Over-the-top Idea

[Malancthon]

This was sort of an idea I've had before while messing with BESM. It's influenced by Rifts and by video games, and to an extent mecha and shonen anime. I think this would also work well in portraying kaiju or mecha games.

Monstrous* Damage Your ability to deal damage is a terrible and horrorfying thing. Your damage modifier is increased again based on the following table:
Level- Modifier
1- x5
2- x10
3- x25
4- x50
5- x100

Monstrous* Durability You can absorb an incredible amount of damage, beyond the limits of mere mortals. Your Health is increased (after any changes by Tough or Frail) according to the following table (endurance costs after depleting Endurance is also multiplied by the modifer):
Level- Modifier
1- x5
2- x10
3- x50
4- x100
5- x500

*Monstrous can optionally be referred to as Mecha for Vehicle use.

The idea is to give GM and players an option to play at the ludicrous levels often portrayed in video games. Incidentally, this Kaiju wiki has a level explanation that would work well in explaining these power levels.

I divided the Health and damage multiplier for two reasons. One, so a GM could create a boss encounter who is far tougher than normal, providing a lengthy encounter, without having a high damage that would result in slaughtering the party. Secondly, this would allow the damage multiplier to slow down a bit, giving higher leveled characters a bit more survivablity to reflect their incredible power. After all, if the damage and health multiplier stayed the same, then there wouldn't be much difference at each level beyond having some extra 0s attached to damage results.

Using old JRPG games which had a damage cap of 999 as inspiration, I figured at the highest level (+5) a character should probably do about 1000 damage. I don't think characters will often have an attack with a damage multiplier higher than 10, so that made it easy to determine that the +5 should be x100 of the damage multiplier. I was then able to work down the levels.

I had actually used a same progression for a similar idea for BESM 3rd (which went to 6th level for x1000 HP), so I kept that progression for Health. This would also mean the maximum health would be 50,000.

While I haven't rigorously play-tested it, some rough demos seem to indicate that a character could take on a level or two higher some amount of success. And of course, that's why the damage is separated, so a GM has a better control of not accidently killing the players.

I'm not sure exactly how well Scaled Advantage would work using this abilities. It might be something to not use if using these.

[Malancthon]

And here are some samples to give an idea of how these abilities would work.

Spider Tank (Defense: 1, Health: 150/250, Endurance: 20/40)
Attributes: Armored +3, Attack +3 (Countless Weapons, dX 4(20)), Combat Expert +2, Mecha Destruction +1, Mecha Durability +1, Tough +1; Awkward Size –3 (Huge), Clumsy –1, Emotionless –3, Slow –1, Vulnerability –2 (Electricity)

Dragon (Defense: 1, Health: 400/600, Endurance: 20/40)
Attributes: Armored +2, Attack +2 (Fire Breath: Area Effect, Ranged; dX 3(30), 10 Endurance—Claw & Bite: Reach; Inaccurate, dX 5(50)), Combat Expert +1, Flight +2, Intimidating +2, Monstrous Destruction +2, Monstrous Durability +2, Smart +1, Strong +2, Tough +2; Awkward Size –3, Obsession –2 (Treasure), Slow –1, Stubborn –2

Since Secondaries start with 20 Health and Endurance instead of 40, that's why there are two values given for these.

Godzilla


Up from the depths
Thirty stories high
Breathing fire
His head in the sky
Godzilla!

Defense: 3
Health: 2500
Endurance: 40

Abilities (25)
Armor +1
Attack +2
Combat Expert +2
Evasive +2
Intimidating +2
Life Support +2
Monstrous Destruction +3
Monstrous Durability +3
Strong +3
Tough +5

Weaknesses (-20)
Arrogant -3
Awkward Size -3
Bizarre Appearence -3
Clumsy -2
Infamous -3
Loner -2
Overconfident -2
Short Tempered -1
Slow-1

