Magical
World
Version 1.2
By Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney
Sailor Nebula let out a
long sigh as she looked at the remnants of her team. It had been a bad night. A
very, very bad night. Andromeda was dead, cut down by a bladed, metallic youma,
who was at best being only slowed down by their attacks. Then a trio of magical
girl hunters had come out of nowhere. They'd been forced to leave Quasar behind
-- she couldn't have survived that severe a case of lead poisoning anyway --
and Gemini and Nebula herself had both taken a few rounds. They were healed as
much as possible and bandaged.
A grim silence hung
over the group as they sat in their headquarters. The Galactic Sailors were not
the most popular of magical girls. In fact, owing to who had been their leader,
they were about as unpopular as mahou shoujo could get. There had been a dozen
of them. Now, between youma, Dark Ones, and these damned magical girl hunters
that had continued to increase in numbers, there was only the five of them
left. It had been such a simple dream at first -- to protect the world from
evil. Now where were they?
Nowhere, and rapidly
running out of lives. Oh, a lot of the dead ones would probably return,
reincarnated, but it'd be a decade at least before any of them could be much
help. Assuming their souls made it back in this era at all. No, the Galactic
Sailors were being eradicated, in ones and twos, until they were all dead
little girls.
Something stirred
outside the door. All five Sailors jumped to their feet -- Gemini was a bit slower
because of the condition of her leg. Silence reigned for a moment, then the
door burst open, the magically reinforced locks torn asunder. The figure that
was framed by the doorway was tiny. As she stepped into the light, they could
see a little girl, maybe five years old. But those eyes... No girl of any age
should have eyes like that, seeking, piercing eyes that seemed to say "you
can't scare me because I've seen things you can't imagine."
"Is this all
that's left of my army?" There was something familiar about the voice, the
accent, the shape of it.
"Who are
you?" demanded Sailor Gemini.
The tiny girl grinned
and pulled out a wand. It had a blue-black sphere on the end, filled with
endless motes of shimmering light. Beautiful, mesmerizing. Unmistakable.
"COSMIC STAR POWER!" For a moment the world was full of twinkling
stars, soaring comets, suns, asteroids... And then it all faded, and the girl
stood before them, transformed.
A chill went down
Nebula's spine. In the body of a five-year-old, but it was unmistakably her.
The most hated and feared of all magical girls, one of the two instigators of
the Magical War that had ended with the advent of the first magical girl
hunter, and the leader of the Galactic Sailors.
"Sailor
Cosmos." breathed Sailor Comet.
Sailor Cosmos continued
to smile. "I was in a bad place, a very bad place, but I learned things
there. I remember now. It took time to remember. I missed you all so
much."
Sailor Nebula felt the
tears welling up. No matter what, this was her friend, their leader. She
stumbled forwards and wrapped her arms around Cosmos, who returned the hug.
"We've been lost
without you." she sobbed. "We need you." She wanted to stop
crying but couldn't.
"It's alright; I'm
here." Nebula had heard those words once before. Whatever else was
different, it really was Cosmos.
Sailor Comet rubbed her
arms as though cold. "So... what will we do now?"
The reply was one word,
and a word that the world would know and fear.
"Revenge."
A Report On Post-Resurgence Earth
Your Majesty,
As you requested, I
have compiled information on the state of the Earth-realm. I will warn you, it
is very different from the place we knew. The past few decades have seen
considerable upheaval and change taking place, and as your trusted servant, I
swear to you on my honor that every word I have written is true.
The Resurgence
The Resurgence marked
the return of magic to the Earth-realm. It is said that the stagnant societies
of mankind came to reacquire their spirit of wonder and hope, allowing this
event to occur. This was swiftly followed by the return of the forces of the
Outer Kingdoms to the Earth-realm. The Dark Ones and their youma were able to
thrive, but the Dreaming Ones of the Magical Kingdoms found the low levels of
magical energies would slowly kill them if they remained in the Earth-realm for
any length of time. To fight the Dark Ones they were forced to rely on mortal
champions.
Magical Girls
I know we ourselves
have made use of magical girls from time to time, but to turn them into
warriors in this manner is unthinkable. But it has happened, and I do not speak
of isolated cases. In the years following the Resurgence literally thousands of
magical girls were recruited and empowered by the Magical Kingdoms. When I
spoke to one of the more authoritative Companions, I was informed that the
Dreaming Ones believed they had no other choice.
Magical War
Japan (also called
Nihon) is home to the city of Tokyo (formerly Edo), which was and still is an
epicenter of magical activity. It was here that the greatest of tragedies
occurred. Two very powerful magical girls -- Magical Knight Mariko of Thera and
Sailor Cosmos of the Star Kingdom -- came into a rivalry so great that each
raised armies of magical girls to
fight the other.
The magical girls I
spoke to during my visit were often too young to know much about what became
known as the "Magical War," and a number of those who remembered
began weeping at its very mention, so terrible was the battle. From what I
could gather, the War was long and terrible, and ended only when Mariko and
Cosmos were assassinated by an unknown mortal.
Today
Although the number of
magical girls does not appear to be waning at this point, popular opinion is
often turned against them, to such an extent that there are a growing number of
"hunters" -- mortals who murder troublesome magical girls.
Introduction
Magical World is a campaign setting quite unlike any other. There
were a lot of sources of inspiration that ultimately led to its creation, but
it began with watching Sailor Moon
and wishing for Usagi's bumbling to have real consequences now and then, for an
end to the Monster-of-the-Week syndrome, for enemies who were smart and vicious
enough to attack before the magical girls could finish posing and shouting, and
for magical attacks that actually hurt and have consequences in the real world.
There are plenty of other magical girl shows out there; Pretty Sammy, especially the TV series, is a favorite for its
character development, sweeping plot, and, just as importantly, the fact that
it mercilessly pokes fun at the genre.
But I still watched
Sailor Moon regularly, until it went into reruns. Why? The Sailor Senshi are a
bunch of girls who fight an endless array of monsters. They stand up to and
overcome every challenge that comes their way, not because they're
super-perfect comic book heroes (though it seems that way sometimes), but
because they're brave and willing to risk everything for what they believe in.
If those aren't admirable traits, I don't know what would be.
Magical World is what came out of this paradoxical perspective on
magical girls. It puts them into a world of high stakes and dire consequences
where, as in the real world, power can be used selfishly as surely as it can be
used to help others. Some hate them, some worship them, some ignore them, and a
few hunt them down. It is a place where magical girls and their youma foes are
ubiquitous, and a world that truly both loves and hates them. Whatever you feel
about magical girls, it can happen here.
Magical girls come in
countless varieties; saccharine heroines, servants of darkness, hired killers,
idol singers, vigilantes and more. They can save the world or bring it
damnation. The choice is yours. Strap in, have your henshin wand handy, and get
ready for a bumpy ride.
·
1.0 Original
release. Imagine that! I actually finished a book completely before putting it
out. What’s come over me?
·
1.1 Some
miscellaneous additional stuff, mostly things inspired by the Sailor
Moon RPG & Resource Guide, directly or indirectly, along with crossover
stuff for such.
·
1.2 Naturally,
immediately after finishing 1.1 I came up with many, many ideas for more stuff.
First and foremost, Magical World is now a generic game setting; there are a
number of "Rules Modules" that can be downloaded separately; there
is, of course, Thrash, as well as Tri-Stat, and more on the way. Setting
information has also been expanded greatly.
For
an inside look at the Magical World setting, be sure to check out Force of Magic. This story (available at
http://www.blackbird.nu/fanfics/) follows the trials and tribulations of
Haruko, a.k.a. Magical Girl Candy Rose, as she tries to cope with her new role,
as well as her teammates, uncaring superiors, deadly foes, and her own doubts.
·
Thrash: The system for which Magical World was originally created,
Thrash is a anime/fighting game martial arts RPG by yours truly, available on
the web at http://thrash.blackbird.nu/. Thrash is a
fairly simple system with many, many options.
·
Tri-Stat: The system used for Big Eyes, Small Mouth and the Sailor Moon RPG & Resource Book from
Guardians of Order. Tri-Stat is extremely simple and fast-playing.
·
Others?: Other possible rules modules to be released in the future
include Feng Shui, GURPS, Fuzion, and Storyteller.
Inspirational Stuff
Ideas
for this sourcebook came from a lot of different places, most of them relating
to magical girls in some way or another, and entirely too many of them being
intended as satires of the genre.
Anime
·
Akazukin Chacha
·
The Girl From Phantasia
·
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy: The cast of Tenchi Muyo star in
a spin-off which, although basically a parody of the magical girl genre, is
nonetheless very good on its own. This encompasses an OAV series (3 parts so
far) as well as a TV series (available in the U.S. as "Magical Project
S"; highly recommended).
·
Magic Knight Rayearth
·
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: In many ways
the quintessential magical girl anime (in terms of popularity if nothing else),
Sailor Moon was naturally a big influence on this book, in more ways than one.
Comics
·
Card Captor Sakura: This cute series from CLAMP is about
a 10-year-old girl named Sakura who has taken up the job of collecting the
"Clow Cards." To that end, she is given magical powers, and a
seemingly unending series of cute (if odd) outfits, as well as the help of
Kero-chan, a weird liony thing with fairy wings. Especially interesting is the
fact that her costumes are not magical, but rather are provided by her rich
friend Tomoyo, who also insists on videotaping her exploits.
·
Gen13 Bootleg: Magical Drama Queen Roxy: This comic,
by none other than Adam Warren, takes the characters of Gen13 and, in an
extended dream sequence, tells a scathingly satirical magical girl story.
·
Kaitou St. Tail:
·
Shadow Lady: This manga by Katsura (creator of
Video Girl Ai, amongst others) tells the story of Aimi, a shy young lady who
uses magical makeup to become the sexy and somewhat naughty master thief known
as Shadow Lady.
Fanfics
·
Magical Demon Hunter: This rather quirky fic is the
story of Dailey Preston, who is recruited by a drunkard who stumbled upon a
magical book to become a magical demon hunter, and all the madness she is made to
face, from evil demons to a vengeful animated teddy bear.
·
Magical Girl Hunter: This, ahem, unique round robin tells the story of two men who gear up with
heavy firepower and hunt down and kill magical girls for a living. In their
efforts, they are force to deal with an evil corporation creating magical girl
dupes, the amorous Sailor H, and countless other threats.
·
Magical Princess Sharra of the Winds: By yours
truly, MPSotW is the story of Natsuko, a cynical girl who wanted nothing to do
with being a magical girl, but was forced into it by circumstances, and
ultimately fights a battle that will decide the fate of the universe.
·
Missy Foxglove: The yakuza aren't happy with the
latest situation; magical girls have been turning their cocaine shipments into
cotton candy, and it's caused trouble with their business partners. To deal
with the problem, they've recruited Missy Foxglove, a magical girl who will
serve as an assassin, to take out problem magical girls.
·
Sailor Nothing: Mr. Twoflower brings us a new and
highly angsty magical girl series, the story of the abandoned magical girl
formerly known as Sailor Salvation who has now become Sailor Nothing.
Roleplaying Games
·
Changeling: The Dreaming: Not a major source, but
Changeling did provide some inspiration for the early history of Magical World.
For the uninitiated, Changeling is a game about modern day fairies, trying to
survive in a world that doesn’t believe in them.
·
Sailor Moon RPG & Resource Guide: Let me put
it like this. If you’re a gamer and a
Sailor Moon fan, BUY THIS NOW. This adaptation of the anime series is
exceptional, both in terms of working the game mechanics and presenting the
setting. And even if you don't roleplay (which raises the question of why
you're reading this), the sheer amount of info makes it well worth the price.
Web Pages
Emily's
Magical Girl Page!
http://yaoi.anime-manga.net/Magic/mg.html
An
excellent source of general information on magical girls, as well as info on
several of the various series out there.
Mahou Shoujo
Anime Resources
http://whistler.cs.ucla.edu/~yasuyuki/www/mahou/
An
extensive guide to magical girl series pages.
Lexicon
The following are terms commonly used in the Magical World setting.
Age
of Chaos:
The time when the Magical Kingdoms and the Dark Kingdoms waged open war on each
other.
Age
of Darkness:
The time following the Age of Chaos, when the Magical Kingdoms were all but
destroyed and the Dark Kingdoms reigned.
Ancient
One:
The most ancient, evil, and powerful of the creatures of the Dark Kingdoms.
Most have been destroyed or put into an eternal sleep, though some Dark Ones
seek to awaken them.
cutekiller: Someone
obsessed with the destruction of everything that is cute, especially magical
girls. The most dangerous of these are former magical girls.
Dark
Kingdoms:
Realms of evil located outside of our world. The denizens of these places are
powerful, but have poor judgment and are unimaginative.
Dark
Ones:
The most humanlike of the denizens of the Dark Kingdoms, who presently serve as
the leaders.
Dreaming
Ones:
The Magical Kingdoms' counterpart to the Dark Ones.
henshin stick: See Transformation Key, below.
idol: Refers to
pop idol singers, and especially magical girls who become singers or other
types of entertainers.
I.M.G.U.: The
International Magical Girls Union, an organization of magical girls dedicated
to mutual support and peace among the mahou shoujo.
Love
and Justice:
The goal for which most magical girls strive; to create a world of happiness
and peace.
Love
Fighter:
A magical girl whose main goal is to spread love.
magical
companion:
Small creatures, usually cute and fuzzy, who accompany and serve as mentors to
magical girls.
magical
girl:
Girls between the ages of nine and sixteen, recruited to wield magical powers.
Magical
Kingdoms:
Realms of magic and wonder located outside our world. The Magical forces have
long opposed the schemes of the Dark.
Magical
Task Force X: A government organization dedicated to containing all
forms of magical threats – or perhaps just a rumor?
magical
toddler:
Derogatory term for magical girls, especially younger ones.
magical
war:
The conflict that rocked the world a decade ago, when two armies of magical
girls clashed in a titanic battle over a personal sleight between their
leaders.
mahou
shoujo:
See magical girl.
mystic
knight:
A male gifted with magical abilities, usually with powers similar to those of
magical girls, but more "gentlemanly" in appearance.
The
Outer Kingdoms: A general term for the Dark Kingdoms and the Magical
Kingdoms (q.v.).
