The Hunhow 2.0 (Utility-Only Companion Concept) The Rebirth

[ZeroJackdaw]

The Hunhow 2.0

 

Tenno Pet Fan-Concept

 

 

It's been so long, but that makes it all the sweeter. Here's a fun teaser for what's to come. (Delicious 3D) The designs are all getting a bit of polish and reworking too.

 

I missed this concept, and Shadows of the Dead was just what it needed. ;)

 

If you're new to this concept check out what it's all about below!

 

Hunhow 1.0

The Original Concept

 

 

The Kubrow pet was hinted as far back as the Sentinel Mask baring the same name, so what of that odd other mask baring the resemblance to another odd spliced creature? The mask at face value appears to have a long beak or snout, a long plume, large frog-like eyes, and a long swirled tongue. While I expect a lot of this mask's features to be artistic distortion (as with the Kubrow mask), it seemed oddly avian to me with slight reptilian or amphibious attributes.

 

If one mask can become a fully realized pet in the heart of warframe, why not another?

 

Meet the Hunhow. A snake-like bird creature that resides on several of the terraformed planets as an invasive species (gaining access to other worlds by roosting in Grineer and Corpus ships) and once acted as beautiful intelligent sentries to the Orokin. While Kubrow are mainly focused on damage and Sentinels offer a balance between damage and utility, Hunhow are fully focused on utility and will not directly attack enemies. By sacrificing direct damage, the Hunhow offer unprecedented usefulness on the field of battle in buffing their masters abilities. (Loyalty therein, will instead correspond to the percentage of energy can a Hunhow can use at a time and not damage output like a Kubrow.)

 

 

The Classes

Each Hunghow, like a Sentinel or Kubrow has a specific typing, although unlike Kubrow each class has a unique look to them based on the planet they've adapted to. To obtain each of the Hunhow classes, you must find an egg from each of their planets of origin. (I sort of...hate how the breeds are RNG based with the Kubrow, so here's a fun alternative!)

 

 

The Outrider Hunhow

 

 

Habitat: Icy Tundra of Europa

 

Keen Eye: (active when no enemies are in close proximity of player or if enemies have taken cover) The Hunhow moves ahead of it's Tenno master and marks waves of incoming enemies with a red aura. Enemies effected by the Hunhow's mark-for-dead will temporarily have a flickering target beacon similar to that seen on rare cores and items only red in color and protruding from the enemy's core. This marker gives a medium crit boost when that enemy is fired upon while the ability remains active.

 

Caw to Arms: (active when enemies are close or are attacking the player) For this ability, the Hunhow circles above the player and sings a short melodic chirp. Similar to a Grineer Regulator, this ability casts a friendly morale booster in a small radius around the player and will grant those around it a minor boost of both fire-rate and reduced reload time for a short period.

 

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The Mimic Hunhow: 

 

 

 

Habitat: Earth's Jungle

 

Turncoat Trap (Disguise): This ability allows the Hunhow to disguise the player as a member of the enemy faction and severely lessen aggression by the opposing units. Unlike invisibility, the holographic projection also fools enemy support units into aiding the player, but in return this ability does not guarantee full stealth as enemies can become suspicious of your actions (other factions might find it a bit odd if they see you wall-running or killing "friendly" units). Shooting or attacking with this ability active will not break the disguise, as it actively represses aggressive fire, but it will aggro nearby units.

 

Ventriloquism: If the player is under heavy fire, the Hunhow will leave the player's side and flank the enemy from afar. The pet will parrot the words of the opposing faction (saying something similar to "No! Over here!" or "Help! Another Tenno spotted!") drawing aggro to that location for a short time.

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The Plunderer Hunhow (The answer to perhaps giving up your carrier for a living pet's expensive upkeep):

 

 

 

Habitat: Ceres Acid Plains

 

Treasure Hunter: (always potentially active) This Hunhow rarely returns to its masters side and wildly scouts the perimeter for fallen items which when picked up by the pet will transfer immediately to the player. It prioritizes focus on mods and resources but will also pick up credits, health, and energy when neither mods or resources are within range. If an unlocked crate or locker is within the Hunhow's area of influence it will peck it open spilling its contents for immediate gain.

 

Scavenge: (active when the player kills an enemy) Similar to an isolated Nekros' Desecration, the Hunhow will pick apart the corpses of fallen enemies one by one to unearth more loot hidden within. Note, the Hunhow will only target enemies killed by its master and will scavenge one enemy at a time.

