<<< Mini FAQ on Tumalu/Pip >>> version 1.1 (6/30/00)
by boko-kun (
[email protected] <-- for questions, corrections, etc.)
- Disclaimer -
This mini FAQ is for people who want to know more about Tumalu from the Japanese
version of Chrono Cross, but players of the American version might find this FAQ
useful as well. I consider this mini FAQ pretty spoiler-free, but please let me
know if you think otherwise. Finally, a disclaimer isn't a disclaimer until I
say something like this: "Feel free to use the info on this FAQ, but if you're
going to post it anywhere, please give credit to where credit is due. If you
don't play by the rules, don't play at all." I guess that's that. Hope this FAQ
won't disappoint too many. It's my first.
- Revision notes -
v1.1 6/30/00: i) Got information on his name in the English version. ii) Revised
the info in question #20. iii) Added some notes here and there.
v1.0 6/24/00: Wrote the first draft of this mini FAQ, but didn't know how to
submit it yet.
- Question Index -
1) Who or what is Tumalu?
2) Why are you writing a FAQ for a single character?
3) What does he look like?
4) How do you get him to join your party?
5) What does Tumalu mean?
6) So what's this system peculiar to Tumalu that is so confusing?
7) Exactly, what are these improvements?
8) What are those 6 forms?
9) How do you get those forms?
10) What are those conditions?
11) Points? What points? How do I get those points?
12) By the way, why does(n't) Tumalu have a new element color?
13) He evolved.. but his stats and grid didn't change at all!
14) Since this is a FAQ for Tumalu, where's his general information?
15) Just how different are the stats between the different forms?
16) What about the element grids?
17) What are Tumalu's techs?
18) How about the LV7 tech and how do I get it?
19) What happens to Tumalu's grids in newgame+/continue+?
20) What's that problem you mentioned about Tumalu's grids?
- Credits at the end-
1) Who or what is Tumalu?
Tumalu is one of the 44 playable characters in the Japanese version of Chrono
Cross. His name in the English version is "Pip". He is a completely new type of
creature created by Lutianna.
2) Why are you writing a FAQ for one single character?
Unlike the rest of the characters, he has a special system which can get a bit
confusing and even mysterious at first. (Actually, I couldn't have done it
without the help of my guidebook.) CB thought that I might be able to handle
this mini FAQ, so now I'm trying. And besides.. there's a LuckyDan fanclub out
there.. so why not a little FAQ on Tumalu? :)
3) What does he look like?
I'm not good at describing appearances, so let's just say that he looks like
some furry animal doll you can win at some carnival.
Oh.. but don't get him mixed up with Poshul, the big fluffy dog. Also, his
appearance is a little different depending on what transformations he goes
through.. more info on that below.
4) How do you get him to join your party?
He's pretty hard to miss, as you'll run pass him during the incident on Farga's
ship. Just talk to him after a little hide and seek and agree to show him the
world. (Even if you did't help unlock his cage at the lab for his own escape,
Lutianna would have eventually set him free. So your action at the lab doesn't
affect whether you get him or not.) There'll be a period of time where he gets
separated from the party. As soon as you can get back into Farga's ship (Another
World), just look for him in the little storage room and ask him to rejoin.
5) What does Tumalu mean?
First of all, I'm just going by the spelling in the CC Ultimania, what seems to
be the official guidebook for this game in Japan. Tumalu's name actually comes
from the Japanese verb "tsumaru", which means "to clog", among other meanings.
The CC staff chose this name for him because they decided that he would be a
character who is curious enough to crawl into anything he finds.. such as an
open barrel or an open cupbaord. Since the staff ended up not having any event
where Tumalu can find something to crawl into, they decided to at least have him
crawl into something in one of his level 7 techs.
6) So what's this system peculiar to Tumalu that is so confusing?
Perhaps this was Lutianna's intention when she decided to breed Tumalu, but
Tumalu is actually "a monster whose improvement is based on its performance."
Basically that's just saying, "as he participates in more battles, he involves
into a stronger creature."
7) Exactly, what are these improvements?
>From what I've observed, the improvements are: 1) cooler/different appearances,
2) better stats, 3) better element grids. Including the form Tumalu starts with,
there is a total of 6 different Tumalu forms.
8) What are those 6 forms?
Different people give these forms different English translations. Unfortunately,
you'll just have to deal with my version since I don't know their official
English names. Actually, these names are inspired from some names I see in other
FAQs. By the way, I hope I know my colors..
Form A:
Normal Tumalu ("shoki keitai" = "early form")
Just plain adorable. Fluffy ears. Bell. Big tail. Elvis hair(?).
