WARRIOR'S PRIDE AN ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR STREET FIGHTER: THE STORYTELLING GAME Issue 3 May 2000 This Issue's Credits: Concept, Editor, and Layout: Dustin Wolfe (lancer1@webzone.net) Text Version: Chris Hoffmann (staredown@rocketmail.com) Contributing Writers: Arkon (ArkonDLoC@aol.com) Azathoth (Azathoth05@aol.com) Cliff Rice (shinzite@yahoo.com) Contributing Artist: J. Scott Pittman (joespitt@tsixroads.com) In this Issue Welcome to Warrior's Pride Contenders Charles Kreger (Savate) Jin Zhang (Wu Shu) Kain (Tai Chi Chuan) Shin Kirimaru (Siakyo Karate) NPCs David "Panther" Cooper (Special Forces) Styles Saikyo Ryu Karate Articles & Fiction The Call of the Wild Legends of the Circuit: The Lost World Stories/Adventures Hook, Line, and Sinkers The World New Villians Appendix: Maneuvers and Abilities In Closing WELCOME TO WARRIOR'S PRIDE MAY, 2000 Welcome to the third issue of Warrior's Pride! While several months late, there were complications that just couldn't be avoided. But in the future, while issues may be late a month, they should never be later then that - one month. I want to thank J. Scott Pittman, whocreated another logo for this issue. Unfortunately I am unable to find it due to complications with my e-mail client. Now, for a rundown of the contents of this issue: Contenders: Four Contenders are in this issue: Charles Kreger, a Savate stylist, Jin Zhang, a Wu Shu fighter, Kain, a Tai Chi Chuan fighter, and Shin Kirimaru, who was submitted by Cliff Rice. NPCs: David Cooper, the physical trainer of the Red Raven stable. Styles: The interesting style practiced by Dan Hibiki, Saikyo Ryu Karate. Submitted by Cliff Rice. Articles/Fiction: A work that I am very proud to have done, the Call of the Wild, which adds many new rules and gives a touch of more realism to Animal Hybrids. Also, there is "The Lost World," another installment of the Legends of the Circuit series, as always by Arkon. Stories/Adventures: A few Hook, Line, and Sinker adventures submitted by Arkon. Appendix: Maneuvers and Abilities: In this issue are 54 maneuvers and abilities, most of which involve Animal Hybrids in some way or another. CONTENDERS: CHARLES KREGER At the age of 19, Charles Kreger has already proven himself as an accomplished Savateur, having won tournaments in both the United States and France, as well as earning Martial Artist of the Year awards from a popular martial arts magazine. His beginnings were not so glamorous, however. Charles was born the only child of a lower-class family, and his mother and father were in a constant struggle to provide as good a life as they could for Charles. By the time he was ten years old, Charles was more or less completely aware of the situation, and he became increasingly depressed feeling that it was his fault that his parents had financial difficulties. At the age of 15, he had told his parents that he had found a job to help them with their money troubles. Unfortunately, the job was illegal. Charles began to work as a courier for a local crime boss. Little did he know that the crime boss was working against the Shadoloo criminal organization. Eventually, Charles crossed the path of a Shadoloo thug and was soundly defeated, left to die in a lonely alley in New York. It was at this point that his life would turn around. Charles was discovered by a Frenchman by the name of Pierre Fouinon. Fouinon treated Charles' wounds, and returned the youth to his parents. For reasons all his own, Fouinon would return occasionally to check on Charles and his parents, and eventually he became a close friend of the family. Charles had changed the path his life was on at the urging of Fouinon, and it was not long before Fouinon revealed that he was a master of the Savate fighting art. In fact, Fouinon was a master of the original form of Savate, where the fighter used only kicks, before punches were added in the 1700s. The two began to train together nearly every day for several years, until a point when Fouinon had to return to France due to the death of his sister. With the permission of his parents, Charles accompanied Fouinon to France to continue his training in Savate. When he was 17 years old, he also began to learn how to be a gourmet cook, and was soon employed. Every time he was paid, Charles would send much of his earnings to his parents, despite their objections. When Fouinon felt that his young student was ready, Fouinon began entering Charles in tournaments in the United States and France, and eventually introduced Charles to the Street Fighter tournament. Currently, Charles lives in Paris with the Fouinon family, but when in the United States for various reasons, he and Fouinon live with Charles' parents. Appearance: Charles stands slightly taller than an average man, with a medium build. His hair is short and black, while his eyes are brown. He always dresses casual, unless in the ring or while preparing food. When fighting, he wears the hardened shoes and loose, black pants of the Savate style. Roleplaying Charles Kreger: You are young and full of energy. You're through with crime, and now want to help stop this "Shadoloo" that you've heard about, if it even truly exists. Your parents are matter more to you then anyone or anything else, with Pierre Fouinon's family in a close second, and you will help either family in any way you can, at any time. You hope to one day be as good a fighter as Pierre and also an expert gourmet chef. Quote: "This was a waste of a time." Name: Charles Kreger Style: Savate Team: None Player: School: Pierre Fouinon Concept: Fighting Chef Chronicle: Stable: Signature: Kicks three times, leaving his leg in air on the third kick. ATTRIBUTES Physical Social Mental Strength 3 Charisma 3 Perception 3 Dexterity 4 Manipulation 1 Intelligence 3 Stamina 3 Appearance 2 Wits 3 ABILITIES Talents Skills Knowledges Alertness 3 Drive 3 Arena 3 Cooking 4 Stealth 2 Computer 1 Streetwise 4 Linguistics 1 Style Lore 2 Languages: English (Native), French ADVANTAGES SPECIAL MANEUVERS Backgrounds Techniques Ax Kick Allies 1 Kick 4 Double-Hit Kick Contacts 2 Block 4 Esquives Sensei 4 Athletics 5 Foot Sweep Jump Allies: Garnier le Brun Kick Defense Contacts: Various sources Light Feet Sensei: Pierre Fouinon Reverse Frontal Kick Slide Kick Renown CHI 2 Wall Spring Glory 2 WILLPOWER 6 Honor 4 HEALTH 10 Combos: Double-Hit Kick - Foot Sweep Ax Kick - Reverse Frontal Kick - Double-Hit Kick (dizzy) Standing Division: Traditional Wins 23 Losses 6 Rank: 5th Draws 0 KOs 18 CONTENDERS: JIN ZHANG Officially, Jin Zhang was born in Hong Kong. By the time he reached his current age of 26, he had shown exceptional coordination and above-average intelligence, and has found a job at a high-paying software company. He indulges in the Wu Shu martial art style, joining and often winning Chinese tournaments. That's the official story. The truth is quite different. Zhang is actually the product of military science. He was born the only child of a well-respected Chinese couple, but had been given gene therapy before he was a year old in order to increase his coordination, intelligence, and general awareness. He was tutored privately by the most respected and reputed teachers in China. He also went through very rigorous training in the fighting art of Wu Shu. This was all done in an attempt to ultimately create the perfect Chinese secret operative. As a test of his true abilities, Chinese authorities implanted him into the world of street fighting, and so far he has lived up to their expectations, not having lost a single match as of yet. Jin knows what his purpose is, and accepts it, though as of late he has been having some doubts about existing solely as a weapon for the Chinese government. Jin has begun to enjoy fighting, perhaps even too much. Some of the Chinese officials responsible for Project JZ-458 (the project responsible for using gene therapy on Jin shortly after he was born) are worried that Jin will not be as easily controlled as they originally thought he would. Luckily they had seen this as a possibility, and had created another agent, one that they could keep control of under any circumstances. Jin knows about this. He knows many things that the Chinese government believed that they had kept from him, and it doesn't concern him very much currently. He is having far too much fun beating others to unconsciousness. Jin is somewhat unstable, due to the gene therapy that was given to him, but so far it has only given him a very bad temper, though only the future can possibly tell what the long term effects of the extensive gene therapy will cause. Appearance: Jin Zhang appears to be in excellent physical shape. His hair is black and short for the most part except for a long, thin ponytail. When not involved in a fight, he dresses very casually, usually a t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a black jacket. However, when he is actually in a fight he will be wearing a black and red Chinese acrobat's clothing, giving him the freedom to use his dexterity and coordination to their fullest. Playing Jin Zhang: You enjoy fighting. In fact, fighting and knocking someone unconscious gives you the most pleasure. You're well aware of your superior's plans for you, including the little tidbits they "forgot" to tell you. But it doesn't matter, since you won't disobey them - for now at least. You can still gain much from working for them. Quote: "Come...let's fight. I promise not to hurt you too much." Name: Jin Zhang Style: Wu Shu Team: None Player: School: Unknown Concept: Chinese Experiment Chronicle: Stable: Signature: Turns back to opponent and clenches fist ATTRIBUTES Physical Social Mental Strength 3 Charisma 3 Perception 4 Dexterity 5 Manipulation 4 Intelligence 4 Stamina 2 Appearance 2 Wits 4 ABILITIES Talents Skills Knowledges Alertness 4 Blind Fighting 3 Computer 3 Insight 4 Stealth 3 Medicine 2 Streetwise 4 Mysteries 3 Subterfuge 4 Science 3 Style Lore 2 Languages: Mandarin Chinese ADVANTAGES SPECIAL MANEUVERS Backgrounds Techniques Air Throw Allies 3 Punch 4 Backflip Contacts 5 Kick 4 Backflip Kick Fame 3 Block 3 Cannon Drill Resources 5 Grab 2 Double-Hit Kick Allies: Numerous Chinese Athletics 4 Fireball officals Focus 4 Jump Contacts: Various Chinese Kippup officals and other sources Lightning Leg Fame: Easily recognized in Rekka Ken China, expecially Hong Kong Stepping Front Kick Resources: Can get nearly Throw anything he needs from the Chinese Government Combos: Block - Jab Renown CHI 6 Stepping Front Kick - Fireball Glory 5 WILLPOWER 9 Double-Hit Kick - Lightning Leg Honor 4 HEALTH 14 - Rekka Ken (dizzy) Standing Division: Freestyle Wins 25 Losses 0 Rank: 7th Draws 0 KOs 23 CONTENDERS: KAIN Kain is a complete mystery to those around him, including his manager Greg Williams. He has never been seen without the rag that is wrapped around the bottom of his face, and his strange eyes seem to intimidate nearly everyone. Add the fact that his left arm is one of metal and wire, and it becomes easier to see why Kain is quickly rising in the ranks. Kain was at one time a promising cybernetics engineer named Steven Cane. Cane had made design blueprints of many advanced prosthetics, as well as working prototypes of many of them. Most, if not all, of these designs were truly revolutionary in the field of cybernetics. Shadoloo, having an agent in the same lab that Cane worked at, learned of these designs and wanted the designs for their own purposes. However, even as the agent threatened Cane, he still would not reveal the location of the blueprints. If Shadoloo could not have the designs, then no one would. The laboratory explosion that killed nearly twenty men and women was considered an accident. Steven Cane, although his body was never actually found, was also reported as one of the dead, as the police and fire department determined that the explosion originated from the same section that Cane was in, and they determined that he could not have survived. Cane did survive however. Even he doesn't know how he did, and he considers it some form of miracle. He also believes he survived in order to take down Shadoloo. His problem however, was that he did not know anything about Shadoloo, other then hearing about it from the agent that spoke to him. For reasons that only he knows, he didn't contact the police or go to a hospital to get his wounds treated. He treated his burns himself, and covered the scars with ragged clothing he found in the alleys of New York. Working through dumpsters to get the proper equipment that had been thrown out by electronic stores, he made a makeshift cybernetic arm to replace his useless real arm. As he wandered around aimlessly, he eventually stumbled upon a fight between two men, while spectators watched. In the crowd, he noticed the same agent that had threatened him. Cane couldn't help himself, and began to beat on the Shadoloo agent. No one dared tried to stop him, not even the two men fighting. The agent was nearly beat to death. It was at this same location that he learned about both Street Fighting and Shadoloo. Steven Cane, from that point on, was Kain. He had been taught Tai Chi Chuan since childhood, and has continued to hone his skills in the ring. He is almost always calm, even during battles, but often looses that calmness when fighting someone that he knows works for Shadoloo. After time, he was approached by Greg Williams of the Red Raven Productions stable, and offered a place in the organization. Kain realized that he could use the resources and contacts provided, especially considering that his makeshift cybernetic arm was showing extreme wear and tear. He has since replaced that arm with one made from better materials. Event though he is capable of making better cybernetic limbs, he wishes to remain as only Kain, and not allow anyone to have any idea of his true identity. Appearance: Kain's eyes are a strange gray color, and his hair is a dark brown color, and often looks to be unkempt. The bottom half of his face is constantly covered by a tattered rag, and he is also wearing old, ragged clothing. His left arm is most certainly metal, with many wires entangled around it. Playing Kain: You are angry at the world for what has happened to you, but know that there must be a reason for your survival from the explosion. You believe that reason is for you to bring about the end of Shadoloo. Steven Cane no longer exists, there is only Kain. Everyone involved with the Red Raven stable are nice enough, but you prefer to keep people at arm's length and want it to stay that way, even though deep down you're still a nice guy. Quote: "Do what you will. You can't win." Name: Kain Style: Tai Chi Chuan Team: None Player: School: Unknown Concept: Vengeful Victim Chronicle: Stable: Red Raven Productions Signature: Kneels Down after Victory ATTRIBUTES Physical Social Mental Strength 5 Charisma 3 Perception 2 Dexterity 3 Manipulation 1 Intelligence 6 Stamina 4 Appearance 1 Wits 3 ABILITIES Talents Skills Knowledges Alertness 2 Stealth 3 Computer 3 Interrogation 3 Survival 3 Cybernetics 5 Intimidation 4 Investigation 3 Streetwise 3 Medicine 3 Science 4 Languages: English (Native) ADVANTAGES SPECIAL MANEUVERS Backgrounds Techniques Fireball Backing 3 Punch 3 Foot Sweep Contacts 3 Kick 3 Jump Cybernetics 1 Block 2 Open Palm Shove Manager 3 Grab 3 Power Uppercut Resources 2 Athletics 3 Throw Staff 3 Focus 4 Backing: Red Raven Productions Combos: Contacts: Red Raven staff and Block - Open Palm Shove clients Power Uppercut - Fireball Manager: Greg Williams of Red Raven Productions Resources: Provided by Red Raven Productions Trainer: David Cooper of Red Raven Productions Renown CHI 7 Glory 3 WILLPOWER 5 Honor 1 HEALTH 13 Standing Division: Freestyle Wins 17 Losses 2 Rank: 4th Draws 3 KOs 17 CONTENDERS: SHIN KIRIMARU Contributed by Cliff Rice (shinzite@yahoo.com) Shin is an orphan who was raised in a Hong Kong orphanage