Hanyou question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Hanyou question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Aleolus
07-09-07, 07:06 PM What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (popularized in the InuYasha anime/manga)
narukagami
07-09-07, 09:06 PM What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (introduced in the InuYasha anime) Best thing to do? Swift and stern backhand! :P I kid, I kid.

Modified half-fiend template, with abilities derived and/or switched out for alittle lycanthrope and/or the anthropomorphic template from Savage Species. Might work out, personally the only player that was even remotely interested in playing that kind of character in any of my games settled on the half-fiend with some reflavoring.
TheAnthroDM
07-10-07, 01:26 AM O.o Hanyou existed well before the Inuyasha Manga/Anime came out.
Aleolus
07-10-07, 02:06 AM Well, it was popularized by it. And even if it has been around since before InuYasha, it's still a relatively recent addition.
narukagami
07-10-07, 03:03 AM Well, it was popularized by it. And even if it has been around since before InuYasha, it's still a relatively recent addition. Its not a very well known term, and it was never fully capitalized on in any legends. Its the term used to describe children born from human and legendary-creature* parents, and the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei was rumored to be half-kitsune. Thats seriously about it.

Its was modern media that elaborated the term and made it into what we think of today, and gave hanyou some kind of common characteristics.
In legend, they just existed, probably had magic potential, never really elaborated upon.

So everyone is right!

*I say "legendary-creature" because the term could be applied to any legend of a child born of a human and something not human.
Azzy
07-10-07, 04:26 AM What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (popularized in the InuYasha anime/manga)

Keep in mind that the translation of "hanyou" as "half-demon" is extremely sloppy and whoever was responsible for that translation should be pimp-slapped seven ways to Sunday. An "hanyou" is a half-"youkai (which I'm sure you've gathered) and the term "youkai" includes all manner of spirits, fey, ghosts, goblins, demons, etc. It's like a catch-all for supernatural creatures.

That said, any "half-" template (like half-celestial, half-fiend, half-fey, half-dragon, etc.) or mixed-ancestry race (planetouched, half elves, etc.) falls into the category of "hanyou."
SlanderPanic
07-10-07, 04:40 PM As would hengeyokai and spirit folk.

As much as I discourage bringing anime into D&D, a dog hengeyokai with the celestial creature or fiendish creature template would work well for characters like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. One could offset the level adjustment a bit by including a curse which drives them into rages when in danger (unless the characters pass a Will save) and/or makes them lose their racial abilities during certain phases of the moon. Certain magical items (like the Tetsusaiga) could grant a bonus to the Will save or allow the posessor to take 10 on it.
Aleolus
07-10-07, 06:45 PM On the Races forum, I have a variant of the Planetouched I came up with, for a guy who wanted to play a version of InuYasha, using InuYasha as the base idea for its abilities. I think it's just about done, we just need to finish up deciding it's LA.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aleolus 07-09-07, 07:06 PM	What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (popularized in the InuYasha anime/manga)
narukagami 07-09-07, 09:06 PM	What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (introduced in the InuYasha anime) Best thing to do? Swift and stern backhand! :P I kid, I kid. Modified half-fiend template, with abilities derived and/or switched out for alittle lycanthrope and/or the anthropomorphic template from Savage Species. Might work out, personally the only player that was even remotely interested in playing that kind of character in any of my games settled on the half-fiend with some reflavoring.
TheAnthroDM 07-10-07, 01:26 AM	O.o Hanyou existed well before the Inuyasha Manga/Anime came out.
Aleolus 07-10-07, 02:06 AM	Well, it was popularized by it. And even if it has been around since before InuYasha, it's still a relatively recent addition.
narukagami 07-10-07, 03:03 AM	Well, it was popularized by it. And even if it has been around since before InuYasha, it's still a relatively recent addition. Its not a very well known term, and it was never fully capitalized on in any legends. Its the term used to describe children born from human and legendary-creature* parents, and the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei was rumored to be half-kitsune. Thats seriously about it. Its was modern media that elaborated the term and made it into what we think of today, and gave hanyou some kind of common characteristics. In legend, they just existed, probably had magic potential, never really elaborated upon. So everyone is right! *I say "legendary-creature" because the term could be applied to any legend of a child born of a human and something not human.
Azzy 07-10-07, 04:26 AM	What would be the best thing to do with someone who was wanting to play something along the lines of a half-demon from recent Japanese Mythology (popularized in the InuYasha anime/manga) Keep in mind that the translation of "hanyou" as "half-demon" is extremely sloppy and whoever was responsible for that translation should be pimp-slapped seven ways to Sunday. An "hanyou" is a half-"youkai (which I'm sure you've gathered) and the term "youkai" includes all manner of spirits, fey, ghosts, goblins, demons, etc. It's like a catch-all for supernatural creatures. That said, any "half-" template (like half-celestial, half-fiend, half-fey, half-dragon, etc.) or mixed-ancestry race (planetouched, half elves, etc.) falls into the category of "hanyou."
SlanderPanic 07-10-07, 04:40 PM	As would hengeyokai and spirit folk. As much as I discourage bringing anime into D&D, a dog hengeyokai with the celestial creature or fiendish creature template would work well for characters like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. One could offset the level adjustment a bit by including a curse which drives them into rages when in danger (unless the characters pass a Will save) and/or makes them lose their racial abilities during certain phases of the moon. Certain magical items (like the Tetsusaiga) could grant a bonus to the Will save or allow the posessor to take 10 on it.
Aleolus 07-10-07, 06:45 PM	On the Races forum, I have a variant of the Planetouched I came up with, for a guy who wanted to play a version of InuYasha, using InuYasha as the base idea for its abilities. I think it's just about done, we just need to finish up deciding it's LA.