Post by GM on Apr 21, 2007 21:03:02 GMT -5
Ah yes the ever loved Shinigami (lit: death god). Shinigami are departed human souls who have sufficient reiatsu (lit: spiritual pressure) to manifest a zanpakuto (a spiritual manifestation of there reiatsu in the form of a blade). Due to being deceased a shinigami's body is composed primarily of ectoplasm and as such cannot be seen except by those who are spiritually aware, also like most spirits shinigami are very capable of influencing there enviroment. Additionally, Shinigami can be wounded and killed like a normal person however much more damage is required to do that then to a normal human body. Shinigami operate out of a place known as soul society normally travel between soul society and the real world are limited but some Shinigami are stationed in the human world and must often travel back and forth between the worlds.
Shinigami duties include purifying hollows, leading spirits back to soul society with a process known and konso (lit: soul burial), and finally include governing the flow of spirits to and from soul society.
A shinigami undergoes formal training at an academy for 6 years before being assigned to a squad.
Shinigami have 4 forms of combat.
1) Zanjutsu (lit: cutting technique) is the most used form of combat among shinigami, since their zanpakutō is the most effective way of dispatching any given opponent. As the name suggests, it involves using a zanpakuto and its various special abilities to attack an opponent. In addition to its basic form, each zanpakutō has two enhanced forms: Shikai (initial release) and Bankai (final release), which change the sword's form to unlock its potential and that of its user.
2) Hakuda (lit: white hits) is hand to hand combat and not focused on too much usually however special forces are usually well trained in Hakuda and a new technique known as Shunko (flash cry) has been rumored to exist combining kido and hakuda in a devastaing combo.
3) Hoho is (lit: foot combat) are a series of different movement abilties with hoho you will be able to use Shunpo (flash steps) an ability that allows its user to move faster than the eye can follow also within hoho is the ability to walk on water or walls, limited forms of flight, enchanced jumping ability, and others.
4) Kido (lit: demon arts) are a type of sorcery used by shinigami. They can be used for various purposes, such as healing, attacking, and restraining. All require an incantation beforehand. Demon arts spells are divided into three major groups: Hadou (blasting), used for direct attack, Bakudou (binding), which are spells that restrain someone or have some other effect, and Enjodou (restorative), which heal, restore, and enchance. These forms of demon arts spells are performed by calling out a complicated and often long-winded incantation followed by the name of the spell, which causes an effect once the name has been recited. Lesser versions of the spells can be used by calling out the name alone, but their effectiveness is reduced when used in such a fashion.
The shinigami undertake a multitude of operations, which include soul burial, battling hollows, and so forth. Most of these occur in the human world. It should be noted that all shinigami captains and lieutenants have their spiritual energy reduced by about 80% when they enter the human world by use of a spiritual limit, represented by a seal resembling the symbol of their division, in order not to cause unnecessary influence while there. In extreme cases where their full power is needed, however, they can request a limit release.
Because some operations may take a long time, shinigami need a way to stay in the human world for long periods of time (which they can't do in spirit form), interact with the living, or recover their powers when the need arises. Thus, the gigai was developed.
Some equipment a shinigami might need during a mission are as follows.
A gigai (lit. faux body) is an artificial body that allows shinigami to remain in the human world for an extended period (either due to temporary loss of powers or extended missions). While the body is synthetic, it appears and operates exactly like a natural one and is designed to perfectly mimic a living human body. Unlike the normal shinigami body, a gigai is detectable by humans who are not spiritually aware.
Gikongan (Artificial Soul), as the name suggests, are souls designed by shinigami scientists to separate a shinigami's spirit from a gigai, should they be inhabiting one. When ingested, it forces the user's soul out of their body and operates in a pre-programmed manner until the shinigami returns. It is commonly called Soul Candy, as the Shinigami Women Organization complained that the name gikongan wasn't cute and had it changed. To fit with the more informal name, Soul Candy is contained in Pez-like dispensers with cartoony characters on top. The souls themselves apparently have personalities to match the cartoon character in question.