by American missionaries. At the age of 10 he started doing odd jobs around Hong Kong and that's when he met Dan. He was busy training for one of his fights with Sagat. Dan was the most amazing fighter Shin had ever seen and at that point Shin knew that Dan was his hero, so he started training by watching Dan's classes threw his window and started mimicking what he saw. One day Dan noticed him and decided he had talent, so he told Shin if he kept the dojo clean he could take karate lessons at the dojo. Shin soon was the top student in the class. One day he followed Dan to one of the only tournaments Dan ever won. Shin saw the other warriors frantically fighting one another. Shin was in heaven. Since then Shin has jumped through the ranks and is still rising. His goal is to become the youngest world warrior. Appearance: In the ring Shin wears a banana yellow gi he got from Dan. Out of the ring he wears kendo style pants. In either he wears his black belt as an accessory. He has long brown hair and brown eyes. Playing Shin: You are Dan's biggest fan (although you are probably a better fighter) and as such you are always trying to prove yourself to Dan. You are friendly to people out side of the ring but to your opponents you are an insulting bastard. Quote: "Don't feel bad. Everyone loses to me." Name: Shin Kirimaru Style: Saikyo Ryu Karate Team: None Player: School: Dan's Dojo Concept: Chronicle: Stable: Dan's Dojo Signature: Patented wedgie hold ATTRIBUTES Physical Social Mental Strength 4 Charisma 4 Perception 3 Dexterity 5 Manipulation 2 Intelligence 5 Stamina 4 Appearance 6 Wits 5 ABILITIES Talents Skills Knowledges Alertness 2 Blind Fighting 2 Computer 1 Intimidation 2 Drive 1 Medicine 1 Insight 2 Leadership 1 Mysteries 3 Streetwise 1 Performance 2 Medicine 3 Survival 1 Linguistics 4 Survival 1 Science 4 Languages: English (Native) ADVANTAGES SPECIAL MANEUVERS Backgrounds Techniques Atomic Wedgie Allies 3 Punch 5 Dive Kick Animal Companion 5 Kick 5 Double-Hit Kick Arena 2 Block 2 Dragon Punch Resources 2 Grab 3 Flurry Kick Arena: Dan's Dojo Athletics 4 Foot Sweep Focus 5 Hundred Demon Somersault Improved Wave Punch Renown CHI 8 Power Uppercut Glory WILLPOWER 8 Regeneration Honor HEALTH 20 Wave Punch Wounded Knee Standing Division: Freestyle Rank: 7th Combos: Wins 39 Losses 0 Jab-Jab-Jab Draws 3 KOs 30 Dive Kick-Improved Wave Punch Atomic Wedgie-Hundred Demon Somersault NPCs: DAVID "PANTHER" COOPER David Cooper was born the only child to a middle-class couple. He was well taken care of, always having everything he could ever needed and even more. At the age of twelve, Cooper became interested in both the sport of fighting, as well as the armed forces. He took some basic self defense classes until he was eighteen, at which time he joined the United States Army, then becoming involved in special operations. He was included on several missions that to this day remain completely classified and secret. For some reason, known only to Cooper himself, he decided to stop being a special forces soldier and became a drill sergeant, where he quickly gained a reputation of being a man to be both respected and feared. The exact reason why Cooper ended his relationship with the Army is a total mystery, but he soon became involved in the Street Fighter circuit, earning a name for himself while using the combat tactics he learned during his special forces training. He came to the attention of Greg Williams, and was offered a job at Red Raven. He fought for the stable for awhile, but later decided that he would be of better value putting his old drill sergeant skills into effect and became the stable's physical trainer, the same job that he occupies to this day. Appearance: Cooper is a six-foot-seven African American male. He has a bald head, and can most often be found wearing old Army camouflage fatigues. His frame is rather impressive, more then enough to intimidate any typical man or woman with no experience with fighting. Playing David "Panther" Cooper: You're a friendly guy, but have little patience for those who do not wish to make anything of themselves. You get along well with everyone at the Red Raven stable, except perhaps the Hostile Intent team, who you wish would just get their act together. You give everyone a hard time, however, after all - you're the drill sergeant. Quote: "Don't you have something better to do, maggot?" Name: DAVID "PANTHER" COOPER Concept: FORMER DRILL SERGEANT Stable: RED RAVEN PRODUCTIONS Strength 4 Charisma 4 Perception 4 Honor 5 Dexterity 3 Manipulation 2 Intelligence 3 Glory 3 Stamina 4 Appearance 3 Wits 4 Rank 4th Other Traits Maneuvers and Powers Punch 3 Arena 3 Speed Damage Move Kick 3 Instruction 3 Punch: Block 4 Jab 5 6 3 Athletics 3 Contacts 3 Strong 3 8 3 Alertness 3 Fame 3 Fierce 2 10 2 Interrogation 4 Resources 3 Streetwise 4 Kick: Drive 3 Short 4 7 3 Leadership 3 Forward 3 9 2 Stealth 3 R.House 1 11 2 Survival 3 Investigation 2 Block 7 (+2 SOAK) 0 Style Lore 3 Move 6 0 6 Chi 1 Willpower 2 Health 5 Knife Hand Strike 4 6 2 Spinning Back Fist 2 9 4 Axe Kick 2 11 1 Jump 6 - 3 STYLES: SIAKYO RYU KARATE Contributed by Cliff Rice (shinzite@yahoo.com) Siakyo Ryu karate was invented by Go Hibiki and Takuma Sakazaki in 1949 it utilizes strong kicks and punches as well as using your opponents anger against them causing them to make a mistake in battle by taunting them. The current masters are the children of their founders Dan Hibiki of Hong Kong, And Ryo Sakazaki of south town California. Schools: The only requirement Siakyo Karate is basic physical fitness (and an intimidation of 2) and the money to pay for the classes. Members: Health nuts, street fighter wanna bes Quote: You must master chohatsu (Taunting) to master the art grasshopper. Initial Chi: 2 Initial Will: 5 Special Maneuvers Punch: Buffalo Punch (1) Dragon Punch (4) Ducking Fierce (1) Kick: Dive Kick (2) Double-Hit Kick (1) Flurry Kick (3) Foot Sweep (1) Wounded Knee (2) Block: San He (3) Grab: Back Roll Throw (1) Knee Basher (2) Focus: Flying Wave Punch (2) Improved Wave Punch (3) Regeneration (3) Wave Punch (1) ARTICLES: THE CALL OF THE WILD With the release of the Street Fighter Player's Guide, we were all introduced to Animal Hybrid characters. While we were given all the rules necessary, and some suggestions for natural abilities, they left out what I think could have been useful - descriptions of animal types, so that a player could make his animal hybrid as believable as possible. I have decided to do this on my own, and as such this article was born. Note that to fully utilize these optional rules, a copy of the Street Fighter Player's Guide will be required. Each entry comes in the following format: Animal Type: This is a general name, such as Alligator, Feline, etc. This is the entry header. Related Animals: This is a list of animals that can be considered related to the effect that the rules of creation are basically the same (any differences will be noted in the entries). This does not mean the animals are in any way scientifically related, it merely means the rules are the same. Animal Type Hybrids: This always begins with the animal type above; the Alligator entry will have "Alligator Hybrids" in this place. This is a general description of what a hybrid will look like. These are only guidelines, and have no real effect on the game. Attributes and Techniques: These will be special notes about the animal hybrid's attributes and techniques. This is in an effort to add a little more realism. Natural Attribute Limits: These are the natural attribute limits, and unless stated otherwise, they override the small chart given on page 22 of the Player's Guide. Basic Maneuvers: These are the basic maneuvers the animal hybrid may choose from. Even with an animal hybrid background of five dots, you may still only select three if there are more then three listed. These do not include normal basic maneuvers, such as the basic punch and kick techniques, but instead maneuvers available only to the hybrid (on page 23 of the Player's Guide, they give Bite, Tail Slash, and Claw). Common Special Maneuvers: This shows common special maneuvers per animal type. Beastial Features: This includes such things as claws, fangs, tails, horns, and other features the animal hybrid will have. This is used for the purposes of selecting maneuvers that require a character to "posses" a certain feature. Note that some animals clearly have tails, but that is not listed in this section. This means that the tail of the animal is not suitable for use in combat (a rabbit's tail is far too short, and a cat or wolf's tail is far to soft to be effective, for example). Natural Abilities: These are natural abilities available to the animal hybrid. These are most often best used for storytelling, and will have little effect during fights. With three dots in animal hybrids, one ability may be chosen. With four dots, two abilities are available, and with five dots all natural abilities are available. Frenzy: These are changes, if any, to "Controlling the Animal Side" on page 24 of the Player's Guide. Styles: This is a listing of styles more likely to be used by the animal hybrid. This replaces the small chart on page 25 of the Player's Guide. This is due to the fact that, just like any fighter, an animal hybrid would choose a style more suited to its own body (an Elephant Hybrid would not train in a style with such as Capoeira, for example). Roleplaying the Hybrid: These are simply guidelines, nothing more. Alligator Alligators are the largest reptile in North America, where they can be found in the rivers, lakes, and bayous of the southeastern United States. Alligators can also be found in the Yangtze River basin of China. They have a shorter and blunter snout then their cousin the crocodile. The teeth of the alligator are designed to tear and shed its victim, and its thick scales provide protection. Adult males typically reach from six to nine feet in length and about 250 pounds, though alligators can be as long as eighteen to twenty feet in length. The muscles used to open the jaws of the alligator are weaker then those used to snap the jaws shut, and it is as easy as using a somewhat thick rope to tie the jaws shut. When threatened, alligators will snap with its jaws, roll randomly, and lash out with its tail. Related Animals: Caiman, Crocodile Alligator Hybrids: A beastial alligator hybrid will feature a long snout, no exterior ears, a long tail, and a body covered with thick scales. A homid hybrid will feature a long body, small ears, and lumpy features. It is very likely that the hybrid will be completely hairless. Attributes and Techniques: Alligators are physically powerful with quick reflexes. At the time that an alligator hybrid is created, the character recieves one free dot to put into Strength. When increasing the character's Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limit, the character only needs to pay four times that Attribute's current rating, and when increasing the character's Dexterity, the character only pays five times the Attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6 (Strength, Stamina 7), Social 3, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tail Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Back Roll Throw, Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Beast Roll, Croc Roll, Dragon's Tail, Druken Monkey Roll, Ground Fighting, Rolling Attack, Tail Sweep, Tumbling Attack, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike, Vertical Rolling Attack Focus - Toughskin Beastial Features: Fangs, claws, and tail. Natural Abilities: Natural Armor 1, Resistance to Cold, Swimming Frenzy: An alligator hybrid will attempt to use the Bite maneuver if possible when under frenzy. If the character's jaw has been prevented from opening in some way, the hybrid will use tail slashes and croc rolls in random fashion (in this case, the croc roll is an exception to the "no Special Maneuvers" rule of frenzy). Styles: Alligator hybrids find it easier to learn styles that allow them to use their physical strength most effectively. These include Native American Wrestling, the Pankration, Sanbo, Silat, Special Forces, Thai Kickboxing, Western Kickboxing, and Wrestling. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Alligator hybrids will tend to be much more aggressive then a typical human. Having heated tempers, they can be quite easy to provoke. They will prefer warm and wet climates and go to lengths to avoid going into colder climates unless there is something to be gained there. Armadillo Armadillos are nocturnal, armored mammals that can be found in South and Central America and southern parts of the United States. The armadillo is protected by a layer of bony plates, and in most species of armadillo the plates are articulated so that the animal can curl up to protect itself. Related Animals: None Armadillo Hybrids: A beastial armadillo hybrid will feature large, thick armored plates and a long tail. The donkey like ears of the armadillo stick straight up above the small head that features small eyes and a snout. A homid hybrid will still feature small eyes, and is very likely to have no hair of any sort. Attributes and Techniques: Armadillos have very good endurance. At the time the character is created, the armadillo hybrid recieves one free dot to be put into Stamina. When increasing the character's Stamina beyond the natural limit, the character only needs to pay four times the Stamina's current rating. Armadillos are also fairly quick, and when increasing the character's Dexterity beyond the natural limit, the character only needs to pay five times the Dexterity's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6 (Stamina 7), Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tail Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Grab - Back Roll Throw, Head Bite, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Block - Maka Wara Athletics - Beast Roll, Druken Monkey Roll, Rolling Attack, Tail Sweep, Tumbling Attack, Upper Tail Strike, Vertical Rolling Attack Focus - Toughskin Beastial Features: Shell, claws, tail Natural Abilities: Charge, Natural Armor 2, Nightvision, Tunneling Frenzy: Armadillos are much more passive then they are aggressive, and are less likely to go into Frenzy then other hybrids. When checking to see if the hybrid goes into Frenzy, there is a +1 bonus added to the check against the character's chi. Otherwise, follow the standard rules for Frenzy. Styles: Armadillo hybrids will find defensive styles (or styles that can easily be used in such a manner) more to their liking due to their passive nature. More common styles include Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Shotokan Karate, and Silat. