Thank you HerrKaLeun!
I'm working on another edit so hopefully I'll have more soon : )
In terms of the fork, I think you could do it all with a rigid fork, but it just wouldn't feel as smooth. My Bluto shock feels pretty flimsy on the bigger drops, so I might actually be better off with a rigid setup (I come from a freestyle bmx background, so shocks are new to me!)
As for your last comment, IMO ultimately I'd say it's about 80% rider skill and 20% bike setup. I just got a Mongoose Malus for $100 off a buddy, and I won't be out doing any big drops or jumps on that thing, it just weighs like 45lbs which isn't that fun to try to get airborn on haha, but on the other end of the spectrum my setup is just a stock Motobecane I got for $1300, and I don't think spending another 3k on a bike would make any significant difference in what I could do on it.
Happy trails!