Magical Girls and the Outer Planes

[The Extinguisher]

So I've got a character I've been working on for an upcoming game, and part of her backstory is an in-fiction novel series that is basically Sailor Moon except with the Outer Planes instead of planets. I don't have much in terms of the characters, other than Celestia being the main character and leader.

It's not super important to have fully fleshed out characters for them, but since "magical girl" is the central idea for the character, it would be nice to have some in-fiction stuff to reference and pepper in. So if anyone has any thoughts on what a magical girl team of the outer planes would look like I would love to hear it.

[SilverLeaf167]

Which Outer Planes do you want represented? You've got 16 to start with, probably wanna cut that down a little bit. Just the Good and maybe Neutral ones, presumably, if they're supposed to be heroes?

I can only imagine there'd be some kind of divine casting, what with verbally invoking the power of the Planes and all that. Don't know how diverse you can make that, but if there's just one character with an actual build, maybe you don't need to.

The Called enhancement for your armor/clothing (MIC, only 2000 gp) is definitely a must, allowing you to masquerade as a normal girl and then recreate a transformation scene as a standard action (just add some more buffing to the procedure to stretch it out). You can't dismiss it easily, though, so Glamered armor (DMG, 2700 gp) is another option.

Do you want mechanical suggestions too, or just the fluff?

[Flickerdart]

If you really think about it, Kyubey from Madoka is a mysterious creature with an alien morality, biology, and powers. He's the ideal Aberration, and the Magical Girls/Witches that he creates are excellent examples of Far Realms themed magical girls.

[JustIgnoreMe]

If you really think about it, Kyubey from Madoka is a mysterious creature with an alien morality, biology, and powers. He's the ideal Aberration, and the Magical Girls/Witches that he creates are excellent examples of Far Realms themed magical girls.
I agree completely about Kyubey. At first, I thought his name was going to be short for "Incubus". That would have made it a... darker show.

[Inevitability]

Some thought on the main nine planes.

Celestia: general bright, courageous leader type. Beams of light, angel wings, you know what to do.

Mechanus: the brains of the team. Highly logical, perhaps to the point of Straw Vulcanhood. Attacks and transformation sequence probably include lots of gears. Possibly a construct. Obviously most important of the team.

Baator: lots of fire here, I imagine. Devil horns, perhaps some trident for a weapon.

Hades: depressed type, wears all black. Transformation sequence is not flashy at all, and perhaps completely absent.

The Abyss: psycho. Go for pure, unconcealed rage here; levels in barbarian or (a Rage spell) are suggested. Probably a yandere.

Limbo: the wild card of the team. Lots of energy-themed abilities, random explosions seem fitting.

Arborea: elvish, probably a weapon-user too. Some kind of martial bard/bardblade?

Elysium: the obnoxiously optimistic member of the team. Random animals appear as the bright song-filled transformation sequence takes place.

Outlands: the quiet member of the team.

[The Extinguisher]

Which Outer Planes do you want represented? You've got 16 to start with, probably wanna cut that down a little bit. Just the Good and maybe Neutral ones, presumably, if they're supposed to be heroes?

I can only imagine there'd be some kind of divine casting, what with verbally invoking the power of the Planes and all that. Don't know how diverse you can make that, but if there's just one character with an actual build, maybe you don't need to.

The Called enhancement for your armor/clothing (MIC, only 2000 gp) is definitely a must, allowing you to masquerade as a normal girl and then recreate a transformation scene as a standard action (just add some more buffing to the procedure to stretch it out). You can't dismiss it easily, though, so Glamered armor (DMG, 2700 gp) is another option.

Do you want mechanical suggestions too, or just the fluff?

Mostly just fluff actually, but if youve got some mechanical ideas to suggest magical girlness I could use for my actual character that would be awesome. As far as transformation sequences, I already have that covered. An earlier character by another player invented the cantrip Quick Change that lets you swap the clothes you're wearing for other clothes on your person.

It is probably just the good and neutral ones. The character I'm playing isn't actually an outer planes themed hero, just grew up with the stories and is trying to copy the idea.


Some thought on the main nine planes.