Attacks
Atomic Breath: Accurate (+5), Effective (+5), Range, Strength-powered (+5), Build-Up (-5); Roll: 5 DX: 175, EN: 10
Atomic Pulse: Aura (+5), Defensive (+5); Roll: 4, DX: 75, EN: 10
Claws and Teeth: Roll: 4, DX: 6(150), EN: 0
Tail: Reach (+5), Ineffective (-5); Roll: 4, DX: 125, EN: 0

Ultraman


Initially a basic Ultra-Soldier, Ultraman arrived on Earth while pursuing an escapee of the Monster Graveyard; Bemular. In his pursuit, he accidentally collided with Shin Hayata, an officer of the Science Patrol, who was on a scouting mission in his jet. Hayata was killed in the same crash, but out of remorse, Ultraman gave Hayata his own life, and merged their bodies, to keep him alive. After Bemlar was destroyed, Ultraman stayed to protect Earth from more threats, such as ancient monsters and alien conquerors.

Defense: +4
Health: 40 (1000)
Endurance: 40

Abilities (+10)
Attack (SSSP gear; Space Judo) +1
Combat Expert +3
Evasive +2
Knowledge (SSSP) +4
Position of Power +1
Transformation (Focus: Beta Capsule -1, Time Limit: 3 minutes -2) +1
-Attack +2
-Flight +1
-Life Support +3
-Monstrous Destruction +3
-Monstrous Durability +3
-Strong +2
-Awkward Size -3
-Bizarre Appearance -2
-Vulnerability (Cold) -1

Weaknesses (-5)
Code of Conduct -1
Room For Two -1
Secret -2
Servitude -1

Attacks (As Ultraman transformed)
Ultra Judo: Stunning (+10), Inneffective 2 (-10); Roll: 5, DX: 100, EN: 0
Specium Beam: Accurate (+5), Effective 2 (+10), Ranged-strength (+5), Build Up (-5), Elaborate Gestures (-5); Roll: 6, DX: 200, EN: 10

[Chris Brady]

So a more in-depth system for Scaling? Lemme get a solid look through and I'll give you my feedback.

Cuz I might need a system like that soon.

[Clay]

Instead of dividing Health and Damage in this way, you could arguably make use of the Health Reserve Boss Ability to inflate Health totals.

[Chris Brady]

On one hand, the Scale system is a quick and dirty way to show power disparity. However, that doesn't always cover a few mecha shows. On the other hand, this system breaks power and toughness in two, and frankly, I don't see how this works.

And citing Palladium's Rifts as an example is proof (to me and only me) that this system is going to cause me no end of headaches. (For example: In Rifts a bunch -AKA 5- of soldiers or bandits with their equivalent of assault rifles can take out a giant robot -UAR-5 Enforcer- in one 15 second attack round, they lost one soldier, the robot was blown up. This is like a bunch of terrorists being able to take down a M1 Abrams tank with nothing but AK-74s. Just on a financial basis, this behooves most militaries to not use robots or tanks, but rather arm and armour their soldiers.)

I like the idea of ranks for power and durability for mechs, because (for example to use a classic Anime: Mospeada) there are three levels. You have regular people, next up is the transforming power armour/motorcycle (The Cyclone series in the American version) and then you have the mecha tanks and aircraft (The Alpha and Beta again, in the American version.)

[Malancthon]

Instead of dividing Health and Damage in this way, you could arguably make use of the Health Reserve Boss Ability to inflate Health totals.

That is a possibility. Maybe something like a new Ability that grants extra levels of health (since a normal PC kind of has two levels- Heath and Endurance, and Bosses have three with the Health Reserve ability). Unfortunately, that's not exactly what I'm looking to do. And part of the excitement of RPGs is not what we can't do, but what we can.

Here's maybe a better example of My intention.

You pop in Final Fantasy 7. Cloud Strife starts of at 300 HP and is doing about 30-50 points of damage. I'm not going to do a thorough build of Cloud, just a fragment.