Form B1:
Devil Tumalu ("akuma keitai" = "devil form")
A little red. Grows two horns on the head.
Form B2:
Angel Tumalu ("tenshi keitai" = "angel form")
A little pink. Grows two tiny wings. Can fly a little.
Form C1:
Archdevil Tumalu ("majuu keitai" = "magic beast form")
Purplish color. Advanced form of Devil Tumalu. Focus is on physical power.
Form C2:
Archangel Tumalu ("shinjuu keitai" = "holy beast form")
Whitish color like doves. Advanced form of Angel Tumalu, but with bigger wings.
Focus is on magical power. Flies constantly.
Form C3:
Archetype Tumalu ("seijuu keitai" = "saint beast form")
Has horns like (Arch)devil Tumalu, but also has butterfly wings.
Level 5 tech "sunbathe/relax" is most effective when used by this form. This is
the average form between Archdevil and Archangel T.
9) How do you get those forms?
Those 6 Tumalu forms form some kind of hierarchy. In short, you end up in a
different branch in the hierarchy depending on which conditions are met. As the
little diagram below indicates, you can only transform Tumalu twice per game.
(More details on what happens to Tumalu in new game+ in one of the later
questions.)
Form C1 (Archdevil)
/
Form B1 (Devil)
/ \
Form A (Normal) Form C3 (Archetype)
\ /
Form B2 (Angel)
\
Form C2 (Archangel)
10) What are those conditions?
I personally think of this system as a basketball game, but with handicaps. The
first team to earn the required points gets the transformation. If this is
confusing, please keep reading.
Team 1: Red, Yellow, Black (the colors that have disposable HP recovery elements
like "tablet", etc.)
Team 2: Blue, Green, White (the colors that have non-disposable HP recovery
elements like "healwind", etc.)
Form A >>> Form B1: Team 1 needs 100 points
Form A >>> Form B2: Team 2 needs 125 points
Form B1 >> Form C1: Team 1 needs 300 points
Form B2 >> Form C2: Team 2 needs 300 points
Form B1 >> Form C3: Team 2 needs 200 points
Form B2 >> Form C3: Team 1 needs 200 points
(Note: I've counted the points for the A > B2 transformation a few times, and it
seems 120 points is what's really needed.)
11) Points? What points? How do I get those points?
Whenever Tumalu participates in a battle (and not just lying flat on the ground
with 0 HP), the two teams accumulate points everytime an element is used in
battle.
a) Red, yellow, or black element used? Point(s) for Team 1
b) Blue, green, or white element used? Point(s) for Team 2
c) Tumalu use an element? 2 points for that element's team
d) Ally/enemy use an element? 1 point for that element's team
e) Tumalu died? Party runs away? The teams still keep the previous points.
f) Tumalu finally transformed? Each team's points reset to 0 pts.
12) By the way, why does(n't) Tumalu have a new element color?
By the time a new transformation takes place, the single element with the most
points will become Tumalu's new element color. In the event that two or more
elements share the same amount of points, the following order dictates which
element becomes Tumalu's new element color.
White > Blue > Yellow > Red > Black > Green
13) He evolved.. but his stats and grid didn't change at all!
Yeah, only his appearance changes at first. In order for his stats to start
growing differently and his grid to change, you need to earn a level star after
the transformation. (I don't think Tumalu needs to be in battle when you get the
star, but I do it just to monitor his progress.) So logically, it's a little too
late if you don't get the transformation you want before the 99th star.. unless
you're just doing it for his looks. (I had a problem similar to that. Actually..
I still haven't figured out how to solve this problem yet.. see question #20.)
14) Since this is a FAQ for Tumalu, where's his general information?
OK.
Name: Tumalu ("tsumaru" = "to stuff/clog")
Element color: White (may change depending on transformation outcome)
Description: An cute specimen brimming with curiosity
Race: Monster
Age: N/A
Sex: Male
Birthplace: Jakotu Manor's laboratory
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Physique: N/A
Good arm: N/A
Equipable weapon: Gloves
Equipable protectgear: ordinary gear, [male use], [child use]
Beginning equipment: Bronze glove, Bronze mail
15) Just how different are the stats between the different forms?
