Character Mechanics
Character Power and How to Wield It
On Bleach Gotei, a system of numerical representation is used to determine characters’ comparative levels of power. This system is split into Reiatsu Class and Reiryoku, quantitative representations; and Skills, a qualitative representation. Information on how these work, interact with one another and interact with those of other characters can be found here.
Table of Contents
Reiatsu Class & Reiryoku
Skills
Powers and Releases
Character Classes
Checks, Combat, and Wounds
Reiatsu Class & Reiryoku
What is Reiatsu Class?
Reiatsu Class, often referred to merely as Reiatsu, Spiritual Pressure, or sometimes Spirit Class, is the quantitative classification of character power on Bleach Gotei and serves as the foundation upon which all character power is built. It shows how strong, durable, fast or spiritually potent a character is on a numerical scale, further expanded. This value ranges from 1 up to 40, with 1 representing the bare minimum of spiritual power and awareness while a hypothetical 40 is the peak of power our characters currently believe to even be theoretically possible.
Note! Reiatsu Class 0 does exist and represents entirely mundane Humans with no spiritual awareness or power.
The fundamental purpose of Reiatsu Class is to represent overall power and the total spiritual pressure an individual exerts on the world around them. This affects a character's Combat Class and applies a +1 modifier per Reiatsu Class to the combat roll’s hybrid check (see checks).
Should an opponent have such an overwhelming advantage that they are ten or more Reiatsu Classes higher than their opponent, they simply cannot be injured or defeated in combat at all. In that situation, it is strongly recommended to retreat.
However, Reiatsu Class does not tell the entire story regarding a character’s strengths and deficits.
What is Reiryoku?
Reiryoku, also referred to as Spirit Power or abbreviated SP, is a numeric representation . If Reiatsu represents overall power and potency, Reiryoku can be seen as fuel or stamina and is used to activate and use many abilities on Bleach Gotei, such as Releases as well as the abilities of many Minor Skills and some Major Skills.
All characters have 10 Reiryoku unless they possess some ability that grants them more.
Reiryoku also does not, necessarily, restore between fights. If your character finds themselves fighting multiple battles in quick succession, they may be forced to preserve Reiryoku and forgo certain Skills and even Releases until necessary. Often, your character will not have a full understanding of what lies before them and must calculate risks with their use of Reiryoku to emerge victorious or to emerge at all.
Skills
What are Skills?
Skills are the qualitative representation of character power on Bleach Gotei and serve as a natural extension to Reiatsu Class. They show a character’s understanding of how to translate the power in their muscles or the spiritual potency within them into action and have several ranks which govern how well this is achieved. A popular way to phrase it is that Reiatsu represents solely raw power, and skills are the lens through which this power is focused. A character may be very strong physically, but without the knowledge of how to put that strength to good use, they will often find themselves at the mercy of those who are better trained in the martial arts.
There are two distinct types of skill on Bleach Gotei: Major and Minor. Skills that are frequently directly compared to other skills to determine an outcome are classified as major, whereas skills that directly modify those outcomes without first comparing to other skills are classified as minor. Direct combat skills such as Combat Proficiency or Spirit Arts, both major skills, are checked against other skills when used to attack or defend, but skills such as Blut or Regeneration, both minor skills, simply act, independent of other factors. Minor Skills almost always require the expense of Spirit Power to utilize their abilities.
Skill Ranks
Major skills have six ranks and minor skills have three ranks. Skills may be purchased using Growth Points, abbreviated as GP, provided by the Storyteller at character creation and as part of how a character might advance. These ranks, and their impact on Checks, are as follows:
Major Skills
Rank 0: None (+0)
Rank 1: Novice (+1), 1 Growth Points
Rank 2: Proficient (+2), 2 Growth Points
Rank 3: Adept (+4), 4 Growth Points
Rank 4: Expert (+7), 8 Growth Points
Rank 5: Master (+10), 16 Growth Points
Rank 6: Grandmaster (+15), 32 Growth Points
Minor Skills
Rank 0: None
Rank 1: Novice, 1 Growth Point
Rank 2: Adept, 4 Growth Points
Rank 3: Master, 16 Growth Points
Major skill ranks 4, 5, and 6—as well as minor skill rank 3—are referred to as Specializations on Bleach Gotei and are not available freely; they must be approved by the Storyteller beforehand even if the character has the necessary Growth Points to purchase them. Expect that characters can only have so many Specializations, even at advanced levels of power and ability in our game world, as these represent skills that should be large parts of the character’s identity!
Note! In the uncommon event that a Minor Skill is part of a Check, use the corresponding values from the Major Skill list.
Skill Selection
Character race plays a large role in determining which skills a character is eligible to take. A base selection of major skills termed Universal Skills are available to all characters on Bleach Gotei, and while the specific flavor of how a particular race or character wields that skill may differ, the core functionality of the skills remain the same for all and their existence is considered vital to the basic functioning of game mechanics for Bleach Gotei.
