Pirates vs. Ninjas

[Kaje]

Any ideas for a different, more copyrightable name?

[Dairun Cates]

Any ideas for a different, more copyrightable name?

Figuring out a way to throw the word Wanderers in there somewhere. It makes it a LOT more distinguishable and less generic. So something like tordirycgoyust's "Pirates, Wanderers, Ninjas" would actually do it. It just needs to be distinguishable enough from other Pirates vs. Ninjas brand names.

Amusingly enough Pirates vs. Ninjas is actually available since it's been abandoned, but it's also a hard copyright to maintain since it's generic.

Nothing final though.

[Lix Lorn]

Sea and Shadow: Pirates Vs Ninjas

[Kaje]

Shipwrecks & Shuriken

[Dairun Cates]

Shipwrecks & Shuriken

Sea and Shadow: Pirates Vs Ninjas

Heh. Don't remember announcing a contest, but I suppose a little outsourcing never hurt anyone.

[IcarusWings]

Shiver me' Shurikens: Pirates VS Ninjas

[Dairun Cates]

Well, I promised I'd do it, and here it is, a huge rebalancing of a few overpowered moves and some rebuffing on some weaker ones. Here's the FULL fix log.

Fix Log:
Fixed some minor wording issues.
Should add a section on each ability for Weapons and whether they're needed or not and which one.
Range and cost of Shuriken Split reduced.
Clarification on Rubber Sole\
Increased Life Cost of Torrential Hurrican Strike
Whoopise! Life Cost increased
Cost of Fleetfoot Barrage reduced
Infinite Sword Jobs “any attribute for hit and dodge” rule removed.
Find the Seam Cost increased.
Blue Collar Edge cost slightly increased.
Considering Life Cost increase to Hammer Meet Nail, but staying the same for now.
Slight Life increase to Eight Slain in One Stroke.
Increase in Cost to Pierce the Veil
Increase in Cost to Horizon Throw
Increase in Cost for Breathe and Focus
Increase in Cost AND damage for 100 tiny needles
Decrease in Cost for 1,000 tiny needles, buff in damage. Ditto for 1,000,000 Tiny Needles.
Awesome Point cost for Infinitesimal Blade increased by 1
Penalty of Cost of Power decreased, but Cost increased
Awesome Point Cost of Ellipsis Swing increased
Removed Will penalty from Bull's Red Cape.
Slight Cost increase to Use What you Have
Fixed a weird wording problem on Fast Numbers Negation.
Cost of Fist of justice decreased.
Cost and Damage of If I Go Down I'm Taking You With Me increased.
Cost of Canonical Team-up increased
Range of Triple Tap decreased
Cost of Eagle Eye decreased in light of being inferior to True Mead and Drunken Satori
Elemental tag added to chain reaction. Cost decreased
Life decrease on El Kabong!
Buffed invisibility of Deadly Discord
Removed instant KO ability from Power Chord. Decreased Cost.
Decreased minus to will check and instant KO condition from Face-Melter
Increase to cost of Step-Ball-Kick since it didn't require a weapon.
Increase in damage and cost for Double Up!
Slight increase in cost to Footloose and Fancy Free
Change in cost to Summon the Groupies
Decrease in cost to Beautiful Inspiration
Lowered difficulty and instant KO status of Mr. Exploder. Also decreased Cost.
Increased cost of Shatter the glass
Removed life cost from Split the Heavens
Decrease in cost of Ready Freddy? Go!
Decrease in difficulty for Musical Mind Control and Mass Media Musical Mind Control to -3
Extended reach decreased to 2 squares of extra reach per life spent.
Increase in damage required per life gain for Life drinker and halfed life gain for AOE, but life gain now rounds up.
An Apple a Day range increased to 6
Increased bonus on Perfect Bill of Health to +2
Decrease in Stupefying Kick cost.
Removed Instant KO from Five-Fold Crippling Palm
Slight increase in cost to 1,000 pressure points
Surgical Precision can now effect monsters all the time for less damage.
Life gain of lightspeed metabolism increased to 4 from 2
Molotov increased to 6 squares.
Added a life gain subability to Perfect Physical Clarity
Dirty Footwork blinds until next action.
Increase in cost to imperfect balance.
Increased in cost of Drunken Satori
Me, Myself, and I gives a -2 to the opponents on spotting will check.
Increase in cost of Absolute Darkness.
Follow My Lead Penalty reduced to a -3
Increased cost of Hand Gun
Increase in cost of Piston strike.
Increase in cost of Extendo Arms
Slight cost increase to Mega Cannon Arm
Slight cost increase to Spring Legs
Range of Loaded Assault Increased


A lot, isn't it?

[Morph Bark]

Considering you have ninjas, pirates and zombies, I don't suppose there's any room for robots?

[IcarusWings]

Considering you have ninjas, pirates and zombies, I don't suppose there's any room for robots?

And cowboys, spartans and vampires

[Dairun Cates]

Considering you have ninjas, pirates and zombies, I don't suppose there's any room for robots?

Been considering them as a few abilities for Gunnars. So the thought has crossed my mind.

EDIT: Specifically, in the beta campaign, G&W is a pretty important group in the sense that it makes a lot of devices, including robots. So, it makes sense to give them abilities as such.

And cowboys, spartans and vampires

Cowboys have been considered, but they're currently delegated with the whole Viking vs. Samurai thing. Spartans and Vampires... I'm not so sure about. That'll be up to you GM if you really want to see that. I tend to avoid getting too clustered with theme. Except for the dinosaurs (which are mostly there because of their universal appeal), everything else tends to stick thematically to either pirate or ninja film genres.

[Observer]

Considering you have ninjas, pirates and zombies, I don't suppose there's any room for robots?

Take a look at the Carpentarrs. Steampunk, wooden, pirate cyborgs? That's only a little bit of creative character fluff away from having stats for robots.

