Assignment 3 – Character Modeling – Palo'h the Shaman

Week 6 started off with prepping for the new and final assignment; Character modeling. 

The objective for this weeks was to find a concept (your own or taken from the internet) and write a character background for it. 

Unfortunately, with a lot of assignments pressing, I chose to take a interesting concept I found on deviant art. 

This concept (consisting of an action pose and turn around) is created by user Asashi-Kami and can be found here. I’m new to character modeling and that is why I chose a fairly simple character to create. Just to test the waters a bit, since I knew that this would be a new challenge! (Plus that he looks like a frisky and cute old man!)

So, my here is my background I cooked up from this picture!

Name: Shaman Palo’h. But he is often refereed to as “Old Wise” amongst the other members of the tribe.  “Wise” is an name often given to the Shaman of the tribe. He is also one of the elders in the tribe which gives him his full nickname. 

Gender: Male. 

Age: Palo’h is one of the older members of the tribe, nearing 80 years old with a life expectancy of 90 (The hunters and warriors in the tribe are expected to live to 70). Even though Palo’h is quite old and his body is knackered, he has the spirit of a 20 year old and when excited his energy might rejuvenate his body for a brief moment.

Physical health/ attributes/ handicaps: His body is weak from old age and he suffers slightly from arthritis which makes him slow to move. But threaten him or others directly and he will gather all his energy to try to save them.

Movement: Palo’h is a slow mover due to his deteriorating physicality and age. He moves on his two legs with an arched back. 

Appearance: He wears a loincloth and poncho which is typical of for the Shamans in the region with the colors of the tribe. He is also carrying a walking stick used during ceremonies. This stick is decorated with string, feathers and colors.

Intelligence: His understanding of the world and the spirits has granted him the position as the Shaman which is only given to the tribes member who is deemed the wisest.

Culture: Palo’h’s tribe lives of the plants and animals in their surrounding and have no contact with the “civilized world”. They all have a great respect for the nature and see everything as a vessel for spirits. Their shelter is located high up in the trees to avoid the predators lurking down below. 

Religion: The religion of the tribe is not one of a higher being controlling the earth. They believe in a spirit world where everybody has a task to complete in their life. Hence, the tribesmen are seen as being created for a certain role in the tribe. Once the person or animal dies, the spirits is carried back to the spirit world and is fit for a new role in a new vessel.

Hobbies: Palo’h takes his role as the Shaman seriously and is mostly attending to the needs of the tribe where he can help. Due to his old age, he cannot be as active as he once was.

Family: Palo’h does not have a family. It’s against the ways of a Shaman, but he feels though as his role as a leader comes first and that everyone in the tribe is his children.

Inner rhythm: Palo’h is a very calm person and is rarely offended by anyone. But with such a strong bond with the other tribesmen, he can easily show his wrath if any of them are threatened by a dangerous animal or someone from another tribe. Palo’h tries to be as peaceful as possible at all times.

His main goal in life: To give guidance to his tribe and to make sure they all are kept safe.

About the game:

What platform(s) is it aimed at?

PC and consoles

Who’s your target audience?

Puzzle solvers and social gamers. Ages 6-30

Who’s your direct competition?

Crash Bandicoot, Daxter and Rabbids Travel in Time 3D

Describe in 1 paragraph the game world:

This game is a 3D sidescrolling platformer set in a jungle environment where Palo’h is a side character who guides the main character through the puzzles.

The game world where Palo’h can be found is set in a deep jungle with high and dense trees. The top of these trees are populated by Palo’h’s people who live in small huts. The trees and huts are connected with wooden bridges. This tree village is what creates the puzzle for the jungle area. The tribe lives without electricity and light up their environment with torches. The fire from the torches acts as a contrast to the dark green colors of the forest.