My guidebook's estimated stats for each Tumalu form at 99 stars:
All forms have 10 points for "stamina recovery" and "resistence"
str=strength def=defense M=magic acc=accuracy agi=agility
------------------------------------------------
| TUMALU : HP | str| def|Mstr|Mdef| acc| agi|
------------------------------------------------
| Normal : 750 | 80 | 70 | 40 | 35 | 90 | 25 |
| Devil : 780 | 84 | 80 | 44 | 36 | 90 | 25 |
| Angel : 760 | 82 | 75 | 50 | 37 | 93 | 30 |
| Archdevil: 950 | 92 | 90 | 48 | 38 | 95 | 25 |
| Archangel: 800 | 84 | 80 | 58 | 46 | 99 | 35 |
| Archetype: 850 | 86 | 85 | 54 | 42 | 97 | 30 |
------------------------------------------------
(Note: Since I've been so involved with studying Tumalu in the first game, I've
never got around to gaining 99 stars in the newgame+/continue+. I have no idea
if you actually get those stats by the 99th star. It also seems to be the case
that the earlier you get the transformations, the better your stats will grow.
No proof for any of these assumptions at this point.)
16) What about the element grids?
Here's more info I got from my guidebook. The 00 grids represent the grids that
Tumalu start with. The 01-05 grids, same as the other post-27 grids, don't get
added until after Tumalu's second transformation is complete PLUS level star.
I'm pretty sure I didn't make a typo with these grids, but do let me know if you
have doubts. (See #20 about the infamous grid problem.)
Grid pattern for Normal Tumalu, Devil Tumalu, and Angel Tumalu (A, B1, B2)
23 24 27
16 18 20 26
11 13 14 17 19
00 00 00 10 12 21
06 07 08 09 15 25 >>> 08 .. 15 (LV3, LV5)
Grid pattern for Archdevil Tumalu (C1)
30 33
23 24 27 41
16 18 20 26 35
11 13 14 17 19 29
00 00 00 10 12 21 31 39
06 07 08 09 15 25 37 43 >>> 08 .. 15 .. 37 (LV3, LV5, LV7)
01 02 03 34 38
05 28
Grid pattern for Archangel Tumalu (C2)
23 24 27 32 36 45
16 18 20 26 31 35 44 46
11 13 14 17 19 29 33 41
00 00 00 10 12 21 28 38
06 07 08 09 15 25 37 43 >>> 08 .. 15 .. 37 (LV3, LV5, LV7)
01 02 03 04 05 39
Grid pattern for Archetype Tumalu (C3)
36
23 24 27
16 18 20 26 38 45
11 13 14 17 19 32 43
00 00 00 10 12 21 37 40
06 07 08 09 15 25 34 46 >>> 08 .. 15 .. 34 (LV3, LV5, LV7)
01 02 38 39 31 33
17) What are Tumalu's techs?
LV3 tech for all Tumalu forms:
BodyTackle ("TaiAtari" = "body hit")
Target: single enemy Type: physical attack
Tumalu uses all his strength to tackle one enemy.
The visual effect is different depending on the form Tumalu is in.
LV5 tech for all Tumalu forms:
Sunbathe/Relax ("Nagomu" = "be comforted")
Target: all allies Effect: Stamina and HP recovery
The visual effect, as well as the amount of stamina and HP recovery, differs
depending on the form Tumalu is in. See below.
Tumalu Form : A | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | C3
-----------------------------------------------------
Stamina recovery : 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0
HP recovery power: 36 | 38 | 40 | 40 | 42 | 45
18) How about the LV7 tech and how do I get it?
Actually, Tumalu has three different LV7 techs, depending on which final form of
Tumalu you have achieved. However, you only get to try one of these three for
every game. (You can try the other ones with newgame+ or just start all over
from scratch.)
Archdevil Tumalu's LV7 tech:
HellCharge ("jigoku ranbu" = "hell dance")
Target: single enemy Type: physical attack
Tumalu punches and kicks the enemy with fury, then flies into the air and
spincrashes into the enemy for the final blow.
Archangel Tumalu's LV7 tech:
Ascension ("shouten" = "rise (to) sky")
Target: single enemy Type: magic attack
Tumalu gently shoves the enemy high into the sky, then drops the enemy all the
way back down with force (with telekinesis perhaps).
Archetype Tumalu's LV7 tech:
Tumalu Cannon ("tsumaru hou" = "clog cannon")
Target: single enemy Type: physical attack
Tumalu finds a hole and instinctly crawls in to see what's on the other side. It
turns out to be a cannon and Tumalu is blasted straight into the enemy.
(Note: The English version will probably have different tech names.)
19) What happens to Tumalu's grids in newgame+/continue+?
I have yet to see Tumalu's condition in newgame+, but I have an idea of what
happens based on what I read in my guidebook. Whatever form+grid+stats you end
up with at the end of your original game will be carried into newgame+ and
continue+. So if you allowed Tumalu to evolve all the way to Archangel Form in
your first game, then in newgame+ or continue+ Tumalu will have the same grid
pattern+stats of Archangel Tumalu even if his appearance is anything else. His
LV7 tech will simply become "BodyTackle +4" (not that much more powerful than
the LV3 "BodyTackle") until you make him evolve into one of the Arch- forms
again.
