Quincy Racial Information

Note: Due to the situation of Bleach: Platinum Hearts having existed prior to Tite Kubo's release of the Thousand Year Blood War in Bleach, the quincy of the setting are not 1:1 to the depiction of the quincy in the arc. Efforts have been made to adapt some of Kubo's content to the race on the site though.

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Reishi Absorption
Releases
Skills
Quincy Timeline

What Are They?
Quincy are a group of humans that became aware of the spiritual world and developed powers to handle hollows. The group began as a tribe of spiritually aware humans that the Monk of Destruction Nozomi passed on her teachings to. Upon learning from Nozomi they adopted her moniker and learnt the powerful ability to destroy souls and to dominate particles that make up the spiritual world around them.

How To Become A Quincy?
Method One - Birth: One of the more simplest ways to become one is to just be born in one. Older Quincy that claim to descend from Yhwach tend to believe in blood purity and assign titles depending on one being pure or mixed-blood. While a Quincy can be born in theory, unless training is undergone a person can live their entire life as a Quincy without even knowing it.

Method Two - Training: It is possible for one to become a quincy by training as per how the first group of quincy appeared. Most methods of this are very taxing on the individual that ungoes it physically, mentally and spiritually. Depending on the individual this can take anywhere between a few weeks to years before they develop the abilities of a quincy and transition in full.

Method Three - Inheritence: Through mystic means it becomes possible to transfer ones power to another, as a result it becomes possible for a quincy to inherit abilities from another. While this can be used for a narrative purpose, it should be clarified that inheriting a power does not always translate 1:1. Rather it will provide it in the form of potential for the person receiving it to discover.

Powers & Traits
As supernatural beings they possess a couple of characteristics which are inherent to their race.

Reishi Absorption: Quincy possess the ability to absorb reishi from the environment, something that is substantially more powerful when in an environment that is created out of reishi instead of the living world. A powerful quincy does not distinguish between their own pool of reiryoku and the amount of reishi that they have access to as both can facilitate their needs. By mixing it with their reiryoku they can create spirit weapons and evoke effects varying from offensive, defensive and supportive uses to suit their needs in the form of spells, blut and their release form.

Spiritual Awareness: An inherent trait, while not uncommon in the setting now after the breakdown of the barrier between spiritual and living worlds a quincy has an inherent awareness for the spiritual world which grants them powerful sensory abilities.

Longevity Compared to regular humans, a quincy's lifespan can be quite long. It is not unheard of for a quincy to live twice the length of a human or even for centuries due to their spiritual power. It is quite rare though for their lifespans to reach the same lengths as a soul would though before they die.

Power Bestowal: A rare trait amongst quincy where some of them are inverted, rather than naturally absorb reishi they share their power with others. These quincy are often very weak and looked down upon due to being unable to perform the basic quincy abilities until they reacquire the power they gave to others, at the same time if said quincy is able to develop to become powerful enough they are able to impart power onto another individual.

Hollow Intolerance: Specifically for Quincy that receive powers from Yhwach through his bestowal, and Ashwalen ritual, develop a compromised immune system towards hollow reiatsu. If hollow reiatsu enters into their soul then they develop symptoms appropriate to if the body does not have the anti-bodies to resist the infection. In most cases this results in soul suicide where the soul breaks down from the poisoning.

Reishi Absorption is a powerful attribute of the quincy, it is through this that a quincy can greatly bolster their own innate spiritual power but due to this attribute the standard quincy will have far lower reiryoku in comparison to other races which makes them depend on their environment a bit. So below we will go over a few of the mechanics that quincy abide by with their reishi absorption on the site.

Spirit Class: For our first rule. A quincy's spirit class accounts any reishi that they can absorb in their total pool. So unlike races their spirit class is "reiryoku + reishi = spirit class" rather than just "reiryoku = spirit class". So if a quincy with the spirit class of 1 is up against a shinigami with the spirit class of 1 they each have the same total but the quincy's reiryoku is traditionally lower than the shinigami's and being supplemented. How the roleplayer wants to divide that up, if they even want to, is up to them. Whether that's 70% reiryoku and 30% reishi or 10% reiryoku and 90% reishi, very rarely will this ever be a factor to consider.

External Factors: Due to their nature as having an environmental factor playing a part on their power a quincy can see a benefit or detriment based on conditions. For example, if the quincy is fighting in Hueco Mundo or Soul Society then they have more reishi available to them and would be eligable to receive a "+" modifier for this duration to represent the richer environment than in the living world. Likewise, should something be causing them to be unable to gather reishi they would receive a "-" modifier while this was happening.

