TEXT: Magical World 
   
  Version 1.2 
   
  By Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney 
  
   
  Sailor Nebula let out a long sigh as she looked at the 
  remnants of her team. It had been a bad night. A very, 
  very bad night. Andromeda was dead, cut down by a 
  bladed, metallic youma, who was at best being only 
  slowed down by their attacks. Then a trio of magical girl 
  hunters had come out of nowhere. They'd been forced to 
  leave Quasar behind -- she couldn't have survived that 
  severe a case of lead poisoning anyway -- and Gemini 
  and Nebula herself had both taken a few rounds. They 
  were healed as much as possible and bandaged. 
   
  A grim silence hung over the group as they sat in 
  their headquarters. The Galactic Sailors were not the 
  most popular of magical girls. In fact, owing to who had 
  been their leader, they were about as unpopular as 
  mahou shoujo could get. There had been a dozen of 
  them. Now, between youma, Dark Ones, and these 
  damned magical girl hunters that had continued to 
  increase in numbers, there was only the five of them left. 
  It had been such a simple dream at first -- to protect the 
  world from evil. Now where were they? 
   
  Nowhere, and rapidly running out of lives. Oh, a lot of 
  the dead ones would probably return, reincarnated, but 
  it'd be a decade at least before any of them could be 
  much help. Assuming their souls made it back in this era 
  at all. No, the Galactic Sailors were being eradicated, in 
  ones and twos, until they were all dead little girls. 
   
  Something stirred outside the door. All five Sailors 
  jumped to their feet -- Gemini was a bit slower because 
  of the condition of her leg. Silence reigned for a moment, 
  then the door burst open, the magically reinforced locks 
  torn asunder. The figure that was framed by the doorway 
  was tiny. As she stepped into the light, they could see a 
  little girl, maybe five years old. But those eyes... No girl of 
  any age should have eyes like that, seeking, piercing 
  eyes that seemed to say "you can't scare me because 
  I've seen things you can't imagine." 
   
  "Is this all that's left of my army?" There was 
  something familiar about the voice, the accent, the shape 
  of it. 
   
  "Who are you?" demanded Sailor Gemini. 
   
  The tiny girl grinned and pulled out a wand. It had a 
  blue-black sphere on the end, filled with endless motes 
  of 
  shimmering 
  light. 
  Beautiful, 
  mesmerizing. 
  Unmistakable. "COSMIC STAR POWER!" For a moment 
  the world was full of twinkling stars, soaring comets, 
  suns, asteroids... And then it all faded, and the girl stood 
  before them, transformed. 
   
  A chill went down Nebula's spine. In the body of a 
  five-year-old, but it was unmistakably her. The most 
  hated and feared of all magical girls, one of the two 
  instigators of the Magical War that had ended with the 
  advent of the first magical girl hunter, and the leader of 
  the Galactic Sailors. 
   
  "Sailor Cosmos." breathed Sailor Comet. 
   
  Sailor Cosmos continued to smile. "I was in a bad 
  place, a very bad place, but I learned things there. I 
  remember now. It took time to remember. I missed you 
  all so much." 
   
  Sailor Nebula felt the tears welling up. No matter 
  what, this was her friend, their leader. She stumbled 
  forwards and wrapped her arms around Cosmos, who 
  returned the hug. 
   
  "We've been lost without you." she sobbed. "We 
  need you." She wanted to stop crying but couldn't. 
   
  "It's alright; I'm here." Nebula had heard those words 
  once before. Whatever else was different, it really was 
  Cosmos. 
   
  Sailor Comet rubbed her arms as though cold. "So... 
  what will we do now?" 
   
  The reply was one word, and a word that the world 
  would know and fear. 
   
  "Revenge." 
  
  A Report On Post-Resurgence Earth 
  Your Majesty, 
   
  As you requested, I have compiled information on 
  the state of the Earth-realm. I will warn you, it is very 
  different from the place we knew. The past few decades 
  have seen considerable upheaval and change taking 
  place, and as your trusted servant, I swear to you on my 
  honor that every word I have written is true. 
   
  The Resurgence 
   
  The Resurgence marked the return of magic to the 
  Earth-realm. It is said that the stagnant societies of 
  mankind came to reacquire their spirit of wonder and 
  hope, allowing this event to occur. This was swiftly 
  followed by the return of the forces of the Outer 
  Kingdoms to the Earth-realm. The Dark Ones and their 
  youma were able to thrive, but the Dreaming Ones of the 
  Magical Kingdoms found the low levels of magical 
  energies would slowly kill them if they remained in the 
  Earth-realm for any length of time. To fight the Dark 
  Ones they were forced to rely on mortal champions. 
   
  Magical Girls 
   
  I know we ourselves have made use of magical girls 
  from time to time, but to turn them into warriors in this 
  manner is unthinkable. But it has happened, and I do not 
  speak of isolated cases. In the years following the 
  Resurgence literally thousands of magical girls were 
  recruited and empowered by the Magical Kingdoms. 
  When I spoke to one of the more authoritative 
  Companions, I was informed that the Dreaming Ones 
  believed they had no other choice. 
   
  Magical War 
   
  Japan (also called Nihon) is home to the city of 
  Tokyo (formerly Edo), which was and still is an epicenter 
  of magical activity. It was here that the greatest of 
  tragedies occurred. Two very powerful magical girls -- 
  Magical Knight Mariko of Thera and Sailor Cosmos of 
  the Star Kingdom -- came into a rivalry so great that 
  each raised armies of magical girls to fight the other. 
   
  The magical girls I spoke to during my visit were 
  often too young to know much about what became 
  known as the "Magical War," and a number of those who 
  remembered began weeping at its very mention, so 
  terrible was the battle. From what I could gather, the War 
  was long and terrible, and ended only when Mariko and 
  Cosmos were assassinated by an unknown mortal. 
   
  Today 
   
  Although the number of magical girls does not 
  appear to be waning at this point, popular opinion is often 
  turned against them, to such an extent that there are a 
  growing number of "hunters" -- mortals who murder 
  troublesome magical girls. 
  Introduction 
   
  Magical World is a campaign setting quite unlike any 
  other. There were a lot of sources of inspiration that 
  ultimately led to its creation, but it began with watching 
  Sailor Moon and wishing for Usagi's bumbling to have 
  real consequences now and then, for an end to the 
  Monster-of-the-Week syndrome, for enemies who were 
  smart and vicious enough to attack before the magical 
  girls could finish posing and shouting, and for magical 
  attacks that actually hurt and have consequences in the 
  real world. There are plenty of other magical girl shows 
  out there; Pretty Sammy, especially the TV series, is a 
  favorite for its character development, sweeping plot, 
  and, just as importantly, the fact that it mercilessly pokes 
  fun at the genre. 
   
  But I still watched Sailor Moon regularly, until it went 
  into reruns. Why? The Sailor Senshi are a bunch of girls 
  who fight an endless array of monsters. They stand up to 
  and overcome every challenge that comes their way, not 
  because they're super-perfect comic book heroes 
  (though it seems that way sometimes), but because 
  they're brave and willing to risk everything for what they 
  believe in. If those aren't admirable traits, I don't know 
  what would be. 
   
  Magical World is what came out of this paradoxical 
  perspective on magical girls. It puts them into a world of 
  high stakes and dire consequences where, as in the real 
  world, power can be used selfishly as surely as it can be 
  used to help others. Some hate them, some worship 
  them, some ignore them, and a few hunt them down. It is 
  a place where magical girls and their youma foes are 
  ubiquitous, and a world that truly both loves and hates 
  them. Whatever you feel about magical girls, it can 
  happen here. 
   
  Magical girls come in countless varieties; saccharine 
  heroines, servants of darkness, hired killers, idol singers, 
  vigilantes and more. They can save the world or bring it 
  damnation. The choice is yours. Strap in, have your 
  henshin wand handy, and get ready for a bumpy ride. 
   
  Revision History 
   
  1.0 Original release. Imagine that! I actually finished 
  a book completely before putting it out. What’s come 
  over me? 
   
  1.1 Some miscellaneous additional stuff, mostly 
  things inspired by the Sailor Moon RPG & Resource 
  Guide, directly or indirectly, along with crossover 
  stuff for such. 
   
  1.2 Naturally, immediately after finishing 1.1 I came 
  up with many, many ideas for more stuff. First and 
  foremost, Magical World is now a generic game 
  setting; there are a number of "Rules Modules" that 
  can be downloaded separately; there is, of course, 
  Thrash, as well as Tri-Stat, and more on the way. 
  Setting information has also been expanded greatly. 
   
  Force of Magic 
   
  For an inside look at the Magical World setting, be 
  sure to check out Force of Magic. This story (available at 
  http://www.blackbird.nu/fanfics/) follows the trials and 
  tribulations of Haruko, a.k.a. Magical Girl Candy Rose, 
  
  as she tries to cope with her new role, as well as her 
  teammates, uncaring superiors, deadly foes, and her 
  own doubts. 
   
  Available Rules Modules 
   
  Thrash: The system for which Magical World was 
  originally created, Thrash is a anime/fighting game 
  martial arts RPG by yours truly, available on the web 
  at http://thrash.blackbird.nu/. Thrash is a fairly simple 
  system with many, many options. 
   
  Tri-Stat: The system used for Big Eyes, Small Mouth 
  and the Sailor Moon RPG & Resource Book from 
  Guardians of Order. Tri-Stat is extremely simple and 
  fast-playing. 
   
  Others?: Other possible rules modules to be 
  released in the future include Feng Shui, GURPS, 
  Fuzion, and Storyteller. 
   
  Inspirational Stuff 
   
  Ideas for this sourcebook came from a lot of different 
  places, most of them relating to magical girls in some 
  way or another, and entirely too many of them being 
  intended as satires of the genre. 
   
  Anime 
   
  Akazukin Chacha 
   
  The Girl From Phantasia 
   
  Magical Girl Pretty Sammy: The cast of Tenchi Muyo 
  star in a spin-off which, although basically a parody 
  of the magical girl genre, is nonetheless very good 
  on its own. This encompasses an OAV series (3 
  parts so far) as well as a TV series (available in the 
  U.S. as "Magical Project S"; highly recommended). 
   
  Magic Knight Rayearth 
   
  Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: In many ways the 
  quintessential magical girl anime (in terms of 
  popularity if nothing else), Sailor Moon was naturally 
  a big influence on this book, in more ways than one. 
   
  Comics 
   
  Card Captor Sakura: This cute series from CLAMP 
  is about a 10-year-old girl named Sakura who has 
  taken up the job of collecting the "Clow Cards." To 
  that end, she is given magical powers, and a 
  seemingly unending series of cute (if odd) outfits, as 
  well as the help of Kero-chan, a weird liony thing with 
  fairy wings. Especially interesting is the fact that her 
  costumes are not magical, but rather are provided by 
  her rich friend Tomoyo, who also insists on 
  videotaping her exploits. 
   
  Gen13 Bootleg: Magical Drama Queen Roxy: This 
  comic, by none other than Adam Warren, takes the 
  characters of Gen13 and, in an extended dream 
  sequence, tells a scathingly satirical magical girl 
  story. 
   
  Kaitou St. Tail:  
   
  Shadow Lady: This manga by Katsura (creator of 
  Video Girl Ai, amongst others) tells the story of Aimi, 
  a shy young lady who uses magical makeup to 
  become the sexy and somewhat naughty master 
  thief known as Shadow Lady. 
   
  Fanfics 
   
  Magical Demon Hunter: This rather quirky fic is the 
  story of Dailey Preston, who is recruited by a 
  drunkard who stumbled upon a magical book to 
  become a magical demon hunter, and all the 
  madness she is made to face, from evil demons to a 
  vengeful animated teddy bear. 
   
  Magical Girl Hunter: This, ahem, unique round robin 
  tells the story of two men who gear up with heavy 
  firepower and hunt down and kill magical girls for a 
  living. In their efforts, they are force to deal with an 
  evil corporation creating magical girl dupes, the 
  amorous Sailor H, and countless other threats. 
   
  Magical Princess Sharra of the Winds: By yours 
  truly, MPSotW is the story of Natsuko, a cynical girl 
  who wanted nothing to do with being a magical girl, 
  but was forced into it by circumstances, and 
  ultimately fights a battle that will decide the fate of 
  the universe. 
   
  Missy Foxglove: The yakuza aren't happy with the 
  latest situation; magical girls have been turning their 
  cocaine shipments into cotton candy, and it's caused 
  trouble with their business partners. To deal with the 
  problem, they've recruited Missy Foxglove, a magical 
  girl who will serve as an assassin, to take out 
  problem magical girls. 
   
  Sailor Nothing: Mr. Twoflower brings us a new and 
  highly angsty magical girl series, the story of the 
  abandoned magical girl formerly known as Sailor 
  Salvation who has now become Sailor Nothing. 
   
  Roleplaying Games 
   
  Changeling: The Dreaming: Not a major source, but 
  Changeling did provide some inspiration for the early 
  history of Magical World. For the uninitiated, 
  Changeling is a game about modern day fairies, 
  trying to survive in a world that doesn’t believe in 
  them. 
   
  Sailor Moon RPG & Resource Guide: Let me put it 
  like this. If you’re a gamer and a Sailor Moon fan, 
  BUY THIS NOW. This adaptation of the anime 
  series is exceptional, both in terms of working the 
  game mechanics and presenting the setting. And 
  even if you don't roleplay (which raises the question 
  of why you're reading this), the sheer amount of info 
  makes it well worth the price. 
   
  Web Pages 
  Emily's Magical Girl Page! 
  http://yaoi.anime-manga.net/Magic/mg.html 
   
  An excellent source of general information on 
  magical girls, as well as info on several of the various 
  series out there. 
   
  Mahou Shoujo Anime Resources 
  http://whistler.cs.ucla.edu/~yasuyuki/www/mahou/ 
   
  An extensive guide to magical girl series pages. 
  
  Lexicon 
   
  The following are terms commonly used in the 
  Magical World setting. 
   
