Though none of this information is final, and I've yet to be able to run it by my prospective players, I thought I would write up some ideas and character designs and post them for inspection. Any notes, suggestions, compliments, or criticisms others would like to offer would be appreciated (and if you feel my campaign premise and character designs are absurd, please feel free to be candid).
...and if my players don't like what I’ve made I suppose I'll just create something else, or perhaps insist that they need to create their own characters afterall .
Spirits of Nippon
For this game I wanted to try something a little different than the type of game I typically run, and so I decided to create a Japanese highschool suspense/romance/horror setting with just enough action to keep it from being nothing but drama. And since my players seem to insist that I create their characters for them, I thought I would also incorporate two themes that have interested me recently. The first idea is one I've entertained off-and-on for a few years, but have never been able to implement; a girl who can take the form of a mystically endowed Katana (I know, it's not that extraordinary of an idea, but its an NPC concept I've wanted to try out for a while). The second idea is tying each character to a prominent character or event in Japanese mythology, especially in creating a few characters that are the reincarnations of legendary oni-slaying samurai. My idea being, if it works, to create a semi-apocalyptic scenario where the characters must discover their ancient pasts, and the clues hidden in the tragedies that have befallen each of them, in order to discover what it is that is happening to their town (a sort of 'Sunnydale' of Kyoto), and how to stop it (assuming they even want to in the end). The blurb I intend to use to introduce my players to the premise will likely go something like this...
The town of Tenshimon, north-east of Kyoto, is a forest shrouded suburb, littered with ruinous shrines and plagued by tragedy and melancholy. Within this dark town ancient and sinister forces, once bound in slumber, have begun to awaken. Should these vile forces return to the world, they threaten to ravage all of Japan. But guardians have also gathered at this place, powerful souls who once protected the land of Nippon, and who have been reborn to it, though without memory of who they once were.
An ancient war has been resumed; one between good and evil, between creation and entropy, and as in times of legend a chosen few must defy the intrigues of the heavens…or become consumed by them.
I was also thinking that, in order to promote play based around character and story development, I could use 'Reward Drama Dice' like I suggested in one of my earlier posts, and could base character progression off of completing personal goals, rather than basing it off of attendance or just arbitrarily granting it. My idea in this is to allow each character to have three goals defined by the player, which may be changed as seems appropriate. Whenever one of these goals is met by the character experience is awarded based on how difficult the goal was for the character to achieve, and how long the character has worked toward the goal (if the goal was dropped and later resumed, only count it from the point at which it was resumed). I've never really run an advancement method like this, but I'm hoping it will work well and will inspire greater character depth.
As for the characters; I only have two created at present (and neither finalized), but I thought I would post them anyway to see what more experienced players thought of them. Kawaru is intended to be a player character while Yukie is meant as an NPC (both will be posted separately as I don't know what the cache limits are for posts on this board and I overdid their introductions a bit).
"Walk three steps and thousands of years may pass. Within the confines of the four pillars, even time is but a brief illusion.”
Hiraku Nishida -Gasaraki
At its surface, Kawaru’s life seems to be an enviable one. In his senior year of high school in a suburb of Kyoto, he is an accomplished student, the captain of his kendo club, and an object of adoration to many of his female peers. Kawaru’s personal life, however, is a completely different affair. Since early childhood his sleep has been haunted by vivid nightmares of another life, one wherein he is a wandering swordsman of great skill attempting, almost futilely, to save an ancient Japan ravaged by brutal demons and fearsome specters. These nightly visions of carnage and despair have left Kawaru internally withdrawn and intensely afraid of the supernatural. A fear made no easier by a superstitious younger sister, a drunkard mother who writes cheap horror fiction, and living in a run-down, reputedly haunted, old-fashioned Japanese home, complete with a dilapidated Shinto shrine in the forest that connects to the backyard. That and the fact that he is now living with a one-thousand year old girl that appeared out of a sword he found in that same forest.