Sklaverei: Essentially the ability to dominate reishi, using this name for the sake of ease. Sklaverei comes into effect based on spirit classes as to how a disparity between a quincy and another individual can allow for the quincy to essentially exert their reishi absorption onto that target. An example of this would be if a quincy was to use their reishi absorption to tear apart a weaker shinigami's kido to nullify it.

Sklaverei nullifies kido/cero/spells cast by individuals three spirit classes below the quincy using sklaverei. For example if a Spirit Class 1 Quincy verses Spirit Class 4 Quincy or Shinigami then that individual's spellcraft or kido would be able to be broken down into raw particles and absorbed harmlessly. This must be a conscious effort by the quincy however, and should they be unaware then Sklaverei will more likely not have enough time to be intiated.

On Platinum Hearts there are two pathways for a quincy to go about their release form. Of these two options is the Letzt Stil and the Vollstandig which function differently from their depiction by Kubo in the canon series. Letzt Stil does not necessarily cause the character to lose all of their powers - unless they wish to do that route - however it will still carry heavy drawbacks on the character due to the amount of stress their body undergoes to use the Letzt Stil.

The Vollstandig is handled differently in canon as well as it is not considered the perfected form of Letzt Stil but rather a kind of spell which grants the individual a greater state of power, and the ability does not depend on the character having their life in the hands of Yhwach (or any other replacement). With this in mind, please read the information below on these two forms.

Quincy: Letzt Stil scales off a character's Kreuzen skill whereas Quincy: Vollstandig will scale of a character's Gebet skill. More information can be found on these skills below.

Quincy: Letzt Stil Upon the conclusion of their training with the Sanrei Glove (Leiden Hant etc.) the quincy is able to remove the glove and initiate the Quincy: Letzt Stil. This causes the quincy to undergo a transformation where they dominate the surrounding reishi and absorb it to empower themselves. A Letzt Stil is often quite simple mechanically due to the amount of pressure the character is subjected to doesn't allow it to be maintained for very long. At the same time though, those that pursue and develop this form are able to reach the highest level of flat increase at the cost for the severe drawbacks and limited timeframe.

Quincy: Vollständig Through the completion of learning the Vollständig spell, the quincy is able to activate the spell and conjure a transformation which is their Quincy: Vollständig. Through using this spell it allows them to empower themselves with the reishi by moulding it into a flexible and dynamic form. Through its stability the quincy can maintain this form indefinitely as opposed to its Letzt Stil counterpart which is more unstable.

Adept

Letzt Stil provides a 500% boost over the span of two posts.
Vollstandig provides a 200% boost.

Advanced

Letzt Stil provides a 750% boost over the span of two posts.
Vollstandig provides a 300% boost.

Elite

Letzt Stil provides a 1000% boost over the span of two posts.
Vollstandig provides a 500% boost.

Master

Letzt Stil provides a 2000% boost over the span of three posts.
Vollstandig provides a 750% boost.

Grand Master

Letzt Stil provides a 2500% boost over the span of three posts.
Vollstandig provides a 1000% boost.

Blut (Blood): An innate ability of the Quincy that generates over time as they study the destructive arts. Blut is the process of flowing reishi through the cardiovascular system within the Quincy's body that allows for them to increase their defensive and offensive capabilities depending on which system they have active at the time, the offensive one is known as Blut Arterie and the defensive one is known as Blut Vene.

While the basic applications of the blut systems are quite rudimentary, only doing basic augmentations to the quincy's physical body. As one's mastery progresses they can begin to force more esoteric uses of the systems with their own personalisation on the skills some examples can be in altering the properties the reishi being absorbed into the quincy's body such as the spiritual particles being aligned to have poor conductivity to make the quincy more resistant to electricity and fire with their blut vene, another quincy might infuse their own unique abilities into the reishi to empower their physical body in creative ways.

Untrained: At this level a quincy is unable to utilise blut in any capacity.

Beginner: At this level a quincy might demonstrate one version of blut but not the other.

Adept: At this level a quincy may demonstrate both versions of blut though have a noticeable delay (one post of downtime) when switching between them.

Advanced: At this level a quincy can utilise both versions of blut with a slight delay (within the same post).

Elite: At this level it is possible for a quincy to utilise both versions of blut with a very small interval only noticeable those who are very perceptive.They gain access to the ability to extend their blut out of their body however it is restricted to a tactile connection between the targetted object.

Master: At this level the quincy is able to switch between blut variants with no delay. They may also show feats such as extending their blut outside of their body to encompass the general vicinity, weaponise it in various forms, and so on.

Grand Master: At this level the quincy is able to maintain both blut systems simultaneously, through their blood as a medium it becomes possible to interfere, be it positively or negatively, with other quincys' blut around them.

