User:Bill/Shinobi

Introduction

Shinobi is a Wild Talents variant based on the Naruto and Naruto Shippūden anime series by Masashi Kishimoto. No challenge to anyone's copyright is intended and any similarities to anyone else's work is probably completely intentional. My most profound apologies to anyone that I fail to credit at any point.

Why Wild Talents

Lots of different rule sets could be used to run a game based on Naruto and quite a few are already out there. I'm going with ORE out of personal preference and because I firmly believe that at its core Naruto is a super hero story. That requires a set of rules flexible enough to support a wide variety of powers without significant work on the part of the players or referee. Wild Talents' flexible power design system is especially well suited to this task and should permit players to create any thematically appropriate character that they desire to.

Changes from Wild Talents

Chakra

Shinobi power their jutsu with Chakra, a trait derived from a character's spiritual and physical training/prowess. Each shinobi possesses a base Chakra pool equal to 5x his or her (Body+Cool). This trait effectively replaces willpower and Base Will may be spent in the standard fashion to gain additional Chakra. Unlike willpower, Chakra recovers at a rate of one per round inside of combat and will normally recover completely after a short rest. Activating any jutsu requires Chakra to be bid.

Spending Chakra

Chakra is the defining resource of the source material. Shinobi with larger amounts of it are simply able to do more than those with less. To reflect this Chakra may be spent, at a rate of two for one, to buy hard dice for any single round. For uncontested actions this will result in an automatic success with a minimum width of one.

Setting

Shinobi is set in a unique world that blends elements of feudal Japan with modern technology, magic, and supernatural powers. The stories take place in the five great nations and the smaller countries that border them. These nations are ruled by diamyos and defended by superhuman ninjas trained in hidden villages. In essence, these stories are about super heroes that battle super villains in defense of their countries and comrades.

Player Characters

The players will take on the roles of genin ninjas, recent graduates from ninja academy, placed in their first team. These characters will be engaging in low (E and D) level missions under the leadership of a jonin level captain. Per the source material, genin must complete at least eight missions before they can be recommended by their team captain for the chunin exams.

Jutsu

The source material divides the superhuman abilities of ninja into three categories; taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. In game this will be reflected as skills and miracles.

Taijutsu is made up of the various hand to hand styles employed by the characters in the series. In game it will be generally simulated by normal martial arts rolls and levels of Deadly. Special, named, taijutsu maneuvers will be custom designed on an as needed basis. All characters should begin with at least one special taijutsu. Additionally, all characters begin with the ability to bid chakra to accomplish superhuman leaps, run up vertical surfaces, walk on water, etc.

Genjutsu is the art of mind-control and is not frequently displayed by characters in the source material. While any character may have one or more miracles that would fall under the heading of genjutsu, it is recommended that only genin that specialize in genjutsu have more than one or two.

Ninjutsu is something of a catch-all term for any power that doesn't fall into the other two categories. Virtually anything may be accomplished with ninjutsu. However, while it is a broadly open-ended category, it should be noted that most characters in the series rely heavily on one or two techniques that tend to be unique to them. Please do not consider the opportunity to do anything an invitation to do everything.

Common Jutsu

All characters begin with the following ninjutsu techniques:

Cloak of Invisibility Technique

Clone Technique

Exploding Tag: Activate

Rope Escape Technique

Substitution Jutsu

Transformation Jutsu

Hidden Jutsu

Not all jutsu are freely taught, some techniques are passed down generation to generation. Players may feel free to define one or more of their themed techniques as a family secret passed down by a relative or mentor. This is a useful way to distinguish your character, very few NPCs will appear with the power, while tying them to one or more specific NPCs. Some hidden jutsu may be dependent on the character possessing an appropriate kekkei genkai.

Kekkei Genkai

In addition to jutsu, which typically require some form of invoking ritual and in theory at least can be learned by any ninja, the series acknowledges the existence of powers that are passed down genetically. Kekkei genkai cannot be learned and must under normal circumstances be purchased at character generation. Per the source material, only direct blood relatives of a character will be able to use any power defined as a kekkei genkai.

Kekkei genkai that have appeared in the series fall into one of three broad categories; alters perception, alters form, allows unorthodox elemental bias. Please consider these guidelines, not hard and fast rules.

Limitations

The following kekkei genkai have already been defined in the series. While they provide a useful illustration of what sort of things fall under the heading of kekkei genkai, please do not reproduce them without referee permission. Doing so will necessarily involve those characters that already possess these abilities.

Byakugan	Grants the wielder the ability to see chakra flows.
Ice Release	Grants the wielder the ability to combine air and water chakra at will.
Iron Sand	Grants the wielder the ability to manipulate magnetic fields.
Kurama Genjutsu	Grants the wielder the ability to kill with genjutsu.
Rinnegan	Grants the wielder the ability to quickly master jutsu and see chakra.
Sharingan	Grants the wielder the ability to anticipate his or her opponents' moves.
Shikotsumyaku	Grants the wielder the ability to manipulate his or her own skeleton to create weapons.
Soma no Ko	Grants the wielders the ability to combine their bodies.
Wood Release	Grants the wielder the ability to combine earth and water chakra at will.