Kawaru is considered by most (and especially by a few giddy young women) to be a handsome man, possessing refined features, a finely-toned body, short jet-black hair, and richly hued hazel eyes. Whether at school, home, or about-town with his friends, Kawaru prefers to wear the charcoal gray jacket and trousers of his school uniform, though always with a few charms –both Shinto and western- stashed in his pockets, and his deceased father’s silver cross around his neck. While his manner appears to be confidant and easy-going, Kawaru is perpetually alert and prone to cover the traumas of his life with bravado. Because of these traumas he cannot seem to open-up to others, and keeps a degree of distance from even his closest friends. This has left him, despite his popularity, without ever having had a girlfriend (a fact that has led some girls to believe that he’s not attracted to women). In his heart, however, Kawaru is a kind man, who tries as well as he can to do what he believes is right.
Kawaru’s first memory, other than the grotesque visions that haunt his dreams, was awakening one misty autumn morning to discover his mother, clutching him tightly, and sobbing inconsolably. She told him that his father -a suspense novelist of fair renown- had died while on a research trip in Tokyo. The police weren’t sure whether he had committed suicide, or had been murdered. The only significant evidence they found was a small silver cross with a note attached, stating that it was to be given to Kawaru. Kawaru’s mother never recovered from her husband, Tsurugai’s, death. Her once whimsical stories became warped by her sorrow, turning to sensationalist tales of the macabre. Kawaru thought he would never recover either, each night clutching the last gift his father had given him, the filigreed cross, while waiting stoically for his nightmares to take him. As the years passed his mother turned to alcohol to diminish her sorrows and his sister, only a toddler when their father died, grew into a superstitious and strangely independent young girl, prone to hold discussions with the Shinto shrine behind their house. However, Kawaru seemed not to change. He went to bed each night overwhelmed with fear, both of the dreams that haunted him, and of forgetting the father he could only scarcely remember. He awoke each morning dreading the day to come, the virtual absence of his mother, his lack of friends, and the inevitable nightmares. This was his norm, until one day in grade school the years of fear and loneliness came to their climax.
An unusually tall child named Benkei, who regularly bullied the other kids after school, had decided that day to pick on Kawaru. Though Kawaru tried to run, the faster Benkei chased him down, attempting to rile his fleeing victim with derisive slurs and peels of laughter. Finally, cornered and blinded by fear and rage, Kawaru picked up a fallen tree-branch and, with a strike of unusually fine form and precision, shattered Benkei’s knee-cap. Kawaru was mortified, not only had he injured another person, but he had become the very personification of the self in his dreams that had so terrified him for years. Kawaru spent the rest of the day enduring the stern reprimands of his teachers, however, his mother seemed to become even more withdrawn toward him saying only: “Your father would be ashamed”.
That night Kawaru considered running away, or killing himself; anything to end the pain. But in the end he drifted off to sleep. Normally he would expect to dream of the horrid other life, a thought that had become even more revolting to him than it had ever been before. Instead he found himself, as himself, dreaming of a flawlessly white snow-covered hill, upon which sat a solitary young woman, with flowing hair as white as the snow around her, and blue eyes like the sky on a crisp winter morning, dressed in an exquisite white kimono adorned with powder-blue trimming. As entrancing as her beauty was, he found himself more absorbed with her expression. Though she seemed to conceal great sorrow, he felt as though she possessed tremendous compassion, and a gentle spirit. Without realizing why, he told all of his troubles to her. She never spoke, only listening, and when he had run out of words to say she simply held him, consolingly, in her arms.
Kawaru awoke the next morning feeling as though a great burden had been lifted from him. Though his father was still dead, and the nightmares returned the next day, he held the memory of that dream as a buoy to lift his spirits. Soon afterward he took up Kendo to confront the fear of his other self in his dreams, and began to actively socialize, in time making numerous friends. Among those who became his closest friends were Moemi Sakurabi, A relentlessly cute red-headed girl with a sunny disposition and a strong sense of identity; Clarissa Miidera, a frail, wheelchair bound, half-Japanese girl who, despite a terminal illness, holds an intense desire to learn about the world around her, and to change it for the better; and Benkei Morisato, who, after his violent encounter with Kawaru, grew to become a kind, peaceful man, a veritable giant at six-foot seven-inches, and Kawaru’s best friend.
With friends at his side and his mother, Tokiwa’s, career gradually improving, Kawaru felt as though the pains he had carried for years were finally beginning to wan. All he needed now was to boldly confront his fears, and finally release the harrowing grip his nightmares had upon him.
