Thlipit Contestant Dedication Feat 2

ArchetypeDedication

Source Pathfinder Howl of the Wild
Prerequisites You have a long prehensile tongue or a tail. At the GM's discretion, similar flexible appendages, such as tentacles, can be used to qualify instead.

Grueling practice has strengthened your tongue or tail to the point where it's become a formidable weapon. You gain a lash melee unarmed attack that is in the flail weapon group, deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and has the grapple and reach traits. The attack can be performed with any appendages you used to qualify for this feat.

According to folklore, the thlipit martial art began with a wager. A group of bored tripkees looking for a little sport devised a game of using their tongues to gather fruit out of nearby trees. As the competition wore on and the bets escalated, the contestants began snatching falling fruit in midair and even using their tongues to push away the competition. While the names of the original competitors vary between tellings, all agree that the contest ended with a particularly magnificent tongue flick, landing an overripe mango squarely upon a losing bettor's head.

No matter the origin, variants of the game and the martial art it spawned have become mainstays in tripkee society. In contrast to other fighting styles, thlipit doesn't stand on ceremony or rigid discipline. Practitioners refer to themselves as contestants and play off the forms and moves as mere exercises or games. Despite this veneer of frivolity, thlipit can be just as dangerous in the mouth of an adept as any other weapon.

Thlipit combines fluid movements reminiscent of whip fighting with the leverage of a wrestler's stance. It favors quick smacks, brief grabs, and short throws. Friend, foe, and the contestant themselves always remain in motion. Moves are often exaggerated to play up stylish elements for spectators or lure brash opponents into attacking early.

No formal schools exist to teach thlipit. Many tripkees are familiar with the style from childhood games, even if they haven't developed the physicality to be considered a true contestant. Self-directed instruction remains common, though aspiring contestants will seek out veterans and ask to be taken on as apprentices. Even though this sort of self-directed instruction happens frequently, a veteran contestant will still occasionally take on a student or two to pass along particular forms or styles.

Though thlipit originated with tripkees, tripkee migration to Vidrian and other population centers has exposed other peoples to the sport. Most notably, thlipit has become popular with the recent generation of iruxi youth, who have adapted it for use with a tail rather than a tongue. Though not every move is possible with a tail, they have added their own innovations to the style.

Additional Feats 4th Lunge; 6th Slam Down; 12th Crashing Slam

Thlipit Contestant Dedication Feat 2

archetype
dedication

Prerequisites You have a long prehensile tongue or a tail. At the GM's discretion, similar flexible appendages, such as tentacles, can be used to qualify instead.