Cloud
Quick Abilities
Attack +2
Monstrous Damage +1
Monstrous Durability +1
Tough +2

Health: 300

Buster Sword: Effective 1 (+5), Weapon (-5); Roll: x, DX: 20, End: 0
Braver: Effective 3 (+15), Desperate* (-10), Weapon (-5); Roll: x, DX: 35, End: 0
Lightning Bolt: Affinity (Electricity), Effective 1 (+5), Ranged (+0): Roll: x, DX: 15, End: 5
*Desperate: Your attack is only effective after you've lost all Health or have accumulated enough damage equal to your Health, otherwise it does no damage.

You've played through the game, are at the third disc, and about to descend the Crater for the final encounter. If you don't have 9999 HP, you're not trying.

Cloud
Quick Abilities
Attack +5
Monstrous Damage +5
Monstrous Durability +4
Tough +5

Health: 10000

Omnislash: Overwhelming (+15), Desperate (-10), Weapon (-5); Roll: x, DX: 600, End: 0

On one hand, the Scale system is a quick and dirty way to show power disparity. However, that doesn't always cover a few mecha shows. On the other hand, this system breaks power and toughness in two, and frankly, I don't see how this works.

There's two reasons I had to split power and toughness.

For one, it seemed too powerful as a single Ability to multiply power and toughness. By making it two Abilities, it implies a greater investment, which is a sort of balance. When I originally came up with this idea, it was for BESM 3rd edition, and since their Attributes had a Character Point cost, it worked better as a single Attribute. But I still had the nagging thought of if a boss had the health but not the damage multipliers which leads to...

For two, this can allow various types of Bosses to have higher HP to make them more dynamic, instead of just another equal tier of points to go through. However, if their power and toughness multiplied together, then a Player Character who does not have or has a lesser level would get slaughtered by the higher damage. Which is no fun for the players. Despite enjoying high levels of play, I don't think Party Killing campaigns are any fun.

And citing Palladium's Rifts as an example is proof (to me and only me) that this system is going to cause me no end of headaches. (For example: In Rifts a bunch -AKA 5- of soldiers or bandits with their equivalent of assault rifles can take out a giant robot -UAR-5 Enforcer- in one 15 second attack round, they lost one soldier, the robot was blown up. This is like a bunch of terrorists being able to take down a M1 Abrams tank with nothing but AK-74s. Just on a financial basis, this behooves most militaries to not use robots or tanks, but rather arm and armour their soldiers.)

That's perfectly understandable. And actually, yes, that is another intent with the higher numbers. Even with hundreds or thousands of Health points, Bosses and Monsters should still be defeated by players. By teaming together or using tactics, a group of lower leveled Players could take on and defeat something insane like Godzilla. That's part of what makes them heroes (in that kind of game).

A GM would probably have to hand-wave that normal grunts do basically no damage to these encounters, which is why even if tanks or jets are levied against Cthulhu and in theory could be defeated that way, it still requires the heroic touch of the players to do the actual damage.

I haven't decided if slowing the damage multiplier is necessary or not. In the original version, both damage and health were multiplied by the same per level. I thought maybe the damage might get too crazy if it scaled the same, so as a balance idea, I made the damage multiplier less than the health multiplier at 3+ levels. On the other hand, as long as the multiplier levels are the same across the board, then it doesn't matter if they do x1, x5, or x100 damage. The characters are going to play the same, just maybe with some extra 0s to their numbers.

I like the idea of ranks for power and durability for mechs, because (for example to use a classic Anime: Mospeada) there are three levels. You have regular people, next up is the transforming power armour/motorcycle (The Cyclone series in the American version) and then you have the mecha tanks and aircraft (The Alpha and Beta again, in the American version.)

Mecha is especially useful for this idea. I drew it from the Super Robot Wars video game series (where mecha generally had 1500-8500 health and did hundreds to ten thousands of damage). When I was messing with ideas to convert into the BESM 3rd system, I realized that I could get equivalent numbers either by dividing SRW units by 50 or multiplying BESM mecha by 50. I then extrapolated that for a 6 level concept, which I adapted to OVA here.

