Wednesday Anima

[SageGenesis]

Figure this deserves its own thread.

Some people wondered what this game is like. I'll provide some media suggestions that have the same sort of spirit.

Videogames
Lots and lots of JRPG potential. Chrono Trigger, Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Sora no Kiseki, some of the Final Fantasies, Golden Sun, etc.


Anime & Manga
(You can check out manga online at various sites like botato or mangafox. For anime, try haruhichan or your preferred streaming service.)

Fairy Tail (anime and manga, manga is better)
Probably the best example of the bunch. Over the top fantasy world where wizard guilds function more like teams of irresponsible superheroes. Very long though so seriously catching up would require a bit of work. For the dedicated though, it has some of the best and smartest uses of combat magic I've seen in a while. These wizards are not old geezers in robes who mumble a bit.
Decent examples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4uw18RVqPI
(Yes, those are all wizards.)

Akame ga Kill! (anime and manga, the anime only just started recently so easy to find and follow)
The antics of an assassin's guild. Bit darker than the previous one, involves blood and violence. Still has plenty of humor.

UQ Holder (manga)
Following the exploits of a team of immortal beings. (The term "UQ" is pronounced the same as a Japanese word for eternity.) Set in the near future and a spin-off of the equally good Mahou Sensei Negima, but UQ Holder is fairly new (less than 40 chapters so far) so it's easier to get into.

(Honorable mention goes to Slayers, the classic example of an anachronistic world with absurdly powerful wizards fucking things up for the rest of us. But probably too old and too much material to get into.)

[MaszaH]

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/0004419...large.jpeg

This is relevant.

[SageGenesis]

This is also relevant.
Bear-familiar-god-warrior and also a view of what life looks like for an "average" team of adventurers on the sidelines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D4wvSIHrl0

[SageGenesis]

Ok, skills.

The following is the list of skills. They're put into groups, which determines their cost. The group only determines the costs of the skills that fall under its category, you don't need to purchase the group itself or anything like that. At the end I'll put any other skill-related info.

Athletics
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Acrobatics
* Athleticism (NB: This is a generic catch-all athletics skill to handle tasks that aren't covered by the other Athletics skills, which should be fairly uncommon.)
* Climb
* Jump
* Ride
* Swim

Social
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Intimidate
* Leadership
* Persuasion
* Style (NB: This skill also ensures that the wind makes your billowing cloak look dramatic instead of just cumbersome. Any scars you gain will be badass instead of disfiguring with a good Style skill.)

Perceptive
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Notice (NB: This is a passive skill. You don't declare its use.)
* Search (NB: This is the active skill. Search is only used when you spend an action to do so, but it typically rolls against lower difficulties than Notice does.)
* Track

Intellectual
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 3 per +1 bonus.)
* Animals
* Herbal Lore
* History
* Magic Appraisal (NB: Only people with the Gift can develop this skill. It allows you to analyze and identify magical effects. The Wizard class pays only 1 point per +1 instead of the usual 2 points.)
* Medicine
* Memorize (NB: This is the skill you roll when the player forgot to write something down and asks the GM if they can still remember details.)
* Navigation
* Occult
* Science
* Trading

Vigor
(Wizard: Cost 3 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Composure (NB: This skill can provide a bonus to resistance checks that influence your emotions.)
* Withstand Pain (NB: This skill can reduce pain-related penalties. It's also used for spellcasters who can lose shaped mana when they're struck.)
* Feats of Strength

Subterfuge
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Theft
* Disguise
* Stealth (NB: The book claims there is a separate Hide and Stealth skill. I'm merging the two into one.)
* Trap Lore (NB: This also lets you create traps.)
* Lock Picking
* Poisons (NB: This lets you create poisons.)

Creative
(Wizard: Cost 2 per +1 bonus. Tao: Cost 2 per +1 bonus.)
* Art
* Dance
* Music
* Sleight of Hand (NB: The entertaining magician kind, not the pick-pocket kind.)
* Forging (NB: Crafting in general, not just make fake knock-offs.)


On top of what you buy, the Wizard class gets +10 Magic Appraisal and +5 Occult per level. The Tao gets +5 Style per level.


In general, a bonus around +30 is considered fairly competent - about the level that a typical professional might have.

[SageGenesis]

Marcia's Little Teddybear

In its basic form (which we'll call Kurokuma for now) it has the following stats and abilities. Note that I changed its type to Darkness, because otherwise it would let you cast spells that you already have, so this way you get more benefit out of it.