Resurgence: During the
early 1980s, the Magical Kingdoms resurfaced, and began a careful, tentative
struggle with the Dark Kingdoms to regain their positions of power.
senshi: Japanese for
“soldier” – now a common term for magical girls, especially the more
combat-oriented ones.
sentai: A team of
warriors, especially magical girls, usually numbering three or five.
Sorcerer: A person
(sometimes a mortal, but more often a Dark One or Dreaming One) whose magical
abilities consist of scholarly knowledge and powerful incantations.
Talking
Pet:
Derogatory term for magical companions.
transformation
key:
An item used by magical girls to transform into their mahou shoujo form.
youma: General term
for monsters, especially from the Dark Kingdoms.
Chapter
1:
Mahou
Shoujo
Into
daring dreams
Go the bold
Conquering their
fear
A shining ray of
light
As darkness all
consumes
-- Unyielding Wish (English Version), Magic
Knight Rayearth OP
What follows is an introduction to the
magical girls and how they cope with the world in which they live.
Magic is a very real force, and
understanding it is key to understanding those who can use it; each shapes the
other. The user is affected by the magic and the magic reflects the user’s
intentions and desires.
Fundamentally, magic is the shaping of
magical energy. This energy is known by countless names, including but not
limited to chi, mana, prana, ki, and quintessence. Magical energy is believed
to be inherent in the cosmos, but considerably more common in some places than
others. This energy, when in sufficient concentration, can be focused by a
being with the necessary ability, used to create a given effect. Although
nearly all magic users must make use of some “procedure” to use their magic (such
as an incantation), magic’s fundamental nature is such that it is shaped by the
user’s will and intent.
Denizens of the Magical Kingdoms require
magical energy in order to survive. Earthly scientists who’ve studied the
Dreaming Ones have theorized that organisms from the Magical Kingdoms use this
magical energy on a cellular level. Dreaming Ones, who tend to be leery of such
a banal explanation, say that, as children of their respective Magical
Kingdoms, magic runs in their veins, flows through their breath, and pulses in
their very souls, and thus to be deprived of it is to wither and die.
Magical girls are aptly named, for they
wield a form of magic, allowing them to transform and use the mystic powers.
The magic of Mahou Shoujo is usually a bit different from that of Dreaming Ones
and human sorcerers. The basic nature of the mahou shoujo enchantments is such
that the tie between magic and the heart is even stronger than normal.
Sources of Power
There
are a number of ways in which a girl can become a mahou shoujo, though being
recruited by one of the Magical Kingdoms is by far the most common. These are
strange and wonderful places outside of our own world, which often recruit
humans to be their champions – usually girls between the ages of nine and
sixteen. Why they do this is unknown, but it is believed that beings from the
Other Worlds are incapable of sustaining themselves on Earth for any
significant period of time, and thus must use natives to our plane to fight
their battles.
Ancient
Legacies: In some cases being a magical girl runs in the family. It may
indeed be genetic, a spark of magical power manifesting as a result of an
ancestor who was a magical being of some kind. Others pass an Artifact (see
below) from one generation to the next, and in some cases the magical power
itself can be separated and bequeathed to another.
Ancient
Powers: While some doubt the truth of it, a small number of magical girls
claim to have been granted their powers by some god/goddess or other
supernatural force. Ancient spirits (including ancestor and nature spirits),
deities from across the world (including, interestingly enough the Christian
God), as well as places of power (pyramids, stone circles, dragon nests, and
the like) have all reportedly produced magical girls. As one might imagine, the
abilities of such mahou shoujo are invariably "themed" to the source
of the power.
Artifacts:
A few rare items, imbued with mystical power properties, can grant the powers
of a mahou shoujo. These can take nearly any form imaginable. Some are keyed to
specific kinds of users (young girls and/or those pure of heart, usually) and
many become bonded to a specific individual, useless to anyone else so long as
they live.
Magical
Being/Cross-Breed: Dreaming Ones have difficulty surviving in the
magic-bare realm of Earth. To shield themselves from this, some are able to
hide their magical natures, becoming mortals most of the time. Likewise, should
a Dreaming One and a mortal have offspring, the resulting child would similarly
only occasionally be able to fully bring out their magical nature.
Reincarnation:
Especially among the more powerful magical girls, repeated reincarnation is not
unknown. When killed, such mahou shoujo are reborn with no memories of their
past lives and no knowledge of how to use their powers, though both will
gradually return over time. Rumors claim that Sailor Cosmos was such a one, and
she will be back for vengeance.
Technology:
Perhaps rarest of all are those magical girls who've acquired some super-technological
device which has magic-like abilities. Such devices are generally rare and
costly in the extreme.
Teams
Trust I seek and
I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters
– Metallica, "Nothing Else Matters"
Although
loners (usually equipped with magical companions) are common, magical girls
often join together to form teams, also known as sentai. This is most often the result of a common origin, but that
is not necessarily the case. Having such friends to rely on provides a source
of support, both emotionally and on the battlefield, and in both cases can mean
the difference between life and death.
Teams
are usually either of three (for fairy tale cliché purposes) or five (for anime
cliché purposes)[*]. Larger
teams are possible, but following the Magical War they've become very rare.
Especially in the case of those with a common origin, teams are often created
around some theme; planets, elements, fruits, animals... you name it, it's
probably been done.
Magical Girls Around The World
The
conflict between the Magical and Dark Kingdoms is, interestingly enough,
primarily in Japan. The reasons for this are uncertain, but it has been
theorized that in Japan more than any other country females are bred to be
cute, hopeful dreamers – and thus ideal magical girl material, though this
doesn't explain why the Dark Kingdoms seem to operate primarily there.
Even
so, magical girls are known to varying degrees in every part of the world, with
the United States ranking #2 in terms of magical girl population. Magical girls
from other countries tend to have only stylistic differences from their
Japanese counterparts. Obviously, the uniform isn't likely to feature sailor
fuku when these aren't used there.
Africa
Australia
Central
and South America
China
Europe
The
Former Soviet Union
Mexico
The
Middle East
Southeast
Asia
Powers
"It's very rude to
attack someone while they're posing!"
-- Pretty Sammy
To accomplish their goals, magical girls
are given an arsenal of magical powers. These vary quite a bit in disposition,
though there are many common themes. Most of these powers take the form of
"spells" of some sort, which require an incantation (usually what
amounts to a gibberish phrase in English), which has to be not simply uttered
but YELLED as loud as possible, slowly and clearly, so that everyone can hear.
Fortunately, most youma aren't too smart and will wait and listen to the spell.
The specific types of effects created by
these spells vary a great deal, but elemental type effects seem to be the most
common. These can be your typical fire, water, electricity, and so forth, but
the most common by far are the Love Elementals.
Most people wouldn't think of Love as one
of the elements, but magical girls have proven that this is so. It is a very
potent power; love elementals can influence hearts as well as bringing
destructive power to bear.
Magical Items
Magical
girls are known to make use of a variety of magical items. Some of these can be
considered Artifacts in game terms. Others, however, are merely icons,
representing the powers the characters effectively has, and as such cannot be
lost or stolen. Owing to the nature of the mahou shoujo power, these typically
take the form of wands, brooches, earrings, makeup kits, and other feminine
trinkets. See Chapter 5 for more details.
Transformation
Key: Also known as a henshin
stick (when it takes the form of a wand), this is the most important item is a
mahou shoujo's arsenal. The Transformation Key is the item that allows them to
transform into said form. This item must generally be held out and a
nonsensical magical phrase shouted out for the transformation to be initiated.
Disguise
Key: Similar to the transformation key, a disguise key is an item that
enables the character to magically disguise themselves as someone else.
The Transformation
"Sasami! I didn't know you liked to
dress like that!"
– Tenchi, Magical Girl Pretty Sammy
Nearly
all Mahou Shoujo have their magical abilities only part of the time; to draw
upon these, they must undergo a transformation. These vary a great deal, but
most will briefly pull the heroine into a pocket dimension where she is subtly
transmogrified into her mahou shoujo form. This usually looks just like her normal
form except for a new outfit (usually involving a very short skirt) and
occasionally changes in the color of one's hair and/or eyes, though many
magical girls become older upon transforming (16 seems to be the preferred
age). The transformation sequence involves lots of swirling lights and some
kind of theme song, which takes a seeming eternity to the viewers, even though
only a few seconds pass in real time.
The
resultant "uniform", although often in the form of an abbreviated
sailor fuku, can occasionally be a bit more exotic. Among the more common
variations are large gowns, skimpy tight-fitting outfits, and in the case of
the "darker" magical girls, black leather and/or vinyl.
Specialized Magical Girls
Certain magical
kingdoms create mahou shoujo with specialized powers. This has been done for a
variety of reasons, though typically either because such magical girls are
meant for a particular task, or because they are part of a group. A few
kingdoms have taken to having their magical girl sentai contain a specific mix
of specialists.
Falcon: Known by
a variety of names, these are magical girls given the power to fly, either with
wings that appear upon transformation, or without wings, by magical means.
Falcons are usually trained to be scouts and spies, but some (also known as
Eagles) are used for aerial combat.
Magical Idol:
Magical Idols are magical girls who double as performers, usually idol singers.
While some simply use their powers to have a career in the music industry (such
performers are surprisingly popular in Japan and other countries, despite
anti-magical girl sentiments running high), many double as youma-fighters. In a
few cases the power of song is augmented by magic, making it a weapon unto
itself.
Magical Nurse:
So named because their outfits tend to resemble nurse uniforms somewhat,
Magical Nurses specialize in healing. Nurses tend to be compassionate and
caring to a fault; Love makes healing magic stronger, so a loving person is the
natural candidate.
Night Stalker:
These are magical girls who specialize in stealth and covert operations. They
tend to dress in dark colors and move silently.
Sentinel
Swordbearer:
Swordbearers specialize in close-range melee combat. All are equipped with a
weapon, typically a Spirit Weapon. The preferred weapon is of course the sword,
whether a hulking broadsword (which magical girls wield with incongruous ease)
or an elegant rapier. Swordbearers are among the most combat-oriented of
magical girls, and the most able to hold their own in physical combat.
Tactician: One
of the less common -- but more valuable -- specializations, the Tacticians have
the ability to analyze their opponents and formulate effective battle plans.
This is a role typically filled by the more intellectual magical girls, and they
are usually equipped with a magical computer to assist them.
The Magical
Girl Lifestyle
The Magical Kingdoms have had to devise a number of methods for recruiting magical girls. The tried and true method of having a companion search for a candidate, whether at random or guided by magic, is still widely used, but not as effective as it once was. Potential candidates tend to be much more wary, due to the dangers involved, coupled with the potential for being pulled into an organization falsely claiming to be a Magical Kingdom, be it a Dark Kingdom or some mortal organization.
Other forms of recruitment have been tried
and met with varying degrees of success. These have included such modern
contrivances as auditions, classified ads, contests, and talent scouts. Less
scrupulous or more desperate kingdoms have been known to resort to outright
kidnapping of desirable candidates, using mind-altering magic spells to control
them.
Superiors
Most Magical Girls have
to contend with superiors of one sort or another, giving them advice, orders,
new powers, and so forth. Dreaming Ones (and in some cases Dark Ones) are at
least as varied and flawed as humans, often with the added touch of being very
literally out of touch with reality. The means by which a mahou shoujo will
keep in touch with her superiors varies; some Kingdoms use magical means, some
communicate through an intermediary Companion, and a few take the trouble to
have a native commander appear in person.
Other superiors can
take the form of a higher-ranking magical girl or mystic knight, which can be
good or bad. Some, having been in the same spot themselves once, show
compassion to their charges. Others can be terribly callous.
Got to live the life you create inside
your head
So I opened the window caught the wind one
night
Now I sail with the birds in their flight
– Chisa Yokohama, "I'm A Pioneer"
Magical
girls throw the term "Love and Justice" around a lot these days. It
means different things to different people, to be sure. It is a battle cry, and
a way of life. It means one will fight with the heart, for the heart. It means
doing what's right, whatever the cost.
As
high as these ideals might be, the reality is all too often a bit different.
Too many mahou shoujo consider it little more than a phrase to call out in
order to be like everyone else. Others disregard it completely.
"Look
out, Sailor Moon!"
– Luna, Sailor Moon
Many
mahou shoujo have a magical companion, a creature of some sort, often from one
of the Magical Kingdoms, who serves as a mentor and companion. They give
advice, do reconnaissance, and give protection; each is friend, confidant, and
conscience to the one they watch over.
While
they usually possess human intelligence (or at the very least, a high animal
intelligence), they generally take the form of some kind of animal – and a cute
one at that. The preferred forms include cats, dogs, bunny rabbits, birds, and
occasionally a fictitious but very adorable animal of some sort, though nearly
any type of animal is possible. Although they are the ones who deliver the
magical powers to the mahou shoujo, they rarely have any significant abilities
themselves.
Despite
the benefits, relatively few Magical Kingdoms actually take the time to provide
real training to their magical girls. A mahou shoujo who understands her own
powers and her enemies will be a far more effective fighter, and yet most
Kingdoms simply give a new recruit a wand and send her off to battle.
Training
can take on any number of forms. Smaller Kingdoms tend towards providing
one-on-one “tutoring” from a more experienced magical girl or even a Dreaming
One, while large ones typically have large training facilities patterned after
private schools or even military boot camps. Most Magical Kingdoms tend to take
a fairly gentle, lenient approach to training, but a few, inspired by military
organizations of the human world, have taken to more brutal, direct forms of
training.
Secrecy
Now
more than every, a magical girl must keep her true identity a secret.
Fortunately, even though it should be blatantly obvious who they are in most
cases, the magic protects them from this. Even so, being discovered is
possible, and given the sorts of people around, potentially dangerous.
Friends and Family
Nearly
all magical girls retain relations with the friends and family members they had
before obtaining their powers. Besides the fact that most of them rely on their
parents for food, shelter, and so forth, most mahou shoujo are far too caring
to simply abandon the people they love. Such people help the magical girl stay
in touch with the real world, and provide a place to retreat to when the
ongoing task of saving the world becomes a bit too much to bear.
