OUBLIETTE 2E: Ja'fari, Bethany Fischer

[Shihali]

Well, I'm always interested in new builds of the Tenken, so my 2 sen on the subject:

1. I've never figured out how to properly represent Kenshinverse ki abilities, so I don't know how to write up Soujirou's immunity to them. Do you see him as immune to Jin'ei's Shin no Ippou (One-Sided Heart)? I do - I see him as flat-out immune to anything with the [ki] descriptor in his own universe. Which is fine for a Kenshin-only game, but insanity is no defense against a Kamehameha, and I haven't figured out any way to limit the immunity properly.

2. Should there be a mechanical way of representing what Kenshin did to Soujirou, or should it be taken as a one-off event requiring the rare (?) combination of a pacifistic philosophy, a sky-high Diplomacy score, and a Hero Point or two?

[Libra]

Keep up the good work, old chap.

[luketheduke86]

some very interesting builds here Michuru. those are also some excellent Bleach builds think you handled Kenpachi and Toshiro (2 of my favorites) extremely well!! your plans for Ichigo sound intriguing..you have any plans to do a Uryu build, particulary during the Soul Society Arc?

[Michuru81]

Well, I'm always interested in new builds of the Tenken, so my 2 sen on the subject:

1. I've never figured out how to properly represent Kenshinverse ki abilities, so I don't know how to write up Soujirou's immunity to them. Do you see him as immune to Jin'ei's Shin no Ippou (One-Sided Heart)? I do - I see him as flat-out immune to anything with the [ki] descriptor in his own universe. Which is fine for a Kenshin-only game, but insanity is no defense against a Kamehameha, and I haven't figured out any way to limit the immunity properly.

2. Should there be a mechanical way of representing what Kenshin did to Soujirou, or should it be taken as a one-off event requiring the rare (?) combination of a pacifistic philosophy, a sky-high Diplomacy score, and a Hero Point or two?

Jin-e’s Shin no Ippou, much like the “swordsman’s spirit” possessed by Kenshin, Saitou, Shishio… even Yahiko during Jinchu- I see it all being effects of Chi; maybe with a descriptor, maybe not. I’m actually surprised more anime builds don’t utilize this or even make use of some of the variable rules in the Mastermind Manual that exhaust a power. Having a pool of energy points makes sense for a Naruto setting and probably a few more but… eh, I’m digressing.

In Jin-e’s case, I’d run him with an alternate power of Paralyze- since we never get to see if he actually hypnotizes people the way hypnosis works in the game. Possibly a Will-based Suffocate, if not represented as extra effort on his part.

How would someone like Kenshin benefit from this? I’d see his Ki/Chi being Boost Charisma, maybe even Boost Will, while his trick near the end of the Shishio fight would be a little extra effort on his part, reviving every one of his allies.

Now Soujiro… I’ve seen a few builds just hand him an immunity to interaction skills and… while it seems like a cop out, it works. It would keep him susceptible to Jin-e’s attacks, sure, but it also lets Soujiro fight against other swordsmen. Take Shinomori Aoshi who obviously makes use of Acrobatic Bluff; I’m thinking that were the two of them to cross blades, Soujiro would have a bit of an upper hand as he’s not so easily deceived.

As for Soujiro’s breakdown… I don’t think there’s anything mechanical to it. In my own game, my players have managed to turn a few of their opponents into their allies. Granted, that becomes more difficult if you run Soujiro with an immunity to interaction skills but I think the many complications on Soujiro shine through that.

some very interesting builds here Michuru. those are also some excellent Bleach builds think you handled Kenpachi and Toshiro (2 of my favorites) extremely well!! your plans for Ichigo sound intriguing..you have any plans to do a Uryu build, particulary during the Soul Society Arc?

I would very much like to do a series of builds, showing Ichigo, Ishida and Chad’s progression through the series. I'd do Orihime (that sounds so wrong) but she doesn't really show much growth...

More so though, I want to do characters like Ikkaku, Tousen, Unohana, Komamura… Ganju… those who are typically overlooked. I'm avoiding people like Kyoraku or Ukitake, no matter how awesome they are, simply because we know jack about them at this point.