So, there were initially 3 'levels' of play: Normal, Real Robot, Super Robot. Normal would be for setting that Mecha was not special or any different than any other level of players. Iron Man, for example. Real Robot (x5) would be for machines that are considerably tougher and powerful than other stuff, but still have some restraint. Gundam or Macross. And Super Robots (x50) are for the crazy over the top genre, such as Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, or the SRW series.

The different levels of powers can also be useful for other types of encounters. A werewolf could be +1 in the attributes. They'd easily slaughter normal humans and would casually shrug off normal damage, but they are still defeatable by normal characters (albeit at great risk).

Superman could be +1 or +2, representing his superstrength and nigh invulnerability without being too overpowered with others of the Justice League.

Saiyans actually work out pretty well with this system too. A base level Saiyan would be +1, the Oozaru form is stated specifically as being 10 times as strong as a Saiyan (+2), a Super Saiyan is 50 times as strong than base(+3), and a Super Saiyan 2 is twice as strong as a Super Saiyan (+4). They don't officially say how strong a Super Saiyan 3 is, but wikis and resources suggest a Super Saiyan 3 is x400 base, which is close enough to the +5 level.

I might try to further illustrate this idea with Guyver and Tekkaman. A Zoanoid would be +1, a Guyver would be +2, and a Guyver Gigantic would be +3. A Tekkaman would probably be +3 and a Blaster Tekkaman would be +4.

In the end, I don't really expect this to be a popular idea, but it's closer the type of game I'd want (which is directly based off of video game logic like Final Fantasy or the craziness of the Rifts RPG which has neat but unfeasible ideas for players). And is not the beauty of RPGs in figuring out how to make the type of game we'd want?

[Malancthon]

After playing around with the idea a bit more, I've concluded that the original progression I had devised didn't really fit with OVA, but the slightly slower progression with the damage works better. The progression, however, should be standard for the different aspect multiplied, mostly because if the level is the same, then the character itself is no different mechanically than a base OVA character, just with higher numbers.

I realized that the multiplier is more along the lines of the Attack/Tough/Vigorous abilities, so I added in an Endurance multiplier ability. Could be interesting for a magician type character who doesn't have a Health multiplier but the Endurance multiplier and still able to tough out a battle by the strength of his spirit despite being physically frail.

Again, this would be best used for campaigns and settings that deal with superhuman power levels. Mecha would also benefit from this addition.

Monstrous* Destruction Your ability to deal damage is a terrible and horrifying thing. Your damage modifier is increased (after any changes by Attack or Strong) according to the following table:
Level- Modifier
1- x5
2- x10
3- x25
4- x50
5- x100

Monstrous* Durability You can absorb an incredible amount of damage, beyond the limits of mere mortals. Your Health is increased (after any changes by Tough or Frail) according to the following table (endurance costs after depleting Endurance is also multiplied by the modifier):
Level- Modifier
1- x5
2- x10
3- x25
4- x50
5- x100

Monstrous* Drive You have a spirit that exceeds most mortals, able to channel great energy through your body. Your Endurance is increased (after any changes by Vigorous or Languid) according to the following table (health costs after depleting Health is also multiplied by the modifier):
Level- Modifier
1- x5
2- x10
3- x25
4- x50
5- x100

*Monstrous can optionally be referred to as Mecha for Vehicle use.

I have updated the earlier sample characters to reflect these changes. Barring any revelations, this is probably the finished version of theses abilities.

[Malancthon]

I'm still playing around with these abilities. These are just some thoughts on how one can best use the abilities, either as a player or as a GM.

How to use Monstrous Abilities

The first thing to be aware of is that one does not have to use the Monstrous Abilities, especially if the use would not be appropriate for the game. After all, the use of Magic might not be appropriate for a Giant Robot game, nor would Giant Robots be normally appropriate for a Samurai game. So if the abilities don't fit the needs of the story, there is no reason to use them.

