Anime 5E Designer Insight: Race and Class Selection
over 5 years ago – Sat, Apr 10, 2021 at 09:34:20 PM

Hi everyone! I’m Mark MacKinnon, and today I want to provide a brief insight into my choices for Anime 5E races and classes.

When I set out to design Anime 5E, I wanted to ensure it evoked an anime thematic feeling without being overly stereotypical of common anime tropes. Anime 5E isn’t supposed to be a parody of anime, nor should it wallow in the banality of overused character or visual elements. I wanted to respect the source of inspiration, and aim for the highs (not lows) of the awesome storytelling medium that we all love so much.

But First, A Note About Visual Minutia

Nosebleeds, summoned extradimensional hammers to clobber lecherous men, nervous head sweat drops, super-deformed rage, knocking people extreme distances – all of these are common anime visual tropes that have no place in the Anime 5E rules system. Most of those sorts of exaggerated anime visual aspects are best described through role-playing and narration, rather than mechanical means. That said, something like knocking someone a great distance with a punch can certainly be accomplished within the mechanical framework as an effects-based system rather than a power-based system. Anime 5E isn't intended to be "jokey" through these visual cues, but players can certainly emulate that if they desire.

Choosing Races

Many anime fantasy series feature primary characters that already align with those provided in tradition Fifth Edition games. Anime Elves, for example, are the most common fantasy races portrayed in anime series; Dwarves are also common, too.

My first round of race selection thus focussed on more common anime portrayals that would fit well into a fantasy setting. This included other fey types – such as the Asrai, Fairy, Satyr, and Kodama races – which can be viewed as cousin-races of Elves, and could certainly fit seamlessly into a fantasy anime series. Next came races that can be seen in fantasy anime show, though may not be as common as fey variants: Nekojin (cat people), Half-Dragon, and Slime.

Then I expanded races into realms inspired by anime series that may not be fantasy related, but could be tied to such realms. This includes the two demon classes, Archfiend and Demonaga (demons are extremely common in anime across many settings), Half-Trolls (alternatives to Half-Ogres/Oni), and Parasites (creatures bonded to other races).

Finally, I rounded out the race selection with three choices that I thought would be interesting for gamers to explore: the arboreal shape-changing Blinkbeast, the lizard-like Haud, and the alien Grey. These choices offered a selection of features and perspectives not seen in the other races, serving as a showcase for diverse Anime 5E Attributes while offering interesting race backgrounds as well.

Choosing Classes

Selecting classes for Anime 5E was a more difficult process than choosing races, primarily due to Fifth Edition’s built-in assumptions around a dungeon crawling and combat framework. The traditional 5E party composition of warrior, mage, healer, thief is so strongly integrated into the role-playing foundations that presenting alternate options would be challenging. Not only did I want to create viable and interesting alternatives to the core 5E classes, but I also wanted to ensure that the choices would fit with the game’s epic anime atmosphere.

A few class choices were obvious picks during the initial design rounds, since they aligned strongly with common anime stylings. This included the Hunter, Isekai Student, Magical Girl/Guy, Ninja, Pet Monster Trainer, and Samurai.

Not wanting to lean too heavily into physical combat, adding the magical/mystical classes of Bender and Dynamic Spellbinder was the next obvious choice. Magic is common in many anime shows (fantasy or otherwise), thought magical characters are rarely portrayed as the traditional Tolkien-esque academic mages. Benders and Spellbinders offered the opportunity to present classes centred on Anime 5E’s alternate flexible magic framework (the Dynamic Powers Attribute), with Benders being more focussed on one specific aspect and Spellbinders being more broad in their scope.

During my third round of consideration, I looked at other genres of anime to see what types of characters could be integrated well into a fantasy setting. The Psionicist, common in science fiction stories, would be a great alternate perspective on the traditionally Fifth Edition spell caster – boundless in their access across the different 5E spell origins (wizard, cleric, etc.) that originates from mind-based powers instead mystical powers. Techknights are the fantasy equivalents of hardsuit-wearing protagonists common to near-future cyberpunk shows. Brokers are the resourced collectors and merchants who are connected to organisations and specialise in support roles – a character that is common across many genres, yet one that rarely takes centre stage. We thought that the presence of a Broker in Anime 5E was an excellent way to demonstrate how classes can extend beyond the hack-and-slash framework and focus on more narrative, story-driven adventures.

Finally, I topped up to 14 classes with several choices that demonstrated the range of Anime 5E’s Attribute effects. Shadow Warriors would be powerhouse fighters that demonstrate size-changing and state-changing powers, while Warders would showcase a different way of approaching enhanced unarmed combat talents through tattooed buff wards that could be inscribed on allies to provide temporary boosts as well. Finally, the Adventurer class was essential to lay a path that shifts classes towards a fully points-based level progression. The Adventure class reflect ultimate character flexibility that unleashes near-boundless player creativity.

Thanks for reading a few of my thoughts about how I selected the races and classes for Anime 5E. Your support over the past 12 days has been both outstanding and humbling. Enjoy your weekend!

