“Laugh it up,” Ranma said as he took the keyboard back, “but the next person will be you. Revenge is sweet, bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Nabiki rolled her eyes. “Got that out of your system, Saotome?”
Ranma scratched the back of his head while chuckling, “Yeah, I’m all set. Well, you made a character with my name, so I guess we go back to your file and I get to change it up, fair is fair.”
Nabiki smirked back in response. “Whatever, Saotome, I’ll just make sure you don’t mess anything up.”
Ranma typed in Nabiki’s name and pulled up her file again. He stared at the screen for a bit, deep in thought.
Nabiki poked him in the ribs. “What? Not going to turn me into a dancing girl or something?”
“Huh? Nope, trying to think of what we’d need to win a game that wasn’t too different from what you are. I just can’t think of anything besides stock broker or traveling insurance salesman. Maybe you can bore our enemies to death trying to sell them term-life insurance.”
“Hardy har har, you do know that one common type of player is a thief? Pick locks, disable traps, and other kind of things that can be very important in certain situations. Not a strong fighter, usually gets by with quickness and dexterity. In some games, they can hide when a fight breaks out. Not a front line fighter, more of a supporting role in a fight. The usefulness of thieves is not in a fight but in treasure hunting. Fights are only a part of a good RPG. A big part, but still only a part.”
“Okay,” Ranma murmured while he looked at the list of class types. “Seems there are a few kinds of thieves. Is relic hunter good enough for you?” When Ranma caught Nabiki nodding, he made the change. “Looks like you already have the negotiation skill, and business sense. I’ll just add in some of the stuff you said ... uh, OK, lockpicking, disarm traps. What else was there?”
“Well, disarming traps won’t be as useful without the detect traps skill. Also, try stealthy walk and backstab. If I can sneak behind an opponent, I can get in a critical hit.”
“That would not be an honorable way to fight, you know.” Ranma gave her a look of disappointment.
“Tough, I know I’m no fighter, and I rather be alive and shifty than honorable and dead.”
Ranma made the suggested additions before looking over her stats. She already had high intelligence and charisma, so he added to her strength, speed, and dexterity, favoring the last two more. Then he gave her lockpicks, a bag of holding, dagger, cotton tunic, and wool cloak.
“Well, that should do. You make a pretty good thief, if I do say so myself. And since you miss my girl side so much, I’ll just have to give you as much talent as I have.” Ranma smirked at her as he scrolled back to that part of the profile.
“Hey now, I forbid you from changing that,” Nabiki growled out as she slapped Ranma’s hand away from the mouse.
“Ouch, heh heh, sorry, just kidding.” Ranma gave her his trademark smirk. “OK, who’s next? How about Akane?”
Soon, they had Akane’s profile up, ready to change. She didn’t have as much points to spend as Ranma and Nabiki, and was average in her stats.
“What should I do with her?” Ranma asked Nabiki.
“I don’t know, maybe you can get more points if you curse her?”
“No thanks. Hmm, we can make her a fighter as long as she is not a front line fighter. How about range support? We don’t really have anyone to target from a distance.”
Nabiki tapped her finger to her chin. “Yes, that should work. Look for an archer class.”
Ranma scrolled down to her skills section. “Wow, compared to me and Ryoga, this isn’t really all that much. Well, not like she took the Art seriously, after all.”
Nabiki felt a need to defend her sister. “She had a life, Saotome.”
“That’s what I said, not serious at all. I had a life too, The Art was my life. Anyhow, toss out a few of these useless techniques and bad habits, and I can easily give her archery skills, targeting, improve the grappling skills she already has, some wilderness survival skills, and, as she is the one with the bow and arrows, hunting and gathering skills.”
“That’s the Ranma I know, thinking with your stomach first.” Nabiki stuck her tongue out at Ranma.
Ranma ignored her taunt. “Let’s see, bow, quiver, 25 arrows, short sword, green leather tunic, canvas pants, pack, blanket, mug, knife, tinderbox, and flint. That should make her a useful ranger.”
Saving Akane’s file, Ranma moved on to Kasumi. “Wow, look at all of the unspent points she has! She seems to have a spiritual tendency too. How does that fit into an RPG game?”
“Well,” Nabiki answered, “you can make her a cleric. Not much of a fighter, but clerics are good for keeping your party healed, and is another useful supporting role. And she looks like she could be a much better healer then Ryoga’s girl side. Plus, hot water means we would lose our only healer, so I think a cleric would be a good addition. Two kinds of healers would be good.”
“OK.” Ranma classed Kasumi as a cleric, and made her the priestess of Amaterasu-ōmikami. “What’s this mp rating? She has the most I’ve seen on any of us.”
Nabiki whistled at Kasumi’s mp rating. “It measures how much magic a person can do. I guess she really will be a great healer.”
“Spells ... heal, cure, turn undead, resurrect, and radiance. Skills ... animal affinity, calming angry beasts and people, cooking, cleaning, and camping...”
Nabiki interrupted Ranma’s thinking out loud. “Why did you give her animal affinity?”
Ranma blushed sheepishly, “She kinda reminds me of all those princesses in those anime by the American Miyazaki ... You know, where they sing with the little critters like birds and squirrels.”
Nabiki raised her eyebrow. “You mean, Disney?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Ranma enthused.
Nabiki still looked at him in curiosity. “This is the first time I ever heard someone call him an American Miyazaki. Ranma, you’re just strange. And what is up with the camping and cooking skills? Isn’t that what Akane’s for?”
“Would you eat anything Akane cooks? Survival skills doesn’t mean she’ll cook any better.”
Nabiki turned green for a moment. “Point taken.”
“Hmm, inventory... Shinto robes, portable cooking pots and pans, staff, flask, and maybe some holy water too. Save it, and done. Hmm, two guys and three girls. Need another guy.”
Nabiki suggested a couple choices. “Why not Mousse or Kuno?”
“Because I have to put up with them enough in real life. If I’m going to play some game, I’d like to avoid them if I can.” Ranma sank into thought again. “Well, the same goes for my old man. Good to have in a fight, but he’d be more trouble then he’s worth otherwise. I don’t really know a lot of guys I’d stand spending anytime with, do I?”
“Well, how about father? Or someone who is not that big of a nuisance, compared to Kuno and Mousse, like Hikaru?”
See other episodes by Errol Peregrinus
(Posted Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:44)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.