Advice for Anime Hero [Long]

[Fireg0lem]

I'm not totally certain that this is the right forum for this, but hopefully so; it looked like here or Other, and this seemed to more or less fit. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, it's OK if you just want to comment on some.

 

I'm looking for advice on a fairly-new campaign that, as the title says, is Anime-based. It is loosely-sorta-inspired by the series YuYu Hakusho, but I'm not overly concerned about sticking to the materiel. Basically, anything you have comments or suggestions about, I'd be glad to hear.

 

Also, I'm not too concerned with accuracy to the real world. So if you see stuff that stands out, feel free to point it out..but it's not a big deal for me (in this case, illusion for illusions sake isn't really worth it).

 

The game is intended to be an introduction to Champions for my younger brother (He's 12). He's pretty smart (for someone his age), and he's gamed before (mostly D&D, and some Champions, but he didn't like the genre). [i tried to talk him into DBZ hero, but he refused outright ]. So, I'm doing things a little but unusually.

 

I decided to go with the cliche young character who doesn't know they have powers discovering them, so I began by asking him to make an ordinary junior-high student on 100 or less points, with 50 or less disadvantages (I told him I would add powers and disads to bring the character up to 75+75) - the idea being to let him make a character, without having to worry about getting it perfectly balanced (he used all 100/50; the character is posted below).

 

After that, I hashed out the details of the world, and added some stuff in the background that the character didn't know.

 

So, without further ado, the stuff.

 

Bold items Jin has not discovered yet. Italicized ones have just been discovered this last game session.

 

I should note that (even though my brother didn't have this in mind when he designed the character) the justification for the overly high physical stats & the running is the latent monster blood.

 

Background Information, Jin Sakemoto

 

Header Information:

Player: -----

Affiliation: -

Hair: Green

Eyes: Green

Height: 1.73 m

Weight: 62.14

Nationality: Japanese

Place of Birth: Kanagasafuke, Japan

Date of Birth: March 22, 1989

 

Background Story:

Jin Sakemoto’s grandfather, Tenshi Sakemoto, was an expatriate who lived in the United States. He had two sons, both given American names – Montgomery and Jonathon. Jonathon Sakemoto moved back to Japan when he grew up, but Montgomery stayed in the U.S. In Japan, Jonathon married and had a son, who he named Jin.

Unfortunately for Jin, his parents both died of a severe outbreak of Dengue when he was only five. Only one relative could be found – “Monty†Sakemoto, in Florida. So, Jin left Japan and went to live with his uncle. However, he didn’t do well in America – he had trouble with English, never completely getting the hang of it, and he didn’t get along well with his uncle. Monty was a talented herpetologist who made a great deal of progress studying the gators of the Everglades, but he was mean and very harsh. Jin thought Monty to have more in common with the reptiles than with people.

Jin was in trouble frequently, lacking good adult guidance, and unfamiliar with American culture. He was rebellious, dying his hair green and trying to avoid his uncle. When Jin was thirteen, however, he got a chance to return to Japan – his mother’s father, Masami Kusanagi, had reappeared, and he wanted custody of his grandson. Monty, not really wanting Jin around anyways, agreed, and Jin switched countries again.

Jin’s grandfather proved to be a kind old man who largely left Jin alone, but still provided help when needed. Masami had worked as the caretaker of an old shrine, but had retired years ago and apparently disappeared. However, one day he had showed up again, and taken up his old job.

Jin is still having trouble adjusting to his third home – he likes Masami far better than Monty, but he lacks friends or social skills. Jin is clever, and a talented runner, but he doesn’t really apply himself to either schoolwork or sports. In fact, he is quite a bit of a slacker – he avoids work whenever he can.

