Makafushigi Adventure (Dragon Ball)

[Leingod]

A world of technological marvels and magical wonders. Of primeval monsters and brave warriors who fight with powers undreamed of by ordinary people. A world of fantastic legends, larger-than-life heroes, evil armies that menace the world, and seven magical orbs said to grant the heart's desire of whomever can find them scattered throughout the globe.

This is your world, and your story. But who are you, and how does the story that is about to unfold begin?

AN: All origins start at about the same level as Goku at the start of Dragon Ball.

[ ] The Dragon Prince(ss)

In ages long past, a man who was both a mighty martial artist and the greatest sorcerer of his day carved out a kingdom from many squabbling peoples, creating an oasis of peace and prosperity in a time of chaos and turmoil. His descendents ruled well and passed on the unique martial art he created that blurred the line between ki and magic, giving those who wielded it command over the very elements themselves.

But as time went by, their skills decayed as they lost touch with their roots, becoming divorced from the world outside their palace and the affairs of state. The transcendent martial art of their glorious ancestor was almost entirely lost during the Great Cataclysm, and with a few exceptions, scions of the royal family from then on trained in the martial arts out of a sense of tradition and obligation rather than any true dedication or love for the art.

You, however, were different. The martial arts captivated you, and your natural talent and devotion allowed you to partially recreate a few of the lost secrets of your family's ancient style. Your family allowed such eccentricities, so long as it didn't impede your other studies.


Your life may have continued that way, had it not been for the fateful theft of an imperial heirloom and some unlikely assistance.

+You are the heir(ess) to a thriving, if old-fashioned, kingdom. In addition to access to great wealth and resources, you have received tutoring and training befitting your status. You are well-educated (for your age) in everything from the classics of literature and philosophy to the sciences and mathematics, as well as courtly manners and diplomacy. You also know a good deal of myth and legend.

+Your love of and dedication to the martial arts is second to none and you take to instruction like a fish to water. You gain extra XP when you are being tutored/trained.

- Most of the secrets of your family's style were lost long ago, and if you wish to make your style one to rock the martial arts world again, you will have to do so from scratch.

-You've lived a very sheltered life and have rarely even left the palace, much less the capital. Everything you know about the outside world comes from books and stories you've been told. As a result, you're fairly naïve and don't have much experience in dealing with people and situations that are taken for granted by most.

[ ] The Green Drifter

Even for a world as odd as this one, you stand out. You have smooth, hairless green skin with pink patches, as well as antennae on your head. You don't need to eat and survive on sunlight and water. You perfectly remember your own birth, and thus know that you hatched from an egg out in the wild alone, where you quickly developed to the point you could take care of yourself.

At birth you were alone, and time has not changed that. You're a drifter, wandering from place to place mostly from lack of anything better to do. You've seen saints and sinners aplenty and have born witness to sights both beautiful and horrible.

You thought nothing would surprise you anymore, until you met a boy and a girl and learned all over again just how big the world really is.

+There's a well of energy inside of you that you can tap into. You've been able to sense it since you were born, and you've noticed that other living beings have it as well, though yours is much stronger than most. You can use your ki and sense ki in other living beings by instinct, and you have more ki than most humans. In addition, you can spend more ki to make your Techniques more powerful.

+Your natural command of ki means that you've also learned a few techniques to use ki purely through instinct and experimentation.

+You have a few strange and esoteric abilities that some you've met have believed to be magic. None of them are really much help in combat, but they have a lot of varied uses outside of it and have served you well out on the road. You can, for example, heal the wounded and the sick, although it doesn't work quickly enough to be much use in the middle of a fight.

-Your only knowledge of how to fight comes from natural instincts and your own experience. You figured out how to harness your internal energy through instinct, but you lack something in actual fighting skill. You only know a small number of Techniques that aren't Basic, and all of them cost Ki to use. You can't learn other Techniques until you receive some instruction and learn a proper Style.

-You're a loner by nature. You're not an outright misanthrope, but you like to have plenty of "me-time" and don't like staying in one place for too long. It'll be harder for you to make connections and friendships with the people around you, and you're really just not the kind of person to settle down in the same place for long stretches.