So, when would be an appropriate time to use them? The two most useful times would be either for giant robots (mecha) or with supernatural encounters, such as demons, vampires, werewolves. The abilities can also be useful for high fantasy games, such as those emulating Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, in which the heroes and the villains can have and deal hundreds if not thousands of damage. Many shonen-type fantasy stories would also benefit from the abilities- Dragon Ball Z being a prime example of an appropriate time to use these abilities.

As such, keeping the Monstrous Abilities under the Transformation or Vehicle Abilities (as Mecha Abilities) can be a good way to keep a sort of balance for player characters. They still remain 'human', ie normal, but when the need comes for action, the heroes are able to wield incredible power.

Another thing to consider is how high of a level to use. Very rarely should players start with higher than 1 levels in Monstrous Abilities. Likewise, it should be rare for players to need to go higher than level 3. Levels 4 and 5 are best kept for either ultra powerful boss encounters or divine/cosmic powers.

Monstrous Abilities are intended to work with the normal Strong, Tough, and Vigor abilities, allowing a player to tweak their totals in a variety of ways to generate the stats that appeal best to them. For example, a character with Tough 4 and Monstrous Durability 1 would be equal to a character with no levels of Tough but Monstrous Durability 2. While the second character would be more economical with their levels, the first character would know that when they get to level 2 Monstrous Durability, their Health total will be higher. This can also be useful for characters who are not able to reach level 2 Monstrous Abilities.

For quick reference, here are the min-max values for Health and Endurance per level.
1: 200-500
2: 400-1000
3: 1000-2500
4: 2000-5000
5: 4000-10000

[Malancthon]

At x5, level 1 Monstrous Abilities are a good start to allow for powerful characters. Demons and Werewolves would be suitable at this level, especially in comparison to the 'normal' characters, the mundane or human characters. This can also be suitable for Vehicles that are tougher than characters without overshadowing them. Iron Man's suit, for example. Level 1 could also be appropriate for a superhero game with characters like Superman or Thor to coexist with more human level characters like Batman or Spider-Man.

Level 2 abilities are for the most part an intermediary level. Useful as the next tier up for characters with Monstrous Abilities, a means to challenge level 1 characters. For Mecha, level 2 works well for heroic 'realistic' robots, such as Gundams or Macross Valkyries. Level 1 mecha would then be for tanks or other NPC robots. At a maximum of 1000 HP/EN, GMs may wish to limit Dragon Quest or Shin Megami Tensei-esque games at level 2 for players, as 999 was a limit for HP in many older RPGs, or for MP in many modern RPGs.

Level 3 is the start of the heavy hitters, appropriate for demi-gods or master heroes. Few characters will reach this level, and even fewer will start here. At this level, characters are literally weapons of mass destruction, able to single-handily take on entire armies or even challenge gods, giant monsters, perhaps even daring to punch out Chtulhu. Level 3 is also appropriate for Super Robots, such as GaoGaiGar, Mazinger Z, or Megazords, as these robots are expected to single-handily take on overwhelming threats.

As mentioned before, players should not need to reach level 4 or 5, kept best for gods or big bads. As the saying goes, there is always a bigger fish, and that is what levels 4 and 5 represent. However, if starting at level 3, then allowing a character to reach level 4 might be appropriate so they can adequately meet the challenge of a level 5 final boss.

Lastly, at level 5 is the top of the food chain. Very little can single-handily face a level 5 character, requiring a group effort to take even one down. As such, there is little reason to allow player characters to reach this level except as an extremely over the top power fantasy, with little to stop them. That's not to say there isn't room to play at this level, as the anime and light novel series Overlord shows. There is also the question of the use of power at that level (really, at any Monstrous Ability level, but at the highest level can give one the most time to think about that).

[Malancthon]

Magic and Monstrous Drive

Monstrous Drive, that is, vastly increasing one's Endurance, can be seen as a potential game breaker. With it, even low levels of Magic can be usable, having plenty of Endurance to cast even the higher cost abilities. Attacks can burn more Endurance freely for Perks. As such, GMs might wish to limit Monstrous Drive to only 1 or 2 levels, or not use it at all. However, GMs can also make interesting encounters with physically weak but spiritually strong characters, giving spellcasters a similar durability that their tank-like compatriots might have.

