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Gnome Alone
2020-11-10, 06:00 PM
Recently I got a wild hair up my redacted to run a “magical girl” game – guessing most people reading this would know the genre, but just in case, it’s one in which otherwise ordinary middle or high school girls turn out to have or somehow acquire magical powers, with which they then usually fight the forces of evil. Sailor Moon is the best-known example, I think.

I want to make it so that all (well, I guess almost all would be fine – so many groups have that one person who always wants to be a Badass Normal) the PCs are witches, and in high school; having that classic mixture of day-to-day normal stuff and secretly fighting demonic entities and the like. I’m going to encourage the players to pick a color and give their witch knight a title with a “nature” flavor to it; e.g. The Red Rose Witch, or the Verdant Knight of Thorns, etc. Trying to be very...basic? traditionalist? big cheesy sloppy fun times? Tentatively, I’m calling it “Witch Knight Battlemaidens” (the last part is up in the air, but I definitely want the phrase “witch knight” in there.)

(The weird thing is, I’ve never been all that into the genre myself, and yet I’m chomping at the bit to run this game; I think it’s because what I’m proposing is basically urban fantasy - perhaps my favorite of all genres of fiction -and yet it is disguised enough in the trappings of a well-defined subset of anime/manga that I think I'll get to have some pretty big leeway. I love me some tropes, and I think this is going to allow me to go overboard indulging my storyteller side. Well, collaborative storytelling, anyway.)

Probably saw this coming a mile away, but: What RPG system do you think I ought to use?

I have only ever run D&D 3.5 and 5e, and have played Savage Worlds enough to be able to run that too, I think. Tempting as it is to run a 3.5 game where everyone is a gestalt warlock//druid, or perhaps gestalt warlock//expert, I’m leaning Savage Worlds at the moment. The kind of fun, fast and furious play that it does so well seems like a good fit for this game. I do not want to get endlessly bogged down in combat. And it seems like I could pick a high enough “tier” in SW that everyone could have enough powers to feel “magical’ – pretty annoying to be told you’re a mighty magical girl person and then only have one rinky dinky blasting spell or something. But, is there any other system that might fit better? On the simpler side is a-okay. But then, I’m not completely averse to learning something complicated, if it would enable me to do what I’m aiming for. CAST UPON ME WITH YOUR THINKY THOUGHTS! (Please.)

Duff
2020-11-10, 06:37 PM
Fate/Dresden files?
Pick a superhero game and tweak it?
d20 modern and include/tweak/rebuild the magic system?

Or if you like systems which work badly, go the Buffy the vampire slayer game

GentlemanVoodoo
2020-11-10, 08:18 PM
For this genre you have several choices.

3.5/5e would work with the proper reskinning and fluffing needed for the type of game world your going with. Other systems would be Fate which is easy to learn and pretty much lets you do anything you want. It really is about as rules light as they come. Other anime based systems would be OVA from Wise Turtle Publishing and Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BEMS). These two are specifically going for the anime feel. If you are wanting more of the magic element you could consider perhaps White Wolves Mage the Ascension or Mage the Awakening. These two are more darker in tone but can fit the bill.

Regarding the magical girl genre itself there are several others beyond Sailor Moon. Cardcaptors is a good one that has more of the magical element and is less well super hero than Sailor Moon. In western shows, there is W.I.T.C.H (by Disney) though I would suggest reading the comic as the tv show only got two sessions. A more modern show you could reference is the Netflix She-Ra and the original 80's cartoon.

So you have choices. Just depends on what your want.

Drascin
2020-11-11, 01:28 AM
If you're going with the Sailor Moon/PreCure "Magical Warrior" style of magical girl, you can just use a superhero RPG. Superheroes are, by and large, just magical girls marketed to teenage boys who think girls are icky :smalltongue:.

My friends and I used Mutants&Masterminds for our Lyrical Nanoha game and it worked quite well.

