Without player characters and
non-player characters, there just wouldn't be anyone left to fight with. And
that, as they say, would be intensely boring - to say the least.
I try to avoid creating characters
of World Warrior class. Personally, I think the ranks between 3rd
and 6th are the most interesting, but I know some people get their
kicks from making superpowerful characters. So do I, but they're the masters
of ninja clans and wizard covenants, and not Street Fighters. If that makes
any sense.
Mostly, these characters are Street Fighters.
Therefore, they are listed according to their ranks. In addition to that,
I've included the World Warriors as well, according to their published
stats. If I were to use them in my own campaign, I would likely rebuild them
a bit differently - so, any of my players, if you read this - be afraid.
Be very afraid.
 Grunts |
Firefall Ninja
Lin Kuei
Lin Long Kuei (Tree Dragon Men)
|
| Rank 1 |
Rank 2 |
Rank 3 |
| Two Axes |
(Duelist Kung Fu) |
|
|
| Reggie |
(Freestyle Western Kickboxing) |
| Stick |
(Duelist Escrima) |
| Thom |
(Freestyle Western Kickboxing) |
|
| Rank 4 |
Rank 5 |
Rank 6 |
| Hannibal |
(Freestyle Western Kickboxing) |
| Steel Claw |
(Duelist Claw-Ryu) |
|
| Ashanti |
(Duelist Short Spear) |
| Black Bart |
(Freestyle Pankration) |
| Santa Claus |
(Freestyle Ninjutsu) |
|
| Iron Wolf |
(Duelist Tetsubo-Jutsu) |
| Jean-Jaques Lavalle |
(Freestyle Savate) |
|
| Rank 7 |
Rank 8 |
Rank 9 |
| Steel Shadow |
(Duelist Lightning-Ryu) |
|
|
|
| Rank 10 |
World Warriors |
Unranked |
|
|
| Balrog |
(Traditional 10 Boxing) |
| M. Bison |
(Freestyle 9 Ler Drit) |
| Sagat |
(Freestyle 9 Muay Thai) |
| Vega |
(Freestyle 10 Spanish Ninjutsu) |
|
| Tewon Shu |
(Unranked TaeKwon-Do) |
| Word |
(Unranked Kabaddi) |
|
Grunts, mooks, popcorn, stunt monkeys.
Known by many names, these are the faceless multitudes of the Street Fighter world, often placed in the way of Street Fighters
as a tension-relieving measure. For some unfathomable reason, they are often clad in black, and consider themselves ninja. As if being a
heliophobic, wall-climbing martial artist with a propensity for hiding in other
people's closets is something great to aspire to.
Firefall Ninja - members of a strange clan of ninja, these shadow warriors
demonstrate supernatural powers of flame and heat. Hired by the highest bidder,
the Firefall ninja can never be kept on retainer indefinitely - their code of
honor demands that they can only be hired to perform a set number of services.
[Lin Kuei] - the original Tree Men, these Chinese ninja kidnap children to
train them to be assassins, and hire themselves out to the highest bidder.
[Genin] [Jonin]
Lin Lung Kuei - the Tree Dragon Men, Chinese ninja fanatically devoted to
their master, the Golden Dragon Master.
Rank 1 characters are starting to get their feet wet. Whether they are
Duelist, Traditional, or Freestyle, they are roughly the equivalent of a
black belt in their chosen discipline. Though they are 'beginning' characters,
they can be quite vicious in their own right - though a character may be no more than a 1st
Rank muay thai practitioner, he can still probably throw a mean elbow! And who knows - perhaps
this particular 1st Ranker was previously in another division?
[Two Axes], a Kung Fu Duelist that uses - you guessed it - two short-handled axes.
A few fights
later, the previously humble Rank 1 has achieved Rank 2. Almost all fighters,
no matter how poor they are at fighting - if they just stay in, and continue
to fight, they'll attain Rank 2. You need one win, though. Rank 2 characters
have received a little bit of experience, and has probably changed one or
perhaps to glaring weaknesses from a Rank 1. They may have gotten a technique
the didn't have, or increased it from one dot to two dots. Anyhow, one can
expect that only minor differences differentiates a Rank 1 from a Rank 2.
[Stone], a powerful boxer, she is the epitome of the fighting female. She is usually found in the company of Stick and Word.
This rank is
perhaps the rank where the competition starts getting tough. Now, you have to
toe the line, and worry about keeping this many wins for every loss you have.
To make matters even worse, many tournaments (at least in my experience) have
a tendency to group 1st and 2nd rankers in the same group,
and then 3rd through 5th rank in the same group, with the
last group being 6th rank and up. This means that a 3rd
ranker can and will encounter people with quite a few fights under their belts.
