Flashback Integration Toda Hiromatsu

[sempai]

This thread will serve as a discussion among players, and the GM regarding Toda Hiromatsu's background (and only him) and flashback thread.

If at any time any Players, or the GM see any issues regarding the background of the character, the flashback thread or the live thread, that could cause issues with the "time continuum" we can discuss them here.

Feel free to tell me about your character and where he came from to start this discussion. (feel free to use previous pms cut and paste, by the way i like the "shogun" book idea.)

[Galen]

Toda Hiromatsu, a komodo dragon, has always been more intelligent than most of his kind. His early life was uneventful. He lived at a remote buddist temple in southeast asia. Martial artists would come to the temple to train and cleanse their chi. One of Toda's favorite visitors was a Sumo wrestler that would throw him scraps of food.

One day there an accident near the temple. A bio-chemical weapons experiment went wrong and contamineted the entire area. Many where killed and the temple was abandoned except for one ancient monk who refused to leave. The chemicals had a strange effect on Toda. The komodo dragon started mutating until he could walk bipedal and even talk. The temple monk taught Toda how to read and other basic skills then began training him in martial arts. Toda Read many of the books left scattered around the temple that had been brouhgt by various travellers. He took his name from a character in one of the books he read, "Shogun," because he hoped to be tough and noble like the character.

[sempai]

Thats an awesome start, I figure we will start the game from the moment you started gaining conscience. The monk that trained you taught you will be your adopted father, i'm assuming you will know very little of the outside world, other than what you read in books.

Eventually you will be drawn out to seek revenge for the experiment, those that died, and to also seek your "creator" (the chemicals).

Seems we have two characters that come from the same area, we might eventually have you two join up first.

I'm assuming he would play very "bushido" in his personality?

[sempai]

You could play your character old and wise, or young and a little Pop cultured... perhapse all he learned of the world was from his books, magazines, and even some tv?

Or you could play him the old hermit, who trained for years, before finally being forced from what he considered "the perfect life" of training and reading, Life of the "ronin" or masterless warrior.

I also think your character might have the most knowledge of the outside world of martial arts. i might give you the same percentages of recognising famous martial arts people as a wordly martial artist,as depected in ninjas and superspies. which might make the game more fun if we have somone to identify masters.

[Galen]

I was thinking that perhaps the reason I started traveling the world is that my master died, finally succumbing to the poisons and toxins that contaminated the area. This was an idea, but I was going to leave the choice of whether my master is still alive to you.

I was planning on going the dedicated martial artist route and picking up some chi abilities. I meditate regularly and try to be at peace with myself. I will likely be like a little-john type character, easy going and jovial until trouble starts.

Hiromatsu will have little to no exposure to technology. I do like the idea of knowing bits and pieces of pop culture though.

The "spill" that caused my mutations was covered up by the government and/or a third party that was involved (corporation, etc.) They even sent men in to "contain" things and make sure no one was going to let the news of the accident leak out. The people that weren't killed by the chemicals themselves were finished off by these troops.

[Galen]

I figure if I would know anything about the outside world it would be martial arts. I would have even started learning some of these things before I mutated. I may have even "met" some famous martial artists that visited the temple while I was still just an animal.

[sempai]

sounds great galen.... as far as the "cover up" on your chemical spill, i will handle that it will make good plot.

I'm glad your taking some chi abilities, healing might be extra double nice... and will give you oppertunities for xp.

With the dedicated route are you taking two arts?

[Galen]

I was planning on going full dedicated martial artist with two martial arts. Sumo is my first, but I keep debating with myself on the second. I have decided to go with something that includes chi powers which restricts my choices. My short list is between Mien-Ch'uan, Tai-Chi Ch'uan, and Yu-Sool

-Mien-ch'uan has the best selection of powers and skills. It also gives new powers faster during progression. Unfortunately it is restriscted to alighnments of unprincipled or worse.

-Tai-Chi has a nice "feel" to it, and the special open hand push is cool, but I don't really want a Zenjorike power.

-Yu-Sool has good starting powers and allows good/bushido alighnments, but it duplicates many of my Sumo moves and increases chi slowly as levels advance.

[sempai]

if you want to take mien ch-uan that is ok... however.... in your flashback you will have a "dark time" and an alignment shift. Makes good drama, but basically you will have trained with a bad master somewhere in your history, perhapse you didn't realize how terrible it was.

Also... if you take it, you can bet, I will have the other mien ch'uan artists hunting you down for being the prodical dark lizard that turned his back on them. Who knows... it could be part of your progressive mutation, Being a lizard, you didn't really have emotions yet, and later you developed them.

To top it off, many of the dark chi powers will NOT be able to be used by somone with a good alignment, cause well... they are evil.

If your going for the "pious monk" however, Tai Chi will fit right in to it. I can look, but i think you can trade a zenjorke for a skill set or a different skill. I'm not apposed to trading them.

[Galen]

I want Hiromatsu to eventually be a good character who believes in Buddist/Zen principles such as harmony with the world, but he likely won't have started that way. His reptile origins have given him little understanding of emotion. That along with the selfish, results oriented nature of his two martial arts has given him a poor moral upbringing. Once Hiromatsu experiences more of the world he rebels against these ideals.

Hiromatsu has been trained to sense his surroundings and always be aware of threats. Only after threats have been relegated does he turn to attack. He fights a slow and steady battle of attrition, and is willing to trade off hits to wear opponents down.

His temple was a seasonal training grounds for one Sumo stable. I assumed it would be somewhere in Korea, China, Thailand, or even Indonesia. Other competitive martial artists would also train at the grounds as well.