[ ] The City Kid

There are a lot of stories that start like yours; most are a lot more depressing. Born to down-on-their luck parents who loved you, but couldn't provide better than a meager living on the wrong side of the tracks.

At first, you only started learning to fight so you could defend yourself in a hostile environment. But as you fought, trained and learned, you discovered you had a natural talent for the martial arts that bordered on the insane, and pretty soon what started out as a useful skill to develop became your life and passion. Honing your body and sharpening your skills became your favorite thing to do. It just so happens that it's also also proved a way to make a little easy money now and then.

Other than that, though, your life was pretty uneventful until you ran into a blue-haired girl being menaced by a few punks that you recognized as being underlings for your city's biggest and most dangerous crime lord.

+You've amalgamated elements from several different styles of martial arts, picking up moves, techniques and methods that seemed to work and that fit the way you fight. It's very effective, and you start out with more Techniques than the other two origins.

+Like I said already, you've got a natural talent for the martial arts, and can pick up new techniques more easily, especially if they're similar to ones you already know. Learning new Techniques with similar principles to ones you already know costs less XP.

+You're a friendly, easygoing sort of person and make friends and acquaintances wherever you go. There's a certain charm about you that makes people more likely to help you, or at least not want to hinder you.

-You've gotten where you are through mundane (if very exceptional) skill and strength; you haven't learned to actively harness your ki at all. In fact, you don't even know it's possible to do so. You don't know any Techniques that cost Ki to use and can't learn or use any until you receive instruction in how to do so.

-You may know your way around city life pretty well, but life in the city's all you really know. You have no real awareness or knowledge of the wider world. You aren't aware of the "true" martial arts world, the existence of magic and ki, etc. You're also likely to be skeptical until you see stuff like that with your own eyes. You're just a city kid with a talent for fighting, after all.

AN: Those of you familiar with my last Dragon Ball quest, Son Quest, can consider this a revamped version of that quest. The kludged-together system I made for that quest by tweaking the RWBY diceless RPG was my first attempt at "making" a system for a quest and in all honesty it was getting increasingly difficult for me to work with. So now we're doing this with a very slightly tweaked version of the Burn Legend system, taken from "Shards of the Exalted Dream," a sourcebook with alternate settings and rules for Exalted 2nd edition.

Those of you familiar with the quest I started not even a week ago, Adventures in Nerima!, will note that the only real differences is that fighting styles are removed since the only two that actually matter at all are the Turtle and Crane schools, and how much XP is given out.

And those of you who follow all my other stuff are probably beginning to believe that I have a problem with self-control and letting ideas get away from me. You are probably correct.

 

[Leingod]

The mechanics of this quest are basically a slightly tweaked version of Burn Legend, as found in the Exalted sourcebook Shards of the Exalted Dream.

Attributes
Martial artists have three attributes: Strength, Dexterity and Stamina. Their uses should be self-explanatory. Most martial artists have ratings from 1 to 5. Attributes are used in combat to help land techniques and determine and resist damage from successfully executed techniques.

Techniques
The attacks a martial artist uses in combat. Like attributes, techniques are usually rated from 1 to 5. The higher the rating, the higher the chances of the technique being successful.

Ki & Willpower
All martial artists possess a pool of five points of ki, and five points of Willpower. Ki is used to fuel powerful martial arts techniques, while Willpower may be used to execute legendary techniques, as well as to reach deep and attempt to turn the tide of battle.

Ki is regained during battle through the use of certain (primarily Defensive) techniques; these can never grant the martial artist more than five ki at once, however. Martial artists begin all battles with five full points of ki.

Willpower, on the other hand, is only regained by winning battles. Victory in battle (defined as defeating one's opponents, or successfully achieving an objective despite martial opposition) restores two points of Willpower.

Combat
Combat is round-based. You all vote on a technique, then the winning technique is matched against whatever the opponent uses.

If combat takes too long with this system or a lot of people are worried it might, I might change it to have you vote on a certain "strategy." Like, for example, choosing to fight aggressively, defensively, take advantage of superior Dexterity, etc.