Celestia: general bright, courageous leader type. Beams of light, angel wings, you know what to do.

Mechanus: the brains of the team. Highly logical, perhaps to the point of Straw Vulcanhood. Attacks and transformation sequence probably include lots of gears. Possibly a construct. Obviously most important of the team.

Baator: lots of fire here, I imagine. Devil horns, perhaps some trident for a weapon.

Hades: depressed type, wears all black. Transformation sequence is not flashy at all, and perhaps completely absent.

The Abyss: psycho. Go for pure, unconcealed rage here; levels in barbarian or (a Rage spell) are suggested. Probably a yandere.

Limbo: the wild card of the team. Lots of energy-themed abilities, random explosions seem fitting.

Arborea: elvish, probably a weapon-user too. Some kind of martial bard/bardblade?

Elysium: the obnoxiously optimistic member of the team. Random animals appear as the bright song-filled transformation sequence takes place.

Outlands: the quiet member of the team.

This is some excellent stuff thank you

[KillianHawkeye]

If we just focus on the upper planes between Mechanus and Limbo, that gives us a more focused group of seven: Arcadia, Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, the Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard.


Arcadia is the plane of perfection and harmony, so Sailor Arcadia is likely to be the type who gets annoyed by her friends leaving a mess. She believes she's always right, even when she's not, but she's also completely loyal to the group and the one most in favor of promoting teamwork to overcome adversity.

Celestia is literally Heaven, and you've already pegged Sailor Celestia as the main protagonist and leader. Not much else to say about her.

Bytopia is a plane of parallels, one side being idealized civilization (with farms and villages or whatever) and the other idealized wilderness. I imagine Sailor Bytopia being something like a tomboy at heart, but for the sake of her family or some other social pressure she plays the demure and feminine role she's expected to fulfill. She doesn't resent this, however, as she considers both aspects to be equal parts of her. She is probably the most in tune with her inner feelings and desires.

Elysium is the plane of ultimate goodness, so Sailor Elysium is going to be the pure heart, the team's cheerleader, and an all-around helpful and happy person. Out of anyone in the group, she probably possesses the Power of Heart (or possibly faith), and she never ever gives up hope. She's likely the youngest in the group, possibly significantly younger than the others.

The Beastlands is the plane of untamed nature. If anyone on the team will have animal-related powers, it's Sailor Beastlands (these names should probably all be replaced). She'll fight to survive, and might also be the one with the best intuition and senses, or even some kind of magical sixth sense. She and Bytopia get along well together and are good friends.

Arborea is a plane of beauty and strong passions, of joy and sorrow and life. Sailor Arborea will unquestionably be passionate and strong-willed. She's also the most likely to come into conflict with the leader, often disagreeing with her methods even while seeking the same goals. Basically, she's the Raphael of the group, impulsive and headstrong, but one of the team's strongest members when she finally comes around. With her great strength of character, Arborea will be a great friend to Celestia despite their rivalry, although she may not always admit it.

And finally, Ysgard, the plane of glory and valor and never-ending battle. She may not end up being the best fighter on the team, but Sailor Ysgard is certainly the most eager. She thoroughly enjoys the idea of being a hero, and seeks the challenge of combat as a means of proving herself again and again (and to defeat the forces of evil in the name of Justice, of course). As the physically strongest in the group, she sees herself as the protector of everyone and would willingly sacrifice herself to save her friends. She probably also has a tendency to simplify things down to black and white, us versus them, good versus evil; rather than dealing with shades of gray.



And now, after typing all that, I'm kinda wishing this was a real comic or anime. Or maybe I should just watch Sailor Moon again after all these years.... :smallsmile:

[GloatingSwine]

Limbo: the wild card of the team. Lots of energy-themed abilities, random explosions seem fitting.

Limbo could also be a reality warper. The plane of Limbo is characterised by not having a fixed form, but the ability of minds to create temporary form within it by power of will.

Reality warper and mental constructs would be a possible, then.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

You might find this of interest: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9623431&postcount=9

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Also http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/archetypes/vigilante-archetypes---paizo-inc/magical-child

[The Extinguisher]

If we just focus on the upper planes between Mechanus and Limbo, that gives us a more focused group of seven: Arcadia, Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, the Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard.


