BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL
MANJI
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [3] 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 23 CON 26 14- 13/33 BODY 6 12-/16- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 8 COM -1 11- 8 PD 5 Total: 8 PD (0 rPD) 6 ED 1 Total: 6 ED (0 rED) 6 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 8 REC 0 50 END 2 33 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 133 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills 13 Immortal Body: +20 BODY; Only To Stave Off Point Of Death (-1 1/2), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Martial Arts: Kenjutsu Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Bind +1 +0 Bind, 35 STR 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 4 Evade -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 35 STR to Disarm roll 4 Lightning Stroke +2 +0 Weapon +4 DC Strike 5 Running Stroke +1 +0 Weapon +2 DC +v/5; FMove 5 Sacrifice Stroke +1 -2 Weapon +6 DC Strike 5 Slashing Stroke -2 +1 Weapon +6 DC Strike 8 +2 HTH Damage Classes (already added in) 1 Weapon Element: Assorted "Bladed" Weapons 96 12 Blades: Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 36 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1), Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1); all slots Limited Class Of Powers Available (various hand-held weapons; -1), OIF (various swords; -1/2) 30 Final Strike: Autofire (10 shots; +1); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), OIF (any bladed weapon[s]; -1/2) for up to 60 Active Points of Any Hand-To-Hand Weapon, END 3 30 High Pain Threshold: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; STUN Only (-1/2) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%; STUN Only (-1/2) 15 Rapid Healing: Does Not Bleed 2 Blocking: Missile Deflection (Thrown Objects); OAF ("shuriken"; -1) 10 Rapid Healing: Healing 1 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Cannot Regrow Lost Limbs, Can Reconnect Severed Limbs (+0), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Minute (-1 1/2), Self Only (-1/2) 5 Immortal Body: LS (Longevity: Immortal) Talents 9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty) Skills 10 +2 with HTH Combat 16 +8 with Final Strike 8 +4 OCV with Missile Deflection 7 Analyze: Style 14- 5 CK: Edo 14- 9 Iaijutsu: Fast Draw (HTH) 16- 1 High Society 8- 5 KS: Kenjutsu 14- 0 Language: Japanese (idiomatic; literate) 2 PS: Samurai/Yojimbo 11- 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 3 Sleight Of Hand 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 2 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12- 3 Tactics 12- 0 TF: Equines 10 Two-Weapon Fighting (HTH) 5 WF: Blades, Chain & Rope Weapons, Hook Sword, Off Hand, Thrown Sword 351 Total Powers & Skills Cost 484 Total Character Cost 100+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Black And White Kimono With Manji Insignia (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Scarred Face With One Eye (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Style (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Large Group) 20 DNPC: Rin Asano 14- (Normal) 10 Hunted: Assorted People (He's A Wanted Criminal) 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Kagehisa Anotsu And The Itto-Ryu 11- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 10 Physical Limitation: One Eye (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Cynical And World Weary (Very Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Wants To Die (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Vow—To Kill 1000 Evil Men (Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: Manji, the 100 Men/12 Blades Killer, 11- (Extreme) 244 Experience 484 Total Disadvantage Points
Background/History: Manji is the foremost of the two main characters in Hiroaki Samura's samurai fantasy Blade of the Immortal. A former samurai in the service of Lord Horii Shigenobu, Manji became disillusioned with his life and the code of the samurai after he discovered that that criminals he had been killing on Horii's orders were really farmers trying to contact the local authorities to inform them of Horii's misuse of taxes. Manji killed Horii in return, and then killed 99 police officers who attempted to bring him in. Finally, Manji killed Saito Tatsumasa, right in front of Saito's wife, Machi... who just so happened to be Manji's little sister.
At some point after this incident, Manji encountered Yaobikuni, who fed Manji the Kessen-Chu to make him immortal. Now, unable to be killed, Manji felt he was more monster than man. He also felt his skills degrading as he realized he couldn't be killed in a fight, and thus didn't need to fight a well as he had before.
