Latest revision as of 03:51, 9 June 2010

Exalted Kawaii: Magical Girls

Obligatory Intro Fiction

"Jonni," the Regent of the Scarlet Empire, Tepes Kanako, said. "You're staring at the throne like you want to hump it again." She focused her strong gaze on Jonni Memnonic, pink clad sorceress, head of the Memnonic gang and daughter of the missing Scarlet Empress. "You really need to see about having this fetish treated."

"I do not have a fetish for desiring illicit relations with furniture!" Jonni protested angrily. "Why have you summoned me?" She was not used to getting summoned in the middle of the night, even by her mother the Neo-Empress. And now this fifth generation descendent of that lunatic Tepes was trying to push HER, the daughter of the Neo-Empress, around? What was this land coming to? "And when is my tributary, the Shrine of San Andrea, going to get any help dealing with the raids by the Boo of the North's Abominable Snowmen?"

"There is no Boo of the North. He's just a myth," Tepes Kanako said firmly. You had to be firm with Jonni, who couldn't even remember to put her gang's name in front of her own. Such folk were like children, and you had to speak slowly and firmly with them.

"He destroyed two of your legions!" Jonni said in stunned belief.

"Two of great-great-grandmother's legions," Tepes Kanako said. "Legions stolen from the rightful authority of the Imperial Throne. What do you think your MOTHER will think of that on her return?"

She's not coming back, Jonni thought. The Ebony and Ivory Living in Harmony Dragon has her, I'm sure of it. The only way she's returning is as the avatar of ancient, powerful evil. Which, admittedly, might be hard to tell from how she normally is. "The treasury was empty," she said blandly. "It was necessary that the houses sponsor them. So why did you summon me?"

"Tell me about your tryst with Ragnarok Morgana," Tepes Kanako said.

"You called me out of bed in my pajamas to ask me about SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED?" Jonni demanded. It would be so easy to tar and feather this idiot and dump her in the ocean, Jonni thought. Just as a start.

"The fact that you hate each other so much proves you must secretly love each other just as fiercely," Tepes Kanako said. "Ergo, you must have succumbed to lust at least once in the last three hundred years."

If she stayed any longer with this idiot, it would be killing time, and that would ignite the war far too early. "Oh dear, Regent, I'm afraid I hear the Mouse of Peace summoning me. I'm sorry, but it's urgent. Perhaps we can discuss this in a few centuries. Farewell!" She made a quick handgesture, and stepped into the Warp Gate. It dumped her in her quarters before the Regent could protest.

Frustrated, Jonni grabbed her teddy bear and sat down on her bed. Stupid Regent, she thought. Why couldn't she have died with those legions? What a waste.

"Only you understand me, Sebastian," she said to it, hugging him tightly. "It's a good thing you can't talk. But I need someone to talk to."

She spent some time complaining to her bear, then finally laid down once the bile was out of her system.

She was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. So she couldn't see as the stuffed bear moved up to position himself by the side of her head and began to whisper quietly into her ear...

Origins

In the dawn of the world, Gaia had many loves, and by her harem of gods, she had five children, who themselves bred with mortals to create the bloodlines of power from which sprang the magical girls. They were born to weild her powers in the war against the Primordials. Her sons sleep now, but their lines yet live.

For millenia, they served the Bishonen Kings of Creation, seeking out and destroying the many menaces which lurked in the shadows and leading the armies of Creation, underneath the command of their Bishonen, Catgirl, and Helping Goddess masters and mistresses. But with time, their leaders sank into madness, leaving them no choice but to rise up and take them DOWN, then move into their mansions and enjoy their luxuries, wallowing in silky sheets and decadence.

What emerged to replace it was the period known as the Iron Millenium, in which a series of Queens ruled over the Magical Girls, struggling to hold off the things of Chaos which lurked in the Wyld and to deal with the periodic rebirth of the slain Exalted. This period of military rule finally ended in the Great Chaos, when the Chaos Plague swept over the land, slaying many and mutating most of the others. In its wake, the Alien Princes and Princesses made their bid to control Creation.