 

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The Guardian Hunhow:

Habitat: Desert Plains of Phobos

 

Phoenix Guard:

When the player receives life threatening damage (reduced to low health), the Hunhow will link with it's master and take the damage to health instead of the player. Until the player regains their health, the Hunhow will continue to supplement it's energy to maintain this link. If any damage exceeds the health limit of the companion or the player, the Hunhow will fall and spare the player.

 

Shimmering Flare: For this ability, the Hunhow intakes light from it's surroundings (similar to the mechanics of Mirage's 3rd ability which detects presence of light near the character) and charges a radial flare. If plentiful light was charged into the ability the resulting flare will blind nearby foes with a wider radius. In contrast, if only darkness was present (or very little light was absorbed), the ability instead becomes a radial knock-back. The charged shot will only detonate in the presence of enemies, but the charged state can remain active until then.

 

 

 

 

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Secondary Skills (WIP)

 

 

From the Ashes:

(active when the player, or fellow players are downed) This high priority ability causes the Hunhow to rush to a downed player and while hovering above the helpless Tenno,  it releases a blue stasis cloud from its wings. This halts the timer for the downed player until help arrives, however the Hunhow is very venerable in this state. If the Hunhow fails to keep the stasis field up, the death timer for the player will resume.

 

Lockpick:

(active in the presence of locked canisters and lockers) Much like a secondary Master Thief, this ability allows the Hunhow the chance to open locked lockers. When the Hunhow  is close to a red-lit locker, it will tap its beak against the door trying to coax it open, if successful the door will spill its contents and if not, the Hunhow will move to another locker in a quick succession.

 

Taunt:

(potentially active when enemies are near and are on full alert) At the start of this AOE ability the Hunhow gives a loud laughing cackle that bursts a medium range ring of influence across the battlefield. Enemies effected in its radius will become enraged and target the player, however will receive a massive decrease in the accuracy of their weaponry. The Mimic Hunhow has special taunts for this skill shrieking poor copycat phrases from the enemy faction such as "Grineeeeer SKUM!" on Grineer maps or "Tot pke Jatttasey!" (For the Warframes/Tenno!) on Corpus maps.

 

 

Escape Artist:

When the Hunhow's or player's shield is completely extinguished from full capacity, the player receives a medium speed boost as well as a refresh to stamina until the ability timer expires. The timer can only be refreshed if the player or Hunhow's shield drops from full to none once more. The timer, however, can be further prolonged if both the player and Hunhow's shields expired simultaneously from full capacity.

 

Element Adapt: When the player receives elemental damage, the Hunhow will grant the player some resistance to that elemental damage type if the player is afflicted again. For example, if the player is hit with lingering fire damage, the Hunhow will cast this ability and if the player is reignited the fire damage will be greatly lessened. However, the player does not control what element the Hunhow will assign resistance. If the player is stuck by toxic damage after the fire damage the Hunhow will adapt to Toxic for the next resistance the player receives.

 

 

 

(Ability Suggestions from other Community Members)

 

 

 

1. Screech - A hunhow lets out a very loud screech that has a AOE effect of stunning enemies (like Excalibur’s radical blind).

 

2. Convoy - In the case of missions like Mobile Defence and Deception, a Hunhow equipped with this mod would be capable of carrying the datamass itself, freeing up the hands of the Tenno

 

3. Hold up - If a capture target is running the Hunhow will fly past the Tenno to catch the target and hold them in place for a limited time, however without it dealing damage to them

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Obtaining the Hunhow

 

Unlike Kubrow dens, smashing a Hunhow nest will have a high chance for an egg to drop, however the nests themselves are a hard to spot and are located often in the upper regions of the tile-sets. Should a player wish to find one of these nests, he/she will need to test his parkour skills to reach the spawn areas of the nests which are adhered to the walls of the upper map. To alert the player that a nest is close, the parent Hunhow will screech in the presence of a nearby Tenno as an attempt to scare off predators. When a Tenno closes in on the nest the parents employ a knockback skill, dive-bombing the intruder to knock the Tenno off the ledge. Once a nest is destroyed the parent will abandon the nest and fly away.

 

(Suggested by Khunvyel)

Unlike Kubrow eggs, the Hunhow egg is very brittle and will break if not carried carefully. Each player must carry the egg (like a data mass) without dropping it. If the player is downed while carrying the egg, it will break. While holding the egg the player must use secondary or melee weaponry. Successfully carrying it to the exit will gain you a Hunhow egg.

 

As previously stated. Each breed of Hunhow has a planet it has evolved around. Finding an egg from the respective breed's planet will also guarantee that breed to hatch.

 

 

Old Designs:

 

 

 

(I am open to feedback, everything is subject to adjustment and change as this thread evolves when new art and content is added. :D Thanks for checking it out)

Edited February 23, 2015 by ZeroJackdaw

[Nervara]

I want one!