After killing the fake priest Gyobutsu Johnny, Manji ran afoul of the Shinsen-gumi, "the world's baddest ronin gang." Their leader, Shido Hishiyasu, killed Machi in revenge for the death of Johnny (who was his brother). Unfortunately for Shido and the rest of the Shinsen-gumi, Manji then cut all of them down. Upon returning to Yaobikuni, he made her a deal. He'd kill 1000 evil men as penance for the 100 innocent lives he took, and in return, she'd give him the release of his own death.
Personality/Motivation: Manji's most telling point is his current state of mind. Manji has become a bitter, world-weary cynic, who recognizes the disparity between the samurai ideal and what happens in the real world. Disgusted with the actions of his lord, Manji killed him, instead of doing the "proper" thing and serving him faithfully, thus proving his (Manji's) honor as a worthy samurai. He has, to an extent, become disgusted with the willingness of the samurai to die for the cause, no matter how pointless the cause may be. His newfound cynical outlook has made him somewhat less than civil and gracious, such that Master Sori wonders if Manji was abandoned as a child and raised by monkeys. Manji is also disgusted with his current state. He wants to die, to be rid of what he sees is a curse. Thus, he revels in a good fight, telling Kuro "let us two-handed heretics of the sword go at it like wildmen and make the sky rain blood." He also informs Magatsu Taito "This is the way to fight!." This "death-wish" is tempered however by his duty as Rin's bodyguard, as well as his vow—to kill 1000 evil men as restitution for killing 100 good men. Only then will Yaobikuni allow him to die.
Most of the rest of Manji's disadvantages are pretty self-explanatory. He wears his distinctive black and white kimono at all time. His scarred face is hard to miss (Yaobikuni writes that he "looks like he was born under a bad sign"). As Rin's bodyguard, it's his duty to protect her, a task that can be very difficult at times. Manji is still wanted for the deaths of Horii Shigenobu and 100 police officers. Although the Itto-ryo are not actively looking for him, they are under orders to cut Manji down if they encounter him. Manji is also missing an eye, which means that he should suffer sight perception minuses if anyone comes up on his blind side. Suggested combat modifiers should -1 OCV in HTH and 1/2 OCV Ranged combat.
Quote: "Five times, kid. Five times people've come asking me, just like you. "Please Mister Manji—kill for me!" Problem is, if I'm gonna do that, I gotta know who's good, who's evil. So you tell me young lady—how the hell am I supposed to judge that?"
Powers/Tactics: Manji is a master swordsman, and is very skilled in the art of Kenjutsu. His DEX and SPD are meant to reflect this. It's worth noting his DEX could be higher, but was made only a 20 to simulate his "sloppy" swordwork; the same with his skill levels with Kenjutsu. He only has two, as opposed to the four (or more) he may have had a few years ago. At his prime, Manji probably had a 24 to 26 DEX and four levels in Kenjutsu. As a side note, the average swordsman in Blade is probably only DEX 13-15 and SPD 3, with no skill levels in Kenjutsu.
Manji's primary power is his swords, of which he carries about 12 or so. Most are kept tucked inside his kimono (impossible yes, but this is a fantasy), while two katana are thrust though his belt. The power pool is meant to simulate all the different bladed weapons he can carry. Early on in the Cry of the Worm collection, we see all of these weapons laid out for sharpening, thus giving one a good idea of what sort of weapons there are. Most of them are simple 1d6 or 1d6+1 HKAs. Looking at that page, we see the following (working from right to left):
- Sword with forked blade: This is probably a 1 1/2d6 HKA, with Reduced Penetration. The split blade would help to Bind of Disarm someone, so one could but it with +2 OCV, only for Bind and Disarm.