[paddyfool]

Vikings are practically pirates. Ninja cyborgs are familiar to all players of beat-em-ups. Cowboys have a devoted following.

If you were to add one more class to each faction, my suggestions would be Viking Bersarrrkar, Cyberninja and Cowboy.

[Morph Bark]

It could be possible to throw in a dash of Vampires vs. Werewolves. Vampirates? Wereninjas? Werepirates? The last two could be Wanderer factions that can exchange their Wanderer abilities for ninja or pirate ones at night, perhaps.

Aside from the Versuses that have already been shown... the only one left that comes to mind is Dwarves versus Elves, but I would assume you don't want that in here. Unless you would adapt those to fit.

[paddyfool]

Actually, there exists some truly horrible tweenie fiction about Vampirates. (I therefore suggest staying well away from that concept.)

[Morph Bark]

Actually, there exists some truly horrible tweenie fiction about Vampirates. (I therefore suggest staying well away from that concept.)

Existing horrible stuff shouldn't limit one's creativity. Besides, this project could make it so there's also some good fiction about vampirates.

And yes I am aware there is a comic by that name.

[Observer]

My guess would be that a vampire would have something like a non-item version of Life-Drinker, combined with a load of flaws like Phobia(Garlic), Addiction(Blood), etc. Any common vampire flaw that can't be crafted from the current set of flaws in the system can easily be worked out with a DM.

[Dairun Cates]

Here. I was bored. So, I made some signature pictures for each of the legendary three heroes. Not perfect, but something amusing while I work on some new abilities. Might do some for each faction or more quotes from each Legendary hero later (although, I can only maybe get 2 more ways of typing out pure silence for Ellipsis).







Anyway, if you want to show your Pirate vs. Ninja love. Now you can.

EDIT: Touched up the Raven one slightly. More legible with white text.

[Dairun Cates]

UPDATE TIME:

Well, after a quick break for some GM'ing and notes, I'm back to making new factions and info. The first new one coming later in the week is a Wanderer faction called "The Weapon Masters". It may sound generic, but they have some pretty fun abilities planned, including one that gives a +2 to being noticed and makes monsters attack you more frequently. The Ninja will be getting Equinja (mounted combat fighters) and Pirates will be getting Burglars (essentially thieves, cutpurses, and pickpockets).

BUT FIRST!

I'm updating some of the old factions that lack a lot of moves with new moves since some are quite far behind in number from the newer factions (there's a pretty big difference in some factions). First two are done. Wandering Minstrels have 9 new moves and Rokinja have 11 new moves. Check them out when you can. There's some pretty fun new stuff in there. The new abilities are:

Wandering Minstrels:
Level 1:
Rainbow Connection

Level 2:
Song of the Forest Lord
Voice of an Angel
Voice of a Devil

Level 3:
Eternal Diva
Dirge of Absolute Sorrow

Level 4:
Nature Calls

Level 5:
Share the Spotlight
Pollyanna

Rokinja:
Level 1:
Music to My Ears
Powerful Lungs

Level 2:
Loco-Motion Wave
Even Great Bounties Die Frequently
One Man Band

Level 3:
String Em' Up
Soul of Rock

Level 4:
Bright Tiger
Lightning Fingers

Level 5:
Call the Ensemble
God of Rock

Any more notes on the new abilities for old factions will be in this post.

Also, a question for those that actually read the backstory stuff: Are there any parts of the backstory, world, or factions you'd personally like to see fleshed out a bit more? I wanna work a bit more on fluff here and there.

[Makiru]

Thought I'd bring this up, but you've had at least one shout out on another thread from someone that presumably isn't part of the beta group.

Pirates vs. Ninjas: Catch the Magic.

Also, updates are awesome, but that really should have gone without saying.

[Dairun Cates]

Thought I'd bring this up, but you've had at least one shout out on another thread from someone that presumably isn't part of the beta group.

Pirates vs. Ninjas: Catch the Magic.

Can't seem to find it, would it be possible to get a link?

[Makiru]

Can't seem to find it, would it be possible to get a link?

"For your viewing pleasure"

[Kaje]

Yeah, that's me. I tend to take any opportunity to plug the games I'm really interested in.

[Makiru]

Charreographers and Wandering Minstrels could stand to use a bit more backstory.

Also, you mistakenly put down Ellipsis's gender in the Evadinja background. You might want to fix that, unless that was your intention.

[Observer]

Also, you mistakenly put down Ellipsis's gender in the Evadinja background. You might want to fix that, unless that was your intention.

Ellipsis's gender is also referred to as a "he" all throughout his backstory. I don't think his gender is supposed to be a mystery.

[Makiru]

Ellipsis's gender is also referred to as a "he" all throughout his backstory. I don't think his gender is supposed to be a mystery.

It's also referred to as a she as well. That's the big rumor: nobody knows for sure. Regardless, there probably doesn't need to be a change in that case.

[Lix Lorn]

Ellipsis's gender is also referred to as a "he" all throughout his backstory. I don't think his gender is supposed to be a mystery.

Or is that what she wants you to think?

[Makiru]

I just noticed something: You still haven't worked on the Shadinja in the faction list. Probably would be a good thing to know if that faction's still going to be created in the future.

[Dairun Cates]

What's that? A new Wanderer Faction? OH SNAP!

Done for now. GOD these guys have way too many abilities, but they're not broad enough to get two factions. Some of these will either need to be removed or moved to other factions. Actually, quite a few of these work well in other factions. It's an excuse to have weapons in other factions.

Weapons Masters:
Summary: Weapons Masters, as their name suggests, are all about Weapon Mastery and the usage of Weapons for Deadly Techniques and precision.

High Level Weapons Masters learn to not only use their favorite weapon, but multiple weapons and styles to form an effective and flexible fighting style that can become appropriate for any encounter.

