Nagi the lancer
Context
Recettear: an item shop’s tale is an indie (“dōjin”) Japanese RPG for Windows released in 2007, and translated in 2010 by an indie localization shop . It’s a small but cute and funny thing. This profile is based on the English translation of the game.
Most of the adventurers are deliberately archetypal animé heroic fantasy characters, which I think is handy to have available and makes for short profiles.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: The town of Pensée.
- Height: 5’6” Weight: 120 lbs.
- Eyes: Teal Hair: Brown
- Recettear names notes: One imagines that “Nagi” is short for “naginata”, her signature weapon. In-universe it may be short for “Nagisa”, a not-common-but-not-rare-either unisex Japanese given name.
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Powers & Abilities
Nagi is a mercenary adventurer, and specifically an expert with spears, naginata and various other polearms.
Being a CJRPG character, she of course has special attacks and techniques. These include :
- Rushing the enemy and knocking them down with a surprise twirl to perform a strike with the butt of her polearm.
- Slashing through the air to send a large magical projectile zipping forth.
- Suddenly spinning on herself and striking everything in close vicinity with her weapon (well, except for the ground and large obstacles).
- Leaping forward for a dozen metres while radiating force and fire (though the fire thing isn’t as damaging as it looks).
- Unleashing a dozen attacks within mere seconds, a bit like Chun Li’s signature “Lightning Kick” (百裂脚) technique, greatly damaging whatever is in front of her.
Power of unobservation
Nagi has the spatial awareness of a blindfolded anvil wearing a 1989 Walkman™ . It goes well beyond everyday hōkō onchi. She seemingly doesn’t process the scenery at all, completely missing how things around her look.
She has no problems noticing people, monsters, objects, etc. but she doesn’t see the difference between, say, her inn room and the creepy underground temple of maleficent dead gods of doom unless it’s pointed out to her.
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History
Nagi comes from “the East” – an unnamed fantasy version of medieval Japan. Though she’s fully fluent in the language of her new land, it doesn’t seem that she arrived there quite willingly.
Her sense of orientation is unbelievably awful. She apparently managed to get lost all the way from Fantasy Japan to Fantasy France. Which is presumably a *lot* of getting lost.
While living in the Pensée area, Nagi repeatedly went astray in the local dungeons, often without realizing it. This didn’t land her into legal trouble though. *Somehow*, Nagi is a card-carrying accredited adventurer and has a right to be there.
During such misadventures she ran into Recette and Tear several times. They explained her how to get out, and Recette invited Nagi to visit the Recettear boutique.
Nagi eventually found her way to the shop, though it took a while. After she became a regular she decided to give her adventuring card to Recette and Tear. That way she’d have somebody to escort in and out of dungeons rather than get hopelessly lost all the time.
Description
See illustration.
Personality
Nagi has a slightly exaggerated Japanese-ness to her – and thus is polite, humble and kawaii, albeit in the way of a young woman rather than as a child like Recette or Tielle. She is also prone to downplaying her skills.
Nagi seems to be a generally happy and contented person. She likes buying cute, feminine fashion accessories such as bracelets and pendants.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Nagi
| Dex: 03 | Str: 03 | Bod: 03 | Motivation: Mercenary |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 03 | Min: 03 | Occupation: Lost adventurer |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 009 | HP: 020 |
Powers:
Claws: 04, Stagger: 05, Mental blast: 05, Superspeed: 07
Bonuses and Limitations:
- All Powers only work if Nagi is wielding a polearm she can use.
- Mental Blast has a Minor Burnout.
- Claws and Superspeed both have a Serious Burnout.
- All Power Burnouts can be Recovered by eating a good serving of sugary food.
- Claws has a 0 APs Area of Effect, but its EV is capped by the current EV of Nagi’s polearm.
- Mental Blast has the Scattershot Bonus.
- Stagger has No Range, and requires that Nagi uses an Automatic Action beforehand to rush the target.
- Superspeed only to sub for EV.
Skills:
Evasion (Ranged Only): 05, Occultist (Rituals): 04, Weaponry (Spears and polearms): 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Evasion only when she has a polearm in hand, and only against projectiles that can be stopped using yadome techniques.
- Occultist (Rituals) only with Rituals with which she has a Familiarity.
- Naginata [BODY 03, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 07), Descriptor: Slashing, Bludgeon].
- Cinematic silk armour [BODY 03, Blunting: 02, Enhance (Slashing RV): 01 (cap is 06), Kinetic Absorption: 02, Miniaturisation: 01, B&L&D:
- Kinetic Absorption only vs. Piercing.
- Miniaturisation is Encumbrance Only.
- Partial Coverage (Long Coat).]
Advantages
Language (Japanese and perhaps others), Lightning Reflexes, Misc.: Nagi is registered with the Adventurers’ Guild.
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
SIA toward Getting lost, Misc.: Nagi’s rolls having to do with spatial awareness receive a +2CS OV/RV, Misc.: Nagi cannot acquire or use any form of the Area Knowledge Advantage ever.
Equipment:
Rituals:
Flame charge [Casting time: None but must be leaping forward, No Components, Effects: Jumping (Horizontal only): 02, Flame being (Area of effect 1 APs): 03, Stagger (No Range, Area of Effect 1 AP): 03, Note: all effects are Combined and must be Combined, which means that everything within 1 AP of the path of her jump is affected by Flame being and Super-breath. The Ritual only lasts for that jump. The Ritual has a difficulty of 03/03 (highest Power APs)]
Design Notes
The use of Superspeed only to sub for EV is, obvs, terribly points-ineffective. But it’s clearer, it’s better notation and writeups aren’t generally done with any points economy in mind.
The variant with treating the “spells” as Powers with Burnout is another way to model a Spell Points gameplay — it’s intended as another example of equivalence. The approach with the Rituals is the one expounded in Charme’s writeup.
Source of Character: Recettear video game. Nagi voiced by Ishidamao.
Writeup completed on the 3rd of April, 2016.