Please Don’t Stop the Music on the Way to $350K
over 5 years ago – Sat, Apr 10, 2021 at 05:58:10 PM

Thank you for continuing to support this Kickstarter! You smashed past the $325K stretch goal, which means every backer pledging $25+ will receive expanded digital content: two original Anime 5E player character races, with feature blocks and descriptions. This is going to be fun!

Unlocking at $350K: Original Anime 5E Soundtrack Score

This next stretch goal verges into new territory for us, and we are excited by the potential. If campaign funding reaching $350K, we will work with a professional composer and conductor to create an original one-hour Anime 5E soundtrack score! We will provide them with suggestions to create a single, epic piece of music that moves through the narrative beats of a role-playing adventure – the journey, the discovery, the battle, the chase, etc. The score will be loopable as well, and can serve as fantastic background music for your dramatic Anime 5E gaming sessions.

This bonus soundtrack will be available as a free audio download for all backers pledging at least $100 towards the Kickstarter. Like most of our content stretch goals, the soundtrack will also be available for sale separately to backers with pledge tiers that don’t align with this free bonus.

Your continued enthusiasm throughout the campaign and efforts to spread the word to your gaming communities is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend; we’ll check back in tomorrow.

Anime 5E Has Reached $300,000 and Over 4,000 Backers!
over 5 years ago – Fri, Apr 09, 2021 at 02:38:15 PM

WOW! Over 4,000 backers like you have pledged their support for this campaign, pushing funding past $300K and its linked stretch goal. You folks are simply AMAZING! ☺️

We will now create and print a short Anime 5E Primer and include a copy as a free bonus to every backer who pledges for physical rewards! A PDF version available for easy downloading as well. Thank you for showing us that there’s a demand for this type of introductory summary.

Unlocking at $325K: Two Original Character Races

Although Anime 5E contains 14 diverse and intriguing player character races that reflect different levels of power and capability, there’s always room for more gaming goodness!

If campaign funding reaches $325K, we will create two original player character races, with Anime 5E feature blocks and descriptions. This bonus content will be available as a free PDF download for all backers pledging at least $25 in the Kickstarter. Like most of our content stretch goals, the file will also be available for sale to those backers with pledge tiers that don’t align with this free bonus.

Race Spotlight: Blinkbeast

“Oh, you Elves think that the trees and the bushes are your ally. But you merely adopted the forest. We are born in it, moulded by it. We are one with it, and I can feel every step you take, hear every breath you exhale, while you think you are hiding so cleverly in the leaves. Blinkbeasts may not be as pretty or elegant as you and your Asrai cousins, but we are a prideful race and we demand the respect we deserve as forest protectors.”

Blinkbeasts are often feared and misunderstood, but they are rarely respected. They are natives of the Bloom – an insidious realm of fierce trees and murderous beasts – and survive on their rapid teleportation and mastery of plant life. In spite of their power, Blinkbeasts elicit contempt from many sylvan and demonic woodland creatures due to their binary nature – they are both beast and human. Their skin tones range across the rainbow spectrum from purple to red, and shift in patches from flesh to wood.

Adventuring Notes

Though often clumsy and lacking the elegant presence of most woodland creatures, Blinkbeasts are a crafty race with a dual identity that helps them blend into society. They are drawn to classes that integrate well with their forest origins, including Hunter, Ninja, and Warder.

Base Speed

Medium – a Blinkbeast’s base speed is 30 feet/round.

Alternate Identity

In addition to their natural form, all Blinkbeasts have a second identity as a human (or occasionally, a different humanoid). Their human form shares none of their wooden features and are normally indistinguishable from other humans.

Dynamic Powers – Lesser

From birth, Blinkbeasts have a deep spiritual connection with the trees, bushes, grasses, and flowers in their immediate area (30-foot radius). They can tap into the vegetation’s life energy and manipulate it in many ways, though their control is rudimentary unless practiced and perfected. Their use of Dynamic Powers can produce unpredictable results should they not establish sufficient control.

Teleport

The “blink” in Blinkbeast is rooted in their teleportation talents that allows them to instantly disappear and translocate to any perceived or known destination up to 100 feet away.

Subrace Variation

Instead of only one human identity, the Multi Blinkbeast Subrace have a total of six wildly varying humanoid forms that manifest upon puberty (Alternate Identity Rank 6 total). These forms often resemble familiar sylvan creatures (Elves, Satyr, Goblins), though further-ranging races are not impossible.

Thanks for reading, and for pledging! We’ll be checking in again soon, so enjoy the day.

Mid-Level Pregens, Anime 5E Primer, and Ask Me Anything Video
over 5 years ago – Thu, Apr 08, 2021 at 02:34:42 AM

Overnight you collectively pushed Anime 5E funding through the $275K stretch goal threshold. Your generous support means we will be designing a pre-gen pack of six 12th-level characters, which will be a free bonus PDF for all backers pledging $13+.

$300K Stretch Goal: Anime 5E Primer

When we released BESM Fourth Edition, one of the launch products was a BESM Primer. It served as an introduction to the game by outlining character creation and system mechanics – a teaser, of sorts, regarding what the game entails. You can download a free PDF copy from DriveThruRPG to check it out. 