[Reggie], a Freestyle Western Kickboxing. Usually found with Hannibal and Thom.
[Stick], a Duelist. Usually found with Stone and Word.
[Thom], a Freestyle Western Kickboxer. Usually found with Hannibal and Reggie.
I consider
Rank 4 to be the last of the 'low' ranks. At this level, one can expect to
find fighters that have been around, and have developed one or two Special Maneuvers
that are fairly powerful. Their combos are good, their attributes are okay, and
their techniques and tactics are tested in combat, and usually found to work.
[Hannibal], a Freestyle Western Kickboxer. Usually found with Thom and Reggie.
Now, things are
getting nasty. Rank 5 are all tried and tested fighters, and they are way better
than the 'average' fighter. Many will never get above Rank 5 or 6, as their losses - often in
the lower ranks - will raise their needed total of fights to a prohibitively high number. A Rank 5
may also have developed one of the more powerful Special Maneuvers, and generally have
excellent techinques and good attributes.
[Black Bart], a brutal Pankration fighter. And a beautiful woman.
[Santa Claus], a Street Fighter? Believe it... or not.
Getting into the 'big leagues', a Rank 6
fighter is better than average in every way. Excellent attributes, excellent techniques, and a good selection of Special
Maneuvers are the hallmarks of this rank and upwards. Rank 6 fighters are quite fearsome, and should be taken quite seriously.
[Iron Wolf], a wolf hybrid fighter with a big iron club!
[Jean-Jaques Lavalle], a rank 6 Savate fighter, and my own character to boot. Furthermore, he is on the board
of a rather large organization, namely [Lavalle Enterprises, Inc.]
Only the best attain the ranks above 6. A Rank 7 fighter is even
better than a Rank 6 fighter, often having developed unique maneuvers to keep that extra fighting edge in the fierce competition that the Rank 7
fighter often finds himself in. A Rank 7 fighter may also be well-known to others not 'in' the Street Fighting Circuit, as the Rank 7 character is
such an excellent fighter that they may have found themselves featured in the media when (or if) they have done something spectacular in a public or
semi-public spot.
[Steel Shadow], a mysterious but powerful swordfighter following the extinct Lightning swordfighting school.
Almost a World Warrior... but there's a world of difference in almost.
A Rank 8 fighter is good enough that a World Warrior might consider accepting a challenge from one. The Rank 8 fighter finds himself in the unenviable position
that it's virtually certain that he'll have to face World Warriors in the ring - sooner or later. Though this doesn't count as a 'title match' for the World Warrior,
they will certainly be anxious to show that they are still strong enough to keep their title. A Rank 8 fighter is good enough that he can take on multiple lower-ranked
opponents and still expect to win.
Poetry in motion. The pinnacle of perfection. Though a Rank 9 character doesn't have
to be a World Warrior, the Rank 9 character is certainly able to face a World Warrior on equal, or nearly equal, terms. Having developed several Special Maneuvers, a Rank 9
fighter will be well on his way to master his style - though it may be years until that character considers himself a master of anything. Fighters at this rank can execute
maneuvers that are literally superhuman - teleporting, shooting flame from their eyes, fly - it has all happened at these ranks.
Best of the best. Quite simply. Though any given Rank 10 character is not necessarily a World Warrior,
many consider them at least the equals of the World Warriors. Legendary warriors, a Rank 10 character is admired - and often feared - as one of the truly great in his style. Rank 10
characters are usually well on their way towards Master, if they haven't already attained that grade yet.
Not always of the highest rank, any World Warrior has at least one claim to fame -
they have defeated a World Warrior in the past. Defeating a World Warrior is the only way to be considered a World Warrior. This means that the total number of World
Warriors in the world is unchanging - but exactly who is holding each position is changing from time to time. Though any World Warrior may refuse a title challenge, few do
so with any sort of regularity. This would be more or less the same as admitting that their fighting skills aren't sharp enough to hold the World Warrior title any longer -
thereby prompting even more challenges from would-be World Warriors.
The World Warriors are collected in their own section.
Not all fighters are ranked in the Street Fighter Circle. Some fight even
further in the shadows, or have established power bases as enforcers, leaders of fighting tongs or ninja clans. Some whisper that some of these fearsome fighters
are even stranger - thousand year old wizards, powerful dragons, evil demons, and other things out of the nightmare lands. But that cannot be true - can it?
[Tewon Shu], a TKD up-and-coming movie star
[Word], a careful Kabaddi stylist with tie-ins to organized crime, Word is usually found in the company of Stone and Stick.