Even
so, the policy of secrecy must be applied even to the most trusted companions.
Not only could they be made to leak information about the magical girl, but
also they become potential targets for her enemies. Worse still, in this day
and age, a magical girl may find that she cares very deeply for someone who
despises her alter ego.
School Daze
By
and large, nearly all mahou shoujo are at an age where they're expected to go
to school, and the vast majority do; they need a mortal occupation to keep
their sanity, and being a student is usually more than sufficient.
Attending
school can mean a lot of things, however. For one, despite the pressing matters
of the fate of the world and so forth, our heroines have to contend with
homework, teachers, and the other students, who can be friends as surely as
they can be antagonists (or anything in-between), albeit usually of a non-magical sort.
If
you're following the usual genre conventions, the GM should build many of the
plots around events at school. For some reason, youma are drawn to trying to
carry out their plots at schools (some have theorized that it is simply
because, at least in the case of energy collectors, there is much more power to
be gained), and a few have even been known to pose as students.
To wonder what life’s for
What is it for?
Am I just a whore?
Who am I working for?
-- Ten Foot Pole, Pride and Shame
There
are times when magical girls, like everyone else, have to worry about money.
Most Magical Kingdoms don’t have the ability to offer any monetary compensation
to their magical girls, so when mahou shoujo need cash, they have to seek out
their own means of obtaining it, and more often than not, that means a part-time
job.
The
availability of a part-time job for a girl aged 10 to 16 largely depends on the
country. In more civilized countries child labor laws and the like prevent any
but the oldest magical girls from holding a job. Of course, many in this sort
of situation take advantage of a transformation that makes them look older to
get a job they couldn’t otherwise. In other countries it doesn’t matter, though
getting a job that pays more than slave wages may be another matter.
This
brings up another, darker side of magical girl existence; those who are
employed specifically because of their magical girl status. This can include
anything from simple bodyguard duty to involvement in organized crime, up to
and including unusual forms of prostitution. Most Magical Kingdoms despise such
practices and will do whatever it takes to remove their agents from such a
state. Unfortunately, a few are callous enough to turn a blind eye to such
abuses so long as the job gets done.
Out there in the spotlight
You’re a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try and give away
– Bob Seger, “Turn the Page”
A few magical girls use their powers to entertain others rather than to fight evil. Some have turned their back on the fighting, while others are doing what their magical allies want them to – fighting the more subtle battle to keep Love alive on earth. A few try to do both fighting and singing (usually not simultaneously, though it’s been known to happen).
In the case of Japanese mahou shoujo, the preferred medium is that if pop idol singing, as it is the style of music in which they can most easily be accepted. The major requirements for being an idol are to be young, cute, and able to sing. Unfortunately, many such performers are simply shoved into the same old mold (“Wear this dress, sing these songs, dance like this.”), and they aren’t paid too well either. This environment has made many idols frustrated, despite the adoration of fans and the thrill of being on the stage.
Especially in the U.S., but in Japan and other parts of the world as well, this mold is being broken. There are magical girl representatives of nearly every musical style imaginable. A surprising number of them have turned to heavy metal and hard rock (including the well-known Japanese performer, Magical Girl Hyperia), though in some cases this has made enemies of the more militant pop idol types.
Magic Media
Magical Girls have
become a part of nearly every form of media and entertainment possible. Radio,
television, music, movies... the list goes on and on. The popularity of mahou
shoujo based entertainment regularly fluxes, but has never gone away
completely. Of course, the primary target demographic is female and under the
age of 12, but hardcore fans, however young, are numerous and surprisingly
devoted.
For a magical girl,
being a celebrity is a double-edged sword, to be sure. The exhilaration of
fame, the many uses of money, and the potential for friends to be made are
all-powerful lures. But a celebrity makes herself a target, for not only
magical girl hunters and cutekillers, but the "paparazzi" media,
tabloids, exploitation, and so on. Not only that, but to be a publicly known
magical girl is to have one's actions reflect on all mahou shoujo, good or bad.
Love
Fighters are one of the more curious breeds of magical girls, as they are much
subtler in how they operate. Their number one goal is to spread love wherever
possible, and this can take countless forms, many of which don’t require any sort
of special powers. The successful Love Fighter is typically an expert
matchmaker, and generally skilled at finding ways, big or small, to make
people’s lives better.
In most cases,
the magical powers of a Love Fighter are relatively limited in some way or
another (most often because the transformation is difficult to maintain). The
most common abilities they possess are the more subtle Love Elemental powers
(see below), which are to be used as a last resort, although anyone who assumes
they are incapable of acting in combat may be in for a rather painful (pink)
surprise.
Romance
When the cherry blossoms start to bloom
Meet
me here in my lonely room
We’ll
find a passion-filled fantasy
And
I know this time you’ll stay with me
– Ai Orisaka, “Dimension of Love”
Most
magical girls are interested in romance to some degree. Some are a bit too
young for that sort of thing, while the older ones spend entirely too much time
worrying about their current boyfriend, or obtaining one. Ultimately, though,
most magical girls are in search of a "True Love" – whatever that
might mean, and this will generally take the form of a romance that slowly
develops over the course of the entire series.
Needless
to say, romantic stuff is difficult to role-play, and quite often downright
awkward for all concerned. It's a topic that is very personal, and for which
different people can have very different views.
Being
a magical girl does not in any way ensure fame. To become a mahou shoujo is to
be one of thousands, and to take on a role that, while often heroic, has a
dubious reputation at best. A few do reach a level of fame that turns them into
celebrities.
Some
achieve fame by rising above the other magical girls and showing great valor
and heroism. This means that they will be held up as an example of what a
magical girl should be, which in turn means they will be a target for extremist
anti-magical girl groups. For this reason, wise magical girls often try to stay
out of the limelight; fame is of little comfort to the dead.
Far
more of those magical girls who become famous do so by doubling as celebrities
of another sort – usually as singers.
Aging
To
the wounded, the fallen, the heat, the suspense,
The
perfume strong, the smoke, the deafening noise;
Away
with your life of peace!–your joys of peace!
Give
me my old wild battle-life again!
– Walt Whitman, "The Dying Veteran"
Aging
is something that all people face, though its significance for mahou shoujo is
a bit more prominent. A magical girl is typically from nine to sixteen years
old when she begins her career. Their feelings towards growing older tend to be
somewhat paradoxical. Like most children, they look forward to all the things
that being a teenager, and then an adult brings, but as they grow older, the
whole magical girl shtick seems more and more childish. By the age of 20,
nearly all magical girls will have either retired (sometimes to residence in
one of the Magical Kingdoms) or found a way to adapt their powers into
something more mature. Unfortunately, the majority of those who don't are
casualties.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a
tricky issue for Magical Girls, and even a dangerous one. The circumstances
leading to a mahou shoujo becoming pregnant are often bad enough, but the
physical effects of it are an even greater problem. A girl who has entered
puberty but not made it into her mid to late teens will in nearly always die in
labor along with the child, making abortion the only real option.
Magic further
complicates things. Many Magical Girls are significantly older upon
transforming -- bringing them up to a childbearing age with a wave of the wand.
Undoing the transformation while pregnant may have any number of effects,
depending on the nature of the enchantments involved. A developing fetus may be
miscarried or simply cease to be in order to protect the magical girl, or
undoing the transformation may become impossible until the pregnancy ends, one
way or another. If the baby is ultimately brought to term, the exposure to
magic usually has some effects, and those may be good or bad, but are always
wildly unpredictable.
Death
Death is something many mahou shoujo must face though few are prepared to. As is inevitable in a war, people are hurt, and sometimes they die. Any magical girl will inevitably face the reality that they and their comrades could be hurt, possibly even killed in their line of work. While any soldier learns to accept this in a hurry, for a ten-year-old, who hasn't yet experienced life in its fullness, it can be a terrifying prospect.
Side Note:
Magical "Boys"
There is a person living in my head
She
comes to visit every night in bed
I
fight the demon but it just won't fall
The
voices in my dungeon starting to call
– Ozzy Osbourne, "Ghost Behind My Eyes"
The magic used to create magical girls
is as fickle as it is annoying. One of the more curious aspects of it is the
fact that it demands to be wielded by young females. For males who try to use
it, whether intentionally or by accident, the end result is amusing at best,
insanity-breeding at worst – it tends to transform them into little girls.
Either that or (ugh) it puts them in the same outfit anyway. It is possible for
males to be come Mystic Knights (see Chapter 2), though the process involved is
somewhat different.
This phenomenon, although undoubtedly in
bad taste, can make for some very... ahem... interesting roleplaying
experiences.
As any dedicated fan of Sailor Moon knows, not everyone is heterosexual. It’s relatively recently that this has applied to anime characters, but with anime’s propensity for gender bending, it’s not exactly surprising. Shoujo manga does this sort of thing more than most, and while American audiences aren’t exactly comfortable with the concept, the idea of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune – not to mention Zoicite and Kunzite/Malachite (who are both male in the original version) – being lovers is pretty much accepted as a matter of course by most in Japan. This is especially true of the readers of shoujo manga.
With that
said, the question still remains as to what this will mean to your campaign.
Some players are more than willing to jump right into this sort of thing,
creating gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters with abandon, while others want
nothing to do with it. In a gaming group, however, cohesion is essential, and
tension over this sort of thing can easily tear the group apart. If everyone is
comfortable with the idea, then go ahead, but if not, try to be sensitive about
it.
Magical Girl Societies and
Camps
The Hunter Hunters:
With the continued rise in the number of magical girl hunters in the world --
most especially in Tokyo -- and the mortal officials' willingness to look the
other way, a small minority of mahou shoujo have decided not to take it lying
down. They've seen too many friends and allies gunned down, and mean to put a
stop to it. Magical girls are dangerous enough to hunters when they're not
trying to turn the hunter into the prey, but these "hunter hunters"
have taken to a highly organized and carefully planned style of operation.
Given the typical magical girl tactics (fire off attacks and hope they work),
this is usually enough to catch most hunters off guard.
The International
Magical Girls Union: The I.M.G.U. is the biggest and most successful
magical girl organization, owing to its relative neutrality and careful
planning.
Magical Eco-Front:
The Magical Eco-Front is an international organization of ecologically minded
magical girls, very loosely affiliated with the IMGU and a number of ecological
organizations around the world. The activities of the Magical Eco-Front range
from conventional protests to magical terrorism against polluters and other
threats to the eco-system, earning the animosity of those who are more
concerned with having food and work than protecting the earth. These activities
seem to be quietly overlooked by the Eco-Front’s allies.
Mahouzoku: The
term mahouzoku is derived from the "bosozoku" (speed tribes) of
rebellious Japanese youth. Mahouzoku are "bad girl" mahou shoujo
gangs. These groups vary in temperament, ranging from simple rebellious youth
-- known for playing magical idol music too loud late at night and harassing
high school boys -- up to and including all-out violent gang activities.
Mystical Entertainers
Guild: The M.E.G. is a loose association of magical girls who work in the
entertainment industry in one capacity or another. Allied with the I.M.G.U.,
they are a mutual support organization, not entirely dissimilar from the Screen
Actors' Guild in Hollywood. The guild provides help with contracts, agents,
finding work, legal matters, and so forth.
Mystic Knights
Mystic Knights (also
know as "Kamen" -- Japanese for "mask") are basically male
counterparts to magical girls. As the magical girls were originally intended to
spread the power of Love, so were the Knights intended to be consorts and
companions. Thus, rather than frilly cuteness, Kamen tend towards
"gentlemanly" styling, sporting stylized versions of fancy suits,
knightly armor, or other such variations. Kamen tend to be older than magical
girls -- 18 to 24 years old is the average -- and their transformations tend to
be very subtle. For that matter, they very rarely bother shouting out the names
of their attacks, though nearly all share their female counterparts' penchant
for making speeches and posing.
Being a Knight is
nearly as much a mixed bag as being a magical girl. Their powers tend to be
more subtle, which requires them to be more cunning and intelligent in turn.
Most magical kingdoms assign their Knights to a position of support,
guardianship, or leadership to some magical girls. This duty can include a huge
range of tasks, including doing intelligence gathering, making battle plans,
and even more simple stuff like providing moral support and help with homework.
Of course, this means that Knights have a reputation as pedophiles, made all
the worse by the fact that it's true in some cases.
Chapter
2:
Mahou no Sekai
The
Magical World setting is much like our own world, yet very different. (Was that
cliché or what?) It is a world where wonder and terror alike hide in the
shadows, waiting to pounce on the unwary, and where both are threatened by
disillusionment and their own pervasiveness. Many of the things you thought you
knew about Magical Girls are wrong, as you (and they) will quickly learn.
History
History
History is laughing at us
Plotting its discovery
– Bad Religion, "Victory"
There
is much history that has been all but forgotten in this age, and much that many
wish they could forget. The Magical
Kingdoms and the Dark Kingdoms have existed for longer than anyone can
remember, and the litany of their conflicts over the ages could fill a thousand
books, were it not for the fact that so much of it had been lost.
Foundation of the Outer Kingdoms
From
whence the Magical Kingdoms and the Dark Kingdoms arose is unknown, though some
say they came from the dreams of humanity. These myriad realms, existing
outside of the physical world, were inhabited by a variety of magical beings,
many resembling humans, but many others far more fantastic. The light kingdoms
were for a time in regular contact with each other, as was the case for the
dark ones, resulting in a great deal of cultural exchange. It was an age of
peace and learning, when the magical arts were refined and expanded greatly.
Age of Chaos
The
time of peace, however, was not to last. When the kingdoms of light and dark
came into contact, things were at first friendly, if tentative. It is unknown
just what served as the spark of aggression, but an epic conflict exploded into
existence shortly thereafter.
The
struggles between the Magical Kingdoms and the Dark Kingdoms went on for
countless ages. Most of the details of this epoch-spanning struggle have been
lost, but there can be no doubt that the cost of it was terrible for all
concerned. Even so, when the last spell was thrown, it was the Dark that stood
victorious.
Age of Darkness
For
a time, the Dark Kingdoms reigned supreme. With the Magical Kingdoms out of the
way, there was nothing that could stop them – save their hatred of each other –
and they began expanding their rule farther and farther into the cosmos.