Basically the thing is, you don't want to use a game with fixed classes, because you'd have to make the whole set of classes anyway for the feel to work. It's much simpler to grab a more open system so people can make their own themed powersets.

zarionofarabel
2020-11-11, 02:49 AM
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.

Anonymouswizard
2020-11-11, 05:12 AM
If you're going with the Sailor Moon/PreCure "Magical Warrior" style of magical girl, you can just use a superhero RPG. Superheroes are, by and large, just magical girls marketed to teenage boys who think girls are icky :smalltongue:.

Hehe.

But yeah, magical girls in the Sailor Moon/Lyrical Nanoha/Cutie Honey style are superheroes, just presented differently to American ones.

The exact system you want will decide which systems you should be looking at, magical girl warrior shows range from M&M level 'nobody dies' to Wild Talents level 'I've wrong move and the monster eats your head'. Savage Worlds isn't a terrible shout if you want to focus on combat over school life, otherwise I'd suggest a system where relationships are key.

(Or you could try Princess: the Hopeful, I'm not a big fan though.)

Rynjin
2020-11-11, 10:04 PM
Erm, the clear and objective best choice here is Magical Burst (https://yarukizerogames.com/my-games/magical-burst/), which is sort of the unofficial Madoka Magica tabletop RPG.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/297755/BESM-Fourth-Edition-Big-Eyes-Small-Mouth) would be a better known alternative.

Satinavian
2020-11-12, 03:03 AM
There are a lot of good suggestions for systems, but if you are someone without much exposure to the genre and your players have more, please make yure you are really talking about the same kind of thing.

There are incredible tonal differences between alone

Sailor Moon
Pretty Cure
Madoka Magica
Katana Maidens
Arjuna

Those shows have very different unspoken assumptions about what is appropriate and what isn't. It is really like the superhero genre. In some shows, the villains and their plots are comically stupid, they fail every weak but still get away every week. In other shows participents actually try to kill each other and might do so without anyone holding the idiot ball. The very topics of side stories and problems might vary as well. Some restrict themselves to stuff school children should struggle with in their daily life. Others tackle issues where adults would struggle.


Talk with your players about that first, maybe pick a couple of tone setting example shows together and only then start with the ruleset so that you know which kind of topics might come up and which stuff needs rules.

Friv
2020-11-13, 04:50 PM
Every time this comes up, I go to see if Girl By Moonlight has been released, and every time it has not. So until then...

In general, I think the question is what you want to focus on. If you want to focus on cool magical girl fights, any superhero RPG will do a decent job. I would lean towards one that's more narrative, because Magical Girl stories tend to be very narrative - something like Marvel Superheroic Roleplay (or Cortex Plus), or the new Sentinel Comics RPG. Fate Accelerated can also do the trick; I ran a short campaign for magical girls with it.

If you want to focus on the relationship aspects of the game, with the general understanding that magical girls win almost every fight they take part in and that's not where the stakes of the story are, I would recommend looking at either Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine for a narrative-heavy game of story-based resource management, or Masks to adapt the "teen superheroes trying to figure their lives out" to magical girls. I think that Thirsty Sword Lesbians would also be a good choice, but looking it up their Kickstarter just ended so we're in a period where it's going to be hard to get the game for a bit.

DrMartin
2020-11-13, 04:52 PM
Princess: the hopeful is a thing someone made for nwod.

Mythender can be easily refluffled for a Madoka-like experience

Hellpyre
2020-11-13, 05:51 PM
I have only ever run D&D 3.5 and 5e, and have played Savage Worlds enough to be able to run that too, I think. Tempting as it is to run a 3.5 game where everyone is a gestalt warlock//druid, or perhaps gestalt warlock//expert, I’m leaning Savage Worlds at the moment. The kind of fun, fast and furious play that it does so well seems like a good fit for this game. I do not want to get endlessly bogged down in combat. And it seems like I could pick a high enough “tier” in SW that everyone could have enough powers to feel “magical’ – pretty annoying to be told you’re a mighty magical girl person and then only have one rinky dinky blasting spell or something. But, is there any other system that might fit better? On the simpler side is a-okay. But then, I’m not completely averse to learning something complicated, if it would enable me to do what I’m aiming for. CAST UPON ME WITH YOUR THINKY THOUGHTS! (Please.)

