Lyrical Nanoha

[Michael Hopcroft]

One of the series that I'd been trying to decide whether I should devote serious time to catching up on is Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. I didn't quite like the way it started out, but apparentyl it eventually turned into something very different.

Just how different becomes apparent with the debut recently of the third season, StrikerS. Although the title is still "Magical Girl Lyrical Naonoha", I get the sense that Nanoha has passed the "Girl" stage quite some time ago. Her techno-magical skills are now in the service of a government paramilitary agency of similar techno-mages, where she is a Lieutenant and a squad commander. Nobody seems to doubt the existence of magic, and promising girls train in it, and receive high-grade magical technology, on a regular basis.

The first episode follows two such trainees, Subaru and Tia, through their examination course to reach B-Class status. Subaru specializes in close assaults, augmented by a pair of rollerblades that would make Sakura Kinomoto envious. Tia is a magical gunslinger and ranged-combat specialist who enchants bullets for specific effects (and apparently has seen all the Batman movies at least four times). Both are hot-tempered and reckless.

Aside from asking myself "How the heck did we get from Point A to Point W?", I was wondering what sort of campaign fodder this would make.

[Mad Fnorder]

Oh yeah, There's definitely alot between point A and B. The first four episodes of the first season feel like pure Card Captor Sakura ripoff, but it quickly takes a very interesting kick with a dash of sci-fi and a neater overarching plot. The second season is slightly darker and introduces a bunch of new characters. All in all, I'm not even that much of a fan of the genre, but Nanoha is pretty solid. Also, it's not that much to catch up on- two thirteen episode seasons before StrikerS, all told, depending on where you left off.

Nanoha Campaign stuff is something I've been working on for a bit, pre StrikerS- on hold now, unfortunately, with incoming finals. I'll post my post A's setting document if people are interested.

[UltraRob]

You're not the only ones, I never touched Nanoha before, writing it off as a "magical girls show", but happened to see the first episode of Striker S two weeks back and it totally blew me away. There is seriously a setting suited to both gaming, and HERO gaming! I've always been a fan of the "superheroes on a colony world" genre the Japanese seem to like doing from time to time, and this one really brings that home.

From what my friend who is a fan of the show tells me, those foci they're using with "charges" seem to be one of the more interesting use of charges I've seen. Essentially the mage creates a series of "one shot batteries" of their own energies which they use to power their spells, using as many charges as needed for each spell. This allows them to whip off some hugely powerful spells, but at the cost of going through their supply really fast. The "techno" side of if seems mostly a way of more efficiently regulating what the mages are naturally capable of.

I guess for Nanoha's charge system, you'd either have it as actual charges which can be double or triple shotted, or you could just say it's an END Battery system that has the special effect of new charges being used every 10 of so points of END.

All mages would also require an OAF or OIF (in the case of Subaru's glove) foci which is the channel for their powers.

Not sure if I'll go back and watch the previous two, but Striker S is on my watch list for the next 11 weeks!

Rob

[Mad Fnorder]

The way I was planning on modeling the Velka-type devices, as they're introduced as in A's, is basically having people with those options on their weapons buy up the slots of their Multipowers beyond the actual reserve. Then, they'd have have a Standard Effect Aid lasting a turn, with a certain number of charges for boosting up the Multipower reserve. They can fire off as many shots as they want, up to the cap of the multi-slot's "maximum power".

Its worth noting that some of the series background distinguishes between "Velka" and "Milchilda" magic as two different types. The Velka-type weapons seem to be less versatile, but with the potential for greater direct power that comes from the boosting charges. Subaru happens to be a "Modern-Velka" type mage, whereas Tia is a Milchilda type. Nanoha and Fate are basically cheating the system a bit- they're Milchilda type mages who've had their Devices retrofitted with Velka-type attachments. It migh thave something to do with the fact that their devices have onboard AIs to manage the differences? Point is, not the sort of thing you'd allow PCs.

[UltraRob]

This almost sounds like a classic Elemental Control vs Multipower Magic situation.

The Velka users would have EC's instead of Multipowers, which would both show their more focussed and limited natures and also allow you to do more creative power builds. (ie Extra effect with increased END or Charges)

The Michilda users would be Multipower users, able to have more types of powers, but more limited in how they could use them and not able to boost them like the Velka users could. They get versatility, and probably more abilities, but can't put the kick in that Velka users can with their charges.

Rob

[Twilight33]

Has anyone actually built the system for for making a nanoha character yet. i am not that experienced with the Hero System yet and i am having trouble reconstructing it myself. I really want to run a game in this world i just cant get the rules down.

[braincraft]

You could check out the wiki entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyrical_Nanoha); the individual character pages give rather detailed accounts of their various powers.

Also, there are some fanmade Mutants and Masterminds writeups (http://www.atomicthinktank.com/viewtopic.php?p=472955#472955) on their forum, if you need some game-related inspiration.

I agree that the cartridges are pretty much a special effect of their END Reserves.

And if you want to see for yourselves why this show is awesome, see Exhibit A (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6eCppUTiKg).

[Twilight33]

i know all the story stuff and what not i have watched the entire series. I'm just trying to figure out how to implement the stuff in the hero system such as the cartridges, the AI's, etc.

P.S. is their information on how the Magic/Computer System of nanoha function in general so to speak.

[braincraft]

i know all the story stuff and what not i have watched the entire series. I'm just trying to figure out how to implement the stuff in the hero system such as the cartridges, the AI's, etc.

P.S. is their information on how the Magic/Computer System of nanoha function in general so to speak.

Cartridges are a cool special effect that doesn't have any bearing on anything, other than as a measure of how much firepower is being brought to bear.

The AIs never really do anything they aren't specifically told to and never act on their own, so that's another thing that's pretty much a special effect.

[Twilight33]

how would you handle device mode, etc. Transformation power?

[braincraft]

Wait, do you mean like when, say, Bardiche switches from staff to scythe mode, or when Fate switches from normal mode to Sonic Mode?

The first is a special effect of switching multipower slots. The second is either an Aid or a multiform variant (the details aren't particularly specified, but I think Aid should work).

[Twilight33]

Wait, do you mean like when, say, Bardiche switches from staff to scythe mode, or when Fate switches from normal mode to Sonic Mode?

i mean 1) when they first activate their devices (IE changes from being a little jewel they wear into the actually weapon. 2) also when they switch between forms likes sonic mode, sacred mode, aggressive mode, etc.

[Clonus]

Oh yeah, There's definitely alot between point A and B. The first four episodes of the first season feel like pure Card Captor Sakura ripoff, but it quickly takes a very interesting kick with a dash of sci-fi and a neater overarching plot. The second season is slightly darker and introduces a bunch of new characters. All in all, I'm not even that much of a fan of the genre,

It's a shonen rather than shoujo magical girl series. The result is much more dynamic action sequences.

[al103]

The AIs never really do anything they aren't specifically told to and never act on their own, so that's another thing that's pretty much a special effect.

Misconception. Actually they do all the time. Most prominent example Subaru vs Ginga fight in Strikers.