One chilly, cloudy December night, in his junior year of high school, Kawaru set out with his Kendo stick and sat at the collapsed Torii archway to the ruins of the shrine that had caused him such trepidation whenever his sister would visit them. After more than an hour of sitting, starring at the overgrowth that obscured the former shrine, and seeing nothing unusual, Kawaru stood to leave. He realized his fears of the place were unfounded, and likely many of his other fears were unfounded as well. But, as he turned, he noticed a dark figure in the shadows of the moonlit trees behind him. A pallid man, clothed in black Shinto garb that seemed to writhe in the dim moonlight as though woven from the shadows of condemned souls. Kawaru tried to run, but found that, as the gaunt figure approached him, fixing him with soulless gray eyes, he could not move from the spot. As the grim wraith advanced Kawaru instinctively reached toward a fissure in a wooden pillar to his side, and, pulling something free, struck with a deftness and power he did not know he possessed. A blade flashed through the calm night air, and before Kawaru was aware of what he had done, or even that he now held a Katana, the pale creature’s head fell from its shoulders, leaving the body to collapse at its executioner’s feet. Panicked by his experience Kawaru ran back to his house, and it wasn’t until he entered his yard again that he noticed the blade in his hand, and the lack of blood on it. Seized by terror at this revelation he threw the Katana to the ground and scrambled to enter his house.
It rained later that night, and Kawaru could not sleep. He imagined he heard approaching footsteps from all directions, feared that his nightmares were coming true. When, after a few hours, he heard a rapping on his wall, he finally decided, with a Bokketo in hand, to confront the horrors he imagined. In a cold sweat he stepped out onto his veranda, but there was no legion of phantoms waiting for him, only a sopping young woman, huddled in her Kimono, desperately rubbing her hands to keep warm. She looked precisely like the girl from his dream. Kawaru was completely dumbfounded. He was too frightened to help her, yet transfixed by what he saw. He stared, unable to reconcile with the image of the girl before him, until his sister Naori, bleary eyed and roused from bed by the knocking, helped the young woman into the house, scolding Kawaru for “leering” at a girl in distress.
While Kawaru simply stared in amazement at the impossibility of the woman that now sat in his kitchen, his sister busied herself bringing towels, fixing tea, and asking perplexing questions that made no sense to him. Once his sister had discovered how the mysterious woman had gotten there -that she was a snow spirit, sealed away in a Tachi by an ancient swordsman, and released into the world again by Kawaru- Naori smiled as someone reunited with a long lost friend saying “You must be Yukie! I’ve been hoping you would wake-up. It’s a pleasure to meet you”.
Ever since that fateful day Kawaru and his sister have cared for Yukie, convincing their mother that she was the illegitimate daughter of their crazy ascetic uncle, and that she had run-away to escape his rantings and neglect. While Naori became fast friends with Yukie, always asking her strange questions and following her around wherever she went, Kawaru found it far more difficult to accept this strange girl and the events that had surrounded her appearance. However, after several months of living with her, going to school with her, tolerating her naive fascination with the world, and feeling encouraged by her simple unwavering faith in him, he has grown fond of her, and finds himself thinking of her increasingly. Though there are still times when he looks into her captivating eyes and wonders what manner of creature it is that truly lies behind them.
Kawaru is actually the reincarnation of an ancient swordsman, the very one who’s life he leads in his nightmares, and he is about to discover how this vaguely remembered past ties into his father’s death, the lives of his closest friends, the mysterious Yukie, and possibly even the very future of Japan.
Kawaru Yoshitsune Nightmare plagued kendo captain
Age: 17 Gender: Male Height: 5’10” Weight: 183 lbs. Eyes: Hazel Hair: Black Personality: Confident but cautious, Kind, Slightly paranoid. Occupation/Classification: Student, Kendo Captain. Affiliations/Organizations: School Kendo Club. Hobbies/Interests: Kendo, Caring for his mother, Scholastic studies. Favorite Food: Curried rice, Steamed Eel. Favorite Color: Black. Blood Type: AB. Allies/Friends: Yukie Junshinna, Moemi Sakurabi, Clarissa Miidera, Benkei Morisato. Rivals/Enemies: Yuya Jujikaze (A girl in the kendo club who has declared herself as his chief kendo rival). Romantic Interests: Yukie Junshinna (slightly afraid of), Moemi Sakurabi (reluctant to consider more than a friend).