The
power of the Dark began to ebb, however, as more and more internal conflicts
tore at the fabric of their already fragile alliances. With no common enemy,
they fell to fighting one another, and ultimately fell by their own dark
powers.
The Rise of Earth
All
that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away
Again
-- Fuel, "Shimmer"
As
the power of the outer kingdoms waned, that of the mortal world, which they had
long regarded as an inhospitable void, began to rise higher. The force of a
billion souls reshaped reality, and tore at the already fragile worlds in which
the kingdoms resided. For a time, the kingdoms, Dark and Magical alike, very
nearly ceased to be, and the mundane reality of humankind prepared to eclipse
the whole of the cosmos.
In
this time, the Magical Kingdoms were able to maintain a tiny level of earthly
activity. The lack of magical energies on Earth made it nearly impossible for
Dreaming Ones to survive on Earth, so they took to recruiting human champions.
The most prevalent of these were the magical girls. Young girls tended to lack
skepticism and have higher levels of magical energy than most mortals, making
them more receptive to enchantments.
Few
today realize it, but for the most part magical girls were not originally
intended for combat. Their purpose was more in line with what today are known
as Love Fighters – to spread Love and make the world a better place. Mahou
shoujo powers tended to be subtler, and transformations were relatively
uncommon. Of course, sending them up against agents of the Dark Kingdoms was
considered unthinkable; it would be akin to sending a kite out to do battle
with an F-16.
The
Resurgence changed everything.
Resurgence
Towards
the end of what, by human reckoning, is the 1970s, something odd began to
happen. In a world that had seen so much death and destruction, so much fear
and paranoia, people began to dream again. Some say this was because of man's
efforts to reach into the stars, while others say this was simply the crest of
a wave of changes.
Whatever
the cause, one thing is clear. The power of the outer kingdoms began to rise
once more. For most of the denizens of these places, the mortal realm was still
an antiseptic place, with too little magic for them to survive. But even so,
there was far too much to be gained as well. If enough people could be brought
to dream, to love, things might just be like in the days before. The Dark
Kingdoms likewise formed a similar agenda, based on spreading terror and
nightmares.
If there's a new way
I'll be the first in line
But it better work this time
-- Megadeth, Peace Sells
With the return of the Dark Kingdoms to Earth, the battles of so long ago began anew in full force. But the Earth was still unable to sustain Dreaming Ones, as there still wasn't enough magic energy present. Human agents were necessary, but the only enchantments for equipping mortals that worked reliably were those for making magical girls. These were quickly adapted to provide combat capabilities, but much of the original magical "programming" still remains, and the cry of "Love and Justice" is a remnant of that legacy.
Thus, the role of mahou shoujo has changed, and many say, for the worse. This terrible concession to necessity has put the lives of countless innocent girls in danger. Many among the Magical Kingdoms have tried desperately to find another way, though most such experiments have been unsuccessful. Mystical Knights are the only notable success, an adaptation of an enchantment for creating consorts to Dreaming One royalty (hence the gentlemanly styling). Other experiments have created a few unique beings, and, though few would admit it, a number of deaths.
The
inhabitants of the Dark Kingdoms, for the most part, were able to withstand the
environment of Earth (perhaps because the nightmares that spawned them are all
too real these days), and so they usually fight their own battles.
A
few have obtained the means to create their own magical girls, though the Dark
Magical Girls aren’t really necessary per se. Rather, they are used because
they make effective fighters and have excellent shock value when combating magical
girls.
Magical War
It is the last time he will
Blackened roar massive roar fills the
crumbling sky
Shattered goal fills his soul with a
ruthless cry
– Metallica, "For Whom The Bell
Tolls"
In
1988, the unthinkable happened. Magical girls the world over still weep at the
very mention of it. Two of the most powerful magical girls – Sailor Cosmos and
Magical Knight Mariko – had a disagreement (the nature of it is still unknown),
which reached such a magnitude that they raised entire armies of magical girls,
and engaged each other in mortal combat.
This
event, known as the Magical War, wiped out fully a third of the magical girl
population, even as the forces of the Dark Kingdoms looked on and laughed. Mortals
who tried to intervene, at first with police batons and finally soldiers with
tanks and jet fighters, found their efforts futile at best, suicidal at worst.
And still the madness continued.
It
was on December 24, 1989 that the Magical War came to an end. The war was
raging on, as horrible as when it had begun, when it was discovered that both
of the leaders had been assassinated. Just who was responsible has never been
discovered for certain, but it is believed to have been the work of the first
person to call himself a magical girl hunter, a man known as "The Shadow
Stalker." With no leaders, the armies quickly disintegrated, though
anti-magical girl sentiments ran deep in those days, and Shadow Stalker was
soon only one of many hunters.
The Present
Now, a decade after the conclusion of the
Magical War, things are going on as before. The mahou shoujo and youma still
clash daily in battle and, for the most part, life goes on. Hunters are more
and more common, and some have even taken to recruiting disgruntled magical
girls to assist them. Most people ignore magical girls and youma alike, so long
as they don't do anything dangerous.
World
Overview
Congregating in invisible circles
Half apart and half a part
All too aware of the insignificance
-- Bad Religion, "Individual"
Last year a conference was called, to create the "International Magical Girls Union", a network of mutual support for all mahou shoujo. The I.M.G.U. has had more than its share of difficulties, however, having been attacked with words as well as weapons many times. Even so, their efforts have not been totally wasted; an estimated 72% of magical girls worldwide are members.
Based
in Tokyo, the I.M.G.U. is headed up by Magical Soldier Lovely Miki, one of the
oldest magical girls still operating (she's 23, having started at age 9). It
provides a network through which magical girls can find allies, medical aid,
and friendship. The only requirement for membership is to take an oath, the
main tenet of which is to never harm another magical girl unless attacked
first.
Many
who see a friend or even a daughter become a magical girl have cause to become
worried. One wonders just what drove them to take such a drastic step, if
they’ve done something wrong, or if the girl in question is being controlled
somehow. No matter what the reasons, there are many that don’t want to see
their daughters become magical girls, and will do whatever it takes to stop
them, to keep them safe.
This
has led to a number of specialists making a business of “deprogramming” magical
girls, convincing them of the error of becoming a mahou shoujo before it’s too
late. It can be a very dangerous profession, as a deprogrammer may potentially
have to face attacks from Dreaming Ones, youma, and even the magical girl
herself. Methods of deprogramming vary, but the first step is invariably to
capture the girl and remove her magical powers and companion.
Killer, intruder, homicidal man
If you see me coming run as fast as you
can
-- Megadeath, Good Mourning, Black Friday
In
response to a growing demand, a number of people have taken it upon themselves
to "deal" with the interfering magical girls. Most are independents; they
hire out their services to anyone who's willing to pay. Of course, the money is
often secondary; only someone truly dedicated, who knows what the mahou shoujo
are capable of would take the risk of fighting them. It is a dangerous way of
life, and one spent perpetually walking the razor's edge.
Their
methods vary a great deal. Many are forced to rely on conventional firepower (a
bullet in the brain will drop a magical girl as fast as anyone else), though
the lack of magical defenses makes victories difficult and failures costly.
Some obtain their own unusual powers by other means – the study of sorcery, chi
powers, or whatever. A few are even other magical girls who've turned against
their own kind.
Clients
can come in any number of forms for a hunter, though some are more dangerous
than others. Criminal organizations, the Yakuza especially, has variously
recruited, trained, and hired many hunters, and even the Dark Ones have been
known to do so from time to time. Although this sort of clientele can generally
pay pretty well, they're also dangerous, and especially in the case of the Dark
Ones, have been known to double-cross unwary hunters.
Magical Girl Hunters
Being a Hunter isn't a
job one takes because they want a long life and a nice retirement. For a mortal
to have dealings with magical girls, youma, and the like is a very dangerous
proposition, and bullets don't always work. The main edge hunters have is in
tactics; they don't hesitate to attack while a magical girl is busy posing and
making speeches. Of course, assuming that every magical girl will do this can
be a fatal mistake.
The Hunters' Manifesto
The following document
is attributed to Shadow Stalker, the first hunter, and has since come to be a
statement of principles for most hunters.
Darkness came to our
world in the form on the youma threat. Light came in the form of the Magical
Girls. But too much light can blind, can burn, can kill. You may call them
heroes, and perhaps some are, but too many of these Mahou Shoujo cause more
harm than good. How many lives have been lost to stray blasts of pink light in
the name of Love? How many tears have been shed for those who were unknowing,
unwilling casualties of the cause of Justice?
The time has come to
fight back, to reclaim our world from magic, from Love and Justice. You may
call me a madman, a murderer of the young -- but those I have killed already
have more blood on their hands than I. We cannot tolerate their careless,
destructive battle raging in our streets, in our homes. I do not champion
Darkness or Love; I am a champion of Mankind, and for that I will fight for the
rest of my days.
Not
surprisingly, some magical girl hunters have sought to create a mutual support
organization, especially since the magical girls have had the IMGU for some
time now. Dubbed the Hunter’s Guild, it is still a fledgling organization.
A
very small number of magical girls, having seen too many friends and allies
killed by the magical girl hunters, have gone on the offensive. These “hunter
hunters” are most common in the U.S., though they have no official organization
as of yet. Rather, there are a number of informal “cells,” each of which
locates and eliminates its targets one by one. As with being a magical girl hunter,
one has to be careful, cunning, and ruthless to survive.
Reactions
within the magical girl hunter community have varied, but the general consensus
is that these “hunter hunters” must be eliminated as quickly and brutally as
possible.
Notable Hunters
The
Sadist Senshi: The Sadist Senshi are the foremost cutekillers in the world.
They're a team of five (Sailor Sadist, Kitty Killer, Sailor H, Sexy Kiri, and
Masochist Girl Pretty Mari), each former magical girls of different origins.
When transformed, they wear black leather and vinyl parodies of conventional
magical girl outfits, along with an assortment of bullwhips, floggers,
cat-o-nine-tails, and other... ahem... implements. They go hunting nightly, and
kill any and all magical girls they might come across, along with anything else
sufficiently cute to attract their wrath.
Shadow
Stalker: Very little is known about this, the first and best known of
Magical Girl Hunters. Reports speak only of a figure cloaked in shadows who
makes his strikes using deadly throwing knives, some of which have been found
to be poisoned. He's also been known to leave typewritten notes stating his
intentions and beliefs. The gist of it is that he believes far too many magical
girls are irresponsible with their powers, causing as many problems as they
solve, and the most dangerous ones he "deals with" as needed.
Usagi
and Tora: These oddballs are a pair of mutant animals, a rabbit and a
tiger, respectively. These two guys are also sadistic cutekillers, whose
exploits are often regarded as reprehensible even by other hunters.
Magical Task
Force X
This
organization, a secret division of the Japanese government, has been given the
task of controlling magical forces of all sorts, good or evil, to prevent them
from causing harm and costing money. As such, they are one of the more
pragmatic and egalitarian of organizations; they only take out those youma and
magical girls who pose a direct threat. This allows them to conserve their
limited resources, and helps them keep a low profile.
Members
of Magical Task Force X are recruited from all walks of life – their ability to
do what needs to be done is the important thing. Among their ranks are
"grunts" with heavy firepower, magical girls, sorcerers, psychics,
computer experts, cyborgs, mutant animals, and so on -- a litany of every kind
of oddball the world has to offer. These operatives, however eccentric, are
highly effective, and well trained at being subtle when necessary.
The
U.S. government has been seeking a way to contain magical threats for some
time. The FBI, CIA, NSA, and other agencies have all created special divisions
of varying sizes for dealing with magical phenomena. A handful of police
departments in areas with high magical activity have taken to creating special
police squads for dealing with such things. These are, in most cases, called
“M-SWAT” teams, and can be found in most major cities, though only San
Francisco makes widespread use of these.
The methods used by the M-SWAT teams vary, though the San Francisco Police Department tends to serve as a model for these. Although members technically have to be police officers, they can include sorcerers, psychics, martial artists, and even an occasional magical girl (over the age of 18, of course), in addition to the use of a range of firearms and more standard SWAT team equipment.
Mystic Knights
He's my PRINCE,
he's my GOD
But it's so complicated
He's my HERO, he's my IDOL
But I'm so dizzy of him
– Shonen Knife, "Quavers"
The
few who are given magical powers without being female or becoming such upon
transforming generally take the form of what some call "mystic
knights." The laws of narrative causality generally force them to be
loners, who end up getting romantically involved with mahou shoujo. Although
their powers come from much the same source, they tend to take on a more
"gentlemanly" quality, involving expensive clothes and accessories
thereof, including roses and the like. For that matter, they don't have to put
up with bizarre transformation sequences or anything of that sort.
Mystic
Knights have an annoying tendency to work with magical girls but only serve as
backup, not showing up until the girls are up to their necks in it, then
throwing out an attack to distract the bad guys, giving some words of
encouragement, and then disappearing before they can get his name and phone
number. Despite this, they also tend to be handsome, charismatic, and
mysterious, so that the girls will fall at their feet anyway.
Youma Hunters
The
Youma threat is undeniable – these strange monsters from the Dark Kingdoms
wreak havoc on humanity wherever they appear. Some are not content to leave the
fate of mankind in the hands of the magical girls; these are the youma hunters.
These mortal men and women have taken upon themselves the daunting task of
fighting the youma that threaten humanity, and their services are all the more
vital now that the magical girl population is in decline.
Like
their magical girl hunter counterparts, they employ a variety of methods,
ranging from special powers to rocket launchers. Whatever methods they choose,
they generally have to go for the heavy firepower.
Acetaminophen-Ibuprofen:
This rather mysterious and, truth be told, somewhat lecherous old monk has
wandered Japan for longer than anyone remembers, using a mixture of incredible
martial arts skills, magic, and just plain dirty tricks to deal with any youma
who might cross his path. He doesn’t care much for magical girls, except for
the more mature ones, who’d rather avoid his “attentions” anyway.