Future Neo-Empress Scarlet was only an ordinary minor officer when she and her four companions broke into Area 51, the now long defunct First Age defense complex at the heart of the Imperial Isle. They hoped to reactivate the defenses; all perished but her, but she emerged bearing the Scarlet Crystal, which enabled her to call down the power of the defense system. With it, she annihilated the invading Princes and began the Scarlet Millenium.

She built a potent empire on the Blessed Isle, and extended her rule to the Periphery, making it serve her, though some still defied her. Yet the empire she built seemed destined to last forever, whatever her foes thought.

She has ruled for a thousand years, and was expected to reign longer, but now, after a thousand years of her rule, she has vanished, and her descendents begin to squabble and fight for control of the empire. And with the Scarlet Crystal gone, none can command Area 51 to defend the land.

Will you pull the squabbling bands of magical girls together or destroy the realm that gave you birth or...oooh, look at that cute guy over there!

Sub-Splats (Caste)

Holy Thieves

Dr. Lemarchand Tara let her wind hands hold onto the ceiling, while she leaned down towards the stone pillar with its Orichalcum Idol. The sale of it would finally enable her to buy the original author's copies of The Five Sacred Stones which she needed for her historical research on its author, Ragnarok Mara. Sure, she'd have to sell it on the black market, but a lot of her raids ended that way. And it wasn't like this old Bishonen Shrine was a contemporary center of worship, anyway--The Broodingly Handsome Sun got his due, but only so much as all the other dieties of Heaven. And this statue couldn't be a good likeness of him, unless he secretly had a huge nose.

Calling upon her Moe, she asked it to warn her of any traps she might have missed in her search. She was too pretty to die yet. Not with her research unfinished.

She took a bag of sand in one hand; it would be easy, swap the sand for the statuette, avoid triggering the trap. Smooth like butter.

A tiny glitter of Moe played about her hands, steadying them as she swapped in the bag for the statuette. It all went smoothly, and now she walked over enough to get clear of the dias and dropped to the ground.

The floor under her sank and the air filled with darts as she began to run for it, dodging wildly, glowing sofly with the power of her Moe as she repeated her mantra 'too cute to die, too cute to die'.

Born of Gaia's son Polaris, they move like the wind, their presence felt, but they cannot be seen. They strike covertly at their enemies, and like the wind, they cannot be held.

Caste Power: 5 motes, add your Essence to any die pool for escaping being held, grappled, locked up, etc. This lasts a scene.

Caste Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth, Thrown

Sacred Bodyguards

Another day, another hobgoblin.

Cat-Hacker Alari pushed her long silver hair out of her eyes. No matter what she did, it always seemed to get into her hair during a battle.

At her feet, the twisted, hideous hobgoblin coughed up blood and mumbled something about bad hair days.

"SILENCE, CAT!" she shouted, stabbing her Naginata into its brain, which exploded as the power of her Moe flooded into it.

Call me uncute, will you, she thought.

She studied the band of now dead hobgoblins, glimmers of Moe flitting about her eyes. It looked like they were employed by Space Princess Rui, yet another annoying Alien Princess. But why was she after the Golden Idol of Balzidor?

And for that matter, what was taking so long with Tara securing it?

I told her she should have filed an official salvage claim, Alari thought. But did she listen? Of course not.

Born of Gaia's son Mamoru, the Sacred Bodyguards are born to defend others with the strength of Metal. They are as powerful and immovable as the Imperial Mountain. And sometimes as laden in red tape.

Caste Power: 5 motes, for a scene, they soak lethal damage with their full soak and add half their stamina to their bashing soak.

Caste Abilities: Bureaucracy, Investigation, Medicine, Melee, Resistance

Sailor Warriors

Nebbish Mikata wondered again why this always happened to her. 'Oh, stay with the boat in case we have to make a rapid escape', Tara had said. So she'd stayed with the boat. Only to get surprised by a bunch of hobgoblins and tied up.

You just can't nap anywhere these days.

Fortunately, her constant complaining about how the ropes were chafing her and her back itched and how she was missing lunch had bored the hobgoblins to the point of falling asleep, which had been her plan all along. Really.

Then she turned into water and flowed out of her bonds. She recovered her weapons and gear and headed out to the deck, only to find two really handsome men looking at her; hunky twin redheads; she had to fight the urge to drool. However, they had tiny horns which gave away what they really were--Alien Princes, probably knights of that ranting redhead who had tied her up.