Health: 50 Endurance: 40
Abilities
Agile: +1
Beauty: +2
Combat Skill: +1
Defense: +1
Hobby: +2 (Kendo)
Position of Power: +1 (Kendo Club)
Quick: +1
Smart: +1
Special Ability: +2 (Protection of Tsurugai’s Cross)
Strong: +1
Tough: +1
Weaknesses
Code of Conduct: -1 (Tries to do what he thinks is right at all times)
Dependency: -1 (Lucky charms)
Fear: -1 (Supernatural)
Focus: -1 (Tsurugai’s Silver Cross)
Girl Magnet: -1
Guardian: -2 (Yukie)
Ineptitude: -1 (Charming girls)
Love Interest: -1 (Yukie and Moemi)
Secret: -1 (Nightmares and tragedies)
Tsurugai’s Silver Cross
The silver cross left to Kawaru by his deceased father grants an uncommon protection keeping all spirits, ghosts, and specters with a Willpower less than 2 at bay, and increasing any roll he makes to resist or overcome their magics and illusions by 2. The cross may possess additional undiscovered powers, however, it is unlikely that they will emerge until after Kawaru has acquired a greater level of control over his fear of the paranormal.
"Walk three steps and thousands of years may pass. Within the confines of the four pillars, even time is but a brief illusion.”
Hiraku Nishida -Gasaraki
Few who encounter the naively curious, ethereally beautiful Yukie would ever consider her normal, fewer still would ever guess just how extraordinary she is; for she is a Yuki-onna, a snow spirit, bound to a mortal form by a Tachi that has sealed her away for over one-thousand years, and released into modern times only recently by a conflicted young man named Kawaru Yoshitsune, who she now lives and goes to school with.
Most who meet Yukie -especially men- are dazzled by this young woman’s otherworldly elegance and charming beauty. Yukie’s affinity to snow is readily apparent in her features. Her eyes are a crisp, pale blue; her waist length snow-white hair seems to ruffle in even the slightest breeze as though made of down; and her skin, while paler than most, glows with a radiant vitality that gives her cheeks a rosy hue whenever she’s excited or embarrassed. Long of limb, and possessing slender, dainty features, she moves with an effortless poise and grace; and her cute, delicately featured face, coupled with her soulful but subtle expressions, seems to give her an endearingly ageless quality. Despite her exotically stunning good-looks, Yukie has no desire to entice men, as she is far too polite to do so, and far more interested in taking in the wonderfully alien world she now lives in. To the amusement of many, and to Kawaru’s chagrin, Yukie seems to posses the capacity to become intensely fascinated by even the most mundane items and concepts, loving nothing more than showing her newest finds to Kawaru with an almost child-like sense of amazement. She also adores trying on new and often bizarre outfits, favoring combinations of blue and white. However, despite her being a snow-spirit, she abhors the cold, and always dresses heavily in frigid weather.
There is little Yukie can say of her life before she was awakened by Kawaru. Trapped in the sword for centuries, without any sense of her surroundings, she dreamt endlessly. Flashes of her past melded with visions of her desires and abstract realizations of her pains and regrets until, no longer able to distinguish reality from fantasy, her dreams faded to nothing but an endless vista of snow-covered hills upon which she sat, lamenting her sorrows. The only memory she held clearly was that of the man who sealed her away, and the look of anguish that contorted his features as he ran her through with the very sword she was imprisoned within. Then one day she awoke, in the form of the sword that bound her, being wielded by Kawaru to decapitate a frightening wraith. As he held her in his hands she could feel the warmth of his heart, the terror that gripped his mind, and a comforting familiarity to his soul. She felt as though she had known this man her entire life. She could feel panic welling up inside of him, and just as she tried her to summon up some sense of comfort to send to him, he cast the sword to the ground.