History: The Weapon Masters are the ultimate in Wanderer combatants, and whenever a Wanderer city needs guards to help keep the city safe from Pirates and Ninjas, the Weapon Masters are usually the first on the job.

The history of the Weapon Masters is as old as the Wanderers themselves. When the Wanderers split off from the Pirates and the Ninjas they sought a new way of life. They brought their combat expertise over from both sides and applied it to making sure the Pirates and Ninjas would respect their way of life.

Eventually, as the Pirates and Ninjas learned to leave the Wanderers alone, the other Wanderer factions began to emerge to provide goods and services to the city. This lead to the Wanderers eventually managing to culturally integrate themselves into Pirate and Ninjas societies alike.

However, the Weapon Masters did not disappear. They still exist and in large numbers. Just like their other Wanderers brethren, they have also melded decently into Pirate and Ninja society. Their techniques have been sought by both sides for their power and both sides hire them as mercenaries and teachers. Some even say that the Hitinja flat out ripped off a number of the Weapon Masters' skills. The Hintinja would never admit this though.

Nowadays, the majority of Weapon Masters are Wanderer kids that got tired of a peaceful life and sought adventure. This is not true of all Weapon Masters though. Polite Weapon Master society is currently split between two warring factions, The Sword and The Shield.

The Sword is a guild of Weapon Master mercenaries for hire that enjoy the thrills of war and wish to see the current conflict between Pirates and Ninjas continue.

The Shield, conversely, is a society of peaceful Weapon Masters that wish to see the war end and have been working behind the scenes to continually ease peaceful relations between the Pirates and Ninjas.

The Sword and The Shield are constantly in conflict with each other and while they don't actively fight in the streets, it's safe to say that a Weapon Master belonging to either would be careful to watch his back, lest it have a sword through it.

The Sword is led a man known only as The Dragon. The Shield is led by a peaceful man known as The Unstoppable Spirit. Not much is known about these mysterious men or the company they keep, but it is known that they have fought before. No one knows how these fights have ended, but should one ever seal permanent victory over the other, it would drastically change the face of the world.


Attribute Scores: Weapon Masters use a lot of attack abilities that require a good precision to ensure a hit. However, Weapon Masters also have a number of abilities that use their body score. Both of these are valuable.

Level 1:

Spoiler

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The Master's Signature
Wanderer 1
Cost: Passive
The Weapon Master knows the handling of his weapon in and out. A well-trained master can even carve his or her initials into the clothes of his opponent without them noticing. The Weapon Master with this ability gains a +2 to checks to use his or her weapon for small flourishes or stunts with his or her weapons.

Zen Archer
Wanderer 1
Cost: Passive
While it's less common, some Weapon Masters do choose to master the art of the bow. There's a certain grace and speed about it that strikes fear in the hearts of many. With this ability, any ability that uses a gun or thrown weapon can be done with a bow.

Steadfast and Never Moving
Wanderer 1
Cost: Passive
The Weapon Masters frequently have to face down terrors that would make other men quake. Whenever a Weapon Master fails a Will check to avoid being intimidated or frightened, his physical state will not show it. His voice will still stutter if he chooses to talk, and the Weapon Master may still choose to run in fear, but he will do so with grace, dignity, and a steady hand.

How do you carry all of those?
Wanderer 1
Cost: Passive
The question most asked of Weapons Masters with a lot of weapons on hand. The Weapon Master with this ability has a +2 to body checks for the sake of carrying weapons without dropping them or slowing down.

Level 2:

Spoiler

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Legendary Status
Wanderer 2
Cost: Passive
Weapons Masters are known far and wide for their great deeds and skill. A Weapon Master with this skill has earned their reputation and gains a +2 on Will to use their notoriety to get others to notice them. Furthermore, whenever said Weapon Master is in combat with a monster, the monster will sense their true nature and attack. Unless there is a more obvious target to the monster, the monster will always attack the Weapon Master first. Weapon Masters with this ability and Just a Guy can voluntarily switch between Legendary Status and Just a Guy, but must have one on at all times, and can't negate the penalties (ie. No using Just a Guy to not get attacked, but using Legendary Status for everyone to recognize you while you fight).

Eye for Quality
Wanderer 2
Cost: Passive
Weapon Masters know weapons in and out. They can spot quality from a distance, and they can even see a weapon's true potential. The Weapon Master with this skill can tell if a weapon is indestructible quality just by a glance. Furthermore, he or she can instantly tell if a weapon has any powers, abilities, or curses locked inside of it just by looking at it.

Absolute Precision Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a +1 to all to hit rolls and a -1 to all dodges for the round as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Cautious Parry Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a +1 to all dodge rolls and a -1 to all to hit rolls for the round as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Steadfast Bull Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a -1 to all dodge and to hit rolls for the round, but gives a +2 to all rolls to resist body and will effects as he stands his ground. Requires Weapon Master to be wielding a Weapon. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Reckless Assault Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master +5 to the damage to weapon attacks for that round but also gives a -2 dodges for the turn as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon and the Weapon Master attacks. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Overwhelming Power Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a +5 to the damage of his weapon attacks for the round but also gives a -2 to hit for his attacks during that turn as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon and the Weapon Master attacks. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Cautious Turtle Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a -5 to the damage on his attacks for the round, but gives a +2 to dodge as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon and the Weapon Master attacks. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Graceful Strike Stance
Wanderer 2
Cost: 1
Weapon Masters know a variety of stances to alter their combat tactics in subtle ways. By paying the cost and switching into this stance at the beginning of a combat round, the Weapon Master changes their own capabilities to meet the fight ahead. This stance gives the Weapon Master a -5 to the damage on his attacks for the round, but gives a +2 to hit for all attacks in the round as long as the Weapon Master is using a Weapon and the Weapon Master attacks. Only one stance may be used a turn.

