In some of my other Homebrewes I referred to these three things. The reason I didn't post them earlier is that they are not entirely my creations, since they are hugely based on stuff I found on the Spanish forum long ago. Since then all three have been greatly re-worked by me (especially Zampakuto, I believe), so now I'm posting them here just to let other players use these same options I'm currently using in my games (and to give sense to some of the other things I've posted so far). Once again, this things have been modified by me, BUT I don't consider them as my personal creations, and others should be accounted for their existence.
EXO-EQUIP
FUSE WITH SOUL
Exo-equipping is a process that binds a character’s soul to one or more pieces of equipment. This allows to store it inside the body. The Exo-equip can be summoned and dismissed passively, but it cannot be dismissed unless five turns have passed since it was summoned. Since Exo-equip armors automatically equip, when summoned, the user must be able to wear them within the usual limits in order to summon them. Since Exo-equip weapons are summoned in hands, the user must have at least one free hand to be able to summon them. Creating an Exo-equip requires spending DPs which count toward the Primary Combat Abilities DP limit. There are three different levels of fusion: Lesser, Higher and Arcane.
LESSER FUSION
A character can have any number of Exo-equip bonds to his/her soul through Lesser Fusion. Exo-equipping an item with Lesser Fusion has a cost of 10DP and grants no bonus to the Exo-equipped item, beyond the fact that if the item is destroyed, it reforms inside the user’s body within 24h, or if damaged recovers a +5 quality (up to its starting value) each passing 6 hours. Manifesting an Item Exo-equipped with Lesser Fusion has a cost of 1Ki point and the same goes for dismissing it. If the weapon is broken and the master has not the ki to dismiss it immediately, it can no longer be dismissed inside the body and repaired inside it.
HIGHER FUSION
A character can have a number of Exo-equip bonds to his/her soul through Higher Fusion equal to his/her Level. Exo-equipping an item with Higher Fusion has a cost of 60DP, but the item gains one of the following bonuses for each Level he/she has or gains subsequently, beyond the first. A single bonus can be chosen more than once, but the maximum number of times a single bonus can be chosen depends on the character’s Level following this table.
Character’s Level
Number Of Times A Bonus Can Be Taken
1-3
1
4-6
2
7-9
3
10-13
4
14+
5
If the item is a weapon it can choose between: +5Attack, +5Block, +10Damage, +5Initiative, -1AT to opponent, +5Breakage. If the Item is an Armor, it can choose one between: +1Physical(Cut, Impact, Thrust)AT, +1Elemental(Heat, Electricity, Cold)AT, +1EnergyAT, -5Armor Requirement, +5Natural Penalty/Perception Penalty, +10Fortitude. If a single item for some reason works both as a Weapon and an Armor, the user must choose a different bonus each level for the weapon part and for the Armor Part. These bonuses only apply if the user, while wielding and using the item, spends a number of Ki points equal to the number of times a single bonus was chosen. These bonuses are in addition of any Quality Bonus or any other kind of bonus the item might have. If the item is destroyed, it reforms inside the user’s body within 6h or if damaged recovers a +5 quality (up to its starting value) each passing hours. Manifesting an Item Exo-equipped with Higher Fusion has a cost of 2Ki points and the same goes for dismissing it. If the weapon is broken and the master has not the ki to dismiss it immediately, it can no longer be dismissed inside the body and repaired inside it.
ARCANE FUSION
A character can have a single Exo-equip bond to his/her soul through Arcane Fusion and such item counts toward the limit for Items that can be Exo-equipped through Higher Fusion. Exo-equipping an item with Higher Fusion has a cost of 120DP, but the item gains two of the following bonuses, which must be different from each other, for each Level he/she has or gains subsequently, beyond the first. A single bonus can be chosen more than once, but the maximum number of times a single bonus can be chosen depends on the character’s Level following this table.