There also exist Personal Skills, which represent abilities generally accessible to all beings based on their personal background or archetype, but do not have direct combat application. It is encouraged to get creative with these skills and ask the Storyteller how they might be useful. Some examples of how they might, circumstantially, affect even a combat situation:
However, given the nature of the above, these will only be applicable in certain circumstances or otherwise not easily repeatable, otherwise they would be standard features of other skills.
In addition to the Universal and Personal Skills, each race has several unique Racial Skills, both major and minor, which only characters of that race may take. Finally, a wide selection of Neutral Skills (the majority of which are minor) available to all races exist in order to allow characters to fill potential gaps in their character’s skill loadout and deepen the customization options. These skills are generic and require that the player in question give them an in-character definition, or “flavor”, as part of selection.
Each character on Bleach Gotei immediately has optional access to all Universal Skills and may take three additional Personal Skills, but is limited to a total of two racial or neutral skills. At Prestige, access is granted to the Prestige Skill and an additional racial or neutral skill for a total of three.
Additional Universal or Neutral skills can be purchased for 10 Growth Points.
A comprehensive list of Skills can be found here.
Powers and Releases
Releases
All characters on Bleach Gotei possess unique abilities that define not only who they are but often how they approach the world. These abilities are divided into several stages, which on Bleach Gotei are referred to as Releases.
First Release is the simplest, most rudimentary application of a character’s ability, and the only one all characters have the option to start with. The First Releases include a Shinigami’s Shikai, an Arrancar’s Hollow Power, and a Quincy’s signature ability.
Second Release symbolizes a heightened state of self-awareness, what some would call the ultimate expression of a character’s ability. Only those who work very hard will achieve their Second Release. Second Releases include a Shinigami’s Bankai, an Arrancar’s Resurrección, and a Quincy’s refined signature ability.
Third Release is a truly groundbreaking step in any character’s development, earned by shattering the very mold that defines the character’s race itself. On Bleach Gotei, Third Release is linked to the concept of Prestige, and includes a Shinigami’s Evolved Zanpakutō, a Vaizard’s Hollow Mask, an Arrancar’s Segunda Etapa, and a Quincy’s Vollständig.
The time it takes to activate a release is determined by that release’s duration as outlined in the corresponding racial skill. Almost all releases begin with a Reiryoku cost, representing their limited duration, but all releases can eventually “outgrow” this cost. Releases that have achieved an indefinite duration can, if the player so chooses, be portrayed as a “constant-release” type.
Release Bonuses
When a character uses releases as earth-shatteringly powerful as Bankai or Segunda Etapa, they are tapping into locked reserves of power within their soul. On Bleach Gotei, this is represented by a Release Bonus, an increased Reiatsu level that is applied as long as the release is active.
Though there are some racial variations, the rule of thumb is as follows:
First Release grants no release bonus.
Second Release grants a release bonus of +4 to Reiatsu Class.
Third Release grants a release bonus of +4 to Reiatsu Class which can be increased to +6 through the Prestige skill.
This means that there is a potential total for any character to have a full +10 to their Reiatsu Class when all their releases are active at the same time (such as a Vaizard using their Bankai and Hollow Mask simultaneously).
Race-specific implementations of releases and their release bonuses can be found within their respective Prestige skills.
Powers
Each stage of release is linked to a specific power, the nature of which is up to the player to design. As Powers are the only mechanical aspect of Bleach Gotei that is open for customization, it is often here a character will set itself apart from others most radically.
Powers can take all kinds of forms; from something as simple as shooting fireballs to something far more complex, such as entering shared dreams or phasing through physical matter on a whim. Designing a power’s mechanical effect is straightforward: players are free to utilize all aspects of Bleach Gotei’s systems in order to tailor something to their liking and staff members will aid in making sure that their powers remain balanced. There are more examples of interesting powers on Bleach Gotei than can be listed here, but some helpful tips when designing powers are as follows:
Simple powers with applications outside of combat make for better storytelling! A convoluted power with multiple, highly specific and niche uses in mainly combat scenarios is far less interesting than a power that has a single effect that can be used creatively in a myriad of ways both in and out of combat.
Powers, like releases, often scale in complexity and scope! A Shinigami’s Shikai, for example, often serves as a basis, typically thematically and mechanically, for their Bankai. As a higher level of release is reached, the level of what is acceptable for a power to achieve also rises. For the vast majority of characters, the Prestige power will be the ultimate expression of a character’s might. Build up to it.
Limitations and drawbacks are a good way to balance a power! Powers, like characters, often benefit from having flaws. A power, especially Second Release and beyond, will be far easier to have approved (and will be far more interesting to include in a narrative) if it contains a crippling flaw or drawback to its use.
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use the existing systems when designing a power. Checks, Reiryoku, wound ranks and other mechanical ins and outs can all be manipulated by some degree. A power doesn’t need to fundamentally change the world—sometimes simply shooting fireballs works.