Never Unarmed
Wanderer 2
Cost: Passive
The smart Weapon Master is never without back-up weapons or a weapon in hand. The Weapon Master that has this technique can switch between individual weapons on their person or within reach without any kind of action or movement required. This means that unless all of the Weapon Master's weapons are stolen, broken, or lost, then the Weapon Master is never truly unarmed. This also means that the Weapon Master can switch weapons in mid-action seamlessly for any benefit this might give.

Level 3:

Spoiler

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Fists Don't Cut
Wanderer 3
Cost: 3
The name of this technique is a reminder that no matter how talented a warrior is without a weapon, a weapon will inevitably do more damage in the right hands. Weapon Masters know how to make their strikes count. When a Weapon Master uses this ability to augment a weapon attack, that attack does 5 more damage.

Flying Beam Slice
Wanderer 3
Cost: 5
Weapon Masters are one with their weapons. Since the vast majority of Weapon Masters prefer melee weapons, many of them have learned how to channel their life force into a powerful projectile slash. When a Weapon Master uses this technique, they let out a projectile, beam, or slash of light from their weapon that has 10 range and does 15 damage.

Shockwave Slam
Wanderer 3
Cost: Passive
Some Weapon Masters have an inhuman power about them that can knock the wind out of their opponents. Anytime a Weapon Master knocks off at least a quarter of a target's maximum life (round up) in one hit, the Weapon Master can choose to knock said target back a number of squares away from the original attack equal to the Weapon Master's body score.

Shockwave Launcher
Wanderer 3
Cost: Passive
Some Weapon Master have the power to use their massive strength to know only knock their opponents back, but in the air as well. The Weapon Master with this ability can choose to knock a target a number of squares vertically in the air equal to the Weapon Master's body score when the target takes more than a quarter of their maximum life in one hit.

Ground Quake
Wanderer 3
Cost: 8
The Weapon Master can channel their powerful strikes at the ground. Whenever a Weapon Master uses this attack, he slams his weapon into the ground and gives everyone a frightening quake. Roll an opposed body check against the body score against everyone within 4 squares of the attack's agility. This does not effect people that are not on the ground. If they fail, they take 10 damage and fall down. They must spend a move action to get back up.

Soul Saber
Wanderer 3
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
The Weapon Master himself is a weapon of great power, and from within his own soul, he can summon a weapon of great power to crush his foes. When the Weapon Master uses this ability, he summons a weapon made of pure energy that cannot be stolen or broken. This weapon otherwise has no unusual powers or ability and meets the basic requirements of the weapon it imitates.

Weapon of Choice
Wanderer 3
Cost: 3
Some Weapon Masters have one specific weapon that they've trained forever with. This Weapon is special, and the Weapon Master has a bond with it. As such, the character knows the ins and outs of this weapon and puts it to excellent use. The Weapon Master can use this ability to gain a +1 on a dodge or to hit roll. This ability must be activated for every attack. If said weapon is lost or broken, the character must trained with another weapon for a month before gaining back the benefits of this ability.

Once Cut, Never Shy
Wanderer 3
Cost: Passive
Weapon Masters know pain. Every Weapon Master's suffered a lethal wound at some point. Some Weapon Masters come back from it stronger and harder to kill. The Weapon Master picks a category of weapons (such as swords, clubs, arrows, etc.) and gains a permenant +3 Damage Reduction from any attacks made with this category of weapons.

Incredibly Awkward Weapon Stance
Wanderer 3
Cost: Passive
The Weapon Master has learned to hold his weapons in unusual stance and poses. Whether it be his mouth or an the fold of an elbow, everything is a potential way to hold his weapon. This ability comes with three advantages. The first is that this allows the Weapon Master to hold his weapon in any way that is still physically possible. In cases where the Weapon Master is crippled or restricted in movement, this can mean the difference between using an attack and not being able to. Secondly, the Weapon Master can hold a number of Weapons equal to half his agility (rounded up) + 2 at a time. Finally, whenever anyone misses the Weapon Master with a melee attack, they take 1 damage as they're grazed by one of the Weapon Master's more unusually placed weapons. However, if the Weapon Master ever rolls a natural roll of a 2 on an attack roll, he also takes 1 damage as he pokes himself with one of his weapons by accident. The damage from this grazing is not an attack as such cannot be buffed by abilities to enhance damage.

Return to Me, My Loyal Steel!
Wanderer 3
Cost: 10
Weapon Masters know how to trick their foes with their weapon attacks. Whether it's by curving the weapon or a hidden string, the Weapon master can make their weapons return to them. When a Weapon Master uses this thrown weapon attack with 6 range, roll precision to hit. If it hits, nothing special happens and the attack does 15 damage. However, if the attack misses, it comes back the next turn with the same bonuses as the previous turn and attacks the target again if he or she is still in range. At this point, the target takes a -1 on their dodge against the attack. This second attack is automatic and does not take life cost for the second attack or an attack action.

Level 4:

Spoiler

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Dance of the Twin Blades
Wanderer 4
Cost: 5
Charreographers aren't the only ones that know how to dance. The Weapon Master knows the grace and fluid motions of combat all too well. The Weapon Master with this ability pulls out 2 weapons and gives a rapid fire flurry of spinning attacks that tear the foe apart. When a Weapon Master lands with this attack, the Weapon Master can choose to immediately attack again with the same attack at a -1 to hit. After each successful hit, the Weapon Master can attack again at a cumulative -1 for each new attack. If any attack misses, the chain ends. Each attack does 10 damage.

Desperate Struggle
Wanderer 4
Cost: 10
The Weapon Master often finds herself in a desperate situation that calls for all of the Weapon Master's focus. Thankfully, the Weapon Master is best at the end of the fight. Whenever a Weapon Master is below a quarter of her maximum life total, the Weapon Master may use this weapon melee attack and summon all of her reserves to deal 30 damage.

