Arluq

**Arluq** is a Fanged Beast based on the boat introduced in MH4 by the same name.

## Physiology

The Arluq shares innumerable similarities with real world whales, specifically the toothed sperm whales, although the things that are the same end here. Most noticeably is their red hide*,* easily recognizable from a distance and a fair warning for any competition in the area. Beyond color however, they are comparably muscular, enlarged pectoral flippers and a sharp dorsal fin add onto their mass, powerful tails swishing up and down, and robust jaws fitted with sharp teeth capable of easily snapping bone like a knife to butter. Their bulbous spermaceti may appear comical, but it is everything but, able to see farther than any creature below the waves thanks in part of it aiding in the beast's echolocation. What is rather comical is their eyes, golden yellow but immensely small compared to the rest of the Arluq's body.

One would be hard-pressed to find an adult Arluq without some form of scarring on its blubbery hide.

## Abilities

Arluqs, due in part to their gigantic forms, are incredibly lousy swimmers, incapable of fast manoeuvring or exceptionally quick turns unlike many of their competitors. But where they lack in turning, they make up for with their powerful flukes. These aquatic beasts are misleadingly fast, which has spelled the end for many attackers, able to go at 20 mph at a usual pace, but when bursts of speed are required, they can go more than double that. When they're not ramming opponents, they're biting with their huge jaws, large enough to engulf a hunter in its maw and inflict powerful chomps. Beyond their bodies, they are also capable of taking in large quantities of water and blowing it back out, either through their blowholes or their mouth.

### **Attacks**

* ***Movement*:** An Arluq's passive movement is enough to cause minor damage and knock a hunter/buddy on their butts.
* **Charge:** Usual ramming attack. The monster will reel back slightly before thrusting forward, quickly closing any distance between them and the opponent. Typically does moderate damage and sends the hunter reeling. 5% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Minor Charge:** When in their tired state, the Arluq will be incapable of doing any other form of charge. It will do significantly less damage, will be slower, but will still send the hunter flying.
* **Coiled Charge:** The first move an Arluq will attempt once entering their rage state, the monster will reel back and give a little more time for the closest hunter/buddy to the monster to prepare, but once unleashed, the charge will be quicker, deal significant damage, and guarantee a stun on whoever was caught in their path. The monster will pause for a moment before continuing to fight. In High Rank onward, the Arluq can perform a coiled charge whenever so long as they're in their rage state. The attack can be countered with enough damage, ex. A large barrel bomb.
* **Splintering Charge:** G-Rank (Master Rank) Exclusive. If the monster is at half stamina, they will begin the animation for a coiled charge, but will continue coiling up long after they should've charged, bubbles rise out from its maw and blowhole. If the opponent targeted doesn't get far enough out of the way or take cover, the whale will charge full speed in their direction roaring, and if the person is unable to avoid the attack, the amount of damage dealt will be enough to faint the hunter regardless of their defence. If the hunter has some form of wall behind them and they can get out of the way in time, the Arluq will instead hit the barrier, dealing great damage to it. The monster will only aim for hunters and/or prowlers when using this move.
* **False Charge:** High Rank onward Exclusive. The Arluq will appear to perform a regular charge move, but in their reeling animation will have one of their pectoral flippers splayed out, signifying it's a false charge. Once the monster charges, it will swerve in the direction it's flipper pointed, smacking the hunter/buddy with the opposite flipper, dealing moderate damage whilst knocking them on their butt. 10% chance of causing stun.
* **Bite:** The monster will attempt to bite whatever's in front of them. The number of bites increases by 1 in their enraged state. High Rank onward will set the base number of bites in an attack as 2. 5% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Side Bite:** The monster will attempt to bite whatever's on either side of their head, usually sticking to one side. Number of bites increases by 2 in their enraged state. In *G-Rank (Master Rank),* the set number of times the monster will bite in an attack will be at a base of 3. 5% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Grapple Bite:** Preceded with a minor roar, the Arluq charges forward mouth agape. The first hunter/buddy to be caught will be trapped in the monsters' mouth, slowly taking chip damage as they chew whoever's been caught. Unlike in other pinned scenarios however, the player cannot break free from wriggling out. Instead, they need to deal enough damage to the monster in order for them to be let out, either externally or internally, as they are capable of using their knife like in a mount. They can also drink potions while in the monsters mouth to replenish health. The Arluq's incapable of attacking with it's mouth so long as someone's still grappled.
* **Upward Tail Slam:** If an opponent is above the Arluq's tail, it will spontaneously rise and send whoever's above flying, dealing moderate damage. 15% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Downward Tail Slam:** If an opponent is below the Arluq's tail, it will spontaneously lower and send whoever's below flying, dealing significant damage. 15% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Roar:** When in their enraged state, the monster's roar will deal damage. With each successive rank above Low Rank, the radius that which the roar will cause damage increases. In *G-Rank (Master Rank),* the roar will inflict damage regardless of if they're enraged or not, but the radius will be at its smallest unless so.
* **Blow Hose:** If an opponent is above the Arluq's head, the monster can blow up a force of water through their blowhole, pushing whoever's caught in it upwards, dealing significant damage & inflicting waterblight. 10% chance of causing stun in Low Rank, 5% added for each respective rank above.
* **Suck & Chomp:** G-Rank (Master Rank) Exclusive. The monster will begin sucking in water through their mouth, pulling in all hunters in the area. The first hunter to be brought close enough will be caught in a grapple bite, except this time the hunter will be dealt significant damage before being spat out immediately. If more than one hunter is close enough, both of them will be caught regardless. If no one is caught, the Arluq will roar before firing out the water they sucked in from their mouths. The water beam is thick and hard to dodge, but can be blocked. The subsequent attack will deal moderate damage and inflict waterblight.