Think of the bigger picture! A power is only one part of many that comprise a character. Give thought to how the character and powers reflect on each other, and don’t forget that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Multiple powers can work in unison and concessions in one may make it easier to motivate taking greater liberties with another.
Character Classes
Class Progression
On Bleach Gotei we seek to encourage hard work and a high standard of writing and for this reason, the class system exists. A character’s class is closely linked not only to what some would consider the evolution of a character but also the skill with which the player tells that character’s story. The classes are as follows:
Normal (tier 1) marks the starting point of every character on Bleach Gotei. It is here that all characters begin their story.
Prestige (tier 2) is the result of a fundamental change in a character, typically in the form of intense development delivered by solid writing and storytelling. Prestige characters are characters that have left lasting impressions on the world and characters of Bleach Gotei, and are very often those in positions of great in-character status. Prestige comes in a variety of flavors, prominent among them being the achievement of Segunda Etapa for Arrancar and Vaizard for Shinigami.
Note! Character class has no bearing on eligibility for in-character rank or position.
Checks, Combat & Wounds
Checks
Checks are how primary interaction in combat, and out-of-combat, functions on Bleach Gotei. They involve using the modifiers of the appropriate values, such as Reiatsu Class and/or Skills, and then applying them to a d20 roll. This ensures that results are not always deterministic and guaranteed, that almost all actions come with a degree of risk, whether it is great risk or small risk. These checks exist in multiple types and sub-types.
The main types include:
Contested Checks are the kind where both players roll d20s, modified as instructed, comparing the efforts of two characters against each other. These checks are typically required by Powers, Skills, or even to change range or escape combat. With contested checks, the party actively attempting something must match or exceed the roll of the resisting or defending target.
Challenge Checks are the kind where both players check against a set value, such as Difficulty Class or, in combat, Combat Class. Checks that do not specify a DC are likely intended to be contested checks.
Unless stated otherwise, a check is a failure unless it exceeds or matches the opponent's final value in a contested check or the target value of a challenge check.
The subtypes include:
Reiatsu checks are just that; checks that involve solely the characters’ Reiatsu Class, with no skills coming into the picture in any way. These are typically measures of brute power independent of any kind of finesse. This type of check is typically quite rare.
Skill checks, conversely, do not include Reiatsu Class. The best example is illusionary abilities checking against Reiatsu Perception. A comparison like this is independent of stats—the quality of the illusion is being compared to how adept at perceiving the spiritual someone is. This type of check is uncommon.
Hybrid are the most common type of check on Bleach Gotei, beginning as Reiatsu checks which are then modified by the relationship between the associated skills. The most ready example is, of course, combat. The power of the combatants must be considered alongside the level of their technique. For this reason, both Reiatsu and Skills apply their modifiers to the d20 roll, allowing someone of greater skill to overcome a more powerful opponent, or vice versa.
Additionally, outside of combat, you may find yourself checking against NPCs or against more esoteric circumstances. Perhaps you wish to influence the Central 46 with your testimony? Infiltrate Las Noches? Solve the mystery of the murders down on Earth? Regardless, in those circumstances, your skills will check not against another specific character, but will trigger a check against a set Difficulty Class, abbreviated DC, as decided by the Storyteller and influenced by how your character chooses to go about whatever they’re attempting.
Note! An emergent factor of the above is that should the target value of a check you're rolling against be 20 higher than your maximum modifier for that check, it is entirely impossible to overcome. When these circumstances are identified, no roll will be necessary.
Combat
We know that Combat is a hybrid check, but how is combat intended to work and what else is involved?
Combat occurs in Rounds, defined as all participants rolling their d20s for the combat check. For each Round, each character has their Combat Class, abbreviated CC, determined. Combat Class = 10 + the relevant combat skill + Reiatsu Class. The relevant combat skill is almost always Combat Proficiency or Spirit Arts, but may at times be skills such as Resonance based on the Powers possessed by characters.
Like with all checks, the Combat Class value of your target must be met or exceeded to inflict a "standard" or "full" wound, which is a Major Wound. If your Reiatsu Class is 5 higher than that target, the standard becomes a Severe Wound, or a Fatal Wound if Reiatsu Class is 8 higher. Lesser wounds, typically Moderate and then Minor off a "standard" wound of Major, may be inflicted if the roll comes close to meeting the target's Combat Class.
Remember that if Reiatsu Class changes in that round, such as due to Release or temporarily due to special Skills, so does your Combat Class!
The modifier when you roll the d20 is also determined by Reiatsu Class and Skill. Additional Skills and Powers may change the modifier without changing Skill or Reiatsu Class. One example is range, as fighting outside your ideal range based on the skill you're using imposes a -4 penalty to the combat check.
Note! When two characters are perfectly matched on Skill and Reiatsu Class, and there are no further alterations, a roll of 10 will always beat the Combat Class. Statistically, these characters will inflict a full wound 55% of the time.