Gebet (Prayer): Gebet measures a Quincy's aptitude with spellcraft. These spells can be executed in a couple of methods such as rituals or through incantations. It is the quincy's equivalent of their counterpart's magic but they do not adhere to a strict numeric system like kido does. In its external nature, Gebet is more comparable to offering up a prayer and see it answered by the completion of the spell's conditions.

An answer to the fact that their spells may require more steps and preparation than other forms of spellcraft is the process of sealing. It is quite common for quincy to set-up the spell and then seal it into a catalyst which can be used to actualise the spell in the heat of combat with no downtime and no cost to their reserves, as long as the quincy has adequately prepared it.

More information on this can be found in this thread.

Untrained: The quincy is incapable of any form of spellcraft, the only exception would be using a spell that was already prepared by another.

Beginner: At this stage a quincy has very little skill or knowledge of the arcane arts. They are capable of utilising Grade I spells only, they may participate in rituals and ceremonies as long as the process is lead by a more experienced spellcaster.

Adept: An adept spellcaster may use up to Grade II spells. They are able to seal their reiryoku into a catalyst to fuel their spells on the fly though they still require chanting the spell. They may participate in but not initiate or create rituals.

Advanced: At this stage a quincy may initiate but not create rituals. They are able to seal entire spells into an appropriate catalyst as opposed to just the liquid reiryoku which allows for instant and silent casting. They may use spells up to Grade III and modify their properties to better suit themselves.

Elite: At this stage a quincy may create and initiate rituals. They can demonstrate up to Grade IV spells and modify spells greatly. They are able to cast spells by shortening the incantation for example "Tip the goblet to the west" could be shortened to "Goblet west" which allows for faster casting.

Master: At this stage a quincy is able to utilise spells up to Grade V. They are able to practice silent casting where they may think the aria as opposed to verbally saying it. They are able to create spells and rituals with ease, complex applications come easily to them which make them exemplary amongst their peers. It is likely that someone of this level can turn even a simple Grade I spell into something that barely resembles the original.

Grand Master: At this stage a quincy is able to use spells up to Grade VI. They are true miracle workers of their kind and their spells appear as divine intervention. To a lesser spellcaster, Grand Masters are able to create spells on the fly and alter them freely which can change and alter the world around them as easy as speaking a sentence.

Kreuzen (Cross): The spirit weapon is the main weapon usage of the Quincy. While commonly a bow of some sort, the spirit weapon can differ from Quincy to Quincy. The medium of which is a spirit weapon is created from is the quincy cross. The skill measures not just the power of one's spirit weapon but also measures the skill of the quincy in being able to create secondary spirit weapons.

The quincy's primary spirit weapon is eligible to receive passive boosts outside of their release form, whereas the secondary ones do not offer anything other than additional utility for the quincy. These boosts do not apply to the quincy only their weapon unlike a release form, for example a skilled quincy who is using their bow will have greater potency to the arrows it shoots but it will not extend to the quincy's own physical capabilities compared to them being in a release form.

Untrained: At this stage the quincy is unable to form a spirit weapon of any kind.

Beginner: The quincy may create a single primary spirit weapon, their spirit weapon does not possess any boosts at this stage and is very simple without much personality to it such as a plain bow, sword, and so on.

Adept: At this stage the quincy's spirit weapon will see a passive 100% boost to its capabilities. The quincy may have one other secondary spirit weapon at this stage. This level is required for the quincy to complete the sanrei glove training to gain access to Quincy: Letzt Stil.

Advanced: A who has reached the advanced level will see their weapon have a 200% boost to its capabilities. They may possess up to two additional weapons which can supplement them in combat at this stage.

Elite: The peak of spirit weapon development for most, a quincy's spirit weapon has an increase of 300% to its capabilities. The quincy in question may also have up to three secondary weapons among their aresenal to utilise as they require.

Master: By truly mastering the art of one's spirit weapon, the quincy's primary weapon is able to display a 500% boost to its capabilities and the quincy may possess up to five secondary weapons to supplement their arsenal of spiritual tools if they wish. It is not unreasonable for them to create tools as required though these tools will not have additional abilities or qualities to them, and only allows for the shape of the tool to be constructed.

Grand Master: The apex of growth, a primary spirit weapon from someone at this stage will display a 750% boost to its capabilities. The quincy does not have a restriction on how many secondary spirit weapons they can achieve albeit preparation is still required in order to bestow unique properties on them.