Heart-Crushing Bludgeon
Wanderer 4
Cost: 15
The Weapon Masters needed a way to cripple their foes with their powerful strikes. So, they mastered this techniques. This basic melee attack does 20 damage as the weapon master hits the foe with a blunt weapon or the blunt side of their weapon, but if the Weapon Master has a higher body score than the target, this attack inflicts a -1 to the target's body score as it crushes their physical form with the force of the blow.

Naginata Whirlwind
Wanderer 4
Cost: 15
Sometimes, a Weapon Master just needs as much reach as possible. This technique allows a Weapon Master to extend her reach to its limit. The Weapon Master unleashes a rapid and devastating swing of her weapon to strike down multiple foes at once. This melee AOE hits all enemies within 3 squares of the user for 20 damage.

Shuriken Eclipse
Wanderer 4
Cost: 12
A weapon attack for Masters of thrown weapons. This attack is named because of its fabled ability to block out the sun to those that are unlucky enough to be targeted by it. The Weapon Master jumps in the air and unleashes a seemingly endless barrage of thrown weapons. This attack has a range of 10 squares and does 30 damage. This attack does have the problem of completely disarming the Weapon master of all their thrown weapons. The Weapon Master will need to go to the effected square and spend a turn in it picking up the weapons before this attack or any other thrown weapon attack can be used again.

Falling Sky Drop
Wanderer 4
Cost: 15
Gravity is your friend. The Weapon Master has learned to use momentum and gravity to their advantage. When the Weapon Master uses this aerial weapon technique, she launches herself skyward into the air with a jump action and comes crashing down for 25 damage + 1 damage per vertical square she fell from (capped at 25 squares). If this attack misses, the Weapon Master takes damage equal to the number of squares she fell and must spend a turn removing her weapon from the ground. If the vertical drop is longer than the Weapon Master can move in a turn, this attack will take multiple turns.

Level 5:

Spoiler

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Gather the Forces
Wanderer 5
Cost: 1 Awesome Point and 20 Life
The Weapon Masters are not all loners. They can also be great generals that lead troops into battle. The Weapon Master with this ability calls all of his allies together for a powerful charge. When the Weapon Master uses this attack equivalent action, all of his named allies gain +5 damage on their attacks every round until the end of battle.

Unstoppable Spirit
Wanderer 5
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
The Weapon Master's attacks are so powerful and potent that they can actually hit multiple targets in one powerful swipe of the sword. Whenever a weapon attack finishes an opponent, the Weapon Master with this ability can immediately spend 1 awesome point and the cost of the original attack to take 1 step and attack another target. If the Weapon Master takes out another target, they may keep using this ability so long as they have awesome points to spare.

Endless Bloodlust
Wanderer 5
Cost: Passive
Not all Weapon Masters are calm and collected. Some fight to satiate a deep and bottomless bloodlust that would otherwise drive them mad. The sight of blood in battle drives the Weapon Master into a frenzy. For every target the Weapon Master takes down in a combat, the Weapon Master gains a +2 damage to weapon attacks. This bonus caps at +10 damage after 5 targets taken down.

Fight Like a Demon
Wanderer 5
Cost: 5 Life per 5 damage
The Weapon's Master does whatever must be done to take down powerful foes. Sometimes, the only option is to fight like a demon and finish the fight in one strike. When a Weapon Master uses this ability to augment a weapon attack's damage, the Weapon Master's next weapon attack does 5 extra damage for every 5 damage the Weapon Master chooses to take. This damage is capped at half of the Weapon Master's maximum life total.

Even God Will Be Cut
Wanderer 5
Cost: 25
The Weapon Master is a master of overcoming overwhelming odds as well. When the impossible looms in front of the Weapon Master, the only option is to push on through with conviction and dedication. This melee weapon attack normally does 30 damage. However, if the opponent is at least 20 character points (before flaws) more experienced that the Weapon Master or the Weapon Master is fighting alone/the last member of their party standing, add 10 damage to the attack for 50 damage total for fighting a more experienced foe while alone. If both conditions are met, and the opponent also has over 60 more character points than the character, this attack does 75 damage instead. If all those conditions are met and the character has more than double the Weapon Master's character points (before flaws), then this attack does 100 damage. For Monsters treat Boss Tier monsters (or reasonably powerful Encounter tier monsters) as 20 character points higher unless the monster is obviously significantly more powerful, then the attack does 75 damage. One of a kind monsters like the Kraken take 100 damage attack.

The Dragon Emerges
Wanderer 5
Cost: 3 Awesome Points
The Weapon Master can call forth great power, but it comes at great cost. Forcing the body to cause more damage also means it becomes more prone to damage itself. When this buff is activated, all weapon attacks made by the weapon master do 15 more damage until the end of battle. However, the Weapon Master himself also takes 10 more damage from any attack in the process.

[Observer]

Did a test build with the weapon master. I've gotta say, it seems like they can do really nasty things with just basic attacks.

[Dairun Cates]

HOLY SHEBISCUITS! Is it really 2 factions in a week? Not yet. Just wanted to get some things on paper and on the forums first. Expect it done in the next couple of days, along with some balance fixes and rewrites for weapons masters. Probably going to fix a few other abilities too that'll need some looking over in retrospect of new abilities.

Equinja:
Summary: Equinja are master riders capable of riding or piloting animals or vehicles to ridiculous effect. Equinja skills are all about teamwork and mobility.

High Level Equinja can use wild animals as mounts, give movement bonuses to said mounts, and use their rides to gives themselves unusual and powerful maneuvers.

History: The Equinja are natural scouts of the Ninja territories. With their lightning speed and maneuverability, they are completely invaluable for the transfer of items and information. Considering G&W's advancements in steam ships and even the rumored airships, this is an important thing to have in the war against pirates.