So she charged them, lashing out with her arms; waves of Moe covered her limbs with water and she seized their heads and began knocking them together, face to face. "DEATH BY YAOI!" she shouted.

They could not resist her insatiable desire to see men mack on each other, and soon fell unconscious from too much passion.

Time to rescue the others, she thought, leaping over the side onto the back of an Alien Sea Horse; her Moe soon soothed it, and she rode off across the water towards the shore and the distant mountain above it.

Born of Gaia's son Neptune, Lord of the West, they still wear the battle costumes designed by him, a cross between a sailor outfit and hoplite armor. They are attuned to the heart of the ocean and the movement of the tides.

Caste Power: 5 motes, breathe and operate underwater for a scene.

Caste Abilities: Brawl, Performance, Ride, Sail, Survival

Wedding Warriors

Dr. Solipism Kodachi liked Alien Princes and Princesses as much as she liked anything, which was to say that she regarded them with the fondness one has for a dog. They were just SO easy to manipulate.

All it took was a little Moe, a few words, and you could get an entire band of them to rob your rivals for you and bring you the artifacts you want, in order to 'prove their love for you'.

So she sat with her spyglass on the deck of her boat, while her sailors brought her grapes, and read Hyperspatial Grammar while she waited for her prize. She'd been up all night reading it, but the book seemed to get longer as she continued reading it. Very strange.

There was something on the water...it looked like that idiot from the Nebbish gang had escaped.

She sighed. You just can't count on a Nebbish for anything, not even staying tied up.

This would require personal intervention. How gauche.

Born of Gaia's son Apollo, the Wedding Warriors look ridiculous in bridal garb, until they beat you up, anyway. They burn with the passion of the Southern heat.

Caste Power: 5 motes, add their Moe to any Charisma die pools for a scene. (This is subject to normal die adder limits.)

Caste Abilities: Endurance, Linguistics, Marital Arts, Presence, Socialize

Wise Witches

As Nyssa Gorak looked down the mountain, the forest was on fire. She could see two rival gangs of Magical Girls blasting and hacking away at each other and their minions, and to make matters worse, some fool had invited a bunch of Alien Princes and Princesses along for the ride.

They were levelling everything in sight.

This was NOT acceptable.

Nyssa plucked a branch from a tree, shaping it into a bow, then began seizing sticks and firing them down the slope, tangling the ringleaders in bonds of vines.

While their minions turned to free them, she now took a stick and began to draw in the air, tracing a line of green fire in the shape of a butterfly. It formed into a multi-colored glass butterfly and began to fly towards her foes, doubling in numbers every second, until, finally, a vast swarm of butterflies was descending the slope.

She whistled a call, and now bears charged out of the woods, following the butterflies, armed with pots of honey and feathers.

The butterflies stripped everyone naked. Then the bears dumped honey on them, followed by feathers.

Once the swarm of bees arrived, they got the point and ran for it.

I win again, Nyssa thought, satisfied.

Born of Gaia's son Alec, the Wise Witches study the hidden lore of the forest and the secret ways of the human heart and mind. Then they cavort with plant monsters in hideous orgies...or that may just be a rumor.

Caste Power: 5 motes, for a scene, they take on the flexibility of wood; they may add dice equal to their Moe to one Performance, Dodge, or Athletics action per turn. This can be used to create a single dodge action with dice equal to their Moe. This can exceed normal dice adder limits.

