Anima PC
Anima is an RPG with which I have a tumultuous relationship. I love the card game and like the minis game. I hoped the RPG would be great, but was seriously disappointed. I loved the art, the underlying game engine and the setting. However, what could have been a fantastic 128 pages rulebook, bloated out to 300 pages, with some of the worst design I have every seen. This is not just a matter of preference as many of the issues are demonstrably poor.

So I undertook the AmiNIMA project which was to strip the rules back to those basics which I liked. The project was tough and I gave up on it more than once. However, it is now nearing completion. Yet something odd happened along the way. I spent so long exploring and analyzing the rules and their weaknesses that I became something of an expert on them. I found that I could use them about as fast as most other ruleset.

To confirm my fears, I leapt in and created a PC using the rules as written. Despite myself, it was one of the most fun experiences I have had in creating a PC for some time.

I started with a mechanics busting PC concept. Essentially, I wanted a PC who seemed like the follower of another being. I really wanted to explore the idea of someone who created their own friends who then over shadowed them. It was this that gave me the idea of Summoning and Familiars. The PC would essentially be 2 characters. Though the shy retiring character would be the actual PC, most action would be done by the Familiar.

The result was I found that the intracacies and oddities in the system made the creation of the PC fun and involving; and to its testament, I managed to create the PC concept I wanted.

Anywhere here is the result:


Shea
Shea is the child of a nobleman's concubine. From the moment of his birth, his mother suffered from an ailment that the doctors could only describe as her soul leaking away. She died when he was just two. Even at this youg age, it was clear that Shea was weak and forgettable, even a little creepy. These were virtues that his father despised. Following his mother’s death, his father disposed of Shea abandoning him deep in the forest.

Shea was soon found by some suspicious villagers. These villagers beleived Shea to be a demon child. However, to appease the great forest spirit, they raised him with little love or affection. When he reached the age of 10 and was able to look after himself, his surrogate parents revealed to him his supposed demonic heritage. They then demanded that he return deep into the forest from whence he came.

Since that time, Shea has hidden all of his life, something that comes naturally to him. Despite his natural inclination to recede into the background, he has always wanted to be appreciated by others and have a calling greater than himself. Shea is shy yet pleasant; quiet and focussed.

His passion for Summoning arose from his desire to have friends and enjoy the company of others. However, these talents gave him even more reason to hide, facing persecution as a witch. Unlike most Summoners who control the entities that they summon, Shea often lets those he summons take the foreground.

This is no more true that with Kirin, his familiar. Kirin is a spirited and outgoing supernatural being, who looks remarkable like Shea. She appears human to all those around her, yet often leaves people guessing that there is something odd about her. Shea and Kirin are an inseperable pair and strong friends.

A few months ago, Shea and Kirin meet Vincent, a travelling warrior. Little did Shea know, but Vincent is Shea’s half brother; the two share the same father. In fact, the two were born on the same night. Something strange happened that night. Vincent received the souls of both the boys, leaving Shea a gulf to be filled by his Nephilim soul. What destiny this strange event created for the two and what happy coincidence or ill-fate brought them together again, they do not know.



GENERAL
Class: Summoner
Level: 1
Race: D'Anjayni (-40 to be tracked if barefoot, MR Diff 100 to remember, +30 to avoid supernatural detection, -60 to overhear, -3XP/session)
Sex: Male
Appearance: 7
Size: 10
Presence: 30
Resistances: Phys Res 35, Magic Res 55 (75 v Darkness; 35 v Light), Psychic 35

Agi: 9(+10) Con: 7(+5) Dex: 10(+15) Str: 5(-)
Int: 10(+15) Per: 9(+10) Pow: 10(+15) WP: 7(+5)

Advantages: Gift 2, See Supernatural 1, Superior Magic Recovery 1, Elemental Compatibility (Darkness) 1
Disadvantages: Deduct 2pts from WP 1, Easily Possessed 1

COMBAT
Martial Knowledge: 10
Initiative: 65 (shortsword); 70 (spells)
Attack: 15 (shortsword)
Damage: 40 (cut)
Dodge: 25
Armour: Leather (Cut 1, Imp 0, Thr 2, Heat 1, Ele 2, Cold 1, Ene 0)
Life Points: 95

SKILLS
Withstand Pain 30, Notice 30, Magic Appraisal 30, Occult 45, Hide 40*, Theft 20, Stealth 30
*includes 1 innate bonus

MAGIC
MA: 20 (40 for Creation; recovers 40 Zeon per day)
Zeon: 260 (10 Innate)
Magic Projection: 70 (50 Attack; 90 Defend)
Spells: Create Music (Free 1-10), Natural Affinity (Essence 2), Induce Fear (Darkness 6), See in Darkness (Darkness 8), Communication Through Essence (Essence 10), Shield of Darkness (Darkness 10), Regeneration (Creation 10), Shadow (Darkness 12), Dark Beam (Darkness 22)
Summon: 80
Control: 15
Bind: 90
Banish: 25