Certain Powers and Skills may have effects that require a check to adjudicate the result before combat itself is rolled. An example might be the use of Hohō to move in or out of melee combat range, or the use of Regeneration to mend wounds already taken, or Reiatsu Control to raise Reiatsu Class for that single Round. When this happens, the Reiryoku is spent before the result, meaning that you must risk the Reiryoku in the attempt and may not get what it is you hoped for.
After all participants use their desired Skills, Powers, or other abilities, and roll their d20s, Wounds are inflicted and the battle continues until characters are unable to continue fighting. More information on this, and Wounds in general, is below.
Note! Participants in combat should go in a set order, taking turns. However, Rounds are simultaneous, not sequential! If your opponent rolls first in a Round and it would cause a fight-ending wound, you still complete your own "turn" as normal! You simply would not proceed to the next round.
Regarding the portrayal and written description of combat: It is critical to understand that the checks involved in combat, and the associated rolling of the d20s, represent abstractions of combat. They do not represent any strict period of time, they do not represent individual blows. How the participants of combat choose to portray a fight is entirely up to them. Some will write a post corresponding to each set of d20 rolls, some will roll multiple rounds at once if a longer fight is expected.
Wounds
Wound calculations are the result of Combat Checks, and are what come after the d20 roll, as modified by Reiatsu and Skill and other factors, against Combat Class. Keep in mind: While the location of a wound may have thematic importance, it does not necessarily have any bearing on combat: a fatal wound to the foot will end the fight just as readily as a fatal wound to the head.
Important to note is that wounds increase in severity as more damage is inflicted: two wounds of the same rank, regardless of their location on the body, are automatically treated as one wound of a higher severity. For example, two Major wounds are equivalent to a single Severe wound. Similarly, inflicting a second Minor wound on a character who has also suffered a Moderate wound will increase their overall wound level to Major.
The exception is that it only requires three Major Wounds to increase overall wound level to Fatal, instead of two Severe Wounds.
The ranks for wounds and descriptions of what such a wound may encompass, are as follows:
Superficial: Stinging sensations, or like a scratch barely breaking skin. Equivalent to briefly touching a hot pan, leaving a burning sensation but no lasting damage. Difficult even to see.
Minor: Shallow cuts, shallow stab wounds, severe bruising and first-degree burns. Painful, but very manageable.
Moderate: Deep cuts, slightly deeper stab wounds, fractured bones and second-degree burns—skin has been partially burned away. Painful, but careful movement might minimize the pain and make it tolerable.
Major: Deep stab wounds, broken bones, torn muscle and third-degree burns—muscle burned away, potentially exposing bone. A painful hindrance, not something easily dealt with.
Severe (inflicted when target’s Reiatsu Class is 5 lower): Gaping holes, severed limbs, and parts of the body burnt away entirely. Intolerable pain, bordering on disabling; soldiering on takes every ounce of willpower.
Fatal (inflicted when target’s Reiatsu Class is 8 lower): Vital organs completely destroyed, entire parts of the body torn away or burned to cinders. A death blow, for lack of a better term, far beyond the means of conventional medicine.
If the result of the combat check against a target's Combat Class is just short of matching the value by only 1 or 2, you will inflict a wound one rank lower than the "standard" or "full" wound. If short by 3 or 4, you will inflict a wound two ranks lower.
Characters on Bleach Gotei are unable to continue fighting at Severe, though some abilities allow a character to continue fighting until Fatal. Suffering a Fatal wound does not necessarily imply the character has already been killed—merely that they are in dire need of medical assistance and will die if aid is unavailable.
Range
Range between combatants on Bleach Gotei is classified as either being in melee range or outside of melee range. Moving within these ranges is counted as moving insignificant distances and it is assumed that the requisite footwork is part of skills Combat Proficiency. As such, this means that for two melee combatants, range often does not factor in their engagements at all, and movement requires no additional checks. However, increasing or decreasing the range to or from melee range counts as moving a significant distance, thus requiring an action and initiating a hybrid check. In this check (commonly referred to as a range check for simplicity), the combatants’ Reiatsu and Hohō skill are checked against one another with a d20 roll. To successfully change range, a character must meet or exceed the opponent’s roll.
Both Combat Proficiency and Spirit Arts define their ideal range. Fighting outside of this range against the opposing skill, such as fighting Combat Proficiency with Spirit Arts while within melee range, applies a steep -4 to the disadvantaged party’s roll.
Furthermore, a character may choose to escape a fight entirely via the use of a range check. In order to successfully escape a fight, a character must exceed the opponent’s roll by at least 1 if already outside of melee range, or exceed the opponent’s roll by at least 3 if within melee range.
Character Power and How to Wield It
On Bleach Gotei, a system of numerical representation is used to determine characters’ comparative levels of power. This system is split into Reiatsu Class and Reiryoku, quantitative representations; and Skills, a qualitative representation. Information on how these work, interact with one another and interact with those of other characters can be found here.