If you like 3.5e the Tome of Radiance (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?258654) from these very boards is a pretty on-target resource to check out, being directed towards this specifically.

Other than that, Big Eyes, Small Mouth is a decent place to look for the slice-of-life portions, although it doesn't handle combat as nicely as I'd like.

In fact, it may behoove you to pick up a pair of systems for downtimey stuff and adventurey stuff, and switch between the two as appropriate. More work, but less issues with insufficient focus from individual systems.

RedMage125
2020-11-14, 06:00 PM
Erm, the clear and objective best choice here is Magical Burst (https://yarukizerogames.com/my-games/magical-burst/), which is sort of the unofficial Madoka Magica tabletop RPG.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/297755/BESM-Fourth-Edition-Big-Eyes-Small-Mouth) would be a better known alternative.

Glad someone mentioned BESM. I know the d20 iteration even had "Magical Girl" as a class.

That said, if one was just trying to transpose the theme of "magical girl team" into a D&D system, it would be difficult. Namely because Sentai/Magical Girl teams are all so similar that they'd almost certainly all be the same class. The Sailor Moon girls, for one, I would consider warlocks, just based on what I do know about them. They have very limited specific powers available, but seem to be able to do them at-will. Their power comes from a sort of tie to their planets (and something about past lives?). In 4e, they would have been Star Pact. I suppose 5e would have them be Celestial Pact.

Rynjin
2020-11-14, 07:21 PM
Glad someone mentioned BESM. I know the d20 iteration even had "Magical Girl" as a class.

That said, if one was just trying to transpose the theme of "magical girl team" into a D&D system, it would be difficult. Namely because Sentai/Magical Girl teams are all so similar that they'd almost certainly all be the same class. The Sailor Moon girls, for one, I would consider warlocks, just based on what I do know about them. They have very limited specific powers available, but seem to be able to do them at-will. Their power comes from a sort of tie to their planets (and something about past lives?). In 4e, they would have been Star Pact. I suppose 5e would have them be Celestial Pact.

Pathfinder has a surprising number of options, with the Chosen One Paladin (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/paladin/archetypes/paizo-paladin-archetypes/chosen-one-paladin-archetype) (for when the magic bunny or whatever ISN'T evil), the Magical Child (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/archetypes/vigilante-archetypes-paizo-inc/magical-child) Vigilante (or Warlock (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/archetypes/vigilante-archetypes-paizo-inc/warlock/) or Zealot (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/archetypes/vigilante-archetypes-paizo-inc/zealot/) for that matter), Masked Performer Bard (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo-bard-archetypes/masked-performer-bard-archetype/), any character if the Masked Persona (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/masked-personas/) rules are in play, etc.; most cribbing from the Vigilante's toolbox and grafting it onto other classes, to be fair, but there's still a ton of options.

mindstalk
2020-11-14, 09:05 PM
Erm, the clear and objective best choice here is Magical Burst (https://yarukizerogames.com/my-games/magical-burst/), which is sort of the unofficial Madoka Magica tabletop RPG.


It's only the clear objective best choice if you want to run a Madoka-like game. If you want something more light hearted and less doomed, you'll have to at least file off parts.

The same author also had done Magical Fury, less freely available, different rule twist.


Glad someone mentioned BESM. I know the d20 iteration even had "Magical Girl" as a class.

That said, if one was just trying to transpose the theme of "magical girl team" into a D&D system, it would be difficult. Namely because Sentai/Magical Girl teams are all so similar that they'd almost certainly all be the same class. The Sailor Moon girls, for one, I would consider warlocks, just based on what I do know about them. They have very limited specific powers available, but seem to be able to do them at-will. Their power comes from a sort of tie to their planets (and something about past lives?). In 4e, they would have been Star Pact. I suppose 5e would have them be Celestial Pact.

