Char Creation: Shinigami

Attributes: 7/5/3

All Attributes start with 1 dot

Abilities:

Choose a Training Focus, Squad Number and an Additional Ability for your Training Focus. 15 points between Training, Squad and Personal Focus. At least 1 dot must be put in an ability for each time it has focus. Focus abilities are treated as Favored Abilities; those with focus twice are treated as having the Prodigy Merit. An ability may not have focus more than twice. 10 additional points to go into any abilities you wish. None may go above three without spending Freebie Points.

Training Focus

Hadoujutsu
Kenjutsu
Kidoujutsu
Mahoujutsu
Ningenjutsu

Squad: Choose one of the 13 Squads (captain listed with squad)

1st Squad - Yamamoto Genryuusai-dono
2nd Squad - Soi Fong
3rd Squad - Ichimaru Gin
4th Squad - Unohana Retsu
5th Squad - Aizen Sousuke
6th Squad - Kuchiki Byakuya
7th Squad - Komamura Sajin
8th Squad - Kyouraku Shunsui
9th Squad - Tousen Kaname
10th Squad - Hitsugaya Toushiro
11th Squad - Zaraki Kenpachi
12th Squad - Kurotsuchi Mayuri
13th Squad - Ukitake Juushiro

Focus Abilities

Hadoujutsu (Attack Magic)

Archery
Dodge
Occult
Presence
Thrown

Kenjutsu (Weapon Techniques)

Athletics
Brawl
Melee
Stealth
War

Kidoujutsu (Binding Magic)

Endurance
Integrity
Larceny
Linguistics
Performance

Mahoujutsu (Demon Magic)

Awareness
Bureaucracy
Investigation
Lore
Medicine

Ningenjutsu (Human Techniques)

Crafts
Drive (Replaces Ride)
Pilot (Replaces Sail)
Socialize
Survival

Squad Abilities

1st Squad - Command Squad

Bureaucracy
Integrity

2nd Squad - Administrative Squad

Bureaucracy
Investigation

3rd Squad - Assassin Squad

Stealth
Larceny

4th Squad - Medical Squad

Lore
Medicine

5th Squad - Investigation Squad

Awareness
Investigation

6th Squad - Elite Squad

Melee
Occult

7th Squad - Execution Squad

Melee
Presence

8th Squad - Backup Squad

Thrown
Survival

9th Squad - Justice Squad

Athletics
Endurance

10th Squad - Advance Squad

Archery
Dodge

11th Squad - Assault Squad

Brawl
War

12th Squad - Research Bureau

Crafts
Linguistics

13th Squad - Mortal-world Squad

Performance
Socialize

Advantages:

5 Backgrounds
2 Magic Types (at least one must be favored)
8 Spells (at least four must be favored)
5 Virtues
15 Bonus

Finishing Touches:

Will (sum of 2 highest virtues)
Reiatsu/Spirit Force (1)
Health Levels - Will + Reiatsu (Shinigami are harder to kill based on their power)
Record Spirit Pool = ([7 * Chakra] + [3 * Willpower])
Record Zanpakutou -

Speed, Accuracy, Defense = Highest Virtue.

Damage = Will + Reiatsu Lethal.

Rate = 2 * Reiatsu.

Backgrounds:

Allies
Artifact (Items like Uruhara sells.)
Contacts
Rank (In the 13 squads; works like Command and Backing, and provides Resources in the mortal world. May not be higher than 3 without achieving Shikai. May not be higher than 4 without achieving Bankai. Rank 5 is equal to captains.)
Reputation
Mentor

Merits:

(Prerequisites marked with * may be provided by a Mentor during special training)
Zanpakutou Shikai (10 Bonus Points/20 Experience Points) Prerequisites: Lore 3*, Occult 3*, Reiatsu 3.