Character’s Level
Number Of Times A Bonus Can Be Taken
1-3
1
4-6
2
7-9
3
10-13
4
14-15
5
16-17
6
18+
7
If the item is a weapon it can choose between: +5Attack, +5Block, +10Damage, +5Initiative, -1AT to opponent, +5Breakage. If the Item is an Armor, it can choose one between: +1Physical(Cut, Impact, Thrust)AT, +1Elemental(Heat, Electricity, Cold)AT, +1EnergyAT, -5Armor Requirement, +5Natural Penalty/Perception Penalty, +10Fortitude. If a single item for some reason works both as a Weapon and an Armor, the user must choose two different bonuses each level for the weapon part and for the Armor Part. These bonuses only apply if the user, while wielding and using the item, spends a number of Ki points equal to the number of times a single bonus was chosen. These bonuses are in addition of any Quality Bonus or any other kind of bonus the item might have. These bonus only apply while the user is using the item and are in addition of any Quality bonus or any other kind of bonus the item might have. If the item is destroyed, the user loses ¼ of his current Life Points, but the item reforms inside the user’s body within 1h or if damaged recovers a +5 quality (up to its starting value) each passing 10 minutes, during which the user suffers an All Action Penalty of -5 per +5 quality lost by the item. Life Points lost in this way are recovered at the rate of Life Point Sacrifice. Manifesting an Item Exo-equipped with Higher Fusion has a cost of 3Ki points and the same goes for dismissing it. If the weapon is broken and the master has not the ki to dismiss it immediately, it can no longer be dismissed inside the body and repaired inside it.
DEMONIC WEAPONS
CONSTANT STRUGGLE
A character can have any number of Demonic Weapons or other Demonic Items (See Demonic Armor and other Items). Whenever a character directly touches for the first time a Demonic Weapon, he/she has to make an opposed Willpower Check against the Demonic Weapon. If the Demonic Weapon wins the check by 5 or more, the character is instantly killed, his soul destroyed and devoured by the Demonic Weapon. If the Demonic Weapon wins the check by less than 5 points, the character immediately drops it and falls unconscious for 1 hour for each point the character lost by. If the check results in a draw, the user can wield it without problems but will not benefit from any power acquired by the Demonic Weapon. If the character wins the check, he will be fully able to wield the weapon and benefit from its powers. Whenever the user of the Demonic Weapon acts in a way that does not satisfy the feral spirit of the demon within, the two have to take the opposed Willpower check again.
DEMON SOUL
Demonic Weapons have their own soul and can gain levels. Demonic Weapons start as Level0 creatures with the 400DPs spent on their ability to drain souls. The only notable characteristic of the Demonic Weapon is Willpower. Each Demonic Weapon starts with a value of Willpower determined by rolling a d10. Demonic Weapons can never be Exo-equipped or imbued with additional mystical powers through any known proceeding, although there are exceedingly few exceptions of magic items imbued with a demon soul.
SOUL DRAIN
Each time a Demonic Weapon kills an opponent, it can drink the victim’s soul gaining +5DPs, if the opponent is of at least the same Level as it, otherwise it gains 1 less DP per Level of difference. Killing individuals with Natura 15 or Gnosis 35 grants 10DP regardless of their Level and killing individuals with Natura 20 or Gnosis 40 or more grants 20DP regardless of their Level, due to the high value of such souls. DPs earned can be spent to buy creature’s powers as a Creature with Gnosis10 or Life Points Multiples for a cost of 10DPs each, regardless of its user’s Class. Such bonus will be applied to the user, while he/she’s wielding the Demonic Weapon and has completely mastered its power. When the Demonic Weapon reaches 600DPs, it gains Level1, and then it gains 1 additional Level each following 100DPs. It gains +3Willpower upon reaching Level1 and an extra +1Willpower each time it reaches an Even Level, up to a Maximum of 20. After reaching Willpower 20, the Demonic Weapon gets 40 extra DPs to spend upon reaching each Even Level. The Gnosis of the Demonic Weapon gets +5 each 3 Levels (Level3, Level6, and so on) up to a Maximum of Gnosis35 at Level 15. Whenever the Demonic Weapon gains a +5Gnosis, it gets a +5Quality Bonus as well, up to a Maximum of +25 Quality at Level15. A character can choose not to have its weapon drain a specific soul, but in this case a Willpower check as for the Constant Struggle rule is immediately required.
DEMONIC ARMOR AND OTHER ITEMS
Although much more rare, there exist Demonic Armors or other Items (Jewels, Talismans, Gloves, Boots…) imbued with a Demonic Soul. They work exactly like Demonic Weapons under all aspects. Demonic Armors and Items drain souls every time the bearer kills an opponent (following the same rules for demonic weapons), regardless of used weapon, but if an item carries more than a single demonic weapon, armor, and/or item, the items will fight over the soul, contesting on a Willpower check. The item to win the check will gain the soul and hence involved DPs. Items that can no longer improve thanks to a soul (due to a Level difference of 5 or more), will not compete for it. Finally, a bearer may try to control the passage of a soul to a specific item he/she’s carrying. In order to do so, the character has to make a Willpower check and compare the result to that obtained by all demonic items. If the character wins the Willpower check, he/she will choose which item drains the soul, otherwise he/she will suffer the consequences of a failed Willpower check as for the Constant Struggle rule, considering the difference in the check result between the character and the items obtaining the highest result amongst all those involved in the check.