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Armadillo hybrids will have a calm, passive nature. They will not seek to bother anyone, and will not want to be bothered themselves. Should they be bothered, their most likely course of action would be to leave the scene as quietly and unnoticed as possible, unless there is a reason to stay such as an impending fight. Badger The badger is a nocturnal mammal that is very strong and vicious. They feature short, strong legs, with the heels of the feet touching the ground and straight, strong toes adapted for burrowing underground. The American badger can be found in the western regions of the United States, and is a carnivore that feeds on small animals such as golphers. The American badger has fur that is gray tipped with brown and a single white stripe running from the nose to the spine. The European badger is an omnivore the differs from color from the American badger. Related Animals: None Badger Hybrids: A bestial hybrid will a short, heavy body and a short tail. The hybrid will be covered with a thick coat of fur and the distinguishing white stripe running from the nose and down the back. A homid will appear to be a person of less then average height, yet heavy with a powerful build and a white stripe in its hair. Attributes and Techniques: Badgers are powerful and quick. When created, a badger hybrid recieves one free dot to be put into Strength. When increasing the character's Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limits, the character only needs to pay four times that Attribute's current rating, and when increasing the character's Dexterity beyond natural limits, the character only needs to pay five times that Attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 7, Social 3, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Ear Pop, Eye Rake Grab - Back Roll Throw, Bear Hug, Head Bite, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Beast Roll, Druken Monkey Roll, Rolling Attack, Tumbling Attack, Vertical Rolling Attack Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Nightvision, Tunneling Frenzy: A badger hybrid will attack randomly with Bite and Claw when under frenzy. The character will be more susceptible to frenzy. When rolling to determine frenzy there is a -1 penalty to the roll. Styles: Badgers, being quick and strong, have no particular difficulty learning any style. Some of the most likely styles to be practiced by badger hybrids include Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Ninjitsu, Sanbo, Shotokan Karate, Silat, and Wrestling. Roleplaying the Hybrid: A badger hybrid will be very aggressive and temperamental. They can be particularly deadly if sufficiently provoked, and will have little qualms about killing. However, there could possibly be a few badger hybrids who will not kill unless absolutely necessary. Bat The bat is the only mammal that is capable of sustained flight, and bats of various species can be found almost everywhere on Earth. Bats are nocturnal, and are able to fly at low speeds with very good maneuverability. The eyesight of a bat is very weak, and uses sonar in order to navigate. Most bats feed on insects or fruit, but some bats require blood which they get from other animals such as cattle. Related Animals: None Bat Hybrids: A bat hybrid will be covered in dark furred skin. The eyes will be small and the ears large. The character will have wings that are attached directly to the arms, unless the hybrid has additional limbs in which case the hybrid will have separated arms and wings. A homid hybrid will have slightly pointed ears, small eyes, an upturned nose, and dark hair. The canine teeth of the hybrid will be sharper then an average human. Attributes and Techniques: Bats are intelligent and quick. When a bat hybrid is created, the character recieves one free dot to be put into Intelligence, Wits, or Dexterity. When increasing any of these three attributes beyond the natural limits, the bat hybrid only has to pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6 (Dexterity 7), Social 3, Mental 6 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Wing Buffet Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Ear Pop, Eye Rake Grab - Bear Hug, Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Air Smash, Break Fall, Diving Hawk, Flying Body Spear, Flying Head Butt, Flying Heel Stomp, Flying Punch, Light Feet, Thunderstrike Focus - Air Wing, Leech* *Leech can be chosen by bat hybrids, regardless of fighting style, and uses the Animal Hybrids background instead of the Focus technique. Beastial Features: Fangs, claws, wings Natural Abilities: Flight, Radar Sense Frenzy: When driven into a frenzy, a bat hybrid will use the Wing Buffet maneuver the most, along with the Bite and Claw maneuvers. Styles: Bat hybrids are physically weak so they tend to stay away from styles that are best used with power. The more common styles that a bat hybrid is likely to use are: Aikido, Capoeira, Jeet Kune Do, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, Savate, and Wu Shu. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Bat hybrids, being nocturnal, will only come out in the daylight when necessary. They are likely to be nervous and cautious individuals, and can be startled easily. Bear Bears are large, carnivorous mammals that can be found on every continent with the exception of Africa, Antarctica, and Australia. They have short, rounded ears, heavy bodies, and even very short tails that are very difficult to notice. Polar bears, the only variety of bear that swims as part of its lifestyle, can be found on the Arctic coast areas of northern countries, while brown bears can be found plains and forests of the North Temperate Zone. Despite the name, the American black bear varies in color from pure black to pure white. Asiastic black bears can be found in the mountain ranges of Southeast Asia. The sun bear, which is the smallest of the bears, is black with a white or yellow crescent on the chest, and is found from China to Indochina. Related Animals: None Bear Hybrids: A beastial hybrid will feature a heavy body with defined snout, short legs and long arms, thick fur, small eyes and small, round ears. A homid hybrid will have thick hair and a powerful build. The arms will still appear to be longer then the legs. Attributes and Techniques: Bears are very physically powerful and fast. When increasing the character's Strength or Stamina beyond natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that Attribute's current rating, and when increasing the character's Dexterity beyond natural limits, the character only has to pay five times that Attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 7, Social 3, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Ear Pop, Eye Rake Grab - Bear Hug, Brain Cracker, Head Bite, Iron Claw, Jaw Spin, Maul, Pin, Ripping Bite, Stomach Pump, Tearing Bite Athletics - Beast Roll, Druken Monkey Roll, Rolling Attack, Tumbling Attack, Vertical Rolling Attack Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Charge, Enhanced Senses, Resistance to Cold (polar bear hybrids only) Frenzy: A bear will first use a charging attack to close range, and then, if possible, will attempt to use the Maul maneuver. Note that this is an exception to the rule that states an animal hybrid may not use special maneuvers when under frenzy. Styles: Bears are physically powerful and can more easily learn styles that allow them to put that power to good use, particularly styles that are well suited for grappling. Favored styles include Native American Wrestling, the Pankration, Sanbo, and Wrestling. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Bear hybrids will not be particularly aggressive, but can be if properly provoked. They tend to have an overprotectiveness to them, especially female hybrids. If provoked sufficiently, a bear hybrid will not back down from anyone or anything unless a friend or ally is in need of help. Bird Birds come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from a hummingbird to a sparrow to an eagle to a falcon, and there is no possible way that I could describe the many different varieties here. Related Animals: None Bird Hybrids: As there are so many different species of birds, bird hybrids could appear in a variety of ways. Attributes and Techniques: There are many varieties of birds. Some are physically powerful, while others are extremely quick, and others still more intelligent then others, but to simplify things they can easily conform to the rules given in the Player's Guide. Here are some examples: - Eagle (or Falcon, or Hawk, etc). Receives 1 free dot to be put into Strength or Stamina. When increasing Strength, Stamina, or Dexterity beyond natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. - Crow. Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Intelligence. When increasing any of the character's Mental attributes beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. - Small Birds (sparrows, hummingbirds, etc.). Receives 1 free dot to be put into Dexterity. When increasing Dexterity beyond natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Beak, Bite, Claws, Wing Buffet Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Ear Pop Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin Athletics - Air Smash, Break Fall, Diving Hawk, Flying Body Spear, Flying Head Butt, Flying Heel Stomp, Flying Punch, Light Feet, Thunderstrike Focus - Air Wing Beastial Features: Beak, talons (claws), wings Natural Abilities: Flight, Enhanced Vision Frenzy: A bird hybrid will typically use the Bite and Talon when driven to frenzy. Most birds can become Frenzied as per the normal rules, but birds of prey, such as eagles, falcons, and hawks, suffer a -1 penalty when determining Frenzy. Styles: Bird hybrids have a wide variety of available styles, but the most common include: Aikido, Capoeira, Kung Fu, Majestic Crow Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, Special Forces, and Wu Shu. Roleplaying the Hybrid: It is difficult to give any suggestions for roleplaying bird hybrids, as there are so many different birds with different attitudes and habitats. A general rule of thumb would be that larger birds, such as eagles, will be more aggressive and temperamental then smaller ones, such as sparrows or crows. Buffalo The buffalo is the largest animal in North America. The true name of the buffalo is bison. They feature large humps upon their backs, with large heads that have sharp horns that curve outward and up. An adult male will typically be over six feet high on all fours and weigh over 1800 pounds, while a female will be smaller. Related Animals: Oxen, Yak Buffalo Hybrids: A bestial hybrid will be tall, standing over seven feet and very possibly over eight feet tall. The head and upper body will be very well defined and developed, and the hybrid will be covered in a thick brown or black hair. A homid will be much the same, but will lack the horns and the head will be more in proportion to a human. The homid hybrid will still have tick hair, though not as widely spread. Attributes and Techniques: Buffalos are very powerful creatures. They receive 2 free dots, which may be placed in either the Strength or Stamina attributes. They can be distributed as wished, whether it be one dot for each or both dots in a single attribute. When increasing Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 7, Social 3, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Horn Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Ear Pop, Eye Rake Grab - Bear Hug, Brain Cracker, Head Bite, Horn Toss, Maul, Ripping Bite, Stomach Pump Beastial Features: Horn Natural Abilities: Charge Frenzy: A buffalo hybrid under the effects of frenzy will first Charge to close the distance, then attack primarily with the Horn maneuver. Styles: Buffalos find it easier to learn styles that make good use of their strength. Preferred styles include Native American Wrestling, the Pankration, Sanbo, Silat, Special Forces, and Wrestling. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Buffalo hybrids will tend to be calm at most times. While many people believe that buffalo are naturally aggressive, they are not. However, they can become easily provoked. Buffalo hybrids will prefer solitude, and will only be openly friendly with those he knows and is comfortable around. Canine (Dog) Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It would not only be impractical, but nearly impossible, to list details on every specific breed of dog. Wolves are characterized by powerful teeth, bushy tails, and round pupils. Adult male timber wolves, also known as gray wolves, can reach lengths of up to six feet, including tail, while the more common red wolf will typically be closer to the size of a large dog. The names shouldn't fool you; the color of a wolf's hair can be anywhere from solid white to solid black, with lighter colored wolves tending to be timber wolves, and darken colored wolves tending to be red wolves. Wolves are, with a few exceptions, more intelligent then common dogs, and they also tend to be stronger and faster. Coyotes are most active at night, and feature long, pointed ears, sharp teeth, and nearly all coyotes have green eyes. Coyotes reach lengths of up to just over three feet, excluding the tail. The coat and tail of the coyote have black-tipped hairs, while the other fur varies in tone from reddish-blonde to light gray. Foxes are the most clever canines, but at the same time they are the smallest. Foxes are omnivores. The most common variety of fox is the red fox; this variety has black ears and feet, and a black-tipped tail. The coat of the fox is some shade of red, but this is not always the case. The silver fox is a rare variation of the red fox, in which the coat of the animal is a frosted-black color. The second most common fox is the gray fox, which feature coarse, gray coats and is the only canine that can climb trees. Related Animals: Coyote, Fox, Wolf Canine Hybrids: It is difficult to describe the various canines and what the hybrid will look like. The best advice is to use your own common sense to determine the hybrid's opinion. Attributes and Techniques: This varies depending on the type of canine the hybrid is based on. Small dogs, including dachshunds and chihuahuas: Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Dexterity or Intelligence. When increasing the character's Dexterity or Intelligence beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Large dogs, including German shepherds and Dobermans: Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Strength or Stamina. When increasing the character's Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Coyotes: Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Dexterity or Intelligence. When increasing the character's Dexterity or Intelligence beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Foxes: Recieves 2 free dots to be put into Dexterity, Intelligence, or Wits. When increasing any of those three attributes beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Wolves: Recieves 2 free dots to be put into Strength, Stamina, Dexterity, or Intelligence. When increasing any of those four attributes beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Mental 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Pounce Focus - Stunning Shout Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Enhanced Senses, Running, Climbing (gray fox hybrids only) Frenzy: A canine hybrid can use pounce only on an opponent who is still on his feet. Otherwise, the canine will use the bite and claw maneuvers. Styles: Canines are very versatile when it comes to learning styles; they have no particularly difficulty or ease learning any particular style. Roleplaying the Hybrid: The attitude of dog hybrids varies greatly. Many are very friendly. On the other hand, many are very aggressive, while some don't seem to go either way. Coyote hybrids will be territorial, yet not terribly aggressive. Fox hybrids will tend to be cautious and perhaps even shy, while wolf hybrids will almost always be aggressive. Deer Deer are common animals, most often characterized by the branching antlers atop the heads of the male of the deer species. Female deer are called Does, while male deer are known as Bucks. Deer are hunted for sport and for meat, and this hunting also ensures that there is not an over-population problem among the deer population. Male deer use their antlers in order to make territorial markings and in order to combat other males. Different varieties of deer include the white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed deer, the American elk, the moose (which is known as elk in northern Europe), reindeer, and caribou. Related Animals: Moose, Elk, Reindeer, Caribou Deer Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will tend to have lithe, compact bodies. They will feature spaced eyes on a muzzled head, as well as large antlers should the hybrid be an adult male. The ears of the hybrid will be pointed and stick straight up atop the head. Homid hybrids will also have compact bodies and powerful legs. The eyes will be slightly more spaced then on an average human, and the hybrid's ears will be slightly pointed. Attributes and Techniques: The hybrid recieves 2 free dots to be put into Strength, Stamina, Dexterity, or Intelligence. When increasing Strength, Stamina, or Dexterity beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Mental 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Antler Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Horn Toss, Maul Athletics - Light Feet Beastial Features: Antlers Natural Abilities: Enhanced Senses, Running Frenzy: The deer hybrid will first use a charge in order to close distance, and will then attack primarily with the antler slash maneuver. Styles: Deer conform to the Common Styles listed in the Player's Guide, page 25. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, and Western Kickboxing. Feline (Cat) Like dogs, it would be impractical to describe every variety of cat, but most have roughly the same characteristics. Cats are carnivorous animals that are popular for their ability to hunt mice and rats. The body of a cat is extremely flexible; it has more then 230 bones. Cats feature powerful muscles that give the cat its leaping ability and speed. The cat has excellent night, peripheral, and binocular vision that allows the cat to judge distances correctly. The hearing and sense of smell on a cat is also heightened. The whiskers of a cat are extremely sensitive, and are used to test obstacles and to sense environmental changes. The bobcat and Lynx are both similar to typical housecats, although they are a bit larger. Cheetahs are large, spotted cats. The cheetah is the fastest mammal in the world and can reach speeds of anywhere from fifty to seventy-five miles per hour. The jaguar is the largest and most powerful American feline. They are found in from the southern United States to northern Argentina. The coat of the jaguar varies in color from yellow to rusty-red, with an uncommon occurrence of black. The lion is referred to as the "king of the beasts" due to its size, power, and magnificence. Once plentiful, wild lions are now limited to Africa, with the exception of a single sanctuary in India. The coat of a lion is typically a yellow color. Adult males can be identified by the mane surrounding the lion's head. Related Animals: Bobcat, cougar, jaguar, lion, lynx, panther, puma, tiger Feline Hybrids: It is difficult to describe the various felines and what the hybrid will look like. The best advice is to use your own common sense to determine the hybrid's opinion. Attributes and Techniques: This varies depending on the type of canine the hybrid is based on. Typical Housecat, bobcat, or lynx: Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Dexterity or Athletics. When increasing the character's Dexterity or Athletics beyond the natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that attribute's current rating. Large cats, excluding cheetahs: Recieves 1 free dot to be put into Strength, Stamina, Dexterity, or Athletics. When increasing the character's Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. When increasing the character's Dexterity or Athletics the character must only pay five times that attribute's current rating. Cheetahs: Recieves 2 free dots to be put into Strength, Stamina, Dexterity, or Athletics. When increasing any of those four attributes beyond the natural limits, the character must only pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Mental 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Pounce Focus - Balance, Stunning Shout (lion hybrids only) Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Enhanced Senses, Running Frenzy: A feline hybrid will use the bite and claw maneuvers as appropriate while under the effects of frenzy. Styles: Felines tend to take advantage of styles that best suit their own abilities. Typical house cats and dexterous large cats tend to take styles that give an advantage to their own speed and agility, while felines such as lions and tigers use styles that allow them to use their strength advantageously. This results in a wide variety of styles that include: Aikido, Baraqah, Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Lua, Ninjitsu, the Pankration, Sanbo, Savate, Special Forces, Thai Kickboxing, Western Kickboxing, and Wu Shu. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Feline hybrids will be social, but at the same time very independent. They will not like being told what to do, and are very likely to completely ignore someone for little or no reason. Other then that, feline hybrids may be caring or uncaring, aggressive or not aggressive, or simply indifferent. Frog There are hundreds of different species of frogs throughout the world. Frogs are usually small with bulging eyes and smooth, moist skin, with small, external eardrums behind the eyes. Young frogs feature short, stubby tails; adult frogs do not. Most species of frogs can make long leaps with their hind legs. Most frogs are very vocal, especially male frogs. The long tongue of the frog is covered with a sticky substance which allows it to catch insects to feed on. Related Animals: None. Frog Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will feature huge bulbous eyes with a short and thick neck. The skin of the hybrid will be especially smooth. The body will be round. There will be three fingers on the hands and feet. Homid hybrids will feature bulging eyes. The character will be completely bald, with a flat nose and ears, thin arms and legs, and are most likely to have only three fingers and toes. Attributes and Techniques: Frogs generally fall under the normal rules as found in the Player's Guide, pages 21 through 25. However, frog hybrids do not have 1 free dot for athletics. Instead, the character recieves 1 free dot to be put into the Kick technique. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Mental 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tongue Lash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Bear Hug, Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Tongue Throw Athletics - Air Smash, Drunken Monkey Roll, Flying Heel Stomp, Pounce, Wall Spring Focus - Acid Breath, Regeneration, Toughskin, Venom Beastial Features: Claw, tongue Natural Abilities: Resistance to Cold, Swimming, Wall Climbing (some species) Frenzy: A frog hybrid will use any of the basic maneuvers when under frenzy. Styles: Frogs will use styles that benefit their leg strength; therefore, frog hybrids will prefer styles with a multitude of kicks, including: Capoeira, Jeet Kune Do, Kung Fu, Majestic Crow Kung Fu, Savate, Special Forces, Thai Kickboxing, Western Kickboxing, and Wu Shu. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Frog hybrids will tend to be very calm and patient. They will rarely ever overreact to any situation. They will speak with a slow, steady voice. Most frog hybrids will tend to stay away from most combat that does not bring some form of reward, whether that rewards is material or not, such as honor or glory. Lizard There are many varieties of lizards, over 3,000 species in fact. Lizards are reptiles and have dry, scaly skin and clawed feet on four legs. Some lizards, which have only vestigial legs, can appear to be snakes but are set apart from them by moveable eyelids. Lizards are generally harmless and aid humans by controlling insect populations. Lizards come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, some lizards being even as large as small dogs. The frilled lizard differs from most other lizards by the layer of skin that can puff up around the lizard's head, creating a "mane" around the lizard's neck. Related Animals: Chameleon Lizard Hybrids: Due to the large amount of lizards, this can very greatly. It is best to use your own common sense to determine just what a particular lizard hybrid would appear like. Attributes and Techniques: Lizard hybrids are created just as described in the Player's Guide, pages 21 through 25. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tongue Lash, Tail Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab: Head Bite, Jaw Spin Athletics: Dragon's Tail, Croc Roll, Drunken Monkey Roll, Tail Sweep, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike, Pounce Focus: Acid Breath, Balance, Cobra's Charm, Venom Beastial Features: Claws, tongue Natural Abilities: Camouflage (Chameleon hybrids only) Resistance to Heat, Wall Climbing, Swimming, Regeneration Frenzy: A lizard hybrid will attack primarily with Claw and Tail Slash attacks when under the effects of Frenzy. Styles: Lizards may use a wide variety of styles. Some of the more likely styles are: Aikido, Capoeira, Jeet Kune Do, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, Sanbo, Shotokan Karate, Special Forces, and Wu Shu. Roleplaying the Hybrid: There are many varieties of lizard, but most will be non-aggressive for the most part, although some will be very aggressive. The attitude of a lizard hybrid could be extremely varied. Mole Moles are small, burrowing mammals. They feature a pointed snout, soft fur, short legs, and long, powerful claws on the front two feet. They use their long claws to create elaborate, many chambered burrows. Related Animals: None Mole Hybrids: Mole hybrids will have large claws on the hands, a large snout, short legs and velvety fur. Homid hybrids will have a lot of hair, claw-like hands, short legs, a long nose and small eyes. Attributes and Techniques: Mole hybrids are created just as hybrids are described in the Player's Guide, pages 21 through 25. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab: Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Drunken Monkey Roll, Pounce Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Tunneling Frenzy: A mole hybrid will almost exclusively use the Claw maneuver when under the effects of Frenzy. Styles: Mole hybrids conform to the "Common Styles for Animal Hybrids," given on page 25 of the Player's Guide. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, Western Kickboxing. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Mole hybrids will be cautious and somewhat nervous most of the time. Opossum Opossums, also commonly referred to as 'possums, are marsupial mammals, meaning that have an abdominal pouch in which to carry their young. The two front feet of the opossum have five toes with claws, and the back feet have four clawed toes and a nailess, opposable toe. The opossum has a slender face and long, hairless ears. The fur of the opossum typically varies from white to silver. Related Animals: None Opossum Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will feature a long triangular head. The jaw will be filled with tiny, sharp teeth and a long, naked tail. Homid hybrids will have a long face and slightly pointed ears. Attributes and Techniques: Opossum hybrids are created just as hybrids are described in the Player's Guide, pages 21 through 25. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tail Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab: Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Dragon's Tail, Tail Sweep, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike Beastial Features: Fangs, claws, tail Natural Abilities: Tunneling, Enhanced Senses, Play Dead, Prehensile Tail Frenzy: Opossum hybrids are most likely to use bite attacks when under the effects of frenzy. Styles: Opossum hybrids conform to the "Common Styles for Animal Hybrids," given on page 25 of the Player's Guide. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, Western Kickboxing. Roleplaying the Hybrid: Opossum hybrids will prefer to be loners, and will generally be very untrusting. They will be cold to just about anyone around them. Only when a strong friendship or other such bond is developed, will an opossum hybrid treat another person kindly. Porcupine Porcupines are rodents with barbed quills covering the back and sides and in some species, from the head to the tail. The quills are erected with the muscles of the porcupine, and the ends of the quills have hundreds of barbs. The two general groups of porcupines are the Eurasian and the American porcupines. The Eurasian species of porcupines range through the forests of southern Europe and Asia, Africa, and Indonesia. The American species of porcupines inhabit North, Central, and South America. Related Animals: None Porcupine Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will feature long, barbed quills, a snouted face, and a furry tail. Homid hybrids will feature dark thick hair, slightly pointed small ears, and strong features. Attributes and Techniques: Porcupine hybrids are created just as hybrids are described in the Player's Guide, pages 21 through 25. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Quill Sweep, Tail Slash Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab: Head Bite, Iron Claw, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Beast Roll, Dragon's Tail, Quill Flex, Quill Toss, Rolling Attack, Tail Sweep, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike, Vertical Rolling Attack Beastial Features: Fangs, claws, quills, tail Natural Abilities: Enhanced Senses, Quill Defense Frenzy: Porcupine hybrids will most likely attempt to use the Quill Slash maneuver, but it is also possible to use Ducking Quill Flex, Quill Flex, and Quill Toss as well. These three maneuvers are exceptions from the frenzy rules which state that no special maneuvers may be used. Styles: Porcupine hybrids are likely to study nearly any martial arts, but preferred styles include: Baraqah, Capoeira, Jeet Kune Do, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Sanbo, Shotokan Karate, Special Forces, and Wrestling. Rabbit (Hare) Rabbits and hares are common furred herbivorous mammals with long ears and short tails. The hare is generally larger then the rabbit, has longer ears then the rabbit, and has a distinctly different skull. The most common rabbit in North America is the cottontail. The snowshoe rabbit is actually the varying hare, and is also common in North America. The fastest of the rabbits and hares is the jackrabbit, which can reach speeds of about 45 mph and can leap about 15 to 20 feet in a single jump. At least 66 varieties of the domesticated rabbit are derived from a wild rabbit native to Europe and Africa. Rabbits are breed as pets, for genetic studies, for laboratory experiments, and for their meet and fur. Rabbits and hares come in a wide variety of colors, coat, and the style of the ears. Related Animals: None Rabbit Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will feature widely spaced eyes, long ears and long whiskers, and powerful hind legs and a small furry tail. Homid hybrids will feature slightly pointed, large ears, spaced eyes, and powerful legs. Attributes and Techniques: Rabbit hybrids receive 1 free dot that can be put into Dexterity, Athletics, or the Kick technique. When increasing any of these beyond the natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Kick - Lightning Leg Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Pounce Beastial Features: Bite, claw Natural Abilities: Enhanced Senses, Running Frenzy: Rabbit hybrids follow the normal rules given for an animal hybrid under frenzy, as presented in the Player's Guide, page 24. Styles: Rabbit hybrids will use styles that benefit their leg strength; therefore, rabbit hybrids will prefer styles with a multitude of kicks, including: Capoeira, Jeet Kune Do, Kung Fu, Majestic Crow Kung Fu, Savate, Special Forces, Thai Kickboxing, Western Kickboxing, and Wu Shu. Raccoon The raccoon is a mammal found in most regions of North, Central, and South America. The raccoon's head is broad, with short, pointed ears and a pointed muzzle. The body of the raccoon is short and plump with long-haired fur and a bushy tail. The legs are short. The fur of the raccoon is usually grayish-brown above and light gray below, with black eye patches, dark eyes, and white whiskers. The tail is marked with brownish-black rings. Related Animals: None Raccoon Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will have plump bodies covered with long, thick fur. Black patches will be over the raccoon's eyes, and the hybrid will have short arms and legs with five fingers and toes. Homid hybrids will feature short, plumps bodies. Hair will be long and thick with slightly pointed ears. Attributes and Techniques: Rabbit hybrids receive 1 free dot that can be put into Dexterity, Athletics, or any mental attribute. When increasing one of the character's mental attributes beyond the natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that attribute's normal amount. When increasing the character's Dexterity or Athletics, the character must only pay five times that attribute's normal amount. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Drunken Monkey Roll, Pounce Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Climbing, Enhanced Senses Frenzy: Raccoon hybrids follow the normal rules given for an animal hybrid under frenzy, as presented in the Player's Guide, page 24. Styles: Raccoons are very adaptable, and raccoon hybrids will have no trouble learning any particular style, but the most likely styles that a raccoon hybrid will know include: Aikido, Baraqah, Capoeira, Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, Sanbo, Savate, Shotokan Karate, Special Forces, and Wu Shu. Rhinoceros Rhinoceros', commonly known simply as Rhinos, are massive, heribervous animals. Rhinos are peaceful and timid unless threatened, at which time they become extremely aggressive. The rhino features a large body and four short legs, along with one or two horns on the animal's snout. The thick skin of the rhino will vary in color from gray to brown. While rhinos have particularly poor vision, they have an acute sense of smell to make up for this. In general, rhinos are solitary animals, but may form small herds when living in grassland areas. Five species of rhinoceros exist: three in Asia and the Malay Archipelago, and two in tropical Africa. Four of the five species of rhinoceros are near extinction because of a large market in Asia for the animal's horns. Related Animals: None Rhinoceros Hybrids: A beastial rhinoceros hybrid will have very thick skin on a large, powerful body. The head will be large, with a large muzzle with one or two long horns. The hands and toes will have three digits. Homid hybrids will have a large jaw, a powerful body, small eyes, and have short, but powerful arms and legs. The hybrid will have no hair, and is likely to only have three digits on each hand and foot. Attributes and Techniques: Rhinos are very strong, and receive one free dot that may be put into Strength or Stamina. When increasing the hybrid's Strength or Stamina beyond the natural limits, the character only has to pay four times that attribute's current rating. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 7, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Horn Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite, Horn Toss, Maul Focus - Toughskin Beastial Features: Fangs, Claw, Horn Natural Abilities: Charge, Natural Armor 3 Frenzy: Rhino hybrids will typically use the charge natural ability to close the distance between the enraged hybrid's target, and will then most likely use the horn attack. Styles: Rhinoceros hybrids find it easier to learn styles that make good use of their strength. Preferred styles include Native American Wrestling, the Pankration, Sanbo, Silat, Special Forces, and Wrestling. Rodent Rodents include several species of small, scavenger mammals. Rodents feature two pairs of broad, sharp incisor teeth used for gnawing vegetation. There are over 2000 species of rodents worldwide. Related Animals: Mouse, Rat, Guinea Pig, Hamsters, and many others. Rodent Hybrids: Rodent hybrids can vary quite a bit in features. Bestial hybrids will always have thick fur, the color of which can be nearly any color, and the broad incisors found on all rodents. They will always feature a tail, which is commonly (though not always) void of any fur, and may in fact be very small. Homid hybrids will have thick hair, small eyes, slightly pointed ears, and larger then average incisors. Attributes and Techniques: Rodents comply to the rules for animal hybrids found on pages 21 - 25 of the Player's Guide. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw, Tail Slash (see bestial features) Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Dragon's Tail, Drunken Monkey Roll, Tail Sweep, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike, Pounce Beastial Features: Fangs, claws, tails (the tails of some rodents are not suitable to use in combat. Rats and mice, which have no hair covering their tails, will have this with no problems). Natural Abilities: Climbing, gnawing Frenzy: Rodent hybrids follow the normal rules given on page 24 of the Player's Guide. Styles: Rodent hybrids conform to the common styles given on page 25 of the Player's Guide. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, and Western Kickboxing. Squid The main feature of the Squid are its eight long tentacles. They feature large heads, as well as bigger then average brains for other underwater life of comparative size. Related Animals: Octopus Squid Hybrids: Squid hybrids will always look strange. No matter how close to a homid form, will still have an unusually large head. As the hybrid becomes closer to full beastial form, the body will become softer, multiple limbs will appear, and the most beastial forms of squid hybrids will have tentacles with soft bodies. Attributes and Techniques: Squid comply to the rules for animal hybrids found on pages 21 - 25 of the Player's Guide. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Beak, tentacle lash Common Special Maneuvers: Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Dragon's Tail, Drunken Monkey Roll, Tail Sweep, Typhoon Tail, Upper Tail Strike, Pounce Beastial Features: Beak, tentacles. Note that Squid hybrids are still able to use punch and kick techniques. This will be done by using lower tentacles as "legs" for kicks, and higher tentacles as "fists" for punches. Natural Abilities: Swimming, Gills, Additional Limbs Frenzy: Squid hybrids follow the normal rules given on page 24 of the Player's Guide. Styles: Squid hybrids conform to the common styles given on page 25 of the Player's Guide. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, and Western Kickboxing. Squirrel Squirrels are rodents, but are presented separately from the other rodents for various reasons. Squirrels belong to the same family as rodents that is shared by the marmot, chipmunk, and prairie dog. There are actually three groups of squirrels: the ground squirrels, the tree squirrels, and the flying squirrels. Squirrels can usually be distinguished from other rodents by their large, bushy tails. Except for ground squirrels, the animals live in trees, and in colder climates only the ground squirrel will hibernate. The flying squirrel feature a folder layer of loose skin along each side of the body, from the front to the hind legs. When outstretched, this skin allows the flying squirrel to glide, the feature that gave the animal its common name. Related Animals: Marmot, Chipmunk, Prairie Dog Squirrel Hybrids: Beastial hybrids will have a snouted face, spaced eyes, pointed ears, a flexible body, and a long bushy tail. Homid hybrids will have sharp features, thick hair, and be more flexible then most humans. Attributes and Techniques: Squirrels comply to the rules for animal hybrids found on pages 21 - 25 of the Player's Guide. Natural Attribute Limits: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 5 Basic Maneuvers: Bite, Claw Common Special Maneuvers: Punch - Eye Rake Grab - Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Bear Hug, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Drunken Monkey Roll, Pounce Common Special Maneuvers - Flying Squirrels only: Punch - Ear Pop, Eye Rake Grab - Bear Hug, Head Bite, Jaw Spin, Ripping Bite, Tearing Bite Athletics - Air Smash, Break Fall, Diving Hawk, Flying Body Spear, Flying Head Butt, Flying Heel Stomp, Flying Punch, Light Feet, Thunderstrike Beastial Features: Fangs, claws Natural Abilities: Climbing, gnawing, gliding (flying squirrels only) Frenzy: Squirrel hybrids follow the normal rules given on page 24 of the Player's Guide. Styles: Squirrel hybrids conform to the common styles given on page 25 of the Player's Guide. These include Sanbo, Wu Shu, Shotokan Karate, Kung Fu, Native American Wrestling, Capoeira, Special Forces Training, and Western Kickboxing. FICTION: LEGENDS OF THE CIRCUIT Contributed by ArkonDLoC (ArkonDLoC@aol.com) Welcome to the third installment of Legends of the Circuit! The time has come to share a secret with you: This isn't supposed to be my section. This is supposed to be YOUR section. When you run games and the Characters meet a veteran of the circuit and he tells them a story what kind of story is it? When you play and your character starts telling stories what are those stories? Even if you don't have stories to tell, there are stories you want to hear, but I can't tell them unless you ask me to. This is supposed to be your section: what do you want in it? Our story today is being told in the First Round (a bar for Street Fighters; see Contenders) over a nice meal. Several Fighters, lured by the promise of a free meal, sit at the table. Emanuel Raverez, a Capoeira stylist new to the Circuit, begins telling his story while his audience enjoys a free dinner. The Lost World "My father was an archeologist. When he was a young man, he joined an expedition into the Andes to find the ruins of a lost tribe. The group was poorly supplied, and the leader, a cruel man named Christopher Talison, was obsessed with finding the legendary treasure of the tribe. As the group traveled into the mountains the food began to run out. "The men wanted to return but Talison was determined to succeed at any cost, even murder. When one of the climbers fell to his death, several of the men started a mutiny. This was before Street Fighters were common, so they thought that since Talison had no gun he could not fight them. Talison gave them a rude introduction to Kabaddi. Sometime during the fight, my father fell off the edge of the mountain trail. "He survived the fall through luck, but broke his leg. He spent days lost in the mountains until just after the start of an ice storm when he took cover in a cave. In the cave he found ... This. At the time he didn't know it was the claw of a Deinonychus, and when he found it, it was attached to a reptilian body still decaying in the cave. "Realizing that there may be more such monsters in the cave, my father loaded his gun and creeped deeper into the cave. If he had to fight monsters it would be on his terms. The cavern as like a maze, but eventually he found an opening that lead out. He stepped onto a ledge over a jungle, a jungle so hot he was certain he had somehow come out in Brazil's rain forest. In the distance he could see pyramids of gold, so many they were like a city. And in the air he saw reptilian beasts flying, some were dinosaurs he later learned the names of. Others were ... the only word to describe them is dragons. "He wandered the land, hiding from the many creatures he saw, as he made his way to the city in the distance. Before he found the city, he was found. A native tribe found him, they took him to their village. Though he could not speak their language they showed him every hospitality. After the feast they held they let him watch their dances and listen to their songs. Sometime during the celebration he fell asleep. "He awoke on a mountain plain in Peru, not even a mile from a ranger station. He forgot about his leg for a moment and headed to the station. After a few steps he remembered his injury, only to realize his leg had been healed. "Ever since then he has tried to find the 'Lost World' he saw. His last search was five years ago, and he has not returned. I'm starting an expedition to find him, and I need brave volunteers to accompany me. Are any of you looking for an adventure?" ADVENTURES: HOOK, LINE, AND SINKERS Racing the Bullet Contributed by ArkonDLoC Hook: A panicked man runs to the PCs and tries to tell them something. Although his panic keeps him from actually giving them much information (Talk very fast and mangle some words) he gives them a time and place. Line: Before the informant can say much more he is gunned down by a Biker who races off. Sinker: The PCs have less than two hours to stop an assassination (it could be a political figure or one of their backers). Time is of the essence, keep the story fast paced. There are two assassins, one (the Biker) will try to keep the PCs busy while his partner commits the crime. Homecoming Contributed by ArkonDLoC This is a good story for PCs who are willing to talk to their enemies. It can be a good way to introduce Darkstalkers, or just to show a past enemy in a sympathetic light. *Note: The story as written is highly dependent on supernatural aspects. Avoiding those aspects can be done by changing the villain's MO from Life-Draining to Poison and devising a different goal for the villain.* Hook: The Characters spot a Rival/Enemy (it must be someone they don't like and will want to confront. If the NPC is part of a team, she is seen alone). The NPC, if confronted, has no will to fight and will try to escape. If the Players make escape impossible the NPC will plead to be left alone, she claims to only be in town to visit her sick father. Line: The NPC's elderly Father is on his deathbed, if the Players spy on her they see a very emotional scene where the grief-stricken NPC begs her dying Father for forgiveness (if they don't she approaches them later, greatly aged and on the verge of death. She utters the word "save..." before dying). The Father says "I forgave that long ago, it no longer matters, now you have to stop ..." at that point he screams and clutches at his heart before dying. Sinker: The NPC's Father had a mistress (in my Chonicle it's a young woman named 'Morrigan'...), too late he learned what she truly was: a Succubus. The NPC tries to unravel the mystery, with the PC's help of course. As the NPC's Brother wastes away they learn the creature's true target: the NPC's young nephew. The Demoness wants the Child's innocent soul (If the NPC is part of a team they can show up for the confrontation if the PCs need help). Head of the Class Contributed by ArkonDLoC This story requires one of the PCs to have a Sensei. It works best for a character who holds his Sensei in high regard (and has earned his Sensei's respect). Hook: One Character's Sensei tells him to return so he can learn "one last maneuver." Line: The Master has grown gravely ill and fears he will not live much longer. Before he dies he wants to pass on a Special Maneuver (best if it's a very rare or unique Maneuver). Sinker: The Master's illness is not natural, he is being poisoned by one of his other students. The poisoner has been a student longer than the PC and is jealous of his rival's progress. He began poisoning the Master so the old man would teach him the Maneuver. When the PC is chosen to learn it the Poisoner is consumed by envy and jealousy. He is a cunning and devious foe, who will do anything to eliminate his competition. The PCs should be unaware of their foes identity for as long as possible (and the Master undoubtedly has other students with far more Honor). THE WORLD: NEW VILLIANS Submitted by Azathoth05@aol.com Tired of Shadowloo being behind almost every little crime, and all of the big ones? Well