Table of Contents
Reiatsu Class & Reiryoku
Skills
Powers and Releases
Character Classes
Checks, Combat, and Wounds
Reiatsu Class & Reiryoku
What is Reiatsu Class?
Reiatsu Class, often referred to merely as Reiatsu, Spiritual Pressure, or sometimes Spirit Class, is the quantitative classification of character power on Bleach Gotei and serves as the foundation upon which all character power is built. It shows how strong, durable, fast or spiritually potent a character is on a numerical scale, further expanded. This value ranges from 1 up to 40, with 1 representing the bare minimum of spiritual power and awareness while a hypothetical 40 is the peak of power our characters currently believe to even be theoretically possible.
Note! Reiatsu Class 0 does exist and represents entirely mundane Humans with no spiritual awareness or power.
The fundamental purpose of Reiatsu Class is to represent overall power and the total spiritual pressure an individual exerts on the world around them. This affects a character's Combat Class and applies a +1 modifier per Reiatsu Class to the combat roll’s hybrid check (see checks).
Should an opponent have such an overwhelming advantage that they are ten or more Reiatsu Classes higher than their opponent, they simply cannot be injured or defeated in combat at all. In that situation, it is strongly recommended to retreat.
However, Reiatsu Class does not tell the entire story regarding a character’s strengths and deficits.
What is Reiryoku?
Reiryoku, also referred to as Spirit Power or abbreviated SP, is a numeric representation . If Reiatsu represents overall power and potency, Reiryoku can be seen as fuel or stamina and is used to activate and use many abilities on Bleach Gotei, such as Releases as well as the abilities of many Minor Skills and some Major Skills.
All characters have 10 Reiryoku unless they possess some ability that grants them more.
Reiryoku also does not, necessarily, restore between fights. If your character finds themselves fighting multiple battles in quick succession, they may be forced to preserve Reiryoku and forgo certain Skills and even Releases until necessary. Often, your character will not have a full understanding of what lies before them and must calculate risks with their use of Reiryoku to emerge victorious or to emerge at all.
Skills
What are Skills?
Skills are the qualitative representation of character power on Bleach Gotei and serve as a natural extension to Reiatsu Class. They show a character’s understanding of how to translate the power in their muscles or the spiritual potency within them into action and have several ranks which govern how well this is achieved. A popular way to phrase it is that Reiatsu represents solely raw power, and skills are the lens through which this power is focused. A character may be very strong physically, but without the knowledge of how to put that strength to good use, they will often find themselves at the mercy of those who are better trained in the martial arts.
There are two distinct types of skill on Bleach Gotei: Major and Minor. Skills that are frequently directly compared to other skills to determine an outcome are classified as major, whereas skills that directly modify those outcomes without first comparing to other skills are classified as minor. Direct combat skills such as Combat Proficiency or Spirit Arts, both major skills, are checked against other skills when used to attack or defend, but skills such as Blut or Regeneration, both minor skills, simply act, independent of other factors. Minor Skills almost always require the expense of Spirit Power to utilize their abilities.
Skill Ranks
Major skills have six ranks and minor skills have three ranks. Skills may be purchased using Growth Points, abbreviated as GP, provided by the Storyteller at character creation and as part of how a character might advance. These ranks, and their impact on Checks, are as follows:
Major Skills
Rank 0: None (+0)
Rank 1: Novice (+1), 1 Growth Points
Rank 2: Proficient (+2), 2 Growth Points
Rank 3: Adept (+4), 4 Growth Points
Rank 4: Expert (+7), 8 Growth Points
Rank 5: Master (+10), 16 Growth Points
Rank 6: Grandmaster (+15), 32 Growth Points
Minor Skills
Rank 0: None
Rank 1: Novice, 1 Growth Point
Rank 2: Adept, 4 Growth Points
Rank 3: Master, 16 Growth Points
Major skill ranks 4, 5, and 6—as well as minor skill rank 3—are referred to as Specializations on Bleach Gotei and are not available freely; they must be approved by the Storyteller beforehand even if the character has the necessary Growth Points to purchase them. Expect that characters can only have so many Specializations, even at advanced levels of power and ability in our game world, as these represent skills that should be large parts of the character’s identity!
Note! In the uncommon event that a Minor Skill is part of a Check, use the corresponding values from the Major Skill list.
Skill Selection
Character race plays a large role in determining which skills a character is eligible to take. A base selection of major skills termed Universal Skills are available to all characters on Bleach Gotei, and while the specific flavor of how a particular race or character wields that skill may differ, the core functionality of the skills remain the same for all and their existence is considered vital to the basic functioning of game mechanics for Bleach Gotei.
There also exist Personal Skills, which represent abilities generally accessible to all beings based on their personal background or archetype, but do not have direct combat application. It is encouraged to get creative with these skills and ask the Storyteller how they might be useful. Some examples of how they might, circumstantially, affect even a combat situation:
- Using Stealth & Deception to hide as an alternative means to escape combat in a particularly chaotic situation.