Caste Abilities: Archery, Awareness, Craft, Lore, Occult,

Character Creation

Creating a Magical Girl of the Scarlet Millenium

Simple Method

1. Every Magical Girl gets one free pip in the nine basic attributes, then can spread 7, 6, and 4 points respectively among their Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary category.
2. Each Magical Girl have five Caste Abilities and may pick three more Favored Abilities. Distribute 15 Ability points among your caste and favored abilities, and 20 however you like. But you must buy the following to reflect the basic training everyone gets: ** of one combat ability and * of a second (Archery, Brawl, Dodge, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown), ** of a social ability (Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Presence, Socialize), ** of an entertainment or artistic ability (Athletics, Craft, Performance), ** of an intellectual specialty (Linguistics, Lore, Medicine, Occult), * of a travel ability (Athletics, Ride, Sail, Survival). Each of these must be a different ability.
3. 12 background points for free; more can be bought with Bonus Points.
4. 1 free point in each Virtue; distribute 5 points among the others with a max. of 3 in any given virtue. More can be bought with Bonus Points.
5. Willpower = Sum of two highest virtues
6. Base Permanent Moe = 2. This can be raised with Bonus Points. Personal Moe = Moe + Willpower, and Peripheral Moe = (Moe * 4) + Willpower + sum of the two highest virtues.
7. 8 charms are known for free; more can be bought with Bonus Points. Four of them must come from Caste or Favored Abilities.
8. Standard 7 health levels unless you raise it with charms.

Bonus Point Chart

• Attributes: 4
• Abilities: 2 (1 if Caste or Favored)
• Specialty: 1 (2 per 1 if Caste or Favored)
• Background: 1 (2 per point above 3)
• WP: 2
• Virtues: 3
• Charms: 7 (5 if Caste or Favored)
• Moe: 10

Magical Girl Example Characters

Complicated Method

The Hard, but Spiffy Way

Charms

Magical Girl charms are organized by Ability. Each tree includes a group of charms which act as die-adders, group boosters, and reroll charms as a basic toolkit. Magical Girl charms often manipulate the elements to help them do things.

Magical Girls may freely use as many Re-Fun charms in a round as they like, without a combo.

The Basic Toolkit Charms

• Basic (Ability) Prana 1/1
  • Expert (Ability) Method 2/2
    • Companion (Ability) Technique 3/3
      • Master of (Ability) 4/4
    • Specialist (Ability) Technique 3/3

(Charm Types as per charm guide on main Kawaii Edition Page)

Basic (Ability) Prana

• Cost: 1 mote / 2 dice
• Duration: Instant
• Type: Re-Fun
• Minimum Ability: 1
• Minimum Moe: 1
• Prerequisite Charms: None

Add one die for every mote spent to any pool of this Ability, to a maximum of the Magical Girl's Ability. This can be used to build defensive pools with an appropriate combat ability, from a base of zero dice. (IE, it can be used to buy a dodge or parry as appropriate.)

Expert (Ability) Method

• Cost: 1 mote / 2 dice, +1 / target beyond the first
• Duration: One Scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Ability: 2
• Minimum Moe: 2
• Prerequisite Charms: Basic (Ability) Prana

The Magical Girl augments up to her Ability worth of people's pool in an Ability by two dice for every mote spent to a limit of her level in the Ability.

Further boosters cascade off this which increase the size of the group you can affect.

Companion (Ability) Technique

• Cost: 3 motes
• Duration: Instant
• Type: Re-Fun
• Minimum Ability: 3
• Minimum Moe: 3
• Prerequisite Charms: Expert (Ability) Method

Having failed at an action or just unsatisfied with it, the Magical Girl can choose to re-roll her failure in hopes of a better result.

Specialist (Ability) Technique

• Cost: 2 motes / success
• Duration: Instant
• Type: Subtle/Mental
• Minimum Ability: 3
• Minimum Moe: 3
• Prerequisite Charms: Expert (Ability) Method

The Magical Girl can convert specialty dice on a roll with the relevant Ability to successes at a cost of 2 motes per auto-success.

Master of (Ability)

• Cost: 5 motes, 1 WP
• Duration: One Scene
• Type: Speech
• Minimum Ability: 4
• Minimum Moe: 4
• Prerequisite Charms: Companion (Ability) Technique

The Magical Girl can reroll any check in this ability once, for the duration of a scene. She must take the second result if she chooses to reroll.

The remaining charms of a given tree may give specific nifty tricks to the Magical Girl or further expand on these basic charms.

• Holy Thief Caste Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth, Thrown
• Sacred Bodyguard Caste Abilities: Bureaucracy, Investigation, Medicine, Melee, Resistance
• Sailor Warrior Caste Abilities: Brawl, Performance, Ride, Sail, Survival
• Wedding Warrior Caste Abilities: Endurance, Linguistics, Marital Arts, Presence, Socialize
• Wise Witches Caste Abilities: Archery, Awareness, Craft, Lore, Occult

Marital Arts and the Kawaii Order

Magical Girls normally can only learn Girlfriend level Marital Arts, the most basic. However, with appropriate training from the Kawaii Order or Helping Goddesses, they can master Fiancee level Marital Arts, normally restricted to the Celestial Exalted. (In fact, the Helping Goddesses have made the Five Elemental Paths, designed to synch with the strengths of the Magical Girls.)