Quote: - “I really hate working, ‘cause it takes so much time.â€

Quote About Him: - “Jin seems resentful of the outer world. Doesn’t communicate well…†–excerpt from file at Kanagasafuke Junior High

Personality: Jin Sakemoto is a normal kid just like anyone else, except for a few things. First, he is very introverted. Second, he is very obsessive, but only about some things. When he gets into something, he really sticks with it.

Jin is a pessimistic kid, but still willing to take risks, even if he thinks they’re against the odds (which he calculates whenever possible).

Appearance: Jin’s clothes are usually ragged – he doesn’t bother coordinating them, or putting them on neatly. He has his hair dyed dark green, and greased down into place on the right side of his head. Jin is muscular, with an angular, depressed face and green eyes.

When he uses his innate bestial powers, his appearance changes. He has five part-animal forms he can take now – a tall, lean, feline form that bears fur all over his body, a birdlike form that sprouts wings from his back, covers him in feathers, and makes his features more aquiline, a wolflike form that is includes fangs and grey fur, a gator form complete with tough, leathery skin and a tail, and a bearlike form that is more heavily built and hairier.

Powers: Jin can partly transform himself into various animals, gaining some of their powers and making his skin tougher. Jin can see in the dark, and has keener-than-normal sight, and with his spirit-empowered sunglasses, he can even “see†supernatural creatures. However, the “sight†is relatively easy to block, and not very acute. He carries a necklace that allows him to touch spectral creatures normally, but with great effort. In addition, as a part-monster, Jin is harder to hurt by any means than the average human.

Lastly, Jin is a talented athlete, and is unusually strong, tough, and quick due to his monster blood. He also runs very swiftly.

Character Sheet, Jin Sakemoto

 

Characteristics:

Cost Characteristic Value

10 Strength 20

12 Dexterity 14

16 Constitution 18

10 Body 15

3 Intelligence 13

8 Ego 14

0 Presence 10

-1 Comeliness 8

4 Physical Defense 8

4 Energy Defense 8

16 Speed 4

0 Recovery 8

0 Endurance 36

0 Stun 34

 

Combat and Roll Information:

OCV: 5

DCV: 5

ECV: 5

Combat Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

Strength Roll: 13

Dexterity Roll: 12

Constitution Roll: 13

Intelligence Roll: 12

Perception Roll: 12

Ego Roll: 12

Resistant Physical Defense: 5

Resistant Energy Defense: 4

Running Speed: 13"

 

Powers:

14 Beastial Powers: Multipower, 18-point pool – OIHID* (-¼)

1u Feline Grace: Dexterity: +6 – No Figured Characterisitcs (-½)

1u Raven Wings: Flight: 9†– Restrainable (-½)

1u Wolf’s Jaws: ½d6 Hand Killing Attack – Armor Piercing (+½), Increased Stun Multiplier (+¼)

1u Gator’s Tail: +3d6 Hand Attack – Hand Attack (-½), Restrainable (-½) plus +3†Swimming

1u Bear’s Strength: Strength: +18 – No Figured Characteristics (-½)

10 Animal Skin: 5 rPD/ 4 rED Armor – OIHID* (-¼)

2 Part-Beast Resistance I: Mental Defense 5

5 Part-Beast Resistance II: Power Defense 5

5 Animal Eyes: Infrared Vision

2 Animal Eyes: +1 PER with Sight Group

1 Spiritual Awareness: Detect Supernatural, Sense – Always On (-½), Cannot Actively Use Sense (-½), Operates On The Subconscious Level (-¾), Extremely Vague (-2)

1 Spirit Shades I: Buy off from Spiritual Awareness Cannot Actively Use Sense and Operates On The Subconscious Level, and buy Extremely Vague (-2) down to Vague And Easily Blocked (-½) – IAF (-½)

3 Spirit Shades II: Add Ranged to Spiritual Awareness – OIF (-½)

2 Necklace of Spirits: Naked Power Advantage: Apply Affects Desolid (+½) to 20 Strength – OIF (-½), 8 Charges (-½), Costs Endurance (-½), x4 Endurance (-1½)

14 Quick: +7†Running

* Jin’s “Heroic Identity†is transforming into a partially bestial form, different for each power. Until he deactivates his powers, his appearance will make him stand out as inhuman, although the traits can (with sufficient cleverness) be hidden. In addition, changing forms takes a half-phase action that does not terminate the phase.