Kurokuma

Str 2
Dex 6
Agi 5
Con 2
Int 9
Pow 9
Will 8
Per 7

Intimidate +20
Theft +60
Stealth +60
Notice +60
Search +40
Sleight of Hand +20
Magic Appraisal +100

Size: Small, like a real teddybear
Actions per round: 2
Health: 60
Initiative: equal to its master's
Resistance: equal to its master's
Magic Projection: +60
Spells of Darkness:
* Create Darkness
* Induce Fear
* See in Darkness
* Shield of Darkness
* Shadow
* Armor of Darkness
* Banish Light
* Hide Magic

Note that Kurokuma can't gather zeon on its own and requires its master to donate some of hers in order to cast any of these spells. (I will include details on these spells later with Marcia's own.)

Special:
* Can only exist up to 300 feet away from its master.
* Can fly with a movement value of 6. (This is about average walking speed for a person in decent shape.)
* Can see in the dark.
* While concealed in the shadows, become invisible to anyone unable to see spirits.
* Any person in contact with Kurokuma gains +40 Stealth and the Ki Concealment ability.


Mega Kuma

This transformation costs 150 zeon to activate and another 25 zeon per round to maintain it. Transforming counts as one of the bear's actions for that round. Ignore all previous stats and replace with the following.

Str 12
Dex 8
Agi 6
Con 9
Int 4
Pow 9
Will 6
Per 5

Intimidate +55
Climb +45
Jump +60
Swim +45
Notice +50
Search +20
Dance +35
Feats of Strength +130

Size: Big, about twice the height of a grown man
Actions per round: 2
Health: 320
Armor: 4 for all types except Energy
Initiative: equal to its master's
Resistance: equal to its master's, but with an additional +20 for Physical Resistance.

Attack: Claw +170
Defense: Block +160
Damage: Claw 100

Special:
* Can only exist up to 300 feet away from its master.
* Can see in the dark.
* Has inhumanity, which allows it to perform certain tasks that mortals can't.
* Can Block attacks aimed at its master with a -10 penalty, provided its master is close by.

[(me) Melchior]

Dont forget the trade skill!

Also, to should we coordinate our skills a bit? e.g. seems wasteful for all of us to have the trade skill.

[SageGenesis]

(24-07-2014 19:56:41)(me) Melchior Wrote:  Dont forget the trade skill!

It's added under the Intellectual group.

[SageGenesis]

Marcia can find her spells here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxxch15m84gl98...Spells.doc

[SageGenesis]

A cool video with some anima-ish action from... League of Legends?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzHrjOMfHPY

[(me) Melchior]

so far, this is what i am thinking on skills

Social 60 +40 +20
Leadership 30
Persuasion x 20
Style x 10

Per 40
Notice x 20

Int 10 20
Magic Appraisal x
Memorize *
Navigation
Occult 5
Trade + 10

Vigor 30
Composure x 0
Whistand Pain x 10

Creative 20 60
Art
Dance x 10
Forging x 30

300

[SageGenesis]

Now imagine if you had to buy all that with your regular 600-point budget...

[scroipt]

(25-07-2014 15:23:57)SageGenesis Wrote:  A cool video with some anima-ish action from... League of Legends?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzHrjOMfHPY

Yup. Also that teddy does sound a bit like Annie's Tibbers :-)

[SageGenesis]

(27-07-2014 17:25:19)scroipt Wrote:  Yup. Also that teddy does sound a bit like Annie's Tibbers :-)

*google*

Hmm, yeah, pretty similar.

[SageGenesis]

So, some details of the world and your role therein.

Remember that the setup for this game is that you're talented youngsters who want to set up their own guild. That means you have to be able to work together and with others, gaining friends and allies as you go. So if you were planning on playing a psychopathic lone wolf antisocial fuck, please reconsider.


The Imperial Guild

This is fairly simply an office of registry that hands out licenses to people who want to develop and use various supernatural powers. Wizards, summoners, psychics, ki-infused warriors, and more are all expected to register.

In practice less than half do so. Some are criminals. Some are honorable people who distrust the Empire for some reason. Still others just live in remote places and learn their arts as they are passed down the generations.

Still, those who want to join a "regular" guild should first register.


Normal Guilds

There is a thriving market for adventurers, mercenaries, and professional trouble-shooters (and trouble-makers). A few highly experienced individuals get by on their own fame but the vast majority of such people join adventurers guilds. This provides assistance from like-minded people, a platform to obtain information and resources, a convenient place for customers to get the help they need, and so on. Guilds can be anything from a few friends working together to multi-national organizations who provide security to entire merchant fleets.

The empire also has rules for adventurers guilds.
* Have an official residence, headquarters, or other place to which correspondence can be directed.
* Deposit a copy of the guild's charter at the nearest Imperial Guildhall, and send updated copies when necessary.
* A fee of one hundred gold to be paid on registry and repeated every five years. (NB: This is not all that expensive, it's mostly to cover administration costs and to make sure inactive guilds are removed from the rosters.)
* The guild's name, symbol, coat of arms, or other identifying qualities can't be too similar to pre-existing guilds.
* None of the guild's founding members may be of a criminal or amoral nature.