Jorge:
Once a lowly janitor, Jorge stumbled upon a youma who had defeated its magical
girl adversaries and was preparing to strike at some bystanders. Suddenly,
something exploded inside of him, and he took up his mop and attacked the
youma. After a long and difficult battle, he destroyed the infernal thing,
although no one’s quite sure how. Since then, he’s realized that it is his
destiny to fight evil, and after adopting a number of unsuccessful secret identities,
he is now simply Jorge. Just how he does what he does is uncertain; his only
powers seem to be uncanny luck and the ability to hit things really hard with
his mop.
The
Meizoku Ninja: The Dark Clan of ninja are a small and virtually unknown
group who rely on their ninja skills and magic to combat the youma threat, as
they have for centuries.
Armageddon.
The Final Battle.
– Ministry, “Grace”
Over
the centuries many have given prophecies of the future. With the rebirth of
magic on earth, this has become surprisingly more common, though if these
modern-day prophets are correct, the future could be very bleak.
One such prophet, known as Scarlet Angel, has announced that the Armageddon told of in the Bible will not be a battle of Angels and Demons per se, but in fact a final battle between magical girls and youma, too terrible to comprehend. This battle, she states, will be followed by either unending peace or everlasting torment.
Less
extreme but frightening nonetheless are the predictions of one Max Stanton, a
mortal who claims to gain insight from carefully observing the stars. According
to his predictions, the power of magic is going to wane once again. This time,
though, its loss will be felt so hard that even the lesser magical things will
seemingly fade away, making the world a terrible and bleak place, devoid of
joy.
Perhaps the legend that has caused the greatest upheaval, though, is that of the Twelve Blades. It is said that twelve magical swords have been scattered across the world, embedded in stone, such that only the virtuous may remove them. Each of these has a magical gem that attaches to its hilt, thereby granting the wielder incredible powers. Those who hold these blades are destined to forge a new world and a new way of life. Or destroy it.
Sailor Cosmos'
Revenge
No one wants to see anything like the Magical War again. The names Sailor Cosmos and Magic Knight Mariko are spoken as curses the world over. But disturbing rumors have begun to fly. They say Sailor Cosmos is back.
This is far from impossible, as some magical girls are reincarnated repeatedly to fight again and again. The rumors point to her being around seven or eight years old, and some claim despite being so young she’s already regained her full memories and powers, and is quietly planning to take revenge on all those who opposed her, but most especially Shadow Stalker.
Chrysalia and Krystlan
These two kingdoms have been enemies for as long as anyone can remember, quarreling even during times of relative peace in the Outer Kingdoms. The magical girls and youma of the two kingdoms seem drawn to one another, destined to fight again and again, leading some to speculate that the ruler of Chrysalia, Queen Artessa, has taken steps to include a fate-bending effect on the kingdom’s magical girl enchantments.
More disturbing, however, is the rumor that Chrysalia is going to launch an all-out offensive on Krystlan, crushing their ancient enemies once and for all. Moreover, the rumors say that to do this they’re planning to raise an army of magical girls.
Tokyo
For reasons unknown, Tokyo appears to be the epicenter of magical activity in the world. Nowhere else has a larger population of mahou shoujo, Dark Ones, or youma, and this makes life in such a massive, sprawling, bustling city rather interesting. Here more than anywhere else, people are quite blasé about the presence of the magical, simply because it’s so common. Until they start to cause problems, magical girls are all but ignored by most. As if that weren't enough, it seems that some of the more cunning Dark Ones have infiltrated human society and acquired great influence, with which to silence the voice of the magical girls when they become too troublesome.
Notable Places
Ginza: The Ginza is Tokyo's premiere shopping district, high class and expensive. And, if the rumors are to be believed, infested with youma. Claims to that effect have been largely ignored by the public and press, despite the number of youma that have been encountered there by magical girls. Analysts among magical girls and their allies estimate that any purchase made in the Ginza has a 20% chance of having some kind of Dark taint, though instances of these affecting people have not been reported.
I.M.G.U. International Headquarters: This building owes its existence to a very rich and lonely businessman leaving his entire estate to a group of mahou shoujo. Much of the money was donated to the I.M.G.U. in order to facilitate its inception. As such, the international headquarters in Tokyo is the largest facility that the union has in the world. It is a surprisingly plain 20-story skyscraper, labeled simply "IMGU." Within are numerous facilities for magical girls, including libraries, magical healing and research, record keeping, and so forth. It is heavily guarded, watched over 24 hours a day by a number of magical girl volunteers (usually at least 12 at any given time).
The Imperial Palace: The Imperial Palace, home to generations of emperors, is closed to the public except for certain special occasions. Regardless, it has always been guarded by the Heavenly Guardians, who are, in fact, a pair of magical girls. This position has been passed on from one generation to the next, the powers granted by magical medallions. The Heavenly Guardians are sworn to serve and protect the emperor at any cost, and further they are held up as an example of "good" magical girls. This has made them a target for being framed or assassinated on a number of occasions.
Magical Task Force X Headquarters: Located in a particularly unpleasant part of Tokyo, choked by smog even more than most, is a building labeled "X, Inc." This is the secret headquarters of Magical Task Force X. The 12-story building holds administrative people, offices, a shooting range, a magical library, a magic crime lab (with a staff of forensic experts and sorcerers), and so forth. The group tries to keep a low profile, and by and large has succeeded. This is their single largest facility; most other offices are at most three stories, and more often leased portions of office buildings.
Tokyo Tower: Many theories have been put forth as to why the Tokyo Tower has been the stage for so many magical battles of such magnitude. Geomancers have said that it is located at a major Dragon Nest, while other students of the arcane have stated that it is in some way a place to which fate is drawn. Regardless of the cause, the magical battles are too numerous to keep track of, and as such relatively few people go there anymore, for fear of being "civilian casualties."
Notable Beings
Magical Task Force X Squad 13: Squad 13 is Magical Task Force X’s best known – or rather, most infamous – group. It is a band of misfits stuck together because there was nowhere else in the agency to put them, but they’ve become a cohesive and highly effective (if unconventional) group since their formation. It's five members are Bashiro (a guy with a refrigerator-like build and super-strength), Charlotte (a sorceress known for her ability to nullify the magic spells of others), Deadly Daisy (a sadistic cutekiller magical girl), Kaji Tetsami (a scientific genius and gadgeteer), and Saitou (a modern-day samurai of considerable skill, despite being an alcoholic).
The Sadist Senshi: Deadly cutekiller magical girls. See Chapter 2 for more details.
San Francisco
This venerable city, originally founded by the Spanish in 1776, has since grown into a sprawling metropolis, covering a densely populated 50 square miles. It is in many ways the center of the Bay Area, and is unquestionably one of the centers of magical activity, both now and during the Resurgence. While it can't compare to Tokyo for the sheer number of magical girls, it easily has the greatest concentration of magical activity in the Western Hemisphere.
Notable Places
Chinatown: While by no means the sole place inhabited by the Chinese, Chinatown has long been a center of Chinese culture in this western metropolis. It is also home to numerous sorcerers, most of them practicing Chinese-style magic, though the resulting magical community has attracted a few sorcerers of other types. The Chinatown sorcerers are known to prefer to deal with youma and such on their own, claiming that mahou shoujo simply don't have the experience or discretion to combat such things properly.
I.M.G.U. North American HQ: Located in a small, unremarkable office building near city hall is the local headquarters of the International Magical Girls' Union. Taking into consideration what happened to some of the more obvious I.M.G.U. buildings, ranging from raids by Dark Ones, youma, hunters and worse, to terrorist attacks, to opposition from the city planners, this building has been made as unobtrusive as possible. As one journalist observed, "It's the one building downtown for which no one's complained about the outside." Within is a small administrative staff, a squad of magical girl guards (the Fluffy Rangers), and various facilities, including first aid/magical healing, listings of magical girls looking for allies and such, and a library of information on the forces of the Dark Kingdoms active in the Bay Area.
Golden Gate Bridge: This bridge, which stretches across San Francisco Bay to Marin County, is not quite as widely used by commuters as the Bay Bridge that crosses to Oakland, but nothing else is quite so much a part of the city's identity as the Golden Gate. Ever since the Resurgence, however, it has also been a center of magical activity, in a manner similar to Tokyo Tower. Mystical power seems drawn to the massive metal structure, and countless battles have been fought on the bridge, more often then not of spectacular magnitude. Most infamous was the battle between the Shining Crystals and the forces of the Dark Kingdom of Midgar in 1988, which escalated to the point that entire west coast was put in danger.
Golden Gate Park: This massive park is a place of relative tranquility amid the bustling streets of San Francisco. It is home to three different museums, as well as the Japanese Tea Garden, several small lakes and ponds, a golf course, tennis courts, and so on. Despite this tranquil setting, it has been home to countless magical battles in recent years. It is rumored that the Moonlight Rangers (see below) have their secret base hidden somewhere in the park, but no one can say for certain.
Haight-Ashbury: The Haight is a stretch of the city that has been home to many different movements over the years, including hippie counter-culture, the beat generation, and so forth. It has also been an area of strong magical activity ever since the Resurgence. Some say it was the openness, the willingness to believe, more intense there than many other places, that drew the forces of magic to this area. There are many portals to dark and magical kingdoms here, as well as a number of sorcerers, psychics, and magical girls. Despite the encroachment of commercialism (which has sometimes been violently opposed), it is an unofficial center of mystical learning.
MagicLand: Just off the highway, to the south of San Francisco is MagicLand. This is a magically themed amusement park, which has done surprisingly well – but then, no one expected it to last at all. The rides and attractions are all based around magical girls, youma, wizards, dragons, and the like. For reasons unknown, however, magical girls and even Dark Ones and youma avoid the place. Rumors abound, but there is a strange aura over the place, something terrible enough that even the forces of the Dark Kingdoms tread lightly, if at all.
Silicon Valley: Nearly an hour's drive to the south of San Francisco lies the area known to some as "Silicon Valley," comprising most of Santa Clara county, and arguably centering around the city of San Jose, which is older and larger than SF, but much more thinly populated and boring. The area has many high-tech companies (watched over by Silicon Senshi, amongst others), and San Jose sports a small Japantown, which, amongst other things, is home to a magical girl group known as the Pretty Kamen Knights (see below).
Notable Beings
The Fluffy Rangers: These three magical girls (Bunny, Kitty, and Foxy) have been described as "too cute to live," especially since they have the ears and tails of their namesakes, and they have indeed garnered the ire of many hunters. They're relatively new, and operate mostly downtown, usually posted as guards for the I.M.G.U. building (see above).
The Moonlight Rangers: The Moonlight Rangers are one of San Francisco's more popular magical girl teams – though some claim that they are, in fact, male when not transformed. There are five of them, Moonlight Passion, Moonlight Justice, Moonlight Star, Moonlight Flame, and Moonlight Rose, and, as their names suggest, they only operate at night. The Rangers operate mainly in the area around Golden Gate Park, and are known for both being very poetic and having more discretion than most other magical girls.
The Pretty Kamen Knights: The Pretty Kamen Knights are a foursome of magical girls, and San Jose Japantown's guardians (though they've been known to operate in other parts of San Jose). Pretty Warrior, Pretty Angel, Pretty Healer, and Pretty Avenger have largely rooted out most of the youma in Japantown and the surrounding area, though their arch-enemies from the Dark Kingdom of Ares seem to have a permanent portal somewhere nearby.
The Silicon Senshi: This lone magical girl is a protector of technology and high-tech firms. Rumors say she was a hacker before becoming mahou shoujo, and this indeed seems to be the case, as many of the villains she's thwarted have been thoroughly caught and prosecuted in part due to computer evidence she has provided. Her costume is very high-tech looking, including many flashing lights, LCD displays, and so forth, and she operates mostly in the city of Santa Clara, and is in fact a friend to the high-tech crime divisions of the San Jose and Santa Clara police departments.
Chapter 3:
The Magical Kingdoms
Traversing the
Worlds
I can't find the real world on my own
-- Queensryche, "Real World"
Moving
between worlds requires either finding a gateway or creating one by magic.
Magic
gates can be found scattered across the planet, usually in secluded places
whose character matches the realm they lead to, at least to a small degree.
Although these were once very common, many of them were destroyed during the
Age of Darkness and the Rise of Earth, such that many kingdoms are inaccessible
unless the traveler has access to her own means of moving between planes.
Spells
that allow moving between worlds take on any number of forms. Powerful denizens
of the Outer Worlds can move between worlds seemingly at will, while lesser
ones require more sophisticated incantations. Also, magical girls have been
known to be able to do so when the plot required it by joining hands in a
circle and concentrating.
Interplanar Politics
Relations between the
Outer Kingdoms and Earth can be very complicated. For that matter, relations
between different Outer Kingdoms are rarely cut and dry either.
The Outer Kingdoms are,
understandably, none too popular with the Earthly governments. After all,
they're bringing a war to the streets, using ordinary citizens to fight it, and
leaving destruction in their wake. And that's to say nothing of their disregard
for immigration and labor laws. In the U.S. and Japan only a handful of Magical
Kingdoms have any real relations with the human authorities. Playing by the
rules imposes innumerable restrictions and, short of a use of serious military
strength, mortals are generally all but powerless to oppose magic anyway.
Those who choose to
obey mortal laws usually find their magical girls to be employees, who must be paid, which in turn brings up issues of
overtime, taxes, health insurance, and so on. On the plus side, a kingdom that
can successfully implement such a program won't be wanting for recruits. Trade
and immigration laws can be troublesome -- especially since they weren't made
to cover interplanar issues -- but these have largely been settled, and a
handful of Outer Kingdoms actually have legitimate trade agreements, which are
proving to be very lucrative.
In other areas of the
world, interplanar dealings have had less pleasant results. More than one
dictator has made deals with a Dark Kingdom (or in some cases a more draconian
Magical Kingdom). Indeed, runors are circulating that the leaders of a few such
countries are deliberately allowing Dark Ones to drain people of energy (making
them more docile and easier to control) or carrying out more sinister deeds.
The issue of relations between Outer Kingdoms can be even more
convoluted. Of particular importance is that the division between Dark and
Magical is not absolute. Some Magical Kingdoms are enemies -- Chrysalia and
Thera, for example, for as long as anyone can remember -- and there are a
hanful of Dark and Magical Kingdoms that are tolerant or possibly even friendly
towards one another.
