Tokyo:Otherscape Pregen Character Roster
Pregenerated characters are a staple of Son of Oak TTRPG’s. Not only do they make it easier for new players to join in on the fun; they also give you a great idea of the types of characters you can create in their world. City of Mist has its own gallery of magic investigators for just this purpose!
With the Tokyo:Otherscape Kickstarter launch only a few days away–now on April 5th–we’re going to introduce a few more of the mercs you’ll be able to play as when the game is released. Do keep in mind that Tokyo:Otherscape is still in development, so these characters may change in the final product.
We’ve already talked about Unagi the eel-yokai scavenger in our character sheet preview video, which you should check out if you haven’t already. There are six more characters to introduce, so let’s get started!
Wilson the Oni Gunlugger
Wilson the oni gunlugger is a man who knows what he likes. He likes guns, making guns, and shooting guns. And in order to carry all the guns he wants, he made a deal with a criminal syndicate to gain the strength of a demonic ogre.
Now, Wilson spends his time clearing out enclaves infested with yokai in order to pay off his new abilities. While many characters end up in the mercenary business out of survival or a broader goal, Wilson is a rare example of someone who signed up for the mercenary life out of pure enthusiasm. He may spend most of his days risking his life against monsters, but Wilson wouldn’t have it any other way.
Valkyrie the Owned Cyborg
Our next character has it a bit worse off. Valkyrie is a cyborg whose many implants and cyberware are property of a government agency and an arms-tech megacorp. A combination of medical debt and patent law keeps her bound to the agencies that saved her life. In short, Valkyrie doesn’t own her own body.
Officially, Valkyrie serves as a high-profile law-enforcement unit. If a tank or drone starts going haywire in the middle of the street, Valkyrie is usually the first to be sent in to take care of it. This allows her to still do a lot of good despite her circumstances, and makes her a character that can be easily slotted into any session scenario.
Valkyrie has a jetpack, hacking technology, and an arsenal of hi-tech weaponry at her disposal. But no matter how well-armed she is, there is always one situation she isn’t prepared for. What if the people who made her code sequestered something hidden in her system?
Shikigami the Ghost Operative
A common theme of cyberpunk is that the more technology becomes advanced, the more horrific the possibilities become. This next character took one look at the horrors, decided to make them even more spooky, and became a literal ghost in the machine.
Shikigami is a ghost operative. With their body cryogenically frozen in an unknown facility, they roam cyberspace as an immortal spirit. From there, they can take any form, hack computers, and control drones and androids. Utilizing the Noise, they can even hack random people and turn them into meat puppets, just like a poltergeist’s possession.
Shikigami is a character who focuses on their Noise and Mythos themes, with little thought given to their actual self. For many within the Megacity, the body is somewhere between a nuisance and a liability, little more than a meat tank to store their consciousness. Shikigami just decided to cut out the middle man.
Horishi the Tattoo Summoner
But still some in this world treat their organic bodies as works of art to be appreciated and improved on. Horishi the tattoo summoner is one of these people. Descended from a long line of traditional tattoo craftswomen, Horishi took her craft to the next level by installing an ink needle into her cyberhand.
In Tokyo:Otherscape, the magical and technological often collide. In Horishi’s case, she is able to use her tattoos to summon yokai and other spirits to her aid. Her favorite summon is the onikuma, a literal demon bear that is sworn to do her bidding.
Horishi stands in that gray area of moral ambiguity that is popular in cyberpunk. By herself, she’s an incredibly talented tattoo artist with some magic. It’ll be up to you, the player, to determine what she uses that power for.
Ocelot the Aztec Jaguar Sicario
The neo-mystical world of :Otherscape won’t just be confined to Tokyo, which means your characters can draw inspiration from mythologies around the world. Valkyrie was just one example from Norse mythology, and our next hails from ancient mesoamerica.
Ocelot is an assassin blessed with powers from her Aztec jaguar warrior heritage. This birthright gives her feline instincts, a supercharged obsidian club, and the dark powers of the God known as the Smoking Mirror, Tezcatlipoca. She has used these gifts as a top-of-the-line sicario for the cartels and has gained no small amount of infamy because of it.
While the rest of these pregens can be spun to be heroic vigilantes, Ocelot is a rare example of a pregen character with an incredibly villainous background. Then again, Tokyo:Otherscape is not an RPG about good vs. evil. When your next job has you go up against an enclave of monsters, you may need all the help you can get, even if that help comes from someone who kills people for a living.
Genji the Mystical Investigator
But if you’re looking to play a more subtle, secret agent type of figure, then Genji is the character for you. Genji works for the Bureau of Onmyo, or Burea of Mystical Affairs, who are tasked with tracking the activity of yokai and other supernatural beings in the Megacity. This organization has been keeping tabs on the Megacity for centuries, and as more organizations and syndicates fight for control over its magic, the Bureau has become more active in how they keep the peace.
Genji is a mystical investigator who relies on magic and his own wits to get the job done. He can use potent rituals that can bind, banish, and even summon powerful spirits. He does his best to avoid the Noise when he can, choosing to forego hi-tech weaponry and equipment for the mystical arts. But at the end of the day, Genji’s greatest weapons are his mind and the investigative skills he keeps sharp in order to solve the case.
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As we head into the Tokyo:Otherscape Kickstarter campaign, be on the lookout for more info and characters along the way, like Shams the blind sufi mystic. The world is still being formed, and some of these details may change over time. But if you want to help make this game a reality, then head on over to the Kickstarter page and sign up to be notified at launch!
Day One backers will receive early access to the Tokyo:Otherscape codex app, which will include a phone-accessible version of the books along with the game’s mechanics, character creation, and more!
And when you’re done signing up, let us know what you think of the game and these characters in the comments, on social media, or on the City of Mist Discord. Until then, have fun!