Another potential game breaker is a character with Magic who uses it to cast Monstrous Destruction at max level (+5) to curbstomp an encounter. It is recommended that a character with Magic can only cast a Monstrous Ability equal to the highest level on the field. So if the party is facing a demon lord with Monstrous Destruction +3, the Magic user would not be able to cast Monstrous Destruction +4 or +5 (unless an ally had MD +4 or +5).

The last consideration one should give is the Endurance cost with Monstrous Durability. One might think that if they have high Health, they can spam Endurance costs. To counter that, the Endurance cost with Health can be increased by the Monstrous Durability level modifier. For example, if the normal cost of an attack is 5 Endurance, the character has no Endurance remaining but has Monstrous Durability +3, then the amount of Health expended is 125 (5x25); proportionally the same amount expended if the character did not have Monstrous Durability. If the character has Monstrous Drive, then the modifier would be equal to difference in levels. Again, for example the normal cost of an attack is 5 Endurance, the character has no Endurance but has Monstrous Durability +3 and Monstrous Drive +1, then the amount of Health expended would be 50 (3-1= 2; 5x10).

[Malancthon]

Encounters with Monstrous Abilities

In general, players should be able to challenge a character with Monstrous Abilities one higher than their own. The biggest hurdle would be characters with no levels of Monstrous Abilities versus an encounter with the first level of Monstrous Abilities, as the modified attribute is five times greater than normal. The difference between all the other abilities is only doubled, except for the difference between level 2 and level 3 which is tripled.

To prevent accidental slaughter of the players, a GM may choose to only use higher levels of Monstrous Durability, increasing the challenges Health but not the damage they inflict. This can be useful for making a super tough or nearly unbeatable encounter (5000+ Health) but since the damage is bearable for a normal encounter, the players should be able to survive long enough to wisen up and escape or to come up with an alternate non-combat strategy to win.

To provide an example, here is one of My go-to Big Bads. I originally statted him up here by the book. This version, however, uses high levels of Monstrous Drive and Monstrous Durability to 'rule', however he has only Monstrous Destruction +1 to make him a usable boss against normal characters. Another thing to note is how he uses a higher Endurance than Health, but his total is still 10,000 (before accounting for Boss Health Reserve).

SCARABUS

The day the demon Scarabus first set foot on our earthly plane is unknown, but the earliest recorded stories of his influence were written around 3300 BC in ancient Egypt. As legend has it, demons must shed their physical form when crossing over into our world, only to be reborn from the lifeless shell of the recently departed. Reborn from the body of his eventual namesake, a scarab beetle, Scarabus bares little resemblance to the creature that granted him new life. Combined with his own hellish visage of horns, hoooves, and a forked tail- glistening golden skin and dangerous pinchers sprouting from his back- are all that remain of the creature that bore him. He is a devastatingly powerful creature able to resurrect the dead, only to transform the sad creatures into his own unholy soldiers. Amassing legions of the undead for millenia, the demon lord has been building an army for some unseen sinister purpose. An integral part of his dark congregation, Scarabus' maniacally malevolent Time Keepers use their Chrono-Hammers to open portals that allow him the ability to vanish and rematerialize at will. It is also rumored that the symbols that adorn his armor (later adopted by the Egyptians as the Eye of Horus) represents Scarabus' ability to gaze into men's souls.