here are some other evil adversaries to give your players grief. Some are even feared by Bison himself! The Assassin's Guild Overview: The Assassins Guild is a shadowy organization of Gun Gods, Duelists, and Street Fighters who use their talents to murder for money. All members are branded with a symbol designating their "school", usually an image such as a rose or star or a symbol of the zodiac. There are about two dozen schools known to exist, and each specializes in a different aspect of murder or concentrates in a different area of the world. For instance, the Gemini school uses the art of disguise and impersonation to get close to the victim, and has been known to stay in a role for months before assassinating their target. A school is made up of about 6 to 12 assassins led by a schoolmaster. Each school has it's own hand signals and code words, and basically keeps to themselves. Procedures: Contracts are drawn up by middlemen who have never actually met a member of the Guild. The leaders of the Guild are known as The Hub. The Hub take contacts over the Internet from the middlemen, perform wire transfers of cash from the client to their Swiss accounts and then to the schoolmaster, and decide which school will perform the assignment. The schoolmaster receives the assignment and assigns an assassin to the job. In this way The Hub knows nothing about the actual assassins working for a particular school, and only the schoolmaster knows how to contact the Hub. Thus, if a single assassin is brought down, the guild survives. Everything rests on the Schoolmaster, as he is responsible for ensuring the success of his assignments, and will punish failure severely in order to make sure his reputation with the Hub is good, even if he has to pay another assassin double (out of his own pocket!) to finish the job someone else started and failed. These are the most brutal assignments as the target's security will be tighter after a botched job, and the original assassin (quite possibly a friend or acquaintance of the replacement killer) may try to redeem himself by getting to the target first, or even have to be hunted down himself! Plot Hook: Plot hooks with the Assassin's Guild are easy. Either the PC's are protecting (or are!) a target of the guild, or else they are being sought for recruitment. Protecting a target is difficult because the Guild does not give up easily, and even if an entire school is defeated, another may be called in (after a time, of course) to complete the assignment. They do NOT like loose ends. A good option is to put a time limit on the hit, like "kill him before he testifies." That way the PC's only have to protect the target for a while before the heat lays off. On the other hand, successfully defeating an entire school may make the characters a target for recruitment. Recruitment requires being hunted one at a time by several members of a school and surviving the encounter. In such a trial the assassins rarely fight to the death, realizing that a close fight may mean that the PC is almost worthy of joining but may need just a little more time before he's good enough. If he survives the encounters, he is asked to join. They will respect his decision either way and let him go unharmed, although anyone he was protecting will once again be fair game. However, they will continue to keep an eye on the character and will ask him once a year to reconsider. If he failed the tests, he will instead be marked as weak and hunted without mercy. [Good reference material: The Big Hit, Grosse Point Blank, Crying Freeman, Replacement Killers] Relationship to other organizations: Other Assassin Schools: All schools have a mutual respect for each other. If a school needs help from another school, they will contact the Hub and the Hub will locate a school nearby. Normally, this will not happen unless the school is in dire straits or needs many operatives with different skills for a big assignment. If a member of the Guild declares that a target is under his protection, other members will abort the hit and report back to their schoolmaster, who will confirm the relationship. If true (say the target is the father of another school's schoolmaster), the hit will be aborted and the client's money refunded. If abused or fraudulent(don't kill my downstairs neighbor because he still owes me $100), the offending Guild member will be ordered by his schoolmaster to perform the hit for free or else become a target himself. Two schools have never gone to war over this. The two schoolmasters always reach some kind of agreement, and the Guild members are all smart enough to abide by it, or at least quickly disassociate themselves from those who don't. One such conflict was averted by the Guild member ordering a hit on the client and then performing it first, allowing him to cancel the first hit, keep the money, and keep his uncle safe. The Organization: There are no ties to The Organization, and although the Hub knows of its existence, sees no reason to interact one way or the other. Shadowloo: Shadowloo has both hired and been targeted by the Assassin's Guild, depending on who's doing the hiring. The Hub rarely turns down a legitimate contract, and so Shadowloo doesn't take action against the Guild itself, but attempts to identify and destroy their client instead. However, one Southeast Asian school that targeted Shadowloo quite a bit has disappeared. Rumors abound that the Schoolmaster was taken and interrogated by Bison's Theons to learn the names of all the assassins and Vega's Ninjas wiped them out, or that the assassins all perished one at a time trying to fulfill a contract on Sagat. Anything is possible. Demons: At least one school knows of the existence of demons, and actively seeks to take contracts against them and other supernatural predators. This school, the School of the Crescent Moon, is the preferred choice by the Hub when "special" situations arise. They use a lot of silver bullets, blades, and a few fire elementals to even the odds against their more powerful foes. Occasionally, when the target is using scores of mundane bodyguards for additional protection, other schools may be brought in to aid them. All members of the Crescent Moon are immune to Delirium and other debilitating effects, and have produced many legendary warriors. K'nor of the Searing Fist, a fighter from Tibet who has incinerated many a vampire with his Flaming Dragon Punch and Fire Strike, is one such warrior. The Demons hate these warriors, but also fear them. The Organization Overview: The Organization is a large and mysterious criminal empire that has the power to rival Shadowloo. The Organization appears in the Battle Arena Toshinden anime (I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to play duelist characters) and basically is to those characters what Shadowloo is to the World Warriors. The Organization uses science in attempts to create the ultimate soldier. They often experiment with cybernetics and bio-engineering. Animal Hybrids are possible but rarely created, since perfecting the human warrior is their ultimate goal. Currently most of their funding is being poured into the man-machine project, which hopes to create the ultimate soldier through genetic engineering and cybernetic enhancement. The man-machines are classed as Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma Units. The Alpha units are the most powerful and can easily best all but the toughest world warriors. The Beta units are slightly less powerful but are more plentiful than the alpha units. The Delta Units are the generic shock troops-a dime a dozen, and unfortunately still tough enough to give the average beginning street fighter a hard time. The Gamma units are scouts. They are weak in combat but cheap to maintain, and have a very important purpose. The current head of the man- machine project is Lady Uranus, a mysterious and powerful figure who seems to have a disturbingly intimate knowledge of Bison, his tactics, and his master plans. The Organization is extremely difficult to track down and has large bases all over the world hidden away in secluded locations. Procedures: To achieve this goal of cresting the ultimate soldier, the Organization sends out cyborg soldiers, called man-machines, to test the strength of fighters around the world. They begin by sending scouts (Gamma Units) out to watch fighters for a while. The best are then approached by Beta Units for recruitment into the Betas. If they refuse and are deemed too good to lose, Lady Uranus will send Betas and Alphas to break their spirit and their psyche and then, once they are insane, convert them into an Alpha Unit. Personnel: Lady Uranus: Lady Uranus heads the man-machine project. She is a being of incredible powers and intellect, and always has a contingency plan or escape route prepared. She likes to manipulate her foes, or strike through her man-machines, and avoids open combat whenever possible. She constantly wears an amused expression, which is quite unnerving, and is very difficult to surprise or impress. She gets her funds from a mysterious group of businessmen and military officers who are interested in her "research". Gaia: Gaia was the old head of the organization. He was betrayed by Uranus and now seeks to recruit fighters to challenge the organization so that he may once again take it over. He is a powerful fighter and a man of honor. If he has any weakness at all, it is his daughter, Ellis. Man-Machine Alpha Units: There were less than half a dozen of these units in existence, and each is unique. These are the ultimate prototypes, crammed with the knowledge of every maneuver ever witnessed by a Man-Machine Unit and deadly in the extreme. Each has a tremendous capacity for destruction, and a twisted, limited psyche. They are either vat-grown experiments or volunteers who have given into their psychosis. Lady Uranus takes these poor souls and shapes them into instruments of mass destruction, often using them to perform missions for hire which help fund her research. Only governments and large criminal cartels have the resources to hire the organization for a job, and the clients are always satisfied (and usually amazed) with the results. Man-Machine Beta Units: The Beta Units are incredibly dangerous, for while they may be weaker physically, the Beta Units retain their mental faculties and independent thought, and are not quite so marked by insanity as the Alpha units. There are only two dozen or so Beta Units in the world, as they require willing and loyal subjects. Man-Machine Delta Units: The Delta Units are all vat-grown clones, and all share the same genetic makeup. This does not, however, make them any less dangerous. While they all share the same attributes, skills, and basic training, they too gain the benefits of the recorded data from the Gamma Units, which means that they may be able to defend against powerful attacks or even perform the same maneuvers as the heroes! These units are typically held in reserve for defense. The Beta Units are much better at performing missions subtlety, and one Beta is as good as six Delta Units anyway. All Delta Units wear a traditional garb consisting of a white top that covers and conceals the head and brown pants. Underneath the hood, of course, they all look the same. They are trained with assault rifles and a large number of melee weapons. Delta Units follow orders well and are not good at thinking on their own, but can be formidable in large groups. Man-Machine Gamma Units: These man-machine scouts are not very tough, but they have an important purpose. They have advanced video and transmitting gear built into their skull that can record and relay a fighter's skills to the Organization's headquarters through satellites. Any maneuver witnessed by the scout can then be programmed into a man-machine warrior for later use. Often a scout will follow a team around for a few weeks, paying careful attention. They are cautious but are fairly obvious if you know what to look for. They all have wiring from their left temple to the back of their skull, where the transmitting equipment is. Most wear hoods or baseball caps to hide the majority of the implants. In Game Terms: Any maneuver witnessed by or used against a man-machine unit that is successfully transmitted back to headquarters allows all future man-machines (from Alpha to Gamma) a cumulative +1 soak bonus against that maneuver. Example-A cheesy street fighter takes out a Gamma Unit by using three consecutive leg sweeps. When The Organization sends their new man-machine warrior against that street fighter (or any other using the same style), he will be at +3 soak against leg sweeps. It takes a couple days for the computer to collate the information so only new man-machines and those that go back for program updates will receive the benefits, they can't learn as they fight (except for Alphas who can adjust immediately). The Storyteller should keep a note of each style the players have and the moves they have. Every time the move is done against a man-machine, make a note of it. After a while those warriors will get pretty tough to beat. The soak bonus goes by style not individual fighter, so if five different Wrestlers do a pin, the man-machine is +5 to soak pins from Wrestlers, but not vs. Sanbo or Native American Wrestlers. Variations of the same move such as regular and jumping short kicks and hurricane kicks and air hurricane kicks are treated separately. So if a character upgrades to Turbo spinning clothesline, a warrior with a +5 soak worth his regular spinning clothesline would get no bonus. Warriors record information just like scouts. When a scout loses half his health, he must make a stamina check for each subsequent move that he wants to record(warriors are tougher and keep recording). A failed roll means the camera or transmitter failed. The knock out move usually will not transmit. After being defeated, the man-machine's head will start to spark, and will explode on the next turn with a speed of 0. Anyone caught in a 5 hex radius takes 5 aggravated damage (it's a mostly localized explosion). Plot Hooks: Plot Hooks involving the Organization could come in a number of forms. The characters could be followed by a Gamma Unit, or hear rumors of them. They may choose to investigate, or may run into a Beta Unit on a mission. A missing friend or sparring partner could wind up in the hands of Lady Uranus as a possible Alpha or Beta Unit. Perhaps they help a rouge Beta in trouble? Another plot could be that Gaia is back and once again is using a tournament to recruit fighters to help him take back control of the organization. Relationships to other organizations: Shadowloo: A big rival of Shadowloo, they are basically seeking the same ends with similar means. Bison wants to collect fighters before The Organization can process their skills, and is aware of the power possessed by a man-machine Alpha or Beta Unit. The Organization enjoys cloning Bison's warriors, imprinting them with all the abilities of the originals, and sending them against the original. More often than not, the clone wins and Bison is forced to beef up security. Vega fought a doppelganger of himself once and only defeated his opponent by running him through with a matador spear from his trophy wall. The doppelganger, having only watched Vega in sanctioned matches, could not predict the devious "anything goes" fighting style that Vega employs outside the ring. The Assassin's Guild: The Organization considers the Assassin's Guild beneath their notice. They will sometimes use the assassins for hire as pawns or thugs, and nothing more. Demons: Lady Uranus and Gaia are aware of the presence of demons on earth, and have countermeasures prepared, but know that the demon takeover is a long way away and hope to be firmly entrenched in power by the time the demons pose any true threat. They don't