Deep Dive Sneak Peek: Hideki Shimizu

This week I'm sharing the Devoted of the Chinkon Collective, a Standing 5 conspiracy.

The usual caveat applies: This is a first draft. There will be changes.

Hideki Shimizu

Quote: “My name is Hideki Shimizu, and these people are under my protection. Stand down or face my sword.”

Background: Hideki Shimizu comes from a long line of warriors dating back to at least the Edo Period, when his ancestors served as bodyguards protecting the Emperor from evil spirits and those who treated with them. They drew their occult power from the ancestral sword Towairaitoejji, which has passed from hand to hand within the family for centuries.

Hideki began his training to take up the sword when he was six years old. Although martial arts were an important component, his education emphasized academics and adherence to bushido virtues (which are as much a source of the family’s powers as Towairaitoejji is). With his father’s retirement from frontline work for the Exorcists five years ago, Hideki has taken up the mantle.

Appearance: Hideki is an impeccably groomed Japanese man in his late 20s. He dresses as appropriate to the social situation, but his clothes are always clean and in good condition. When sent as an emissary to treat with spirits, ghosts, or other ephemeral beings, he wears traditional formal Edo period clothing and carries Towairaitoejji sheathed at his side.

Roleplaying Hints: Hideki adheres to ideals of bushido as they were formalized during the Meiji Period. He is courageous but humble, stoic but compassionate. When he isn’t investigating rumors of evil spirits, he seeks out ordinary ways to serve the Baselines of the city he lives in.

Origin: Genotypal

Clade: Invasive

Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength 2 (4), Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 4

Mental Skills: Academics 2, Crafts 1, Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Occult 3 (Spirits), Science 1

Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Stealth 1, Weaponry 3 (Swords)

Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression 1 (Painting), Persuasion 1, Socialize 1

Merits: Hypervigilance, Quick Draw (Weaponry), Universal Frequency

Willpower: 6

Stability: 6

Conviction: 2

Loyalty: 3

Aspiration: Go grocery shopping for old woman Okumura

Initiative: 7

Defense: 4

Speed: 9

Health: 7

Size: 5

Acclimation: 1

Adaptations: Clean (Out of Phase, Omnicompetence), Overclock, Redundancy

Controlled Scars: Preparation* (Superhuman Strength; Social) 1

Persistent Scars: Maintenance* (Out of Phase; Tethered [Close, Portable], Social) 3, Noblesse Oblige** (Omnicompetence, Otherworldly Connection; Excludes Esoteric and Vice; Power, Guided, Costly, Unyielding; Social) 4

Variations: Out of Phase (2 Scar-free Magnitude; Maintenance) 5, Superhuman Strength (Preparation; Physical) 1, Otherworldly Connection (Spirits; Noblesse Oblige; Social) 3, Omnicompetence (Scar-Free Magnitude; Noblesse Oblige; Social) 4

* Hideki introduces himself by name as part of activating this Variation.

** This Scar applies whenever Hideki’s ancestral sword (Towairaitoejji) is more than 10 yards/meters when he activates the entangled Variation. This maintenance requires another person perform a lengthy purification ritual culminating in a Presence + Occult roll. Regaining the sword after activating Out of Phase while beyond its range doesn’t remove the requirement to perform this maintenance.

*** Hideki loses access to all his Variations if he fails to perform a service in accordance with this Scar.

Techniques: Twilight’s Edge (Out of Phase; add the greater of Scar Power or Variation Magnitude to damage rating of Weaponry attacks but must become solid immediately after the attack)

Acquainted: +1 Resolve, +1 Composure; +1 Investigation, +1 Occult, +1 Brawl, +1 Persuasion, +1 Socialize; Superhuman Strength (Preparation) 3, Preparation**** (Superhuman Strength; Elaborate; Social) 3

Personal: +1 Presence; +1 Weaponry, +1 Empathy, +1 Expression; Otherworldly Connection (Spirits; Noblesse Oblige; Social) 4, Omnicompetence (Scar-Free Magnitude; Noblesse Oblige; Social) 5; Noblesse Oblige*** (Omnicompetence, Otherworldly Connection; Excludes Esoteric and Vice; Power, Guided, Costly, Unyielding; Disfiguring Scar; Social) 5

Obsessive: +1 Presence; +1 Academics, +1 Occult, +1 Athletics; Acclimation 2*****, Adaptable Merit (Reservoir), Abjuring Strike

**** Before activating this Variation in an action scene, Hideki must introduce himself by name, during which time he loses his Defense. In other scenes, he must also recount his family history, which requires at least 5 minutes.

***** Abjuring Strike (Technique): Otherworldly Connection; after making a successful Weaponry attack against an ephemeral entity, may reduce damage inflicted after armor by up to Variation Magnitude or Scar Power (whichever is higher) to add an equal bonus to Clash of Will rolls to banish the target using Otherworldly Connection 4 during the current scene.

New Variation-Specific Merit: Universal Frequency (•••)

Prerequisite: Otherworldly Connection •

Systems: The Deviant can interact with entities in Twilight (Clades Companion, p. 30), regardless of the frequency.