This foul beast, who has also been called Scarabagoth in some texts, has been both worshipped and loathed. He has lurked in the shadows for centuries, surrounded in mystery, with only his closest acolotyes knowing his true purpose. One thing is certain for the rest of us- Scarabus is a dark force that may well usher in the end of days. -the Book of Atellus Chapter 12

Defense: 2
Health: 2000
Endurance: 8000

Abilities (+35)
Armored +1
Attack +2
Intimidating +3
Magic, Arcane +3
Minions +3
Monstrous Destruction +1
Monstrous Drive +5
Monstrous Durability +4
Position of Power +4
Sixth Sense +2
Smart +2
Strong +1
Vigorous +4

Weaknesses (-15)
Arrogant -3
Awkward Size -1
Bizarre Appearance -3
Greed -2
Infamous -2
Obsession -3

Attacks
Eldritch Flames Continued Effect (+10), Ranged (+0), Affinity: Fire; Roll: 2, DX: x15, End: 10
-Scarabus is able to throw green flames from his hands
Ray of Scarabus' Staff Area Effect (+10), Ranged (+0), Build-Up (-5) Weapon (-5); Roll: 2, DX: x15, End: 0
-From the jewel mounted on the top of Scarabus' staff emits deadly rays, striking down multiple foes.
Blade of Scarabus' Spear Accurate (+5), Weapon (-5); Roll:3, DX: x20, End: 0
-The head of Scarabus' staff can change into a spear for him to strike with.

[Malancthon]

Sabersonic brought up Endurance cost for Drama Dice and Miracles. I would suggest that the Endurance cost for those would multiplied by the level multiplier of Monstrous Drive (and Durability if applicable for Health costs). This keeps the cost for Drama Dice and Miracles proportional to the base cost and would prevent abuse of Drama and Miracles. Just because you have a lot of Endurance doesn't mean drama or miracles should be easier.

[Malancthon]

NEW ABILITY

Monstrous Growth You are able to increase your size, making you as strong and powerful as the giant monsters you battle. For every Level that you have of Monstrous Growth, you can apply up to an equal Level of Monstrous Destruction and Monstrous Durability, however you also suffer from an equal Level of Awkward Size.

Mechanically, this isn't different than using Transformation with equal levels of Monstrous Destruction, Monstrous Durability, and Awkward Size, just a bit cleaner. The only quibble is that Weaknesses tend to only go to level 3, while Abilities can reach level 5. But I think it's a minor quibble.

The bigger thing is this allows a character some modularity on their size. There isn't really a Size Grow Ability in the book, probably figuring that Shapeshifter and Transformation would suffice. But it'd take some tricky reasoning that a single Transformation Ability would allow for different stages of growing. Sometimes you feel like you want to be 5 feet, sometimes you feel like you want to be 25 feet, and others 50 feet.

For a non-Monstrous version, just replace Monstrous Destruction and Monstrous Durability with Strong and Tough.

[Clay]

I'm making a note here, huge success!

GLaDOS references aside, just wanted to say I appreciate the effort you've put into fleshing out this idea for other OVA players.

[Malancthon]

Something I've been tinkering, and I think I got him finalized. Kamen Rider Kuuga is probably My second favorite Kamen Rider series (after Kamen Rider Black), both because of how interesting I find the villains. Kuuga in particular, has an interesting backstory for the Grongi (or the Gurongi, depending on your translation), which isn't actually shown in the series. Instead, the series takes a mysterious approach with the Grongi, giving them their own language that isn't translated but showing their murderous game. When the series nears the end, they start talking about Daguva, who despite appearing briefly in the beginning of the series to revive the Grongi, remains absent until the very end. However, the Gegeru game and the desire to strive to become the strongest monster drives the Grongi, making them different than many other toku villains, and something I found fascinating. It's worth reading the wiki on them.

I've designed the Grongi as NPC fragments, since they can take all sorts of different forms and attacks. In the show, there are 48 or so out of 200 shown. They can be Secondary or Heroic level, and some have Monstrous abilities of +2, depending on how lethal or high up in the Gegeru they are.

