Discovering your Destiny, part 1

I guess this has been turning into a Tenra Bansho Zero blog lately. Oh well, whatever to fill the silence with, right?

Anyway. There's been a bit of a dissonance for me between the ease of picking out pregenerated characters in TBZ and jumping into the game for people who haven't played before. But at the same time, the GM needs to come up with a set of Destinies for them on the fly, that would ensure motivated participation by everyone and turn into an exciting story. It is not particularly easy with the wide amount of character types available.

A good set of party Destinies don't just smush together like overboiled rice, but spiral around a common center of gravity like a DNA helix, finally merging for the common resolution in the grand finale. That is the most satisfying way for player character Destinies to unfold, but it takes a lot of practice to get right.

That's what we're here for! Practice, and inspiration.

We're going to need a random chart to pick out sets of characters from, and then try to assign them Destinies with minimum preparation. Ideally it's going to be easier and easier as time goes by. I'll be using the following chart with 12 entries on it - Oni and Ayakashi are not present, because they're somewhat more difficult to fit into a default adventure, and instead there's another pregenerated character type, the War Master for people who like more choice from the "human" characters.

1. Annelidist
2. Armour Hunter
3. Armour Rider
4. Kijin
5. Kongohki
6. Kugutsu
7. Miko/Gyoshi
8. Monk
9. Onmyoji
10. Samurai
11. Shinobi
12. War Master

Now it turns out we just need to roll d12 four times to pick out types in a typical party (duplicates okay). Random.org gifts us with 4,12,6,12. So our party consists of:

• Ryu, Kijin
• Ken, War Master
• Sakura, Kugutsu
• Chun-Li, War Master

Two War Masters, which is good (duplicates are good, and will also frequently happen in free choice games so you'd better get ready for them). Duplicates are awesome for rivalries, so let's do just that: Ken has Rival: Chun-Li, or Goal: Prove his War Art is Stronger Than Hers, or even Emotion: Competitive Spirit. Or whatever. You get it.

Note that this leaves Chun-Li undefined for now. In general, I don't like setting up closed loops of Destinies because they run the risk of splitting the party into isolated cliques. By all means give player A a Destiny related to player B but then move on with player B onto something else.

Ideally, we also want to group PCs by who knows whom from earlier, who are travelling together and so on (note this doesn't have to be romantic or sexual in nature, but it is going to involve some Fates). In this case, Chun-Li is protecting the Kugutsu, Sakura, that has been entrusted in her care, or simply chose her as the protector. Goal: Protect Sakura With Your Life works wonders.

Kijin are simple people, their lifes scarred by violence. If you want an Enemy type Destiny, and you probably do, it's a good fit here. Give him Enemy: Whoever Is Going To Be The Final Boss Or His/Her Dragon and be done with it.

Finally, for the Kugutsu... you have some room to fill in the blanks now. Personal freedom is a big staple here so you could go with Goal: Attain Freedom if you want it simple. If her creator is still alive and present in the adventure, you could have a positive or negative Emotion related to them. Or finally you could put the player up for some soul-searching with Goal: Understand What Is Human? or something similarily waffling and philosophical.

This is not to say that these things should be entirely GM decided and forced upon the player, which would be silly, just that you should have a firm idea of what to suggest to a player (and if they say "fuck no" then you can talk it out and negotiate). Note that this set of sample Destinies is going to be relevant right to the end of the adventure (parts of which they imply), keep PCs together and resolve at similar time, at the last Act of the game. These are, not to toot my own horn, reasonably good Destinies.

Next time, we'll see if we can do it again.

鋼のＦＲＥＥＤＯＭ: Ashina Aya

鋼のＦＲＥＥＤＯＭ (Hagane no Freedom - Freedom of Steel) is a Tenra Bansho Zero scenario for 4 to 6 players, including the Game Master. This series of posts introduces pregenerated player characters and their stories. Note: since the names are Japanese, they're written with family name first, unless noted otherwise. 

Two years ago, you were one of the few children most important for the domain of Torigoe. Born Mitsuko in a noble Ishikawa family, you were prepared from early childhood to control a terrifying steel frame of Yoroi Armour that could single-handedly turn the tide of battle.

The magical Meikyo mirror, contained in only the most powerful Armours, not only provides an interface for control, but absorbs all memories and experiences of the rider during battle, making the Armour grow ever more powerful. However, the price for that is little space left for the personal growth of the rider herself. Eventually, there will not be enough room inside the Armour for both personalities - the rider, and the one contained inside the mirror. When that happens, the Armour shuts down and the rider has to seek other avenues of self-fulfilment.

It all turned into a somewhat theoretical matter for you as in the battle of Hisano's Gate, where the armies of Torigoe were crushed, your personal duel with a Hakusen rider ended in destruction of your both Armours. Unconscious, you were pulled from the wreckage by an officer of the fleeing army, who, having lost his own family, nursed you to health and gave you home as well as a new, less conspicuous name. As you have heard, your real family now lives in Hakusen as hostages, never having had the chance to find out you're alive.