  Age of Chaos: The time when the Magical Kingdoms and 
  the Dark Kingdoms waged open war on each other. 
  Age of Darkness: The time following the Age of Chaos, 
  when the Magical Kingdoms were all but destroyed 
  and the Dark Kingdoms reigned. 
  Ancient One: The most ancient, evil, and powerful of the 
  creatures of the Dark Kingdoms. Most have been 
  destroyed or put into an eternal sleep, though some 
  Dark Ones seek to awaken them. 
  cutekiller: Someone obsessed with the destruction of 
  everything that is cute, especially magical girls. The 
  most dangerous of these are former magical girls. 
  Dark Kingdoms: Realms of evil located outside of our 
  world. The denizens of these places are powerful, 
  but have poor judgment and are unimaginative. 
  Dark Ones: The most humanlike of the denizens of the 
  Dark Kingdoms, who presently serve as the leaders. 
  Dreaming Ones: The Magical Kingdoms' counterpart to 
  the Dark Ones. 
  henshin stick: See Transformation Key, below. 
  idol: Refers to pop idol singers, and especially magical 
  girls who become singers or other types of 
  entertainers. 
  I.M.G.U.: The International Magical Girls Union, an 
  organization of magical girls dedicated to mutual 
  support and peace among the mahou shoujo. 
  Love and Justice: The goal for which most magical girls 
  strive; to create a world of happiness and peace. 
  Love Fighter: A magical girl whose main goal is to 
  spread love. 
  magical companion: Small creatures, usually cute and 
  fuzzy, who accompany and serve as mentors to 
  magical girls. 
  magical girl: Girls between the ages of nine and sixteen, 
  recruited to wield magical powers. 
  Magical Kingdoms: Realms of magic and wonder located 
  outside our world. The Magical forces have long 
  opposed the schemes of the Dark. 
  Magical Task Force X: A government organization 
  dedicated to containing all forms of magical threats – 
  or perhaps just a rumor? 
  magical toddler: Derogatory term for magical girls, 
  especially younger ones. 
  magical war: The conflict that rocked the world a decade 
  ago, when two armies of magical girls clashed in a 
  titanic battle over a personal sleight between their 
  leaders. 
  mahou shoujo: See magical girl. 
  mystic knight: A male gifted with magical abilities, usually 
  with powers similar to those of magical girls, but 
  more "gentlemanly" in appearance. 
  The Outer Kingdoms: A general term for the Dark 
  Kingdoms and the Magical Kingdoms (q.v.). 
  Resurgence: During the early 1980s, the Magical 
  Kingdoms resurfaced, and began a careful, tentative 
  struggle with the Dark Kingdoms to regain their 
  positions of power. 
  senshi: Japanese for “soldier” – now a common term for 
  magical girls, especially the more combat-oriented 
  ones. 
  sentai: A team of warriors, especially magical girls, 
  usually numbering three or five. 
  Sorcerer: A person (sometimes a mortal, but more often 
  a Dark One or Dreaming One) whose magical 
  abilities consist of scholarly knowledge and powerful 
  incantations. 
  Talking Pet: Derogatory term for magical companions. 
  transformation key: An item used by magical girls to 
  transform into their mahou shoujo form. 
  youma: General term for monsters, especially from the 
  Dark Kingdoms. 
  
  Chapter 1:  
  Mahou Shoujo 
   
  Into daring dreams 
   
  Go the bold 
   
  Conquering their fear 
   
  A shining ray of light 
   
  As darkness all consumes 
   
  Only the bold will break free 
   
   -- Unyielding Wish (English Version), Magic Knight Rayearth OP 
   
  What follows is an introduction to the magical girls 
  and how they cope with the world in which they live. 
   
  Origins 
  Magic 
   
  Magic is a very real force, and understanding it is key 
  to understanding those who can use it; each shapes the 
  other. The user is affected by the magic and the magic 
  reflects the user’s intentions and desires. 
   
  Fundamentally, magic is the shaping of magical 
  energy. This energy is known by countless names, 
  including but not limited to chi, mana, prana, ki, and 
  quintessence. Magical energy is believed to be inherent 
  in the cosmos, but considerably more common in some 
  places than others. This energy, when in sufficient 
  concentration, can be focused by a being with the 
  necessary ability, used to create a given effect. Although 
  nearly all magic users must make use of some 
  “procedure” to use their magic (such as an incantation), 
  magic’s fundamental nature is such that it is shaped by 
  the user’s will and intent. 
   
  Denizens of the Magical Kingdoms require magical 
  energy in order to survive. Earthly scientists who’ve 
  studied the Dreaming Ones have theorized that 
  organisms from the Magical Kingdoms use this magical 
  energy on a cellular level. Dreaming Ones, who tend to 
  be leery of such a banal explanation, say that, as 
  children of their respective Magical Kingdoms, magic 
  runs in their veins, flows through their breath, and pulses 
  in their very souls, and thus to be deprived of it is to 
  wither and die. 
   
  Magical girls are aptly named, for they wield a form 
  of magic, allowing them to transform and use the mystic 
  powers. The magic of Mahou Shoujo is usually a bit 
  different from that of Dreaming Ones and human 
  sorcerers. The basic nature of the mahou shoujo 
  enchantments is such that the tie between magic and the 
  heart is even stronger than normal. 
   
  Sources of Power 
   
  There are a number of ways in which a girl can 
  become a mahou shoujo, though being recruited by one 
  of the Magical Kingdoms is by far the most common. 
  These are strange and wonderful places outside of our 
  own world, which often recruit humans to be their 
  champions – usually girls between the ages of nine and 
  sixteen. Why they do this is unknown, but it is believed 
  that beings from the Other Worlds are incapable of 
  sustaining themselves on Earth for any significant period 
  of time, and thus must use natives to our plane to fight 
  their battles. 
   
  Ancient Legacies: In some cases being a magical 
  girl runs in the family. It may indeed be genetic, a spark 
  of magical power manifesting as a result of an ancestor 
  who was a magical being of some kind. Others pass an 
  Artifact (see below) from one generation to the next, and 
  in some cases the magical power itself can be separated 
  and bequeathed to another. 
   
  Ancient Powers: While some doubt the truth of it, a 
  small number of magical girls claim to have been 
  granted their powers by some god/goddess or other 
  supernatural force. Ancient spirits (including ancestor 
  and nature spirits), deities from across the world 
  (including, interestingly enough the Christian God), as 
  well as places of power (pyramids, stone circles, dragon 
  nests, and the like) have all reportedly produced magical 
  girls. As one might imagine, the abilities of such mahou 
  shoujo are invariably "themed" to the source of the 
  power. 
   
  Artifacts: A few rare items, imbued with mystical 
  power properties, can grant the powers of a mahou 
  shoujo. These can take nearly any form imaginable. 
  Some are keyed to specific kinds of users (young girls 
  and/or those pure of heart, usually) and many become 
  bonded to a specific individual, useless to anyone else 
  so long as they live. 
   
  Magical Being/Cross-Breed: Dreaming Ones have 
  difficulty surviving in the magic-bare realm of Earth. To 
  shield themselves from this, some are able to hide their 
  magical natures, becoming mortals most of the time. 
  Likewise, should a Dreaming One and a mortal have 
  offspring, the resulting child would similarly only 
  occasionally be able to fully bring out their magical 
  nature. 
   
  Reincarnation: Especially among the more powerful 
  magical girls, repeated reincarnation is not unknown. 
  When killed, such mahou shoujo are reborn with no 
  memories of their past lives and no knowledge of how to 
  use their powers, though both will gradually return over 
  time. Rumors claim that Sailor Cosmos was such a one, 
  and she will be back for vengeance. 
   
  Technology: Perhaps rarest of all are those magical 
  girls who've acquired some super-technological device 
  which has magic-like abilities. Such devices are 
  generally rare and costly in the extreme. 
   
  Teams 
   
  Trust I seek and I find in you 
   
  Every day for us something new 
   
  Open mind for a different view 
   
  And nothing else matters 
   
   – Metallica, "Nothing Else Matters" 
   
  Although loners (usually equipped with magical 
  companions) are common, magical girls often join 
  together to form teams, also known as sentai. This is 
  most often the result of a common origin, but that is not 
  necessarily the case. Having such friends to rely on 
  provides a source of support, both emotionally and on 
  the battlefield, and in both cases can mean the 
  difference between life and death. 
  
   
  Teams are usually either of three (for fairy tale cliché 
  purposes) or five (for anime cliché purposes)*. Larger 
  teams are possible, but following the Magical War 
  they've become very rare. Especially in the case of those 
  with a common origin, teams are often created around 
  some theme; planets, elements, fruits, animals... you 
  name it, it's probably been done. 
   
  Magical Girls Around The World 
   
  The conflict between the Magical and Dark 
  Kingdoms is, interestingly enough, primarily in Japan. 
  The reasons for this are uncertain, but it has been 
  theorized that in Japan more than any other country 
  females are bred to be cute, hopeful dreamers – and 
  thus ideal magical girl material, though this doesn't 
  explain why the Dark Kingdoms seem to operate 
  primarily there. 
   
  Even so, magical girls are known to varying degrees 
  in every part of the world, with the United States ranking 
  #2 in terms of magical girl population. Magical girls from 
  other countries tend to have only stylistic differences 
  from their Japanese counterparts. Obviously, the uniform 
  isn't likely to feature sailor fuku when these aren't used 
  there. 
   
  Africa 
   
  Australia 
   
  Central and South America 
   
  China 
   
  Europe 
   
  The Former Soviet Union 
   
  Mexico 
   
  The Middle East 
   
  Southeast Asia 
   
  Powers 
   
  "It's very rude to attack someone while they're 
  posing!" 
   -- Pretty Sammy 
   
  To accomplish their goals, magical girls are given an 
  arsenal of magical powers. These vary quite a bit in 
  disposition, though there are many common themes. 
  Most of these powers take the form of "spells" of some 
  sort, which require an incantation (usually what amounts 
  to a gibberish phrase in English), which has to be not 
  simply uttered but YELLED as loud as possible, slowly 
  and clearly, so that everyone can hear. Fortunately, most 
  youma aren't too smart and will wait and listen to the 
  spell. 
   
  The specific types of effects created by these spells 
  vary a great deal, but elemental type effects seem to be 
  the most common. These can be your typical fire, water, 
  electricity, and so forth, but the most common by far are 
  the Love Elementals. 
   
  Most people wouldn't think of Love as one of the 
  elements, but magical girls have proven that this is so. It 
  is a very potent power; love elementals can influence 
  hearts as well as bringing destructive power to bear. 
   
                                                        
  * Four is a very unlucky number in Japanese culture, 
  owing to the fact that it can be read as “shi” – which can 
  also mean “death.”  
  Magical Items 
   
  Magical girls are known to make use of a variety of 
  magical items. Some of these can be considered 
  Artifacts in game terms. Others, however, are merely 
  icons, representing the powers the characters effectively 
  has, and as such cannot be lost or stolen. Owing to the 
  nature of the mahou shoujo power, these typically take 
  the form of wands, brooches, earrings, makeup kits, and 
  other feminine trinkets. See Chapter 5 for more details. 
   
  Transformation Key: Also known as a henshin stick 
  (when it takes the form of a wand), this is the most 
  important item is a mahou shoujo's arsenal. The 
  Transformation Key is the item that allows them to 
  transform into said form. This item must generally be 
  held out and a nonsensical magical phrase shouted out 
  for the transformation to be initiated. 
   
  Disguise Key: Similar to the transformation key, a 
  disguise key is an item that enables the character to 
  magically disguise themselves as someone else. 
    
  The Transformation 
   
  "Sasami! I didn't know you liked to dress like that!" 
   
   – Tenchi, Magical Girl Pretty Sammy 
   
  Nearly all Mahou Shoujo have their magical abilities 
  only part of the time; to draw upon these, they must 
  undergo a transformation. These vary a great deal, but 
  most will briefly pull the heroine into a pocket dimension 
  where she is subtly transmogrified into her mahou shoujo 
  form. This usually looks just like her normal form except 
  for a new outfit (usually involving a very short skirt) and 
  occasionally changes in the color of one's hair and/or 
  eyes, though many magical girls become older upon 
  transforming (16 seems to be the preferred age). The 
  transformation sequence involves lots of swirling lights 
  and some kind of theme song, which takes a seeming 
  eternity to the viewers, even though only a few seconds 
  pass in real time. 
   
  The resultant "uniform", although often in the form of 
  an abbreviated sailor fuku, can occasionally be a bit 
  more exotic. Among the more common variations are 
  large gowns, skimpy tight-fitting outfits, and in the case 
  of the "darker" magical girls, black leather and/or vinyl. 
   
  Specialized Magical Girls 
   
  Certain magical kingdoms create mahou shoujo with 
  specialized powers. This has been done for a variety of 
  reasons, though typically either because such magical 
  girls are meant for a particular task, or because they are 
  part of a group. A few kingdoms have taken to having 
  their magical girl sentai contain a specific mix of 
  specialists. 
   
  Falcon: Known by a variety of names, these are 
  magical girls given the power to fly, either with wings that 
  appear upon transformation, or without wings, by magical 
  means. Falcons are usually trained to be scouts and 
  spies, but some (also known as Eagles) are used for 
  aerial combat. 
   
  Magical Idol: Magical Idols are magical girls who 
  double as performers, usually idol singers. While some 
  simply use their powers to have a career in the music 
  industry (such performers are surprisingly popular in 
  Japan and other countries, despite anti-magical girl 
  
  sentiments running high), many double as youma-
  fighters. In a few cases the power of song is augmented 
  by magic, making it a weapon unto itself. 
   
  Magical Nurse: So named because their outfits tend 
  to resemble nurse uniforms somewhat, Magical Nurses 
  specialize in healing. Nurses tend to be compassionate 
  and caring to a fault; Love makes healing magic 
  stronger, so a loving person is the natural candidate. 
   
  Night Stalker: These are magical girls who specialize 
  in stealth and covert operations. They tend to dress in 
  dark colors and move silently. 
   
  Sentinel 
   
  Swordbearer: Swordbearers specialize in close-
  range melee combat. All are equipped with a weapon, 
  typically a Spirit Weapon. The preferred weapon is of 
  course the sword, whether a hulking broadsword (which 
  magical girls wield with incongruous ease) or an elegant 
  rapier. Swordbearers are among the most combat-
  oriented of magical girls, and the most able to hold their 
  own in physical combat. 
   