20) What's that problem you mentioned about Tumalu's grids?
The madness!!!! I can't take it anymore!!!! It seems a lot of people have this
same problem. I thought I had this problem figured out, and then it came back
right in my face. I've run out of options, with no more theories.
If anyone has an idea or theory on this, please share with us.
Here's the problem: It seems a lot of us have tried transforming Tumalu into one
of the three ultimate forms in the first game, but we aren't getting his post-27
grids (ouch, that means no LV7 tech!). I think it is in fact possible to get his
post-27 grids in the first game... the only problem is that I can't predict how
and when. Below is a summary of some things I've tried and their outcomes. (None
of the scenarios are from newgame+)
Scenario A: My first time playing CC
1) Didn't know about the transformations because I didn't have the book yet.
2) Never really used Tumalu so he had no transformation.
3) Finished the game. (Not relevant, but I got the bad ending then.)
4) Later on, I loaded this "completed" save, did "continue+" on my save from the
end of Scenario B (where I had post-27 grids). Result was that I was playing
Scenario B with NO post-27 grids.
< So? > This seems to back up the information in question #19 that says "the
grids after the first game will remain the same as the first game".
Scenario B: My second time playing CC
1) Tumalu transformed into Form B2, then got a pre-27 star
2) Tumalu transformed into Form C2 around the 43rd star, then got a star
3) Result: DID get grids 01-05, and the other post-27 grids
< So? > All the grids were intact.. but Noooo~~ I had to start over because I
was picky about his magic power being so much lower than Serge's. So I started
over, hoping that his stats would grow faster if I transformed him earlier.
Scenario C: My third time playing CC
1) Tumalu transformed into Form B2, and then into C2 (Yes, lots of work.)
2) Got a pre-27 star, and got grids 01-05 right away
3) Got post-27 stars (starting from 30th star), no post-27 stars at all
< So? > I theorized that the problem arised because I wasn't supposed to get one
star for both forms, but one star for each form. So I started over, looking for
the grids that I did get in Scenario B.
Scenario D: My fourth time playing CC (part A)
1) Tumalu transformed into Form B2, got a pre-27 star
2) Got close to 300 pts, made a separate SAVE before the transformation
3) Tumalu transformed into Form C2, got a pre-27 star and grids 01-05
4) Got post-27 stars (starting from 30th star), no post-27 stars at all
< So? > Theory was wrong. New theory: perhaps I shouldn't transform into C2
until after the 27th star. Went back to the SAVE and did Scenario E.
Scenario E: My fourth time playing CC (part B)
1) Continued from the SAVE I made in Scenario D, rushed through the game
2) Tumalu transformed into Form C2 after the 27th star
3) Got the 30th star, and instantly got grids 01-05 and 29
< So? > Theory was right (so I thought). Since I hate a rushed game, I went back
and started all over (what an idiot I am).
Scenario F: My fifth time playing CC
1) Tumalu transformed into Form B2, got a pre-27 star
2) Tumalu transformed into Form C2 after the 27th star, then got 30th star
3) Big heart break. No grids for 01-05 and no post-27 grids
< So? > New theory was wrong after all. Out of ideas. Don't feel like trying
again for a while. (boohoo) Very depressing. I'll just put away CC until I feel
like experimenting again.
(Note: Although I've only experimented with Forms B2 and C2, these scenarios
probably apply to the other forms too. Please feel free to share your
experiments too, especially if you've ever gotten the post-27 grids in the first
game.)
Anyone with questions or corrections or anything else, please send an email to
(
[email protected]).
--- Credits, thanks, and doumos ---
Thank you to CB, who suggested that I do a FAQ on Tumalu in the first place.
Thank you to Natae Yufuko-san (I hope I spelled her name right), a "battle
effects + character design" staff member on the CC team who was responsible for
working on Tumalu's design.
Thank you to the sound staff, who gave Tumalu the realistic bell sounds as well
as the other great special effects in the game. Also big applauses to Kouda
Yasunori-san for his out-of-this-world CC soundtrack either.
Thank you to Squaresoft from the East for such a fantastic RPG.
Thank you to Squaresoft from the West for localizing it.
Thank you to the CC Ultimania guidebook by Digicube, which gave me so much info
about Tumalu and the rest of the game. (Too bad they didn't mention anything
about that grid problem...)
Thank you to the teachers and friends who have helped me with my Japanese so
that I can read the info from the CC Ultimania. Thank you to the teachers and
friends who have helped me with my English so that I could write this FAQ. (OK,
perhaps this is going a little overboard...)
And thank you to a lot of people out there for various reasons.