The Marital Arts of the Kawaii Order

Crunch

Artifacts

Magical Girl Armor

• Level: 3
• Attunement Cost: 4 motes
• Powers:
  • It provides 8 Lethal, 8 Bashing Soak
  • It has no fatigue or mobility penalty.
  • It adds +2 dice to Athletics and Dodge pools.

Magical Girl Armor resembles a cross between a sundress and hopilite armor, and is often ornately decorated.

My Little Magical Pony Golem

• Level: 2
• Attunement Cost: 5 motes
• Powers:
  • This cheap, colorful pony doll turns on command into a full-sized horse, able to run 25 yards / turn.
  • It has the same stats as a normal horse.
  • If slain, it reverts to doll form for 24 hours.
  • Some models are level 3 and can run on air, enabling limited flight at normal movement speeds.

Sailor Warrior Armor

• Level: 3
• Attunement Cost: 6 motes
• Powers:
  • It provides 6 Lethal, 6 Bashing Soak
  • It has no fatigue or mobility penalty.
  • It adds +2 dice to Sail Pools, +1 die to Athletics pools, a 3 die specialty in 'Getting Around Ship Rigging', and a 3 dice specialty in Swimming.

Sailor Warrior Armor resembles a cross between a sailor's uniform and hopilite armor, and is often ornately decorated.

Transformation Wand

• Level: 2
• Attunement Cost: 5 motes
• Powers:
  • Transformation Wands store a suit of armor for you and a set of weapons; when activated, they reflexively bamf your clothing to Elsewhere, bamf the armor onto your body, bamf the weapons into your hands, and provide a light show that prevents anyone seeing you naked in the process.
  • Transformation Wands themselves can be made to hide in Elsewhere by spending 1 mote; you may then reflexively retrieve the wand for free as a free action.
  • Some TWs are level 3 artifacts. They cost 8 motes to attune to, and add a disguise power; anyone viewing you whose Essence is less than your own will never recognize you while you are transformed; those of equal essence must roll their Perception + Awareness with a difficulty of your Essence to recognize you. Those of higher Essence are not fooled.

Backgrounds

All standard backgrounds, plus the following ones. (Use Dragon-Blooded version of Backgrounds)

Heritage

0: Your exaltation surprised everyone, as both of your parents were mortals from some peasant family or you were very distantly descended from some Magical Girl in a noble family.

1. It's been several generations since the last exalt in your family tree: +2 Peripheral Essence
2. One of your grandparents was a Magical Girl: +2 Personal, +4 Peripheral Essence
3. Your mother was a Magical Girl of low heritage: +4 Personal, +6 Peripheral Essence
4. Your mother was a Magical Girl of medium heritage: +6 Personal, +8 Peripheral Essence
5. Your mother was a Magical Girl of high heritage: +8 Personal, +10 Peripheral Essence

Merchandising

This background reflects how many cool toys you have to play with which kids watching the show will be sold cheap plastic copies of in large quantities.

0: You must have screwed up badly to get no toys at all, or maybe you came from a mortal family.

1. You can have two 1 point artifacts.
2. You can have four points of artifacts, with none over 2 points.
3. You can have six points of artifacts, with none over 3 points.
4. You can have eight points of artifacts; one can be up to four points, the others must be three or less.
5. You can have ten points of artifacts; one can be up to five points, the others must be four or less.

Comments

I only have 1 issue with this write up... Only females? There are some Magic Boy animes and I think that the Dragonblooded should be MagicalGirls/Boys... Anyone else agree? -- Xaoc

Wow, its kowaii that this works so well, now I have to stat up Sonoda Meimi and Sonoda Yuki from megatokyo-HeWhoSpeaksOfDarkness

They're both Holy Thieves with Meimi having a LOT of Larceny and Stealth -- JohnBiles

That chapter/intro fiction rocks.
-- Darloth

Thanks! -- JohnBiles

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