  Tactician: One of the less common -- but more 
  valuable -- specializations, the Tacticians have the ability 
  to analyze their opponents and formulate effective battle 
  plans. This is a role typically filled by the more intellectual 
  magical girls, and they are usually equipped with a 
  magical computer to assist them. 
   
  The Magical Girl Lifestyle 
  Recruitment 
   
  The Magical Kingdoms have had to devise a number 
  of methods for recruiting magical girls. The tried and true 
  method of having a companion search for a candidate, 
  whether at random or guided by magic, is still widely 
  used, but not as effective as it once was. Potential 
  candidates tend to be much more wary, due to the 
  dangers involved, coupled with the potential for being 
  pulled into an organization falsely claiming to be a 
  Magical Kingdom, be it a Dark Kingdom or some mortal 
  organization. 
   
  Other forms of recruitment have been tried and met 
  with varying degrees of success. These have included 
  such modern contrivances as auditions, classified ads, 
  contests, and talent scouts. Less scrupulous or more 
  desperate kingdoms have been known to resort to 
  outright kidnapping of desirable candidates, using mind-
  altering magic spells to control them. 
   
  Superiors 
   
  Most Magical Girls have to contend with superiors of 
  one sort or another, giving them advice, orders, new 
  powers, and so forth. Dreaming Ones (and in some 
  cases Dark Ones) are at least as varied and flawed as 
  humans, often with the added touch of being very literally 
  out of touch with reality. The means by which a mahou 
  shoujo will keep in touch with her superiors varies; some 
  Kingdoms use magical means, some communicate 
  through an intermediary Companion, and a few take the 
  trouble to have a native commander appear in person. 
   
  Other superiors can take the form of a higher-
  ranking magical girl or mystic knight, which can be good 
  or bad. Some, having been in the same spot themselves 
  once, show compassion to their charges. Others can be 
  terribly callous. 
   
  Love and Justice 
   
  You can't be a hero hiding underneath your bed 
   
  Got to live the life you create inside your head 
   
  So I opened the window caught the wind one night 
   
  Now I sail with the birds in their flight 
   
   – Chisa Yokohama, "I'm A Pioneer" 
   
  Magical girls throw the term "Love and Justice" 
  around a lot these days. It means different things to 
  different people, to be sure. It is a battle cry, and a way 
  of life. It means one will fight with the heart, for the heart. 
  It means doing what's right, whatever the cost. 
   
  As high as these ideals might be, the reality is all too 
  often a bit different. Too many mahou shoujo consider it 
  little more than a phrase to call out in order to be like 
  everyone else. Others disregard it completely. 
   
  Companions 
   
  "Look out, Sailor Moon!" 
   
   – Luna, Sailor Moon 
   
  Many mahou shoujo have a magical companion, a 
  creature of some sort, often from one of the Magical 
  Kingdoms, who serves as a mentor and companion. 
  They give advice, do reconnaissance, and give 
  protection; each is friend, confidant, and conscience to 
  the one they watch over. 
   
  While they usually possess human intelligence (or at 
  the very least, a high animal intelligence), they generally 
  take the form of some kind of animal – and a cute one at 
  that. The preferred forms include cats, dogs, bunny 
  rabbits, birds, and occasionally a fictitious but very 
  adorable animal of some sort, though nearly any type of 
  animal is possible. Although they are the ones who 
  deliver the magical powers to the mahou shoujo, they 
  rarely have any significant abilities themselves. 
   
  Training 
   
  Despite 
  the 
  benefits, 
  relatively 
  few 
  Magical 
  Kingdoms actually take the time to provide real training 
  to their magical girls. A mahou shoujo who understands 
  her own powers and her enemies will be a far more 
  effective fighter, and yet most Kingdoms simply give a 
  new recruit a wand and send her off to battle. 
   
  Training can take on any number of forms. Smaller 
  Kingdoms tend towards providing one-on-one “tutoring” 
  from a more experienced magical girl or even a 
  Dreaming One, while large ones typically have large 
  training facilities patterned after private schools or even 
  military boot camps. Most Magical Kingdoms tend to take 
  a fairly gentle, lenient approach to training, but a few, 
  inspired by military organizations of the human world, 
  have taken to more brutal, direct forms of training. 
   
  Secrecy 
   
  Now more than every, a magical girl must keep her 
  true identity a secret. Fortunately, even though it should 
  be blatantly obvious who they are in most cases, the 
  magic protects them from this. Even so, being 
  discovered is possible, and given the sorts of people 
  around, potentially dangerous. 
  
   
  Friends and Family 
   
  Nearly all magical girls retain relations with the 
  friends and family members they had before obtaining 
  their powers. Besides the fact that most of them rely on 
  their parents for food, shelter, and so forth, most mahou 
  shoujo are far too caring to simply abandon the people 
  they love. Such people help the magical girl stay in touch 
  with the real world, and provide a place to retreat to when 
  the ongoing task of saving the world becomes a bit too 
  much to bear. 
   
  Even so, the policy of secrecy must be applied even 
  to the most trusted companions. Not only could they be 
  made to leak information about the magical girl, but also 
  they become potential targets for her enemies. Worse 
  still, in this day and age, a magical girl may find that she 
  cares very deeply for someone who despises her alter 
  ego. 
   
  School Daze 
   
  By and large, nearly all mahou shoujo are at an age 
  where they're expected to go to school, and the vast 
  majority do; they need a mortal occupation to keep their 
  sanity, and being a student is usually more than 
  sufficient. 
   
  Attending school can mean a lot of things, however. 
  For one, despite the pressing matters of the fate of the 
  world and so forth, our heroines have to contend with 
  homework, teachers, and the other students, who can be 
  friends as surely as they can be antagonists (or anything 
  in-between), albeit usually of a non-magical sort. 
   
  If you're following the usual genre conventions, the 
  GM should build many of the plots around events at 
  school. For some reason, youma are drawn to trying to 
  carry out their plots at schools (some have theorized that 
  it is simply because, at least in the case of energy 
  collectors, there is much more power to be gained), and 
  a few have even been known to pose as students. 
   
  Employment 
   
  And I can’t stop working long enough 
   
  To wonder what life’s for 
   
  What is it for? 
   
  Am I just a whore? 
   
  Who am I working for? 
   
   -- Ten Foot Pole, Pride and Shame 
   
  There are times when magical girls, like everyone 
  else, have to worry about money. Most Magical 
  Kingdoms don’t have the ability to offer any monetary 
  compensation to their magical girls, so when mahou 
  shoujo need cash, they have to seek out their own 
  means of obtaining it, and more often than not, that 
  means a part-time job. 
   
  The availability of a part-time job for a girl aged 10 to 
  16 largely depends on the country. In more civilized 
  countries child labor laws and the like prevent any but 
  the oldest magical girls from holding a job. Of course, 
  many in this sort of situation take advantage of a 
  transformation that makes them look older to get a job 
  they couldn’t otherwise. In other countries it doesn’t 
  matter, though getting a job that pays more than slave 
  wages may be another matter. 
   
  This brings up another, darker side of magical girl 
  existence; those who are employed specifically because 
  of their magical girl status. This can include anything 
  from simple bodyguard duty to involvement in organized 
  crime, up to and including unusual forms of prostitution. 
  Most Magical Kingdoms despise such practices and will 
  do whatever it takes to remove their agents from such a 
  state. Unfortunately, a few are callous enough to turn a 
  blind eye to such abuses so long as the job gets done. 
   
  The Way of the Idol 
   
  Out there in the spotlight 
   
  You’re a million miles away 
   
  Every ounce of energy 
   
  You try and give away 
   
   – Bob Seger, “Turn the Page” 
   
  A few magical girls use their powers to entertain 
  others rather than to fight evil. Some have turned their 
  back on the fighting, while others are doing what their 
  magical allies want them to – fighting the more subtle 
  battle to keep Love alive on earth. A few try to do both 
  fighting and singing (usually not simultaneously, though 
  it’s been known to happen). 
   
  In the case of Japanese mahou shoujo, the preferred 
  medium is that if pop idol singing, as it is the style of 
  music in which they can most easily be accepted. The 
  major requirements for being an idol are to be young, 
  cute, and able to sing. Unfortunately, many such 
  performers are simply shoved into the same old mold 
  (“Wear this dress, sing these songs, dance like this.”), 
  and they aren’t paid too well either. This environment has 
  made many idols frustrated, despite the adoration of fans 
  and the thrill of being on the stage. 
   
  Especially in the U.S., but in Japan and other parts of 
  the world as well, this mold is being broken. There are 
  magical girl representatives of nearly every musical style 
  imaginable. A surprising number of them have turned to 
  heavy metal and hard rock (including the well-known 
  Japanese performer, Magical Girl Hyperia), though in 
  some cases this has made enemies of the more militant 
  pop idol types. 
   
  Magic Media 
   
  Magical Girls have become a part of nearly every 
  form of media and entertainment possible. Radio, 
  television, music, movies... the list goes on and on. The 
  popularity of mahou shoujo based entertainment 
  regularly fluxes, but has never gone away completely. Of 
  course, the primary target demographic is female and 
  under the age of 12, but hardcore fans, however young, 
  are numerous and surprisingly devoted. 
   
  For a magical girl, being a celebrity is a double-
  edged sword, to be sure. The exhilaration of fame, the 
  many uses of money, and the potential for friends to be 
  made are all-powerful lures. But a celebrity makes 
  herself a target, for not only magical girl hunters and 
  cutekillers, 
  but 
  the 
  "paparazzi" 
  media, 
  tabloids, 
  exploitation, and so on. Not only that, but to be a publicly 
  known magical girl is to have one's actions reflect on all 
  mahou shoujo, good or bad. 
   
  
  The Way of the Love Fighter 
   
  Love Fighters are one of the more curious breeds of 
  magical girls, as they are much subtler in how they 
  operate. Their number one goal is to spread love 
  wherever possible, and this can take countless forms, 
  many of which don’t require any sort of special powers. 
  The successful Love Fighter is typically an expert 
  matchmaker, and generally skilled at finding ways, big or 
  small, to make people’s lives better. 
   
  In most cases, the magical powers of a Love Fighter 
  are relatively limited in some way or another (most often 
  because the transformation is difficult to maintain). The 
  most common abilities they possess are the more subtle 
  Love Elemental powers (see below), which are to be 
  used as a last resort, although anyone who assumes 
  they are incapable of acting in combat may be in for a 
  rather painful (pink) surprise. 
    
  Romance 
   
  When the cherry blossoms start to bloom 
   
  Meet me here in my lonely room 
   
  We’ll find a passion-filled fantasy 
   
  And I know this time you’ll stay with me 
   
   – Ai Orisaka, “Dimension of Love” 
   
  Most magical girls are interested in romance to some 
  degree. Some are a bit too young for that sort of thing, 
  while the older ones spend entirely too much time 
  worrying about their current boyfriend, or obtaining one. 
  Ultimately, though, most magical girls are in search of a 
  "True Love" – whatever that might mean, and this will 
  generally take the form of a romance that slowly 
  develops over the course of the entire series. 
   
  Needless to say, romantic stuff is difficult to role-
  play, and quite often downright awkward for all 
  concerned. It's a topic that is very personal, and for 
  which different people can have very different views. 
   
  Celebrity Status 
   
  Being a magical girl does not in any way ensure 
  fame. To become a mahou shoujo is to be one of 
  thousands, and to take on a role that, while often heroic, 
  has a dubious reputation at best. A few do reach a level 
  of fame that turns them into celebrities. 
   
  Some achieve fame by rising above the other 
  magical girls and showing great valor and heroism. This 
  means that they will be held up as an example of what a 
  magical girl should be, which in turn means they will be a 
  target for extremist anti-magical girl groups. For this 
  reason, wise magical girls often try to stay out of the 
  limelight; fame is of little comfort to the dead. 
   
  Far more of those magical girls who become famous 
  do so by doubling as celebrities of another sort – usually 
  as singers. 
   
  Aging 
   
  To the wounded, the fallen, the heat, the suspense, 
   
  The perfume strong, the smoke, the deafening noise; 
   
  Away with your life of peace!–your joys of peace! 
   
  Give me my old wild battle-life again! 
   
   – Walt Whitman, "The Dying Veteran" 
   
  Aging is something that all people face, though its 
  significance for mahou shoujo is a bit more prominent. A 
  magical girl is typically from nine to sixteen years old 
  when she begins her career. Their feelings towards 
  growing older tend to be somewhat paradoxical. Like 
  most children, they look forward to all the things that 
  being a teenager, and then an adult brings, but as they 
  grow older, the whole magical girl shtick seems more 
  and more childish. By the age of 20, nearly all magical 
  girls will have either retired (sometimes to residence in 
  one of the Magical Kingdoms) or found a way to adapt 
  their powers into something more mature. Unfortunately, 
  the majority of those who don't are casualties. 
   
  Pregnancy 
   
  Pregnancy can be a tricky issue for Magical Girls, 
  and even a dangerous one. The circumstances leading 
  to a mahou shoujo becoming pregnant are often bad 
  enough, but the physical effects of it are an even greater 
  problem. A girl who has entered puberty but not made it 
  into her mid to late teens will in nearly always die in labor 
  along with the child, making abortion the only real option. 
   
  Magic further complicates things. Many Magical Girls 
  are significantly older upon transforming -- bringing them 
  up to a childbearing age with a wave of the wand. 
  Undoing the transformation while pregnant may have any 
  number of effects, depending on the nature of the 
  enchantments involved. A developing fetus may be 
  miscarried or simply cease to be in order to protect the 
  magical girl, or undoing the transformation may become 
  impossible until the pregnancy ends, one way or another. 
  If the baby is ultimately brought to term, the exposure to 
  magic usually has some effects, and those may be good 
  or bad, but are always wildly unpredictable. 
   