ZAMPAKUTO
BUILDING A ZAMPAKUTO
A character can build a weapon directly from his/her soul by investing up to 120DPs and/or up to 120MK on it (in multiples of 5). Upon doing so, the user must choose an Archetype for it. DPs spent to create a Zampakuto count toward the limit for Combat Primary Abilities. Also the user may choose to sacrifice 1, 2, or 3 points of either Strength, Constitution, and/or Power to grant respectively a Quality Bonus of +10, +20, +25 to the Zampakuto. Once the Zampakuto has been built, it will exist forever, as long as it has a master. Even if broken, a Zampakuto will regain its original shape within 5 turns. The Zampakuto cannot be stolen, since it will within 5 turns disappear to return at its master’s side. A Zampakuto cannot be Exo-equipped or imbued with additional mystical powers through any known proceeding. A character can never build or possess more than a single Zampakuto at a time. The original (or Sealed) shape of a Zampakuto is always a Katana.
INHERITING A ZAMPAKUTO
Although it cannot be stolen, a Zampakuto can be inherited. It can be inherited either because its master decides to give it to someone or because it’s recovered after the master’s death by someone whose soul and objectives are similar enough to those of the last master and who must invest the same amount of MK the master invested in its creation (but not DPs). Also, a Zampakuto’s Quality is 0 when inherited, and the character inheriting it must sacrifice characteristics points as aforementioned in order to increase its Quality. A Zampakuto’s Powers, Shikai and Bankai will remain the same even after switching master, so the investment in DPs and MK to unlock Shikai and Bankai remains the same. If a character deeming to become the new master does not have the necessary MK at the time he/she inherits the Zampakuto, he will inherit it all the same, but won’t be able to use any of its Powers, nor develop any Shikai, until he/she’s paid the whole MK cost that had been invested in the creation of the Zampakuto. If a Zampakuto remains without a master for more than 5 days, it vanishes into nothingness.
ARCHETYPES AND POWERS
When building a Zampauto, the character converts invested DPs and MK into Artifact PP that can be spent to buy powers as for an Artifact from the following lists. The Zampakuto is imbued with a number of Level3 PPs equal to double the invested DPs, as well as a number of Level4 PPs equal to double the invested MK. These PPs can be converted as normal in lower Level PPs, but not in higher Level PPs, following Artifacts rules. Note that powers imbued into a Zampakuto ignore completely the Presence of the sword. There are four Archetypes available for a Zampakuto: Offensive, Defensive, Mystic, and Elemental. Depending on the chosen Archetype, the Zampakuto must spend at least half the PPs for buying Powers associated with its Archetype. Elemental Zampakuto must choose a single element to be bound to. Elemental Zampakuto Powers can only be taken for building an Elemental Zampakuto, with the exception of Characteristic Improvement (Willpower), that can be taken by Zampakuto from other Archetypes. As for Artifacts, some Zampakuto might have powers not listed below. In such cases the Game Master determines what Archetype do these powers belong to and their PP cost.
GENERAL ARCHETYPE POWERS: Secondary Ability Improvement, Characteristic Improvement (Dexterity and/or Agility and/or Perception), Initiative Increment, Enchanted Weapon, Ki Reserve, Other Weapon Abilities (Damage Control), Movement Improvement, Special Sight.
OFFENSIVE ARCHETYPE POWERS: Weapon with Incremented Attack, Incremented Damage, Characteristic Increment (Strength), Armor Destruction, Special Attack (Distance and/or Damage), Other Weapon Abilities (Precision), Impact.
DEFENSIVE ARCHETYPE POWERS: Weapon with Incremented Defense, Innate Armor, Characteristic Increment (Constitution), Resistances Improvement, Damage Barrier, Damage Reduction, Regeneration.
MYSTIC ARCHETYPE POWERS: Zeon Container, MA, Magic Projection, Maintenance Improvement, Psychic Projection, Characteristic Increment (Power), Elemental Attack (Energy).