[Jiminez_Burial]

I have always wanted one of these.  Sentinels had no pathing issues, but never have any personality.  The Kubrow has an emotional bond with you, but anyone who even some-what parkours in this game with know they can get stuck in loops.  Flying based pets would have an emotional bond as well as doing away with pathing issues as long as they are aware of height changes (like door frames).  

 

Plus, after playing Borderlands 2, I want my own Blood-wing (and Handsome Jack won't be around to make me hate the explosive element)

[Rorkyr]

You're really skilled ! Another drawing master in the forums ! ^^ Why not ? But it's sure, I love this birdy creature, I want one too :D !

But in this kind of situation, a Kubrow's muzzle is necesary for more security against the Hunhow xD

Edited August 22, 2014 by Rorkyr

[KingFridman]

beautiful....just beautiful :).....i hope DE take this into consideration

[SquirmyBurrito]

Holy crap, I just glanced at the pic before reading through everything. I didn't notice until after I had finished reading that the pic wasn't just some random one you had found on google... you drew that? Damn...

Anyway, I like the ideas the disruption thing seems like it could be very powerful (perhaps too  powerful?). I will be honest though, that mask looks more like an anteater to me than a bird-dragon. I like how none of the breeds stand way above the others in terms of being useful.

[S.T.M.P.D]

Huh - I had that idea but never realized it, and you certainly did it about five hundred times better.

 

Perhaps, like the Kubrow collar, our Hunhow ought to have some sort of hood or talon enhancements?

[ZeroJackdaw]

I do too! :D *Looks at username* I....I really like birds. I really want a bird pet so bad. The para carrier just isn't doing it for me.

 

Well I figure the birds could idle in the same position of a sentinel but also have the ability to detach from that position for their abilities. To make it easier for the coders, they could just hover above the ground and use the same pathfinding currently in the game, but the hovering could allow them to avoid clipping into the geometry unlike Kubrow. So for the most part, they would stay at the same height usually, making low areas like Grineer galleons more accessible.

 

And is it bad that when playing Borderlands 2 I felt worse for Bloodwing than I did for Roland? ...I guess because I never played as Roland in the first game. D:

 

Thank you! And uhh, yeah feral Kubrow would likely eat Hunhow in the wild... I mean they have to eat something other than Grineer sometimes. XD

(Also, can you snip the quote from your last post? It's a tad long. XD)

>.< I hope so too! And thanks!

 

Actually disruption is very situational as the Hunhow's shield will run out over time, and often a lot of the tile-sets don't feature a lot of traps (such as Earth or Phobos). The Infiltrator Hunhow is meant to hold the hand of new players as its location makes it one of the first pets the new player can obtain, while veteran players will likely go for a different breed as they can deal with traps just fine.

 

And the abilities are a bit more powerful to compensate for the lack of direct damage skills. Hunhow will never attack enemies and are full utility. Which, personally I prefer, but that's just me. XD

 

XD And I know the mask might be a little stylized, it's hard to make anything out of it. I mean... Look at the Kubrow mask, it certainly looks a bit strange as well. Although I do agree, it does look a bit like an anteater. XD

 

And thanks for the compliment. :D

 

The only problem with the hood is that the player might want to see the bird's face. Talon guards would work, although I was thinking of having a small attachment to the warframe that would act as a perch. Because I dream of a day you can equip a Mimic Hunhow (which looks like a parrot) with a Hydroid and be a true pirate ninja with it resting on a shoulder mounted perch.

Edited August 22, 2014 by ZeroJackdaw

[Rorkyr]

Yeah ! +5 for the pirate xD ! I love this Falconery concept, really :3

[Wolf_Solheim]

Love the idea. Instead of a leash or collar for adding mods it would be nice to have some sort of orokin falconer's glove which improves a Hunhow's stats.

The abilities seem to be quite balanced and very fitting. I'm also looking forward to seeing more drawings.

Keep them coming :)

[Kyotra]

Hunhow are fully focused on utility and will not directly attack enemies

 

I hate to say it, but you may wanna put that in bold. Something tells me that inevitably someone will fail to notice it.

[ZeroJackdaw]

--UPDATE! Mimic art added as well as "How to Obtain" Section--

 

 

Aww thanks, and thanks for editing your other post too. XD Hope you like the parrot design.

 

 

Hmm, a falconry glove would indeed be cool. I'll play with different versions. See what fits best. XD

 

 

I bolded and italicized it. XD Hopefully people will notice now.

