Character TypesThis section discusses the different character types that are available. I'm willing to take suggestions on things to add to this list, but I won't just add anything.
Humans - These completely alien things are well outside the experiences of normal players. They are strange monstrosities that walk on two legs and talk and
look at you with their eyes. They're freaks of nature and of course no one would want to play them. Unfortunately, they make up the vast majority of Tohku's population. Seriously, though, humans are just humans, much as they are on Earth. I would like to see at least one non-combatant, human player character who is gets caught up in the supernatural events of the plot.
Majin -
These characters are not intended for normal players. The majin are powerful entities with unknown motives. They can take human form, are very destructive, and are very difficult to kill. Until recently, their appearance has been uncommon, but TSF has noted a spike in majin activity. Project Knight is a direct response to this, attempting to create elite soldiers that can fight back against the majin without requiring dangerous and heavy weaponry or large containment teams. Majin are generally quite solitary, but it is difficult to know exactly how they function due to their rarity and the danger they've posed making it unfeasible to capture them in the past.
Wizards and witches are capable of sealing them (particularly when working with guardians), but it is difficult, as the process leaves the mages (and guardians) vulnerable while they cast the seal. Sealing the majin also does not destroy it, and more than one majin has broken free of their prison. I may allow someone to play a character with a majin sealed inside them.
Knights - These characters are inspired by the
Henshin Hero genre. While not an official name, Knights are the result of the failed Project Knight, which sought to make soldiers compatible with the Gears System (as described in the 'Tohku Special Forces' section of the
setting information). The Gears allow those altered by Project Knight to utilize armored power suits (which can be summoned to the user from anywhere, at least within a distance large enough to cover all of Tohku City). These suits each have their own specializations, and are meant to be used to fight majin.
Each of the Gears has a set of extraordinary abilities, and at least one 'Finishing Move'. They are, however, quite taxing even for Knights, and new Knights are unlikely to be able to handle using a 'Finisher' (and will have to work up to be able to utilize that ability). Even then, Knights will likely collapse after using one, and while faster than a sealing ritual, a 'Finisher' requires a small amount of time to charge and execute, allowing a majin to easily dodge it if it hasn't been worn down.
Knights are also tougher and more athletic outside of their suits, and I may even allow some to have some small superhuman ability. Knights are also capable of healing faster, but generally require a much larger diet to support their notable metabolism. (Also, a so far unknown complication is that these benefits come with a shortened lifespan, but younger characters wouldn't notice within the timespan of the RP most likely.)
Guardians - These are inspired by the
Magical Girl/Mahou Shoujo genre. Guardians are girls, chosen at a young age by otherworldly forces, that are given passive and protective powers. Guardians, especially powerful ones, are said to have an angelic aura about them, suggesting their power derives from some benevolent celestial force. Guardians are able to purify things, create shields, conjure paper shikigami, put people to sleep, and heal people, though the actual capabilities vary between guardians. All guardians, however, are quick, graceful, and extremely agile, capable of moving swiftly from place to place.
Most guardians are generally unaware of why they are chosen or for what purpose, but it seems that most inevitably utilize their powers to protect and care for others. It is not uncommon for guardians, especially younger ones, to hide their abilities and use them sparingly, particularly since guardians are always born human and are gifted their powers later.
Wizards and Witches - Sometimes called mages, sorcerers, and sometimes warlocks among the more dark and pretentious sorts, these entities are a bit of a mystery. Wizards and witches have a wide variety of abilities, and as a whole, they seem capable of nearly anything. Individually, each wizard or witch has a number of small tokens, symbols, and other objects keyed to specific powers. A wizard might carry a small key that in human hands would open nothing, but carries the magic to open any lock. A witch might have a small feather charm which allows her to float on the breeze or grow magical wings and fly.
Unlike guardians, mages are born with magic, and while they pass as human (though some have small inhuman features like cat-like eyes or pointed ears), they are another species. They are capable of breeding with humans, though the resulting child may or may not have the capacity for magic.
Witches and wizards have also been seen performing rituals to cast greater spells than they can through their totems, or spells that require the power of more than one of their kind. These take time and certain ingredients, and are generally quite taxing, so it is relatively uncommon.
Espers - Espers are humans that have been born with psionic capabilities. Each esper has a specialization (telekinesis or telepathy for instance), and their abilities are generally not that extreme. A telekinetic esper is likely to be be able to throw a human aside or perform small tasks at a distance, but they aren't likely to be lifting and throwing cars. A telepathic esper might be able to hear someone's surface thoughts or communicate at long distances, but they aren't likely to take over someone's mind.
It is unknown what causes espers to manifest, but there are examples of it for many centuries, and there are many different sorts of espers. In Tohku, when an esper manifests, they are taken in for a medical examination by TSF, and basic records (fingerprints, DNA, blood samples) are kept, but they are otherwise allowed to live as normally as other supernaturals.
Spirits - Spirits are the remnants of a deceased individual, generally with some reason to be tethered to the world they were meant to leave behind. They are ethereal, not quite part of the material world, and thus generally intangible, invisible, and inaudible. Spirits will usually manifest abilities over time (sometimes months, sometimes years, occasionally within days), allowing them to move objects, make themselves seen or heard, create strange visuals, mess with signals and waves, and even possess humans.
Espers tend to be capable of sensing spirits in some way, and it is not uncommon for witches, wizards, and guardians to be able to see them. A strong enough or old enough spirit might even be capable of manifesting themselves completely, for a time, so that they can be seen and touched.
Unfortunately, most spirits are malevolent or mournful, given they are usually tied to the world by some strong emotion. A spirit that has been tethered to the world for a long time and is angry, sad, or vengeful, is often lost to that emotion, losing their connection to other emotions and memories.
Androids and Gynoids - Androids and gynoids are robots that generally look and feel like humans. Most androids and gynoids have 'Simulated Intelligence', meaning they are capable of a large number of tasks and have very complex programming, but do not have true cognizance or a real capacity to learn. The Technology section of the
setting information discusses some of the details of Android and Gynoid history.
Some androids and gynoids only mimic humans superficially, but most with actual Artificial Intelligence are generally designed to be more anatomically on par with humans, while generally being capable of faster calculations, enhanced strength and resilience, and memory and data storage that mimics that of a computer, rather than humans. There are definite experiential differences with even Artificially Intelligent androids and gynoids, such as having different means by which they 'smell' and 'taste' if they can at all, and not actually needing to eat or breath (though they do need to 'sleep' during which time they restore energy through their ExtraTech power conduits).
Any full-fledged player character that is an android or gynoid is probably going to be an AI, unless someone specifically wishes to challenge themselves to play an SI.
Character Sheet[floatright][img padding=10]<Image URL here>[/img][/floatright]
[b]Name:[/b] [b]Player:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b] [b]Age:[/b]
[b]Type:[/b]
[b]Bio/Description:[/b]
[b]Skills/Powers:[/b]
[b]Preferences:[/b] <What are your character's sexual tastes, interests, desires, dislikes, etc.>