Skills:

Cost Skill Roll

0 Everyman Skills: N/A

Acting 8

Area Knowledge: Kanagasafuke, Japan 8

Climbing 8

Computer Programming 8

Concealment 8

Conversation 8

Deduction 8

Language Skill: Japanese - Idiomatic N/A

Paramedic 8

Persuasion 8

Professional Skill: Student 11

Shadowing 8

Stealth 8

Transport Familiarity: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles N/A

1 KS: Herpetology 8

2 Language Skill: Fluent in English N/A

Perks:

1 Membership: Initiate Watcher

Disadvantages:

Classification Disadvantage Roll Points

Distinctive Features Green Hair 10

Distinctive Features Monster Blooded 5

Reputation Rebellious (School Only) 11 5

Social Limitation Minor 20

Psychological Limitation Rebellious 15

Hunted Watched by the Watchers 8 10

Social Limitation Part-beast Watcher Agent 10

 

The plot so far...

 

Jin gets bored during track practice after school, and continues running but instead heads to a part of the school near an old building that is closed & locked up for renovation. This area has a few trees, and the grass and plants here are overgrown.

 

Jin gets a funny feeling, and manages to keep his feet as he nearly trips on something. 3 tough-looking men in dirty clothes step out from behind cover, carrying makeshift clubs (a heavy stick, a lead pipe, etc). and tell Jin to come with them, or else. Looking down, Jin sees a tree root that he had somehow missed, and notices one of the thugs sneaking up behind him just in time.

 

A fight insues, with much conking of heads. Jin manages to take down the three thugs with little trouble, but then another man appears on the scene, normal-looking except for odd-colored green eyes. He congratulates Jin on winning, remarking that Jin "may seem tough against them" but is no match for him, commanding Jin to drop the pipe and surrender. Jin refuses, and a tree branch lifts the man over to Jin, where Jin blocks his punch with the pipe and returns a powerful swing. He is surprised to connect solidly, but have his blow barely even felt.

 

The grass suddenly wraps around Jin, trapping him. He struggles to get loose, but the grass just keeps growing. Suddenly, three gunshots ring out, and Gin sees the mysterious plant-controller hit twice, one time in the arm which he doesn't even notice, and a second hit to the face which stuns him and knocks him down. The third bullet severs the stalk of the grass that had enlarged to entangle Jin, freeing him, and another voice tells Jin to hurry towards him. Jin spots a man in a suit, carrying a gun, who he recognizes. He saw the man once at his grandfather's shrine, but can't remember anything else.

 

Jin runs towards the man, who tells him to head to the Campus Center as they dash off. However, as soon as they get out of sight of the quickly-recover plant controller, the man pointed to an open window of the old building. He and Jin get in, and Jin suddenly notices that he can see heat patterns (it is totally dark). Jin and the man grope around for a short time, Jin trying to lead him to the other side. Jin asks for an explanation, but is told to keep quiet for now. However, before they can make it, grass-man and a larger group of thugs show up and surround the building as the plant-guy chases them inside. They flee up the stairs, eventually reaching the roof as more thugs join the pursuit. Jin and his still-unidentified saviour start looking for a way to climb down. but the plant-master shows them the fast way, knocking both off with a swing of an extendable greenwood club.

 

Jin feels oddly bouyant, and somehow manages to soften his descent. He slows the other man's down somewhat as he tries to grab Jin, but the other man is knocked unconscious by the impact. Grabbing him, Jin runs off and hides. In the chaos of the sudden fall, Jin can't remember exactly what happened.