  Death 
   
  Death is something many mahou shoujo must face 
  though few are prepared to. As is inevitable in a war, 
  people are hurt, and sometimes they die. Any magical 
  girl will inevitably face the reality that they and their 
  comrades could be hurt, possibly even killed in their line 
  of work. While any soldier learns to accept this in a hurry, 
  for a ten-year-old, who hasn't yet experienced life in its 
  fullness, it can be a terrifying prospect. 
   
  Side Note: Magical "Boys" 
   
  There is a person living in my head 
   
  She comes to visit every night in bed 
   
  I fight the demon but it just won't fall 
   
  The voices in my dungeon starting to call 
   
   – Ozzy Osbourne, "Ghost Behind My Eyes" 
   
  The magic used to create magical girls is as fickle as it is 
  annoying. One of the more curious aspects of it is the fact that it 
  demands to be wielded by young females. For males who try to use it, 
  whether intentionally or by accident, the end result is amusing at best, 
  insanity-breeding at worst – it tends to transform them into little girls. 
  Either that or (ugh) it puts them in the same outfit anyway. It is 
  possible for males to be come Mystic Knights (see Chapter 2), though 
  the process involved is somewhat different. 
   
  This phenomenon, although undoubtedly in bad taste, can make 
  for some very... ahem... interesting roleplaying experiences. 
   
  Side Note: Sexuality 
   
  As any dedicated fan of Sailor Moon knows, not everyone is 
  heterosexual. It’s relatively recently that this has applied to anime 
  characters, but with anime’s propensity for gender bending, it’s not 
  exactly surprising. Shoujo manga does this sort of thing more than 
  most, and while American audiences aren’t exactly comfortable with 
  the concept, the idea of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune – not to 
  mention Zoicite and Kunzite/Malachite (who are both male in the 
  
  original version) – being lovers is pretty much accepted as a matter of 
  course by most in Japan. This is especially true of the readers of 
  shoujo manga. 
   
  With that said, the question still remains as to what this will mean 
  to your campaign. Some players are more than willing to jump right 
  into this sort of thing, creating gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters with 
  abandon, while others want nothing to do with it. In a gaming group, 
  however, cohesion is essential, and tension over this sort of thing can 
  easily tear the group apart. If everyone is comfortable with the idea, 
  then go ahead, but if not, try to be sensitive about it. 
   
  Magical Girl Societies and Camps 
   
  The Hunter Hunters: With the continued rise in the 
  number of magical girl hunters in the world -- most 
  especially in Tokyo -- and the mortal officials' willingness 
  to look the other way, a small minority of mahou shoujo 
  have decided not to take it lying down. They've seen too 
  many friends and allies gunned down, and mean to put a 
  stop to it. Magical girls are dangerous enough to hunters 
  when they're not trying to turn the hunter into the prey, 
  but these "hunter hunters" have taken to a highly 
  organized and carefully planned style of operation. Given 
  the typical magical girl tactics (fire off attacks and hope 
  they work), this is usually enough to catch most hunters 
  off guard. 
   
  The International Magical Girls Union: The I.M.G.U. 
  is the biggest and most successful magical girl 
  organization, owing to its relative neutrality and careful 
  planning. 
   
  Magical Eco-Front: The Magical Eco-Front is an 
  international organization of ecologically minded magical 
  girls, very loosely affiliated with the IMGU and a number 
  of ecological organizations around the world. The 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Magical 
  Eco-Front 
  range 
  from 
  conventional protests to magical terrorism against 
  polluters and other threats to the eco-system, earning 
  the animosity of those who are more concerned with 
  having food and work than protecting the earth. These 
  activities seem to be quietly overlooked by the Eco-
  Front’s allies. 
   
  Mahouzoku: The term mahouzoku is derived from 
  the "bosozoku" (speed tribes) of rebellious Japanese 
  youth. Mahouzoku are "bad girl" mahou shoujo gangs. 
  These groups vary in temperament, ranging from simple 
  rebellious youth -- known for playing magical idol music 
  too loud late at night and harassing high school boys -- 
  up to and including all-out violent gang activities. 
   
  Mystical Entertainers Guild: The M.E.G. is a loose 
  association 
  of 
  magical 
  girls 
  who 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  entertainment industry in one capacity or another. Allied 
  with the I.M.G.U., they are a mutual support organization, 
  not entirely dissimilar from the Screen Actors' Guild in 
  Hollywood. The guild provides help with contracts, 
  agents, finding work, legal matters, and so forth. 
   
  Mystic Knights 
   
  Mystic Knights (also know as "Kamen" -- Japanese 
  for "mask") are basically male counterparts to magical 
  girls. As the magical girls were originally intended to 
  spread the power of Love, so were the Knights intended 
  to be consorts and companions. Thus, rather than frilly 
  cuteness, Kamen tend towards "gentlemanly" styling, 
  sporting stylized versions of fancy suits, knightly armor, 
  or other such variations. Kamen tend to be older than 
  magical girls -- 18 to 24 years old is the average -- and 
  their transformations tend to be very subtle. For that 
  matter, they very rarely bother shouting out the names of 
  their attacks, though nearly all share their female 
  counterparts' penchant for making speeches and posing. 
   
  Being a Knight is nearly as much a mixed bag as 
  being a magical girl. Their powers tend to be more 
  subtle, which requires them to be more cunning and 
  intelligent in turn. Most magical kingdoms assign their 
  Knights to a position of support, guardianship, or 
  leadership to some magical girls. This duty can include a 
  huge range of tasks, including doing intelligence 
  gathering, making battle plans, and even more simple 
  stuff like providing moral support and help with 
  homework. Of course, this means that Knights have a 
  reputation as pedophiles, made all the worse by the fact 
  that it's true in some cases. 
  
  Chapter 2:  
  Mahou no Sekai 
   
  The Magical World setting is much like our own 
  world, yet very different. (Was that cliché or what?) It is a 
  world where wonder and terror alike hide in the shadows, 
  waiting to pounce on the unwary, and where both are 
  threatened 
  by 
  disillusionment 
  and 
  their 
  own 
  pervasiveness. Many of the things you thought you knew 
  about Magical Girls are wrong, as you (and they) will 
  quickly learn. 
   
  History 
   
  History 
   
  History is laughing at us 
   
  Plotting its discovery 
   
   – Bad Religion, "Victory" 
   
  There is much history that has been all but forgotten 
  in this age, and much that many wish they could forget. 
  The Magical Kingdoms and the Dark Kingdoms have 
  existed for longer than anyone can remember, and the 
  litany of their conflicts over the ages could fill a thousand 
  books, were it not for the fact that so much of it had been 
  lost. 
   
  Foundation of the Outer Kingdoms 
   
  From whence the Magical Kingdoms and the Dark 
  Kingdoms arose is unknown, though some say they 
  came from the dreams of humanity. These myriad 
  realms, existing outside of the physical world, were 
  inhabited by a variety of magical beings, many 
  resembling humans, but many others far more fantastic. 
  The light kingdoms were for a time in regular contact with 
  each other, as was the case for the dark ones, resulting 
  in a great deal of cultural exchange. It was an age of 
  peace and learning, when the magical arts were refined 
  and expanded greatly. 
   
  Age of Chaos 
   
  The time of peace, however, was not to last. When 
  the kingdoms of light and dark came into contact, things 
  were at first friendly, if tentative. It is unknown just what 
  served as the spark of aggression, but an epic conflict 
  exploded into existence shortly thereafter. 
   
  The struggles between the Magical Kingdoms and 
  the Dark Kingdoms went on for countless ages. Most of 
  the details of this epoch-spanning struggle have been 
  lost, but there can be no doubt that the cost of it was 
  terrible for all concerned. Even so, when the last spell 
  was thrown, it was the Dark that stood victorious. 
   
  Age of Darkness 
   
  For a time, the Dark Kingdoms reigned supreme. 
  With the Magical Kingdoms out of the way, there was 
  nothing that could stop them – save their hatred of each 
  other – and they began expanding their rule farther and 
  farther into the cosmos. 
   
  The power of the Dark began to ebb, however, as 
  more and more internal conflicts tore at the fabric of their 
  already fragile alliances. With no common enemy, they 
  fell to fighting one another, and ultimately fell by their 
  own dark powers. 
   
  The Rise of Earth 
   
  All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade 
   
  Away 
   
  Again 
   
   -- Fuel, "Shimmer" 
   
  As the power of the outer kingdoms waned, that of 
  the mortal world, which they had long regarded as an 
  inhospitable void, began to rise higher. The force of a 
  billion souls reshaped reality, and tore at the already 
  fragile worlds in which the kingdoms resided. For a time, 
  the kingdoms, Dark and Magical alike, very nearly 
  ceased to be, and the mundane reality of humankind 
  prepared to eclipse the whole of the cosmos. 
   
  In this time, the Magical Kingdoms were able to 
  maintain a tiny level of earthly activity. The lack of 
  magical energies on Earth made it nearly impossible for 
  Dreaming Ones to survive on Earth, so they took to 
  recruiting human champions. The most prevalent of 
  these were the magical girls. Young girls tended to lack 
  skepticism and have higher levels of magical energy 
  than most mortals, making them more receptive to 
  enchantments. 
   
  Few today realize it, but for the most part magical 
  girls were not originally intended for combat. Their 
  purpose was more in line with what today are known as 
  Love Fighters – to spread Love and make the world a 
  better place. Mahou shoujo powers tended to be subtler, 
  and transformations were relatively uncommon. Of 
  course, sending them up against agents of the Dark 
  Kingdoms was considered unthinkable; it would be akin 
  to sending a kite out to do battle with an F-16. 
   
  The Resurgence changed everything. 
   
  Resurgence 
   
  Towards the end of what, by human reckoning, is the 
  1970s, something odd began to happen. In a world that 
  had seen so much death and destruction, so much fear 
  and paranoia, people began to dream again. Some say 
  this was because of man's efforts to reach into the stars, 
  while others say this was simply the crest of a wave of 
  changes. 
   
  Whatever the cause, one thing is clear. The power of 
  the outer kingdoms began to rise once more. For most of 
  the denizens of these places, the mortal realm was still 
  an antiseptic place, with too little magic for them to 
  survive. But even so, there was far too much to be 
  gained as well. If enough people could be brought to 
  dream, to love, things might just be like in the days 
  before. The Dark Kingdoms likewise formed a similar 
  agenda, based on spreading terror and nightmares. 
   
  Changing Roles 
   
  If there's a new way 
   
  I'll be the first in line 
   
  But it better work this time 
   
   -- Megadeth, Peace Sells 
   
  With the return of the Dark Kingdoms to Earth, the 
  battles of so long ago began anew in full force. But the 
  Earth was still unable to sustain Dreaming Ones, as 
  there still wasn't enough magic energy present. Human 
  
  agents were necessary, but the only enchantments for 
  equipping mortals that worked reliably were those for 
  making magical girls. These were quickly adapted to 
  provide combat capabilities, but much of the original 
  magical "programming" still remains, and the cry of "Love 
  and Justice" is a remnant of that legacy. 
   
  Thus, the role of mahou shoujo has changed, and 
  many say, for the worse. This terrible concession to 
  necessity has put the lives of countless innocent girls in 
  danger. Many among the Magical Kingdoms have tried 
  desperately to find another way, though most such 
  experiments have been unsuccessful. Mystical Knights 
  are the only notable success, an adaptation of an 
  enchantment for creating consorts to Dreaming One 
  royalty 
  (hence 
  the 
  gentlemanly 
  styling). 
  Other 
  experiments have created a few unique beings, and, 
  though few would admit it, a number of deaths. 
  The inhabitants of the Dark Kingdoms, for the most 
  part, were able to withstand the environment of Earth 
  (perhaps because the nightmares that spawned them 
  are all too real these days), and so they usually fight their 
  own battles. 
   
  A few have obtained the means to create their own 
  magical girls, though the Dark Magical Girls aren’t really 
  necessary per se. Rather, they are used because they 
  make effective fighters and have excellent shock value 
  when combating magical girls. 
   
  Magical War 
   
  Take a look to the sky just before you die 
   
  It is the last time he will 
   
  Blackened roar massive roar fills the crumbling sky 
   
  Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry 
   
   – Metallica, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" 
   
  In 1988, the unthinkable happened. Magical girls the 
  world over still weep at the very mention of it. Two of the 
  most powerful magical girls – Sailor Cosmos and 
  Magical Knight Mariko – had a disagreement (the nature 
  of it is still unknown), which reached such a magnitude 
  that they raised entire armies of magical girls, and 
  engaged each other in mortal combat. 
   
  This event, known as the Magical War, wiped out 
  fully a third of the magical girl population, even as the 
  forces of the Dark Kingdoms looked on and laughed. 
  Mortals who tried to intervene, at first with police batons 
  and finally soldiers with tanks and jet fighters, found their 
  efforts futile at best, suicidal at worst. And still the 
  madness continued. 
   
  It was on December 24, 1989 that the Magical War 
  came to an end. The war was raging on, as horrible as 
  when it had begun, when it was discovered that both of 
  the leaders had been assassinated. Just who was 
  responsible has never been discovered for certain, but it 
  is believed to have been the work of the first person to 
  call himself a magical girl hunter, a man known as "The 
  Shadow Stalker." With no leaders, the armies quickly 
  disintegrated, though anti-magical girl sentiments ran 
  deep in those days, and Shadow Stalker was soon only 
  one of many hunters. 
   
  The Present 
   
  Now, a decade after the conclusion of the Magical 
  War, things are going on as before. The mahou shoujo 
  and youma still clash daily in battle and, for the most 
  part, life goes on. Hunters are more and more common, 
  and some have even taken to recruiting disgruntled 
  magical girls to assist them. Most people ignore magical 
  girls and youma alike, so long as they don't do anything 
  dangerous. 
  
  World Overview 
  The International Magical Girls Union 
   
  Congregating in invisible circles 
   
  Half apart and half a part 
   
  All too aware of the insignificance 
   
  Pushing on with soul and heart 
   
   -- Bad Religion, "Individual" 
   
  Last year a conference was called, to create the 
  "International Magical Girls Union", a network of mutual 
  support for all mahou shoujo. The I.M.G.U. has had 
  more than its share of difficulties, however, having been 
  attacked with words as well as weapons many times. 
  Even so, their efforts have not been totally wasted; an 
  estimated 72% of magical girls worldwide are members. 
   
