Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

[mayapuppies]

Hello all,

 

I am currently developing a setting that will be similar in nature to medium to high power fantasy anime and I want the campaign rules to reflect what I see on the screen.

 

Generally speaking the fight scenes consist of lots of weapon play and special maneuvers/powers, primary characters are tossed around all over the place and through buildings, tossed off of high cliffs and generally beaten the crap out of, but they all die with a single "final" strike that is often unimpressive (i.e. a simple stab wound).

 

Any suggestions or guidelines you'd recommend?

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Probably high but ablative defenses? Or maybe characters with more or less normal characteristics but having "Extra BODY" as a power?

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Right now I'm thinking using Superheroic "rules" as the basis, so lots of stun attacks and such, no hit locations or other optional combat rules. Knockback definitely in effect, that sort of thing.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

... Maybe characters take double BODY Damage when Stunned?

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

I'm hoping to mirror this without creating new rules if possible. I'd like to stick within the published Hero System materials to make it more "standardized".

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Couldn't you just build characters with lots of Non-Resistant Defences but make Resistant Defences rarer?

 

So, for being a standard warrior/martial artist you automatically get +3 PD and +3 ED. This means that you shouldn't take any Body damage from being punched by a STR 25 character but you are still vulnerable to being stabbed by a STR 10 character. Maybe these extra defences are caused by having stronger 'energy' than normal people or stronger will or maybe it is a general side effect of the epicness of anime fighters.

 

Another common feature of Anime is the ability of main characters to unleash incredible power after some internal revelation. This could be simulated by allowing players to spend XP in the middle of combat. And perhaps by giving PCs some conditional, Ego activated powers e.g. Regeneration; extra STR, END, CON etc.

 

Also, all supernatural fighters possess Analyze Powers i.e. other people with similar abilities can sense your energy levels and understand how powerful you are or how much power you are currently using.

[tkdguy]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Offhand, here are a few rules that you can apply:

 

1. Wooden swords can cut just like real ones. No changes to game mechanics; just say that your sword is made of wood.

2. Men who are sexually aroused get severe nosebleeds or their lips elongate and sharpen to look like a beak (Cosmetic Transform).

3. Women can pull out a hammer out of nowhere to bash the pervert who makes a pass at them (Summon + HA with NND, only vs. sexually aroused men).

4. Characters need to call out their special attacks before using them (Combat powers, require Incantation, and sometimes Gestures).

 

More stuff here, although you don't have to stat everything out in game terms:

 

Laws of Anime

 

Edit: These rules are generally made for comedic campaigns, but some of them appear in serious ones as well.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Couldn't you just build characters with lots of Non-Resistant Defences but make Resistant Defences rarer?

 

So, for being a standard warrior/martial artist you automatically get +3 PD and +3 ED. This means that you shouldn't take any Body damage from being punched by a STR 25 character but you are still vulnerable to being stabbed by a STR 10 character. Maybe these extra defences are caused by having stronger 'energy' than normal people or stronger will or maybe it is a general side effect of the epicness of anime fighters.

 

Another common feature of Anime is the ability of main characters to unleash incredible power after some internal revelation. This could be simulated by allowing players to spend XP in the middle of combat. And perhaps by giving PCs some conditional, Ego activated powers e.g. Regeneration; extra STR, END, CON etc.

 

Also, all supernatural fighters possess Analyze Powers i.e. other people with similar abilities can sense your energy levels and understand how powerful you are or how much power you are currently using.

These are definitely some ideas that I'll look into.

 

Offhand, here are a few rules that you can apply:

 

1. Wooden swords can cut just like real ones. No changes to game mechanics; just say that your sword is made of wood.

2. Men who are sexually aroused get severe nosebleeds or their lips elongate and sharpen to look like a beak (Cosmetic Transform).

3. Women can pull out a hammer out of nowhere to bash the pervert who makes a pass at them (Summon + HA with NND, only vs. sexually aroused men).

4. Characters need to call out their special attacks before using them (Combat powers, require Incantation, and sometimes Gestures).

 

More stuff here, although you don't have to stat everything out in game terms:

 

Laws of Anime

 

Edit: These rules are generally made for comedic campaigns, but some of them appear in serious ones as well.

2-4 are exactly the things I can't stand about anime.

 

I'm not trying to replicate the entirety of the style, just the aspects of the fight scenes I've seen thus far, which, the more I watch, the more I think it's really just another version of super heroes.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

I'm currently debating whether or not to allow killing attacks.

 

Normal Damage attacks seem to emulate the fights quite nicely, high stun, low body, with the low death rate.

 

Another thing I noticed, is that armor doesn't seem to really matter, a mace to the face has the same effect whether the character is wearing a helm or not.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

This is the type of campaign I normally run. My suggestion is to use high powered Heroic characters between 200 and 250 total points (100+100 or 125+125. Not sure what the cost structure is in 6th ed.)