The character has learned his soul-cutting sword's name, and may release its first special power. Each Zanpakutou has a unique name and power, so this Merit must be discussed with the Storyteller each time it is considered for a character. There are two types of Shikai: special ability, and always-on. Special ability types are called out with an activation phrase and their name (until Bankai is reached), and gain both attack power and a special attack mode when released. Always-on types do not automatically gain special attack abilities or modes, but they do have a different shape from the un-released sword, and greatly increased power. Generally speaking, an always-on type is a sign of either incredible spirit power (Reiatsu higher than 3 when Shikai is achieved) or low skill (* marked prerequisites provided by a Mentor) or both. Shikai cannot be maintained if the shinigami runs out of Spirit.

Zanpakutou Bankai (40 Experience Points) Prerequisites: Lore 5*, Melee 5, Occult 5*, Reiatsu 5, Mahoujutsu spell "Zanpakutou Avatar Materialization."*

After learning to materialize the avatar of his sword, a shinigami may learn to fully release his unique powers. Bankai stage release provides a completely unique spell effect for the user, which transforms the sword for a scene into some kind of inimical advantage. Bankai may change the battlefield to suit the user, or it may provide a deadly and inescapable weapon. Bankai cannot be maintained if the Shinigami has only 1 or 2 Health Levels remaining, or if the user runs out of Spirit.

Concepts for a Bleach-inspired Exalted game which could be applied without using the Bleach setting.

The one who pushes less...

When Ichigo tries to cut Zaraki Kenpachi the first time, Kenpachi's spirit force is so much greater that Ichigo can't cut him at all. This inspired in me the idea for alternate minimum damage rules:

When calculating the effects of soak, compare the attacker's Essence to the target's Essence. If the attacker's Essence is greater, then the difference is the minimum damage applied (unless reduced by Hardness). If the target's Essence is greater, then add the difference to the target's Soak, and treat the target as having Hardness equal to his Soak. The attacker takes unsoakable bashing damage equal to the difference in Essence scores, if this is the case.

Artifacts

(These rules don't match the above... if I decide one set is a lot better, I'll delete the other.)

Soul-cutting Swords (1, 3, or 5 dots)

Unlike most artifact weapons, these swords are not made of the Five Magical materials. Rather, the basis for these swords is the wielder's Essence (Reiatsu/Spirit Force in Bleach). To craft one of these swords, no special materials are used. In fact, the blade must be made of regular materials. The forging process is special, however. It must be performed at an Equinox, when the forces of magic are in balance. Special wards must be set up (requiring Sorcery, spells to be designed later), and the forge must be at a location of completely neutral Essence flow. This creates a blade which is spiritually "empty," allowing someone who attunes to the blade to "fill" it with their Essence. Due to this, it costs (2 x Essence) motes to attune to one of these blades. The benefit of this is that the blade grows in power with the user's prowess. There are three stages of this blade; the first one is the one created upon forging. This first stage can be attuned and deattuned as normal. If the wielder of a soul-cutting sword learns to "release" their power in the blade, then nobody but them can ever use that sword again. It will remain forever attuned to them, and for anyone else it will not even cut; its blade disappears utterly in hands other than the attuned wielder in released stages. As the name implies, any Soul-cutting Sword will harm un-materialized spirits and other intangible beings, though it gives the wielder no special ability to detect such beings.

Asauchi, "Shallow Hilt." (1 dot) - This is the "empty" blade, which any Essence-user may fill. When not attuned, this blade functions like a normal sword of its make, though it has the bonuses of "perfect" craftsmanship. These statistics disappear entirely upon attunement. Instead, the attuned wielder designs the abilities of his own sword when first attuning to it, and it retains these statistics from that point on. The character divides (2 x Melee) + (2 x Essence) points between the weapon's Speed, Accuracy, Damage, Defense, and Rate. It requires Sorcery (Emerald circle spell, to be determined) to change these values. When attuned, the sword's size is determined by the power of the wielder. Swords with more than 20 points in their bonuses are at least as large as Grand Daiklaves.

Shikai, "First Release." (3 dots) - When a Zanpakutou has been released, it changes in appearance. Each such released state is unique to the user, and can be nearly anything imaginable. Some Shikai change appearanace permanently (Ichigo, Ichimaru Gin, Hitsugaya Toshiro, etc). Some do not change appearance at all (Kuchiki Byakuya). Typically, though, the sword retains its normal appearance until summoned with an invocation phrase, at which point it takes on a special appearance, typically related to its special abilities (Abarai Renji, "Howl, Zabimaru!"). All Shikai blades have special abilities, which are easier to perform than normal charms, much like a character's anima abilities.