- Using Leadership & Command during a large-scale offensive to apply advantage to everyone's first combat check, to represent your tactics and strategy.
- Using Medicine & Surgery to, although difficult and unlikely, get an incapacitated character back into the fight even without the guarantees of a skill like Kaidō.
- Using Social Influence to negotiate the terms of a surrender or distract a target to allow others to escape.
However, given the nature of the above, these will only be applicable in certain circumstances or otherwise not easily repeatable, otherwise they would be standard features of other skills.
In addition to the Universal and Personal Skills, each race has several unique Racial Skills, both major and minor, which only characters of that race may take. Finally, a wide selection of Neutral Skills (the majority of which are minor) available to all races exist in order to allow characters to fill potential gaps in their character’s skill loadout and deepen the customization options. These skills are generic and require that the player in question give them an in-character definition, or “flavor”, as part of selection.
Each character on Bleach Gotei immediately has optional access to all Universal Skills and may take three additional Personal Skills, but is limited to a total of two racial or neutral skills. At Prestige, access is granted to the Prestige Skill and an additional racial or neutral skill for a total of three.
Additional Universal or Neutral skills can be purchased for 10 Growth Points.
A comprehensive list of Skills can be found here.
Powers and Releases
Releases
All characters on Bleach Gotei possess unique abilities that define not only who they are but often how they approach the world. These abilities are divided into several stages, which on Bleach Gotei are referred to as Releases.
First Release is the simplest, most rudimentary application of a character’s ability, and the only one all characters have the option to start with. The First Releases include a Shinigami’s Shikai, an Arrancar’s Hollow Power, and a Quincy’s signature ability.
Second Release symbolizes a heightened state of self-awareness, what some would call the ultimate expression of a character’s ability. Only those who work very hard will achieve their Second Release. Second Releases include a Shinigami’s Bankai, an Arrancar’s Resurrección, and a Quincy’s refined signature ability.
Third Release is a truly groundbreaking step in any character’s development, earned by shattering the very mold that defines the character’s race itself. On Bleach Gotei, Third Release is linked to the concept of Prestige, and includes a Shinigami’s Evolved Zanpakutō, a Vaizard’s Hollow Mask, an Arrancar’s Segunda Etapa, and a Quincy’s Vollständig.
The time it takes to activate a release is determined by that release’s duration as outlined in the corresponding racial skill. Almost all releases begin with a Reiryoku cost, representing their limited duration, but all releases can eventually “outgrow” this cost. Releases that have achieved an indefinite duration can, if the player so chooses, be portrayed as a “constant-release” type.
Release Bonuses
When a character uses releases as earth-shatteringly powerful as Bankai or Segunda Etapa, they are tapping into locked reserves of power within their soul. On Bleach Gotei, this is represented by a Release Bonus, an increased Reiatsu level that is applied as long as the release is active.
Though there are some racial variations, the rule of thumb is as follows:
First Release grants no release bonus.
Second Release grants a release bonus of +4 to Reiatsu Class.
Third Release grants a release bonus of +4 to Reiatsu Class which can be increased to +6 through the Prestige skill.
This means that there is a potential total for any character to have a full +10 to their Reiatsu Class when all their releases are active at the same time (such as a Vaizard using their Bankai and Hollow Mask simultaneously).
Race-specific implementations of releases and their release bonuses can be found within their respective Prestige skills.
Powers
Each stage of release is linked to a specific power, the nature of which is up to the player to design. As Powers are the only mechanical aspect of Bleach Gotei that is open for customization, it is often here a character will set itself apart from others most radically.
Powers can take all kinds of forms; from something as simple as shooting fireballs to something far more complex, such as entering shared dreams or phasing through physical matter on a whim. Designing a power’s mechanical effect is straightforward: players are free to utilize all aspects of Bleach Gotei’s systems in order to tailor something to their liking and staff members will aid in making sure that their powers remain balanced. There are more examples of interesting powers on Bleach Gotei than can be listed here, but some helpful tips when designing powers are as follows:
Simple powers with applications outside of combat make for better storytelling! A convoluted power with multiple, highly specific and niche uses in mainly combat scenarios is far less interesting than a power that has a single effect that can be used creatively in a myriad of ways both in and out of combat.
Powers, like releases, often scale in complexity and scope! A Shinigami’s Shikai, for example, often serves as a basis, typically thematically and mechanically, for their Bankai. As a higher level of release is reached, the level of what is acceptable for a power to achieve also rises. For the vast majority of characters, the Prestige power will be the ultimate expression of a character’s might. Build up to it.
Limitations and drawbacks are a good way to balance a power! Powers, like characters, often benefit from having flaws. A power, especially Second Release and beyond, will be far easier to have approved (and will be far more interesting to include in a narrative) if it contains a crippling flaw or drawback to its use.