Clever write-ins to do things like use the terrain to your advantage, psych out/manipulate your opponent, or use a technique in a creative way can provide bonuses as relevant.

Priority Resolve
Each technique falls into one of six types: Strike, Aerial, Projectile, Rush, Grapple, or Defense. When two fighters deploy their techniques against one another, one of three results can occur: defeat, Clash, or Hit Trade.

Victorious Technique
Almost all techniques have one category of techniques they absolutely defeat. Basic Technique: Basic Strike, for example, automatically beats Aerial techniques. Thus, if two fighters attack one another, and one plays Basic Strike (which defeats Aerial techniques) while the other plays Aerial Strike (which defeats Projectiles), the fighter using the Basic Strike will automatically win, and proceeds to roll damage.

Priority Clash
If neither technique cleanly defeats the other, then the victory is down to which fighter executed their attack faster, or better. Both fighters make a Clash roll, rolling a number of d10s determined by the technique they have played; each die that lands on a 7 or higher counts as a success. The fighter who accumulates a higher number of successes wins, and his technique defeats his opponent's.

Hit Trade
There are two circumstances in which neither technique cleanly loses: when both techniques automatically defeat the move they are facing, or when players accumulate equal successes in a Clash. In this case, both techniques succeed, generally meaning that both characters inflict damage on one another.

A technique which Hit Trades is considered Victorious.

Damage & Defeat
When a technique has been successfully executed, its listed damage value is rolled as a dice pool. Successes from Clash rolls are not added to this roll, and 10s count as two successes rather than one. A damaging technique automatically removes one health point from the target, plus one additional health point per success.

Each damaging technique also lists a minimum damage. The calculation listed in the technique's damage section cannot produce a dice pool lower than this value.

Health & Health Stocks
Fighters possess seven health points and five Health Stocks. When a fighter's health points are fully depleted, she must roll her current Health Stocks as a dice pool. If no successes are gained on this roll, the fighter is rendered unconscious, and loses the battle. If at least one success is rolled, then one Health Stock vanishes, and the character restores her health points to full, and may continue to fight.

Damage in excess of current health points 'rolls over' when a Health Stock vanishes. Thus, a character with three health points who suffers four damage and succeeds in her roll to stay conscious would immediately lose one health after her points replenish themselves.

Refinements
In addition to their base effects, some techniques possess refinements—special executions that enhance the technique in some way. Refinements have a minimum dot rating requirement which the technique must meet before they can be purchased, and a listed experience point cost. Additionally, some refinements are marked as exclusive. A martial artist may only learn one exclusive refinement per technique.

Movement & Range
There are two distances fighters can occupy in relation to each other: near and distant. Movement and range are handled by a technique's two Range values. These describe, respectively, the range of an opponent the move can be used against, and how the technique moves the martial artist.

The first value may be Close or Mid. A Close attack may only strike a near opponent. A Mid attack may strike a near or distant opponent. A Close technique used against an opponent who remains at a distance automatically fails.

The second value may be Advance, Still, or Back. A Still technique does not move the martial artist. An Advance technique moves the martial artist from a distance to be near her target. A Back technique moves the martial artist from near her opponent out to a distance. An Advance or Back technique used by a martial artist who is already (respectively) near or distant from her opponent simply leaves them at that range.

A martial artist using an Advance or Back technique to change ranges is considered to occupy both near and distant ranges during the instant she attempts to move. Thus, it is sometimes wise to play a Close technique even against a distant opponent, in the hopes that she will attempt an Advance technique, bringing herself into range.

A martial artist who attempts an Advance or Back technique that fails is left at the range he formerly occupied at the end of the round.

Multiple Opponents
Honorable combat in the martial arts world is a contest of strength and skill between two fighters. Alas, not all fighters are honorable, and sometimes martial arts battles involve uneven numbers and groups of foes.

When a martial artist is targeted by two or more opponents at the same time, the technique she plays acts as a defense which determines whether or not her attackers can harm her.