[DeadVoid118]

Snipped With Magic

 

Good idea, however the utilities for some should be more powerful, and next all we need is those pets for DEFENSE! (not the game-type, the actual defending/tanking)

Edited August 23, 2014 by Keylan118

[Senketsu_]

This is a very well thought out concept Well done +1

[IceDragonofAmber]

Good idea, however the utilities for some should be more powerful, and next all we need is those pets for DEFENSE! (not the game-type, the actual defending/tanking)

Maybe a Hunhow where it's first ability is coating it's master in a second defensive skin (like iron skin, but weaker) if it's master sustains a large amount of damage

And it's second ability being the Hunhow coating itself in the same defensive skin (but maybe a stronger varient) and letting put a loud screech to draw all enemy fire to it, which it will sustain until it's skin runs out, using this ability whrn its master takes even more damage after the fire ability or if other cell members/the objective take too much damage.

EDIT: Just realised this is a bit too much like the mimic Hunhow, oh well.

Edited August 23, 2014 by IceDragonofAmber

[ZeroJackdaw]

 

Can you... describe which abilities should be buffed? Perhaps they could have passive skills they grant the user like a slight gravity decrease. That would be okay. I don't want to make them...too impossibly good.

 

(Also please don't quote the first post)

 

 

:D Thank you!

 

 

 

I dunno, I like the idea of a more defensive/tanky Hunhow. I'll have to toy with the idea as far as balanced abilities, because a rhino Hunhow seems like a perfect solution to dainty frames (making it not over-powered however, is the tricky bit). And yeah, the second is almost identical to to Mimic. XD

Edited August 23, 2014 by ZeroJackdaw

[ZeroJackdaw]

-Another Art Update! Changed the Looter Hunhow's name as well, and exchanged the look of the Infiltrator Hunhow with the Plunderer. Revising the look of the Infiltrator now. :D -

 

(Sorry for double post)

[Rorkyr]

OMG ! I want a Mimic Hunhow OwO !

[DeadVoid118]

Can you... describe which abilities should be buffed? Perhaps they could have passive skills they grant the user like a slight gravity decrease. That would be okay. I don't want to make them...too impossibly good.

 

(Also please don't quote the first post)

 

:D Thank you!

 

 

I dunno, I like the idea of a more defensive/tanky Hunhow. I'll have to toy with the idea as far as balanced abilities, because a rhino Hunhow seems like a perfect solution to dainty frames (making it not over-powered however, is the tricky bit). And yeah, the second is almost identical to to Mimic. XD

So, I think the Infiltrator seems a little weak, could you please post the stats of them? (Like shields and armor) Compare them to Kubrows and they all actually seem pretty weak...Even more so when I look at, admittedly biasedly, Sentinels

Also, is mah first post better?

Edited August 23, 2014 by Keylan118

[ZeroJackdaw]

 

 

I'm hoping interacting with the Mimic, it'll quote the Lotus or something like a real parrot. XD

 

"It's the Grineer... RAWKKK!"

 

 

 

Yes, thank you for deleting that. XD It made it hard to scroll down.

 

Anyway, yes I will post stats soon. I'm debating whether or not they should be directly equal with Kubrow, because I would like the whole "Link Health, Link Shields..." and so forth, to be added across all living companions. Meaning you could buff it quite well to suit your needs.

 

And I will likely add two more abilities onto the existing sets. Since they do not attack, I think that's only fair. And yes the infiltrator is weaker on purpose since it is the first pet the player can obtain (based on the tileset you get it from), but I'll buff him too. :D

Edited August 23, 2014 by ZeroJackdaw

[MageMeat]

"It's the Gri--CAAWW--Corpus. Definitely the--CCCAAWWW--Corpus."

I really like this idea, and it does fill the gap between Kubrows (seem more alive) and Sentinels (more convenient).

And the Plunderer looks amazing.

10/10, would buy with platinum. Have a freshly forged upvote, built out of Orokin-grade gold.

[ZeroJackdaw]

 

 

Thanks so much! :D I'm going to continue to refine it even still, so stick around for more updates!

(Also woah, nice gif you got there. XD)

[Rorkyr]

+ 10 for the parrot-like ^^

[SquirmyBurrito]

I want this more and more, I REALLY hope DE adds theses. 

[Kyotra]

Hey Zero, have you given any thought to universal ability mods for the Hunhow? Y'know, such as how sentinels can use Sanctuary and Guardian? May be something to consider as an alternative to creating another Hunhow just for a couple fringe abilities.

 

EDIT: Actually, that "Iron Skin Lite" suggestion would be a prime candidate. I have the feeling excluding that power to one bird would create another Carrier situation.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Kyotra