realize that time may be running out faster than they think. Demons Overview: While Akuma may be the best known example of a Demonic presence in the Street Fighter universe, he is not the only one. There are many realms of demons, and each would like to escape their own realms and lay waste to ours. For centuries it has been the courage of a few brave warriors that has kept these forces at bay, and while the world has changed much since then, it is still the role of the select group of warriors to turn back the threat of a demon invasion. Different demonic forces will attempt different means to enter out realm, but the threat remains the same. To lose to the demons is death for the world, and that is a fate that these warriors would give their lives to prevent. Procedure: There are a number of Demonic forces that the players could have to contend with, including the Four Horsemen, The Host of The Thousand Chinese Hells, The Fallen, The Court of Despair, the Oni, and the Great Old Ones, just to name a few. Each culture has their own legends, and most have a strong basis in reality. Many of the greatest Native American Wrestlers were trained from birth to fight in case any of the ancient spirits of malice were released from captivity. T Hawk's fight to keep his tribal lands from being desecrated is more than just self-interest, but few would believe his tales of the evil spirits imprisoned by his tribal ancestors. One day, however, Bison's carelessness may release Yig from the reservation or Quezecoatal from the Amazon. Some demons are great and powerful agents of destruction who are captive or sleeping and awaiting release, while others are less powerful beings who have infiltrated our world and seek to take over covertly by corrupting those with power. This second type is known as demons of corruption. They often have no real physical form, appearing only in dreams or visions, or visible only to the character they are tempting. They entice followers with offers of power or apparent benevolence. The procedure is always the same. They approach their target when he is weakest, and offer their assistance. The target must willingly accept their offer or else there can be no deal. Once the offer is accepted, the corruption process is begun and they are well on their way to having their hooks in a new victim. See the new background, Corruption, for more details. Adventure Hooks: Demons may strike at any time. Perhaps an opponent has a supernatural benefactor, or while on an expedition an ancient evil is accidentally released? Depending on the mood of your campaign the tone could be disaster crisis (if we don't stop this cult before they raise Cthulhu all is lost!) to paranoid conspiracy (those FBI guys all have sunglasses and it's nighttime-what's that glow behind the lenses?) to superheroic fantasy (the old Rune sword from the museum slowly transforms its wielder into an ancient and psychotic warrior. Can he be stopped and the sword taken away without hurting him?) More than one demonic group could be present and could be helping or hindering each other as well. Maybe the PC's become demon hunters and use the Street Fighter circuit to train harder and raise money. (If this is your goal see the new background, Hunter, below). Relationships to other organizations: Shadowloo: Bison does not believe the tales of demons. While he accepts the existence of the supernatural he does not respect it's power, but sees it merely as a tool to be used. Most of his warriors are so brainwashed that they cannot be corrupted by demonic promises. Sagat, however, believes otherwise, and keeps an open mind. Balrog actually has a demon close by him, posing as his manager! (Game note: If Mr. Ray was arrested in High Stakes, then the demon promised to free him in exchange for his help. Mr. Ray became possessed by a demon of corruption and the charges were mysteriously dropped. He will slowly guide Balrog towards choices that will further the goals of the demons.) The Organization: No one in the organization has been corrupted by the demons, as most are half machine and the few who aren't have enough power and drive to not be corrupted. They are aware of most of the Demon factions and are prepared, at least in theory, with contingency plans should any of the great powers reawaken. The Assassin's Guild: The Demons had infiltrated the Guild at one point but their agents were all wiped out by a Crescent Moon purge. The Guild has since rebuilt stronger than ever and the Hub now gives all suspicious missions to the Crescent Moon for review. Other Demon Factions: Varies. Cthulhu would just as soon eat you as look at you, and would eat the four horsemen just as quickly. Some of the lessor powers conspire together, and some conspire to release greater powers that they think will reward their loyalty. Every faction is different, and while infighting almost never occurs, it doesn't mean that cooperation is organized or mandatory. APPENDIX: MANEUVERS & ABILITIES In this Appendix, a total of 52 maneuvers and abilities can be found. Many were created by me; however some come from World of Darkness: Combat, and the following were submitted by Cliff Rice: Atomic Wedgie, Flying Wave Punch, Improved Wave Punch, and Wave Punch. Flurry Kick is from Warrior's World. New Maneuvers & Abilities BASIC Antler Thrust Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing antlers Power Points: None The hybrid lowers its head and thrust toward his opponent with his antlers. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +1 Beak Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing a beak Power Points: None The fighter uses it's horn or horns as weapons to strike his opponent. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: +1 Damage: +1 Move: +0 Bite Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 1 Power Points: None The fighter savagely bites her victim. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: +1 Damage: +1 Move: -1 Claw Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 1, Possessing claws Power Points: None The animal hybrid slashes at his opponent. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +2 Move: +0 Horn Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing horn(s) Power Points: None The fighter uses it's horn or horns as weapons to strike his opponent. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +1 Quill Sweep Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing quills. Power Points: None The fighter twists his body and pushes toward his opponent, using his quills to inflict pain. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +2 Move: +0 Tail Slash Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing a tail Power Points: None The fighter swings its tail at her opponent. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +2 Move: +0 Talon Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 2, Possessing talons Power Points: None The fighter scratches at his opponent with his talons. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +1 Tentacle Lash Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 3, Possessing tentacles Power Points: None The fighter lashes out with a tentacle, using it as if a whip. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: -2 Damage: +2 Move: +1 Tongue Lash Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 1, Possessing a tongue Power Points: None The fighter uses its tongue as if a tentacle. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: +2 Damage: +1 Move: -2 Wing Buffet Prerequisites: Animal Hybrid 1, Possessing wings Power Points: None The fighter smashes its wings into its opponent. System: Use the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: +1 Damage: +1 Move: -1 PUNCH Open Palm Shove Prerequisites: Punch 3, Focus 3 Power Points: Tai Chi Chuan, Kung Fu 2, Kabbadi, Ler Drit, Majestic Crow, Ninjitsu, Shotokan Karate 3, Any 4 An ability not commonly seen even in the rings of the Street Fighters, the origin of the Open Palm Shove remains a mystery. It is believe to have derived from either Tai Chi Chuan or Kung Fu styles of fighting, as they seem to be the primary users of this maneuver. The fighter draws back one open hand for a short moment to draw in Chi before thrusting it at his opponent, usually hitting the palm of the hand against the opponent's chest. The opponent is then pushed away from the fighter, as well as falling to the ground. System: An opponent struck by the Open Palm Shove must make a resisted Strength test against the Punch + Focus technique of the attacker. If the victim fails, he is knocked back a number of hexes equal to the attacker's Focus technique and he also suffers a knockdown. Cost: 1 Chi, 1 Willpower Speed: -2 Damage: +1 Move: None KICK Flurry Kick Prerequisites: Kick 3, Athletics 4 Power Points: Kung Fu, Siakyo Ryu Karate, Shotokan Karate, Wu Shu 3; Capoeria, Muay Thai, Special Forces 4 The fighter launches himself forward at the opponent, and lashes out with three kicks. System: Make three separate damage tests using the modifiers listed below. This is an Aerial Maneuver. Cost: None Speed: +0 Damage: -2 Move: +2 GRAB Atomic Wedgie Prerequisites: Grab 2, Athletics 1 Power Points: Any 2 With this flashy move, the fighter dashes towards his opponent and ducks behind him and pulls his underwear over his head. System: The fighter moves in a straight line towards his opponent and delivers the grab he then pulls the underwear over his opponent's head. To break free of the Atomic Wedgie, the victim must score four Dexterity successes in an extended-action test against a difficulty of six. Victims of the maneuver lose one temporary Glory. Cost: None Speed: +0 Damage: 1 Point (Don't roll) Move: None. Chi Coil Prerequisites: Grab 2, Focus 3, Possessing tentacles. Power Points: Animal Hybrid 4 The hybrid, after enclosing its tentacles around its opponent, uses its own focus along with the powerful suckers of its tentacles to drain Chi away from the opponent. System: No other actions may be initiated once Chi Coil has begun. A fighter may attack and then use Chi Coil, but not the other way around. Chi Coil is initiated as a sustained hold. For each round Chi Coil is sustained, 1 Chi is transferred from the victim to the animal hybrid. The attacker cannot absorb more Chi then he can normally have, however, so any Chi that cannot be transferred is considered to be lost. Cost: 1 Chi, 1 Willpower Speed: +0 Damage: See above. Move: None. Jaw Lock Prerequisites: Grab 2, Possessing fangs Power Points: Animal Hybrid 2 The fighter locks his powerful jaws onto his opponent, not to harm but to immobilize. System: This attack may only be performed when the fighter can attack his opponent from above or behind, such that he can use his mass to best advantage. It does no actual damage, but if the fighter' s damage successes exceed his opponent's Strength, the target is forced to the ground and immobilized. This is a sustained hold. Escaping the Jaw Lock requires a Strength + Athletics roll, with the difficulty equal to the attacker's Intimidation +4 (minimum of 4). Grappling Defense adds to the victim's Strength for purposes of breaking free from a Jaw Lock. The successes needed equal the number of successes by which the attack exceeded the victim's Strength. If the successes exceed that number, the victim frees himself without injury. However, if the successes are exactly equal to what the victim needs to escape, he escapes but takes the successes as actual damage, as he rips himself from the hold. If the escape roll is botched, the victim suffers the fighter's Strength +1 damage and does not escape. The roll to break free becomes more difficult the longer the hold is maintained. Increase the difficulty by 1 for every turn after the first that the Jaw Lock is maintained. While the fighter holds his victim down, both are considered to be crouching. Cost: None Speed: +0 Damage: See above. Move: +0 Leech Coil Prerequisites: Grab 2, Focus 3, Possessing tentacles. Power Points: Animal Hybrid 4 The hybrid, after enclosing its tentacles around its opponent, uses its own focus along with the powerful suckers of its tentacles to drain Health away from its victim. System: No other actions may be initiated once Leech Coil has begun. A fighter may attack and then use Leech Coil, but not the other way around. Leech Coil is initiated as a sustained hold. For each round Leech Coil is sustained, 1 Health is transferred from the victim to the animal hybrid. The attacker cannot absorb more Health then he can normally have, however, so any Health that cannot be transferred is considered to be lost. Cost: 1 Chi, 1 Willpower Speed: +0 Damage: See above. Move: None. Maul Prerequisites: Grab 3, possessing fangs Power Points: Animal Hybrid 3 The fighter lunges at his opponent and forces him to the ground will biting into the victim. System: This maneuver is a Sustained Hold; the attacker may continue to inflict damage on the target (by biting or gnawing at him) each turn she maintains the hold. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: +0 Damage: +4 Move: One Neck Bite Prerequisites: Grab 2, possessing fangs Power Points: Animal Hybrid 2 The fighter leaps onto her opponents, grabs hold of him and bites down hard on his neck. System: This maneuver is a Sustained Hold; the attacker may continue to inflict damage on the target (by biting or gnawing at him) each turn she maintains the hold. Cost: None Speed: +1 Damage: +1 Move: One Tentacle Squeeze Prerequisites: Grab 2, possessing tentacles Power Points: Animal Hybrid 2 The fighter coils its tentacles around its victim and continuously squeezes him. System: The tentacle squeeze is a sustained hold. Cost: None Speed: -1 Damage: +3 Move: One Tongue Throw Prerequisites: Grab 1, Tongue Lash, possessing a tongue Power Points: Animal Hybrid 1 The fighter lashes out its long tongue, wrapping it around his opponent like lighting and then tosses the victim away. System: This maneuver acts as a throw using the modifiers below. Cost: None Speed: +1 Damage: +2 Move: -1 ATHLETICS Air Wing Prerequisites: Athletics 2, possessing wings Power Points: Animal Hybrid 3 The hybrid flaps its wings furiously, causing a blast of air rushing at the opponent. System: The hybrid must have a clear line of sight to the target. The range of the blast equals the character's Athletics + Animal Hybrid background, in hexes. While the air wing is treated like a projectile, it is not visible to the common eye. Only those fighters who make a successful Blind Fighting roll (Perception + Blind Fighting) can attempt to interrupt this attack with their own maneuver. Cost: 1 Chi Speed: -1 Damage: +3 Move: None Croc Roll Prerequisites: Athletics 2 Power Points: Animal Hybrid 1 The hybrid falls to the ground and rolls toward the opponent horizontally. System: This maneuver may move in any of the six directions available to Street Fighters. The move will continue until either a solid object such as a wall is hit, or until a victim is reached. The victim is pushed back one hex, with another damage test being made. The +1 to damage is not cumulative, meaning it remains at +1 no matter how many hexes the opponent is pushed back. The fighter can not stop this roll at will. This is a crouching maneuver. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +3 Hamstring Prerequisites: Athletics 2, possessing fangs Power Points: Animal Hybrid 3 The fighter drops low to the ground and bites at the tendons of his opponent's leg. System: If the opponent takes any damage from this maneuver, one of his legs becomes temporarily useless. If bipedal, the opponent may move at one-forth of his normal Move, and if the opponent has multiple legs, he may move at one-half of his normal Move. The victim will also be considered to have only one-half of his normal kick and athletics techniques. Unless he has access to special healing methods (such as regeneration), this injury will cripple the leg until the fighter has time to recover his wounds. This is a crouching maneuver. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +0 Leaping Rake Prerequisites: Athletics 2, Jump, possessing claws Power Points: Animal Hybrid 3 The hybrid leaps past his opponent, racking him with his claws as he flies by. System: This is an Aerial Maneuver. This maneuver only works if the fighter has enough Move to leap past his opponent. If he can only leap as far as his opponent, he cannot use this maneuver. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: +1 Damage: +1 Move: +1 Limb Fury Prerequisites: Athletics 5, possessing multiple limbs Power Points: Animal Hybrid 5 The hybrid flails its multiple limbs at his opponent. System: A hybrid who uses Limb Fury in combat gets to roll three times for damage, using the modifier below for each strike. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: -2 Damage: +0 Move: One Quill Flex Prerequisites: Athletics 3, possessing quills. Power Points: Animal Hybrid 4 The hybrid tenses its muscles, forcing its quills to stick out even further in all directions. System: This maneuver makes damage tests against anyone in the six hexes surrounding the hybrid. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: +1 Damage: +2 Move: None Quill Toss Prerequisites: Athletics 3, possessing quills Power Points: Animal Hybrid 3 The animal hybrid pulls out one of the many sharp quills in its body and throws it at his intended victim. System: This maneuver is a projectile attack, with a maximum rage of the animal hybrid's Strength + Animal Hybrid background, in hexes. Like all projectile attacks, the hybrid must have a clear line-of-sight to the intended target. Cost: 1 Willpower Speed: -2 Damage: +2 Move: None FOCUS Flying Wave Punch Prerequisites: Focus 4, Jump, Wave Punch Power Points: Saikyo Ryu 3 This is the aerial version of the Wave Punch maneuver used by Saikyo Ryu Karate fighters. System: The Flying Wave Punch is identical to the standard Wave Punch power, except that opponents cannot dodge the Flying Wave Punch with Jump or similar Aerial Maneuvers. Line-of- sight restrictions still apply. Cost: 1 Chi, 1 Willpower Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: +0 Improved Wave Punch Prerequisites: Focus 5, Wave Punch Power Points: Saikyo Ryu 3 This is a more advanced from of the standard Wave Punch. Although it is improved, many street fighters believe it leaves much to be desired. System: The Improved Wave Punch is the same as a regular Wave Punch except that its modifiers are better and it will score a Knockdown on any opponent it damages unless the opponent blocks. Cost: 1 Chi Speed: +0 Damage: +3 Move: None Wave Punch Prerequisites: Focus 3 Power Points: Saikyo Ryu 3 The Wave Punch is the short ranged projectile used by those who fight using the Saikyo Ryu style. System: Wave Punches have a range equal to the projecting character's Focus. As with all projectile attacks, the attacker must have an unobstructed line-of-sight on his intended victim. Cost: 1 Chi Speed: -1 Damage: +1 Move: None NEW BACKGROUNDS Hunter The Hunter background represents a character's ability to sense the supernatural. Although you can sense the supernatural, a successful INT + Mysteries roll will normally be required to recognize its nature. The successes required depend on how obvious or well known a creature type is. A vampire or werewolf only takes 1 success to recognize, while an oni or an incubus might require more. 1-At this level you can feel when supernatural abilities are being used nearby or when a demon reveals his true nature. 2-At this level you are drawn to active supernatural energy in a radius equal to 1 mile per dot in perception. This takes a round of concentration to use, and may lead to places of power such as burial sites or standing stones. 3-At this level you can attempt to notice supernatural creatures who are cloaked or corrupted humans who are not using their powers. A successful PER + Mysteries roll may allow you to notice things that will hint to the creature's inhuman nature and creature time. For instance, no reflection, no or different shadow, webbed hands, odd mark, etc. The storyteller should determine if anything is noticed based on the number of successes and the type of creature. 4-At this level you can actively sense all supernatural creatures, cloaked or not. Each one is given a mark that you see astrally, and each hunter sees this mark differently. A Chinese martial artist might see a fiery glowing kanji burned into the forehead of each creature that indicates its true nature. 5-At this level your body and spirit have become attuned to the supernatural. You can instantly sense any creatures or corrupted humans in the immediately vicinity, and can track creatures through the city by their supernatural scent. Furthermore, in combat any attack you perform that has a focus requirement (Flaming Dragon Punch, Flash Kick, Fireball, Psychokinetic Channeling, etc.) does two extra dice of damage when used against a supernatural target. Against a corrupted human such attacks do extra dice of damage equal to the corruption background divided by 2, rounded up. Corruption This new Background is for use with Demon campaigns and can only be gained through play, not purchased with freebie or experience points. Every time a demon of corruption grants you a boon you gain one point of corruption (sometimes called taint, for all you Aberrant fans). A boon can be as simple as causing a prison cell door to mysteriously open or as powerful as granting 15 extra freebie points in the middle of a fight, but it must be freely accepted by the character. Typically, a demon will start with more powerful boons and work down towards lessor ones. They will also conspire with other agents to place the target into situations where he desperately requires the demon's help to survive. Each time a boon is granted the character is further corrupted and the demon gains greater control. At any point the demon can choose to give the character an order. The character must make a Willpower roll, rolling as many successes as his dots in Corruption, or do whatever the demon asks to the best of his ability. Of course for this reason the demon will never allow a character to use a boon to increase his Willpower, he can only do so with experience. If Corruption ever exceeds Willpower, the character is considered an acolyte of the demon and willingly follows his new master's every whim. Normally the character then becomes an NPC to be run by the storyteller, but very skilled gamers can try to continue playing the character in their new evil role. If the character's old friends keep showing up to "rescue" him, the demon will demand their deaths, which makes for great fun! Corruption can be a great and cruel trick for storytellers to play on power players, enticing them into accepting attribute increases and new powers, all culminating with the character being taken over as an NPC to be used against whatever new character the player starts with. NATURAL ABILITIES Additional Limbs Effects: The fighter gains one, two, or more additional limbs, depending upon her animal hybrid concept. An additional pair of arms adds one dot to Punch and Grab Techniques. An additional pair of legs adds one to the character's Kick and Athletics Techniques. A character with extra limbs is always considered a Beastial hybrid. Despite the number of legs and arms (or tentacles, in some cases), the hybrid will never receive more then one free dot for extra arms or extra limbs. Camouflage Effects: The fighter has the ability to blend into his surroundings. Any other character attempting to stop a character with this natural ability must make a Blind Fighting roll (Perception + Blind Fighting) against the Athletics + Animal Hybrid background of the hybrid. Charge Effects: The hybrid can make charges at his opponent. Charging always costs 1 Willpower to use. When charging, the hybrid can add its Animal Hybrid background to the normal Move of the character. The maneuvers Antler Thrust, Claw, and Horn may be used with this ability, and when used with it gain an additional +1. They hybrid can not use Charge for two consecutive rounds. Enhanced Senses Effects: Enhanced Senses can include sight or hearing or only a single sense, depending on the animal hybrid. The exact effects are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it can be both a blessing and a hindrance (for example, a character with enhanced hearing will be able to hear conversations one wouldn't normally be able to hear without help, but a maneuver such as Stunning Shout may be more effective, causing the hybrid to take a penalty of -5 or -6 to the Speed of his next maneuver instead of the normal -4). Flight Effects: The fighter may fly, although this is not a natural mode of travel for him. The strain of lifting his bulk greatly reduces the effectiveness of this ability. A fighter may fly a number of hexes equal to half his Athletics Technique (round up) and may remain in flight a number of turns equal to his Stamina. Characters also cannot block while they're flying. Gills Effects: Hybrids with this power can breathe underwater. Characters with gills should also be able to breathe above water - although it may be fun to play a purely aquatic fighter who requires a helmet or periodic immersion in water. It is up to you and the Storyteller to work out the requirements of these characters. Gliding Effects: The hybrid has a means of gliding, but is unable to fly. Whenever the hybrid is on top of an object (give objects a number: 1 for a small drum crate, 2 for an oil drum, and 3 for a parked car. Other objects (such as walls, etc.) may have a higher number, but these will be generally inaccessible during combat. The rules of "Obstacles in the Arena" can be found on page 21 of "the Perfect Warrior," but the rules given above are enough information for this ability. A character with this ability who jumps off of an obstacle can move a distance equal to his normal Move for Jump (or other Aerial maneuver) plus the height of the object. For example, a hybrid has a Move of 6 when jumping. He jumps off of an object with a height of 3, so he may now "glide" an additional three hexes for a total of 9. Gnawing Effects: The hybrid has teeth designed to gnaw into material. When gnawing through material, the hybrid rolls his Animal Hybrid background against a difficulty chosen by the Storyteller in order to gnaw a hole about half the total size of the hybrid. Natural Armor Effects: Some animals have thick skin, and this is sometimes passed onto animal hybrids of the same types. In the Natural Abilities section of each Animal Hybrid description, there is a number. This number is automatically added to the Hybrid's Soak at all times. Nightvision Effects: A fighter with the Nightvision ability suffers no penalties for being in total darkness. Play Dead Effects: This ability, coming from opossums, will allow the fighter to mimic being dead. The mimic is so effective, that only someone who is trying to tell even has a chance to spot; a simple glance will have no chance of seeing the "dead" fighter as still being alive. Even when trying, a successful Perception roll must be made against the Animal Hybrid Technique. Prehensile Tail Effects: The fighter has a prehensile tail. This gives the character an extra dot in the Grapple Technique and adds +1 to Damage to any maneuver that uses the hybrid's tail. Quill Defense Effects: The hybrid is covered with sharp quills. An attacker that scores damage on the hybrid must make a resisted Strength roll against the Animal Hybrid background of the hybrid or lose one Health level. Radar Sense Effects: The hybrid detects its surroundings by using a form of radar. The character may choose to roll Perception + Animal Hybrid background instead of Perception + Blind Fighting rolls. Regeneration Effects: Fighters with this power can heal one aggravated wound per hour. In addition, they may regrow or reattach severed limbs. It usually takes days to regrow missing limbs. Resistance to Cold (natural cold) Effects: The character is unaffected by extremely cold weather conditions. Resistance to Heat (natural heat) Effects: The character is unaffected by extremely hot weather conditions. Running Effects: Beastial Hybrids with this power will not suffer ill effects from running long distances. Other fighters will only be able to sprint short distances before being forced to make Stamina tests. Animal hybrids with this natural ability are considered to have double their normal Stamina for the purposes of running long distances. Swimming Effects: Moving through water is second nature to these fighters, and they suffer no Speed, Damage, or Movement penalties when doing so. They can also hold their breath for a number of turns equal to twice their Stamina. Tunneling Effects: The hybrid with this ability is able to tunnel through the Earth quickly. As long as no solid object is encountered (such as a large rock), the hybrid may move through dirt at a speed equal to half of its normal Move (rounded up). Wall Climbing Effects: The hybrid may move straight up vertical surfaces, provided there are sufficient hand/foot/jaw/tail holds to allow this. There is no movement modifier for this movement. IN CLOSING And that's all for Warrior's Pride Issue #3. I hope that the material of this issue is useful to some players out there. As I promised in the last issue, next issue will have more moves available to a wider range of styles. Also, there will be more Animal Hybrids that use the Call of the Wild rules, and another article of the same type to be used for either Cyborg or Elemental characters. Which one should I do? Let me know. Questions, Comments, or Suggestions should be sent to me at lancer1@webzone.net with the subject Warrior's Pride. I am particularly interested if you find anything that I have personally added useful. You can always tell if something is my own creation by the fact that there is no "Contributed By" subtitle on the section. Submissions of any kind relating to Street Fighter should be sent to me at lancer1@webzone.net with the subject Warrior's Pride Submission. Submission Guidelines: Characters: Characters should have each section (including Skills, Talents, and Knowledges) separate so as to make the transition easier. In addition, try to list notes for backgrounds and any languages known. Maneuvers: If you are sending in details of a maneuver, follow the format used in White Wolf books, and the format used in Warrior's Pride. Please send in all details of the maneuver, in that format. If I think it is necessary, I will change the text of a maneuver, simply for easier clarification. I will never change the modifiers or any effect that the maneuver has. Any other submissions can be sent in any format you wish. This monthly e-magazine will first be posted at the Vault of the Street Fighter RPG Mailing List and is available in .doc and .txt formats. If you somehow stumbled onto this magazine and aren't a member of the Street Fighter RPG Mailing List, then you should find it in the Links below and definitely sign up for it. Links Chris Hoffmann's Street Fighter Alpha Conversions (http://members.xoom.com/staredown) Street Fighter Central (http://home.sprynet.com/~skarsten/) Street Fighter: The Dogs of War (http://www.tsixroads.com/~joespitt/StreetFighter.htm) Street Fighter Ultra (http://www.mecha.com/~conkle/sfighter/) Want your site here? Send me an e-mail at lancer1@webzone.net with "Street Fighter Links" in the subject line. Disclaimer Capcom, Street Fighter and the World Warriors are Trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. All characters mentioned from the Street Fighter series of games are c of Capcom Co., Ltd. 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