Touhou is an amazing thing, although very hard to explain. In its
core, it's a danmaku game ('curtain of fire', 'bullet hell') where
you play as little girls shooting colorful bullets against one
another. But saying that is the same as saying that 'Dark Souls is
just a game where you play a zombie in a dark fantasy world' or that
'Adventure Time is just stupid cartoon about the adventures
of a boy and a magic dog in a strange world'. All of those stories have such a level of
density and complexity that goes beyond the first glances one may
have on them.
In the case of Touhou, I find it one of the most endearing works of
art nowadays. I love the plural aspect of its expression, where every
single detail helps to compose the greater picture: the way the
characters talk and clothe, the way they attack, their respective
bullets and their patterns, the musics of the game, the way the musics are composed
to create a greater arc on themselves and with themselves, the many
characteristics correlated to oriental religion and mythology, the
subtle criticism of the modern wasted way of life, the heartfelt
atmosphere that can make brutal human devouring demons seem so
lovely...
With all of that said, today I bring you Marisa! the ordinary
magician from Touhou; I was saying that I'd do that for a friend of
mine for a few days and now I got to it, ha! Well, as always, outside
brackets is Old School, inside is New School.
Marisa, the Ordinary Magician, Human Wizard 7, Druid 3, Fighter
3, Thief 5
HD: 18 (7d4+3d8+3d10+5d6), or 51 hp
At: 11 [+9]; Magic broom 7 [+13], 2d6 damage or Danmaku (see
below)
AC: 8 [12] when in the ground; -5 [25] when fighting in the
air flying on her broom
SV: 12+ (see below)
All: Chaotic good
XP: 15.000
Special:
. Breaking the law!: Marisa does not follow the classic OSR
rules. She has many different classes and does not suffer of any of
their restrictions (as, for example, having to be True Neutral to be
a druid). Her strong, tireless and hard-working nature makes her
adaptable – and she can bend rules to make them fit better to her
designs.
. A strange thief!: Marisa's
thievery does't seem motivated by greed and desire for money and
riches. All in all, she is a very 'balanced' thief, having 60% in all
her skills.
. Just an ordinary magician!: Although one of the most iconic
personalities in Touhou and with a great deal of power herself,
Marisa's magic is truly limited – mostly light and fire based, and
almost entirely attack spells. Most of her magic components come from
mushrooms – hence her levels as a Druid, focusing mostly on Plant
based magic. The GM should keep that in mind, as Marisa would have
few utility spells memorized if encountered randomly, having mostly attack based ones.
Nevertheless, she can prepare herself if the situation calls for it
(look at 'Extreme Effort').
. Ze!: Marisa's quirky temperament is legendary – even though she is known
as a burglar, there are not many direct assaults against her from those she steals from. Because
of that, Marisa has a +3 reaction roll, and overall can get away of
any sticky situation through her charisma – even though sometimes
that makes her seem as just a childish human.
. Extreme effort!: Marisa can work tirelessly for hours with
extreme dedication. In fact, she can muster new magical effects if
needed, and create new items or potions to the GM discretion if she
has time for it. And, although extremely hard-working, Marisa goes to
great lenghts in hiding that from others – so her magic seem very
flashy and very natural, besides the high ammount of dedication she
puts into it.
. Danmaku!: Marisa can shoot
lasers, fires and other similar attacks based on light and heat. Her
shoots are normally focused and powerfull. When attacking with her
Danmaku, it has attack 5 [+15] and deals 4d6 damage.
. Agile girl with a tiny hitbox!: Marisa
is fast and nimble when on her broom, flying. Therefore, her AC goes
to -5 [25] when she's in the air. And, if she is fighting someone,
she probably will be in the air.
. Master Spark!: Her
ultimate attack, Marisa may use her magic item 'Mini-Hakero' to
invoke the Master Spark – a big 'fuck-off' laser cannon. It causes
20d6 damage (breath save for half damage) in a gigantic line of sight
(probably hitting anything in front of her). She has very few and
random uses of it per day, though. When she uses the Master Spark, roll 1d6, and let the die rest on the table.
Then, if she wants to use it again, roll the die and you must get a
higher number than before. If you can't, the Master Spark is wasted
for today and must be recharged.
. Magic Items!: Marisa has a
great collection of strange items in her house – the GM may name
some of them as magical if needed. Besides that, she has always by
her side her broom – a flying broom that seems to be undestructible
– and her Mini-Hakero which is capable to create many different
levels of fire.
. Poison Resistance and Cold Vulnerability: Although an almost unknown fact, Marisa is very resistance to poison (the Forest of Magic, the place where she lives, is poisonous by itself and she is fine living there) and she is also weak against cold. Because of that, Marisa is immune to most Marisa receives +2 on saves against poison and -2 on those against Cold attacks.
. Poison Resistance and Cold Vulnerability: Although an almost unknown fact, Marisa is very resistance to poison (the Forest of Magic, the place where she lives, is poisonous by itself and she is fine living there) and she is also weak against cold. Because of that, Marisa is immune to most Marisa receives +2 on saves against poison and -2 on those against Cold attacks.
. Fight through nihilism!: Marisa has an indomitable spirit.
Although 'just a human', and overall pretty weak compared to the foes
she encounter, she has an inner strength the sets her appart from
others. When completely dedicated to a cause, with the GM's
discretion, Marisa gains +49 hit points (going to 100 hps total) and,
if she fails a saving throw, she can try again with a 3+, having to have lost those 2 times for the effect to heappen against her.
. Combat strategies!: Marisa
goes into combat with gun's blazing. She is not afraid of using
superior firepower and mobility. She will be in the air, using her
danmaku, casting any spells that seem useful and will not be shy of
blasting her Master Spark against her enemies. If things go awry, she
will speed off away in her broom – and few creatures would be able
to catch up to her in speed.
Hope you guys liked Marisa. I will
be talking more of Touhou eventually – I think it would be a very,
very interesting setting to try adapting to OSR. Maybe after I finish
my Dark Souls one.
Until then,
Valete!.
Image: Mokku
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