The Equinja were originally a smaller school of the Evadinja. Thus, there can be drawn some comparison between their love for high speed movement and the Evadinjas'. Many of the Equinja still practice in Evadinja schools to hone their mastery of their rides further and the two factions are mostly still on good terms.

It's no secret that Ebbin Flow, the grandmaster of the Evadinja, despises the Shoninja. He considers them a poisoning to the grand tradition of Ninja as silent skilled assassins. They're loud, boorish, over-confident, and worst of all, remarkably similar to pirates. He even went as far as to blame the recent movement of Rokinja and claimed that they would do the same to the other factions. After all, all that loud attitude had to come from somewhere.

However, when Ebbin Flow took the time to publicly chastise Burning Soul, the grandmaster of the Shoninja, the Equinja grandmaster Midnight Rider chose not to side with his long-time Evadinja ally, but with the Shoninja leader.

Midnight Rider saw something in the Shoninja that the Equinja themselves valued more highly than anything else; loyalty and companionship. While their tactics were not traditional, Midnight Rider saw a group of young ninjas that truly cared for their brethren and would do anything to make sure everyone got out alive.

Needless to say, Ebbin Flow didn't take too kindly to this and hasn't spoken to Midnight Rider since. The rest of the Evadinja don't forget their ties to the Equinja as easily though and will freely teach their allies. Just don't bring up "the traitors" in front of Ebbin Flow himself.

There is one group that hates the Equinja more than Ebbin Flow though, and that's the Gunnars. While the Equinja started out as mere riders of animals, some Equinja got it in his head a few years back that all the stuff that Gunnars were working on was nice and would make a good mount. As such, a few dedicated Equinja decided to salvage whatever they could find and toiled endlessly on reverse engineering the Gunnar's technology. The results were overwhelmingly successful.

While not as elegant as Gunnar technology, the Equinja managed to change it to their own ends. They quickly made their own steam-powered vehicles and some Equinja started to find that they were even faster than their favorite mounts. The most advanced Gunnar technology, such as the fabled airships of G&W, hasn't been duplicated yet, but the Equinja have managed to put their own spin on things.

There's even rumors that the Equinja have managed to invent personal motorized bicycles. These vehicles are elegant, fast, dangerous, and perfect for the Equinja. If such a thing were true, the Equinja would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.


Attribute Scores: Agility and Body are the Equinja's primary stats. The Equinja will need at least one of these at a decent level in order to ride a lot of animals as ride checks can use either of these. Body represents a general ability to hold on while agility represents an Equinja's general ability to perform complex maneuvers.

Level 1:

Spoiler

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Born in the Saddle
Ninja 1
Cost: Passive
Equinja were born to ride. It's in their blood. It's in their very being. The Equinja with this skill gains a +2 to all agility or body checks to riding animals or vehicles, holding on, or doing any tricks. While riding a mount, the rider gains the move speed of the animal or vehicle he is riding and gains access to any special move abilities (such as flight) as long as he pays the cost. Everything else is based on the Equinja's abilities. The Equinja can use any attack abilities like normal while on a mount.

Break it in!
Ninja 1
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
Equinja love to acquire new mounts. Some Equinja will even go so far as to try to train wild animals for the purposes of riding them. When an Equinja with this ability knocks a wild animal unconscious or otherwise subdues them, the Equinja can spend an awesome point and attempt to break it in with an opposed body or agility check (whichever is higher for both sides). The Equinja must have an agility or body score of at least half the monster's effective body to attempt this. Furthermore, the monster must have at least half of the Equinja's body score to carry them. Most animals that pose little threat should be treated as a straight check. Encounter tiered enemies that are at least the size of a human should be treated as having an effective +2 body for carrying and the ride check for breaking it in. Boss Tiered Monsters should gain a +4 effective body, and legendary monsters like the Kraken should either be immune to this ability or gain a +8. Trained mounts need not be broken in, and sentient monsters cannot be broken in (although, they can willingly let the Equinja treat them as a mount). If the Equinja fails the check, the can continue to spend awesome points to keep retrying.

Quick Side-swipe
Ninja 1
Cost: 1
The Equinja is a master of using his ride as a weapon. When using this melee attack, the Equinja rams a target with his ride and does damage equal to the Ride's body score. For mechanical rides, assume a body score between 6 (for small vehicles) and 10 (for large multi-person vehicles).

Look Ma! No Hands!
Ninja 1
Cost: Passive
Whether it be because of a natural understanding between the Equinja and his mount or a jury rigged system for his vehicle, the Equinja are master riders that are capable of riding their vehicles without their hands being attached most of the time. An Equinja with this ability is capable of carrying something in each hand while riding a ride.

Perfect Momentum
Ninja 1
Cost: 2
Equinja are at their best when constantly moving and can do amazing things when they nail all their stunts. The Equinja can use this ability to gain a +1 to hit on the round as long as he hit with an attack last round.

T-Rex Whisperer
Ninja 1
Cost: Passive
Equinja are one with their animal mounts and can understand their inner emotions. Equinja with this ability can understand the thoughts of any mount they've broken in. While not directly talking, this has the same impact. The Equinja can just sense the mount's thoughts, emotions, and feelings and can communicate his own to the mount. This is primarily used to get animals to follow lengthy commands.

Level 2:

Spoiler

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The Ghost in the Machine
Ninja 2
Cost: Passive
While the Equinja started out riding animals, some felt themselves drawn to the cold steel machines the Gunnars built. They called out to them. These Equinja are capable of feeling the souls inside of machines and inanimate vehicles and tapping into their inner powers. Equinja with this ability can treat any non-living vehicle or ride as a mount for the purposes of their Equinja powers. For larger vehicles (like ships), the GM may decide that the vehicle has too high of a "body score" to use as a ride. For instance, a pirate ship might have an effective body of 14, thus requiring an effective 7 agility or body to treat as a ride. For the purposes of carrying multiple passengers on the ride, common sense applies. A cart should be able to carry multiple people without issue and no party members should be too heavy for a ship.