Steigen (Soar): The technique which the quincy utilise to navigate high-speed movement, alternatively known as Hirenkyaku amongst Japanese Quincy. Steigen allows for a quincy to control the spiritual particles in the air and utilise them to create currents which they can ride on with the benefit that there is no physical exertion in the user moving, and that they can freely alter their velocity and trajectory with experience. As a result of how it functions, a quincy sees far greater energy efficiency in using their reishi to travel as opposed to other races and due to not exerting themselves they display far greater stamina when using it in a fight as opposed to another high-speed movement which requires physical effort.

Untrained: The quincy is unable to utilise steigen to any capacity.

Beginner: At this stage a quincy is able to utilise steigen to travel in straight lines, they lack the experience to turn or ride the flow of reishi with much experience. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that overexertion of their abilities would cause it to lapse and they hurt themselves in the process. They are competent with the basics.

Adept: At this stage a quincy is able to use steigen to travel, giving off the impression of surfing to those that can keep up with their high-speed movements. They might be able to do a simple variation or unique technique but it is relatively generic such as manifesting a platform for others to stand on.

Advanced: At this stage a quincy has the upper levels of a steigen user, at this level one can begin to start doing more advanced techniques such as applying afterimages to create speed clones or techniques which are fast enough to interfere with a person's senses from the speed at what it is executed.

Elite: At this stage a quincy has hit the accepted peak of steigen, they are among the best. They're able to make adjustments to their steigen on the fly, developing unique variations here and there. Jumping between the fight as a blur for those who can't keep up or being almost undetectable by how fast they can move.

Master: At thise stage a quincy has become a true master of steigen, and the quickness in which they are able to unleash their attacks will make them revered as a legend in the art of high-speed movement. They are comparable with being considered a legend amongst their peers and some might even believe they are unmatched by all those below the absolute zenith of mastery only seen by Grand Masters.

Grand Master: Legendary, that would be the best way to describe their level of prowess with steigen. They are capable of utilizing it at a level of mastery that can be considered flawless to those less skilled. Their proficiency allows them to use this skill as easy as one would breath, being able to utilize it an innumerable amount of times as they please without worry of failure they can almost appear to be teleporting around the battlefield with the way they move.

To reiterate, due to deviations of the Platinum Hearts setting stretching back before the introduction of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, the Quincy of the site are different than the Quincy of canon and they have been adapted to include a mixture of original site material and canon material from Tite Kubo.

On the site, the original Quincy were taught by Nozomi. A denizen of the original stagnant world before it was split into the various realms and after such an event she inherited the power from the Soul King which allowed for it to destroy the hollows that plagued that world. After the resulting split she honed her powers and became the first Monk of Destruction, passing it on to her disciples which became the first quincy. They became known to be tribe of spiritually aware warriors bound to destroying whatever spiritual creatures dared to infest the lands they called home.

Out of this grew five exceptional quincy which became known as the Five Pillars. Quincy that contributed and founded many of the greater developments of quincy abilities and culture, powerful enough that the collective might could threaten Soul Society. This golden age of growth and development between Nozomi and the five pillars would form the symbol called the Quincy Zeichen with the five pillars extending from the centre. Of this group they all possessed unique followers, many of them venturing over the world and creating different sects or individuals that followed Nozomi but were unrecognised as pillars doing the same which has continued into the modern day of many quincy being scattered over the Earth and possessing differences between their culture and traditions.

This would be short-lived though as Nozomi receded into the background, with nothing to restrain or guide them anymore each one ventured off to pursue their own paths. Of these five pillars, the one called Yhwach with the most potential desired complete obliteration of the hollows and that the shinigami must be destroyed in order to accomplish that. As a result he formed the Lichtreich and rallied many of his own followers to wage war against Soul Society during the 11th century. This ended in disaster for the quincy and concluded with the death of Yhwach by Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

After the death of Yhwach the quincy golden age came to an end, as quincy who did not even belong to Yhwach's sect were caught up in the crossfire and eradicated. Over the course of a year many temples, artifacts and techniques of the quincy were lost and their tribes scattered. Over the course of these next centuries many of the other pillars began to disappear as well, whether dying in battle, old age or simply vanishing the cornerstones of the quincy race were disappearing.

Eventually, the remaining tribes simply focused on self-preservation rather than growth or expansion but their actions would still provoke the responses from the shinigami. In the 1800s, the shinigami decided to eradicate the quincy in their entirety and rather than wage a war they conducted a intentional and methodical genocide of the species.

At the time of the Winter War in the early 2000s, their numbers had rekindled though they were scattered. This resurgence being credited to some humans having discovered means of learning the Quincy arts through the leftover ruins of their golden age, being taught by the scarce number of quincy that had escaped to the four corners of the globe. During World War Three, the founder of the Vandenreich had passed as of 2120, succeeded by the Grandmaster of the Sternritter, Cyrus ast-Auramazda.