TAM TAM
First Appearance: Samurai Shodown I (1993)
Game Appearances: Samurai Shodown I, Samurai Shodown IV-VI, SS 2019
Home Country: The Mayan Empire (Mexico)
Weapon: Scimitar
Role: Tall Guy, Savage Warrior, The One Who's Often Missing
PL 9 (116)
STRENGTH 3
STAMINA 4
AGILITY 2/5
FIGHTING 6/11
DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0/-1
AWARENESS 2/0
PRESENCE 2/0
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+8/+11)
Athletics 10 (+13)
Expertise (Mayan Warrior) 4 (+3)
Insight 4 (+2)
Perception 8 (+6)
Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Large Scimitar), Improved Critical (Spinning Blade), Improved Critical (Thrown Skull), Improved Critical (Spinning Foot Attack), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4
Samurai Shodown Fighting Style: Accurate Attack (Light Attack), All-Out Attack, Defensive Roll, Extraordinary Effort (Super Move), Fast Grab (Grab), Improved Critical (Chosen Weapon), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack (Heavy Attack), Withstand Damage (Block)
Powers:
"Shodown Fighter" Features 1: Adds Weapon Damage to Special Moves [1]
"Tall Fighter" Reach 1 [1]
"Warrior's Mask" (Flaws: Removable) [12]
Enhanced Agility 3 (6)
Enhanged Fighting 5 (10)
Reduced Intelligence 1 (-2)
Reduced Awareness 2 (-4)
Reduced Presence 2 (-4)
Enhanced Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+13), Intimidation 8 (+8) (5)
Enhanced Ranged Attack 4 (4)
-- (15 points)
"Special Moves" (Most Have Flaws: Requires Signature Weapon)
"Paguna Paguna- Spinning Blade" Strength-Damage +0 (Extras: Multiattack 6) (Flaws: Distracting) Linked to Affliction 6 (Toughness; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Inaccurate -1) (8) -- [11]
- AE: "Thrown Skull" Blast 4 (Reduced Defenses 2, Diminished Range -1) (3)
- AE: "Spitting Fireball" Blast 4 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Cylinder +1/2) (Reduced Defenses 2, Diminished Range -1) (5)
- AE: "Paguna Deos- Spinning Foot Attack" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
Equipment:
"Scimitar" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Improved Critical) (4)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Mask & Unarmed +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Scimitar +6 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Mask & Scimitar +11 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Spinning Foot Attack +11 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Multiattack +11 (+6 Damage & Affliction, DC 21 & 16)
Thrown Skull +10 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Spitting Fireball +4 Area (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2 (+5 Masked)
Defenses:
Dodge +7 (+10 Masked, DC 17-20), Parry +7 (+12 Masked, DC 17-22), Toughness +4 (+5 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +7 (+5 Masked)
Complications:
Motivation (The Palenke Stone)- Tam Tam searches for his people's missing artifact.
Involuntary Transformation (Paku Paku)- Failing to save his village's OTHER artifact, the Tangiers Stone, from Amakusa, Tam Tam was punished by turning into a chimp.
Weakness (Predictability)- Tam Tam cannot simply "spam" out the same attack over and over again, as the opponent will expect the attacks, and be ready for them (and a counterattack). The third time he tries the same technique (or same combo of techniques) in a short span, he will be at -2 to Accuracy, AND to his Active Defenses in that round. All will decrease by 2 every successive round the same move is done.
Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 9 + 12 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 12 (116)
-Despite an appearance that I thought was pretty cool (Young Jab played him by far the most out of the cast when renting the SNES version), Tam Tam gets the least amount of love from SNK- they DROPPED HIM from the second and third games! And this is a series that found a place for plain ol' WAN-FU all those times! It's really very odd- he's one of the only members of the Original Cast to skip games, and he's been largely replaced in importance by his sister Cham-Cham, who has more of that "Wacky Catgirl" thing the Japanese love so much.
-Tam Tam represents the Mayan nation, despite this being a bit anachronistic (only by like, a hundred years or so, I SUPPOSE...). He wears a Holy Mask that gives him divine powers, but leaves the super-tall warrior crouched down and moving about sideways like a crab. He's kind and gentle without the Mask, but wearing it makes him a savage, brutal warrior that draws blood by biting his foes.
-In the second game, it's revealed that he was punished for his failure to stop Amakusa from stealing a mystical artifact, and he's turned into his sister's Chimpanzee pet, Paku Paku. Yes, a CHIMPANZEE. For South American characters.
-Apparently the Tam Tam in
Samurai Shodown V is a different character, and a priest now wearing the mask in his stead, in order to save the original. The dead original comes back to life when the Mask is placed upon his corpse.
-Tam Tam is a bit hard to figure out, as I typically penalize guys who miss so much of a series, but his raw strength makes it hard to do so in this case- he's a big guy with a HUGE scimitar, and it covers half of the screen at times, making it hard to miss. I think maybe PL 8.5-ish is fair- it makes him strong enough to make four of the six games, but with less capability than the others.