Grongi (+1/+2)


An ancient tribe sealed for millennia, Grongi are a mysterious race of humans who had gained the power to transform into animal-like forms. These monstrous warriors took to hunting down another tribe of humans, known then as Linto, in a murderous game they called the Gegeru.
Attributes: Attack +1, Agile +1, Quick +1, Transformation +1/+2 (Armor +2, Monstrous Destruction +1/+2, Monstrous Durability +1/+2; Bizarre Appearance -2); Bizarre Appearance (Grongi Tattoo) -1, Code of Conduct (Gegeru) -2; Health: 20/40 (100/200; 200/400)

N-Daguva-Zeba


N-Daguva-Zeba is the lord of the Grongi Tribe, called the "One who brings the Ultimate Darkness", responsible for murdering the archaeologists before resurrecting the Grongi in modern times. His Imperfect Form labeled as "Unidentified Life Form #0" by the police. Before resurfacing nine months later in his fully restored Perfect Form, Daguva manages to slaughter 152 inferior Grongi in Nagano before killing Gooma and falling off the radar after six days of being sighted. By the time he resurfaces, Daguva assumes the guise of a white-suited young man with an aura. Once Gadoru is killed, Daguva begins end game by causing an endless heavy rain before defeating Kuuga in his Amazing Mighty form while leaving massive damage in his wake. As he revealed to Baruba, he is giving Kuuga time to get stronger as a favor for giving him time to move around the country in peace. Once at Nagano, Daguva resumes the carnage before starting a systematic genocide of all humans in Japan as he tells Yusuke to meet him at Mount Kurō for a final confrontation.

As the Grongi lord, Daguva has power over his kind through fear. The Grongi were an ancient tribe of humans empowered by strange metals found in a meteorite, gaining the ability to transform into beast or plant-like forms, with deadly strength. Daguva quickly proved to be the strongest of them, easily killing thousands by himself. An ancient holy warrior known as Kuuga, who used an arcane belt that gave him similar powers to the Grongi, was able to stop the Grongi's plans for genocide, but was unable to completely defeat Daguva. Instead, Kuuga sealed the tribe in a tomb for thousands of years until it was recently uncovered by archeologists. Daguva awoke first, slaughtering the archeologists before reviving the Grongi. Amused by the modern Linto, who had evolved into the current humanity, Daguva instigated the Gegeru, a ruthless game of slaughter by the Grongi, hunting down and killing humans in different ways. The winner of the Gegeru would be offered a chance to fight Daguva himself for leadership of the Grongi.

Appearing generally laid back, Daguva greets most challenges with a smirk, steadfastly confident in his abilities. Daguva does display a number of uncouth attitudes, though, as if not fully understanding (or caring) about societal norms. He'll often suggest fire or punching as an appropriate solution for the situation, and it's difficult to tell whether he's joking or not. Underneath his easygoing facade, however, is a constantly simmering rage, and to awaken it is a dangerous thing. Battle is one of the few things that excites Daguva, and naturally he despises the weak.


Health: 50 (1250)
Endurance: 40
Defense: 4

Abilities (15)
Agile +1
Combat Expert +2
Attack +3
Evasive +1
Intimidating +1
Position of Power +1
Quick +1
Strong +1
Tough +1
Transformation +3
-Armor +2
-Monstrous Destruction +3
-Monstrous Durability +3
-Bizarre Appearance -2

Weaknesses (10)
Arrogant -2
Bizarre Appearance (Grongi tattoo) -1
Code of Conduct (Gegeru) -2
Loner -2
Obsession (Ultimate Darkness) -3

Attacks
Pyrokinesis Area Effect (+10), Ranged (+0), Activation (-10); Affinity: Fire; Roll: 5, DX: x4 (x100), End: 5
-Daguva can project waves of fire from his fingertips in either form.
Punch Stunning (+10), Ineffective 2 (-10); Roll: 5; DX: x3 (x75), End: 0
-Daguva has an affinity for an ancient form of martial arts.
Armored Claws Affinity: Transformed; Roll: 5; DX: x125, End: 0
-When transformed, Daguva can fight ferociously with his natural weapons.
Ultimate Kick Effective 5 (+25), Overwhelming (+15), Build-Up 5 (-25), Elaborate Gestures (-5); Affinity: Transformed; Roll: 5, DX: x250, End: 10
-Never seen, this ultimate attack is rumored to be able to destroy the world.