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Alright, here are my ideas, its going to seem like an incredible boost of powers at first but I think this will in general be a more balanced comparison on both ends. As it stands right now I don't think the standard way of using 3.5 doesn't accurately represents shinigami and Hollow strength however a slightly modified Gestalt could I think here is the basis of it for shinigami. This is assuming we aren't using any of the house rules.
When they first gain Shikai they gain the standard two types but instead of one ability they gain two, one for each type with restrictions, like you can't grab crackling blade and then improved crackling blade or basically grabbing two abilities in the same tree except for general however you are restricted from getting duplicates abilities from the general at first shikai level. Every shikai progression you would gain two abilities, one for each type but the same restriction applies to an extent, you can't duplicate the same general ability twice a progression.
Now for Bankai, which is where it gets a little insane. Upon 12th level a shinigami can attain a bankai and this works by using the Gestalt rules except for a couple of differences. The shinigami can only gestalt with other shinigami classes and if a Warrior shinigami has taken dedicated warrior he can only nab expert or a rehash of his own class(like double a warrior). They gain all of the level bonuses and can take bankai powers instead of the normal shikai powers, they gain two additional types or can remain in their own trees, the restriction on abilities still stands as well and the Shingami DO NOT gain HD from the bankai class. Instead a shinigami's maximum HP doubles and they are healed 1/2 off their base HP + 1/4 of their base HD ( A 16th level warrior shinigami who has just released bankai would roll 8d12 to heal).
Zanpaktou damage progression is not affected by the second class neither. Every level a shinigami goes up his bankai increases in power appropriately to correspond to that level. (so a spellcaster shinigami who just leveled to 16 would have 16 levels in bankai warrior). All zanpaktou abilities stack.
Also forgot to add the duration of Bankai, 3/4 number of HD + con mod is the number of rounds bankai can be used.
If you like the idea and/or feel it should be retooled a bit let me know so it can be improved or reworked. I think its a great idea but you never know what a bit of another opinion can do to improve that.
If you like the idea at all then I'll stat the hollow out as well as its going to involve making three new classes then some prestige classes, like Captain, Espada and Vizard, was also thinking of some other original classes and others based off of the OVAs.
Well you don't have to recalculate HP much at all, the HP would be the same as it is now but I guess you would be adding a new BAB but I'm sure many of us already do that when we do bankai with bonuses to str and dex so it would be just another bonus along with a defense bonus, so if I were lvl 16 warrior with a BAB of +16/+11/+6 and had expert bankai, when I used it I would simply add +15/+10/+5 to that to get 31/21/11 and my defense would increase from +11 to +21 and that would be it, I don't think its that complicated at all but if you don't really want it then thats cool, it was just an idea that I thought would really give a lot more flesh to the word Bankai, you know? Tell me at least what you think about the shikai buff.
Now as far as the strength and speedy thing, I agree that would be a bit unbalanced:
"You have a +30 to attack? Thats ok I have AC 60 XD"
I think something more akin to Frankto's Naruto D20 might do the trick, specifically the speed ranks, not the same amount of course but more like a +2 to attack and defense every three levels or so up to the amount of size increases the strong would receive. This would of course be circumvented if said character was immobilized or something of that sort. Maybe a +1 initiative bonus to go along as well
I think Spell casting hollow, or rather spell like ability hollows even more should gain things like an increase to a save DC abilities and a special ray touch attack or something of that sort like the warlock class does in standard DnD.
I was also thinking of consolidating gillian, Adjuchas, vasto lordes and arrancar into one and creating an 3-5 level Espada class and changing the captain class into a similar thing. I think I have a cool idea for captain bankai and Espasa ressureccion, like how Byakua in a sense had another stage to his bankai, normal free petals that raped, then the hundred swords thing. Same with Espada, how Ulquiorra does his thing and although he is the only one we have seen do it, i'm sure others can as well, at least 1-3 anyway.
we just haven't really seem the Espada get busy aside from the ones now dead in Hueco Mundo. They would gain these "soudai Bankai" and "Resureccion Magnífico" at the final level of these prestige classes, 3 or 5 and they would allow and additional half of their bankai total + 2 Bankai abilities to create a greater version of their normal bankai or some sort of odd accentuation. I think it would be cool anyhow, I think Shinsuin, Ukitake, Yamamoto of course, Aizen even, Gin possibly and Urahara may be hiding something like this along with the remaining 1-3 espada.