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use the existing systems when designing a power. Checks, Reiryoku, wound ranks and other mechanical ins and outs can all be manipulated by some degree. A power doesn’t need to fundamentally change the world—sometimes simply shooting fireballs works.
Think of the bigger picture! A power is only one part of many that comprise a character. Give thought to how the character and powers reflect on each other, and don’t forget that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Multiple powers can work in unison and concessions in one may make it easier to motivate taking greater liberties with another.
Character Classes
Class Progression
On Bleach Gotei we seek to encourage hard work and a high standard of writing and for this reason, the class system exists. A character’s class is closely linked not only to what some would consider the evolution of a character but also the skill with which the player tells that character’s story. The classes are as follows:
Normal (tier 1) marks the starting point of every character on Bleach Gotei. It is here that all characters begin their story.
Prestige (tier 2) is the result of a fundamental change in a character, typically in the form of intense development delivered by solid writing and storytelling. Prestige characters are characters that have left lasting impressions on the world and characters of Bleach Gotei, and are very often those in positions of great in-character status. Prestige comes in a variety of flavors, prominent among them being the achievement of Segunda Etapa for Arrancar and Vaizard for Shinigami.
Note! Character class has no bearing on eligibility for in-character rank or position.
Checks, Combat & Wounds
Checks
Checks are how primary interaction in combat, and out-of-combat, functions on Bleach Gotei. They involve using the modifiers of the appropriate values, such as Reiatsu Class and/or Skills, and then applying them to a d20 roll. This ensures that results are not always deterministic and guaranteed, that almost all actions come with a degree of risk, whether it is great risk or small risk. These checks exist in multiple types and sub-types.
The main types include:
Contested Checks are the kind where both players roll d20s, modified as instructed, comparing the efforts of two characters against each other. These checks are typically required by Powers, Skills, or even to change range or escape combat. With contested checks, the party actively attempting something must match or exceed the roll of the resisting or defending target.
Challenge Checks are the kind where both players check against a set value, such as Difficulty Class or, in combat, Combat Class. Checks that do not specify a DC are likely intended to be contested checks.
Unless stated otherwise, a check is a failure unless it exceeds or matches the opponent's final value in a contested check or the target value of a challenge check.
The subtypes include:
Reiatsu checks are just that; checks that involve solely the characters’ Reiatsu Class, with no skills coming into the picture in any way. These are typically measures of brute power independent of any kind of finesse. This type of check is typically quite rare.
Skill checks, conversely, do not include Reiatsu Class. The best example is illusionary abilities checking against Reiatsu Perception. A comparison like this is independent of stats—the quality of the illusion is being compared to how adept at perceiving the spiritual someone is. This type of check is uncommon.
Hybrid are the most common type of check on Bleach Gotei, beginning as Reiatsu checks which are then modified by the relationship between the associated skills. The most ready example is, of course, combat. The power of the combatants must be considered alongside the level of their technique. For this reason, both Reiatsu and Skills apply their modifiers to the d20 roll, allowing someone of greater skill to overcome a more powerful opponent, or vice versa.
Additionally, outside of combat, you may find yourself checking against NPCs or against more esoteric circumstances. Perhaps you wish to influence the Central 46 with your testimony? Infiltrate Las Noches? Solve the mystery of the murders down on Earth? Regardless, in those circumstances, your skills will check not against another specific character, but will trigger a check against a set Difficulty Class, abbreviated DC, as decided by the Storyteller and influenced by how your character chooses to go about whatever they’re attempting.
Note! An emergent factor of the above is that should the target value of a check you're rolling against be 20 higher than your maximum modifier for that check, it is entirely impossible to overcome. When these circumstances are identified, no roll will be necessary.
Combat
We know that Combat is a hybrid check, but how is combat intended to work and what else is involved?
Combat occurs in Rounds, defined as all participants rolling their d20s for the combat check. For each Round, each character has their Combat Class, abbreviated CC, determined. Combat Class = 10 + the relevant combat skill + Reiatsu Class. The relevant combat skill is almost always Combat Proficiency or Spirit Arts, but may at times be skills such as Resonance based on the Powers possessed by characters.
Like with all checks, the Combat Class value of your target must be met or exceeded to inflict a "standard" or "full" wound, which is a Major Wound. If your Reiatsu Class is 5 higher than that target, the standard becomes a Severe Wound, or a Fatal Wound if Reiatsu Class is 8 higher. Lesser wounds, typically Moderate and then Minor off a "standard" wound of Major, may be inflicted if the roll comes close to meeting the target's Combat Class.
Remember that if Reiatsu Class changes in that round, such as due to Release or temporarily due to special Skills, so does your Combat Class!
The modifier when you roll the d20 is also determined by Reiatsu Class and Skill. Additional Skills and Powers may change the modifier without changing Skill or Reiatsu Class. One example is range, as fighting outside your ideal range based on the skill you're using imposes a -4 penalty to the combat check.