 

Jin raids a dumpster for a disguise for himself and the man, and as he is wondering what to do, the man partially awakens and tells Jin to "go home," before passing out again. Jin heads back to his grandfather's shrine, pretending that the man is drunk.

 

Jin makes it most of the way home, but is stopped by the plant-man again, when he reaches the outskirts of town (empty by this time) where the shrine is. The man says that Jin's disguise was good enough to fool the thugs, but that "I can see your aura." Jin attempts to run, but is cut off by walls of weeds. He tries to muscle past the man, but is again caught by a net made from a grown weed.

 

Jin attempts again to break out, and feels his body grow and swell, easily snapping the weed. He notices that he has grown nearly two feet, and has shaggy brown hair and the beginnings of claws. With little time to contemplate, he hits the plant-master, who is caught off-gaurd. The plant master is hurt, but responds with a lash from his club. Jin is more hurt, and responds by grabbing the club and hurling it away.

 

The man gestures at the ground, and the weeds beneath the pavement explode upward, throwing Jin back. At this point, Jin feels his form waver, and isn't able to keep it stable. He turns into something with soft, dark fur and padded paws, and realizes that he has become feline. He tackles the man, knocking him to the ground, and beating the unnaturally tough assailant with a piece of concrete. The man responds with a last ditch attempt, striking Jin with a grown weed, but seals his own fate by knocking himself out but failing to finish Jin off.

 

Jin feels his form shift again, and winds up as a scaly green creature. He tries to become human again, but on the first try instead becomes something with gray hair and very sharp teeth, then suceeds. He hurries home with both unconscious unknown people.

 

Session ends.

 

 

 

 

(This is my "fact sheet," sorry about the bad grammar and all)

 

3 “types†of entities: humans, monsters, and spirits.

 

Monsters are corporeal, living beings with supernatural powers. They normally look inhuman, but many of them possess shapeshifting powers – some can even look human. Monsters are not good or evil per se, but tend to have very strange ideas of conduct and honor. Monsters are not a single “species†in the ordinary sense, but are rather a collection of similar beings. Monsters live in the human world, but are rare and remain hidden. Monsters possess widely varying abilities and powers; beastlike ones are the most common but everything from psionics to weather control is possible. Monsters that can take human form can interbreed with humans.

 

All monsters are sentient, although not all are particularly clever. The best known are lycanthropes such as werewolves, and such creatures are the most common. Beasts ranging from the kimera to the dragon are also monsters, as are the Fey. Some monsters look exactly like ordinary animals, but are sentient and (sometimes) capable of speech.

 

Spirits are incorporeal beings with supernatural powers. Like monsters, they vary very widely. Spirits are formed out of the subconscious of humans and monsters, and sometimes are generated by the dying. They are almost all evil in nature – the only known good ones are those created by dying humans with great spiritual powers (and not all of them are good). Spirits exist in three worlds – the human world, the dream world, and the spirit world. Not all spirits can travel freely between the three, however. Some can manifest in physical form, others can possess the living, or dead bodies. Some can interact with the materiel world without need to manifest.

 

All spirits are sentient, and the majority are highly intelligent. Some spirits, however, such as those created by excesses of a single powerful emotion that took away the reason of those who created it (such as pure rage) are barely even self-aware. Demons, vampires, ancestral spirits, and ghosts are all well-known manifestations, and common ones.

 

Humans = humans. Humans possess no supernatural powers normally. There are a few types that can, however.

Part monster – humans with monster blood. Monster blood is very strange – it is all-or-nothing, and quite often skips any number of generations. Beings are either human, monster, or monster-blooded (human-blooded, as monsters would have it). Monster-blooded have powers that vary every bit as widely as monsters. They are typically as powerful as average monsters, but they are much less likely to have the incredible powers that some monsters, such as dragons, possess.

Spirit-touched – human whose ancestry has been affected by a spirit. Typically, such effects are not beneficial.