We originally didn’t think that we needed an Anime 5E Primer, since we believed that everyone pledging for the game would be intimately familiar with the core Fifth Edition system. As the number of backers continues to grow, though, we see that our initial assumptions may be wrong – that an summary overview of the game would be useful for not just newer players but also for gamers who have played Fifth Edition in the past. Such a summary isn’t intended to replace the core rulebook, but provides an additional supplementation at the gaming table by distilling the essence of the game into a handful of pages.

So that’s going to be our more significant $300K stretch goal. If the campaign funding reaches $300K, we will create and print a short Anime 5E Primer and include a copy as a free bonus to every backer who pledges for physical rewards! We will also make a PDF version available for easy downloading.

Anime 5E Designer AMA Recording From Facebook Live

Last night, Anime 5E designer Mark MacKinnon did a Facebook Live “Ask Me Anything” event that ran for a little under two hours. Mark primarily talked about Anime 5E, but also touched on Dyskami’s other games and general approach to game design. We have uploaded the recording of the AMA to YouTube where you can watch it whenever it's convenient.

Really Dicey Interview With Mark

A few days ago, Manny and Matt from Really Dicey did a short 18-minute video interview with Mark about the Anime 5E Kickstarter. It has been uploaded to their YouTube channel as well. 

Thank you once again for all your dedication to the Anime 5E project. You’ve helped us reach funding levels that vastly exceeded expectations, and we look forward to getting the books into your hands ASAP!

PS. If you haven’t joined the Anime 5E Facebook group yet, what are you waiting for? The community there is growing, and it’ll be an excellent resource to connect with other players and discuss Anime 5E ideas.

Tactical Actions Plus Designer Interview
over 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 07, 2021 at 03:38:21 AM

As indicated in the Anime 5E combat flowchart from Update #20, a character can choose from four actions during each combat round: ready action, attack action, tactical action, and general action. Today, we delve into character options during tactical actions.

Anime 5E Preview: Tactical Actions

A tactical action is an additional (and optional) type of action technique that will directly aid an upcoming attack or defence roll, rather that immediately impact the combat. The three standard tactical actions are aim, wait for an opening, and total defence. Regardless of how many bonus actions the character has each round from the Extra Actions Attribute, they can only perform one tactical action in a round.

Aim

A character who intends to make a ranged attack may deliberately take extra time to aim. If a character aims a ranged weapon at a particular target for an entire round – and does not move or defend during that period – the next ranged attack on that opponent the following round gains an advantage on the attack roll. Aiming for a second consecutive round allows the character to add their Proficiency Bonus to the damage that a successful attack inflicts as well. Aiming for additional rounds has no effect. The Extra Actions Attribute does not reduce the time a character must spend aiming.

Wait for an Opening

An attacker who is at melee range may use a tactical action to study their foe for one round, and wait for an opening instead of attacking. This works much like aim: the next melee attack on that opponent the following round gains an advantage on the attack roll; waiting for a second consecutive round adds the character’s Proficiency Bonus to damage as well, but waiting for additional rounds has no effect. This action is especially useful if the character is planning a called shot. Unlike aiming with ranged weapon, though, the benefit gained while waiting for an opening is unaffected by defending, receiving damage, or moving normally during combat. The Extra Actions Attribute does not reduce the time a character must spend waiting for the opening.

Total Defence

A character taking this defensive tactical action (alternatively known as a dodge action in standard Fifth Edition) is concentrating completely on defence instead of attacking or engaging in another activity. They may still move normally, but may not take other attack or tactical actions – regardless how many actions they have each round – since the character is dodging and weaving, parrying frantically, or simply ducking and hiding. Any opponents attacking the character suffer a disadvantage on these attack rolls made during the round that the character is concentrating on defence, plus the character gains an advantage on combat-related Dexterity Saving Throws. Consequently, the decision to use this tactical action can be made anytime during a round on, or even before, their Initiative. Once a character decides to take a total defence, they are prevented from changing their mind later in the same round to attack or perform a different tactical action.

Reminder: Anime 5E Designer AMA on Facebook Live

Join designer Mark MacKinnon for a Facebook Live “Ask Me Anything” tonight (Tuesday, April 6th) at 8pm EDT. Mark will talk about the Anime 5E Kickstarter, the upcoming line of Tri-Stat System mini-games, the late-2021 superhero RPG Absolute Power (aka Silver Age Sentinels 2nd Edition), plans for BESM Fourth Edition, and more!

Podcast Interview With Mark

Last night, gaming podcaster Mildra did a one-hour interview with Mark that focusses on Anime 5E primarily. Mildra has since posted the audio recording on YouTube if you’re interested in listening. Note that there’s dead air due to a technical issue near the end of the interview (from 0:58-1:00).

Funding progress has been steady since you unlocked the $250K stretch goal, and the campaign is approximately 30% of the way to the next stretch goal at $275K. Thank you for continuing to spread the word. We’ll check in later!