Classes like 'psion' or 'bard' might work, all the same but differentiated by skills and spells/powers. Plus you could mix up various magical classes, the girls aren't always that similar. Psion, sorcerer, bard, magus...

Anyway. Blue Rose with a focus on Arcanists might work, the powers will be a somewhat better fit than D&D spells.
I think the Maid RPG could be pressed into service.

There was an outright Sailor Moon RPG, though it might be hard to find.

Alteiner
2020-11-16, 03:31 PM
The Japanese tabletop RPG Kamigakari would work well for a magical girl game. Its default setting is modern day Japan, and assumes the player characters are part of a secret supernatural community maneuvering in the shadows of modern society to defend it from monsters. The weapons, armor and equipment used by PCs is kept in a special extradimensional space, and there's a whole character option, the Dragon Carrier Style, which is all about transforming into a special "battle mode" like a Kamen Rider or magical girl.

Berenger
2020-11-21, 06:22 AM
d20 modern and include/tweak/rebuild the magic system?

If you are going to use this route, I recommend the Urban Arcana setting für d20 Modern (complete SRD available here: http://www.d20resources.com/) and have some homebrew to offer.


Witch

As Mage class (http://www.d20resources.com/modern.d20.srd/classes/advanced/mage.php), with the following modifications:


Prerequisite: Witch Bloodline Template (LA +1)
Change casting attribute from Intelligence to Charisma for all purposes except spells known.
Gain access to Arcane spell list. Divine spells, Psionic powers and spells from D&D 3.5 can be picked if appropriate for chosen bloodline.
Remove XP cost for crafting potions, scrolls and magical tattoos.
Additional Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Info (Cha), Listen (Wis), Perform (Act, Dance, Sing) (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Treat Injury (Wis).







Improved Charisma: Every template increases your charisma score by +2.
Signature Skill: This skill is always a class skill for you and you gain a bonus equal to half your total character level to all checks.
Signature Spells: You automatically gain these spells as soon as you learn to cast spells of that level. Any prepared spell may be substituted by a signature spell of the same or lower level before casting.


Green Bloodline / Herbalists

Signature Skill: Survival (Wis)

Signature Spells: Entangle (1st), Barkskin (2nd), Speak with Plants (3rd), Tree Stride (4th), Wall of Thorns (5th)

Woodland Stride: At first level, you can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at your normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect you.

Tanglevine: At fourth level, you can create a 15-foot-long, animated vine that springs from your hand. This vine can be used to tie up a single helpless creature or to make a single disarm or trip attack, using 1d20 plus your total character level plus your charisma modifier for the attack roll. You can use this power a number of times per day equal to three plus your charisma modifier.

Massmorph: At seventh level, as a full-round action, you can alter the size and health of plant life in a 30 foot radius as if using Plant Growth or Diminish Plants.

Tree Form: At tenth level, you can extend roots into the ground. Your can't move, but you gain a +4 bonus to natural armor. You also heal one lost hit point per minute. It takes a Spot check at difficulty 20 to distinguish your shape from a regular tree or other plant.



Purple Bloodline / Dreamweavers

Signature Skill: Sense Motive (Wis)

Signature Spells: Sleep (1st), Augury (2nd), Deep Slumber (3rd), Divination (4th), Dream (5th)

Lullaby: At first level, you can use Lullaby a number of times per day equal to three plus your charisma modifier. This effect lasts for one minute and does not require concentration.

Combat Precognition: At fourth level, your insight into the future grants you an advantage in combat. You gain a +3 insight bonus on initiative checks.

