So, on a lark, I decided the world of Naruto would be interesting in Genesys, especially since the arrival of terrinoth and additional mechanics.
I've looked over the good work done by rickbm, but I think I'm going to go a different direction with it.
It's a work in progress, feel free to comment. Updates will be posted here.
I'm going to keep an eye on this one. I've been wanting to do a GeneSys port to Naruto for a while, but I've been too distracted with other things to really put pen to paper.
OK, so basic level Jutsu system I'm working out. Scrolls, genetic abilities, and elemental affinities are still a bit off in the near future.
Using the design principle of taking something that works, filing off the serial numbers, and calling it something new, I'm doing the same with the existing magic system.
4 skills. Genjutsu (Illusion), Ninjutsu (Catchall ninja stuff), Taijutsu (martial arts and self augmentations), and Chakra Control.
The 3 Jutsu types replace Arcane, Divine, and Primal. Chakra Control replaces the Magic system's reliance on Knowledge skill.
Chakra is respresented by your Strain. Run out of strain/chakra, fall unconcious, sucks to be you.
Now, lets say you want to do some fancy ninja stuff. You'd select the applicable skill from the 3 jutsu types, then start building your dice pool as if you were casting as spell up to a total of 5 difficulty dice worth of features.
Now you got you're Ninja move ready. Gonna cost you 2 strain once you use it, success or fail. Those threat and advantage generated are going to look particularly important to your strain pool, is it worth triggering a crit/quality, or do you need that strain back?
"But wait", you say, "What if I want to get super anime levels of stupid with my ninja?"
Thats where Hand Signs and the Chakra Control skill come into play. Hand Signs supposedly help the user shape and focus their chakra more effectively, making otherwise out of their league abilities more achievable.
You can use Hand Sign maneuvers to reduce the number of difficulty dice for a given jutsu "spell" by one per maneuver used, up your your ranks in Chakra Control, minimum 1 difficulty die remaining.
This allows you to controls jutsu "spells" of higher difficulty, but the final result must be no higher than 5 difficulty dice.
Player A wants to perform a jutsu that is 7 difficulty dice worth of spell features. He has a 3 ranks in Chakra Control. He can spend 2 maneuvers doing Hand Signs to bring it down to 5 difficulty to use, or 3 maneuvers to bring it down to 4 maneuvers to use. Player A might need to spend strain to get in extra maneuvers or stay mobile while he is building up his action, further reducing his strain pool.
To further balance this out, I think it'd be a good idea to place an "interruption" limitation on this casting system; that if you perform any "active" Action (up to gm interpretation) after beginning Hand Signs maneuvers that would interrupt your hand motions, but before using your Casting Action, you lose 1 strain per Hand Sign maneuver taken, have to start over, but you do not pay the 2 strain for the spell since you never cast it.
Pretty much, if you're going to pull off something big, your allies need to protect you why you get prepared.
As for stupid eyes and family abilities, I'm thinking along the lines of Signature Spell talents that reduce difficulty dice before ranks in Chakra Control are taken into account. Would have to rename. Additionally, Signature Spell (generic, not eye or family based) would become Signature Jutsu so you can get better at your favorite ninja moves.
Other considerations are changing the default range band of spells when using taijutsu to Engaged (self), then apply effects and features accordingly.
Going to formally type this up and toss it into the setting document, but there's the base mechanics for my Jutsu system.
I've also worked on a Naruto version of Genesys, though instead of the chinese zodiac as archetypes, that was your Clan. I like your jutsu system, sounds promising!
I'm thinking clans for me are either narrative in nature or a talent selection. That way with the zodiac archetype, you can create a wide variety of characters for a given clan. As a talent, clan features can grow via improved and supreme, or even take a high level 2nd clan feature for mixed inherited traits, but it'd be weaker than the main trait with possibly not having improved or supreme versions. similar idea i'm kicking around with natures.