For example, Goku is sparring with both Krillin and Yamcha. Goku attacks Krillin with a Basic Strike. Krillin uses an Aerial Strike, while Yamcha uses a Basic Strike of his own.

Goku's Basic Strike cleanly defeats Krillin's Aerial Strike. Yamcha's Basic Strike Clashes with Goku's, however, so the two roll their Clash pools. If Goku gains more successes, he will defeat Yamcha's technique and suffer no damage. However, because his Basic Strike was not aimed at Yamcha, he does not deal any damage to him. If Yamcha gains more successes, he will damage Goku. The defender of multiple attacks makes only a single Clash roll to determine his defense from all incoming techniques.

A fighter may be attacked by a maximum of three total opponents in a round.

Stagger
Even the sturdiest of martial artists cannot withstand long strings of unanswered blows without becoming disoriented. When a martial artist suffers damage from three techniques in a row, then the next round, when her selected technique is revealed, she must roll to resist Stagger. This is a Stamina roll against difficulty 2 (that is, they must roll at least 2 successes to pass). If the roll is successful, her technique plays out normally. If it fails, she is Staggered, and her technique automatically fails.

Sudden Comebacks are also possible at this point. If the martial artist successfully resists Stagger and lands a Victorious Technique against her opponent, the opponent must check to resist Stagger in the next round.

Reversal
Once per battle, a martial artist may reach deep into her burning spirit to give herself a second chance. Attempting a Reversal costs one point of Willpower.

In any round, you have the option to add the following to your vote:

-[X] Reversal

If this vote passes, then if your technique would automatically be defeated by your opponent's, you can change it to one that will Clash instead. If this doesn't happen, then your Reversal is not spent and you can use it again later.

Overdrive Techniques
Finally, some martial artists possess a ten-point Overdrive meter. One point is placed into the meter every time the martial artist successfully inflicts damage on her opponent.

Once the meter contains ten points, the martial artist may spend one Willpower point and all ten of her Overdrive points to use an Overdrive Technique.

Overdrive Techniques are powerful attacks, often unique to the martial artist using them, which are used to end fights. In addition to inflicting their listed damage or other effects, a successful Overdrive Technique automatically removes one Health Stock from the opponent, and forces the opponent to immediately roll to remain conscious after this Stock's removal. Because they tend to be very damaging attacks, an Overdrive Technique may even force an opponent to roll to remain conscious twice, by removing a Health Stock and then immediately depleting the target's health points!

A martial artist may only know a single Overdrive Technique.

Firearms

Effective though they may be for settling mundane conflicts, guns have little standing in the martial arts world, where they are an indication of cowardice or lack of confidence in the strength of one's fists. Thus, guns are the tools of thugs and lackeys, or martial artists who have utterly lost their nerve.

Firearms attacks are treated as Projectiles which defeat nothing, roll Dexterity alone for Clashes, and inflict (5 – Dexterity, min 1) damage. A character wielding a gun may use only his gun and Basic Techniques so long as he holds the firearm and for two turns after discarding or losing it. Suffering a single damaging attack both disarms him and automatically results in the loss of a Health Stock (or all Health in the case of an Extra).

Character Advancement
At the end of each "episode," you gain 2 XP, although in some cases you may earn 4 or even 6 XP instead, and certain training arcs will provide very large amounts of XP. Anything bought with XP may require in-story justification or be vetoed (you cannot, for instance, spend XP to learn the Kamehameha if you've never even heard of it or seen it performed).

Basic Technique: 2 XP

Martial Arts Technique: 3 XP

New Martial Arts Technique: 4 XP

Attribute: 8 XP (10 XP if increasing past 5 dots)

XP Debt
When you don't have enough XP to purchase a martial arts style or technique (and only a martial arts style or technique), you can choose to enter XP Debt. Your XP will go in the negative values and you will learn the style or technique, but you cannot spend XP on anything until your XP total enters the positive numbers again.

Perks/Drawbacks
Characters may have certain Perks and Drawbacks associated with them that affect them in various ways, both in and out of combat. Perks and Drawbacks can only be gained, lost or changed through roleplaying, and some not even then.