Discarded and alone Yukie could think of nothing but her desire to be with Kawaru again, her desire not to be lonely. After many hours of concentrating her whole being upon this, metal gave way to flesh, and she found herself a mortal woman, lying on a patch of grass in the freezing winter rain. Despite her remembrance that she was a snow spirit, she found she could no longer tolerate the cold. And so, gathering the layers of her Kimono as tightly around her as she could, she sought refuge beneath the wide eaves of the nearest house. At first she thought to wait where she was until the light of morning, but, as the wet and cold began to seep into her skin, she found herself knocking at the wall she huddled next to; first demurely, but then ,as it grew harder to stave off the cold, with increasing urgency. Just as she felt her hope of escaping this dreadful situation desert her, as she rubbed her numbed hands vigorously in a vain attempt to warm her shivering body, she heard footsteps on the deck beside her, and looking up, saw the alarmed face of the man who had so recently awakened and abandoned her.
She tried desperately to ask him for help, but her mouth, wracked with trembling from the cold, refused to form any words, and a sinister feeling flitted at the back of her mind, as though a fate worse than death were seeking to reclaim her. All Yukie could manage, frozen with chill and despair, was to look piteously into the eyes of the man that stood transfixed before her. Kawaru, however, did nothing. It was his sister, just awoken and wiping the sleep from her eyes, who helped Yukie up and led her into the house and to the kitchen.
The days that have followed since, to Yukie, have been more of a dream than any she had ever experienced while within the sword. The world she now lives in is replete with wonders she could never have imagined. She resides in a fine old house with a broken, but loving family that she adores; and the school she attends seems to possess a limitless supply of astounding facts for her to learn, and admiring persons who want to befriend her. Though it took some time for Kawaru to overcome his anxiety towards her, he has helped her out of many difficult situations, and seems to have taken on the role of Yukie’s guardian in this strange and oft-times dangerous new world. This has caused the fondness Yukie has felt toward him since the moment she met him to blossom into a deep affection, though one that she is content to keep to herself, happy to simply cheer Kawaru along, and to cheer him up whenever he’s down.
Yukie has also become close friends with Kawaru’s younger sister, her rescuer on that fateful rainy day: Naori, a precocious and intensely superstitious young girl who has taken a great interest in Yukie. When she first helped Yukie that day she seemed to know more about Yukie than Yukie did about herself. However, this later made perfect sense as, in addition to possessing a fascination for the occult, the young Naori can see and speak to spirits -which strangely Yukie cannot anymore. This gift of Naori’s has proven invaluable in helping Yukie to untangle the secrets of her past, and, though there is still much yet to be discovered, she is immensely grateful –though she often wonders why Naori insists that she never tell anyone, not even Kawaru, about the young girl’s fantastic ability to perceive the unseen.
Of the many discoveries she has made with Naori’s help, the most fantastic, by far, is the control Yukie has gained in assuming the form of the blade her essence is contained within, now being able to revert to it at will. This sword, which Naori refers to as the ‘Sword of tranquil snow’ (Shizuka na Yuki no Tachi???), is a single edged sword of exquisite craftsmanship, slightly longer in its blade than a standard Katana, with a handle that, made vaguely ‘S’ shaped by a slight waver at its center, is a hand-and-a-half longer than normal. The blade is as no natural alloy, appearing pristinely white with little metallic reflection, and is inscribed down its length in flowing characters of an ancient Chinese dialect. The handle is wrapped in a traditional style with broad, powder-blue, silk cord around ivory planks and a silver depiction of a serenely dancing Yuki-onna at it’s center. The pommel cap is a lightly patinated silver relief of a stylized lily, and the Tsuba (hilt) is an intricately detailed ivory snowflake suspended in a medallion of silver lilies. Yukie has also discovered that while in the form of the Tachi she can feel the heart and soul of the one wielding her, can influence that person’s skill and focus in wielding her, and can even unleash dormant powers of ice through her blade.