Creating a Shikai blade involves learning a charm. This charm is linked to the abilities Lore and Melee for Exalted who learn ability-based charms, and to the Intelligence and Strength attributes for Lunar Exalted. The ability-based version requires a minimum of 5 in both abilities, while the attribute-based version requires a minimum of 4 in both attributes. The charm follows:

Zanpakutou Naming Exercise

Cost: 1 Essence dot, 1 Willpower dot (or 1 Willpower dot).
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Minimum Melee: 5
Minimum Lore: 5
Minimum Strength: 4
Minimum Intelligence: 4
Minimum Essence: 3 (after expenditure)
Prerequisite Charms: None

To learn this charm, a character must train extensively with a single Zanpakutou. Through training and meditation, the character will receive a vision of an iconic being, symbolizing the part of himself which is the Essence commited to the sword. When the training is complete, the character will be able to hear the vision speak its name. When the character says that name, the charm is learned, and used for the first time.

This charm is activated for the first listed cost when it is learned. It permanently attunes the character who uses it to the Soul-cutting Sword it is used on, freeing up the commited motes. By commiting motes again, the character can double the statistics of the sword. In addition, one Melee or Lore (or Strength or Intelligence) charm the character knows becomes an innate ability of the sword. It may be activated for its standard cost when wielding the sword, without counting as the character's charm activation per turn.

Following this, the character may train for a number of days equal to the number of innate abilities the sword has to activate the charm again. Subsequent activations add more innate abilities to the Shikai, at a cost of one Willpower dot per ability added. No Shikai sword may have more innate abilities than its wielder's permanent Essence.

A character who starts with the prerequisites may start with this charm, pay the cost in Essence and Willpower, and pay the background points to have a Shikai blade. No character may ever have more than one Zanpakutou after achieving Shikai.

Bankai, "Full Release." (5 dots) - The appearance of Bankai swords is such that they can no longer be called "swords." These soul-slayers are iconic weapons the likes of which can only be matched by looking in the deep Wyld. Indeed, even the Fair Folk of Rakshastan would be impressed by the variety and creativity of these immense weapons. While Shikai blades are still weapon-sized, Bankai are under no such limitation. While the abilities of Shikai are easily definable and small, Bankai abilities have fewer limits. Some Bankai are merely improvements upon the Shikai form of a blade; in this case, the improvements are vast (Ichigo simply gains immense speed and strength boosts, Hitsugaya's ice attacks get bigger and stronger, Genryuusai's fire attacks get bigger and stronger, etc). Usually, the further ability of Bankai is related in some way to the Shikai form of the sword, but expanded in more ways than becoming stronger (Zabimaru becomes a many-sectioned snake monster, Senbonzakura becomes a dozen swords which all can break up like its Shikai ability, etc). Sometimes, the Bankai is an ability iconic to the character, but unrelated to the Shikai (Captain Tousen's Bankai creates a space in which only his senses work; this is unrelated to either of the two Shikai abilities we see from him). The only constant with Bankai is that they are hideously powerful. No matter what form the Bankai takes, when it harms an opponent, a Bankai blade will always do aggravated damage.

The full release of a soul-cutting sword is possible only for the most powerful of wielders. In Bleach, it typically is an ability limited to the captains of the 13 squads. In exalted, it cannot be done by non-Exalted, and even most Exalted cannot do it alone; the spell required to achieve this level of release is of the Adamant circle. The spell functions as follows:

Zanpakutou Avatar Manifestation and Release.</b>
Adamant Circle
<b>Cost: Special (see text).

Casting this spell costs [10 x subject's Essence] in motes, and usually takes three days. The subject of this spell must have achieved Shikai, or the motes and willpower spent to cast this spell will be wasted. The subject and the caster may share the Essence cost of this spell, if it is being cast on someone besides the caster. The ratio of the split must be agreed upon before the casting starts. Since this spell has an extremely detrimental effect on the health of the subject, the three days needed to complete it can be completed at any time. That is to say, the spell can be started with 2 hours of work on one day, and then the subject may have to take a week to heal before any more work can be done. The spell is usually complete when 72 hours of training have been completed (though see below). All motes used to power this spell are commited until the casting is complete.