ELEMENTAL ARCHETYPE POWERS: Elemental Attack (Chosen Element), Elemental Immunity (Chosen Element), Characteristic Increment (Willpower), Exterminator (Opposite Elementals), Added Power (Limited to associated Elemental Path), Potential (Limited to associated Disciplines), Automatic Spell (from associated Elemental Path).
SHIKAI
After creating a Zampakuto a character must have gained at least 2 Levels before he/she can develop the weapon’s Shikai. When developing Shikai, the user may invest up to 100DPs (that do not count toward any limit) and up to 50MK to buy additional powers either from the Archetype lists or from the Shikai Power lists described below, following the same rules and limits as when choosing powers for the Zampakuto, except PPs are considered Level5 when buying powers from the appropriate Archetype Powers (including Shikai Powers) and/or from the General Archetype, Level4 when buying powers from other Archetypes. Previously acquired Powers can also be improved by spending only the difference in PPs between the two levels of the same power. Shikai can be activated as a Passive Action and can remain active for as longer as desired by its user.
GENERAL SHIKAI POWERS: Destiny Alteration, Other Weapon Abilities (Variable Critic and/or Transforming), Enhancement of Ki Accumulations.
OFFENSIVE SHIKAI POWERS: Special Attack (Area and/or Attack Ability), Incremented Critical, Other Weapon Abilities (Vorpal).
DFENSIVE SHIKAI POWERS: Immunity, Magic Immunity, Psychic Immunity.
MYSTIC SHIKAI POWERS: Incremented MR Checks, Incremented PsR Checks, Mystic Effect.
ELEMENTAL SHIKAI POWERS: Spell Caster (Limited to associated Elemental Path), Casting Ability, Increased Summoning (Limited to Elementals of chosen Element).
BANKAI
After developing a Zampakuto’s Shikai, a character must have gained at least 5 Levels before he/she can develop the weapon’s Bankai. In order to develop the Bankai, the character must invest at least 60MK. Bankai is actually a Level3 Ki Technique with hypothetically unlimited MK value, which is learned in a way completely independent from any other Technique Tree, ignoring all necessary prerequisites. All Bankai Techniques have the Unique Weapon Bond (-10MK) disadvantage, referring to the Zampakuto itself. As for the rest, the character is free to build the techniques as he/she prefers, but character’s with an Elemental Zampakuto must choose at least half effects associated with their Zampakuto Element and pay 5MK less for each such effect they choose for their Bankai, up to a minimum of 5MK per effect. Elemental Zampakuto can also choose to take the Elemental Binding disadvantage (-15MK), with their Element. In order to use a Bankai Technique a character does not require to accumulate the required ki, but has to spend an amount of generic Ki points equal to half the total cost of the technique, rounding up. Also, the maintenance cost, if any, can be met with generic Ki, but won’t last more than 20 subsequent turns. The Bankai Technique can be forced, if the user has the Force Techniques Ki Ability, by paying an amount of generic Ki equal to the total Ki cost of the Technique. At least 5 turns must pass between subsequent uses of the Bankai Technique.
SPECIFIC ADVANTAGES:
EXO-EQUIP
The character has been trained in Exo-Equip and has some items already Exo-Equipped. This character has 40DPs to spend on Exo-Equip, which are in addition to DPs the character can spend on Combat Primary Abilities. Spending additional CPs on this advantage will increase the DPs for Exo-Equip to 80 and 120.
COST: 1, 2, 3.
LIMIT: This Advantage DOES NOT buy the equipment, but only the possibility to Exo-Equip it.
DEMONIC WEAPON
The character has somehow completely mastered a Level0 Demonic Weapon, at least at the start of the campaign. Spending additional CPs, the character can either buy an additional Level0 Demonic Weapon, get a Demonic Armor or Other Item instead of a Weapon, and/or grant 40DPs worth of powers to a possessed Demonic Item.
COST: 1, 2, 3.
INHERITED ZAMPAKUTO
The character has Inherited a Zampakuto, hence he can begin the game with a Zampakuto with 40DPs worth of Powers and any quantity of MK worth of Powers. Archetype and Powers should be decided by the Player and approved by the Game Master. Spending additional CPs will raise the DPs spent on Zampakuto powers to 80 and 120.
COST: 1, 2, 3.
LIMIT: This advantage only grants the DPs invested in the Zampakuto. If PPs were bought using MK as well as DPs, the character must spend MK as usual in order to master the Zampakuto powers. Also, the character still has to sacrifice his/her Characteristics, if he wishes to increase the Zampakuto Quality.