The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

[Michael Hopcroft]

How do you model in HERO a character who is spectacularly, unbelievably BAD at a skill? Like Akane Tendo's cooking, which fails in amazing, spectacular and outright dangerous ways and is a menace to anyone who eats it (inlcuding herself)? And how do you model the fact that the character, despite their abysmal skills, keeps on trying and forcing their friends and loved ones to ednure their efforts?

 

There are other examples of such spectacular incompetence, such as putting Azumanga Daioh's Yukari Tanazkui-sensei behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

[Black Rose]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

The relentless insistance on others to ignore past experience and give them one more try would pretty much have to be a Psych Lim. In Akane's case, something like "PsychLim: Thinks she can actually cook (uncommon, total; -15)". The concept is pretty tailor-made for the Disad.

 

As far as the abysmal skill level, I think it would have to be a PhysLim for people like Ryouga and his utter lack of direction sense (he really can't try to overcome his limitation), and a PsychLim for Akane (later in the manga she starts to cook better, actually making a tolerable curry). With Akane, it's really a matter of thinking she's better than she is (if I don't know how to do it, it can't be all that hard) and excessive enthusiasm. Granted, my opinion is colored by reading way too many fanfic, but still.

 

To lob a related concept at you, how would you model Kasumi's blissful "ignore"-ance of anything upsetting? She does see what's happening, but she filters it through her rose-colored glasses and turns homicidal Amazons bent on killing her little sister's fiance and directionally-challenged death threat screaming teenagers into "Ranma, your friend came looking for you, so I served them tea." Also, it seems reality conspires to not push her too hard to see what she doesn't acknowledge.

[Katherine]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

How do you model in HERO a character who is spectacularly, unbelievably BAD at a skill? Like Akane Tendo's cooking, which fails in amazing, spectacular and outright dangerous ways and is a menace to anyone who eats it (inlcuding herself)? And how do you model the fact that the character, despite their abysmal skills, keeps on trying and forcing their friends and loved ones to ednure their efforts?

 

There are other examples of such spectacular incompetence, such as putting Azumanga Daioh's Yukari Tanazkui-sensei behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

 

I'd call it a disadvantage. It gives her a bad rep, tends to make her angry, etc, in Akane's case. Depending on the situation and the setting, it might just be a sfx. The fact they keep trying can be part of the disadvantage or another psych lim.

 

Phys lim: Horrible, mindnumbingly bad cook (infr, slightly)

Psych Lim: Keeps trying to cook and forcing people to eat it (Com, total)

Enraged: People insult her cooking (Com, 14- rec:11-)

 

[Doc Democracy]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

How do you model in HERO a character who is spectacularly, unbelievably BAD at a skill? Like Akane Tendo's cooking, which fails in amazing, spectacular and outright dangerous ways and is a menace to anyone who eats it (inlcuding herself)? And how do you model the fact that the character, despite their abysmal skills, keeps on trying and forcing their friends and loved ones to ednure their efforts?

 

There are other examples of such spectacular incompetence, such as putting Azumanga Daioh's Yukari Tanazkui-sensei behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

 

Surely something of a Reputation accompanied by a Physical Limitation - not worth more than 10 points in total I think but definitely where the colour comes in.

 

Doc

[Katherine]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

The relentless insistance on others to ignore past experience and give them one more try would pretty much have to be a Psych Lim. In Akane's case, something like "PsychLim: Thinks she can actually cook (uncommon, total; -15)". The concept is pretty tailor-made for the Disad.

 

As far as the abysmal skill level, I think it would have to be a PhysLim for people like Ryouga and his utter lack of direction sense (he really can't try to overcome his limitation), and a PsychLim for Akane (later in the manga she starts to cook better, actually making a tolerable curry). With Akane, it's really a matter of thinking she's better than she is (if I don't know how to do it, it can't be all that hard) and excessive enthusiasm. Granted, my opinion is colored by reading way too many fanfic, but still.

 

To lob a related concept at you, how would you model Kasumi's blissful "ignore"-ance of anything upsetting? She does see what's happening, but she filters it through her rose-colored glasses and turns homicidal Amazons bent on killing her little sister's fiance and directionally-challenged death threat screaming teenagers into "Ranma, your friend came looking for you, so I served them tea." Also, it seems reality conspires to not push her too hard to see what she doesn't acknowledge.

 

Psych Lim: See everything threw rose colored glasses, never acknowledges bad or stressful things. (Ver com, total)

"Ignorance is bliss" Luck:4d6

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

To lob a related concept at you' date=' how would you model Kasumi's blissful "ignore"-ance of anything upsetting? She does see what's happening, but she filters it through her rose-colored glasses and turns homicidal Amazons bent on killing her little sister's fiance and directionally-challenged death threat screaming teenagers into "Ranma, your friend came looking for you, so I served them tea." Also, it seems reality conspires to not push her too hard to see what she doesn't acknowledge.[/quote']

Physical Lim: Does Not See ANYTHING As A Threat?