Note! When two characters are perfectly matched on Skill and Reiatsu Class, and there are no further alterations, a roll of 10 will always beat the Combat Class. Statistically, these characters will inflict a full wound 55% of the time.
Certain Powers and Skills may have effects that require a check to adjudicate the result before combat itself is rolled. An example might be the use of Hohō to move in or out of melee combat range, or the use of Regeneration to mend wounds already taken, or Reiatsu Control to raise Reiatsu Class for that single Round. When this happens, the Reiryoku is spent before the result, meaning that you must risk the Reiryoku in the attempt and may not get what it is you hoped for.
After all participants use their desired Skills, Powers, or other abilities, and roll their d20s, Wounds are inflicted and the battle continues until characters are unable to continue fighting. More information on this, and Wounds in general, is below.
Note! Participants in combat should go in a set order, taking turns. However, Rounds are simultaneous, not sequential! If your opponent rolls first in a Round and it would cause a fight-ending wound, you still complete your own "turn" as normal! You simply would not proceed to the next round.
Regarding the portrayal and written description of combat: It is critical to understand that the checks involved in combat, and the associated rolling of the d20s, represent abstractions of combat. They do not represent any strict period of time, they do not represent individual blows. How the participants of combat choose to portray a fight is entirely up to them. Some will write a post corresponding to each set of d20 rolls, some will roll multiple rounds at once if a longer fight is expected.
Wounds
Wound calculations are the result of Combat Checks, and are what come after the d20 roll, as modified by Reiatsu and Skill and other factors, against Combat Class. Keep in mind: While the location of a wound may have thematic importance, it does not necessarily have any bearing on combat: a fatal wound to the foot will end the fight just as readily as a fatal wound to the head.
Important to note is that wounds increase in severity as more damage is inflicted: two wounds of the same rank, regardless of their location on the body, are automatically treated as one wound of a higher severity. For example, two Major wounds are equivalent to a single Severe wound. Similarly, inflicting a second Minor wound on a character who has also suffered a Moderate wound will increase their overall wound level to Major.
The exception is that it only requires three Major Wounds to increase overall wound level to Fatal, instead of two Severe Wounds.
The ranks for wounds and descriptions of what such a wound may encompass, are as follows:
Superficial: Stinging sensations, or like a scratch barely breaking skin. Equivalent to briefly touching a hot pan, leaving a burning sensation but no lasting damage. Difficult even to see.
Minor: Shallow cuts, shallow stab wounds, severe bruising and first-degree burns. Painful, but very manageable.
Moderate: Deep cuts, slightly deeper stab wounds, fractured bones and second-degree burns—skin has been partially burned away. Painful, but careful movement might minimize the pain and make it tolerable.
Major: Deep stab wounds, broken bones, torn muscle and third-degree burns—muscle burned away, potentially exposing bone. A painful hindrance, not something easily dealt with.
Severe (inflicted when target’s Reiatsu Class is 5 lower): Gaping holes, severed limbs, and parts of the body burnt away entirely. Intolerable pain, bordering on disabling; soldiering on takes every ounce of willpower.
Fatal (inflicted when target’s Reiatsu Class is 8 lower): Vital organs completely destroyed, entire parts of the body torn away or burned to cinders. A death blow, for lack of a better term, far beyond the means of conventional medicine.
If the result of the combat check against a target's Combat Class is just short of matching the value by only 1 or 2, you will inflict a wound one rank lower than the "standard" or "full" wound. If short by 3 or 4, you will inflict a wound two ranks lower.
Characters on Bleach Gotei are unable to continue fighting at Severe, though some abilities allow a character to continue fighting until Fatal. Suffering a Fatal wound does not necessarily imply the character has already been killed—merely that they are in dire need of medical assistance and will die if aid is unavailable.
Range
Range between combatants on Bleach Gotei is classified as either being in melee range or outside of melee range. Moving within these ranges is counted as moving insignificant distances and it is assumed that the requisite footwork is part of skills Combat Proficiency. As such, this means that for two melee combatants, range often does not factor in their engagements at all, and movement requires no additional checks. However, increasing or decreasing the range to or from melee range counts as moving a significant distance, thus requiring an action and initiating a hybrid check. In this check (commonly referred to as a range check for simplicity), the combatants’ Reiatsu and Hohō skill are checked against one another with a d20 roll. To successfully change range, a character must meet or exceed the opponent’s roll.
Both Combat Proficiency and Spirit Arts define their ideal range. Fighting outside of this range against the opposing skill, such as fighting Combat Proficiency with Spirit Arts while within melee range, applies a steep -4 to the disadvantaged party’s roll.
Furthermore, a character may choose to escape a fight entirely via the use of a range check. In order to successfully escape a fight, a character must exceed the opponent’s roll by at least 1 if already outside of melee range, or exceed the opponent’s roll by at least 3 if within melee range.
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