Arcadia is the plane of perfection and harmony, so Sailor Arcadia is likely to be the type who gets annoyed by her friends leaving a mess. She believes she's always right, even when she's not, but she's also completely loyal to the group and the one most in favor of promoting teamwork to overcome adversity.

Celestia is literally Heaven, and you've already pegged Sailor Celestia as the main protagonist and leader. Not much else to say about her.

Bytopia is a plane of parallels, one side being idealized civilization (with farms and villages or whatever) and the other idealized wilderness. I imagine Sailor Bytopia being something like a tomboy at heart, but for the sake of her family or some other social pressure she plays the demure and feminine role she's expected to fulfill. She doesn't resent this, however, as she considers both aspects to be equal parts of her. She is probably the most in tune with her inner feelings and desires.

Elysium is the plane of ultimate goodness, so Sailor Elysium is going to be the pure heart, the team's cheerleader, and an all-around helpful and happy person. Out of anyone in the group, she probably possesses the Power of Heart (or possibly faith), and she never ever gives up hope. She's likely the youngest in the group, possibly significantly younger than the others.

The Beastlands is the plane of untamed nature. If anyone on the team will have animal-related powers, it's Sailor Beastlands (these names should probably all be replaced). She'll fight to survive, and might also be the one with the best intuition and senses, or even some kind of magical sixth sense. She and Bytopia get along well together and are good friends.

Arborea is a plane of beauty and strong passions, of joy and sorrow and life. Sailor Arborea will unquestionably be passionate and strong-willed. She's also the most likely to come into conflict with the leader, often disagreeing with her methods even while seeking the same goals. Basically, she's the Raphael of the group, impulsive and headstrong, but one of the team's strongest members when she finally comes around. With her great strength of character, Arborea will be a great friend to Celestia despite their rivalry, although she may not always admit it.

And finally, Ysgard, the plane of glory and valor and never-ending battle. She may not end up being the best fighter on the team, but Sailor Ysgard is certainly the most eager. She thoroughly enjoys the idea of being a hero, and seeks the challenge of combat as a means of proving herself again and again (and to defeat the forces of evil in the name of Justice, of course). As the physically strongest in the group, she sees herself as the protector of everyone and would willingly sacrifice herself to save her friends. She probably also has a tendency to simplify things down to black and white, us versus them, good versus evil; rather than dealing with shades of gray.



And now, after typing all that, I'm kinda wishing this was a real comic or anime. Or maybe I should just watch Sailor Moon again after all these years.... :smallsmile:

This is absolutely amazing.


I was unaware of these very magical girl classes that exist. I might have to remake the character. I was going with a sorcerer with just some good flavour but theres a lot to work with.

[Calthropstu]

Why did I click this thread?
*sigh*

So you want sailor style d&d characters eh? I seem to recall there being some sort of siliness along those lines being made. Bikini fighters? warriors? Bikini something or other. It was a group of scantily clad d&d heroines. The characters were well drawn, and the whole thing was incredibly silly (as well as incredibly NSFW) but if you are looking for looks, it would be a good start.

Another source might be the sailor scouts themselves. Replace the school uniforms with something more world apropriate, slap a few modifications for race and you're good to go.

[AuraTwilight]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258654-Tome-of-Radiance-Mastering-the-Power-of-Love-and-Justice

[Faily]

Why did I click this thread?
*sigh*

So you want sailor style d&d characters eh? I seem to recall there being some sort of siliness along those lines being made. Bikini fighters? warriors? Bikini something or other. It was a group of scantily clad d&d heroines. The characters were well drawn, and the whole thing was incredibly silly (as well as incredibly NSFW) but if you are looking for looks, it would be a good start.

Another source might be the sailor scouts themselves. Replace the school uniforms with something more world apropriate, slap a few modifications for race and you're good to go.


If you're referring to the anime Bikini Warriors, I wouldn't exactly call them Magical Girls. They don't really fit into the Magical Girl-trope apart from maybe Mage and Dark Elf. :smallwink:

Think more Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi, Cute High Earth Defense Club Love. Bikini Warriors are fan-service characters making fun of gaming tropes (particularly JRPG tropes). Love the show, but not quite suitable for a Magical Girl-theme.