 

You can keep killing attacks if the defenses are high enough to handle them. You may want to avoid Hit-Locations, but then that reduces the PC's ability to one-shot the masses of cannon fodder they will wade through to get to the main badguys. Definitely use knockback. Stunning rules should be used. You can take or leave Impairing and Disabling and/or bleeding rules depending on how "gritty" you want it to be.

 

I recommend powers to be capped around 60 active points unless you need more for a specific effect.

 

A good anime that has a lot of the features you are talking about is HERO TALES. Its a fun adventure. Reminds me a lot of Exalted. Can be found on NETFLIX right now.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

 

I'm trying to replicate the entirety of the style, just the aspects of the fight scenes I've seen thus far, which, the more I watch, the more I think it's really just another version of super heroes.

 

Ummm...yeah. It is. Just like Wuxia movies are Chinese super heroes. People who don't understand that scoff at the films (Ha! People can't jump up kick someone 10 times before landing! Yeah, but it's perfectly acceptable for someone to shoot plasma beams from their eyeballs...that's different, those are super heroes! No **** sherlock) and think anime is silly. It's all the same thing, just in different languages.

[tkdguy]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

5th Edition Ninja HERO has suggestions for Anime martial arts campaigns, among others. You may find something you like there.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

5Ed Ninja Hero was ace.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

This is the type of campaign I normally run. My suggestion is to use high powered Heroic characters between 200 and 250 total points (100+100 or 125+125. Not sure what the cost structure is in 6th ed.)

 

You can keep killing attacks if the defenses are high enough to handle them. You may want to avoid Hit-Locations, but then that reduces the PC's ability to one-shot the masses of cannon fodder they will wade through to get to the main badguys. Definitely use knockback. Stunning rules should be used. You can take or leave Impairing and Disabling and/or bleeding rules depending on how "gritty" you want it to be.

 

I recommend powers to be capped around 60 active points unless you need more for a specific effect.

 

A good anime that has a lot of the features you are talking about is HERO TALES. Its a fun adventure. Reminds me a lot of Exalted. Can be found on NETFLIX right now.

Groovy, thanks

[mayapuppies]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

5th Edition Ninja HERO has suggestions for Anime martial arts campaigns' date=' among others. You may find something you like there.[/quote']

 

I don't have that, but I do have the new Hero System Martial Arts book and the Ultimate Martial Artist. I'll take a look in there as well.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

The 4th edition version of The Ultimate Martial Artist has a lot of cool/interesting abilities listed in the Ninja styles and Yingtao Temple sections. Use those as inspirations for your own designs.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

Several anime martial arts or fantasy stories have the 'trope' of the hero getting his arse kicked near to death only to then suddenly have some epiphany and make a resounding comeback... maybe an absorption linked to an aid or absorption linked to their STR or OCV/DCV?

 

Another is the "power build-up" which could be modeled in a similar way.

 

This would result in the early part of the fights having lower-powered attacks and/or defenses, with it growing as the fight progressed, until one combatant or the other released their 'alpha strike' or went 'super' or had their reverie and sudden come-back attack or whatever and basically one-shot their foes.

 

Now, your first post kind of mentioned that the "finishing blow" would be something mundane, which would return me to thinking something like ablative defenses or extra BODY or whatever, reflecting that the first few attacks are really just getting through their defenses or lowering their morale or wearing them out.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

I'd play the Mid-Showdown Power Up as the character spending experience points on the spot -- points they have stored, or point "credits", so to speak. When dramatically fitting and with GM's permission, of course.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

I'd play the Mid-Showdown Power Up as the character spending experience points on the spot -- points they have stored' date=' or point "credits", so to speak. When dramatically fitting and with GM's permission, of course.[/quote']

 

This is how I've done it many a times.

 

I encourage my players to use Multipowers for their PC's, thus it usually only costs a few XP to get a new slot that they can use immediately.

[Markdoc]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

For anime-style characters who have that "pull something out of the hat" power, I've used two approaches.

1. A power that is powered by absorption - ie, it charges up from you taking a beating.

2. Powers with a limitation like "Can only use while at half BOD or lower" or even "Can only use when at negative BOD". That latter's a good -2 limitation if I've ever seen one!

 

cheers, Mark

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Campaign Rules for Anime Fantasy

 

here is a a link to an anime video (Iczer girl Iczerion) where a character spends experience points mid-battle to deal with a tough adversary. The battle in question begins at about 1:20 and the character pays exp for the new attack at abour 2:18. Cool stuff.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAo31t5Xfhw

 

I couldn't embed the video because the poster of that video blocked embedding.