 

A collary to that is that Kasumi seems to see the best out of every situation. Like the classic exchange in the first episode:

 

Kasumi: "Akane would seem the logical choice."

Akane: "WHAT?"

Nabiki: "You said yourself you don't like boys."

Kasumi; "Well, you're in luck! Ranma's half girl!"

 

Although in at least one circumatance her obvliviousness kicks her in the pants -- she considers Dr. Tofu a "character" without realizing the reason he acts so loopy around her is that he's head-over-heels in love.

[Fuzzy Gnome]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

To lob a related concept at you' date=' how would you model Kasumi's blissful "ignore"-ance of anything upsetting? She does see what's happening, but she filters it through her rose-colored glasses and turns homicidal Amazons bent on killing her little sister's fiance and directionally-challenged death threat screaming teenagers into "Ranma, your friend came looking for you, so I served them tea." Also, it seems reality conspires to not push her too hard to see what she doesn't acknowledge.[/quote']

I think I'd make her pay points for that, as PRE Only for Defense or something.

I think I've seen her struggling to keep calm or find the 'normalcy' in a situation. The only time her obliviousness seemed to be an inconvenience for anyone is in regard to Dr. Tofu, and in the manga she apparently stopped seeing Dr. Tofu as soon as Akane told her the doctor only acts like a clown around Kasumi. Kasumi herself is never limited by her mildness, IMO. For example, she can be stern when she wants to be, or offer advice that actually has some bearing on the matter at hand.

[Fuzzy Gnome]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

If your character is supposed to be especially good at being eccentric, I'd recommend spending the points for it. Ryoga has a head full of rocks, likewise to a much lesser degree Akane and maybe Soun, but Kasumi is intelligent, mild, and has an indomitable will. Ryoga has Phys Lim: Stupid, but Kasumi would have a mild Psych Lim at best.

Tatewaki and Kodachi both have 'act like a twit and annoy people 14-,' but Tatewaki took it as a Disad and Kodachi as a skill. She can add her INT bonus to her roll, take extra time, or apply knowledge skills to be more effective. With the expenditure of 5 or 10 experience, Tatewaki might be no better at annoying people than a competent normal, but Kodachi would become the all-being master of obnoxious, at once loved and envied by Foxbat.

[TheEmerged]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

My main problem with this type of concept -- from a GM's point of view, not a roleplayer's -- is that they tend toward multiple disadvantage categories. There are times when it is called for; to use the example in question the Physical (can't cook, at all) and PsychLim (must convince people to eat his/her attempts to cook) stretch the margin of what I'll allow to nearly the breaking point -- expecting me to also allow a Reputation (lousy cook) breaks it.

 

Insert argument about changing the points to disadvantage ratio (from 200/150 to 250/100 for superheroes for example, or from 75/75 to 100/50 for heroic) here.

[Mike W]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

I'm thinking Unluck that only applies to one type of skill roll for Akane's cooking and the like. Several dice of it. Even one 6 on the unluck roll and the skill roll, even if you have the skill, no longer matters. Convincing people to eat your bad cooking is roleplaying - bullying, cajoling whatever. It depends on your approach. Sometimes Akane bullies people into it, sometimes they are so desperate to eat that they'll try anything, sometimes she guilts them into it.

 

As for Kasume, just buy it as a Psych Lim. You can even call it "Rose Colored Glasses" or "Always Sees the Best in People"

[BNakagawa]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

You can't rely on unluck...sometimes it doesn't come up 1s. Akane's cooking is always bad.

[gojira]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

I think Katherine pretty much has the right answers to both questions.

 

With regards to Kasumi, I think it's just an exaggerated japanese politeness ethic. She does preceive threats. Like in one of the early manga scenes with Ryoga, she hears him outside and thinks it may be a burglar. So she politely helps Akane find a more violent weapon to bash him.

 

She's being polite.

[Mike W]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

You can't rely on unluck...sometimes it doesn't come up 1s. Akane's cooking is always bad.

 

True, but if you buy 6 or 7 dice and call it a 10 point disad because the unluck only applies to one roll, it's not going to fail very often. Besides, even if the unluck doesn't work, the 8- everyman to make most of what she's doing means that it's awful pretty much every time. Just not necessarily sickening. And I wouldn't really want to think of giving someone 3 disads around this or buying it as an uncontrolled power. It's one of those things that is easier to do in a manga or TV series(you can just write it) than it is to represent on a character sheet.

[Southern Cross]

Re: The Akane Tendo Culinary Institute

 

Glad to see I'm not the only Ranma fan on these boards....