Stripped Down Chasis
Ninja 2
Cost: Passive
Equinja know that a proper physical form and build is required to ride some of the more wily and outrageous mounts. However, this often comes at the cost of being unable to ride the lighter mounts. So, some Equinja learned to shift their weight for riding. The Equinja with this ability is treated as having a 1 Body for the purposes of weight on a mount.

Twitch Reflexes
Ninja 2
Cost: Passive
Equinja's have inhuman reaction times that go beyond the abilities of their body and mind. Equinja's with this ability have a permenant +1 to the reaction stat. Should their reaction somehow go over 10, their bonus does allow an 11 reaction, but the Equinja will win all ties on reaction (instead of lowest natural reaction winning).

Ride the Currents
Ninja 2
Cost: 2
Equinja are willing to use anything to speed themselves up, even if it means using the force of an attack to propel themselves forward. Whenever an Equinja with this ability dodges an AOE attack, the Equinja can use this ability to move immediately to the nearest edge of said attack without spending any kind of action.

Crash the Gates
Ninja 2
Cost: 4
The Equinja's rides are sturdy and durable. This gives the Equinja the courage to charge head first. The Equinja starts by moving in a straight line of at least 2 squares towards a target and then ends their move by ramming the target for 15 damage. The move action for this must be an absolutely straight line. If something is in the Equinja's way, they must move through it or jump over it.

Drive By!
Ninja 2
Cost: 6
During this attack, the Equinja can move through enemy squares freely. This attack happens during the Equinja's move action. Any enemy square the Equinja passes through during this attack, the Equinja can attack. The attack does 5 damage to every target it hits.

Ninja Express
Ninja 2
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
The Equinja are the delivery men of the Ninja kingdoms. Nothing is outside their range when everything is riding on them. The Equinja with this ability can spend an awesome point whenever making a lengthy trip. No matter the location, the Equinja can make the trip in a day maximum as long as they can physically make it there to begin with. This won't speed up the Equinja's party, but it can allow an Equinja to deliver an emergency message or package.

Level 3:

Spoiler

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Together We Ride
Ninja 3
Cost: Passive
Not all Equinja are lone wolves. Many Equinja love to use their abilities to help their allies along and give them a boost in movement. Equinja with this ability can carry multiple passengers on animal mounts (vehicles can normally carry multiple passengers up to a logical point). Any passenger gains the benefits of the mount's movement and any Equinja abilities that give bonuses based on the Equinja's mount. The passenger's movement action must be the same as the Equinja's. A mount can carry any number of passengers at a time as long as the total body score of the riders does not exceed twice the mount's effective body.

Hit the Nitro!
Ninja 3
Cost: Passive
The Equinja and his ride are one and the same. Whatever happens to the ride happens to the Equinja. Equinja with this ability have a special link with their ride. Any movement-based ability (such as Rub Some Cheetah's Blood on It or Up the Walls) can be used by the Equinja to effect any mount or vehicle he is riding at the time.

Split Second Shift
Ninja 3
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
The Equinja know that flexibility is the key to combat mastery. A proper Equinja must be ready to stop on a dime or take a new turn at a moment's notice. As such, the Equinja have a near inhuman capability to switch up their tactics instantly. By spending an awesome point, the Equinja can change what attack they have written down for the turn at any time during their turn.

Catch Some Air
Ninja 3
Cost: 10
The Equinja can't give up the chance to jump off a ramp and soar through the skies. Any turn the Equinja manages to jump his ride off a ramp or a ramp equivalent in a straight line, the Equinja can hit a single target in this straight line for 25 damage.

Perfect Donut
Ninja 3
Cost: 9
The Equinja is a master of fancy maneuvers. Perhaps one of the favorites of the Equinja is a perfect 360 degree turn that whips the ride around and hits everyone around it. When the Equinja use this attack, he attacks everyone within 2 square for 15 damage.

Hit, Stall, Spin
Ninja 3
Cost: 6
The Equinja love using their rides for maximum carnage. When an Equinja attack with their ride using this attack, the target is hit with the front wheel or legs of the ride takes 15 damage and then is knocked back 5 squares as the Equinja has the ride rev up to maximum speed.

Rev Your Engines
Ninja 3
Cost: 3
The Equinja knows how to push his ride to its absolute limits. When using this move, the Equinja can make his ride move 3 times its normal speed as long as the mount moves in a completely straight line for the round.

Level 4:

Spoiler

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Equinja Kick!
Ninja 4
Cost: 9
The name may be simple, but the results are awe inspiring. The Equinja with this skill realizes that the spirit of the ride lies in the rider's soul and the soul of his ride, not in the physical act of riding itself. The Rider calls upon the spirit of the ride and channels it into the very essence of his attack. The Equinja launches himself into the air and comes crashing down with a thunderous jump kick that channels the spirit of the ride into his very attack. The Equinja rolls to hit as precision as usual, but deals 10 + his agility score + his body score in damage.

Let the Ride Take Over
Ninja 4
Cost: 8
The Equinja are one with their rides. They feel every motion in their souls and gain a perfect unity with their precious mounts. The Equinja would even trust their ride with their very life. When riding a vehicle with an actual agility score (most animals), the Equinja can use this ability to use the ride's agility for dodging instead of her own for the turn.

Knight of Fire
Ninja 4
Cost: 10
The Equinja can rev up his engines and his soul to the point of setting ablaze everything around him. The Equinja uses this ability before making her move action for the turn. Every square the Equinja touches during her move action is set on fire creating a wall of fire in the trail. This wall is 10 feet high and automatically does 10 damage to everything that touches it. A target can take this damage multiple times if they pass through multiple effected squares.