Though the secret of the snow-blade is, to Yukie, her most extraordinary secret of all, there is one great truth of her being that she has yet to uncover -a mortifying truth. Yukie’s aversion to the cold is not merely a result of her mortal form, but a subconscious desire to distance herself from the more ominous aspect of her otherworldly nature. Whenever Yukie becomes chilled beyond her body’s ability to endure, her personality changes to become detached and insensate, unaware of the world around her, and her form changes to mirror that of the Yuki-onna of lore. In this ‘Yokai’ form her complexion losses its healthy glow, taking on a ghostly pallor, her eyes glaze over to become stark white, and her long gossamer hair turns coarse and raven-black. While so influenced by this form Yukie dances, as if free from all cares, lingering upon a spot only to comfort the occasional passerby whose profound sorrow or intense loneliness attracts her attentions. It is in these seemingly innocent interactions that the true horror of this dark nature lies, for with the slightest kiss or consoling embrace she steals the warmth from the one she would seek to soothe, then, unaware of what she has done, and no longer feeling any source of misery, she blissfully dances along, leaving a trail of frozen corpses in her wake. This she continues to do, passing from place to place like an ephemeral vision, appearing and vanishing as a specter, until finally she has absorbed enough warmth to return to her normal self. More disturbing still is that, should she ever become truly consumed with sorrow, she will also assume this dark nature, blithely removing grief from the world in her eerily beautiful dance.
There are yet many secrets for the gentle Yukie to discover, and many she will not wish to learn. However, dark beings conspire in the depths of Kyoto, and soon Yukie will be forced to recall the truth of her past, confronted with the forgotten history her and Kawaru share, and forced to accept terror of her true nature.
Yukie Junshinna Mortal snow-spirit, bound by a sword
Age: Unknown (appears between 14 and 16) Gender: Female Height: 5’4” Weight: 72 lbs. (She isn’t quite human) Eyes: Light Blue Hair: White Personality: Gentle, Compassionate, Quite but not shy, more resilient than others would assume. Occupation/Classification: Student, Snow-spirit, Sword. Affiliations/Organizations: None (primary object of interest to the Yukie Junshinna fan club). Hobbies/Interests: Finding and learning interesting new things, Trying on clothes, Dancing, Spending time with Kawaru. Favorite Food: Anything strongly flavored, Sour gourd ice-cream, Salted plums, Hot peppers. Favorite Color: Blue, White. Blood Type: O. Allies/Friends: Kawaru Yoshitsune, Naori Yoshitsune, Clarissa Miidera, Benkei Morisato. Rivals/Enemies: Moemi Sakurabi (rival for Kawaru’s attention). Romantic Interests: Kawaru Yoshitsune (satisfied to be a friend if nothing more).
Accidental Transformation: -1 (Tachi form)
Accidental Transformation: -3 (Yokai form)
Amnesia: -1
Bizarre Appearance: -1
Dependency: -1 (Being near Kawaru)
Frail: -2
Guy Magnet: -1
Love Interest: -1 (Kawaru)
Naïve: -1
Pacifist: -1
Secret: -2 (Existence as a spirit)
Soft Spot: -1 (New outfits and new discoveries)
Special Weakness: -1 (Treated as a spirit by those effects that disadvantage or harm spirits)
Weak: -1
Tachi Form
When dealt sufficient damage to cause knock-back, when banished as a spirit, or when defeated by a powerful attack, Yukie reverts to the form of the Tachi that binds her spirit, and cannot resume her humanoid form until she rests sufficiently. Though she cannot truly act or move of her own accord as the blade, she is able to sense the emotions of any creature that wields her and to sense the general nature of her circumstances through that creature. She can also influence the abilities of any one creature touching the Tachi, increasing or decreasing that creature’s rolls that relate to the use of her Tachi by 1. While Yukie may not speak while in the form of her blade, she can send vague impressions and feelings to whomever holds her. These abilities are not available to her if she is rendered unconscious.
While wielded Yukie’s Tachi is considered a Weapon +4 Katana with the Armor Piercing x3 perk (unless the creature using it has a superior Weapon ability with Katanas), and any creature that holds it may draw forth its inner power to unleash one of the following special attacks as though with a Power Move +2 ability…
Passing Spirit Blade (Armor Piercing x2, Endurance Drain, No Knockback, Special Flaw (Damage is delayed for 1 round), Affinity: Ice and Spirit; 5 Endurance)
Relentless Wind of Ice (Continued Damage, Extra Accuracy x2, Ranged, Redirectable, Charge, Affinity: Ice and Wind; 20 Endurance)
Tranquil Blizzard Strike (Area Effect x2, Blinding, Extra Damage x2, Will Attack, No Knockback, Affinity: Ice and Spirit; 45 Endurance)
Yukie cannot deny the use of any of these Power Moves to a creature wielding her Tachi, but may interfere with them through her ability to affect another’s abilities. Yukie is also unable to utilize these abilities herself.