As soon as the motes and willpower are spent, the avatar of the Zanpakutou whom the character received a vision of appears in material form. Once again, this is an iconic being unique to the character and the individual Zanpakutou. The sword's avatar takes its sword-self away from the character, and puts the character through some sort of trial or training. This training gets progressively harder as the character continues in it.

Each hour, the character must make an Essence + Willpower roll. The difficulty of this roll starts at 1, and increases by +1 every hour. So long as the character continues to succeed at the rolls, she is fine. A failed roll inflicts bashing damage equal to the difference between the difficulty and the successes rolled. A botch means the damage is lethal, and the hour is wasted. However, if the player rolls five extra successes (beats the difficulty +5), the hour counts double. Indeed, an extra "hour's worth" of the training is completed for each extra five successes, so it is possible that a character might complete the "72 hours" of training before 3 actual days have elapsed.

Upon completion of this training, the spell takes effect, causing the avatar of the sword to merge with it once again with a great inrushing of brilliant Essence. The sword appears in the character's hands, and immediately transforms into its Bankai state for the first time. The character has the opportunity at this time to spend a single Willpower dot to add enough special abilities to her Shikai blade to take her up to her maximum number of them. Finally, the abilities of the Bankai are determined at this time. These should be based on the iconic nature of the character, the Zanpakutou avatar, and the form of the training. The Bankai abilities are built with a number of charms equal to the character's Essence, which the character need not know, but she must know the prerequisites. These charms are added to the character's knowledge while the Bankai is active if they were not otherwise known, and they are considered to always be active while Bankai is active. Sorcery spells may be included, but they cost one charm plus one per circle (2 charms for Emerald, 3 for Sapphire, and 4 for Adamant). No charm with duration less than a scene is eligible for inclusion. Sorcery spells may be included as special abilities regardless of duration. All costs of all the included charms must be paid when the Bankai is activated, as are costs for Sorcery spells; it is not possible to activate only some of the included charms, all must be paid for at once. All motes used to release Bankai are commited while Bankai is active. For this reason, Bankai is difficult to achieve as anything less than a Solar Exalted. Lesser Exalted are often forced to include fewer charms in their Bankai.

Example: Ichigo's Bankai is based on his realization of his immense power, and the fact that Zangetsu is truly just a channel for it, not the source of it. Assuming his Essence is a whopping 7, his Bankai might be built with the following: Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Ready in Eight Directions Stance, Increasing Strength Exercise, Flow Like Blood, and Travel Without Distance. Ichigo gains incredible speed and power, and indeed his speed is so great he is effectively teleporting. Activating Ichigo's Bankai takes 61 motes of Essence and 5 temporary willpower.

Comments

Inspired by BrigandRansom's NarutoMod. This is a work in progress, and just for fun. All rules here are of course optional, and have not been playtested at all.
The groupings I chose for the various kinds of magic were based as far as I could on the kinds of skills I saw various shinigami and other characters who seemed to be most skilled in those types display. If I ever get around to writing up the different kinds of magic, they will use their various abilities in casting the spells. Types of magic will probably work like Sorcery Charms, and will have multiple tiers for each type. Spells will, of course, be like Sorcery spells. Shikai and Bankai may allow characters to purchase charm-like effects... I'll think more on this later. - IanPrice

Who Me? Wow, cool. Good to know people are looking at my stuff =) Now I'm gonna have to read Bleach, one of the many things on my To-read list. Good lookin stuff, though I wish I had more to give than just Kudos. Once I read the source material I'll try to help you out (with my highly limited Crunch-Fu) =D ~ BrigandRansom

For those that want to read the scanlations of the Bleach manga, then here is a url for you to check out the Scanlation Version. But, I do like the format. Bleach is very much an Exalted like setting to the point that i have used some of the characters of the series and transplanted them into my game. I like the current story line of the hollow/shagami, however, i do look forward to seeing what you do with this project.-- Savare

Bad Savare! Bad! You should be aware that Bleach is being translated by Viz and Shonen Jump. That link you provided is VERY illegal and deprives money from going to Tite Kubo (creator of Bleach). You can purchase Bleach at your local comic store. This is the Bleach Section at Shonenjump's website. ~ Haku who suspects that alot of things can be found in msn groups... like scanlated manga... you just need to search for it.