[Shihali]

Jin-e’s Shin no Ippou, much like the “swordsman’s spirit” possessed by Kenshin, Saitou, Shishio… even Yahiko during Jinchu- I see it all being effects of Chi; maybe with a descriptor, maybe not. I’m actually surprised more anime builds don’t utilize this or even make use of some of the variable rules in the Mastermind Manual that exhaust a power. Having a pool of energy points makes sense for a Naruto setting and probably a few more but… eh, I’m digressing.

In Jin-e’s case, I’d run him with an alternate power of Paralyze- since we never get to see if he actually hypnotizes people the way hypnosis works in the game. Possibly a Will-based Suffocate, if not represented as extra effort on his part.

How would someone like Kenshin benefit from this? I’d see his Ki/Chi being Boost Charisma, maybe even Boost Will, while his trick near the end of the Shishio fight would be a little extra effort on his part, reviving every one of his allies.

Now Soujiro… I’ve seen a few builds just hand him an immunity to interaction skills and… while it seems like a cop out, it works. It would keep him susceptible to Jin-e’s attacks, sure, but it also lets Soujiro fight against other swordsmen. Take Shinomori Aoshi who obviously makes use of Acrobatic Bluff; I’m thinking that were the two of them to cross blades, Soujiro would have a bit of an upper hand as he’s not so easily deceived.

As for Soujiro’s breakdown… I don’t think there’s anything mechanical to it. In my own game, my players have managed to turn a few of their opponents into their allies. Granted, that becomes more difficult if you run Soujiro with an immunity to interaction skills but I think the many complications on Soujiro shine through that.

I think the practice of giving Soujirou an immunity to interaction skills comes from Kenshin's ki-reading being represented as Intimidate and Sense Motive, which Soujirou needs immunity to. A complete immunity to Diplomacy and Bluff isn't strictly accurate IMO but getting through to him in his brainwashed state should be very hard. Everything done with ki in RK can be represented as Sense Motive, Intimidate, and immunity thereto - except for Jin'ei. That's why I asked.

I saw one build incorporating mechanical effects, so I was curious about that.

I'm still looking forward to your stuff - I'm sure you know everything I'm saying already!

[luketheduke86]

the builds of lesser knowns sounds good. i was always one to root for the little guys and Ganju was always entertaing lol. can't wait for more!

[Michuru81]

KUROSAKI ICHIGO (Power Level 3)



STR 16 (+3), DEX 14 (+2), CON 16 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 10, CHA 10

SKILLS: Diplomacy 2, Intimidate 4, Sense Motive 6

FEATS: All-out Attack, Assessment, Attack Focus (melee) 3, Cool 1 (Diplomacy), Improved Block, Improved Disarm, Instant Up, Power Attack, Stunning Attack, Tough

POWERS: Super-Senses 1 (Enhanced Senses: Spiritual Awareness)

COMBAT: Attack +0 (+3 melee), Grapple +6, Damage +3, Defense +2 (+1 flat-footed), Knockback -2, Initiative +2

SAVES: Toughness +4, Fortitude +3, Reflex +2, Will +7

DRAWBACKS: Honor, Reputation, Responsibility (family, friends, school), Secret (sees dead people, mother’s death)

Abilities 18 + Skills 3 (12 ranks) + Feats 12 + Powers 1 + Combat 4 + Saves 7 = 45 points

In tackling Ichigo, I decided to start from the very beginning. This build represents BLEACH’s main character prior to receiving his shinigami powers.

Ichigo is in peak physical condition thanks to his martial arts training and surviving continuous attacks from upperclassmen and his own father. From Tatsuki’s tale during the Grand Fisher storyline we can estimate that Ichigo spent at least five years learning karate… so the bulk of his feats serve to represent that.

Ichigo is more studious than one would guess, being ranked twenty-third in his school. As such, I gave him a bit of a boost in the Intelligence department. Still, Ichigo’s lack of common senses (where people’s names are concerned or his inability to grasp some basics…) and social grace (that perpetual scowl drives most people away) give him flat Wisdom and Charisma. Still, Ichigo has attracted friends like Keigo, Mizuiro and Chad and he certainly has Orihime’s attentions as well. Thus- the single rank of Cool, just to help him make a good impression and win those precious few people over.