In some cases, a human witnesses a shinigami purify a hollow or affect his surroundings in a significant way. To keep the incident a secret, shinigami perform memory replacement with an item called kikanshinki (similar to the neuralizer in Men in Black, but produces a puff of smoke and a bird head to pop out instead of a flash). However, the new memory that the human acquires is random and often based on the limits of what they themselves will believe.
A vital tool for any shinigami stationed in the real world, this variation on a mobile phone functions both as a regular phone and as a communication line with the Soul Society. It receives information about the time and exact location of a hollow's emergance via Global Positioning System (GPS). A shinigami's kills are also recorded in the phone and can be used as currency (according to the bounty placed on each hollow).
The main authority of the shinigami are the Central 46 Chambers, who serve the shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society). The Central 46 Chambers are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called seijōtōkyorinwhich no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. The decisions of the 46 Chambers are final and unquestionable, regardless of what the decision may involve.
The only shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the royal guard, which is said to have considerable power and tactical knowledge, and the Shinigami Academy.
The Central 46 Chambers act as the shinigami judiciary and are responsible for judging and sentencing shinigami who have committed serious crimes, such as murder or treason. Punishments for less serious crimes may be given by other authorities, such as shinigami captains. The Central 46 Chambers mostly deal with executions.
The Gotei 13 is the organization which most shinigami join. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The 4th Division is the medical/supply division, the 11th Division is the combat division (specialization in swordsmanship), and the 12th Division is the research/scientific division. It's unclear if the other divisions are specialized.
As with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers.
The Sōtaichō (lit. Commander-General) is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio or a primus inter pares position. The current holder of this title is Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
A Taichō (lit. Unit Commander), commonly referred to as Captain, are the leaders of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Commander-General). Captains are generally the most respected shinigami in Soul Society, with the Central 46 Chambers, Demon Art Corps, and special forces leaders possibly being on equal status all captains are able to perform the final release of their zanpakutō and are generally much more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing the final release gives captains an average of five to ten times the strength of shinigami who are unable to perform it. Their final release is only a fraction of their overall power (albeit a large one), however. They have also extensively trained, if not mastered, their final releases, allowing them to actually use the enormous power of their final releases effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of flash steps, kidō, and generally have excellent knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.
There are three different ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:
1. To take the captain proficiency test, which requires the ability to perform the final release. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Commander-General, have to witness the test.
2. To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven.
3. To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Zaraki Kenpachi (former division 11) is the only known captain to have achieved his rank using this method.
Fukutaichō (lit. Vice-unit Commander), more commonly referred to as Lieutenants, are the 2nd seated officers in each division. Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the initial release of their zanpakutō, but are the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the substitute captain until another can be assigned.
Seated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 who hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains have the rank of 1st Seat and lieutenants are 2nd Seat. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd to 20th). There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Each holder of a seat commands a 20 man personal squad (made up of unseated officers) and divisions overall tend to have 300-500 members.
Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard shinigami uniform, called shihakushō - a white undershirt, a black kimono and hakama, and a white sash. Lieutenants sometimes also wear an armband which carries their division symbol and its number. They are required to do this when they are summoned to a meeting.
Captains wear a white haori over the usual black shinigami clothes, with the number of their division on the back, inside the Gotei 13 symbol (a rhombus).
modifications to any of these are allowed due to personal preferance.
Alright enough background info now onto making an actual shinigami.
1) all newly made shinigami are unseated officers usually a year or two out of the academy and as such do not have shikai and very little other abilties depending on there specializations.
2) out of the 4 combat disciplines (explained above) you choose 1 as your primary, 2 as secondary, and 1 as tetirary. Additionally you may choose to make your tetirary have a deficiency meaning you have no skill in this at starting and your charecter will find difficulty even grasping the basics however it does have the advantage that if you take this you may have another primary.