Tactics
Agents:
Both sides often use various mortal agents in their continuing war, albeit
sparingly. Such allies and pawns are less likely to be detected by the enemy
than any magical forces, but are often more vulnerable if discovered. Even so,
the amount of information they can provide is well worth most any price.
Informants:
The most common type of human agents, and the easiest to deal with, are
informants. These people simply watch and listen, and report whenever anything
interesting comes along.
Fronts:
This is a favorite of the Dark Kingdoms; create a front of some kind in the
human world to lure in mortals and work whatever nefarious magics they might
want on them. The Magical Kingdoms have been known to create fronts from time
to time as well, but these are usually for recruitment and/or supporting their
agents (magical or otherwise) in the field.
The Magical
Kingdoms
The
Magical Kingdoms are realms full of magic and wonder; to a human visitor, they
appear to be a mix of high fantasy and surreal dream.
The Dreaming Ones
The
term "Dreaming Ones" is a catch-all for the most humanlike of the
beings of the Magical Kingdoms. Even so, they can take on a great variety of
forms within this. Most appear almost totally human, though there are many
elves, angels, and other such beings included in this category.
Fantastic Creatures
Many
of the Magical Kingdoms are home to a host of strange and wonderful creatures.
Some take the form of creatures of myth – griffins, unicorns, and so forth –
while others are of pure dream, never imagined in the world of mortals.
Notable Magical Kingdoms
Celestia:
Celestia is the closest thing to heaven you'll find in this mortal coil. It is
a realm of light and wonder, inhabited by beings who may or may not be angels,
but certainly match the description. The inhabitants, known as the Tenshi, are
pale and beautiful, with delicate white feathered wings and, in the case of the
higher-ranking ones, halos. The exact goals of the Archangel are uncertain, but
she has recently begun creating a number of "Magical Angels" (their
term for magical girls).
Chrysalia:
Chrysalia is a fairly powerful kingdom, ruled by a powerful woman known as
Queen Artessa and her Eight Shining Generals. Chrysalia has been an enemy of
Krylstan (see Notable Dark Kingdoms, below) for millennia, and this conflict
has begun to heat up in recent months. Chrysalia’s Magical Girls are fairly
typical (although all of them appear to be around 16 years old when transformed),
though they tend to be a bit more powerful than most. Lately, recruiting seems
to have gone into high gear, as Artessa prepares for something big.
Mirrorland:
This kingdom is not too different from any other, except for the fact that
every mortal in the world has a Double here, and all of them possess some
degree of magical powers. A Double tends to be a sort of "purified"
version of a given person, with less cynicism and malice. Mirrorland is not
active in the battle against the Dark Kingdoms at this time, despite many
requests for aid from other Magical Kingdoms.
The
Star Kingdom: The Star Kingdom is composed of nine “stars” – small worlds –
that float through a shimmering void. The peoples of each of the Stars have
become allies through their mutual conflict against the Dark Kingdoms,
overcoming considerable cultural differences. Today the Star Kingdom is ruled
from the Star of Light, and all the peoples of the Stars are the subjects of
the Queen. The Star Kingdom was among the first to jump into the recruitment of
Magical Girls on Earth, but the woman who was then Queen made a grave mistake
when she recruited the one who would become known as Sailor Cosmos. Since then
Star Kingdom mahou shoujo have dwindled in numbers.
Thera:
The realm known as Thera looks like nothing less than a landscape straight out
of a high fantasy novel. Shining crystal towers form the main citadel, which is
inhabited by a race of beings known as the Sidhe (pronounced "SHEE"),
who resemble the elves of legend. They were among the first to begin recruiting
magical girls (or "Magical Knights", as they call them), whom they
consistently equip with Magical Blades.
Chapter 5:
The Dark Kingdoms
The Dark Kingdoms are realms made of pure nightmare and terror. They can take nearly any form imaginable, but are virtually always terrible to behold.
Notable Dark Kingdoms
Fashiran: The Dark
Kingdom known as Fashiran is regarded by those who've dealt with its
inhabitants to be the single most dangerous Kingdom in existence. This is because
the Dark Ones who rule there are not only competent, but skilled schemers. They
possess the means to create magical girls, and, through a front company called
Asakawa Heavy Industries, they have begun recruiting schoolgirls who believe
that they are serving the forces of good, even when the missions they are sent
on can cause untold destruction.
Kage-Koku:
The Shadow Kingdom is home to a race of Dark Ones known only as the Phantoms.
They are said to have been born of pure shadow, and possess potent powers of
illusion, which they are notorious for using to trick their foes into attacking
one another.
Krylstan:
Krylstan is home to a wide variety of youma, but it stands out in that a
sleeping Ancient One known as Lady Kyra resides at its very heart. The Dark
Ones who rule here have sought to gather enough energy to awaken Lady Kyra for
centuries, but now more than ever, the mahou shoujo stand in their way. Should
they succeed, it would likely be the end of the world.
Wormwood:
Wormwood, also known as the Poison Star, is said by some to be a living
creature; to stand anywhere in the cavernous depths of Wormwood is to be within
its diseased flesh.
The Dark Ones
The
Dark Ones are the most humanlike of the denizens of the Dark Kingdom, and in
many ways the most dangerous. Following the Age of Darkness, they were
effectively in command of the Kingdoms, a condition which persists to this day
in most cases, and it is they who orchestrate the war against the Magical
Kingdoms.
Dark
Ones vary greatly, but most are far more powerful than the lesser monsters
about them, though they tend to lack imagination and as such their schemes tend
to draw on whatever ideas mortals can provide them with.
The
powers they wield vary vastly. Many go straight for cliché dark sorcery, which
tends to work better than whatever other types of villainous power they might
come up with, which (again) tend to lack imagination and are sometimes
downright stupid ("I know! I'll control jumbo jets to run them down!
BWAHAHAHA!").
Dark Magical Girls
Beware what
stalks you in the night
Beware the she-wolf and her bite
Her hidden will to kill in disguise
– Megadeth, "She-Wolf"
Only
a handful of the Dark Kingdoms have the power to create magical girls; some had
this form of magical all along, while others stole it from the Magical
Kingdoms. Some of them willingly serve the forces of evil, while others don't
even know that their masters are Dark Ones, or are being mind-controlled or
made to take on another, more evil personality upon transforming.
Corrupters
The
youma collectively known as "corrupters" are the type most commonly
used in the schemes of the Dark Ones. They possess a human, transform into a
duplicate of them, and then lock onto one activity that that person enjoyed
and/or commonly engaged in. That activity becomes the Corrupter's
"focus", and when they reveal their true form, all of their powers
are in some way based around it. Thus, a Corrupter who latches on to a
photographer would attack the heroines with some kind of camera attack, one who
used a game designer would attack with polyhedral dice, and so forth.
Monsters
These
are your everyday youma monsters. They can take nearly any form imaginable, as
well as some you wouldn't want to
imagine. Quite a few are humanoid in some way, but many are not. If you need
ideas for these kinds of monsters, look in any RPG monster supplement.
Greater Monsters
Greater
Monsters are so named because they're basically the same as the aforementioned
"Monsters", only bigger. Much bigger. Think of the star of any
"giant monster smashes Tokyo movie" and you're getting an idea of the
scale we're talking about. These critters are rare, and bringing them into our
world is extremely difficult, but as Godzilla has taught us, they can be very
effective.
The Ancient Ones
Not dead which
eternal lie
Stranger eons death may die
Drain you of your sanity
Face the thing that should not be
– Metallica, "The Thing That Should Not Be"
These
are the oldest and most terrible of the denizens of the Dark Kingdoms. Most of
them have been destroyed or forced into an endless slumber by the lack of
energies, though it is possible that some of those that remain could be revived
if their servants were competent enough to collect enough energy.
Should
one of the Ancient Ones ever come into play, it can take whatever form the GM
desires; I recommend taking out your copy of Call of Cthulhu for some ideas.
Ancient ones are powerful beyond comprehension, and the awakening of even one
could potentially lead to the destruction of Earth.
Chapter 6:
Character
Creation
This chapter contains information and
advice on how to create and develop characters for the Magical World setting.
Children
Magical girls are children more often than
not. Their youth and innocence is a double-edged sword in the Magical World,
and it can cut deep.
Innocence perhaps best describes what
separates adults and children. Kids lack the emotional restraint of adults --
the sometimes self-destructive ability to hold emotions in that is practiced
daily by adults, especially men. A happy child is ecstatic, a sad child weeps
and sobs, a tired child falls asleep, and so on. The barriers that exist in
adults, the restraint holding back instinct and desire, simply hasn't developed
yet, and whatever is felt is felt fully.
Lack of information plays a role as well.
An adult has collected a massive amount of information in their heads which,
while not really necessary in daily life, serves to shape and define the
perceived universe. Lacking such information, the world is a very simple place
through a child's eyes, and until they've learned otherwise, they tend to take
things at face value; Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny are real, the moon is
made of green cheese, and there's a bogeyman in the closet. Eventually things
change and it's Dad who delivers presents and the moon is a big rock in space,
but until then anything is possible.
Mahou Shoujo Character Questions
The following are some questions to
consider when developing a magical girl character.
·
How did you receive your powers? From whom and under what
kind of circumstances?
·
How do you feel about being a magical girl? Fighting youma?
·
What goal is being a magical girl helping you to accomplish,
if any? How well is it working?
·
What do you think of other magical girls? Mystic Knights?
Dreaming Ones? Hunters?
·
Do your powers reflect who you are? Does your magical girl
persona?
·
What do you most fear? Why?
·
Are you afraid to die? Why or why not?
·
Who knows your secret identity? Who are you keeping it a
secret from?
·
Who do you trust? Who do you distrust?
·
What do you value the most?
·
If offered the chance to stop being a magical girl and live
a normal life, would you? Why or why not?
Costumes worn by transformed magical girls
vary vastly. It’s important to remember that the stereotypical sailor fuku is
more or less only found in Japan, where it’s a result of the proliferation of
school uniforms. Many Magical Kingdoms have their own standard costumes for
magical girls, usually allowing minor variations in ornamentation and color to
distinguish individuals. Others use magic which is shaped by the user,
consciously or subconsciously, so that the resulting costume is designed by the
magical girl, consciously or subconsciously (this is another reason for the
commonness of the sailor fuku based costumes).
Virtually any type of costume is possible.
Nearly all involve skirts or dresses of some sort; favored types of costumes
include ornate, frilly dresses and futuristic plastic and metal outfits.
Side
Note: If you’re short on ideas for magical girl costumes, Card Captor
Sakura is a good place to look, as Sakura goes through an incredible variety of
costumes, each more outlandish than the last.
Character
Advancement
For
magical girls, experience is assigned as usual, but the form their advancements
take can sometimes differ from normal characters. The main differences come in
the fact that when they develop a new attack, it will typically arrive in the
form of a new wand given to them by their companion or discovered somewhere or
other.
Magical Girl Archetypes
The
following are some of the common (and uncommon) "archetypes" of mahou
shoujo. Characters need not conform to these, of course, but they can be
helpful as a starting point. This list includes both the typical heroic magical
girl types, as well as a few less principled ones, better suited for use as
villains.
"I am the Lovely Killer. I bring your death."
You
have been raised and trained – possibly against your will – to be a killer. Your
powers aren't all that different from those of the other mahou shoujo, but you
use them to kill. Some magical girl assassins do their job hesitantly, while
others enjoy it all too much. Most were created or recruited by some
organization with dark intents. You may even be employed to eliminate other
magical girls who pose a threat to the organization.
Suggested
Traits: Stealth, Magical Disguise. Magical attacks should be subtle and
deadly.
"Because, girl, you cannot compare to
my beauty."
Part
of the nature of the magic that creates mahou shoujo is that it is pretty much
limited to females. There are a few rare "Mystic Knights" whose
powers are in some ways similar to those of a mahou shoujo, but magic is
nothing if not ironic, and it occasionally latches onto a male anyway,
transforming them into a female in the transformation. Usually the males who
have to put up with this sort of thing are bishonen types ("beautiful
male") who are generally effeminate enough that in the right company they could
probably get away with wearing a miniskirt anyway. Of course, there have been a
few cases of some grungy, chauvinistic auto mechanic being made to transform
into a sixteen year old girl to fight evil, but this is, thankfully, very rare.
Suggested
Traits: High Appearance and Speed.
"Whoops! Oh, I'm so sorry! Here, let me clean that up—Ooh! Sorry about that!"
The character
is a typical anime ditz; a scatterbrained fluffhead who means well, but usually
succeeds more through sheer luck than anything else. The Bubble-Head is,
however, usually the most pure-hearted of magical girls.
Suggested
Traits: Low Mind, moderate to high Soul, Divine Relationship.
"It's simple. Pink frills means you have to die."
Cutekiller
magical girls are rare and dangerous. For whatever reason, they've decided that
cute things must be destroyed at all costs. This forces them to reinvent
themselves, transforming their powers into a darker form, as little like their
old selves as possible, but with just as much power. Most favor black leather
and/or vinyl.
Suggested
Traits: Hatred (Cute Things)
"What ever do you mean? I'm on his side, you know."
Some magical
girls are recruited specifically for the purpose of being the bad guys. Er,
girls that is. This can happen for a number of reasons; the most common is that
someone from the Dark Kingdoms, with the power to do so, has need of a magical
girl. They vary in disposition, but most will have at least a small mean
streak.
Suggested
Traits: Hate Elemental and/or Love Elemental
Dream
Come True
"I can't believe this is really
happening! It's so wonderful!"
Very,
very few magical girls can be described by this archetype for very long.
Somehow, there are those who want to be magical girls, who dream of it every
day. When the chance comes along, they throw themselves at it with starry eyes,
trying enthusiastically, wholeheartedly, to get the job done. This sentiment
doesn't last long.
"You must stop! In the name of Mother
Earth I will punish you!"
The
Eco-Girl is a variation on the usual magical girl. Her concerns are more with
preserving the environment than with combating youma, though the two goals have
been known to coincide. Their powers vary, though elemental and other
nature-related abilities are relatively common.
Suggested
Traits: Elemental (any), high Charisma and Will.
"What a nice day!"
The Japanese
word "genki" generally means healthy, cheerful, and so on. For the
magical girls of this archetype, this is their defining trait. Such characters,
insipidly cheerful and unendingly friendly, are all too common.