Spirit-blooded – Crossbreed of a human and a corporeal spirit. Also called Cambions. Like monster-bloods, one is either spirit-blooded or not. Such beings tend to be powerful, and are almost always evil. They are more easily able to be affected by the powers of pure spirits than humans or part monsters are (for example, they are more easily able to channel granted powers of demons). For unclear reasons, monsters and corporeal spirits cannot interbreed.

Shaman/Sorceror – human who channels the powers of spirits. Shamans work with ancestral spirits, and can be good, evil, or in between. Sorcerors work with other types of spirits, and are always evil. Shamans always follow a give-and-take relationship with their spirits, but sorcerors have varying relationships. Some command spirits through force of will, others bribe them with offerings, and some are willing to sell their souls for granted power.

Empowered – humans granted inhuman powers by artifacts containing spirit powers. Such characters have powers as widely varied as the artifacts – some possess total control over the items they have, others are mere vessels for the relics. Some become “bonded†to the items, others are unconnected. Most, however, are mentally affected by using the items, and some are physically changed.

 

Dream World – a plane created by the unconscious minds of humans and monsters. Very few can actually control it. The Dream World has bearing on the human world only through the mind. It is constantly changing – every time someone dreams, they generate a new sub-section of the Dream World, of varying size based on the individual and the dream. If nobody is dreaming in an area, it slowly decays until it becomes not only empty, but nonexistent, remaining so until another dream appears. Occasional humans with mystic powers

 

Spirit World – an abstract plane where spirits live. It is best envisioned as an interconnected network of an immense number of separate worlds – varying creatures live in each. The world of the spirits follows the rules of the real world very selectively – gravity might or might not work, and if it does it may or may not function normally.

 

Human World – the real world. There are a number of locations have very high connective levels with the Spirit World – spirits can come and go more easily in such places. The human world contains many monsters – a number disguised in human form, and the rest hidden away. Practically any remote location contains at least a few monsters.

 

 

 

The Watchers – the Watchers are an organization devoted to protecting humanity from the more powerful races of monsters and spirits. Most of the watchers are well-trained but perfectly normal humans, and some are Empowered or Shamans. Part-monsters that side more with their human nature also work as part of the watchers, but many monsters and part-monsters consider this a betrayal. The Watchers accept the occasional spirit-blooded or spirit-touched human, but are very, very careful about doing so.

 

The Watchers generally serve to keep hostile or predatory spirits out of the human world, and such monsters killed or confined. They aren’t actually hostile to either, just defensive. Ancestral spirits often aid the Watchers, but other spirits hate their interference. Monsters that dislike humans or prey on them to survive dislike the Watchers, and those that prefer to avoid humans appreciate them (grudgingly). Symbiotic monsters are glad that the watchers keep humans alive, but often not thrilled at the interference. A few monsters are actually friendly to humans, but they are often disliked by their fellows.

 

The Watchers are organized into branches that operate in different areas. The leader of the Watchers is the current head of the Samasuke family, an ancient line that command a great number of ancestral spirits. The Samasukes have a power passed through their bloodline as a gift from the founder of the line, the legendary demon-slayer Kana Samasuke – they are incredibly resistant to mind-warping powers used by demons. The current head of the order is Hiroshi Samasuke, an elderly, traditional man who is still in good health. On a local level, the leader of a group of Watchers is called a Guardian, but past that organization is very loose as a security measure – the Guardian gives orders and receives reports, but those below him rarely do much in the way of coordination. Guardians have a lot of latitude in how they run their area – some are highly organized, strong leader who run every detail of operations, others control things very loosely and leave operatives mostly on their own.

 

Jin and the Plot.