Zanjutsu- Zanjutsu is the art of swordsmanship and the primary way a for a shinigami to kill a hollow. Primary zanjutsu charecters begin with shikai and 1 swordstyle other than zanjutsu. Secondary means no shikai but there skill with zanjutsu is up to par. Tertiary zanjutsu specialists have a hard time communing with there blade and have sub par sword skills.
Hakuda- choosing Hakuda as your primary nets 1 martial art (in addition to hakuda) and an exceptionally tough body allowing you to take far more damage. Secondary means you have enough skill in hakuda that you can defend yourself in melee against even some hollow. Tertiary in this means your character is weak and will have a hard time fighting up close for long due to low stamina and resilience.
Hoho- A hoho primary means that you have excellent coordination and balance along with a good understanding of hohou (movement) abilities and as such you start with more than normal (1 second level and 3 first level) you are also very capable of learning more at an accelerated rate. Hoho as secondary means you start with the normal amount of hohou (2 first level). tetirary hoho means you only start with half the normal hohou techniques (1 first level). hoho deficiency usually means a bad coordination and balance and you start with no hohou also it is extremely difficult to even learn the basics without a lot of training.
kido- primary kido users have excellent reiatsu control and power and as such start with more kido spells (1 rank 1-10, 1 rank 11-20, 1 rank 21-30, and 1 rank 31-33) they also learn kido at an accelerated rate. Kido as a secondary means you start with the normal amount of spells (1 rank 1-10, 1 rank 11-20). Tetirary kido users have half the amount of starting kido spells (1 rank 1-10) and usually have a difficult time controlling there reiatsu. Kido deficient users have a very difficult time controlling there reiatsu and as such start with no kido spells and generally have trouble learning even the simplest of spells.
Shinigami duties include purifying hollows, leading spirits back to soul society with a process known and konso (lit: soul burial), and finally include governing the flow of spirits to and from soul society.
A shinigami undergoes formal training at an academy for 6 years before being assigned to a squad.
Shinigami have 4 forms of combat.
1) Zanjutsu (lit: cutting technique) is the most used form of combat among shinigami, since their zanpakutō is the most effective way of dispatching any given opponent. As the name suggests, it involves using a zanpakuto and its various special abilities to attack an opponent. In addition to its basic form, each zanpakutō has two enhanced forms: Shikai (initial release) and Bankai (final release), which change the sword's form to unlock its potential and that of its user.
2) Hakuda (lit: white hits) is hand to hand combat and not focused on too much usually however special forces are usually well trained in Hakuda and a new technique known as Shunko (flash cry) has been rumored to exist combining kido and hakuda in a devastaing combo.
3) Hoho is (lit: foot combat) are a series of different movement abilties with hoho you will be able to use Shunpo (flash steps) an ability that allows its user to move faster than the eye can follow also within hoho is the ability to walk on water or walls, limited forms of flight, enchanced jumping ability, and others.
4) Kido (lit: demon arts) are a type of sorcery used by shinigami. They can be used for various purposes, such as healing, attacking, and restraining. All require an incantation beforehand. Demon arts spells are divided into three major groups: Hadou (blasting), used for direct attack, Bakudou (binding), which are spells that restrain someone or have some other effect, and Enjodou (restorative), which heal, restore, and enchance. These forms of demon arts spells are performed by calling out a complicated and often long-winded incantation followed by the name of the spell, which causes an effect once the name has been recited. Lesser versions of the spells can be used by calling out the name alone, but their effectiveness is reduced when used in such a fashion.
The shinigami undertake a multitude of operations, which include soul burial, battling hollows, and so forth. Most of these occur in the human world. It should be noted that all shinigami captains and lieutenants have their spiritual energy reduced by about 80% when they enter the human world by use of a spiritual limit, represented by a seal resembling the symbol of their division, in order not to cause unnecessary influence while there. In extreme cases where their full power is needed, however, they can request a limit release.