  Based in Tokyo, the I.M.G.U. is headed up by 
  Magical Soldier Lovely Miki, one of the oldest magical 
  girls still operating (she's 23, having started at age 9). It 
  provides a network through which magical girls can find 
  allies, medical aid, and friendship. The only requirement 
  for membership is to take an oath, the main tenet of 
  which is to never harm another magical girl unless 
  attacked first. 
   
  Deprogrammers 
   
  Many who see a friend or even a daughter become a 
  magical girl have cause to become worried. One 
  wonders just what drove them to take such a drastic 
  step, if they’ve done something wrong, or if the girl in 
  question is being controlled somehow. No matter what 
  the reasons, there are many that don’t want to see their 
  daughters become magical girls, and will do whatever it 
  takes to stop them, to keep them safe. 
   
  This has led to a number of specialists making a 
  business of “deprogramming” magical girls, convincing 
  them of the error of becoming a mahou shoujo before it’s 
  too late. It can be a very dangerous profession, as a 
  deprogrammer may potentially have to face attacks from 
  Dreaming Ones, youma, and even the magical girl 
  herself. Methods of deprogramming vary, but the first 
  step is invariably to capture the girl and remove her 
  magical powers and companion. 
   
  Magical Girl Hunters 
   
  Killer, intruder, homicidal man 
   
  If you see me coming run as fast as you can 
   
   -- Megadeath, Good Mourning, Black Friday 
   
  In response to a growing demand, a number of 
  people have taken it upon themselves to "deal" with the 
  interfering magical girls. Most are independents; they 
  hire out their services to anyone who's willing to pay. Of 
  course, the money is often secondary; only someone 
  truly dedicated, who knows what the mahou shoujo are 
  capable of would take the risk of fighting them. It is a 
  dangerous way of life, and one spent perpetually walking 
  the razor's edge. 
   
  Their methods vary a great deal. Many are forced to 
  rely on conventional firepower (a bullet in the brain will 
  drop a magical girl as fast as anyone else), though the 
  lack of magical defenses makes victories difficult and 
  failures costly. Some obtain their own unusual powers by 
  other means – the study of sorcery, chi powers, or 
  whatever. A few are even other magical girls who've 
  turned against their own kind. 
   
  Clients can come in any number of forms for a 
  hunter, though some are more dangerous than others. 
  Criminal organizations, the Yakuza especially, has 
  variously recruited, trained, and hired many hunters, and 
  even the Dark Ones have been known to do so from 
  time to time. Although this sort of clientele can generally 
  pay pretty well, they're also dangerous, and especially in 
  the case of the Dark Ones, have been known to double-
  cross unwary hunters. 
   
  Magical Girl Hunters 
   
  Being a Hunter isn't a job one takes because they 
  want a long life and a nice retirement. For a mortal to 
  have dealings with magical girls, youma, and the like is a 
  very dangerous proposition, and bullets don't always 
  work. The main edge hunters have is in tactics; they 
  don't hesitate to attack while a magical girl is busy posing 
  and making speeches. Of course, assuming that every 
  magical girl will do this can be a fatal mistake. 
   
  The Hunters' Manifesto 
   
  The following document is attributed to Shadow 
  Stalker, the first hunter, and has since come to be a 
  statement of principles for most hunters. 
   
   
  Darkness came to our world in the form on the 
  youma threat. Light came in the form of the Magical 
  Girls. But too much light can blind, can burn, can kill. You 
  may call them heroes, and perhaps some are, but too 
  many of these Mahou Shoujo cause more harm than 
  good. How many lives have been lost to stray blasts of 
  pink light in the name of Love? How many tears have 
  been shed for those who were unknowing, unwilling 
  casualties of the cause of Justice? 
   
  The time has come to fight back, to reclaim our 
  world from magic, from Love and Justice. You may call 
  me a madman, a murderer of the young -- but those I 
  have killed already have more blood on their hands than 
  I. We cannot tolerate their careless, destructive battle 
  raging in our streets, in our homes. I do not champion 
  Darkness or Love; I am a champion of Mankind, and for 
  that I will fight for the rest of my days. 
   
  The Hunter's Guild 
   
  Not surprisingly, some magical girl hunters have 
  sought to create a mutual support organization, 
  especially since the magical girls have had the IMGU for 
  some time now. Dubbed the Hunter’s Guild, it is still a 
  fledgling organization. 
   
  The Hunter Hunters 
   
  A very small number of magical girls, having seen 
  too many friends and allies killed by the magical girl 
  hunters, have gone on the offensive. These “hunter 
  hunters” are most common in the U.S., though they have 
  no official organization as of yet. Rather, there are a 
  number of informal “cells,” each of which locates and 
  eliminates its targets one by one. As with being a 
  magical girl hunter, one has to be careful, cunning, and 
  ruthless to survive. 
  
   
  Reactions within the magical girl hunter community 
  have varied, but the general consensus is that these 
  “hunter hunters” must be eliminated as quickly and 
  brutally as possible. 
   
  Notable Hunters 
   
  The Sadist Senshi: The Sadist Senshi are the 
  foremost cutekillers in the world. They're a team of five 
  (Sailor Sadist, Kitty Killer, Sailor H, Sexy Kiri, and 
  Masochist Girl Pretty Mari), each former magical girls of 
  different origins. When transformed, they wear black 
  leather and vinyl parodies of conventional magical girl 
  outfits, along with an assortment of bullwhips, floggers, 
  cat-o-nine-tails, and other... ahem... implements. They 
  go hunting nightly, and kill any and all magical girls they 
  might come across, along with anything else sufficiently 
  cute to attract their wrath. 
   
  Shadow Stalker: Very little is known about this, the 
  first and best known of Magical Girl Hunters. Reports 
  speak only of a figure cloaked in shadows who makes 
  his strikes using deadly throwing knives, some of which 
  have been found to be poisoned. He's also been known 
  to leave typewritten notes stating his intentions and 
  beliefs. The gist of it is that he believes far too many 
  magical girls are irresponsible with their powers, causing 
  as many problems as they solve, and the most 
  dangerous ones he "deals with" as needed. 
   
  Usagi and Tora: These oddballs are a pair of mutant 
  animals, a rabbit and a tiger, respectively. These two 
  guys are also sadistic cutekillers, whose exploits are 
  often regarded as reprehensible even by other hunters. 
   
  Magical Task Force X 
   
  This organization, a secret division of the Japanese 
  government, has been given the task of controlling 
  magical forces of all sorts, good or evil, to prevent them 
  from causing harm and costing money. As such, they are 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  pragmatic 
  and 
  egalitarian 
  of 
  organizations; they only take out those youma and 
  magical girls who pose a direct threat. This allows them 
  to conserve their limited resources, and helps them keep 
  a low profile. 
   
  Members of Magical Task Force X are recruited 
  from all walks of life – their ability to do what needs to be 
  done is the important thing. Among their ranks are 
  "grunts" with heavy firepower, magical girls, sorcerers, 
  psychics, computer experts, cyborgs, mutant animals, 
  and so on -- a litany of every kind of oddball the world 
  has to offer. These operatives, however eccentric, are 
  highly effective, and well trained at being subtle when 
  necessary. 
   
  Police M-SWAT Teams 
   
  The U.S. government has been seeking a way to 
  contain magical threats for some time. The FBI, CIA, 
  NSA, and other agencies have all created special 
  divisions of varying sizes for dealing with magical 
  phenomena. A handful of police departments in areas 
  with high magical activity have taken to creating special 
  police squads for dealing with such things. These are, in 
  most cases, called “M-SWAT” teams, and can be found 
  in most major cities, though only San Francisco makes 
  widespread use of these. 
   
  The methods used by the M-SWAT teams vary, 
  though the San Francisco Police Department tends to 
  serve as a model for these. Although members 
  technically have to be police officers, they can include 
  sorcerers, psychics, martial artists, and even an 
  occasional magical girl (over the age of 18, of course), in 
  addition to the use of a range of firearms and more 
  standard SWAT team equipment. 
   
  Mystic Knights 
   
  He's my PRINCE, he's my GOD 
   
  But it's so complicated 
   
  He's my HERO, he's my IDOL 
   
  But I'm so dizzy of him 
   
   – Shonen Knife, "Quavers" 
   
  The few who are given magical powers without being 
  female or becoming such upon transforming generally 
  take the form of what some call "mystic knights." The 
  laws of narrative causality generally force them to be 
  loners, who end up getting romantically involved with 
  mahou shoujo. Although their powers come from much 
  the same source, they tend to take on a more 
  "gentlemanly" quality, involving expensive clothes and 
  accessories thereof, including roses and the like. For that 
  matter, they don't have to put up with bizarre 
  transformation sequences or anything of that sort. 
   
  Mystic Knights have an annoying tendency to work 
  with magical girls but only serve as backup, not showing 
  up until the girls are up to their necks in it, then throwing 
  out an attack to distract the bad guys, giving some words 
  of encouragement, and then disappearing before they 
  can get his name and phone number. Despite this, they 
  also tend to be handsome, charismatic, and mysterious, 
  so that the girls will fall at their feet anyway. 
   
  Youma Hunters 
   
  The Youma threat is undeniable – these strange 
  monsters from the Dark Kingdoms wreak havoc on 
  humanity wherever they appear. Some are not content to 
  leave the fate of mankind in the hands of the magical 
  girls; these are the youma hunters. These mortal men 
  and women have taken upon themselves the daunting 
  task of fighting the youma that threaten humanity, and 
  their services are all the more vital now that the magical 
  girl population is in decline. 
   
  Like their magical girl hunter counterparts, they 
  employ a variety of methods, ranging from special 
  powers to rocket launchers. Whatever methods they 
  choose, they generally have to go for the heavy 
  firepower. 
   
  Notable Youma Hunters 
   
  Acetaminophen-Ibuprofen: This rather mysterious 
  and, truth be told, somewhat lecherous old monk has 
  wandered Japan for longer than anyone remembers, 
  using a mixture of incredible martial arts skills, magic, 
  and just plain dirty tricks to deal with any youma who 
  might cross his path. He doesn’t care much for magical 
  girls, except for the more mature ones, who’d rather 
  avoid his “attentions” anyway. 
  
   
  Jorge: Once a lowly janitor, Jorge stumbled upon a 
  youma who had defeated its magical girl adversaries and 
  was preparing to strike at some bystanders. Suddenly, 
  something exploded inside of him, and he took up his 
  mop and attacked the youma. After a long and difficult 
  battle, he destroyed the infernal thing, although no one’s 
  quite sure how. Since then, he’s realized that it is his 
  destiny to fight evil, and after adopting a number of 
  unsuccessful secret identities, he is now simply Jorge. 
  Just how he does what he does is uncertain; his only 
  powers seem to be uncanny luck and the ability to hit 
  things really hard with his mop. 
   
  The Meizoku Ninja: The Dark Clan of ninja are a 
  small and virtually unknown group who rely on their ninja 
  skills and magic to combat the youma threat, as they 
  have for centuries. 
   
  Prophecies of the Future 
   
  Doomsday. 
   
  Armageddon. 
   
  The Final Battle. 
   
   – Ministry, “Grace” 
   
  Over the centuries many have given prophecies of 
  the future. With the rebirth of magic on earth, this has 
  become surprisingly more common, though if these 
  modern-day prophets are correct, the future could be 
  very bleak. 
   
  One such prophet, known as Scarlet Angel, has 
  announced that the Armageddon told of in the Bible will 
  not be a battle of Angels and Demons per se, but in fact 
  a final battle between magical girls and youma, too 
  terrible to comprehend. This battle, she states, will be 
  followed by either unending peace or everlasting 
  torment. 
   
  Less extreme but frightening nonetheless are the 
  predictions of one Max Stanton, a mortal who claims to 
  gain insight from carefully observing the stars. According 
  to his predictions, the power of magic is going to wane 
  once again. This time, though, its loss will be felt so hard 
  that even the lesser magical things will seemingly fade 
  away, making the world a terrible and bleak place, 
  devoid of joy. 
   
  Perhaps the legend that has caused the greatest 
  upheaval, though, is that of the Twelve Blades. It is said 
  that twelve magical swords have been scattered across 
  the world, embedded in stone, such that only the virtuous 
  may remove them. Each of these has a magical gem 
  that attaches to its hilt, thereby granting the wielder 
  incredible powers. Those who hold these blades are 
  destined to forge a new world and a new way of life. Or 
  destroy it. 
   
  Sailor Cosmos' Revenge 
   
  No one wants to see anything like the Magical War 
  again. The names Sailor Cosmos and Magic Knight 
  Mariko are spoken as curses the world over. But 
  disturbing rumors have begun to fly. They say Sailor 
  Cosmos is back. 
   
  This is far from impossible, as some magical girls 
  are reincarnated repeatedly to fight again and again. The 
  rumors point to her being around seven or eight years 
  old, and some claim despite being so young she’s 
  already regained her full memories and powers, and is 
  quietly planning to take revenge on all those who 
  opposed her, but most especially Shadow Stalker. 
   
  Chrysalia and Krystlan 
   
  These two kingdoms have been enemies for as long 
  as anyone can remember, quarreling even during times 
  of relative peace in the Outer Kingdoms. The magical 
  girls and youma of the two kingdoms seem drawn to one 
  another, destined to fight again and again, leading some 
  to speculate that the ruler of Chrysalia, Queen Artessa, 
  has taken steps to include a fate-bending effect on the 
  kingdom’s magical girl enchantments. 
   
  More disturbing, however, is the rumor that Chrysalia 
  is going to launch an all-out offensive on Krystlan, 
  crushing their ancient enemies once and for all. 
  Moreover, the rumors say that to do this they’re planning 
  to raise an army of magical girls. 
  
  Tokyo 
   
  For reasons unknown, Tokyo appears to be the 
  epicenter of magical activity in the world. Nowhere else 
  has a larger population of mahou shoujo, Dark Ones, or 
  youma, and this makes life in such a massive, sprawling, 
  bustling city rather interesting. Here more than anywhere 
  else, people are quite blasé about the presence of the 
  magical, simply because it’s so common. Until they start 
  to cause problems, magical girls are all but ignored by 
  most. As if that weren't enough, it seems that some of 
  the more cunning Dark Ones have infiltrated human 
  society and acquired great influence, with which to 
  silence the voice of the magical girls when they become 
  too troublesome. 
   