Suggested
Traits: High Charisma.
“For all those you’ve killed, for everything good you’ve destroyed, I’ll now take revenge!”
Not
all magical girls can stand by and watch hunters gun down their friends and
allies. The Hunter Hunters have taken to turning predator into prey, carefully
eliminating magical girl hunters. It’s a very dangerous hobby, and a
potentially fatal one, as hunters will seek to avenge their comrades at all
costs.
<singing> "The sky melts and falls around me/and all I really need to know is/do you love me?"
Not all
magical girls do the superheroine thing. Some, magically given the ability to
become more mature and beautiful, go into show business. As far as Japanese
types are concerned, this will most often be in the form of pop idol singing.
Suggested
Traits: High Charisma, Singing, Dancing
"Love can be elusive, sometimes hard, but believe me, it's worth it. Now let's see if we can't get you two together."
Most magical
girls list love among their goals in some form or another, but these ones make
it their first and only goal. The Love Fighter's purpose is to save the world
not by fighting evil monsters, but by promoting love wherever possible.
Suggested
Traits: High Charisma, Love Elemental, True Love
"Forgive me. I'm unfamiliar with these earthly accoutrements…"
Not all
magical girls were recruited from Earth; a handful are denizens of the Magical Kingdoms,
who for whatever reason have found themselves on our world. This has both
advantages and disadvantages. Such a character will probably already fully
understand her powers and all, but then modern technology and society will be a
mystery.
Suggested
Traits: High Focus, Sorcery
"I never wanted this. Leave me the hell alone."
Not everyone
who is recruited to be a magical girl wants to be one. The Misfit was forced
into the role against her own will, and, much as she hates putting up with the short
skirts and silly transformations, fights as hard as any of her counterparts.
Suggested
Traits: Low Charisma.
"Evil spirits, BEGONE!"
In addition to
being a magical girl, the character is, by profession, a priestess. For anime
purposes, this generally means she would be a Shinto priestess, with the props
and wardrobe to match, as well as some additional abilities (probably
disciplines and sorcery paths) to match.
Suggested
Traits: High Will. Probably some minor sorcery (especially Warding).
"In the name of the Kingdom of the Crystal Towers, I will punish you!"
Many magical
girls have the word "princess" in their name, and this can mean a lot
of things. Most importantly, it usually means they are the leader of the group
and, despite whatever shortcomings they might have, serve as strong leaders to
their compatriots, and they get to have the most powerful magical attacks. That
and, should they return to the magical kingdom of their origin (assuming it
still exists), there is a chance they'll become queen.
Suggested
Traits: Magical attacks should be exceptionally powerful.
"Bad youma. I'll have to teach you a lesson."
A few magical
girls are bad apples – the reason they're in the business is that they enjoy
hurting things. While the Magical Kingdoms should by all rights be far more
hesitant to recruit such girls, they are all too effective at dealing with the
Youma threat. Where most magical girls are highly principled, the Sadist is
almost completely amoral, and thus willing to do things that other magical
girls would never even consider.
Suggested
Traits: Sadism (of course)
"You see, the Dark Ones of that kingdom have a distinctive marking. If we can calculate the geomantic resonance…"
The scholar is
a bookworm and a bit of a technophile, who probably took up the mantle of being
a mahou shoujo with reluctance. She is, put simply, the brains of the group,
and the knowledge she possesses often proves invaluable to saving the day. Of
course, she's also one of the least physical of her kind, and may be a bit
lacking in confidence in anything other than her intellectual abilities.
Suggested
Traits: Various knowledge-related skills, pertaining to school subjects
and, to a lesser extent, magical lore.
"I call upon the power of the raging storm! Strike down my foes!"
Some mahou
shoujo concentrate primarily on the development of magical powers. For that
matter, there are characters who are magic users first and magical girls
second. Such a character tends to be almost as much a bookworm as the Scholar,
except that her taste in reading material is rather different ("This? Oh,
it's just the Greater Key of Solomon.")
Suggested
Traits: High intelligence, skills pertaining to magical lore, Sorcery.
"Heh. If you think I'm in this for the money, you're sorely mistaken."
This magical
girl isn't in it for being heroic; she's an outright thief, and uses her powers
for her own greed, and, more importantly, for the challenge of making the most
daring thefts possible. Of course, more often than not, she'll end up getting
romantically entangled with someone who is trying to catch her thieving alter
ego.
Suggested Traits: High Agility, Stealth or Art of Stealth. It's helpful to have magical attacks/powers without Attack Words
"I hate
boys!"
A surprising
number of magical girls are tomboys, misfits who don't act all that feminine.
Of course, the mahou shoujo magic being how it is, the transformation tend to
make them a lot more "girly," though no less effective in combat.
Suggested
Traits: High Strength and Stamina. Skills and possibly styles to reflect
being physically oriented. Will not
have disadvantages like Compulsive Posing, Clueless and such. Magical attacks
should be more direct and physical than normal.
"C'mon! Work! Please? Oh, what was that incantation?!"
The character
isn’t a full-fledged mahou shoujo just yet. Rather than being given their full
powers right away, they are being made to learn how to use them well first.
Very few magical kingdoms bother with this sort of a thing, despite the fact
that it makes for more skilled warriors with much better judgement.
Suggested
Traits: As per a typical magical girl, only not as skillful or effective.
"Please forgive me."
For some reason or another, the character was turned into a magical girl against their will. Some may come to accept this state of being, in time, while others become disgruntled, even to the point of becoming cutekillers. A few have been coerced into the job with threats.
Suggested
Traits: Unwilling Service
"We will be victorious!"
The Valkyrie
is first and foremost a fighter. More than any others, her goal is to fight the
forces of evil. As such, she is usually pretty aggressive, and generally better
than any of her counterparts at physical combat, but typically a bit lacking in
social skills.
Suggested
Traits: High physical attributes and combat skills. May know martial arts.
The
Veteran
"No! We need a plan unless we want to
be toasted. Now, here's what I think we should do…"
The Veteran has been doing this for a while
now. She keeps on out of a strong sense of duty, and has honed her combat
skills carefully. She gets the job done, and if at all possible lives to tell
about it. She isn't the least bit impressed by theatrics and avoids
perpetrating them herself whenever possible. One of the most pragmatic of
magical girls, she's practical, nearly unfazeable, and will take charge if
there's no one better qualified -- which there usually isn't.
Vigilante
"Halt, criminal!"
It
doesn't happen too often, but
occasionally a magical girl will get it into her head that it's her destiny to
fight crime. This is rare in Japan, where a would-be magical vigilante must
either do next to nothing or take on the likes of the yakuza and ninja (and
thus the mahou kunoichi). In the U.S. and other countries most consider them to
be even more of a menace than normal magical girls, given that their lack of
discretion is combined with having normal humans for targets. But if nothing else,
thieves and bank robbers are much easier to defeat than youma.
Wage-Earner
"Well… the pay's good."
Some
magical girls use their powers for employment, as bodyguards, security, unique
pyrotechnics experts, entertainers (in some unfortunate cases, of a less
reputable sort), and so forth. Most magical girls consider this to be a
pitiful, if occasionally necessary place to be. Magic wants to be free, and
being chained down to a job and a time clock is, some say, the antithesis of
what being a magical girl is all about.
Magical
Angels (Celestia): The Magical Angels (mahou no tenshi) of Celestia
resemble the angels of legend; when transformed they sprout beautiful feathered
wings and are typically clad in white robes.
Magical
Girls (Chrysalia): The magical girls of Chrysalia always appear to be about
16 years old when transformed. Especially in recent years, the kingdom has
begun making extensive use of specialist magical girls, though more than 60% of
their forces are still “general” magical girls.
Magical
Girls (Krystlan): As though to spite their enemies in Chrysalia, Krystlan
has begun recruiting magical girls to their cause. Krystlan magical girls
typically resemble darkly-colored parodies of their Chrysalia counterparts.
Magical
Knights (Thera): The Magical Knights of Thera are fewer and fewer in number
each year, owing to the memory of Magical Knight Mariko, but there are still
many who remain. Magical Knights’ costumes typically combine a girls’ dress or
school uniform with magical armor, and all Magical Knights wield swords, either
full-on magical blades or an energy blade formed from their wands.
Mahou
Kunoichi: Certain ninja clans have been known to employ female ninjas who
are magically empowered. This is typically undertaken only in times of need,
when the clan must augment its numbers by empowering its youngest members.
Mahou Kunoichi are granted the skills and powers of a full ninja, further
enhanced by magic; their powers are typically subtle and deadly.
Reflected
(Mirrorland): Mirrorland’s rare magical girls are called “Reflected,” and
their powers are granted by magically combining the mortal girl with her
Double.
Unlike
some other types of attack names in anime, magical girls generally use English
words even more commonly to name their moves, though, as with their
counterparts from fighting games and the like, the names often refuse to make
sense anyway. Even so, some use Japanese, or even nonsense words. Regardless,
here is a list of some English words you can use. Note that this can also be
used to come up with what the character shouts to transform.
Activation,
Attack, Aqua, Archery, Arrow, Beam, Beauty, Blast(er), Bubbles, Celestial,
Chain, Cosmic, Crash, Crescent, Crystal, Dragon, Encircle, Evolution, Fire,
Flash, Gentle, Halation, Healing, Heart, Home Run, Honeymoon, Ignite, Illusion,
Inferno, Kiss, Laser, Love(ly), Magic(al), Mint, Mirage, Moon, Mutation,
Operation, Pastel, Phoenix, Pink, Power, Pretty, Princess, Reflection, Rhapsody,
Recall, Release, Scepter, Scroll, Sensitive, Shining, Shock, Silver, Smash,
Spiral, Spray, Star, Stardust, Starlight, Strike, Sugar, Super, Supreme,
Surround, Sweet, Sword, Therapy, Thunder, Tiara, Twinkle, Uterus, Wave, Yell
Cute Silly Magical Girl Name Generator Table
Somebody might
think I am mad
I only wanna be like
TOMATO HEAD
– Shonen Knife, "Tomato Head"
The
following table can be used to randomly generate names for magical girls.
Simply roll two six-sided dice, counting one as the tens digit and the other as
the ones digit once on each column and that's it! (You may want to substitute a
name whether made up or real, for the second part of the name). You can add
Magical Soldier or Pretty Princess or whatever you like before that, and you're
ready to go.
11 |
Pretty |
11 |
Peach |
12 |
Creamy |
12 |
Moon |
13 |
Wedding |
13 |
Rose |
14 |
Candy |
14 |
Kawaii/Cutesy |
15 |
Marshall |
15 |
Apple |
16 |
Captain |
16 |
Cherry |
21 |
Cutesy |
21 |
<Insert your favorite celestial
body here> |
22 |
Silly |
22 |
Sugar |
23 |
Shining |
23 |
Soldier |
24 |
Sweet |
24 |
Healer |
25 |
Kitty |
25 |
Sugar |
26 |
Pastel |
26 |
Princess |
31 |
Silver |
31 |
Tempest |
32 |
Crystal |
32 |
Girl |
33 |
Lovely |
33 |
Lady |
34 |
Pink |
34 |
<insert favorite letter of the
alphabet> |
35 |
Sailor |
35 |
Knight |
36 |
Sexy |
36 |
Star |
41 |
Shining |
41 |
Power |
42 |
Magical |
42 |
Angel |
43 |
Beautiful |
43 |
Blade |
44 |
Golden |
44 |
Bunny |
45 |
Shadow |
45 |
Pineapple |
46 |
Crimson |
46 |
Raspberry |
51 |
Final |
51 |
Phantom |
52 |
Raging |
52 |
Cat |
53 |
Pixie |
53 |
Storm |
54 |
Violet |
54 |
Song |
55 |
Mysterious |
55 |
Guardian |
56 |
Justice |
56 |
Bride |
61 |
Rainbow |
61 |
Phoenix |
62 |
Hello |
62 |
Dragon |
63 |
Princess |
63 |
Unicorn |
64 |
Happy |
64 |
Heart |
65 |
Joyful |
65 |
Love |
66 |
Avenging |
66 |
Warrior |
Chapter
7:
GM
Section
This section provides advice for the Game
Master, primarily concerning just how to go about setting up a campaign based
around mahou shoujo.
Genre
Conventions
The
magical girl genre is infested by an unusually large number of genre
conventions, which distinguish it clearly as having been created originally for
shoujo manga (girls' comics). Of
course, this book contains a lot of stuff intended to systematically dismantle
a lot of these conventions, but if you're intending to run a more
"standard" magical girl type thing, the following should be kept in
mind.
·
Combat should generally be very indirect. For the most part,
magical girls operate by simply tossing out their magical attacks and hoping
that they work. Fortunately, this usually works, since it's basically the same
tactic used by most of their enemies. A few of them do use actual physical
combat, but in the truly shoujo
series, it tends not to work very well.
·
The enemies they face, usually denizens of the Dark
Kingdoms, invariably have some scheme by which they intend to take over the
world or something equally nefarious. Luckily for our heroines, they are often
severely lacking in imagination (and in some cases intelligence). The types of
schemes they attempt will depend on their ultimate goals, but they'll usually
try to incorporate in some way twisting something that people hold dear,
whether to siphon their energy, or just to spread misery.
·
One of the more unfortunate results of the tactics used by
the Dark Ones is that they often will try variations on the same scheme over
and over, sending a different youma to carry it out each time. This
"Monster of the Week" phenomena will certainly keep our heroines
busy, but that's about all.
·
In-between times spent bashing youma, magical girls will,
unsurprisingly, go about their everyday business, whatever that might be.
Again, owing to the origins of the genre, this usually entails worrying about
school, working on hobbies, and especially obsessing about whatever cute guys
they might be interested in.
·
The abilities of minor characters are de-emphasized nearly
all the time. While they needn’t (and for that matter shouldn’t) lack depth,
they’re called minor for a reason, and will almost always take a back seat to
the main characters.
Campaign Concepts
Magical
World presents a lot of possibilities for campaigns; the following are some
general ideas for campaign concepts.
Go by the stereotypical magical girl series concept; the characters are a team of magical girls who work together to fend off the monster of the week and try to make their way through everyday life as well.