- Small knife: a simple 1/2d6 HKA. Possibly throwable (give it Usable at Range for +1/2)
- Two long-bladed swords with a secondary blade: These weapons look like the Japanese jitte, except with blades instead of tines. The are probably 1d6+1 HKAs with +2 OCV for Bind, Block, Disarm, and Takeaway. They are favorites of Manji's, and have holes through the hilts to allow him to spin them at great speed.
- Small knife with a hooked blade: This weapon has a long stabbing point and a secondary hook to one side. It's a basic 1d6-1 HKA. The long point may make it an Armor Piercing weapon. Manji has used the hooked side to keep him up in a tree at one point. He has also thrown this blade.
- Two sickle-shaped weapons connected by a short chain: This weapon looks like a nunchaku with blades added to the striking shafts.
- Long blade with hooks: This is a basic 1d6 HKA. The hooks make wounds painful, so give it a +1 STUN multiplier as well.
- Long blade with "points": This 1d6+1 HKA tapers in and out, producing a series of equally spaced points along it's length. It's possible that this blade design is meant to produce terrible wounds (+1 STUN).
- Short blade: Possibly the most mundane weapon in the picture, this is a simple 1d6-1 HKA.
Manji also carries two katana. These weapons are capable for doing much more damage than a real katana ever could (such as cutting up Master Sori's gate), and should be considered 2d6 HKA weapons.
Along with his 12 Blades, Manji (as well as numerous other characters in the series) is capable of generating a bloody and gruesome "final strike" attack that reduces his target to so many bloody chunks. This is has been bought as an Autofire attack, with 10 shots. Technically, Manji can use anywhere from 2 to 10, and often settles on 5. The extreme END cost (30) shows why it is only used as a weapon of last resort. Note Manji can (and has) used all 12 blades to pull this attack off, switching from blade to blade for each strike. This should be considered just part of the special-effect of this attack.
On top of his sword skills, Manji has the power of the Kessen-Chu, or "holy blood worms." These creatures are what keep him alive even after he has been hacked virtually to pieces (such as in his fight with the Shinsen-gumi). They will repair almost any wound, and can even reattach lost limbs. It seems likely the worms cannot rebuild lost limbs, so if someone severed Manji's hand and then destroyed it, he'd be out of luck. Although the worms render Manji immortal and very hard to kill, he is nowhere as indestructible as Yakumo the Wu from 3x3 Eyes (who is completely unkillable and able to regenerate from even total body destruction). Manji still needs to breathe and eat, and can be burned to ashes. You can also kill him be severing his head (thus depriving his brain of oxygen) or cutting him up into really small chunks.
Manji also has Damage Reduction. This makes sense, as he has taken a number of crippling hits and still remained conscious. He also has "Does Not Bleed," which is a slight misnomer. Manji bleeds all right, he just doesn't loose any additional Body if reduced to below 0. Manji's extra Body serves no other purpose than to keep him from getting killed. With 13 BODY, you would have to reduce Manji to -13 to kill him. His additional Body makes that -33.
Manji's skills are meant to reflect things we've seen in the manga. Although he is a samurai (or was) we have yet to see Manji demonstrate any of the classic arts of the samurai (such as archery, poetry, riding, skill with the tea ceremony, and so on).
Appearance: Manji looks to stand about 6' tall with a thin, rangy build. He is heavily scarred from his many battles that he fought before he was infested with the Kessen-Chu, and has three prominent scars on his face. One runs across both cheeks and the bridge of his nose, another runs along his forehead, and the third is vertical, run through his right eye (which is blind). Manji's hair is a short disarrayed mess worn in the traditional topknot.
Manji always dresses in a two-color kimono. The right half is white with black trim, while the left half is black with white trim. His belt is white. On the back of the kimono is a large sauvastika (or "manji") in contrasting colors to the base color of the kimono (i.e. on the white half, the manji is black, and white on the black half). It is an important note this device is not a swastika and is nothing to do with the Nazi party.
(Manji created by Hiroaki Samura, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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