### **Rage/Tired States**

* **Rage State:** When Arluq becomes enraged, they will first roar, and then prepare a *coiled charge.* Attacks thereafter are faster and stronger. In *G-Rank (Master Rank),* attacks become even stronger, but a majority of their speedy moves are only as fast as they are in their neutral state.
* **Tired State:** When Arluq becomes tired, they are unable to perform any charge attacks until they either enter their enraged state or return to their neutral state after regaining stamina. When tired, the monster will pause periodically and slowly sink in place. All attacks will be sluggish.

### **Unique Statuses**

* In a title featuring Tempered monsters, Tempered Arluq are considered Threat Lv2 Tempered Monsters and have the usual changes of a Tempered monster.
* In a title featuring Hyper monsters, Hyper Arluq has the usual changes of a Hyper monster, with its head, pectoral fins and tail being the usual places for the Hyper State to affect.

### **Mounts**

Arluqs can be mounted on their head, dorsal fin and tail fluke. A hunter/prowler may only move between mount spots when the monster is stationary, due to the pressure of the water moving past when moving, which will throw off the hunters if they try moving. The Arluq can perform a side bite, tail slam, and charge. 50% of the time, the Arluq will charge, 100% of the time if the mounter is on their dorsal. The side bite for the head and the tail slam for the fluke.

In an older style title, the hunter/prowler will only mount the dorsal fin.

### **Wirebugs/Ironsilk**

In a title featuring wirebugs and/or ironsilk, if an Arluq is wyvern-rided, it will be unable to do ramming moves but still capable of performing other moves. Instead, the monster will passively damage everything by moving into them, be it fellow hunter, monster or environment. This passive damage will not fill up the gauge.

## Behavior

Arluqs are highly aggressive apex predators, especially the males of the species, who spend more of their lives solitary than the rest of their origin family groups. Being highly aggressive, they hold that standard up to any and all creatures large enough to be noticed by the titans. Being a zenith of the oceanic food web, they prefer larger vertebrates as their prey, but while they can make do with any creature large enough, they are most specialized in hunting other whales, like their closest living relatives, the Arfeqs. All together, the beasts have garnered a reputation amongst seafaring civilizations & settlements as ship wreckers, often coming into conflict with humans as a result. Although the family groups Arluqs typically form don't attack humans or their boats unless desperate, the very much hostile males will attack human vessels if given the chance.

## Habitat

Arluq tend to live in deeper waters such as the Great Sea, where they can move freely and hunt without impediment of exterior surroundings. But in many cases they have also been sighted in arctic coasts, be it there for rearing their own young, hunting, or simply resting, the monsters are just as comfortable in cold waters as in warm, which is probably why they've managed to avoid extinction, unlike many of their relatives.

## Damage Effectiveness

### Breakable Parts

* **Snout:** A single large scar is slashed across the nose of the Arluq.
* **Head:** Arluq's head will have bigger scars on it, with several of its teeth being broken.
* **Flippers:** Either of the Arluq's flippers will have big scars on them.
* **Dorsal Fin:** The upper half of the Arluq's dorsal fin will have been severed.
* **Tail Fluke:** Arluq's left fluke will be severed off.

### Shiny Drops

#### Material Items

* Breaking an Arluq's snout can drop an  *Arluq Blubberchip* or  Arluq *Scarletskin+/ Arluq Scarlidermis* 60% of the time,  *Whale Blubber 28*% of the time, a 10% of acquiring  *Arluq's Gold*, and 2% chance of getting an  *Arluq Plate.*
* Breaking an Arluq's tail fluke can drop an  *Arluq Blubberchip* or  *Scarlet Skin+/Scarlet Epidermis* 40% of the time, 58% chance for a  *Scarlet Scarfluke/Scarlet Purefluke, and 2% chance of getting an  Arluq Plate.*

#### Slinger Ammo

* In a title featuring the ability to use slingers & their ammo, Arluqs can drop  **Slinger Thorns** for the hunter to use.

## Equipment

*For more information, see Arluq Equipment*

## Notes

### General

* Arluq's roar in *G-Rank (Master Rank)* cannot be negated, not even with earplugs.
* When an Arluq is sleeping, they float too high for a shock trap to stun them. They have to be woken up first, where they will sink and be caught in the trap.
* Whenever an Arluq is tired, they will go into an area where a small monster may be present. If one is present, they will rush the monster, immediately slaying it and devouring it whole in a single strike. A player or their buddy getting in the way will take moderately damage and be knocked back.
* Arluq's cannot build up resistance to shock traps.
* After 3 successful flinchshots, the Arluq will no longer be able to be flinchshot again, no matter if it's enraged or neutral.
* The Arluq can become Tempered/Hyper.

## Trivia

* The Arluq is based on the ship in MH4 & hammer of the same name, but it is also based on the extinct whale *Livyatan.*
* Their roars are heavily reverberated sperm whale clicks.
* Whenever an Arluq is present on a map, Arfeqs will never appear in the background. They have fled.