Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

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The Reddest Mage
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Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by The Reddest Mage »

1) Just out of curiosity, why is it the NPC Acacia has a pair of twin lesser demons, yet she doesn't have any Abilities like Arcane Magic, Companion, Minions, or Spirit Medium to represent them? I thought it was probably because she was an NPC and didn't need such Abilities to reflect having henchmen, but Zurkrieg does have the Minions Ability to represent his Men in Black.

2) Fukiko's profile mentions that "she cannot use Shape-Shifter and Transformation simultaneously." However, the description of the Transformation Ability says "Besides manifesting new Abilities and improving those you already possess, Transformation can also produce alterations to your appearance. This can be as drastic as becoming a ruthless beast or as simple as invoking a costume change. In many cases, transformed characters are exempt from recognition. Unless you have revealed your “other” identity, or someone sees you transform, no one will recognize you, despite any seemingly obvious similarities."

I assumed that Shape-Shifter was there so that she could disguise herself without actually transforming (like Sailor Moon's Disguise Pen). But why would Fukiko ever need to use her Shape-Shifter and Transformation Abilities simultaneously if Transformation already covers changes in appearance?
sniffycrab
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Re: Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by sniffycrab »

1) Companions and minions are LOYAL to the character with the ability. She met them through witch craft and they are NOT loyal to her. With proper incentive the demons would turn on Acacia.

2) Transformation means you get a SINGLE form with better powers. While shape shift lets you change your appearance into anything if High enough. For example Serena would have Sailor Moon as an alternate form, but that pen that could change her clothes into anything would be shape shift at low levels.
The Reddest Mage
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Re: Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by The Reddest Mage »

sniffycrab wrote:2) Transformation means you get a SINGLE form with better powers. While shape shift lets you change your appearance into anything if High enough. For example Serena would have Sailor Moon as an alternate form, but that pen that could change her clothes into anything would be shape shift at low levels.
Oh, I understand the difference between Transformation and Shape-Shift, and the advantages of each. I was just wondering why not being able to use the two Abilities simultaneously would be a problem for Fukiko, since she is already effectively "disguised" when she is transformed anyway.

However, I do see it as being a problem for a character who, rather than a magical girl like Sailor Moon, was based more off of a magical girl like Cutey Honey, whose transformations don't just allow her to gain new abilities, but also make her look like an entirely different person each time.

Then again, I think someone with that kind of transformation would need to take it as a Unique Ability since someone like Cutey Honey has an unlimited amount of different Transformations, and can transform more than just once or twice an adventure.
The Reddest Mage
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Re: Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by The Reddest Mage »

3) Another thing I've been wondering: why don't any of the Sample Characters or Sample NPCs (with the exception of Dr. Tomori and Zurkrieg) have family names? Most of them I can see why it wouldn't be important. But for characters like Natsuki and Jiro, due to having the Position of Power Ability you would think they would usually be referred to by their family names by others since these characters are all assumed to be living in Japan. In fact, due to the importance of family names and the fact that people are often called by their family names by acquaintances, it's surprising that none of them have listed family names.

4) Can Daisuke talk while he's in his bunny rabbit form? He doesn't have the Mute Weakness, but I wasn't sure if it's just assumed that since rabbits normally can't talk, he doesn't have to take the Mute Weakness to represent it.
Last edited by The Reddest Mage on Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
sniffycrab
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Re: Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by sniffycrab »

3) Because each player and GM are allowed to assign a family name for their specific games to personalize the Sample characters.

4) I personally say yes, because talking bunnies are cool. But another GM could think that is silly and say no.
The Reddest Mage
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Re: Questions About the Sample Characters and NPCs

Post by The Reddest Mage »

Saspar walks around with a red sash tied over his eyes like a blindfold at all times, which is the source of his Unique Weakness (Cannot Detect Things Perceptible to Sight Alone) -2. He doesn't have Heightened Sense nor Perceptive, nor any other special sense like radar or sonar or something like that (similar to Daredevil), but he does have Sixth Sense. But is Sixth Sense really that useful for everyday, mundane situations? I get that it gives you a kind of precognition and a sort of danger sense as well, letting a character predict unforseen threats. But would Sixth Sense really warn the character for things that aren't actually dangerous, just embarrassing? Like, does Saspar's "Spider Sense" go off every time he's about to bump into a wall?

Or is he a comical villain who can easily block and evade attacks in combat, but then turns around and walks face first into a closed door?
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