Dreamshaper: At seventh level, you can manipulate the dreamscape of others, drawing forth or tampering with their subconscious minds. You can enter their dreams and watch them as an invisible spectator or manifest and interact with them, gaining a +4 modier on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive checks. A successful Will Save negates the effect, the difficulty of this save is equal to 10 plus 1/2 your Witch level plus your charisma modifier. You can use this power once per day.

Astral Body: At tenth level, you can project your consciousness outside your body, travel with a speed of 300 feet per round and see and hear your surroundings as if you were physically present. You can re-enter your body at any time by moving your astral body inside it. After one hour has passed or if your physical body is wounded you also snap back into it in a violent fashion and are stunned for 1d4 rounds.



Blue Bloodline / Arcanists

Signature Skill: Knowledge (Arcane Lore) (Int)

Signature Spells: Identify (1st), Levitate (2nd), Dispel Magic (3rd), Dimension Door (4th), True Seeing (5th)

Arcane Prowess: At first, fourth, seventh and tenth level you gain a free meta-magic feat and access to an additional spell of your highest spell level.



Black Bloodline / Plaguebearers

Signature Skill: Craft (Chemicals) (Int)

Signature Spells: Charm Animal (1st), Summon Swarm (2nd), Contagion (3rd), Repel Vermin (4th), Insect Plague (5th)

Plague’s Caress: At first level, you can make a melee touch attack that causes a living creature’s flesh to break out into rancid-smelling pustules and sores for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your Witch level (minimum 1 round). These sores cause the victim to become sickened for the duration of the effect. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to three plus your charisma modifier.

Accustomed to Awfulness: At fourth level, you become immune to the nauseated condition and to the debilitating effects of disease, but you can still be a carrier of diseases.

Shroud of Vermin: At seventh level, swarms no longer see you as prey. You can walk among swarms without fear of being harmed by them at all, and by taking a standard action to mentally command a swarm in which you stand, you can direct that swarm’s attacks and movements as long as you have more Hit Dice than the swarm.

Pestilential Breath: At tenth level, the sickness within your body finally becomes so potent that your very breath is deadly. Once per day as a standard action, you can exhale a cloud of pestilence in a 30-foot cone. Those caught in the area of this miasmic cloud receive a single Fortitude save to avoid suffering the effects of a disease disease of your choice: blinding sickness, bubonic plague, cackle fever, filth fever, leprosy, mindfire, red ache, shakes or slimy doom. The difficulty of the Saving Throw is equal to 10 plus 1/2 your Witch level plus your charisma modifier.



White Bloodline / Healers

Signature Skill: Treat Injury (Wis)

Signature Spells: Cure Light Wounds (1st), Delay Poison (2nd), Remove Disease (3rd), Remove Curse (4th), Raise Dead (5th)

Dedicated Healer: At first level, your healing spells and potions heal an additional die of hit points.

Master of Potions: At fourth level, you may brew potions of healing spells at half the usual price or in half the usual time (you make this choice at the start of each brewing process).

Beacon of Hope: At seventh level, you and allies in a 20 feet radius gain a +4 morale bonus on Saving Throws against intimidation and fear effects.

Aura of Purity: At tenth level, you gain a bonus on all saving throws equal to your charisma modifier.



Red Bloodline / Seducers

Signature Skill: Diplomacy (Cha)

Signature Spells: Charm Person (1st), Enthrall (2nd), Suggestion (3rd), Charm Monster (4th), Dominate Person (5th)

Succubus' Caress: At first level, you can inflict the exhausted or fatigued condition and, if you desire, 1d3 points of damage per Witch level upon a humanoid creature (which is always left with at least one hit point). You are healed from the exhausted or fatigued condition and gain temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt that last for 24 hours.If the target is unwilling, this requires a successful melee touch attack and a Will Save negates the effect (the difficulty of this save is equal to 10 plus 1/2 your Witch level plus your charisma modifier). You can use this power once per day.

Dark Mind: At fourth level, you add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against your mind-affecting spells.

Devotee: At seventh level, you gain the service of a human devotee, a loyal magical creature or an enslaved demon according to the Sidekick feat. If preferred, you may gain the Minions feat instead.