  Notable Places 
   
  Ginza: The Ginza is Tokyo's premiere shopping 
  district, high class and expensive. And, if the rumors are 
  to be believed, infested with youma. Claims to that effect 
  have been largely ignored by the public and press, 
  despite the number of youma that have been 
  encountered there by magical girls. Analysts among 
  magical girls and their allies estimate that any purchase 
  made in the Ginza has a 20% chance of having some 
  kind of Dark taint, though instances of these affecting 
  people have not been reported. 
   
  I.M.G.U. International Headquarters: This building 
  owes its existence to a very rich and lonely businessman 
  leaving his entire estate to a group of mahou shoujo. 
  Much of the money was donated to the I.M.G.U. in order 
  to facilitate its inception. As such, the international 
  headquarters in Tokyo is the largest facility that the union 
  has in the world. It is a surprisingly plain 20-story 
  skyscraper, labeled simply "IMGU." Within are numerous 
  facilities for magical girls, including libraries, magical 
  healing and research, record keeping, and so forth. It is 
  heavily guarded, watched over 24 hours a day by a 
  number of magical girl volunteers (usually at least 12 at 
  any given time). 
   
  The Imperial Palace: The Imperial Palace, home to 
  generations of emperors, is closed to the public except 
  for certain special occasions. Regardless, it has always 
  been guarded by the Heavenly Guardians, who are, in 
  fact, a pair of magical girls. This position has been 
  passed on from one generation to the next, the powers 
  granted by magical medallions. The Heavenly Guardians 
  are sworn to serve and protect the emperor at any cost, 
  and further they are held up as an example of "good" 
  magical girls. This has made them a target for being 
  framed or assassinated on a number of occasions. 
   
  Magical Task Force X Headquarters: Located in a 
  particularly unpleasant part of Tokyo, choked by smog 
  even more than most, is a building labeled "X, Inc." This 
  is the secret headquarters of Magical Task Force X. The 
  12-story building holds administrative people, offices, a 
  shooting range, a magical library, a magic crime lab (with 
  a staff of forensic experts and sorcerers), and so forth. 
  The group tries to keep a low profile, and by and large 
  has succeeded. This is their single largest facility; most 
  other offices are at most three stories, and more often 
  leased portions of office buildings. 
   
  Tokyo Tower: Many theories have been put forth as 
  to why the Tokyo Tower has been the stage for so many 
  magical battles of such magnitude. Geomancers have 
  said that it is located at a major Dragon Nest, while other 
  students of the arcane have stated that it is in some way 
  a place to which fate is drawn. Regardless of the cause, 
  the magical battles are too numerous to keep track of, 
  and as such relatively few people go there anymore, for 
  fear of being "civilian casualties." 
   
  Notable Beings 
   
  Magical Task Force X Squad 13: Squad 13 is 
  Magical Task Force X’s best known – or rather, most 
  infamous – group. It is a band of misfits stuck together 
  because there was nowhere else in the agency to put 
  them, but they’ve become a cohesive and highly effective 
  (if unconventional) group since their formation. It's five 
  members are Bashiro (a guy with a refrigerator-like build 
  and super-strength), Charlotte (a sorceress known for 
  her ability to nullify the magic spells of others), Deadly 
  Daisy (a sadistic cutekiller magical girl), Kaji Tetsami (a 
  scientific genius and gadgeteer), and Saitou (a modern-
  day samurai of considerable skill, despite being an 
  alcoholic). 
   
  The Sadist Senshi: Deadly cutekiller magical girls. 
  See Chapter 2 for more details. 
  
  San Francisco 
   
  This venerable city, originally founded by the Spanish 
  in 1776, has since grown into a sprawling metropolis, 
  covering a densely populated 50 square miles. It is in 
  many ways the center of the Bay Area, and is 
  unquestionably one of the centers of magical activity, 
  both now and during the Resurgence. While it can't 
  compare to Tokyo for the sheer number of magical girls, 
  it easily has the greatest concentration of magical activity 
  in the Western Hemisphere. 
   
  Notable Places 
   
  Chinatown: While by no means the sole place 
  inhabited by the Chinese, Chinatown has long been a 
  center of Chinese culture in this western metropolis. It is 
  also home to numerous sorcerers, most of them 
  practicing Chinese-style magic, though the resulting 
  magical community has attracted a few sorcerers of 
  other types. The Chinatown sorcerers are known to 
  prefer to deal with youma and such on their own, 
  claiming that mahou shoujo simply don't have the 
  experience or discretion to combat such things properly. 
   
  I.M.G.U. North American HQ: Located in a small, 
  unremarkable office building near city hall is the local 
  headquarters of the International Magical Girls' Union. 
  Taking into consideration what happened to some of the 
  more obvious I.M.G.U. buildings, ranging from raids by 
  Dark Ones, youma, hunters and worse, to terrorist 
  attacks, to opposition from the city planners, this building 
  has been made as unobtrusive as possible. As one 
  journalist observed, "It's the one building downtown for 
  which no one's complained about the outside." Within is 
  a small administrative staff, a squad of magical girl 
  guards (the Fluffy Rangers), and various facilities, 
  including first aid/magical healing, listings of magical girls 
  looking for allies and such, and a library of information on 
  the forces of the Dark Kingdoms active in the Bay Area. 
   
  Golden Gate Bridge: This bridge, which stretches 
  across San Francisco Bay to Marin County, is not quite 
  as widely used by commuters as the Bay Bridge that 
  crosses to Oakland, but nothing else is quite so much a 
  part of the city's identity as the Golden Gate. Ever since 
  the Resurgence, however, it has also been a center of 
  magical activity, in a manner similar to Tokyo Tower. 
  Mystical power seems drawn to the massive metal 
  structure, and countless battles have been fought on the 
  bridge, more often then not of spectacular magnitude. 
  Most infamous was the battle between the Shining 
  Crystals and the forces of the Dark Kingdom of Midgar in 
  1988, which escalated to the point that entire west coast 
  was put in danger. 
   
  Golden Gate Park: This massive park is a place of 
  relative tranquility amid the bustling streets of San 
  Francisco. It is home to three different museums, as well 
  as the Japanese Tea Garden, several small lakes and 
  ponds, a golf course, tennis courts, and so on. Despite 
  this tranquil setting, it has been home to countless 
  magical battles in recent years. It is rumored that the 
  Moonlight Rangers (see below) have their secret base 
  hidden somewhere in the park, but no one can say for 
  certain. 
   
  Haight-Ashbury: The Haight is a stretch of the city 
  that has been home to many different movements over 
  the years, including hippie counter-culture, the beat 
  generation, and so forth. It has also been an area of 
  strong magical activity ever since the Resurgence. Some 
  say it was the openness, the willingness to believe, more 
  intense there than many other places, that drew the 
  forces of magic to this area. There are many portals to 
  dark and magical kingdoms here, as well as a number of 
  sorcerers, psychics, and magical girls. Despite the 
  encroachment of commercialism (which has sometimes 
  been violently opposed), it is an unofficial center of 
  mystical learning. 
   
  MagicLand: Just off the highway, to the south of San 
  Francisco is MagicLand. This is a magically themed 
  amusement park, which has done surprisingly well – but 
  then, no one expected it to last at all. The rides and 
  attractions are all based around magical girls, youma, 
  wizards, dragons, and the like. For reasons unknown, 
  however, magical girls and even Dark Ones and youma 
  avoid the place. Rumors abound, but there is a strange 
  aura over the place, something terrible enough that even 
  the forces of the Dark Kingdoms tread lightly, if at all. 
   
  Silicon Valley: Nearly an hour's drive to the south of 
  San Francisco lies the area known to some as "Silicon 
  Valley," comprising most of Santa Clara county, and 
  arguably centering around the city of San Jose, which is 
  older and larger than SF, but much more thinly populated 
  and boring. The area has many high-tech companies 
  (watched over by Silicon Senshi, amongst others), and 
  San Jose sports a small Japantown, which, amongst 
  other things, is home to a magical girl group known as 
  the Pretty Kamen Knights (see below). 
   
  Notable Beings 
   
  The Fluffy Rangers: These three magical girls 
  (Bunny, Kitty, and Foxy) have been described as "too 
  cute to live," especially since they have the ears and tails 
  of their namesakes, and they have indeed garnered the 
  ire of many hunters. They're relatively new, and operate 
  mostly downtown, usually posted as guards for the 
  I.M.G.U. building (see above). 
   
  The Moonlight Rangers: The Moonlight Rangers are 
  one of San Francisco's more popular magical girl teams 
  – though some claim that they are, in fact, male when 
  not transformed. There are five of them, Moonlight 
  Passion, Moonlight Justice, Moonlight Star, Moonlight 
  Flame, and Moonlight Rose, and, as their names 
  suggest, they only operate at night. The Rangers operate 
  mainly in the area around Golden Gate Park, and are 
  known for both being very poetic and having more 
  discretion than most other magical girls. 
   
  The Pretty Kamen Knights: The Pretty Kamen 
  Knights are a foursome of magical girls, and San Jose 
  Japantown's guardians (though they've been known to 
  operate in other parts of San Jose). Pretty Warrior, Pretty 
  Angel, Pretty Healer, and Pretty Avenger have largely 
  rooted out most of the youma in Japantown and the 
  surrounding area, though their arch-enemies from the 
  Dark Kingdom of Ares seem to have a permanent portal 
  somewhere nearby. 
  
   
  The Silicon Senshi: This lone magical girl is a 
  protector of technology and high-tech firms. Rumors say 
  she was a hacker before becoming mahou shoujo, and 
  this indeed seems to be the case, as many of the villains 
  she's thwarted have been thoroughly caught and 
  prosecuted in part due to computer evidence she has 
  provided. Her costume is very high-tech looking, 
  including many flashing lights, LCD displays, and so 
  forth, and she operates mostly in the city of Santa Clara, 
  and is in fact a friend to the high-tech crime divisions of 
  the San Jose and Santa Clara police departments. 
  
  Chapter 3: 
  The Magical Kingdoms 
  Traversing the Worlds 
   
  I can't find the real world on my own 
   
   -- Queensryche, "Real World" 
   
  Moving between worlds requires either finding a 
  gateway or creating one by magic. 
   
  Magic gates can be found scattered across the 
  planet, usually in secluded places whose character 
  matches the realm they lead to, at least to a small 
  degree. Although these were once very common, many 
  of them were destroyed during the Age of Darkness and 
  the Rise of Earth, such that many kingdoms are 
  inaccessible unless the traveler has access to her own 
  means of moving between planes. 
   
  Spells that allow moving between worlds take on any 
  number of forms. Powerful denizens of the Outer Worlds 
  can move between worlds seemingly at will, while lesser 
  ones require more sophisticated incantations. Also, 
  magical girls have been known to be able to do so when 
  the plot required it by joining hands in a circle and 
  concentrating. 
   
  Interplanar Politics 
   
  Relations between the Outer Kingdoms and Earth 
  can be very complicated. For that matter, relations 
  between different Outer Kingdoms are rarely cut and dry 
  either. 
   
  The Outer Kingdoms are, understandably, none too 
  popular with the Earthly governments. After all, they're 
  bringing a war to the streets, using ordinary citizens to 
  fight it, and leaving destruction in their wake. And that's 
  to say nothing of their disregard for immigration and 
  labor laws. In the U.S. and Japan only a handful of 
  Magical Kingdoms have any real relations with the 
  human authorities. Playing by the rules imposes 
  innumerable restrictions and, short of a use of serious 
  military strength, mortals are generally all but powerless 
  to oppose magic anyway. 
   
  Those who choose to obey mortal laws usually find 
  their magical girls to be employees, who must be paid, 
  which in turn brings up issues of overtime, taxes, health 
  insurance, and so on. On the plus side, a kingdom that 
  can successfully implement such a program won't be 
  wanting for recruits. Trade and immigration laws can be 
  troublesome -- especially since they weren't made to 
  cover interplanar issues -- but these have largely been 
  settled, and a handful of Outer Kingdoms actually have 
  legitimate trade agreements, which are proving to be 
  very lucrative. 
   
  In other areas of the world, interplanar dealings have 
  had less pleasant results. More than one dictator has 
  made deals with a Dark Kingdom (or in some cases a 
  more draconian Magical Kingdom). Indeed, runors are 
  circulating that the leaders of a few such countries are 
  deliberately allowing Dark Ones to drain people of energy 
  (making them more docile and easier to control) or 
  carrying out more sinister deeds. 
   
  The issue of relations between Outer Kingdoms can 
  be even more convoluted. Of particular importance is 
  that the division between Dark and Magical is not 
  absolute. Some Magical Kingdoms are enemies -- 
  Chrysalia and Thera, for example, for as long as anyone 
  can remember -- and there are a hanful of Dark and 
  Magical Kingdoms that are tolerant or possibly even 
  friendly towards one another. 
   
  Tactics 
   
  Agents: Both sides often use various mortal agents 
  in their continuing war, albeit sparingly. Such allies and 
  pawns are less likely to be detected by the enemy than 
  any magical forces, but are often more vulnerable if 
  discovered. Even so, the amount of information they can 
  provide is well worth most any price. 
   
  Informants: The most common type of human 
  agents, and the easiest to deal with, are informants. 
  These people simply watch and listen, and report 
  whenever anything interesting comes along. 
   
  Fronts: This is a favorite of the Dark Kingdoms; 
  create a front of some kind in the human world to lure in 
  mortals and work whatever nefarious magics they might 
  want on them. The Magical Kingdoms have been known 
  to create fronts from time to time as well, but these are 
  usually for recruitment and/or supporting their agents 
  (magical or otherwise) in the field. 
   
  The Magical Kingdoms 
   
  The Magical Kingdoms are realms full of magic and 
  wonder; to a human visitor, they appear to be a mix of 
  high fantasy and surreal dream. 
   
