The Stars and the Moon (Naruto AU Quest)

[Death and Faxes]

People You Know

For a description of what things on the character sheets mean, see here.

Mitsui Kana - You.

Spoiler: Mitsui Kana

Mitsui Kana
Age: 9

Unused XP: 0

Nature Affinities

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wind 0, earth 0

Attributes

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Strength 12 (D)
Agility 15 (C)
Constitution 12 (D)
Chakra Capacity 14 (C-)
Perception 13 (D+)
Intelligence 12 (D)

Skills

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Taijutsu 15 (C+)
Ninjutsu 16 (B-)
Genjutsu 15 (C+)
Ranged Weapons 15 (C+)
Stealth 15 (C+)
Chakra Control 16 (B-)

Techniques

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Seiton: Needle Storm 9 (poor)
(medium; b-rank) The user rapidly generates an enormous volley of Needles—dense and numerous enough to make dodging difficult if not impossible—and releases them in a single massed attack. The spread of the technique can be controlled, allowing everything from a tight focused cone to a uniform burst in all directions.

Seiton: Plasma Armor 9 (poor)
(self; b-rank) By compressing the standard chakra cloak into a denser and harder form, the user gains a much better (although not impenetrable) defense against physical and chakra-based attacks, an increase to the destructive power of their own physical attacks, and a slight increase to speed and strength. This technique can be performed reflexively, and does not require hand seals.

Doton: Hiding Like a Mole Technique 12 (acceptable)
(self; c-rank) Allows the user to hide underground. Like a... gopher, or prairie dog, or something.

Seiton: Chains 12 (acceptable)
(mid; c-rank) The user shapes chakra into a thin coil, which can then be used to trap and entangle an opponent. These chains immediately dissipate if focus is lost. This technique can be performed reflexively, and does not require hand seals.

Seiton: Impact 13 (acceptable)
(self; c-rank) By controlling the composition and density of their chakra cloak, the user can emit localized explosions upon physical contact, including from any weapons they might be holding. This technique can be performed reflexively, and does not require hand seals.

• Breaking Blow
  By better controlling the shape of Impact's initial chakra release, you can push more of the technique's energy into your intended target rather than simply toward it. Your hits with Impact now partially bypass most kinds of armor and defensive jutsu that rely on physical buffers.

Doton: Trembling Earth 16 (instinctive)
(medium; d-rank) The user channels chakra through the earth, agitating it and making it difficult to find footing in a small area.

Fuuton: Air Bullet 16 (instinctive)
(long; d-rank) The user fires a single ball of compressed air, which lands with enough force to heavily injure an unprotected opponent.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique 15 (practiced)
(short; d-rank) A simple visual genjutsu that can alter or hinder the visual perception of the target. The specific image shown is often chosen to be shocking or disorienting.

Seiton: Cloak 16 (instinctive)
(self; d-rank) The most basic of Seiton techniques. The user coats themselves in a chakra cloak composed of star chakra, conferring very minor protection from incoming attacks, and a very minor boost to their physical attacks.

Seiton: Needle 17 (instinctive)
(long; d-rank) The user fires a single needle of compressed chakra, comparable to a kunai in size and effect. This technique can be performed reflexively, and does not require hand seals.

• Second Nature
  Hours and hours of training have reduced the motions of Needle to pure reflex; it now no longer demands any conscious focus. You can use Needle even when actively dodging, in melee, or otherwise engaged in activity that demands your full attention.

Body Replacement Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user swaps positions with a nearby object of similar mass. This technique may be done reflexively without hand-seals; however, the target of the replacement must be chosen beforehand.

Clone Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user produces a number of intangible illusionary clones. The clones cannot attack, but can provide useful distraction in a fight.

Transformation Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user assumes the appearance of another person, animal, or inanimate object of roughly the same size. This requires constant emission of chakra to maintain and can therefore not be used in combat, and can be easily detected by most ninja.