*ahem* On-topic though; if you're using Pathfinder, you could look at the Chosen One Paladin-archetype, or Magical Child Vigilate-archetype. Both of those work very well for a Magical Girl concept. I never published it, but I did do some tinkering on Sailor Moon for the "Anime Characters as D&D Characters"-thread, and in my notes I made her a Sorcerer/Cleric/Dweomerkeeper.

Sorcerer to get Familiar (Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus had Luna and Artemis, Sakura had Kero, the Magic Knights had Mokona) and her most basic abilities. Cleric because Sailor Moon does have a lot abilities that are well-represented by Cleric's spell-list. Dweomerkeeper because Sailor Moon has been able to call on her powers even when she normally shouldn't have (as showed by the Dweomerkeeper's ability to cast magic even in Anti-magic or dead-magic zones). Anyway, it wasn't perfect, hence why I didn't post it or finish it, but maybe it would give you some ideas. :smallsmile:

[digiman619]

Another good class if you want a Magical Girl/Sentai Hero is the Aegis (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/aegis), who summons psionic armor (though you can change the focus rather easily if you don't like psionics).

[Mordaedil]

I've always pondered doing a magical girl kind of class using the warlock as a base, using a special familiar as the contractor for the warlocks powers, albeit it requires a bit of alteration.

[Calthropstu]

If you're referring to the anime Bikini Warriors, I wouldn't exactly call them Magical Girls. They don't really fit into the Magical Girl-trope apart from maybe Mage and Dark Elf. :smallwink:

Think more Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi, Cute High Earth Defense Club Love. Bikini Warriors are fan-service characters making fun of gaming tropes (particularly JRPG tropes). Love the show, but not quite suitable for a Magical Girl-theme.


*ahem* On-topic though; if you're using Pathfinder, you could look at the Chosen One Paladin-archetype, or Magical Child Vigilate-archetype. Both of those work very well for a Magical Girl concept. I never published it, but I did do some tinkering on Sailor Moon for the "Anime Characters as D&D Characters"-thread, and in my notes I made her a Sorcerer/Cleric/Dweomerkeeper.

Sorcerer to get Familiar (Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus had Luna and Artemis, Sakura had Kero, the Magic Knights had Mokona) and her most basic abilities. Cleric because Sailor Moon does have a lot abilities that are well-represented by Cleric's spell-list. Dweomerkeeper because Sailor Moon has been able to call on her powers even when she normally shouldn't have (as showed by the Dweomerkeeper's ability to cast magic even in Anti-magic or dead-magic zones). Anyway, it wasn't perfect, hence why I didn't post it or finish it, but maybe it would give you some ideas. :smallsmile:

Oh granted, the characters themselves probably not. But the style would work perfectly.

Also, making each "sailor" a different race would work best. The sailors representing the dark end of the alignment spectrum would be things like goblin, troll, orc etc... such as the abyssal scout, or the hell scout. And it wouldn't just be good/evil scouts that don't get along, but the law vs chaos ones too. The hell scout, the mechanus scout and the Celestia scout might work together to bring down a serious criminal threat being protected by the arborea scout and the pandemonium scout.

[KillianHawkeye]

Also, making each "sailor" a different race would work best. The sailors representing the dark end of the alignment spectrum would be things like goblin, troll, orc etc... such as the abyssal scout, or the hell scout. And it wouldn't just be good/evil scouts that don't get along, but the law vs chaos ones too. The hell scout, the mechanus scout and the Celestia scout might work together to bring down a serious criminal threat being protected by the arborea scout and the pandemonium scout.

This is exactly why having a team with characters for every alignment is a bad idea, both for a game and for a story being told within the game. It just doesn't work.

The Evil planes/alignments obviously wouldn't be represented as protagonists in a heroic tale, which these things always are. In fact, they'd be the villains.

[The Extinguisher]

This is exactly why having a team with characters for every alignment is a bad idea, both for a game and for a story being told within the game. It just doesn't work.