According to big guns like Urahara or Aizen, Ichigo’s biggest power is that he grasps the basics with astonishing speed. He spent a few days with Urahara and was able to fight a warrior like Ikkaku almost evenly. Three days with Yoruichi helped him acquire both shunpu and bankai- which further builds are going to show...

[Michuru81]

KUROSAKI ICHIGO (Power Level 5)



STR 16 (+3), DEX 14 (+2), CON 16 (+3), INT 12 (+1), WIS 10, CHA 10

SKILLS: Diplomacy 2, Gather Information 2, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (arcane lore) 2, Sense Motive 6

FEATS: All-out Attack, Assessment, Attack Focus (melee) 3, Beginner’s Luck, Cool 2 (Diplomacy, Gather Information), Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 2, Improved Block 2, Improved Critical 1 (zanpakuto), Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Instant Up, Interpose, Power Attack, Stunning Attack, Takedown Attack, Tough

POWERS: Container 5 (Shinigami; Concealment 10 [all senses; Extras: Duration {Continuous, +1}; Flaws: Limited {against spiritually unaware, -1}, Permanent {-1}], Device 3 [Zanpakuto {easy to lose}; Strike 4 {Power Feats: Extended Reach, Improved Critical, Mighty; Extras: Penetrating 7 (+1)}], Super-Movement 1 (Air Walking); Drawbacks: Noticeable [-1 point]), Flaws: Uncontrolled [-1]), Super-Senses 1 (Enhanced Senses: Spiritual Awareness)

COMBAT: Attack +0 (+3 melee), Grapple +8, Damage +3, Defense +4 (+1 flat-footed), Knockback -3, Initiative +2

SAVES: Toughness +6 (+2 flat-footed), Fortitude +4, Reflex +3, Will +7

DRAWBACKS: Involuntary Transformation (uncommon frequency, cannot resist; -4 points), Normal Identity (uncommon frequency, major intensity; -3 points)

COMPLICATIONS: Honor, Reputation, Responsibility (family, friends, school, shinigami), Secret (sees dead people, mother’s death)

Abilities 18 + Skills 4 (16 ranks) + Feats 22 + Powers 25 + Combat 4 + Saves 9 – Drawbacks 7 = 75 points

This is how I've chosen to illustrate Kurosaki Ichigo as he appears through the first story arc of BLEACH- from gaining Kuchiki Rukia's shinigami powers to losing them at the hands of Kuchiki Byakuya.

At this point in the series, Ichigo is the only Shinigami walking around Karakura Town. As such, I’m playing up that his powers are part of a Container than he can’t activate on his own (Uncontrolled). During this stint of the story Ichigo relies primarily on Rukia and her glove to eject his soul from his body, although he has also utilized Urahara’s cane (actually his zanpakuto) and Kon if the situation demanded it.

Of course when Ichigo transforms into his Shinigami form, his body is left behind or worse: Kon is left in control. In these moments, the people around him notice that something is up- either Ichigo slumps over in an unconscious heap or he just begins behaving extremely out of character. While these are more complications than anything, I tacked on the noticeable drawback to feed him back a measly point for it all.

[luketheduke86]

Very nice Ichigo builds.. really hit all the key points of his character...couple questions though what is the Cool feat? i dont recognize it from the books is it a homemade feat? and also for his Zanpakuto it should only need the mighty feat once correct? oh and since you have a beginning Ichigo have you considered doing a build of what an average Hollow would be like? once again great job cant wait for more

[Michuru81]

Very nice Ichigo builds.. really hit all the key points of his character...couple questions though what is the Cool feat? i dont recognize it from the books is it a homemade feat? and also for his Zanpakuto it should only need the mighty feat once correct? oh and since you have a beginning Ichigo have you considered doing a build of what an average Hollow would be like? once again great job cant wait for more

Cool is a feat that comes to us out of Hero High. Essentially, every rank you pick a Charisma-based skill and you get a +5 bonus to that skill, when used on anyone under the age of 20. Oddly, that includes Handle Animal so... watch out, teenaged duckies- Ichigo is coming for you.