Traits

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Technically Still a Kid
As an eight-year-old, your physical development is still a work in progress. You're generally still a great deal weaker and slower than a similarly-trained adult. (-2 to base strength, agility, constitution, and chakra capacity)

Perfect Vessel
You appear to have won the genetic lottery: you have an almost unbelievable level of natural physical ability! Your strength, agility, and stamina are all noticeably better than your peers'. There will certainly be no downsides to this. (+4 to base strength, agility, constitution, and chakra capacity)

Prodigy
You pick up new techniques and concepts with preternatural ease. (+2 base intelligence, new skills and techniques are gained at +2)

Kekkei genkai: Seiton
Your clan is known for their distinctive kekkei genkai, granting the ability to use "star-natured" chakra, which can be used to produce semi-solid chakra constructs. These range in complexity from a simple chakra cloak, to hand-held weapons, extremely durable ropes and bindings, and ranged energy attacks. (provides access to Seiton jutsu)

Gift of the Star [1/3]
In your vision, you received a gift from a strange pale man. Ever since, you've noticed that you see just a little bit more clearly, and are just a little bit more aware of nearby chakra signatures. (+1 perception)

Azuma Ikki - fellow Genin and current team-mate. Although only the second son of a branch family in his clan, Ikki is a talented ninja in his own right, whose rising star was tragically overshadowed by yours. Despite (or maybe because of) this, he's unwaveringly cheerful and rather happy-go-lucky. Has a burgeoning talent for battlefield tactics, and is rather shrewd despite his carefreeness.

Spoiler: Azuma Ikki

Azuma Ikki
Age: 10

Nature Affinities

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wind 0, fire -2, earth -2

Attributes

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Strength 8 (E-)
Agility 11 (D-)
Constitution 7 (E-)
Chakra Capacity 9 (E)
Perception 13 (D+)
Intelligence 14 (C-)

Skills

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Taijutsu 11 (D+)
Ninjutsu 15 (C+)
Genjutsu 11 (D+)
Ranged Weapons 15 (C+)
Stealth 11 (D+)
Chakra Control 11 (D+)

Techniques

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Fuuton: Great Breakthrough 12 (acceptable)
(mid; c-rank) A simple technique that creates a powerful gust of wind. It has the power to blow over trees, and can be combined with projectile weapons for an even deadlier assault.

Fuuton: Air Bullet 16 (instinctive)
(long; d-rank) The user fires a single ball of compressed air, which lands with enough force to heavily injure an unprotected opponent.

Doton: Trembling Earth 16 (instinctive)
(medium; d-rank) The user channels chakra through the earth, agitating it and making it difficult to find footing in a small area.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique 12 (acceptable)
(short; d-rank) A simple visual genjutsu that can alter or hinder the visual perception of the target. The specific image shown is often chosen to be shocking or disorienting.

Body Replacement Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user swaps positions with a nearby object of similar mass. This technique may be done reflexively without hand-seals; however, the target of the replacement must be chosen beforehand.

Clone Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user produces a number of intangible illusionary clones. The clones cannot attack, but can provide useful distraction in a fight.

Transformation Technique 16 (instinctive)
(self; e-rank) The user assumes the appearance of another person, animal, or inanimate object of roughly the same size. This requires constant emission of chakra to maintain and can therefore not be used in combat, and can be easily detected by most ninja.

Traits

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Child
(-2 to base strength, agility, constitution, and chakra capacity)

Pretty Talented I Guess
Ikki might have been hailed as the prodigy of his generation in a world where you didn't exist. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for him, you do. (+1 base intelligence, new skills and techniques are gained at +1)

Smarter than the Average Clan
The Azuma are known for their shrewdness and intellect both on the battlefield and off. Whether this is a case of nature or nurture has yet to be seen. (+1 base intelligence)

Koizumi Keizo - fellow Genin and current team-mate. A quiet boy, well into his growth spurt, who seems nervous whenever you're around. Gets along fine with Ikki though.