The Evil planes/alignments obviously wouldn't be represented as protagonists in a heroic tale, which these things always are. In fact, they'd be the villains.

Yeah, clearly the evil planes would be a enemy team opposing the good team.



So I've been looking into Magical Child, and it seems kinda off for what it's trying to do. Too much focus on the familiar, not enough on doing cool stuff. What would be a reasonable way to improve or change the spell list by getting rid of the familiar or even just the familiar advancement?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Yeah, clearly the evil planes would be a enemy team opposing the good team.

So I've been looking into Magical Child, and it seems kinda off for what it's trying to do. Too much focus on the familiar, not enough on doing cool stuff. What would be a reasonable way to improve or change the spell list by getting rid of the familiar or even just the familiar advancement?3.5 had the Forlorn flaw, which trades your familiar for a feat. I doubt that's what you want, though if you trade it for a very good feat, such as Ancestral Relic, it might work out okay.

You might try trading it in for abrupt jaunt. Useful for a magical girl, I imagine.

[Telonius]

The Giant himself made a class (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9623431&postcount=9) for something like this. It's more of a He-Man vibe, but it could be applied to Magical Girls.

[Eldariel]

Clearly LG, LN, NG, CG are "team law/good", and CN/CE/NE/LE are "team chaos/evil" with N being the sixth ranger-character flipflopping between the two sides. Obviously the real protagonist.

EDIT: Actually! Two Neutrals - the "hands off everything"-type for team good, and the "neutrality is the only way" as a lone ranger and watch the polar opposites of the exact same alignment collide :smallwink:

[BWR]

Oh granted, the characters themselves probably not. But the style would work perfectly.

Are you talking about Bikini Warriors? Because Bikini Warriors is pretty much the opposite of a magical girl show. No costume changes/transformation sequences, the girls are exaggeratedly proportioned and leave little to the imagination and there isn't a trace of romance or 'I have to protect everyone's hopes and dreams' in it. BW has no point other than to parody gaming tropes, has no main villain, has no hard choices for the purpose of friendship, no story arc, no real continuity apart from the characters, nothing.

OTOH, He-Man is basically a magical girl show, apart from the whole 'girl' thing.

[Faily]

Yeah, clearly the evil planes would be a enemy team opposing the good team.



So I've been looking into Magical Child, and it seems kinda off for what it's trying to do. Too much focus on the familiar, not enough on doing cool stuff. What would be a reasonable way to improve or change the spell list by getting rid of the familiar or even just the familiar advancement?


The Familiar is a strong point on Magical Girl-tropes... or rather, the magical talking animal companion. Artemis, Luna, Kero (Kerberos), Kyubey, Mokona... Magical Lyrical Nanoha have several, and He-Man (lol) has his mighty battlecat. :smallwink:

I'd look at other Archtypes that trade away Familiars, Animal Companions or Mounts (or regular Class Ability choices, for that matter). Wizard chooses between Familiar or Bonded Item that gives them a free spell each day, Paladin can choose Mount or a Bonded Weapon that they can boost, and Druids choose between Animal Companion or Domain.

So maybe the Magical Girls using the Magical Child Vigilante can choose, depending on what suits them the best? I mean, Sailor Elysium or Sailor Beastlands (depending on which you want) would *certainly* have an animal friend accompanying her, while Sailor Celestia might have a Bonded Weapon like a Paladin.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

<Snip>Your avatar reminds me of FFXV's Cindy so hard.

[Ruethgar]

A suggestion for Bytopia is to have her be of the Dvati race.

Beastlands a Shifter or Hengeyokai.

Ysgard could be a Goliath, or Jotunbrud human.

Arborea, Ironwood Warforged or Elf if you wanna keep them human-ish and/or play up the Eladrin ancestry.

Celestia, Lesser Aasimar.

Arcadia... I got nothing.

[SangoProduction]

A suggestion for Bytopia is to have her be of the Dvati race.

Beastlands a Shifter or Hengeyokai.

Ysgard could be a Goliath, or Jotunbrud human.

Arborea, Ironwood Warforged.

Celestia, Lesser Aasimar.

All hail the Dvati master race!