Mighty Strike with other extras has always been a problem for me, but Ultimate Power kind of takes some of the headache away with ranked Mighty. Basically, Mighty by itself let's Ichigo add his Strength mod to his Strike ranks, but not the Penetrating. As is my understanding, Mighty 2 let's Ichigo apply +2 damage to his Penetrating Strike, Mighty 3 for the whole enchillada.

[luketheduke86]

if you buy the mighty feat to ichigo he can add his entire Str bonus to his sword, the only time additional ranks of mighty are required is if an attack is ranged and i beleive to area affects. with penetrating whichever ranks you add in, like in ichigos case you already bought it 7 times so it you'll take that much off of an opponents Imp. toughness to see if he does damage. so that gives you an extra pp to add to whatever you like, such as another imp. critical or maybe Affect Insubstantial since hollows can seemingly walk through walls but can still be affected by a Zanpakuto.

[Libra]

Keep up the good work, Michuru.

[Tattooedman]

I've got to say that you're doing a very excellant job on the Bleach builds here Michuru. Very nice indeed.

[Michuru81]

RAPUNZEL (Power Level 8 / Minion Level 8)

Real Name: Julie Harding
Height / Weight: 5’6” / 100 lbs.
Hair / Eyes: Blonde / Hazel
Place of Birth: Hartford, Connecticut (February 14, 1990)
First Appearance: New Vindicators #11

Physical Description: Julie is an attractive young woman with a honey blonde finger weave hair style. She typically favors blouses with low necklines and high skirts to accent her body.

Biography: Julie Harding was worse than an only child; she was the only child of a man and woman who had been the only children of their respective households. As such she not only had no one to compete with for her parents’ affections but no one to compete with for her grandparents’ attention. Thus, it goes without saying that Julie grew up spoilt to the core.

All through her life there was nothing she was denied. As she transitioned into high school she found herself blessed with her mother’s good looks and found that boys would deny her nothing either. Used to getting her way, her life came crashing down around her when her Neo-Sapien powers manifested at the tail end of her Sophomore year.

Wanting the best for their daughter, Mister and Missus Harding enrolled Julie in the New Vindicators Academy of America- seeing it as her only chance for a normal adolescence. She started her Junior year there by laying eyes on the one thing she could not have: Adonis Skraag.

To her eyes he was the perfect man and yet he had no interest in her… only in her powers. Yearning to just be near him, Julie joined the Affiliation and has remained loyal to this day- even abandoning the school and cutting ties with her family to go on the run.

STR 10, DEX 15 (+2), CON 10, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 16 (+3)

SKILLS: Bluff 4 (+7/+11 attractive), Diplomacy 4 (+7/+11 attractive), Gather Information 4 (+7), Language 1 (English [base], French), Knowledge (popular culture) 3, Notice 4, Perform (acting) 4 (+7), Sense Motive 4

FEATS: Attractive 1, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 1, Fascinate 1 (Diplomacy), Grappling Finesse, Improved Grab, Improved Pin, Improved Trip, Teamwork 1

POWERS: Prehensile Hair 8 (Additional Limbs 4 [10 tendrils], Elongation 4 [50 feet]; Alternate Powers: Hair-Blower; Hair-Catcher; Hair-Net; Power Feats: Accurate 2), Shield 8 (Extras: Linked [Prehensile Hair, +0])

Equipment: cell phone; 4 free equipment points

COMBAT: Attack +4 (+8 prehensile hair), Grapple +8, Damage +0, Defense +12 (+2 flat-footed), Knockback -1 (-0 flat-footed), Initiative +2

SAVES: Toughness +2 (+0 flat-footed), Fortitude +2, Reflex +8, Will +2

COMPLICATIONS: Prejudice (Bisexual, Neo-Sapien)

Abilities 11 + Skills 7 (28 ranks) + Feats 10 + Powers 21 + Combat 16 + Saves 10 = 75 points

Rapunzel serves as the Affiliation's espionage agent. She lies/seduces her way into the heart of their enemies' base, gets what she needs and gets out. If things turn sour, her powers are actually fairly decent so... getting out of a sticky situation shouldn't be too troublesome.