Spoiler: Koizumi Keizo

Koizumi Keizo
Age: 12

Nature Affinities

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earth 0, water -2

Attributes

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Strength 14 (C-)
Agility 11 (D-)
Constitution 13 (D+)
Chakra Capacity 10 (E+)
Perception 8 (E-)
Intelligence 9 (E)

Skills

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Taijutsu 14 (C)
Ninjutsu 10 (D)
Genjutsu 9 (D)
Ranged Weapons 11 (D+)
Stealth 11 (D+)
Chakra Control 10 (D)

Techniques

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Doton: Shuriken 11 (unreliable)
(long; d-rank) Fire a small earthen projectile, either from available earth or created by the user's own chakra. Comparable to a kunai in size and effect, and remains after it hits or misses its target.

Body Replacement Technique 11 (unreliable)
(self; e-rank) The user swaps positions with a nearby object of similar mass. This technique may be done reflexively without hand-seals; however, the target of the replacement must be chosen beforehand.

Clone Technique 11 (unreliable)
(self; e-rank) The user produces a number of intangible illusionary clones. The clones cannot attack, but can provide useful distraction in a fight.

Transformation Technique 11 (unreliable)
(self; e-rank) The user assumes the appearance of another person, animal, or inanimate object of roughly the same size. This requires constant emission of chakra to maintain and can therefore not be used in combat, and can be easily detected by most ninja.

Traits

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Still Growing
Although he's obviously started his growth spurt, Keizo is not yet an adult, and is correspondingly still physically weaker. (-1 to base strength, agility, constitution, and chakra capacity)

Rude Health
The Koizumi are a hardier and more robust folk than most. (+1 base strength and constitution)

Mitsui Hotarubi - your former Jounin-sensei and, now that you're leading a team, a sometime consultant on matters of team training. A kind, fatherly man, who's actually not your father but rather your uncle or something.

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Clans of Hoshigakure

Hoshi's political scene is dominated by three main clans. These are:

• Mitsui. The Mitsui are the least numerous of the three clans but produce the greatest number of exceptional ninja, in no small part due to their unique kekkei genkai, the Seiton. The current Hoshikage is Mitsui Koutei.
• Azuma. The Azuma are known as merchants rather than ninja, although those who choose the warrior's life are known for their intellect and shrewdness.
• Koizumi. The Koizumi are renowned for their great strength and hardiness, and many possess a degree of accelerated healing that might reasonably be considered a kekkei genkai of its own. The Koizumi are the most populous clan in Hoshi, accounting for nearly half its total strength in ninja.

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Notable Figures

Mitsui Koutei - Current head of the Mitsui clan, and sitting Third Hoshikage. Also your dad. Has been Hoshikage for over a decade, and commands a great deal of respect in the village as its leader and one of its foremost ninja. Is generally quiet and soft-spoken.
Azuma Hiroki - Current head of the Azuma clan. Notably does not serve in a professional capacity as a ninja, choosing instead to spend his time dealing with mercantile matters. A deft politician and diplomat, but generally refrains from participating in ninja politics unless it would affect the steadily growing stream of trade that now flows through Hoshi.
Koizumi Yoshiro - Current head of the Koizumi clan. A burly giant of a man who distinguished himself as a jounin and commander in the Second War. A little hot-headed and lacking in political subtlety.
Akahoshi - Advisor and jounin of Hoshigakure. Member of the Mitsui clan, and cousin to your dad, which technically makes him your second uncle. You're not sure where the name "Akahoshi" came from, since it's not his given name, but everybody calls him that, and apparently has since the Second War. He doesn't like you very much.
Mitsui Takeo - Akahoshi's son, and your second cousin. He doesn't like you very much, either.

 

[Death and Faxes]

General Rules

1. Don't be an asshole
2. Vote on stuff I guess
3. Discussion is cool

Voting

This quest will utilize Approval Voting. Everyone can vote for any number of options, up to and including "all of them". The option with the most total votes wins, although the closeness of the vote may impact how the action is carried out: whenever it makes sense, I'll try to weight the actual course of action by the votes provided. If this isn't possible, then ties will be broken by QM preference.

