Kitsune and Foxes for Mappō Monogatari.

Kitsune
 

Robin and I just concluded the first playtest of The King is Dead and are on to our next duet game – a somewhat gentler, more romantic version of Mappō Monogatari.  I know that in the write-up I just proposed reskinning existing races and monsters, but I can’t help myself in wanting to write up a bit on kitsune.

Fox

One of the most widespread mammal species in the world, foxes can be found on every continent except Antarctica (though they were introduced to Australia by European settlers).  Clever and adaptable, they dominate smaller species but are vulnerable to bigger predators like big cats and wolves.  Many cultures throughout the world – including the Japanese – believe foxes possess magical powers.

[Note: The attributes presented here are more comprehensive than those presented in Savage Worlds Deluxe for similar animals like cats and wolves and are not recommended for use with those statistics.  I personally find the statistics for animals in the Savage Worlds core rules bafflingly incomplete.] 

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.

Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Swimming d4, Tracking d8.

Pace: 6  Parry: 4  Toughness: 3

Special Abilities

• Alertness: Foxes’ keen hearing and superior sense of smell adds +2 to their Notice rolls.
• Bite/Claw: Str
• Low Light Vision: Foxes ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Quick: Whenever a fox is dealt a 5 or lower in combat, it may discard and draw again until it gets a card higher than 5.
• Size -2: Foxes tend to be only about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small: Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.
• Woodsman: Foxes are some of the most adaptable animals in the world.  They gain a +2 to Tracking, Survival, and Stealth rolls made in the wilderness.

 

Kitsune

Until the introduction of the domestic cat in the 6^th century CE, it was the wild fox that defended Japanese farmers’ crops from rodents.  This close relationship with such clever and mysterious wild animals led to the anthropomorphization of the fox in Japanese myth, which was later influenced by Buddhist legends from China and India. 

Depending on the legend, kitsune (literally just Japanese for “fox” as there is no distinction between fox-spirits and regular animals) might be born with their powers or may not develop them until they’ve lived 100 years.  The older a kitsune is, the more powers it develops and the more tails it grows.  Young kitsune are more likely to be pranksters then threats but 1,000 year old, nine-tailed foxes (Kyūbi no Kitsune) are formidable opponents.

Mischievous and malicious wild foxes (known as yako or nogitsune) are masters of AB: Magic; kitsune servitors of the rice god Inari are known as zenko and have AB: Miracles.  Player characters may come into conflict or alliance with either kind of kitsune; Inari’s mercy and love of the peasantry may conflict with the plans of noble patrons while nogitsune may find common alliance with mankind against oni.  Regardless of the source of their powers, most kitsune favor trickster magic and the following powers are recommended:

Kitsune powers (1d20)

1.      Barrier (a bramble of thorns)

2.      Blind (the fox twitches her tails at the target and fur gets in your eyes)

3.      Confusion (a dizzying barrage of foxfire)

4.      Deflection (the fox seem to be in several places at once)

5.      Detect/conceal arcane (the kitsune can smell the magic on you)

6.      Disguise (a beautiful maiden or lumbering oni)

7.      Dispel (the fox laughs at your magic)

8.      Entangle (the kitsune’s several tails grow in length and wrap about you)

9.      Fear (the vicious predator within shows for a brief, terrifying moment)

10.  Growth/shrink (the kitsune holds a bamboo leaf over his head)

11.  Intangibility (ghostlike, the fox slips out of your clutches)

12.  Invisibility (where is that yipping laughter coming from?)

13.  Light/obscure (a fierce ball of foxfire or an impenetrable miasma)

14.  Pummel (the fox shakes his tails and summons a gust of wind)

15.  Puppet (the kitsune possesses the victim)

16.  Slow (the fox mimics your movements in slow motion)

17.  Slumber (the kitsune dances a mesmerizing kagura)

18.  Speed (the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog)

19.  Summon ally (they’re particularly fond of mirror self)

20.  Teleport (poof!)

 

Young Yako

This young mischief-maker has 2+1d3 tails.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.

Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Swimming d4, Taunt d10, Tracking d8.

Charisma: +2 (+4 to other yōkai) Pace: 6  Parry: 5  Toughness: 5 (3 in fox form)

Hindrances: Curious, Greedy (Major)

Edges: AB: Miracles, Alertness, Luck, New Power x 1d3, Power Points x 1d3, Quick, Very Attractive, Woodsman.

Special Abilities

• Bite/Claw (fox form): Str
• Low Light Vision: Foxes ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Outsider: Like all other yōkai (supernatural beings), kitsune are distrusted by humans and suffer a -2 to Charisma.
• Power Points: 10 + 5(1d3)
• Powers: bolt (burst of foxfire), boost/lower trait (crackle of foxfire/disabling bite), mind reading (strange whispers in your skull) and 1d3 powers from the kitsune power list
• Size -2 (fox form): Foxes tend to be about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small (fox form): Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.