Non-Combat
Everything other than combat is decided entirely through roleplaying.

 

[Leingod]

Name: Ryori Kai
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Appearance:

Spoiler

Current Health Stocks: ●●●●●
Current Health Points: ●●●●● ●●
Current Ki: ●●●●●
Current Willpower: ●●●●●

0 XP

Strength: ●●○○○
Dexterity: ●●●○○
Stamina: ●●●○○

Spoiler: Basic Techniques

BASIC STRIKE
●●●○○
Cost: —; Range: Close/Still; Type: Strike
Clash Roll: Dexterity + Basic Strike (7)
Damage: Strength (2) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
Striking techniques are the core of martial conflict, encompassing the basic punches and kicks that form the foundation of any fighter's repertoire. With their firm grounding, such attacks automatically defeat Aerial techniques.

AERIAL STRIKE
●●●●○
Cost: —; Range: Mid/Advance; Type: Aerial
Clash Roll: Dexterity – 1 + Aerial Strike (6)
Damage: Strength + 1 (3) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
The fighter launches himself into the air, adding his full weight and momentum to the power of a leaping punch or kick. Aerial strikes afford great mobility, but suffer the drawback of total commitment once begun. Their high arc carries them over Projectile techniques, defeating them.

RUSH
●●●○○
Cost: —; Range: Mid/Advance; Type: Rush
Clash Roll: Dexterity + Rush (6)
Damage: Strength (2) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
The fighter throws himself into an aggressive assault, launching a punch, kick or body check with all of his momentum behind it. The overwhelming force of this attack defeats Strikes.

GRAPPLE
●●●○○
Cost: —; Range: Close/Still; Type: Grapple
Clash Roll: Strength + Grapple (5)
Damage: Strength (2) – opponent's Strength (min 1)
The fighter locks up with his opponent with the intent of causing injury, generally in the form of a joint lock or throw. Grapples automatically defeat Defensive techniques.

BLOCK
●●●○○
Cost: —; Range: Mid/Still or Back; Type: Defensive
Clash Roll: Stamina + Block (6)
Damage: None
Raising his arms and focusing on evading the worst of his opponent's assault, the fighter takes a moment to gather himself and attempt to find his second wind. If he successfully blocks his opponent's attack, this technique inflicts no damage; instead, the fighter regains two points of ki or health. Block defeats Strikes, and may be used as a Still or Back technique as desired.

Spoiler: Martial Arts Techniques

BURNING CORONA STRIKE
●●○○○
Cost: 1 ki; Range: Close/Still; Type: Strike
Clash Roll: Dexterity + 2 + Burning Corona Strike (7)
Damage: Strength + 1 (3) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
Kai erupts from the ground with a mighty uppercut, trailing a brilliantly burning arc of ki in her wake. This potent attack defeats Aerial techniques and grants an additional point of Overdrive upon inflicting damage. It is immune to Reversal.

Sunfire Eruption (••••, 5xp, exclusive): A secondary eruption of ki tears through opponents intercepted in the air, sending them spinning away. The attack's damage when defeating an Aerial attack becomes Strength + 1 (min 1), and the opponent is knocked Back.
Burning Heaven Spear (••••, 5xp, exclusive): Burning Corona Strike gains even greater height, momentum, and force, adding another two dice to Clash rolls. However, this total commitment creates vulnerability when the technique fails; attackers who hit the martial artist through Burning Corona Strike add one additional damage to their attack.

HEAVENLY STORM
●○○○○
Cost: 1 ki; Range: Mid/Still; Type: Projectile
Clash Roll: Strength + Heavenly Storm (3)
Damage: Stamina + 3 (6) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
One of the long-lost techniques of the Celestial Masters that was taught to your ancestor, recreated in a much-reduced form. Drawing back one arm as if to throw a punch, Kai focuses her ki into the hand, then releases it with a punch. Released as a ball of energy, this projectile of ki hurls forward like a cannonball, burning in the colors of the sun. This technique defeats Strikes, and adds one additional die when Clashing with other Projectiles.