Not So Noble Sacrifice
Ninja 4
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
The Equinja put a great trust in their rides and their rides put a great trust in them. Any ride would be willing to sacrifice itself for its master. As such, the Equinja has the ability to make the penultimate sacrifice with this ability. Whenever an Equinja is attacked by an ability and it hits, the Equinja can spend 1 Awesome Point and have the vehicle interpose the attack instead. When the Equinja does this, the ride is knocked immediately unconscious and will require a days rest to get back up. In the case of non-living mounts, the vehicle is broken and will require a days worth of work to fix. The Equinja must be conscious to use this ability. Also, it's fair to note that destroying an Equinja's vehicle removes their ability to use most abilities in the Equinja set and it's unlikely that an Equinja will be carrying more than one ride at any time due to their size.

Nothing Gonna Break My Stride
Ninja 4
Cost: 5 Life or 1 Awesome Point
Nothing stops an Equinja in motion. Nothing. When an Equinja finds a barrier in front of her, there's no choice but to go through it, and the Equinja does so with ease. Whenever an Equinja comes up against a physical wall, the Equinja can use this ability to burst through the wall. If the wall has any damaging properties (like fire), the Equinja still takes it, but anyone following does not. For regular walls, pay 5 life per wall. For indestructible quality walls, pay an awesome point.

You Shall Not Pass!
Ninja 4
Cost: 10
The Equinja is a master of controlling the motions of others. When the Equinja uses this attack ability, she runs circles around the opponent and freezes them in their place. To use this ability, the Equinja must be adjacent to the opponent at some time during their move action and the Equinja must make an opposed agility check against the opponent at a -2. If the opponent fails, the opponent cannot move at all on their next turn.

Level 5:

Spoiler

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Wear the Scarf
Ninja 5
Cost: Passive
Style is very important to Equinja. A lot of Ninja don't understand this deep-seeded desire for fashion and appearance, but the Equinja understand it all too well. The best way to take down a foe is by striking them with awe. If the opponent believes that their opponent is more powerful than them, then even the toughest opponent can crumble. The Equinja with this ability has an awesome mannerism, article clothing, or some other stylistic flourish that he loves to use constantly. This makes others believe that the Equinja is more awesome than he may actually be. Equinja with this ability start every session with 2 extra awesome points. These points must be spent in the same session or they are lost.

Be the Ride
Ninja 5
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
Equinja need a ride in order to pull off their best moves. Unfortunately, try as they may, there's just some places where their rides cannot go. A horse is not often welcome indoors and some rides just might be too large to fit indoors. This is when the Equinja's secret weapon comes in handy. Using the best in Equinja and stolen Gunnar technology, the Equinja have managed to create a stealthy suit of wheels and gears similar to a Carpentarr's limbs. When the Equinja uses these devices in just the right way, the Equinja can become a steam-powered vehicle/ninja hybrid for as long as they wish. While in this form, the Equinja acts as a ride for the purposes of all attacks, but does not lose the ability to use non-ride based attacks. Furthermore, the Equinja gains an additional +1 to ride checks on top of any other bonuses and can even carry passengers as per a regular ride (using the Equinja's body score). Finally, while using this ability, the Equinja gains a +4 to his move speed, and all movement altering abilities (rub some cheetah's blood on it, blossom elevator, flight, Nothing Gonna Break My Stride!, etc.) cost 1 less life to use (minimum 1).

Be the Rider
Ninja 5
Cost: 2 Awesome Points
The same technology that allows an Equinja to become their own ride can be applied to the Equinja's allies as well with interesting results. Like Be the Ride, this makes the targeted willing ally turn into a ride with the same properties as that move. However, as the target is not trained with the equipment used, it has some unique side effects. The target this ability is used on is effectively taken out of the scene as they can no longer attack and do not count towards the Kurosawa Corollary. Instead, the Equinja gains a +1 to the highest attribute of the target this ability was used on (in case of ties, target decides which stat to buff), and gains access to one ability the ride knows of the ride's choosing when he is using this ride.

Beat The Clock
Ninja 5
Cost: 1 Awesome Point
Sometimes you have to kick things up a notch. The Equinja knows this better than anyone else. It's not enough to be fast, but to also have control as well. When an Equinja uses this buff, the Equinja gains 2 move actions a turn until the end of combat. This doesn't just double the Equinja's movement though. Moves that take up a move action or the Equinja's full turn only take up one of these move actions. The Equinja can also move, attack, and then move again. Furthermore, any buffs on one move action carry over to the second move action. This allows for some impressive and frightening maneuverability.

Faster Than Light
Ninja 5
Cost: 25
The Equinja and his ride are equals in the eyes of the Equinja. Whether it be a horse, a raptor, a Yatagarasu, or even a humble cart, all rides are the Equinja's comrades in arms. The Equinja brings skill while the ride brings power. Only by working together can the Equinja's true potential be revealed. When the Equinja uses this ability, the Equinja moves at what seems to be impossible speeds and rapidly destroys his foe with hundreds of light speed attacks that combine into one powerful blow. The range of this attack is effectively infinite as long as the Equinja can see the target and the ride can physical fit in the location where the target is. Furthermore, the Equinja makes a ride check to hit (without Born in the Saddle) instead of precision. This attack does 40 damage.


Mach Speed Hurricane
Ninja 5
Cost: 25
The Equinja can move so fast on his mount that he can churn the very winds themselves up into a frenzy. The Equinja activates this attack before moving for the turn. He then uses his movement to attempt to make a circle. If he succeeds, he causes a tornado in that square. The Equinja rolls precision against everyone in the tornado to hit them with debris for 25 damage. Everyone in the Tornado must also make a 15 body check to avoid being thrown 10 squares into the air by the force of the winds. This Tornado lasts until the end of turn and continues to harm/fling anyone that enters it for its duration.