Spirit Champion

Who Are They?

A Spirit Champion is a mighty warrior that calls upon the spirits to enhance his abilities in combat. As the name suggests, they champion the cause of their past ancestors, following their guidance both in and out of combat. These champions are known to be deadly combatants that rely not on heavy armor or large axes to overpower their enemy, but on the spirits to come and bless them with enhanced strength and a quickened mind. A spirit champion is a contemplative warrior, commonly meditating before the break of dawn before picking up their weapon and marching to complete the spirit's will. The further along the champion goes in their training, the wider birth of abilities they'll have. An accomplished spirit champion has an unshakeable will and a connection with the spirits that can not be severed. In result they form such a relationship that for a short time they have the ability and the permission to join them.

Who Likes Them?

Spirit champions are generally revered amongst any that have respect for the spirits, so a champion may find themselves highly revered amongst places such as Thunder Bluff or Orgrimmar. On the opposite of this, they might find nothing but disrespect from those that have no care for the spirits, for example, as the Forsaken or Blood elves.

Training

Requirements

Only Warriors and Shaman can become Spirit Champions.

Alliance » Draenei

Horde » Orc Tauren Troll

Strengths

• Spirit champions are skilled with their weapon of choice, and only find that skill enhanced tenfold when blessed by the spirits.

• Their minds become a steel trap with an unbreakable will, which in turn allows them to grow in wisdom and intelligence.

• A spirit champion may bind an elemental spirit to their blade, enhancing it with fire, water, earth, or air for a short time.

Weaknesses

• The spirit champion is only blessed after a minimum of an hour-long meditation upon each day. If the meditation is not performed or is interrupted, then the spirit champion will have to without the spirit's blessings until he does.

• The spirit champion rejects heavy equipment in favor of lighter clothing, viewing plate armor as insulting to the spirits' guidance.

• The spirits' will might coincide with the champion's own, but the champion may on occasion feel impelled to embark on a journey for reasons not entirely clear to him, and do so with blind faith that the spirits will point him in the right direction.

Skills and Abilities

• Spiritual Concentration

A fundamental part of becoming a spirit champion is beginning to focus on a profound level, and with that focus the champion can transcend physical limitations. To this end, he may use his faith in the spirits to bolster his ability to concentrate, of which is markedly useful for acting regardless of great pain or otherwise distracting circumstances. Notably, this trait acts also as a foundation for a fair number of his other skills.

• Spiritual Defense

The spirits protect their champion, leading him through their subtle counsel to evade and deflect blows with almost precognitive insight. He swings his weapon up and steps to the side, not really knowing why, and an instant later his axe parries a blow from a previously unseen source. This uncanny awareness of his surroundings has him considerably harder to hit, but he only benefits from this sacred intuition if he wears nothing heavier or more restricting than "light armor" (e.g. leather, or a simple chain shirt). This ability functions even if he's caught by surprise, for the spirits are not.

• Ancestral Knowledge

Ancestor spirits whisper into the champion's mind. As the spirit champion is a being of combat, many of these ancestors were mighty warriors, perhaps spirit champions themselves in their time. They speak of tactics and maneuvers to do accomplish them, of feints and cleaving blows, and their murmurs seep deep beyond the normal means of understanding to the depths champion's consciousness. A few times a day, he can focus all this to temporarily learn new abilities that he wouldn't otherwise have or comprehend. These insights do not last long, though, and are limited to the scope of these warrior ancestors' knowledge (so he couldn't apply this to cast a mage spell).

• Meditative Strength

A spirit champion meditates, especially before battle. He prefers quiet places of natural beauty, such as mountaintops and forest glades, but he can meditate anywhere he can remain unmolested. He uses this time to commune and renew their bonds with the spirits as well as sharpen his resolve for the tasks that lie ahead. If the spirit champion meditates for at least one unbroken hour, and if his concentration is suitably steadfast, he receives the spirits' blessing for the next 18 hours. This typically manifests as enhancements to his combat abilities, rendering him stronger, faster, etc. Most do this at the beginning of every day, though they don't have to.

• Calm Mind

The spirit champion's thoughts are tranquil, and difficult to disturb. For this, he is resistant to invasive mind-influencing effects, such as control.

• Spirit-Favored Weapon

The spirit champion may request certain spirits to enter his weapon and lend their fury to his strikes. The spirit champion takes a turn to concentrate, empowering one weapon of his choosing. For a time, this weapon becomes magical, and its power is as great as the champion's focus is firm. Depending on the champion's intention upon attempting this ability, the weapon can inflict elemental damage (catching on fire, for example), empower its wielder to become more adept at attacking or defending with it, become the bane of a particular alignment, or lash out with (un)holy power. Should the champion fail to muster the sufficient concentration for this feat, however, the recoil of the botched enchantment stuns him for a round.

• Commune with Spirits

The champion can contact the spirits and ask a question of them. The spirits usually answer, but often do so in cryptic riddles meant to at once improve the spirit champion or at teach him something about himself.

• Spiritual Transcendence

Near the height of his power, the spirit champion has such an understanding of the spirits, and has established such a strong relationship with them, that he has both the ability and the permission to join them to a small degree. This allows the Spirit Champion to effectively turn incorporeal, though only for a short time (as opposed to a spirit walker, of who can remain this way). This generally lasts not much longer than a minute, or until the champion chooses to end it. He can only use this on himself and his material belongings, and may only bring with him up to a maximum of 250 pounds of gear. While incorporeal, the champion cannot be harmed by purely physical means and can pass through solid objects. However, he in turn is unable harm others through purely physical means. It's worth bearing in mind that a Spirit-Favored Weapon is by no means purely physical.

• Spiritual Companion

Upon the climax of a champion's training, he is able to commune with the spirits of his blood-bound ancestors and request their presence in the physical plane. While in the realm of the living, the spirit is incorporeal and immune to any physical damage, meaning that the companion can only be hurt by the likes of magic. This spiritual companion is inextricably tied to their champion while roaming the mortal world, meaning that should this champion ever move too far from the spirit, the spirit will be automatically recalled to his side. Finally, the companion is free to leave and return to the realm of the living whenever they please so long as they use their champion as an anchor.

Training Outline

OOC Week one (Post 1 & 2)

• The aspiring champion makes an initial connection with the spirits, usually through a sort of vision.
• They begin their journey, following wherever the spirits lead them

OOC Week two (Post 3 & 4)

• The spirit champion would've no doubt been given the objective of his journey in an enigmatic fashion, and so he spends this time in deep meditation to come to understand what it is they want him to do.

OOC Week Three to Six (Posts 5 to 12)

• Believing he knows what it is he must now do, the spirit champion sets out to accomplish that task. Along the way, the spirit champion learns to let go of himself, to lose conscious control and allow the spirits themselves to guide him in battle. This part would be the longest, I'd imagine, and easy to draw out if we want more than ten posts per training.

OOC Week Seven (Post 13 & 14)

• The aspiring champion reaches an epiphany during his journey, likely planned by his spirit guide from the start, and the he comes to realize that reaching this state was the true objective of this journey.

OOC Week Eight (Post 15 & 16)

• Journey draws to an end, and character may at last claim the title of Spirit Champion.

For an example, a spirit journey may be a possible pilgrimage to Oshu'gun to make contact with the ancient Mag'hari spirits there, but there are always countless more possibilities!

Active Spirit Champions

• Duron Bloodaxe
• Kretol Earthshaker