Because some operations may take a long time, shinigami need a way to stay in the human world for long periods of time (which they can't do in spirit form), interact with the living, or recover their powers when the need arises. Thus, the gigai was developed.
Some equipment a shinigami might need during a mission are as follows.
A gigai (lit. faux body) is an artificial body that allows shinigami to remain in the human world for an extended period (either due to temporary loss of powers or extended missions). While the body is synthetic, it appears and operates exactly like a natural one and is designed to perfectly mimic a living human body. Unlike the normal shinigami body, a gigai is detectable by humans who are not spiritually aware.
Gikongan (Artificial Soul), as the name suggests, are souls designed by shinigami scientists to separate a shinigami's spirit from a gigai, should they be inhabiting one. When ingested, it forces the user's soul out of their body and operates in a pre-programmed manner until the shinigami returns. It is commonly called Soul Candy, as the Shinigami Women Organization complained that the name gikongan wasn't cute and had it changed. To fit with the more informal name, Soul Candy is contained in Pez-like dispensers with cartoony characters on top. The souls themselves apparently have personalities to match the cartoon character in question.
In some cases, a human witnesses a shinigami purify a hollow or affect his surroundings in a significant way. To keep the incident a secret, shinigami perform memory replacement with an item called kikanshinki (similar to the neuralizer in Men in Black, but produces a puff of smoke and a bird head to pop out instead of a flash). However, the new memory that the human acquires is random and often based on the limits of what they themselves will believe.
A vital tool for any shinigami stationed in the real world, this variation on a mobile phone functions both as a regular phone and as a communication line with the Soul Society. It receives information about the time and exact location of a hollow's emergance via Global Positioning System (GPS). A shinigami's kills are also recorded in the phone and can be used as currency (according to the bounty placed on each hollow).
The main authority of the shinigami are the Central 46 Chambers, who serve the shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society). The Central 46 Chambers are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called seijōtōkyorinwhich no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. The decisions of the 46 Chambers are final and unquestionable, regardless of what the decision may involve.
The only shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the royal guard, which is said to have considerable power and tactical knowledge, and the Shinigami Academy.
The Central 46 Chambers act as the shinigami judiciary and are responsible for judging and sentencing shinigami who have committed serious crimes, such as murder or treason. Punishments for less serious crimes may be given by other authorities, such as shinigami captains. The Central 46 Chambers mostly deal with executions.
The Gotei 13 is the organization which most shinigami join. It is split into thirteen divisions (hence the name), with several divisions having certain specializations. The 4th Division is the medical/supply division, the 11th Division is the combat division (specialization in swordsmanship), and the 12th Division is the research/scientific division. It's unclear if the other divisions are specialized.
As with any army, the Gotei 13 has ranks. There are 20 ranks for officers but no ranks for non-officers.
The Sōtaichō (lit. Commander-General) is the leader of the Gotei 13 and the Captain of the 1st Division; the implication is that this is an ex officio or a primus inter pares position. The current holder of this title is Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
A Taichō (lit. Unit Commander), commonly referred to as Captain, are the leaders of the thirteen divisions (with the special case of the Commander-General). Captains are generally the most respected shinigami in Soul Society, with the Central 46 Chambers, Demon Art Corps, and special forces leaders possibly being on equal status all captains are able to perform the final release of their zanpakutō and are generally much more powerful than even their lieutenants. Knowing the final release gives captains an average of five to ten times the strength of shinigami who are unable to perform it. Their final release is only a fraction of their overall power (albeit a large one), however. They have also extensively trained, if not mastered, their final releases, allowing them to actually use the enormous power of their final releases effectively in battle. Most captains are also skilled in the use of flash steps, kidō, and generally have excellent knowledge of shinigami history and battle tactics. All of these factors create a huge power-gap between captains and lower-ranked officers.
There are three different ways to become a Gotei 13 captain:
1. To take the captain proficiency test, which requires the ability to perform the final release. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Commander-General, have to witness the test.