 

 Young Zenko

This young messenger of Inari has 2+1d3 tails.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.

Skills: Climbing d4, Faith d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Swimming d4, Taunt d8, Tracking d8.

Charisma: +2 (+4 to other yōkai) Pace: 6  Parry: 5  Toughness: 5 (3 in fox form)

Hindrances: Code of Honor, Vow (Major) (to Inari)

Edges: AB: Miracles, Alertness, Luck, New Power x 1d3, Power Points x 1d3, Quick, Very Attractive, Woodsman.

Special Abilities

• Bite/Claw (fox form): Str
• Low Light Vision: Foxes ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Outsider: Like all other yōkai (supernatural beings), kitsune are distrusted by humans and suffer a -2 to Charisma.
• Power Points: 10 + 5(1d3)
• Powers: healing, succor and 1d3 powers from the kitsune power list
• Size -2 (fox form): Foxes tend to be about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small (fox form): Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.

 

 

Ancient Yako

This ancient and malicious kitsune has 5+1d3 tails.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d12, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8.

Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d10, Stealth d10, Survival d8, Swimming d4, Taunt d12, Tracking d8.

Charisma: +2 (+4 to other yōkai) Pace: 6  Parry: 6  Toughness: 5 (3 in fox form)

Hindrances: Curious, Greedy (Major)

Edges: AB: Miracles, Alertness, Charismatic, Great Luck, New Power x 5+1d3, Power Points x 4, Quick, Strong Willed, Very Attractive, Woodsman.

Special Abilities

• Bite/Claw (fox form): Str
• Low Light Vision: Foxes ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Outsider: Like all other yōkai (supernatural beings), kitsune are distrusted by humans and suffer a -2 to Charisma.
• Power Points: 30
• Powers: bolt (burst of foxfire), boost/lower trait (crackle of foxfire/disabling bite), confusion, deflection, disguise, invisibility, light/obscure, mind reading (strange whispers in your skull) and 1d3 powers from the kitsune power list
• Size -2 (fox form): Foxes tend to be about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small (fox form): Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.

Ancient Zenko

This ancient servitor of Inari has 5+1d3 tails.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d12, Strength d6, Vigor d8.

Skills: Climbing d4, Faith d10, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Stealth d10, Survival d8, Swimming d4, Taunt d8, Tracking d8.

Charisma: +4 (+6 to other yōkai) Pace: 6  Parry: 6  Toughness: 5 (3 in fox form)

Hindrances: Code of Honor, Vow (Major) (to Inari)

Edges: AB: Miracles, Alertness, Charismatic, Great Luck, New Power x 5+1d3, Power Points x 4, Quick, Very Attractive, Woodsman.

Special Abilities

• Bite/Claw (fox form): Str
• Low Light Vision: Foxes ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Outsider: Like all other yōkai (supernatural beings), kitsune are distrusted by humans and suffer a -2 to Charisma.
• Power Points: 30
• Powers: banish, beast friend, fly, divination, greater healing, healing, succor, and 1d3 powers from the kitsune power list
• Size -2 (fox form): Foxes tend to be about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small (fox form): Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.

 

Kitsune (race)

Change Form: Player character kitsune have advanced far enough in their fox-magic studies to shift back and forth between their natural fox form and a human disguise.  This human form is unique to the kitsune; adopting the appearance of a specific human requires the use of the disguise power.  Changing into the human shape requires a Smarts -2 roll; a success means there is still some sign of the kitsune’s true form (excessive body hair, tail, etc) while a raise means the disguise is perfect.  Shifting back into fox form requires only a Smarts roll.  As with the shape change power, a kitsune in fox form retains the same Smarts, Spirit, and linked skills available in human form but is restricted to the physical abilities of a fox. Player character foxes use the following fox statistics instead of the ones listed above:

Attributes: Agility d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.

Skills: Climbing d4, Stealth d8, Swimming d4.

Pace: 6  Parry: 4  Toughness: 3

Special Abilities

• Bite/Claw: Str
• Size -2: Foxes tend to be only about a foot and-a-half tall at the shoulder.
• Small: Attackers subtract 2 from their attacks to hit.

Low Light Vision: Kitsune ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.

Outsider: Like all other yōkai (supernatural beings), kitsune are distrusted by humans and suffer a -2 to Charisma.  Even in their human disguises, there is something inherently otherworldly about them.

 

Read more about it!

Yokai.com

Wikipedia

Kamisama Kiss at Funimation and Viz