Yukie’s Tachi is nearly indestructible, but also confines her essence to a mortal form, denying her many of the abilities normally possessed by a Yuki-Onna.
Yokai Form
In this form Yukie attains the true visage and powers of a Yuki-Onna, but looses her grasp on reality, essentially becoming an NPC. Yukie assumes this form if ever she becomes so numbed by cold or destitution that she loses her will to survive. Each minute that Yukie would change to her Yokai form she may make a will roll, and, if she beats a DN of 10, may resist assuming her Yokai form for that minute.
While in the form of a Yokai Yukie dances about, appearing and disappearing, oblivious to all but those who harbor deep sorrow. When she seeks to comfort these pitiful souls, her comforting touch robs them of their warmth, leaving pristinely frozen corpses no longer possessed of misery. Treat this touch as a Power Move +5, with the following Perks and Flaws: Continued Damage x2, Extra Damage x5, No Attack Gesture, Special Perk (For every 2 damage dealt by this attack, Yukie recovers 1 Endurance. If her Endurance is full then she begins recovering Health instead. This affects the continuous damage as well), Special Perk (this attack is subtle and unthreatening by nature, as such victims receive no defense against it unless they have a reason to be wary of Yukie’s touch), Special Perk (this power move does not cost any endurance unless it fails to affect its target), Will Attack, Cancel (cannot work on those without body heat), No Knockback, Open to Attack, Special Flaw (This attack is uncontrollable and is made against any creature with body heat that Yukie touches while trying to comfort it), Affinity: Ice and Spirit; 0 or 80 Endurance.
A short while after Yukie has absorbed the warmth of 5 or so creatures in this manner (if the creatures are small, or in poor health, she must absorb more) she returns to normal, retaining no memory of her time in the Yokai form.
Upon attaining the Yokai form, certain of Yukie’s attributes also change. She loses her Cute, Passion, Dependency, Love Interest, and Soft Spot weaknesses, and gains the following abilities and weaknesses: Art of Invisibility +3, Heightened Sense +4 (Those with great sorrow), Invisibility +4, Life Support +2 (Extreme cold), Teleport +4, Unnatural Resistance +5 (Cold and Ice), Compulsion -3 (Comforting sad creatures), Special Weakness -2 (Oblivious to all but sad creatures), Special Weakness -1 (Loses memories of actions taken while in Yokai form).
If Yukie is defeated, banished, or knocked-back while in her Yokai form, or while under conditions that would transform her to her Yokai form, she changes back to normal and reverts to her Tachi form, but is rendered unconscious in the process.
"Walk three steps and thousands of years may pass. Within the confines of the four pillars, even time is but a brief illusion.”
Hiraku Nishida -Gasaraki
Thanks. I'm hoping my players will like it as well. To be honest, when my players asked me to create their characters for them I was concerned I might botch the entire campaign by creating characters that were far too limited in the ways they can be played. I think I did a fair job in making Kawaru playable, though I still have a half-dozen more characters and NPCs to create, a plot to conceptualize, and the game itself to orchestrate... and all of this only if my players also like the ideas (so I guess its not quite time for me to celebrate yet ).
I'm also concerned with the way I designed Yukie, both because I've never used a 'cutsie' girl NPC before and because, should things go awry, I'm worried that she's a bit too powerful to be easily stopped by the players. I also need to devise ways to make her more useful to the other PCs as well, so that she doesn't give Kawaru an unfair advantage.
If you’re interested in seeing my other characters, or in more detail on the Reward Dice or Goal mechanics, I’d be happy to post them once I’ve worked them out a bit more. And if you want to suggest how I could have done things differently feel free to, I could always use the advice.
The above post is mine. For some reason it didn't register me when I logged in, and I forgot to double-check to ensure that I was logged in. Sorry about that.
"Walk three steps and thousands of years may pass. Within the confines of the four pillars, even time is but a brief illusion.”
Hiraku Nishida -Gasaraki
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