In the present day Magical World setting magical girls have more problems than simply stopping the youma and romantic entanglements. They must contend with a public that is a mix of groupies, antagonists, and people who just want to live their lives free of magic. This mixes the conventional magical girl series with a lot of angst and potential danger, and can be a lot of fun.
Take
whatever historical setting you choose, make an anime version of it, and throw
in some magical girls, and you have the makings of a very unique game. Magical girls from other eras will likely have a
look and feel drawn at least partly from that time, and it will in some ways be
very difficult going for them. Being a child and a female in most societies
means being doubly excluded from mainstream society, and as such trying to be a
heroine become difficult, but no less important.
Imagine a game that takes place during the Magical War, when magical girl fought magical girl, crossing wands and fighting to the death. The PCs could be the foot soldiers, the elite warriors, or others, mortal or magical, trying to stop the madness.
Or
what if a new war broke out? Whether between magical forces, or against the
Dark Kingdoms, an all-out conflict makes the everyday youma fighting seem like
a picnic.
The world has
taken a turn for the worst. The problem isn't an impending disaster of any
specific sort; it's a rising feeling of despair and a decline in the spirit of
wonder that allows magic to exist on Earth. As it recedes, so does the power of
the mahou shoujo, and all over the world, they desperately try to rekindle the
flame, but to no avail. There is one being, part angel, part demon, wandering
the world, who can be its savior or destroyer at their whims. Can they be
convinced that the world is worth saving?
Why not take
your campaign into one of the Magical Kingdoms – or even one of the Dark
Kingdoms. Rather than dealing with the mundane world, you can create your own
fantastic landscapes.
No one ever
bothers to look at things from the youma’s perspective, do they? Of course,
that’s partly because most youma are too damn stupid to bother with, but
suppose we dealt with some smarter than average ones as player characters? Do
they like their jobs, or are they doing this simply because they have no
choice? And if they can break free of their masters, what then? What kind of
future can the once evil hairstyling youma hope to find?
This is
similar to the premise of White Wolf’s Year of the Ally series; take the
friends, confidants, and whatnot of the ones who would ordinarily be the main
characters, and focus on them instead. This can be a campaign in and of itself,
or a secondary “troupe-style” one run alongside the main one. Both sides of the
war know that mortal allies can be extremely useful, and dealing with their
concerns – gathering information, staying alive, and so forth – can be a nice
break from the usual youma of the week stuff.
So, what would
it be like to be a Dark One? At the orders of the Dark Queen (or whoever), the
PCs must wage a constant and often losing battle against the mahou shoujo
threat. But how can you fight them without losing the hate that keeps you
alive?
Some of the
Dark Ones simply cannot hold on to hatred for too long. The do-gooders finally
get to them, and they find themselves becoming more and more human. It is
possible, although rare, for Dark Ones to reform themselves, but this is never
easy. Many are simply destroyed or recaptured by their compatriots, and many
others lose most of their powers in the transition.
For those of
you who don't like magical girls… The PCs are magical girl hunters, hiring out
their services to the highest bidder. It's a dangerous job, and some people
want them to stop, but for many the satisfaction of seeing Princess Love with a
bullet in her brain is more than enough compensation.
Of course, the
decline in the magical girl population has caused certain problems, mainly in
the form of more youma to deal with. Using whatever powers they might be able
to muster – or sometimes simply whatever firepower they can get their hands on
– they bravely face the evils of the Dark Kingdoms when the forces of magic
fall short. It’s not always an easy job, but someone has to do it, right? This
kind of campaign can feature most any sort of character, and can get down to
some good old fashioned superheroing (even though that’s not actually a word).
Themes
The
world presented in Magical World is not always a pleasant one. While it offers
quite a few possibilities for adventures, certain themes run throughout it.
Whether and to what extend a campaign explores these is up to you, of course.
Escape
There is a place that still remains
It eats the fear it eats the pain
The sweetest price he'll have to pay
The day the whole world went away
-- Nine Inch Nails, "The Day the World
Went Away"
The
decision to accept the powers of a magical girl can come about for many
reasons. The world can often seem to be a place full of nothing but pain, and
many seek a way to escape all their troubles. If magic can do anything, they
reason, it can save them from everything that makes life seem painful,
meaningless, or fearful. Those who take this path are doomed to fall further
into despair, as the candy-coated dream is marred inside and out by the rotting
filth of the dismal real world which, in reality, they never left.
As
the title implies, magic is fundamental. It is a means by which pure mystical
energy is shaped by the heart and mind into a realization of one’s desires. It
is also, to the disappointment of many magical girls, far from omnipotent, and
in no way capable of solving all of one’s problems. Magic can only do so much.
The things that magic can accomplish are often beyond the reach of even the
greatest technology, the most dedicated actions, but conversely it cannot grant
wishes. If a magical girl aspires to be a pianist, she will find that that
magic will fade before long. If the wants to make others happy, a happiness
spell will only make things worse when it wears off, because its effects were
never real to begin with.
Magic
reflects what it is inside. That is something fundamental to its nature. Magic
is always at its best when the action it is to be used for is in accord with
the user’s own heart; otherwise its power is lessened, often to the point of
uselessness.
When I was a kid
I thought that I could fly
Threw myself out a window
Right out into the sky
Now that I am older
I know that I could die
Die from a depression
I would learn my lesson well
– Millencolin, “Boring Planet”
First and foremost, it is about the loss of innocence. When a schoolgirl becomes a magical girl, whether she knows it or not, she has become a front-line soldier in a desperate, if subtle, war. Whatever she might believe it would be like, this world will, to some degree, prove her wrong. As though the battles against the youma weren't enough, there are madmen ready to do with guns what the claws and magics of the youma cannot.
You never
wanted to stop the smell of burning flesh
The hero
marches alone across the highway of death
It’s not a
matter of rights, it’s just a matter of war
Don’t have a
reason to fight, they never had one before
– Ministry, “Hero”
"The War" as some call it, the seemingly endless battle against the youma, is an important part of Magical World, as well as many magical girl series. The difference is that Magical War pays more attention to the consequences of what happens. As is inevitable in battle, people get hurt. They die. And a magical girl must force herself to cope with this as well.
Shades of truth
Between disparate lines
You don’t know I’m all right
You don’t know I’m all right
– Bad Religion, “Shades of Truth”
While the magical girls of anime have it pretty easy, in Magical World they must make hard choices. Things are never completely clear-cut, black and white, and many mahou shoujo are brought to question their purpose, whether what they are doing is right, and so many other things. Some fall prey to their own doubts early on, while others fight on blithely until something comes along later to open their eyes.
Deciding between right and wrong is something everyone must do, but a magical girl is forced to make such decisions in life and death matters. For better or for worse, they are made to regularly slay youma for a living. They must confront the Hunters who would destroy them, and yet struggle not to sink into their madness. Many magical girls are highly principled.
Others,
whether because of the lure of power, or simply because they never really
learned in the first place, simply abandon morality and do whatever they enjoy.
And if that includes killing youma, they will be all the more effective – but
at what cost?
A magical girl is forced to lead a double life, halfway in a world of magic and adventure, and halfway in a world of mundane (but no less pressing) difficulties. Living two lives strains the very fabric of the soul at times, especially in a world where one of these is considered a warrant for death by some. Even as the magical girl struggles to reconcile her two halves, it is all too clear that revealing the truth to loved ones only puts them in danger.
The idea of Coming of Age is a prominent
theme in any magical girl series, and this holds true in Magical World as well. Most magical girls are at such an age that
they are poised on the brink of that process which transforms child into adult,
girl into woman. Especially for one touched by magic, this is a difficult time
in one’s life. Like any other teenager, a magical girl must forge her own
identity in the world – but she has to do all of that in the midst of the
struggle to save the world.
“May you live in interesting times.”
– Chinese curse/proverb
Being
a heroine is far removed from the way in which normal people live. Like it or
not, adventure comes to them. It may be nerve-wracking at times, but never
boring. Facing youma and being in danger and saving the day may be a harrowing
experience, but many would say it's a lot more fun than doing homework all the
time.
"Let me tell you something, my Tenchi.
The carnival comes and goes, but if you wait a while, it'll always come back to
you."
– Ryoko, Tenchi Muyo! TV
The freedom of the fantastic is often juxtaposed with the inextricable coils of the "real world." When the battles are over with, there is only the mundane world to contend with. This can be a blessing and a curse in equal measure. Friends and family left behind are seen again, but everything boring or outright painful that had been left behind comes back with a vengeance.
Many an adventurer has had a bittersweet homecoming, and mahou shoujo are no exception. Many, upon returning, long for the adventures to begin anew, for the carnival to start up once more.
Most magical
girls have friends in one form or another, be it mundane friends, fellow
magical girls, or others besides. Friends and family are vital; they help the
magical girl anchor herself to the real world, and remind them of why it is
that they carry on the fight against the youma every day. Without them the
fight is meaningless.
“In the Light Universe I was darkness.
Perhaps in the Dark Zone… I can be light.”
--
Kai, Tales of a Parallel Universe
Finally and perhaps most importantly, is hope. Despite all the hate and darkness the world throws at them, magical girls, more than anyone else, must learn to see the fleeting rays of hope and love. Lacking the cynicism of adults, they can learn to look forward to a future brighter than the present, a world they will create.
A
common thread through many of the world’s myths is what Joseph Campbell called
“the Hero’s Quest.” As a scholar of the world’s mythologies, he saw a recurring
tale of sorts. It is a simple yet elegant story that has been told in one form
or another in nearly every culture on the planet. It is a story of a journey of
many perils and a final redemption.
So,
you ask, what the hell does this have to do with your campaign? That’s up to
you to answer. Using such a classical mode of storytelling can enliven a
campaign, and the general outline is vague enough that if you don’t severely
overuse it, it can remain fresh to the players.
Of
course, in the context of magical girls this has some rather interesting
implications. In ancient cultures – and even in the earlier magical girl series
– females were not as independent as they are today. In Campbell’s Freudian
interpretation of the Hero’s Quest, the underlying meaning of said quest is the
conquest and replacement of the parent of the opposite sex (which only
occasionally occurred in a literal sense). In the rare cases when such a
classical epic deals with a female character, she has to put up with things
like being seduced by gods, and although she can find happiness as surely as
the hero, it’s usually a far cry from whatever bold rewards he may carry home.
Where,
then, does this leave our sailor suited heroines? Again, the ultimate answer is
up to you. Although it is certainly an odd medium for such, the trials and
tribulations of a magical girl can make an ideal backdrop for exploring gender
roles, both in mythical and real-life contexts. Spending time overcoming
impossible odds to save the world tends to affect one’s attitudes towards more
banal aspects of life. Not only that, but a more modern girl probably isn’t
about to simply accept the commands of others, even if the issuer is a god or
whatever.
What follows is a rapid-fire guide to the
basic plot of the Hero's Journey. For a more complete version, refer to The Hero With A Thousand Faces, or for a
quick version, Changeling: The Dreaming.
Or watch Star Wars.
1.
The Ordinary World: The hero begins as a more or less normal person, in
her ordinary world. This is shown to the audience briefly, to give a sense of
perspective.
2.
The Call of
Adventure: Something happens.
Something unusual that hints at the coming storm. The hero discovers some clue
as to what they must do.
3.
The Refusal of the
Call: At first, the hero tries to
ignore the Call, unwilling to leave the comfort of her ordinary home.
4.
Meeting with the
Mentor: A mentor of some sort gives
the hero sage advice, ultimately convincing her to proceed on the Quest.
5.
Crossing the First
Threshold: The hero must overcome an
obstacle, a Guardian, in order to proceed out of the Ordinary World and into
the Fantastic.
6.
Tests, Allies,
Enemies: The longest part of the
journey, the hero journeys towards her eventual goal, meeting many friends and
enemies along they way. The hero learns more the Fantastic and comes to
understand better just what is going on.
7.
Approach to the
Inmost Cave: At last, the hero has
learned what she must do to complete the test. Everything comes together, and
she ventures to the place where she will ultimately face the final challenge.
8.
The Supreme Ordeal: This is the Final Battle, when all that has been
said and done comes to a head, and all that has been prophesized comes true.
The hero faces a great foe against the most terrible of odds.
9.
The Reward: It is not, however, over just yet. The Quest is not
truly complete; the outcome of the Ordeal has shown that the Fantastic has
invaded the Ordinary, and something must be done.
10.
The Road Back: The road back is dangerous, and the hero must hurry
before all is lost.
11.
The Final Threshold: The hero comes face to face with the true terror,
and confronts it. This is the true Final Battle, and when it ends, the changes
the Quest has wrought on the hero become clear.
12.
The Return: With the Darkness defeated (for now, at least), the
hero returns to her home and is welcomed back after so long, bringing many
stories to tell.
Unusual Magical Girl Varieties
The
traditional mahou shoujo aren't the only girls who wield magical powers and
fight evil (or other stuff); the following are some of the more commonly seen
types, although they'll be rare in Magical World.
·
Alien: Extra terrestrial girls in anime inevitably have some kind
of special powers with which they can cause all manner of trouble, and
occasionally help people out. Good examples include Lum and they myriad other
aliens from Urusei Yatsura, not to
mention most of the cast of Tenchi Muyou!.
·
Demon Hunter: Demon Hunters tend to be fairly
similar to magical girls in terms of the form their powers take, except that
their outfits are more scanty, and their abilities are more direct and
combative.
·
Esper: The character is a psychic of some kind. She needn't
necessarily be into the whole Love and Justice thing; the girls from Miracle Girls are more into causing
trouble than anything else, for example.
·
Holy Warrior: While some magical girls double as
priestesses, a holy warrior actually derives their abilities from some divine
force. As such, they are highly religious and tend to have powers based on
their deity.
·
Techno-Girl: This refers to a heroine whose powers
are technologically based. This can include any number of possibilities, but
the most common will be androids and girls with special power suits or other
items (some of which may even look something like mahou shoujo abilities!) with
which they go about their business. See, for example, Cutey Honey, Dr. Slump,
Moldiver, etc.
[*] Four is a
very unlucky number in Japanese culture, owing to the fact that it can be read
as “shi” – which can also mean “death.”