[Killer Concept] The Jiangshi (The Stagnant Corpse)
New Chapter Concept: The Stagnant Breath
📜 The Jiangshi: Lore
In the twilight years of the Qing Dynasty, Ren Feng was a man bound by duty, tradition, and an unrelenting stubbornness. As a high-ranking imperial magistrate in a remote, fog-shrouded province, his word was law. He was tasked with keeping order during a time of famine and rebellion. To Ren Feng, the law was absolute, and any disruption to the empire's harmony was a sin punishable by death.
When a severe famine struck his region, local peasants begged him to open the imperial granaries. Ren Feng refused, stating that the grain belonged to the Emperor and that changing the laws would invite chaos. The desperation turned into a bloody revolt. The rebels stormed his estate, dragging Ren Feng out into the cold night. They cursed his rigidity and hanged him from the ancient willow tree in his own courtyard, leaving his body to rot in his official magistrate robes.
Because he died with a heart full of unyielding rage, bitterness, and unfinished business, his soul refused to leave his body. According to ancient beliefs, his corpse became trapped in a state of stagnation, unable to decay but unable to move on. He became a Jiangshi.
Decades passed. The province was abandoned, turned into a ghost town swallowed by dark folklore. Rumors spread of a stiff, hopping corpse that guarded the ruins, hunting any traveler foolish enough to trespass, tearing into them to consume their Qi—the life force he had been denied. The more energy he siphoned, the faster and more ruthless he became, desperately trying to fill the hollow void inside his chest.
One stormy night, a group of grave robbers entered the courtyard. They found Ren Feng's body, perfectly preserved, with a yellow Taoist talisman stuck to his forehead by a long-dead priest to keep him sealed. Greed overcame caution; they ripped the talisman away.
The corpse’s eyes snapped open, glowing with an unnatural, vengeful light. Before the thieves could scream, Ren Feng’s rigid arms clamped around their throats, siphoning their life breath in seconds. As the last thief fell, a strange, thick, black fog began to roll into the courtyard, smelling of old earth and metallic blood.
Ren Feng felt a new, ancient presence whispering in his mind—an entity that promised him an eternity of lawbreakers to punish and infinite Qi to consume. Embracing the darkness, the Stagnant Corpse stepped into the fog, eager to bring his rigid, absolute justice to a brand new realm.
🔮 Killer Power: Qi Drain
The Jiangshi interacts with the map by manipulating the life energy flow of the living.
Base Movement Speed: 4.4 m/s (Tier 1) | 4.6 m/s (Tier 2 & 3)
Terror Radius: 24 meters
Height: Tall
Base Mechanic: The Qi Sphere
Holding the Power Button summons a floating Spiritual Energy Sphere that moves forward in a straight line, passing through walls and obstacles.
While the sphere is within 8 meters of a Survivor, it continuously drains their life energy.
Slowing Debuff: Survivors being drained suffer a 5% Hindered status effect and are unable to sprint while the sphere is actively draining them.
The Jiangshi features a Life Energy gauge that scales from 0% to 100%.
Power Tiers
As the Jiangshi’s Life Energy gauge fills up, he evolves and gains new attributes:
Tier 1 (0% - 49%): Slower movement speed (4.4 m/s). Basic attacks have normal range. He moves with short, stiff hops.
Tier 2 (50% - 99%): Movement speed increases to 4.6 m/s. Terror Radius decreases to 16 meters (making him more stealthy).
Tier 3 (100%): Awakening of the Corpse. The Jiangshi enters a state of fury for 60 seconds. His basic attacks put Survivors directly into the Dying State (Instadown), and he breaks pallets and breakable walls 20% faster.
Active Ability: Spiritual Perception
At any moment during Tier 2 or Tier 3, the Jiangshi can press the Active Ability Button to consume 15% of his accumulated Life Energy.
Effect: Reveals the auras of all Survivors within a 32-meter radius for 5 seconds.
If used in Tier 2 and his energy drops below 50%, he temporarily reverts back to Tier 1.
Survivor Counterplay: Taoist Talismans
At the start of the trial, 4 Taoist Altars spawn across the map.
Survivors who have had their Qi drained accumulate a persistent Weakened state, making them repair generators 15% slower.
To cleanse themselves and regain full speed, they must interact with an Altar to retrieve a Paper Talisman (Fulu).
Placing the talisman on their forehead purifies their Qi, but triggers Killer Instinct, revealing their location for 3 seconds.
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📜 Unique Perks
1. Rigor Mortis
The weight of death consumes the legs of those who try to flee.
Whenever a Survivor fails a skill check while repairing or healing, they suffer from the Exhausted status effect for 10/12/15 seconds.
Rigor Mortis has a cooldown of 40 seconds.
2. Qi Stagnation
You manipulate the energy of the environment to paralyze progress.
After hooking a Survivor, the next 3 generators that begin to regress will lose progress 100/125/150% faster.
This effect expires as soon as a Survivor interacts with the affected generator.
3. Interrupted Breath
Proximity to death prevents Survivors from breathing or thinking clearly.
While in a chase, the volume of the chased Survivor's grunts of pain and breathing is increased by 50/75/100%.
Their Scratch Marks are spawned much closer together, allowing for more precise tracking through tight structures.
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💎 Add-ons
Broken Jade Coin (Common / Brown)
An old, cracked currency coin buried with the magistrate.
Increases the movement speed of the Qi Sphere by 5%.
Priest's Inkpot (Rare / Green)
Cinnabar ink used to write sealing spells.
Decreases the Life Energy cost of Spiritual Perception from 15% to 10%.
Iridescent Fulu (Ultra Rare / Red)
A glass-like talisman vibrating with the raw power of the Entity.
While in Tier 3 (Awakening of the Corpse), the locations of all Survivors within the Jiangshi's Terror Radius are revealed by Killer Instinct.
Decreases the duration of Tier 3 by 15 seconds.
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