2. To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven.
3. To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Zaraki Kenpachi (former division 11) is the only known captain to have achieved his rank using this method.
Fukutaichō (lit. Vice-unit Commander), more commonly referred to as Lieutenants, are the 2nd seated officers in each division. Lieutenants function as executive officers for their division, taking care of or supervising day-to-day operations. They (along with their captains) are not assigned to one specific squad. They generally only know the initial release of their zanpakutō, but are the second strongest in their division. In the case of a division captain's death, departure, or other circumstances making him unable to perform their duties, the lieutenant acts as the substitute captain until another can be assigned.
Seated officers are the remainder of the officers in the Gotei 13 who hold ranks at or below 3rd Seat. Captains have the rank of 1st Seat and lieutenants are 2nd Seat. Next to that, there are 18 more seats (3rd to 20th). There seems to be a distinction between senior and junior seated officers, just like in real-life armies. In the Gotei 13, only one person can hold a senior officer rank (such as 3rd or 5th seat), but there are several holders of junior officer ranks (e.g. 20th seat). This may vary from division to division however, as there are two 3rd Seats in the 13th Division. Each holder of a seat commands a 20 man personal squad (made up of unseated officers) and divisions overall tend to have 300-500 members.
Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard shinigami uniform, called shihakushō - a white undershirt, a black kimono and hakama, and a white sash. Lieutenants sometimes also wear an armband which carries their division symbol and its number. They are required to do this when they are summoned to a meeting.
Captains wear a white haori over the usual black shinigami clothes, with the number of their division on the back, inside the Gotei 13 symbol (a rhombus).
modifications to any of these are allowed due to personal preferance.
Alright enough background info now onto making an actual shinigami.
1) all newly made shinigami are unseated officers usually a year or two out of the academy and as such do not have shikai and very little other abilties depending on there specializations.
2) out of the 4 combat disciplines (explained above) you choose 1 as your primary, 2 as secondary, and 1 as tetirary. Additionally you may choose to make your tetirary have a deficiency meaning you have no skill in this at starting and your charecter will find difficulty even grasping the basics however it does have the advantage that if you take this you may have another primary.
Zanjutsu- Zanjutsu is the art of swordsmanship and the primary way a for a shinigami to kill a hollow. Primary zanjutsu charecters begin with shikai and 1 swordstyle other than zanjutsu. Secondary means no shikai but there skill with zanjutsu is up to par. Tertiary zanjutsu specialists have a hard time communing with there blade and have sub par sword skills.
Hakuda- choosing Hakuda as your primary nets 1 martial art (in addition to hakuda) and an exceptionally tough body allowing you to take far more damage. Secondary means you have enough skill in hakuda that you can defend yourself in melee against even some hollow. Tertiary in this means your character is weak and will have a hard time fighting up close for long due to low stamina and resilience.
Hoho- A hoho primary means that you have excellent coordination and balance along with a good understanding of hohou (movement) abilities and as such you start with more than normal (1 second level and 3 first level) you are also very capable of learning more at an accelerated rate. Hoho as secondary means you start with the normal amount of hohou (2 first level). tetirary hoho means you only start with half the normal hohou techniques (1 first level). hoho deficiency usually means a bad coordination and balance and you start with no hohou also it is extremely difficult to even learn the basics without a lot of training.
kido- primary kido users have excellent reiatsu control and power and as such start with more kido spells (1 rank 1-10, 1 rank 11-20, 1 rank 21-30, and 1 rank 31-33) they also learn kido at an accelerated rate. Kido as a secondary means you start with the normal amount of spells (1 rank 1-10, 1 rank 11-20). Tetirary kido users have half the amount of starting kido spells (1 rank 1-10) and usually have a difficult time controlling there reiatsu. Kido deficient users have a very difficult time controlling there reiatsu and as such start with no kido spells and generally have trouble learning even the simplest of spells.