Still, not all guilds are officially registered as such. A few "gray circuit" guilds also exist, particularly amongst nations who have declared full independence from the empire. And of course "dark guilds" as well, such as assassin's guilds, criminal mercenaries, etc.

Note that organizations which don't plan on hiring out their services are also seen as guilds. A martial arts dojo or mage's academy is considered a guild for the purpose of registry.


The Inquisition

Unregistered people and guilds run the risk of attracting the attention of the church's Inquisition, an organization that has a fearsome reputation thanks to a few excessively zealous bad apples. They can also become involved with troubled registered guilds if their issues seem to become so great that they can't be handled internally. Most guilds wisely avoid this scenario at all costs: it's bad for one's reputation if the Inquisition gets involved, and they tend to be rather thorough and unforgiving in their investigations.

[SageGenesis]

Mark also has a Sheele, in this case a little pixie-angel girl with a pristine white princess dress.

Str 2
Dex 6
Agi 5
Con 2
Int 9
Pow 9
Will 8
Per 7

Style 20
Persuasion 20
Notice 180
Search 160
Animals 20
Magic Appraisal 100
Art 20
Music 20

Size: Small
Actions per round: 2
Health: 60
Initiative: equal to its master's
Resistance: equal to its master's
Magic Projection: +60
Spells of Light:
* Create Light
* Induce Calm
* Blinding Flash
* Shield of Light
* Perceive
* Armor of Light
* Banish Shadows
* Detect Negative Emotions

Note that the Sheele can't gather zeon on its own and requires its master to donate some of his in order to cast any of these spells. (I will send Mark details of what these spells do.

Special:
* Can only exist up to 300 feet away from its master.
* Can fly with a movement value of 6. (This is about average walking speed for a person in decent shape.)
* Can shine with light up to 15' radius.
* While in a lighted area, feel everything around it that's also in the same lighted area.
* Mark can see, hear, and speak though the Sheele.
* Any person in contact with the Sheele gains +20 to all Resistances.

[SageGenesis]

I was thinking of inviting Mike as a fifth player. That's not too many, I feel, Anima can comfortably provide dozens if not hundreds of different character types. He's also played Anima before in the past, I know he'd like to get some more gaming in his life, and I have a soft spot for people who want to game but don't have a group (let's face it, none of us are exactly lacking in gaming opportunities).

I'm running this by you guys before contacting him about it. If anybody has some compelling reason why I shouldn't do so (you monster! what do you have against Mike?!) text me.

Of course I don't even know for sure if he could even make it. Maybe he can't and this is all academic.

[wolfy]

If he can and wants to, no problem at all

[MaszaH]

(02-08-2014 11:37:47)wolfy Wrote:  If he can and wants to, no problem at all

[scroipt]

(02-08-2014 11:37:47)wolfy Wrote:  If he can and wants to, no problem at all

[SageGenesis]

In other happy news, my copy of Prometheum Exxet (the book of artifacts) came in this afternoon. It will take some time to read it all and make use of it but this wednesday I'll probably have Wolf's and Mark's artifacts ready. I'm leaning towards items with gem-slots in them in a similar fashion to Materia from Final Fantasy, the Exspheres from Tales of Symphonia, or the Orbment bracers from Sora no Kiseki. (Yes Marcia, I'm playing it.)

Edit:

It turns out that high-ranking imperial officers wear a type of techno-magical full plate named "Exuberwulf armor." It's exuberant, X-über, and wulf. This is the best name ever and I will treasure it always.

[MaszaH]

(02-08-2014 21:48:38)SageGenesis Wrote:  the Orbment bracers from Sora no Kiseki. (Yes Marcia, I'm playing it.)

w00p!

[SageGenesis]

Updated spell lists, now including Free Access spells.

Marcia:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxxch15m84gl98...Spells.doc
(I removed the Recreate Image spell and replaced it with Infinite Bag. The Path of Illusion has a strictly superior spell that will be available to you very soon, making Recreate Image obsolete. If you want a spell other than Infinite Bag we can of course arrange that.)


Melchior:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zqffdftljr4j9n...Spells.doc


Mark:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ncoo7z38g925ty...Spells.doc

[(me) Melchior]

What would the price of a cat be? Say a Captain Whiskers?

[SageGenesis]

Just a normal, ordinary cat? Practically free. You can just pick up a stray or rescue a whole bag of them from the river.

[(me) Melchior]

What would an extraordinary cat be/cost?