Well, I am glad that Viz has a good sense to pick great series to translate. However, I dont like being critized that me being a fan of Bleach for the past two years makes me a bad person of how i became a fan. So sorry if they wait two years to translate Shonenjump or for Viz to pick up a series 3 years after it is a success. lol Viz also has a problem with translating things correctly. Come on. Narutos Kage No Bushin beinc called doppleganger technique sucks. If Goku called his Kamehameha the Turtle Wave Attack then I dont think the attack would have the same effect. Somethings just shouldnt be translated completly. Oh Haku, I do own the first 9 volumes of Bleach so there is my support to the creator, Im glad those free scanlations got me hooked which is also why they dont crack down on scanlation groups -- Savare

I think Kamehameha actually literally translates into 'Turtle Destruction Wave/Technique' or some such, doesn't it? Which WOULD make sense, seeing as Master Roshi made it, and he IS the 'Turtle Hermit.' -A curious Fireball

Scanlation/fansubbing isn't illegal in the US until the licensed version catches up with the scanlated/fansubbed version.
It isn't illegal in Japan at all unless it can be proven to cut into the profit margins of the original. Most mangaka, and Shonen Jump as a company, view it as free advertising.
I encourage buying Viz-translated Bleach and related merchandise just in case some of that money filters through to Kubo Tite (written the Japanese way since it's a pen name; his real name is Taito). I can't say how much actually does with today's economy, and not knowing what the contracts say.
I probably won't be doing anything more on this project unless I am suddenly inspired or receive really good suggestions. In other words, don't hold your breath, because updates will be sporadic at best. (Though I am toying with a way to translate Zanpakutou, Shikai, and Bankai into artifacts and related charms/spells)
- IanPrice

I'm not saying that it's bad to be a fan, but when you consider just -posting- an open link, where everyone can see it, and it leads to a quasi-legal spot for the wiki. I don't know if it's legal or not, and I do own the Bleach manga myself, same as you up to volume 9. But unless you're saying that the owners, creators of the manga in question are not getting paid by the scanlators... it looks rather bad, doesn't it? ~ haku

Here is an idea for them. Make three Lore charms similiar to the Occult Spellcasting charms. So you have circle one, two, three, and you would put the avatar between stage one and two and that might just be something similiar to the whole spirit detecting glance or whatever. Anyways. That is my idea -- Savare

I. Love. Bleach. If you need playtesting I will throw myself at your feet! I'm only on the fourth season, but OMG I'd LOVE to play this!! ~Overshee is a bleach fanatic...

I really have come to think that while I love Bleach as much as you or the next fan, using an iconic world like that as a setting doesn't work out so well. The important stories are already being told about Ichigo and crew, and Bleach is an example of a series where there's not much room for other major heroes. The NarutoMod is much more viable, since there's room for other ninja who are allowed to be just as cool as the main characters. If you want to take this project and run with it though, be my guest. I'll be glad to offer advice and help. Personally, though, I've decided to switch focus to Exalted itself - and simply steal concepts from places like Bleach. - IanPrice

Please tell me that I'm reading something wrong--72 hours of training at +1 difficulty every hour = a whopping 72 difficulty on a roll that caps out at 15-20 dice, depending on whether we're talking Elder Exalt range. I'm assuming right now that the difficulty resets somewhat between training sessions, but I'm wondering if I'm missing some sort of answer that makes this less than flat-out impossible. -- Mockery

Succeeding at the roll isn't necessary for the hour to "count" towards training. It's necessary for the trainee not to take damage from the excessive strain. It would probably be reasonable to let the difficulty reset if someone rests for a time proportionate to how long they trained in between training sessions. - IanPrice

BleachMod

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