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View Full Version : Building Miko, the Giant’s way (speculatory, of course)



Runolfr
2007-01-31, 04:55 PM
I found myself wondering what was going through the Gian'ts mind as he was developing the character of Miko, based on his villain making article (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/rTKEivnsYuZrh94H1Sn.html)...

Step 1: Start with two emotions.
The villain’s primary emotion is something like “zeal” or “pride”. She is driven to prove herself worthy of her paladinhood.
Her second emotion – the one she inspires – is probably “frustration” or even “hatred”. Other people just can’t stand her self-righteousness.

Step 2: What events in the villain's past brought about this emotion?
She was recruited by Lord Shojo at an early age and told she was needed to help protect the world from disaster. She has struggled to live up to his expectations ever since.

Step 3: What is the villain's scale?
Generally speaking, her actions have had fairly localized influence (she generally only bothers the PCs). Failure in her duties, however, could have global repercussions.

Step 4: What is the villain's goal?
She seeks to protect Soon’s Gate from any perceived threat and demonstrate that a Paladin’s honor is the only way to truly safeguard it.

Step 5: What does the villain need in order to be able to achieve this goal?
As part of the Sapphire Guard, she is part of the solution. She may desire to be the undisputed leader of the Sapphire Guard to have better control of the situation.

Step 6: What obstacles must the villain overcome?
Threats to the Gate are numerous.
EDIT: Alternatively, people who indirectly threaten the safety of the gate by failing to live up to her standards of honor and duty.

Step 7: What is the villain's primary means of projecting influence?
She primarily operates by direct confrontation, using her personal power as a paladin to overcome threats.

Step 8: What are the villain's resources?
She has the resources of an organization of paladins, which effectively has the resources of a city-state at its disposal. In general, however, she only uses what resources she can carry that are appropriate to her level.

Step 9: If no heroes were to interfere, what would the villain's plan to achieve this goal be?
She would continue as she always has, making snap judgements and delivering swift justice to those who would threaten the gate.

Step 10: What are the villain's boundaries?
Miko will not knowingly commit an evil act or betray her code of conduct.

Step 11: What is the villain's personal threat level?
She is capable of fighting the entire PC party by herself and winning, but only with great effort and significant risk.

Step 12: How does the villain treat his minions? How do the minions feel about the villain?
She expects unswerving devotion and discipline similar to her own. Her associates dislike her for her harshness.

Step 13: What are the villain's visual quirks?
As a beautiful female paladin from a foreign land, she is quite memorable to the PC party.

Step 13a: What would the villain's theme music sound like?
Something appropriate to a classic Hong Kong martial arts movie.

Step 15: What is the villain's name?
Miko Miyazaki

I'm sure some of you see different answers to the questions...

Lord Zentei
2007-01-31, 04:58 PM
I found myself wondering what was going through the Gian'ts mind as he was developing the character of Miko, based on his villain making article (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/rTKEivnsYuZrh94H1Sn.html)...

Step 2: What events in the villain's past brought about this emotion?
She was recruited by Lord Shojo at an early age and told she was needed to help protect the world from disaster. She has struggled to live up to his expectations ever since.

And she was orphaned at a young age. That might well have messed her up, leaving her to hate chaos and evil in a rather uncompromising way.

TinSoldier
2007-01-31, 04:59 PM
Actually, that's pretty cool!

Setra
2007-01-31, 05:08 PM
Heh, pretty neat.

Totally Guy
2007-01-31, 05:09 PM
I've always thought of her as an anti-villain.

Anti-heroes pop up all the time, doing good with the wrong personality. An anti-villain is a much rarer animal.

It fits the villain builder well.

Golt
2007-01-31, 05:17 PM
That's pretty good actually. I can't think of anything more to add to this.

Krellen
2007-01-31, 05:29 PM
I'd agree with that assessment.

Green Bean
2007-01-31, 05:43 PM
That's really cool the way it breaks down like that. It really does sound like that's how the Giant built her. Thanks for pointing it out. :smallsmile:

Eriol
2007-01-31, 06:12 PM
Step 6: What obstacles must the villain overcome?
Threats to the Gate are numerous.
This is the one that popped out at me. Taking it from the perspective of Miko, I think she sees her largest obstacles not as those that would actually threaten the gates, but rather those who get in the way of what she perceives as the right/only path to follow. I think this is reinforced by her condemnation in 406 of the entire Order and Shojo as working for evil, no matter what their alignments say. And as a general theme governing her actions, I think this works too, and better than merely taking out threats. She sees those threats more as a RESULT of people not obeying her.

I dunno. I probably have some gaping logic flaws there, but that's what I feel. Spot-on for the rest of it though.

Estelindis
2007-01-31, 06:22 PM
Yes, you've summed her up pretty well.