  The Dreaming Ones 
   
  The term "Dreaming Ones" is a catch-all for the most 
  humanlike of the beings of the Magical Kingdoms. Even 
  so, they can take on a great variety of forms within this. 
  Most appear almost totally human, though there are 
  many elves, angels, and other such beings included in 
  this category. 
   
  Fantastic Creatures 
   
  Many of the Magical Kingdoms are home to a host of 
  strange and wonderful creatures. Some take the form of 
  creatures of myth – griffins, unicorns, and so forth – 
  while others are of pure dream, never imagined in the 
  world of mortals. 
   
  Notable Magical Kingdoms 
   
  Celestia: Celestia is the closest thing to heaven you'll 
  find in this mortal coil. It is a realm of light and wonder, 
  inhabited by beings who may or may not be angels, but 
  certainly match the description. The inhabitants, known 
  as the Tenshi, are pale and beautiful, with delicate white 
  feathered wings and, in the case of the higher-ranking 
  ones, halos. The exact goals of the Archangel are 
  uncertain, but she has recently begun creating a number 
  of "Magical Angels" (their term for magical girls). 
   
  Chrysalia: Chrysalia is a fairly powerful kingdom, 
  ruled by a powerful woman known as Queen Artessa and 
  her Eight Shining Generals. Chrysalia has been an 
  enemy of Krylstan (see Notable Dark Kingdoms, below) 
  for millennia, and this conflict has begun to heat up in 
  recent months. Chrysalia’s Magical Girls are fairly typical 
  (although all of them appear to be around 16 years old 
  
  when transformed), though they tend to be a bit more 
  powerful than most. Lately, recruiting seems to have 
  gone into high gear, as Artessa prepares for something 
  big. 
   
  Mirrorland: This kingdom is not too different from any 
  other, except for the fact that every mortal in the world 
  has a Double here, and all of them possess some 
  degree of magical powers. A Double tends to be a sort of 
  "purified" version of a given person, with less cynicism 
  and malice. Mirrorland is not active in the battle against 
  the Dark Kingdoms at this time, despite many requests 
  for aid from other Magical Kingdoms. 
   
  The Star Kingdom: The Star Kingdom is composed 
  of nine “stars” – small worlds – that float through a 
  shimmering void. The peoples of each of the Stars have 
  become allies through their mutual conflict against the 
  Dark 
  Kingdoms, 
  overcoming 
  considerable 
  cultural 
  differences. Today the Star Kingdom is ruled from the 
  Star of Light, and all the peoples of the Stars are the 
  subjects of the Queen. The Star Kingdom was among 
  the first to jump into the recruitment of Magical Girls on 
  Earth, but the woman who was then Queen made a 
  grave mistake when she recruited the one who would 
  become known as Sailor Cosmos. Since then Star 
  Kingdom mahou shoujo have dwindled in numbers. 
   
  Thera: The realm known as Thera looks like nothing 
  less than a landscape straight out of a high fantasy 
  novel. Shining crystal towers form the main citadel, which 
  is inhabited by a race of beings known as the Sidhe 
  (pronounced "SHEE"), who resemble the elves of 
  legend. They were among the first to begin recruiting 
  magical girls (or "Magical Knights", as they call them), 
  whom they consistently equip with Magical Blades. 
  
  Chapter 5:  
  The Dark Kingdoms 
   
  The Dark Kingdoms are realms made of pure 
  nightmare and terror. They can take nearly any form 
  imaginable, but are virtually always terrible to behold. 
   
  Notable Dark Kingdoms 
  Fashiran: The Dark Kingdom known as Fashiran is 
  regarded by those who've dealt with its inhabitants to be 
  the single most dangerous Kingdom in existence. This is 
  because the Dark Ones who rule there are not only 
  competent, but skilled schemers. They possess the 
  means to create magical girls, and, through a front 
  company called Asakawa Heavy Industries, they have 
  begun recruiting schoolgirls who believe that they are 
  serving the forces of good, even when the missions they 
  are sent on can cause untold destruction. 
   
  Kage-Koku: The Shadow Kingdom is home to a race 
  of Dark Ones known only as the Phantoms. They are 
  said to have been born of pure shadow, and possess 
  potent powers of illusion, which they are notorious for 
  using to trick their foes into attacking one another. 
   
  Krylstan: Krylstan is home to a wide variety of 
  youma, but it stands out in that a sleeping Ancient One 
  known as Lady Kyra resides at its very heart. The Dark 
  Ones who rule here have sought to gather enough 
  energy to awaken Lady Kyra for centuries, but now more 
  than ever, the mahou shoujo stand in their way. Should 
  they succeed, it would likely be the end of the world. 
   
  Wormwood: Wormwood, also known as the Poison 
  Star, is said by some to be a living creature; to stand 
  anywhere in the cavernous depths of Wormwood is to be 
  within its diseased flesh. 
   
  The Dark Ones 
   
  The Dark Ones are the most humanlike of the 
  denizens of the Dark Kingdom, and in many ways the 
  most dangerous. Following the Age of Darkness, they 
  were effectively in command of the Kingdoms, a 
  condition which persists to this day in most cases, and it 
  is they who orchestrate the war against the Magical 
  Kingdoms. 
   
  Dark Ones vary greatly, but most are far more 
  powerful than the lesser monsters about them, though 
  they tend to lack imagination and as such their schemes 
  tend to draw on whatever ideas mortals can provide 
  them with. 
   
  The powers they wield vary vastly. Many go straight 
  for cliché dark sorcery, which tends to work better than 
  whatever other types of villainous power they might 
  come up with, which (again) tend to lack imagination and 
  are sometimes downright stupid ("I know! I'll control 
  jumbo jets to run them down! BWAHAHAHA!"). 
   
  Dark Magical Girls 
   
  Beware what stalks you in the night 
   
  Beware the she-wolf and her bite 
   
  Her hidden will to kill in disguise 
   
   – Megadeth, "She-Wolf" 
   
  Only a handful of the Dark Kingdoms have the power 
  to create magical girls; some had this form of magical all 
  along, while others stole it from the Magical Kingdoms. 
  Some of them willingly serve the forces of evil, while 
  others don't even know that their masters are Dark 
  Ones, or are being mind-controlled or made to take on 
  another, more evil personality upon transforming. 
   
  Corrupters 
   
  The youma collectively known as "corrupters" are the 
  type most commonly used in the schemes of the Dark 
  Ones. They possess a human, transform into a duplicate 
  of them, and then lock onto one activity that that person 
  enjoyed and/or commonly engaged in. That activity 
  becomes the Corrupter's "focus", and when they reveal 
  their true form, all of their powers are in some way based 
  around it. Thus, a Corrupter who latches on to a 
  photographer would attack the heroines with some kind 
  of camera attack, one who used a game designer would 
  attack with polyhedral dice, and so forth. 
   
  Monsters 
   
  These are your everyday youma monsters. They can 
  take nearly any form imaginable, as well as some you 
  wouldn't want to imagine. Quite a few are humanoid in 
  some way, but many are not. If you need ideas for these 
  kinds of monsters, look in any RPG monster supplement. 
   
  Greater Monsters 
   
  Greater Monsters are so named because they're 
  basically the same as the aforementioned "Monsters", 
  only bigger. Much bigger. Think of the star of any "giant 
  monster smashes Tokyo movie" and you're getting an 
  idea of the scale we're talking about. These critters are 
  rare, and bringing them into our world is extremely 
  difficult, but as Godzilla has taught us, they can be very 
  effective. 
   
  The Ancient Ones 
   
  Not dead which eternal lie 
   
  Stranger eons death may die 
   
  Drain you of your sanity 
   
  Face the thing that should not be 
   
   – Metallica, "The Thing That Should Not Be" 
   
  These are the oldest and most terrible of the 
  denizens of the Dark Kingdoms. Most of them have been 
  destroyed or forced into an endless slumber by the lack 
  of energies, though it is possible that some of those that 
  remain could be revived if their servants were competent 
  enough to collect enough energy. 
   
  Should one of the Ancient Ones ever come into play, 
  it can take whatever form the GM desires; I recommend 
  taking out your copy of Call of Cthulhu for some ideas. 
  Ancient ones are powerful beyond comprehension, and 
  the awakening of even one could potentially lead to the 
  destruction of Earth. 
  
  Chapter 6: 
  Character Creation 
   
  This chapter contains information and advice on how 
  to create and develop characters for the Magical World 
  setting. 
   
  Magical Girls 
  Children 
   
  Magical girls are children more often than not. Their 
  youth and innocence is a double-edged sword in the 
  Magical World, and it can cut deep. 
   
  Innocence perhaps best describes what separates 
  adults and children. Kids lack the emotional restraint of 
  adults -- the sometimes self-destructive ability to hold 
  emotions in that is practiced daily by adults, especially 
  men. A happy child is ecstatic, a sad child weeps and 
  sobs, a tired child falls asleep, and so on. The barriers 
  that exist in adults, the restraint holding back instinct and 
  desire, simply hasn't developed yet, and whatever is felt 
  is felt fully. 
   
  Lack of information plays a role as well. An adult has 
  collected a massive amount of information in their heads 
  which, while not really necessary in daily life, serves to 
  shape and define the perceived universe. Lacking such 
  information, the world is a very simple place through a 
  child's eyes, and until they've learned otherwise, they 
  tend to take things at face value; Santa Clause and the 
  Easter Bunny are real, the moon is made of green 
  cheese, and there's a bogeyman in the closet. Eventually 
  things change and it's Dad who delivers presents and the 
  moon is a big rock in space, but until then anything is 
  possible. 
   
  Mahou Shoujo Character Questions 
   
  The following are some questions to consider when 
  developing a magical girl character. 
   
  How did you receive your powers? From whom and 
  under what kind of circumstances? 
   
  How do you feel about being a magical girl? Fighting 
  youma? 
   
  What goal is being a magical girl helping you to 
  accomplish, if any? How well is it working? 
   
  What do you think of other magical girls? Mystic 
  Knights? Dreaming Ones? Hunters? 
   
  Do your powers reflect who you are? Does your 
  magical girl persona? 
   
  What do you most fear? Why? 
   
  Are you afraid to die? Why or why not? 
   
  Who knows your secret identity? Who are you 
  keeping it a secret from? 
   
  Who do you trust? Who do you distrust? 
   
  What do you value the most? 
   
  If offered the chance to stop being a magical girl and 
  live a normal life, would you? Why or why not? 
   
  Costumes 
   
  Costumes worn by transformed magical girls vary 
  vastly. It’s important to remember that the stereotypical 
  sailor fuku is more or less only found in Japan, where it’s 
  a result of the proliferation of school uniforms. Many 
  Magical Kingdoms have their own standard costumes for 
  magical girls, usually allowing minor variations in 
  ornamentation and color to distinguish individuals. 
  Others use magic which is shaped by the user, 
  consciously or subconsciously, so that the resulting 
  costume is designed by the magical girl, consciously or 
  subconsciously 
  (this 
  is 
  another 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  commonness of the sailor fuku based costumes). 
   
  Virtually any type of costume is possible. Nearly all 
  involve skirts or dresses of some sort; favored types of 
  costumes include ornate, frilly dresses and futuristic 
  plastic and metal outfits. 
   
  Side Note: If you’re short on ideas for magical girl 
  costumes, Card Captor Sakura is a good place to look, 
  as Sakura goes through an incredible variety of 
  costumes, each more outlandish than the last. 
   
  Character Advancement 
   
  For magical girls, experience is assigned as usual, 
  but the form their advancements take can sometimes 
  differ from normal characters. The main differences 
  come in the fact that when they develop a new attack, it 
  will typically arrive in the form of a new wand given to 
  them by their companion or discovered somewhere or 
  other. 
   
  Magical Girl Archetypes 
   
  The following are some of the common (and 
  uncommon) "archetypes" of mahou shoujo. Characters 
  need not conform to these, of course, but they can be 
  helpful as a starting point. This list includes both the 
  typical heroic magical girl types, as well as a few less 
  principled ones, better suited for use as villains. 
   
  Assassin 
   
  "I am the Lovely Killer. I bring your death." 
   
  You have been raised and trained – possibly against 
  your will – to be a killer. Your powers aren't all that 
  different from those of the other mahou shoujo, but you 
  use them to kill. Some magical girl assassins do their job 
  hesitantly, while others enjoy it all too much. Most were 
  created or recruited by some organization with dark 
  intents. You may even be employed to eliminate other 
  magical girls who pose a threat to the organization. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Stealth, Magical Disguise. Magical 
  attacks should be subtle and deadly. 
   
  Bishonen 
   
  "Because, girl, you cannot compare to my beauty." 
   
  Part of the nature of the magic that creates mahou 
  shoujo is that it is pretty much limited to females. There 
  are a few rare "Mystic Knights" whose powers are in 
  some ways similar to those of a mahou shoujo, but 
  magic is nothing if not ironic, and it occasionally latches 
  onto a male anyway, transforming them into a female in 
  the transformation. Usually the males who have to put up 
  with this sort of thing are bishonen types ("beautiful 
  male") who are generally effeminate enough that in the 
  right company they could probably get away with wearing 
  a miniskirt anyway. Of course, there have been a few 
  cases of some grungy, chauvinistic auto mechanic being 
  
  made to transform into a sixteen year old girl to fight evil, 
  but this is, thankfully, very rare. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Appearance and Speed. 
   
  Bubble-Head 
  "Whoops! Oh, I'm so sorry! Here, let me clean that 
  up—Ooh! Sorry about that!" 
  The 
  character 
  is 
  a 
  typical 
  anime 
  ditz; 
  a 
  scatterbrained fluffhead who means well, but usually 
  succeeds more through sheer luck than anything else. 
  The Bubble-Head is, however, usually the most pure-
  hearted of magical girls. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Low Mind, moderate to high Soul, 
  Divine Relationship. 
   