Lasting Influence: At tenth level, you can double the duration of a mind-effecting spell. You can use this power a number of times per day equal to one plus your charisma modifier.

Witch Hunter

Requirements

To qualify to become a Witch Hunter, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Skills: K: Arcane Lore 3.
BAB: 2

Class Information

Hit Die: 1d8.

Action Points: 6 + one-half character level, rounded down, every time the character attains a new level in this class.


Class Skills

The Witch Hunter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Cimb (Str), Drive (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcane Lore, Streetwise) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (none), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier.



Class Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Class Features
Defense Bonus
Reputation Bonus


1st
+1
+1
+1
+1
Sworn Enemy +1
+1
+0


2nd
+2
+2
+2
+2
Eldritch Immunity
+2
+0


3rd
+3
+2
+2
+2
Bonus Feat
+2
+0


4th
+4
+2
+2
+2
Sworn Enemy +2
+3
+0


5th
+5
+3
+3
+3
The Quick and the Dead
+3
+1


6th
+6 / +1
+3
+3
+3
Bonus Feat
+3
+1


7th
+7 / +2
+4
+4
+4
Sworn Enemy +3
+4
+1


8th
+8 / +3
+4
+4
+4
Play a Hunch
+4
+1


9th
+9 / +4
+4
+4
+4
Bonus Feat
+5
+2


10th
+10 / +5
+5
+5
+5
Sworn Enemy +4
+5
+2




Class Features

The following features pertain to the Witch Hunter advanced class.


Sworn Enemy

At 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th level, a Witch Hunter selects a certain type of creature as a favored enemy. The types of sworn enemies are: Constructs, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids, Demons, Witches and Undead. Due to his extensive study of these foes and training in the proper techniques for combating them, the Witch Hunter gains the indicated bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls and the following skills when using them against his favored enemies: Bluff, Gather Information, Intimidate, Investigate, Listen, Research, Search, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks to follow tracks. The Witch Hunter also gains the supernatural ability to locate and identify Sworn Enemies - by touch at 1st level, at 10 feet at 4st level, at 100 feet at 7th level and at 1,000 feet at 10th level. Spells that interfere with supernatural abilities will foil the this ability as well and it involves gestures or the use of small objects that are obvious to observers unless hidden with a successful Sleight of Hand check.


Eldritch Immunity

At 2nd level, a Witch Hunter gains spell resistance equal to 11 plus his class level and can avoid the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that directly affect him. To determine whether a spell or spell-like ability works, the spellcaster must make a level check (1d20 + caster level). If the result equals or exceeds the Witch Hunters spell resistance, the spell works normally, although the Witch Hunter is still allowed a saving throw.


Bonus Feats

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Witch Hunter gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Witch Hunter must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.

Acrobatic, Advanced Combat Martial Arts, Alertness, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Martial Arts, Elusive Target, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency, Great Cleave, Power Attack, Unbalance Opponent.


The Quick and the Dead

At 5th level, a Witch hunter can focus his effort to burst into sudden action when the situation calls for it. Once a day, he doesn't have to make an initiative check and automatically goes first in initiative for the remainder of the encounter.


Play a Hunch

At 8th level, the Witch Hunter gains the supernatural ability to make a guess and be assured that it is correct. The Witch Hunter may spend an action point to determine whether an assumption, hunch, or guess is correct. The player states the assertion and pays an action point. The GM secretly rolls percentile dice; there is a 70% +1% per character level chance of getting a response on the hunch (failure indicates merely that you are unsure if this is true or not). If the roll is a success, the player knows if the hunch is true, false, both or neither. A “both” response is possible for vague assumptions. An “unknown” response is for questions with no immediate answer. A hunch does not translate as a legal truth, and will not stand up in a court of law. Rather it is an obvious fact to the Witch Hunter alone. Finding proof of an assumption would require additional work.