 

The Sakemotos are descended from lycanthropes. Tenshi Sakemoto was a werewolf – although he claimed to be a pacifist who had fled World War II, he was actually a pacifist out of fear that he would transform. He seemed a coward because he never dared to even let himself get angry, let alone fight. Montgomery was also a lycanthrope, but one with more control over his powers, and with a different animal form – a weregator. Montgomery was not actually that mean, but turning into a gator every full moon made it a bit hard for him to live a normal life. Jonathon, however, appeared to simply be an ordinary human.

 

The Watchers kept an eye on the Sakemoto family. Tenshi and Monty were (and in Monty’s case, still are) under surveillance, but not considered dangerous. The woman Jonathon married, Aya Kusanagi, was a Watcher agent (a trained normal human) originally sent to keep an eye on him, but she fell in love with him. Masami Kusanagi was (and still is) the Guardian of Kanagasafuke, a moderately powerful Shaman. He was missing for several years because he was lost on a mission in the Dream World, a dangerous one in which he sought to defeat a powerful Dream Demon that was poised to take over the entire city. He defeated it, but it took him almost a decade of life in the Dream World, and he has been far quieter than he used to be since his return. He is widely considered to be well past his prime, but he has refused to resign and is still competent.

 

Jin appeared to have inherited none of the powers of his uncle and grandfather, but actually he too is a part-monster. In his case, however, his nature is quite different – he is not a lycanthrope, but instead possesses varied but limited powers appropriate to animals. He also will receive a few items of power from his grandfather, if it becomes necessary.

 

 

 

What is going on behind the current plot - a servant of the Dream Demon that Jin's grandfather destroyed wants revenge, and hired the part-monster plant-controller to kidnap Jin. The man in the suit is a Watcher agent, who was keeping a clandestine eye on Jin for his grandfather. The agent (Ekiken Takahashi, a martial artist/skilled normal) is going to be a recurring character, the plant controller (Blackthorn) might or might not be.

[Fireg0lem]

Update for the second session:

 

Jin got filled in by his grandfather on the (very) basics of the world. His grandfather suggested that joining the Watchers as an apprentice would be a good idea, as he had somehow already gotten wrapped up in supernatural affairs. He gave Jin the spirit-imbued items (the shades and necklace), and told him he would get a simple test mission approved, sending Jin to bed.

 

The next day, Jin got sent on a mission to deliver food to a Sasquatch, called Rogobo. Jin went to Rogobo's cave, encountering only a single snake in the woods, but found that Rogobo had gone berserk and was nearly knocked out by Rogobo. Before he ran, he noticed an odd reddish aura around Rogobo's head.

 

Jin and Rogobo stalked each other through the woods, as Jin quickly realized the red thing was affecting Rogobo (who he had been told was mostly harmless). Jin used the necklace to strike the red thing, causing it to flee. Rogobo was weakened without the aid of the spirit, and Jin managed to subdue him, taking advantage of Rogobo's poor tactics. After Rogobo woke up, Jin explained what had happened and gave him the food, then headed home.

[shinrin]

If this is a character in an anime type game, where is the obligatory 10"+ of Leaping Super power?? Don't ALL anime characters jump around from roof-top to roof-top?

 

I'm just joking with you, but I remember a HERO game I played many years ago which was Anime in flavor in which it was a campaign requirement to purchase a minimum of 5" of Superleap (now renamed Leaping in 5th Edition).

 

Ah the memories...

[Fireg0lem]

Originally posted by shinrin

If this is a character in an anime type game, where is the obligatory 10"+ of Leaping Super power?? Don't ALL anime characters jump around from roof-top to roof-top?

 

I'm just joking with you, but I remember a HERO game I played many years ago which was Anime in flavor in which it was a campaign requirement to purchase a minimum of 5" of Superleap (now renamed Leaping in 5th Edition).

 

Ah the memories...

 

Perhaps I might try and simulate this effect by not halving upward height on base jumps? This might get close to what I'm looking for here.

 

Actually, I should add Superleap to more characters, particularly the agent, Ekiken.

 

Good thought, even if it was just a joke.