a target for revival/dead-spirit revival.
Devouring costs 1 action. After devouring, cannot attack until the next round.
At 3 cumulative devours, **permanent mutation**: attack +2, Defense +2, appearance leaves humanity.
Zone: own zone only. Corpses in adjacent zones require movement before devouring.#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Armor Formation (骨甲形成) | [aptitude] | — | — | Automatically activates at 5 or more cumulative devours. Form an exoskeleton from the bones of swallowed units: Defense +3 (does not stack). Counter against physical attacks: attacker takes 1 Wound. |
| Yoma Sense of Smell (妖魔嗅覺) | [aptitude] | — | — | Automatically detect incapacitated units/wounded units (50% Wounds or lower) within radius 3 zones. Negates hiding. Movement +1 when moving toward the wounded. |
| Frenzied Devouring (狂亂捕食) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/round | Devour all incapacitated units in the same zone at once. Wounds +1 per unit. Until this round ends, cannot identify allies (may attack allies). |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toxic Innards (內臟毒化) | [aptitude] | — | — | Complete immunity to poison/disease. When hit by a poison weapon, gain the same effect as devouring (Wounds +1). Your bite attacks inflict poison (additional Wounds -1). |
| Soul Devouring (靈魂捕食) | [Kata] | 4 | 1/round | Can also devour incorporeal units, including souls and shikigami. When devouring, Wounds +2. Gain 1 memory from the devoured soul (GM decides). |
| Gaki Transformation (餓鬼變身) | [Kata] | 5 | 1/combat | For 3 rounds, become fully yoma-like. Size increases 2 stages, attack +4, Defense +4, movement +2. During transformation, cannot use language and cannot identify allies. |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of the Battlefield (戰場の王) | [aptitude] | — | — | When there are 3 or more corpses in your zone, all enemies in that zone make a Mental Save (2d10+Intimidation vs enemy 2d10+Wisdom). On failure, the enemy is forced to retreat to an adjacent zone. |
| Backflow Regeneration (逆流再生) | [aptitude] | — | — | Additional +1 Wound recovery when devouring (total +2). Even while incapacitated, if there is a corpse in the same zone, automatically revive (Wounds 1, 1/session). |
| Human Flesh Distribution (人肉分配) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/lull | After devouring, transfer your Wounds to 1 ally in an adjacent zone (choose Wounds 1-3). The receiving ally gains attack +1 during the next round. |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite Gaki (無限餓鬼) | [aptitude] | — | — | The Wound cap from devouring disappears completely. At 10 or more cumulative devours, count as an Elite-grade yoma. Defense +6, attack +6. Cannot be incapacitated except by exorcism/purification. |
| Chain of Karma (業の連鎖) | [Kata] | 6 | 1/session | Immediately devour an enemy you incapacitated + you can use 1 class trait that enemy had until the next combat ends. The used trait disappears when combat ends. |
#Extreme Strengths
- Converts corpses into an infinite resource. The longer the battlefield lasts, the stronger it grows geometrically.
- Can exceed Wound maximum: theoretically infinite Wounds. Absolute ruler of long fights.
- Permanent mutation (attack +2, Defense +2) lasts permanently once achieved.
- Poison/disease immunity (if 5th-dan trait is chosen). Rather advantageous against poison-line enemies.
- Devoured corpses disappear, so enemy dead-spirit revival/healing revival is blocked at the source.
#Extreme Weaknesses
- Negotiation with humans -5: no peaceful interaction with human NPCs is possible. The appearance has left humanity.
- Curse of Hunger: at the start of a round, if there is no corpse in the same zone, Wounds -1. If it does not eat, it destroys itself.
- Automatic hostility from Hiei League/Kagura Domain: in the territories of both factions, it is an immediate extermination target. Negotiation attempts are impossible.
- Ally identification problem: when using Frenzied Devouring/Gaki Transformation, it may attack allies. Risk of loss of control.
- Social extinction: no village accepts it. Resupply/lodging/information gathering become extremely difficult.
- 1.5 times damage from exorcism/purification: weak to faith-line attacks.
#Typical Breath Pattern (5th Dan)
Count 11 — First breath:
movement (enter Front Zone) + normal attack(2) = 2
→ enemy Minion incapacitated
Count 7 — Second breath:
Corpse Absorption(1 action) → Wounds +1
→ remaining Energy: 11 - 2 = 9
Count 4 — Third breath:
Soul Devouring(4) + movement(1) = 5
→ remaining Energy: 9 - 5 = 4 (stored)
→ total cumulative devours: 2. 1 remaining until permanent mutation.#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Front Zone | Home ground. Corpses occur here most often. Maximum devouring opportunities. |
| Rear Zone | Risk of hunger due to lack of corpses. Wounded allies may provoke attack impulses (Courage check). |
| Core Zone | Direct engagement with the enemy commander is possible. Fewer devour targets, but higher quality (Veteran-grade or higher). |
| Outside Zone/Spirit Realm Boundary | Can devour yoma corpses. Yoma flesh is absorbed as Wounds +2. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts Conflict
The Jikiniki's Three Ways and Six Hearts point toward Demon, but memories of being human create conflict.
- "Am I still human?" Humanity fades each time it devours. It cannot look in a mirror.
- "If I do not eat, I die. If I eat, I become a monster." The eternal conflict between survival instinct and ethics.
- "Hannyakai made me, but it does not acknowledge me." Rage at the creator. Possibility of rebellion.
- NPC Opposition: Hiei League treats it as "one fallen into Gaki-do" and targets it for exorcism. Wildlander factions partly accept it as "nature's law." Human allies lose Cohesion -1 simply by being with a Jikiniki.
- PC Corruption Route: If a Hanyo or Wildlander PC eats human flesh during famine, the GM may offer "class change to Jikiniki." After changing class, return to human society is impossible.
"I am hungry. Always hungry. If you fall, I am sorry, but I will eat you."
#Example Character
→ Integrated Sample for 12 Fiend Classes (1/5/10 Dan + Corruption Path Story)