[Michuru81]

PURGATORY (Power Level 12)

Real Name: Purgatory
Aliases: Kuchin, Gehenna, Jahannam, the Void
Height / Weight: N/A
Hair / Eyes: N/A
Place of Birth: Unknown
First Appearance: Illuminati #16

Biography: Little is truly known about the creature some call Kuchin. For centuries it has dwelt in Japan, where the void earned its name.

Despite that its only vulnerability is hellfire, most demons are intimidated by the void’s reputation and as such are quick to obey the being. Indeed, many of the few mortals whom demonkind truly fears fear this creature- one of the few beings to have almost ended the life of the last Aurelius, Doctor Steven White…

ILLUMINATI: Wild Hunt
When the Illuminati finally arrived in Shambhala, they found the city ravaged and the survivors babbling about Kuchin’s presence having made the difference. Kuchin had led the other four demons – Sui, Chi, Ka and Fu – to the city in search of Doctor White. When they failed to find him there they left, instead going to the Aurelius’ hometown of San Francisco.

Unsure where Earth’s master mage had disappeared to, the Illuminati returned to the Chapel, only to find the landscape altered by Chi’s earth manipulations. A fight erupted between the heroes and the demons and unbeknownst to them, Kuchin flittered about the battlefield, devouring their teammates.

The first to fall was Oafeon, followed by the Aurelius. William Benson managed to distract the creature long enough for Rumble to at least end the life of one of the demons, Sui, but a desperate Deimos became his team’s unmaking. With the city cloaked in darkness, the demons began to attack the area- pegging off William Benson, Rumble and Tick-tock in the process.

While Xrix surrendered herself to Semyazza, Kuchin pulled the three into itself- leaving only an unconscious Deimos behind as the sole survivor of the Illuminati.

STR 14 (+2), DEX 20 (+5), CON 14 (+2), INT 14 (+2), WIS 20 (+5), CHA 8 (-1)

SKILLS: Intimidate 8 (+7), Knowledge (arcane lore) 8 (+10), Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 8 (+10), Notice 4 (+9), Search 4 (+6), Sense Motive 8 (+13)

FEATS: Attack Focus (melee) 4, Defensive Roll 4, Dodge Focus 8, Elusive Target, Evasion 2, Fearless, Grappling Finesse, Improved Initiative

POWERS: Dimensional Pocket 10 (Extras: Aura [+1], Duration [Continuous, +3]; Power Feats: Accurate 2), Immortality, Immunity 7 (life support), Insubstantial 4, Teleport 5 (Extras: Accurate [+1]; Flaws: Long-Range [-1]; Drawbacks: Noticeable [the sound, -1 point])

COMBAT: Attack +0 (+4 melee, +8 dimensional pocket), Grapple +9, Damage +2, Defense +12 (+2 flat-footed), Knockback -3, Initiative +9

SAVES: Toughness +6 (+2 flat-footed), Fortitude +6, Reflex +13, Will +9

DRAWBACKS: Vulnerable (Hellfire; very common occurrence, major intensity; -5 points)

Abilities 30 + Skills 10 (40 ranks) + Feats 22 + Powers 104 + Combat 8 + Saves 16 = - Drawbacks 5= 185 points

Last night ended the third story arc for our Illuminati campaign- with my players facing off against the Void. My intent was to let them handle the four demons accompanying Purgatory, while it just observed from a distance. As victory was just within the group's reach, the Void would teleport in, swallow one of the PCs and the next round leave.

Naturally the party would notice an entity just devouring their teammates and attack. Trouble is, nothing really gets around that Insubstantial... with the exception of hellfire- a very common power source in my campaign world. Given that this party has two characters capable of generating such an energy- I assumed that they would be able to end the Void's threat and save their teammates.

Having been a GM for nine years now, you'd think I would learn that you can never count on your players to do what you expect them to do. The two Nephilim in the party were unable to do anything to save the group- but hey, I can make the story work with that.

As a result of Purgatory taking the party, I've neutered him quite a bit- lowering his overall point cost to bring him close to my usual taste of 15 PP/Power Level. The result is what you see above- not the creature who bested the Illuminati, but the same concept all the same. I dropped a lot of the other immunities it had, along with some of the other modifications to its Dimensional Pocket and Insubstantial. I've also given it more personality- having made it more of a non-sentient entity originally.

Hopefully, when my players face this again in a few weeks, things will be a bit different...