Votes for plans will generally be resolved on a per-line basis, e.g. votes for A, B, C and A, B, D will result in two votes for A and B, and one each for C and D. There may be exceptions.

Mechanics

Most encounters in this quest will be resolved narratively, using character sheet as a guideline. For a rough idea of what things on character sheets mean, see here.

Canonicity

As this is an AU, certain things will not be true to canon (you can probably guess one of the bigger ones from the title crawl above). In general, canonicity for this quest will follow these guidelines:

• Part I (minus filler) is canon, specifically excepting the effects of Edo Tensei. Edo Tensei has been nerfed.
• Part II, up through the Five Kage Summit, is canon.
• Part II, after the Five Kage Summit, is partly canon. As in, some but not all of the backstory/side plots revealed may be used here, but you shouldn't 100% count on it.
• The movie "The Last" will be partly canon, as above.
• Part I filler is not canon unless specifically stated otherwise.
• Movies other than "The Last" are not canon unless specifically stated otherwise. Mostly because I haven't seen them.
• Anything I haven't mentioned is not canon, unless specifically stated otherwise.
• Kinjutsu/kekkei genkai/what-have-you that are pulled from non-canon sources will generally (but not always!) conform to the abilities and effects they display in said source.

 

[Death and Faxes]

So for some reason the vote tally above included the "winning vote" block in my announcement post even though I spoilered it, so some tallies aren't quite right. Specifically, "Everything" and "Sensing" actually tied. I'm going to stay with Everything for this update; however, I can say with some certainty that we'll be receiving a decent sensor-type ability in the near future.

Anyways, on to some meta stuff!

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Meta: Character Mechanics and Stats Changes

When I first put together the character system for this quest, I was planning on doing something mechanically more intensive, with dice rolls for individual combat interactions and skill checks and all that. However, at some point (after I finalized the system but before I posted the quest), I decided that what I wanted to focus on was telling the story rather than the mechanics of the interactions. This has a lot of upsides—e.g. I can more easily plan out chapters and events ahead of time since I don't have to deal with random Crit-fail rolls, I (and players) can come up with unorthodox and clever plans without my having to spend a lot of time contorting the rules to fit, etc.

Unfortunately, nobody told the character system, so now I'm left with, frankly, a really heavy and overcomplicated mess for what I want to do. I'm currently considering three options to fix this:

1. Throw out the system and current character sheets, replace it with something much simpler, maybe akin to the one used in Maugan Ra's Quests. I'd draft up a new character sheet for us based on the spirit of our current capabilities. I have reservations about this choice, because it kind of invalidates what decisions have been made so far with our build choices etc, and I think it would take some heavy modification to hit all the aesthetic notes the Naruto magic system requires. But it would probably make some future things take less work.
2. Keep the current system (mostly), but remove XP from it. Instead, use an "actions" system for training instead, where we have some number of actions per downtime turn that can be spent on making character or social progress, and we'd track progress between turns for all things we're working on. I'd keep the character sheets more or less the same but tweak some specific behaviors. I actually like this suggestion the most, in large part because in other quests where I've seen it (e.g. Dragonball: After the End), it's made the creation and execution of longer-term plans much easier.
3. Do... nothing. Keep everything as-is. I'm not really a fan of this (otherwise I wouldn't have written this post), but I'll put it here just in case of the unlikely event that everyone thinks the system is fine and not confusing at all.

Anyways, I figured I'd get some feedback for this in vote form! So here we go. As this is kind of a suggestion/feedback vote I won't 100% guarantee I'll go for the winning choice, but I'd like to get a pulse for how people feel about this.

Article:

[] Throw it all out, use something new.
[] Change stat growth from XP to actions, keep stats as-is.
[] Don't do anything
[] Write-in, because it's entirely possible there's an obvious option D here that I'm just missing.

Additional comments beyond the vote are, of course, appreciated.