So now you're trying to live your teenage life as best as you can, but something is missing. Losing your Armour felt like losing a close family member, but more so, and you dream of the time when again you will be able to rampage across battlefields of Tenra in an invincible body of an iron giant. This desire makes you seek success and attention in other fields - despite being somewhat frail of body, you never back down from a challenge and have a reputation as a bit of a troublemaker.

Kitan Kagetora, your friend at school, is aware of your true identity, and he has obtained a worn out, mass produced Armour for you to train in, so that your skills don't deteriorate entirely. However, hereditary artifacts that are Meikyo Armours are impossible to purchase and it will require a small miracle for the independence movement to obtain even one.

But when that day comes, you will show them all.

SYSTEM NOTES

Archetypes: Yoroi Armour Rider, Kabukimono/Punk
Fates: Emotion: Must be the center of attention, Misfortune: Loss of your Yoroi Armour

Note: this is a modified Yoroi Armour Rider archetype. It has a custom fate and the character will get access to their Armour in play (they have a temporary mass produced Kimen Armour at the start of the game). 

鋼のＦＲＥＥＤＯＭ: Kitan Kagetora

鋼のＦＲＥＥＤＯＭ (Hagane no Freedom - Freedom of Steel) is a Tenra Bansho Zero scenario for 4 to 6 players, including the Game Master. This series of posts introduces pregenerated player characters and their stories. Note: since the names are Japanese, they're written with family name first, unless noted otherwise.

You are Kitan Kagetora, the last living member of the Kitan clan. In another time you would have been the Lord of Torigoe domain, as your father was. However, independent Torigoe doesn't exist anymore: it was conquered by Lord Buren of Hakusen in a short and decisive war two years ago.

Your father and younger sister died during the chaos as the capital city of Tengaishi fell, while you were separately captured and spared by the troops of Hakusen. As a member of former ruling family you have been afforded a state pension. You now spend your days in a boarding school for young nobles such as yourself, living a content but ultimately pointless existence.

Or so everyone thinks. In truth, you have never stopped making plots to take back Torigoe from Hakusen, whether it's for the sake of your countrymen or just yourself. You have established secret contacts with the underground resistance movements and are planning to one day lead them to victory. Even though they are all just tools to you, you have a lot to offer them - your strategic abilities are supreme, honed over years of studying shogi (the Japanese chess), where you are nigh undefeatable.

Another important talent of yours is Onmyojutsu, the Taoist sorcerous art of distilling background life energy of the land and giving it the shape of monstrous creatures called Shikigami or simply shiki, which you can then direct at your enemies or use for more mundane tasks. While it is not something you want to showcase to the people watching you, it is a powerful asset which you have become quite good at manipulating.

However, you sneer at the outdated traditional ways of sorcery, carefully drawing summoning glyphs in a beautiful display of calligraphy. You're one of the new generation of Onmyoji, emphasizing substance over style - using an abacus and a mechanical kimenkyo calculating device to quickly produce calculations required to create Shikigami as fast as possible. Older Onmyoji would say that this method is too dangerous, as any error made in haste can produce terrifying and uncontrollable Chimera, and derisively call your ilk shiki-slingers. But you don't care. You know better than them.

Will you oust the invaders who have conquered your homeland, and give its people the freedom they deserve? Or will your own reign you promise be even more terrible?

SYSTEM NOTES

Archetypes: Aristocrat/Princess, Shiki Slinger, Tactician
Fates: Emotion: Hostility towards classical Onmyoji, Emotion: Loyalty to Torigoe domain

Equipment: pistol gauntlets

I'm pretty sure everyone has seen RWBY: Yellow by now but if you haven't, you owe it to yourself. Do it here.

Anyway, a player wanted this kind of thing for their character in Iron Kingdoms. With a little bit of reverse engineering and guesswork, I present you this. You're welcome, Cassie!

PISTOL GAUNTLET, REPEATING

Cost: 45 gc
Ammo: 5 (metal-cased light round)
Effective range: 36 feet (6")
Extreme range: 180 feet
Skill: Pistol
Attack modifier: -1
POW: 10
AOE: -

Description: This weapon is a heavy gauntlet that integrates a repeating pistol firing mechanism with a five-chambered ammo wheel. The ammo wheel can be replaced in the heat of combat instead of reloading each cylinder separately.

Special rules: When used as a melee weapon, this weapon has an attack modifier of -1, is POW 2, and uses the Unarmed Combat skill.

Replacing this weapon's ammo wheel requires a quick action. Reloading each cylinder of the ammo wheel takes one quick action.

It costs 3 gc for blasting powder, bullets and casings for five light rounds. Additional ammo wheels cost 15 gc each.

As part of a charge, after moving but before making the charge attack, a character can spend 1 feat point to make one ranged attack with this weapon targeting the enemy charged unless the character was in melee with the enemy at the start of his turn. When resolving the ranged attack, the attacking character does not suffer the target in melee penalty. If the target is not in melee range after the attacking character moves, the character can make the ranged attack before his turn ends.