It would probably only last five rounds for and can only be used twice a day + modifier after a 30 minute cool down or something of that sort.
Gillian would give something like Cero as a bonus ability since it seems every single one can use cero in some way, and maybe a bonus ability limited to a pool of their respective class, like fast getting evasion, uncanny dodge and so forth each time, or spell casting getting something like spell penetration for their abilities along with a NA armor increase, probably a simple +1 at each level.
Also splitting Cero into five forms: "Gillian Cero", "Adjucha Cero", Gran Ray Cero and "Nega Cero"
So becoming and Adjuchas would give an adjuchas Cero and another related ability which ever they could be.
Becoming a Vasto Lordes would give access to Gran Ray Cero. The final Cero would be conditional I think. You would have to be an espada and reach the final level of the Espada class and take it as one of your abilities. Their power would probably be as so:
Gillian Cero: does 6d6 dmg
Adjuchas Cero: does 8d8 dmg
Gran Ray Cero: does 10d10 dmg and can be empowered by spending an action point to increase the die by up to six
and can be empowered by spending an action point to increase the die by up to six(so the max is 16d10)
Nega Cero: does 12d12 dmg and can be empowered by spending an action point to increase the die by up to six( so max would be 18d12).
I would put all of the evolutions into the class at once, so at 4th level maybe you would become a Gillian, at 8th you would be an Adjuchas and at 12th level become a vasto lordes and Arrancar would be optional at level 8 and level 12 and would decide the power of your ressureccion and what modifiers you could receive as an Arrancar.
Since Arrancar can be barely humanoid or very human in appearance depending on their power I think it would be something like this:
Adjuchas Arrancar: Adjuchas arrancar are tough and are more close to their hollow heritage and have tougher skin and strength, gaining a +2 bonus to NA and damage and a +10 to HP. They also gain Gran Ray Cero at level 12. They also gain sonido per rules in book.
Vasto Lordes Arrancar are less durable than Adjuchas but hold an inner power that is a testament to when they were vasto lordes. They gain a +1 bonus to NA and damage and +5 HP but also gain 2 additional zanpaktou abilities and 1 additional hollow ability for their ressureccion. They also gain sonido per rules in book.
Now since Arrancar wouldn't be a normal class in my vision obviously, here is how it would work. They would become a medium humanoid as normal with all of the penalties removed and the strength remaining. Gain the base bludgeoning attack and Gain Ressureccion.
The resureccion ability will give zanpaktou abilities equivalent to the amount of hollow abilities the hollow has at which ever level and would increase as they continue to grow every other level. It will also give one bankai ability on top. It would last 10 rounds or something of that manner.
Captain level shinigami
When I was a kid just having a bankai was enough to be a captain in the Gotei 13 but things change. Every generation becomes more and more powerful than the last. Soon more and more folks began having bankai like it was some child's plaything. Becoming a captain didn't mean much for awhile until he came. A shinigami who had bankai like all the rest but he was on a whole other level. A bright and fierce determination was in his eyes as he fought with a superior reiatsu that burned hollows to a crisp on its own. Can you believe that? It was insane! His shikai was strong enough to fell bankais like they were candy and made the arrancar look like an average gillian. He was hot stuff! He set the bar for the next generation and ushered in a new age in the Gotei 13 where you had to have the magic to be a captain. Thats why Kenpachi's insane ass is a captain now. What? You don't believe me then ask the Yamamoto to tell you about him, himself! - Old man in Rukonagi.
I was thinking about how Ichigo always had the cool glow in his eye anytime he was filled with a fierce determination and I think thats what sets him and other shinigami apart. They got the "touch".
This class would be available after 13th or 14th level and would introduce a standard prestige class bonus to HP, BAB, defense and the likes and would offer abilities like to add two of the action point die together instead of just choosing the highest one once a day to let the character do something amazing. (Ichigo pwning Renji in their duel and stuff like that.) At the 3rd level there would be rules for an improved bankai that enabled another stage like Byaukua's and what not.