Protoelves

The Protoelves (Numen primitivus) race was developed by hunter, with help from other members of the FUMBBL community. For more information, read the Protoelves forum thread.

Protoelves Roster

Star Player

Re-roll counter: 70000 gold pieces each
Apothecary: Yes
Wizard: No

Fluff

Approximately 20 years ago, Elven archaeologists searching for the evolutionary 'missing link' in a desolate area stumbled across a tribe of Protoelves. These beings, isolated from civilization by natural geological boundaries, had failed to evolve like their counterparts, who had migrated prior to the formation of the boundaries.

The archaeologists thought it fitting to capture some of these Protoelves to present to their lord, in hopes of earning his favor. The lord, an avid Blood Bowl fanatic, was instantly amazed by the amazing speed and formidable agility of the Protoelves, and believed that the simpletons could be trained to rule the pitch of the Stunty Leeg. He commissioned the archaeologists to capture as many of these beings as possible and to train them to play Blood Bowl.

Subsequent trips to the wild yielded four additional species of Protoelves, one with abnormally large feet ('Longfeet', Numen peslongus), one adept at hunting by throwing rocks at prey ('Hunters', Numen venator), one well-adapted to hunt low-flying birds ('Bird Snatchers', Numen avisrapere), and one quite wild strain (probably a phylogenetically younger species, coined 'Feral Elves', Numen ferus). The archaeologists were unable to capture many of these additional species, but were able to capture enough to initiate and maintain breeding programs.

Twenty years later, an active breeding and training program has produced a number of Protoelf Blood Bowl teams. The Protoelf main players ('Protoelves', Numen primitivus) are quite fast and reasonably agile, but also incredibly weak and ill-suited for battle. Despite their propensity for injury, these players train easily and well, and perform quite well on the pitch. Furthermore, due to their evolving brains, these players are quite adaptable and are thus able to acquire physical traits-- not representative of mutations per se, but of tool use (e.g., a sharpened bone for Claw, or a sticky animal hide glove for Big Hand, etc.). Further demonstrating their adaptability is their ability to use these hidden or seemingly innocuous tools in front of the referees without worry of ejection.

The Longfeet are more stable than the Protoelves due to their enormous foundations, represented by the Sure Feet and Stand Firm skills. These players are also less agile than the Protoelves, represented by AG 2 and no Agility skill access. They are, however, a bit stronger and better suited for battle (Strength skill access). Longfeet are also similarly adaptable, and are able to acquire physical traits. With the limited amount of Longfeet available, however, only 0-2 are allotted per team.

The Hunters were discovered roaming the plains, searching for quarry. When presented with game, these beings were observed scooping rocks from the ground and hurling them towards the prey with their massive, muscular arms (Strong Arm). Few of these were captured, and each team is only allotted 0-2.

The Bird Snatchers were a unique species who were found dwelling primarily near water holes. There, they would lie in wait for insect-chasing birds (many insects near the water). The Bird Snatchers would run swiftly after their darting prey and utilize a dead arm tool (Extra Arm, see description below) to assist in capture. The Bird Snatchers are more abundant than most other species, but much less so than the Protoelves. As such, only 0-4 are allotted per team.

The Feral Elves posed a challenge for the archaeologists. These beings were less amenable to training due to their more limited intelligence (Wild Animal). At times they display an odd dislike for the ball, such that they attack it instead of the player holding it (Strip Ball)! The Feral Elves are less agile but stronger than the Protoelves, due to their size. They are also tougher to take out due to ability to wear more armor and thicker bone plates on their skulls (Thick Skull). Feral Elves have not developed enough of a self-awareness to concern themselves with bathing, and thus are quite a stench to be around (Foul Appearance). These players are more adept at blocking, and are easily trained to use general skills. Although they are not able to learn physical traits using an innate adaptive ability like their teammates, Feral Elves can acquire physical traits at times with help from their teammates (who helpfully construct and implement the tool of choice on the Feral Elf's body). Unfortunately, with the shortage of available Feral Elves (just like Longfeet), only 0-2 can be found on any individual team.

A summary of the tools used by players to represent physical traits follows:

Big Hand: A fitted glove made of animal skin is coated with a sticky tree resin, allowing the player to pluck the ball from the ground with ease.

Claw: Sharpened bones are tied to the underside of a player's hands, thus hidden from the referee and inflicting excessive armor damage.

Extra Arms: An arm from a tree-climbing primate often hunted by the Protoelves for food is hung from the neck by a chain. Explained to the referees as simply 'good luck' charms, these arms are employed when catching a ball by essentially using it as an extension of the natural arms, allowing the player to easily tip the ball with the extended arm and snatch it in their natural arms.

Foul Appearance: Feces of a particularly pungent nature from a wild mammalian carnivore are smeared over the clothing and body of the player. Alternatively, the player simply stops bathing. Ever.

Horns: All players are allowed to wear caps if desired. Some Protoelf players have constructed metal, spiked circlets to wear under these caps, which are employed during a blitz with a lowering of the head.

Prehensile Tail: A long, spiked reptilian tail is sewn onto the rear end a player's tunic in such a fashion that the referees believe it to be a natural appendage.

Razor Sharp Claws: Stiff ironwood branches are shaped with barbed ends and lashed to the underside of a player's wrists. These barbed weapons dull easily when contacted with armor, but inflict much damage when plunged into and extracted from visible flesh. As such, they are only employed after armor has been broken.

Spikes: Tusks of wild boars are densely sewn into the tunic of the player, making the armor a more formidable barrier. Spikes were only regularly found on Primitiva in the wild.

Tentacles: The same sticky tree resin used for Big Hand is employed here, only it has been applied to the entire body area of the player. The player easily sticks to opponents who can break free if strong enough, or the player can release them with help of a little shove.

Thick Skull: A padded metal bowl inconspicuously worn beneath a cap provides a bit of extra protection.

Two Heads: An extracted substance from wild Seer plant, injected prior to the match, allows a player to perceive time as slower than it actually is for a brief period following interpersonal contact. Such contact is typically made when dodging, and allows the player to dodge more effectively as it activates the substance and enables the player to make more coordinated dodging movements.

Very Long Legs: A long leg from a field-dwelling, leaping herbivore often hunted by the Protoelves for food is hung from the waist by a chain. Explained to the referees as simply 'good luck' charms, these legs are employed when running as a crutch of sorts, saving enough energy per step to allow an additional step of movement. Also, during interception attempts, the leg is used as a pole vault to propel the player a couple extra feet in the air, increasing his chances of catching the ball. This tool does not propel the player sufficiently to leap over other players.

Links

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