Solid Shot (••, 2xp): Heavenly Storm gains increased spiritual weight and a scarlet corona, tearing aside lesser projectiles. Add two additional dice to Clashes against Projectiles.
Thunder Cannon (•••••, 6xp, exclusive): The projectile becomes a blistering comet of purest gold, adding two additional damage.
Heaven's Bullet (•••••, 6xp, exclusive): The projectile grants two additional Overdrive points upon inflicting damage.

CRASHING THUNDER
●●●○○
Cost: —; Range: Mid/Advance; Type: Rush
Clash Roll: Dexterity + Crashing Thunder (6)
Damage: Strength + 1 (3) – opponent's Stamina (min 1)
Driving forward with a mighty strike, ki erupts from Kai's heart to her fist, wreathing it in a corona of power. In addition to suffering damage, the opponent's stance is blown wide open, preventing them from using a Defensive technique in the next round. This attack defeats Grapples and grants one additional Overdrive point.

Sun Fist Strike (•••, 5xp): The technique's damage rises by one, and it may knock close opponents Back, if Kai desires.

 

[Tel Janin Aman]

[X] The Dragon Prince

 

[LimitedCookFails]

[X] The City Kid

Can't wait for Leingod Quest: Oh God Why Do I Keep Doing This Edition.

 

[Daecl]

[X] The Dragon Prince

 

[Daniella_c2]

[X] The Dragon Prince

 

[D King Hecht]

[X] The Dragon Prince

 

[Rossum]

[X] The Green Drifter

Magic and easy access to ki powers? Yes please. Also, healing powers and access to ki manipulation should make us plenty of friends (you know, when we need them).

 

[Zaratustra]

[X] The Dragon Prince

 

[Chronic]

[X] The Dragon Princess

Kind of want to build that rival style to the Crane and Turtle schools. The City Kid seems like it is likely to step on Yamchas stick, and i'd like to avoid that.

Also, female, because why not.

 

[Dogooderxi]

[x] The Dragon Princess
I enjoyed the last dragon ball quest, so I'm a bit sad that it is gone. I hope this one does better.

 

[veekie]

[X] The City Kid

 

[Cornix Argentus]

[X] The City Kid

 

[King Arthur]

AN: Those of you familiar with my last Dragon Ball quest, Son Quest, can consider this a revamped version of that quest. The kludged-together system I made for that quest by tweaking the RWBY diceless RPG was my first attempt at "making" a system for a quest and in all honesty it was getting increasingly difficult for me to work with. So now we're doing this with a very slightly tweaked version of the Burn Legend system, taken from "Shards of the Exalted Dream," a sourcebook with alternate settings and rules for Exalted 2nd edition.

Those of you familiar with the quest I started not even a week ago, Adventures in Nerima!, will note that the only real differences is that fighting styles are removed since the only two that actually matter at all are the Turtle and Crane schools, and how much XP is given out.

And those of you who follow all my other stuff are probably beginning to believe that I have a problem with self-control and letting ideas get away from me. You are probably correct.

Click to shrink...

Can I bring my write in from the old quest back?

 

[Leingod]

Can I bring my write in from the old quest back?

Click to shrink...

Sorry, but I'm not allowing write-ins for origins this time.

 

[Derek58]

[X] The Green Drifter

Gotta go for the Namekian option.

Hopefully this quest will actually last awhile.

 

[King Arthur]

Sorry, but I'm not allowing write-ins for origins this time.

Click to shrink...

Fair enough.

[X] The City

 

[StarkDemise]

[X] The City Kid

 

[Noka]

[X] The City Kid

 

[Dead-Not]

[X] The City Kid

Let's be normal-ish for once.

 

[Prince Ire]

[X] The Dragon Princess

City kid doesn't really stand out to me. I'd be fine with either Green Drifter or Dragon Prince, but since Green Drifter doesn't have enough votes to compete with City Kid.....

 

[Walker]

[X] The Dragon Princess

 

[evtd]

[X] The Dragon Princess

 

[Orisha91]

[X] The City Kid