  Cutekiller 
  "It's simple. Pink frills means you have to die." 
  Cutekiller magical girls are rare and dangerous. For 
  whatever reason, they've decided that cute things must 
  be destroyed at all costs. This forces them to reinvent 
  themselves, transforming their powers into a darker 
  form, as little like their old selves as possible, but with 
  just as much power. Most favor black leather and/or 
  vinyl. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Hatred (Cute Things) 
   
  Dark Magical Girl 
  "What ever do you mean? I'm on his side, you 
  know." 
  Some magical girls are recruited specifically for the 
  purpose of being the bad guys. Er, girls that is. This can 
  happen for a number of reasons; the most common is 
  that someone from the Dark Kingdoms, with the power to 
  do so, has need of a magical girl. They vary in 
  disposition, but most will have at least a small mean 
  streak. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Hate Elemental and/or Love 
  Elemental 
   
  Dream Come True 
   
  "I can't believe this is really happening! It's so 
  wonderful!" 
   
  Very, very few magical girls can be described by this 
  archetype for very long. Somehow, there are those who 
  want to be magical girls, who dream of it every day. 
  When the chance comes along, they throw themselves 
  at 
  it 
  with 
  starry 
  eyes, 
  trying 
  enthusiastically, 
  wholeheartedly, to get the job done. This sentiment 
  doesn't last long.  
   
  Eco-Girl 
   
  "You must stop! In the name of Mother Earth I will 
  punish you!" 
   
  The Eco-Girl is a variation on the usual magical girl. 
  Her concerns are more with preserving the environment 
  than with combating youma, though the two goals have 
  been known to coincide. Their powers vary, though 
  elemental and other nature-related abilities are relatively 
  common. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Elemental (any), high Charisma 
  and Will. 
   
  Genki 
  "What a nice day!" 
  The Japanese word "genki" generally means healthy, 
  cheerful, and so on. For the magical girls of this 
  archetype, this is their defining trait. Such characters, 
  insipidly cheerful and unendingly friendly, are all too 
  common. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Charisma. 
   
  Hunter Hunter 
   
  ―For all those you’ve killed, for everything good 
  you’ve destroyed, I’ll now take revenge!‖ 
   
  Not all magical girls can stand by and watch hunters 
  gun down their friends and allies. The Hunter Hunters 
  have taken to turning predator into prey, carefully 
  eliminating magical girl hunters. It’s a very dangerous 
  hobby, and a potentially fatal one, as hunters will seek to 
  avenge their comrades at all costs. 
   
  Idol 
  <singing> "The sky melts and falls around me/and all 
  I really need to know is/do you love me?" 
  Not all magical girls do the superheroine thing. 
  Some, magically given the ability to become more 
  mature and beautiful, go into show business. As far as 
  Japanese types are concerned, this will most often be in 
  the form of pop idol singing. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Charisma, Singing, Dancing 
   
  Love Fighter 
  "Love can be elusive, sometimes hard, but believe 
  me, it's worth it. Now let's see if we can't get you two 
  together." 
  Most magical girls list love among their goals in 
  some form or another, but these ones make it their first 
  and only goal. The Love Fighter's purpose is to save the 
  world not by fighting evil monsters, but by promoting love 
  wherever possible. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Charisma, Love Elemental, 
  True Love 
   
  Magical Being 
  "Forgive me. I'm unfamiliar with these earthly 
  accoutrements…" 
  Not all magical girls were recruited from Earth; a 
  handful are denizens of the Magical Kingdoms, who for 
  whatever reason have found themselves on our world. 
  This has both advantages and disadvantages. Such a 
  character will probably already fully understand her 
  powers and all, but then modern technology and society 
  will be a mystery. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Focus, Sorcery 
   
  Misfit 
  "I never wanted this. Leave me the hell alone." 
  Not everyone who is recruited to be a magical girl 
  wants to be one. The Misfit was forced into the role 
  against her own will, and, much as she hates putting up 
  with the short skirts and silly transformations, fights as 
  hard as any of her counterparts. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Low Charisma. 
   
  
  Priestess 
  "Evil spirits, BEGONE!" 
  In addition to being a magical girl, the character is, 
  by profession, a priestess. For anime purposes, this 
  generally means she would be a Shinto priestess, with 
  the props and wardrobe to match, as well as some 
  additional abilities (probably disciplines and sorcery 
  paths) to match. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Will. Probably some minor 
  sorcery (especially Warding). 
   
  Princess 
  "In the name of the Kingdom of the Crystal Towers, I 
  will punish you!" 
  Many magical girls have the word "princess" in their 
  name, and this can mean a lot of things. Most 
  importantly, it usually means they are the leader of the 
  group and, despite whatever shortcomings they might 
  have, serve as strong leaders to their compatriots, and 
  they get to have the most powerful magical attacks. That 
  and, should they return to the magical kingdom of their 
  origin (assuming it still exists), there is a chance they'll 
  become queen. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Magical attacks should be 
  exceptionally powerful. 
   
  Sadist 
  "Bad youma. I'll have to teach you a lesson." 
  A few magical girls are bad apples – the reason 
  they're in the business is that they enjoy hurting things. 
  While the Magical Kingdoms should by all rights be far 
  more hesitant to recruit such girls, they are all too 
  effective at dealing with the Youma threat. Where most 
  magical girls are highly principled, the Sadist is almost 
  completely amoral, and thus willing to do things that 
  other magical girls would never even consider. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Sadism (of course) 
   
  Scholar 
  "You see, the Dark Ones of that kingdom have a 
  distinctive marking. If we can calculate the geomantic 
  resonance…" 
  The scholar is a bookworm and a bit of a 
  technophile, who probably took up the mantle of being a 
  mahou shoujo with reluctance. She is, put simply, the 
  brains of the group, and the knowledge she possesses 
  often proves invaluable to saving the day. Of course, 
  she's also one of the least physical of her kind, and may 
  be a bit lacking in confidence in anything other than her 
  intellectual abilities. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Various knowledge-related skills, 
  pertaining to school subjects and, to a lesser extent, 
  magical lore. 
   
  Sorceress/Witch 
  "I call upon the power of the raging storm! Strike 
  down my foes!" 
  Some mahou shoujo concentrate primarily on the 
  development of magical powers. For that matter, there 
  are characters who are magic users first and magical 
  girls second. Such a character tends to be almost as 
  much a bookworm as the Scholar, except that her taste 
  in reading material is rather different ("This? Oh, it's just 
  the Greater Key of Solomon.") 
   
  Suggested Traits: High intelligence, skills pertaining 
  to magical lore, Sorcery. 
   
  Thief 
  "Heh. If you think I'm in this for the money, you're 
  sorely mistaken." 
  This magical girl isn't in it for being heroic; she's an 
  outright thief, and uses her powers for her own greed, 
  and, more importantly, for the challenge of making the 
  most daring thefts possible. Of course, more often than 
  not, she'll end up getting romantically entangled with 
  someone who is trying to catch her thieving alter ego. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Agility, Stealth or Art of 
  Stealth. It's helpful to have magical attacks/powers 
  without Attack Words 
   
  Tomboy 
  "I hate boys!" 
  A surprising number of magical girls are tomboys, 
  misfits who don't act all that feminine. Of course, the 
  mahou shoujo magic being how it is, the transformation 
  tend to make them a lot more "girly," though no less 
  effective in combat. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High Strength and Stamina. Skills 
  and possibly styles to reflect being physically oriented. 
  Will not have disadvantages like Compulsive Posing, 
  Clueless and such. Magical attacks should be more 
  direct and physical than normal. 
   
  Trainee 
  "C'mon! 
  Work! 
  Please? 
  Oh, 
  what 
  was 
  that 
  incantation?!" 
  The character isn’t a full-fledged mahou shoujo just 
  yet. Rather than being given their full powers right away, 
  they are being made to learn how to use them well first. 
  Very few magical kingdoms bother with this sort of a 
  thing, despite the fact that it makes for more skilled 
  warriors with much better judgement. 
   
  Suggested Traits: As per a typical magical girl, only 
  not as skillful or effective. 
   
  Unwilling 
  "Please forgive me." 
  For some reason or another, the character was 
  turned into a magical girl against their will. Some may 
  come to accept this state of being, in time, while others 
  become disgruntled, even to the point of becoming 
  cutekillers. A few have been coerced into the job with 
  threats. 
   
  Suggested Traits: Unwilling Service 
   
  Valkyrie 
  "We will be victorious!" 
  The Valkyrie is first and foremost a fighter. More 
  than any others, her goal is to fight the forces of evil. As 
  such, she is usually pretty aggressive, and generally 
  better than any of her counterparts at physical combat, 
  but typically a bit lacking in social skills. 
   
  Suggested Traits: High physical attributes and 
  combat skills. May know martial arts. 
  
   
  The Veteran 
   
  "No! We need a plan unless we want to be toasted. 
  Now, here's what I think we should do…" 
   
   The Veteran has been doing this for a while now. 
  She keeps on out of a strong sense of duty, and has 
  honed her combat skills carefully. She gets the job done, 
  and if at all possible lives to tell about it. She isn't the 
  least bit impressed by theatrics and avoids perpetrating 
  them herself whenever possible. One of the most 
  pragmatic of magical girls, she's practical, nearly 
  unfazeable, and will take charge if there's no one better 
  qualified -- which there usually isn't. 
   
  Vigilante 
   
  "Halt, criminal!" 
   
  It doesn't happen too often, but occasionally a 
  magical girl will get it into her head that it's her destiny to 
  fight crime. This is rare in Japan, where a would-be 
  magical vigilante must either do next to nothing or take 
  on the likes of the yakuza and ninja (and thus the mahou 
  kunoichi). In the U.S. and other countries most consider 
  them to be even more of a menace than normal magical 
  girls, given that their lack of discretion is combined with 
  having normal humans for targets. But if nothing else, 
  thieves and bank robbers are much easier to defeat than 
  youma. 
   
  Wage-Earner 
   
  "Well… the pay's good." 
   
  Some 
  magical 
  girls 
  use 
  their 
  powers 
  for 
  employment, 
  as 
  bodyguards, 
  security, 
  unique 
  pyrotechnics experts, entertainers (in some unfortunate 
  cases, of a less reputable sort), and so forth. Most 
  magical girls consider this to be a pitiful, if occasionally 
  necessary place to be. Magic wants to be free, and being 
  chained down to a job and a time clock is, some say, the 
  antithesis of what being a magical girl is all about. 
   
  Specific Magical Girl Types 
   
  Magical Angels (Celestia): The Magical Angels 
  (mahou no tenshi) of Celestia resemble the angels of 
  legend; 
  when 
  transformed 
  they 
  sprout 
  beautiful 
  feathered wings and are typically clad in white robes. 
   
  Magical Girls (Chrysalia): The magical girls of 
  Chrysalia always appear to be about 16 years old when 
  transformed. Especially in recent years, the kingdom has 
  begun making extensive use of specialist magical girls, 
  though more than 60% of their forces are still “general” 
  magical girls. 
   
  Magical Girls (Krystlan): As though to spite their 
  enemies in Chrysalia, Krystlan has begun recruiting 
  magical girls to their cause. Krystlan magical girls 
  typically resemble darkly-colored parodies of their 
  Chrysalia counterparts. 
   
  Magical Knights (Thera): The Magical Knights of 
  Thera are fewer and fewer in number each year, owing 
  to the memory of Magical Knight Mariko, but there are 
  still many who remain. Magical Knights’ costumes 
  typically combine a girls’ dress or school uniform with 
  magical armor, and all Magical Knights wield swords, 
  either full-on magical blades or an energy blade formed 
  from their wands. 
   
  Mahou Kunoichi: Certain ninja clans have been 
  known to employ female ninjas who are magically 
  empowered. This is typically undertaken only in times of 
  need, when the clan must augment its numbers by 
  empowering its youngest members. Mahou Kunoichi are 
  granted the skills and powers of a full ninja, further 
  enhanced by magic; their powers are typically subtle and 
  deadly. 
   
  Reflected (Mirrorland): Mirrorland’s rare magical girls 
  are called “Reflected,” and their powers are granted by 
  magically combining the mortal girl with her Double. 
   
  Naming Magical Abilities 
   
  Unlike some other types of attack names in anime, 
  magical girls generally use English words even more 
  commonly to name their moves, though, as with their 
  counterparts from fighting games and the like, the names 
  often refuse to make sense anyway. Even so, some use 
  Japanese, or even nonsense words. Regardless, here is 
  a list of some English words you can use. Note that this 
  can also be used to come up with what the character 
  shouts to transform. 
   
  Activation, Attack, Aqua, Archery, Arrow, Beam, 
  Beauty, Blast(er), Bubbles, Celestial, Chain, Cosmic, 
  Crash, Crescent, Crystal, Dragon, Encircle, Evolution, 
  Fire, Flash, Gentle, Halation, Healing, Heart, Home Run, 
  Honeymoon, Ignite, Illusion, Inferno, Kiss, Laser, 
  Love(ly), Magic(al), Mint, Mirage, Moon, Mutation, 
  Operation, 
  Pastel, 
  Phoenix, 
  Pink, 
  Power, 
  Pretty, 
  Princess, 
  Reflection, 
  Rhapsody, 
  Recall, 
  Release, 
  Scepter, Scroll, Sensitive, Shining, Shock, Silver, Smash, 
  Spiral, Spray, Star, Stardust, Starlight, Strike, Sugar, 
  Super, Supreme, Surround, Sweet, Sword, Therapy, 
  Thunder, Tiara, Twinkle, Uterus, Wave, Yell 
  
  Cute Silly Magical Girl Name Generator Table 
   
   
  Somebody might think I am mad 
   
  I only wanna be like 
   
  TOMATO HEAD 
   
   – Shonen Knife, "Tomato Head" 
   
   
  The following table can be used to randomly generate names for magical girls. Simply roll two six-sided 
  dice, counting one as the tens digit and the other as the ones digit once on each column and that's it! (You 
  may want to substitute a name whether made up or real, for the second part of the name). You can add 
  Magical Soldier or Pretty Princess or whatever you like before that, and you're ready to go. 
   
  11 
  Pretty 
  11 
  Peach 
  12 
  Creamy 
  12 
  Moon 
  13 
  Wedding 
  13 
  Rose 
  14 
  Candy 
  14 
  Kawaii/Cutesy 
  15 
  Marshall 
  15 
  Apple 
  16 
  Captain 
  16 
  Cherry 
  21 
  Cutesy 
  21 
  <Insert your favorite celestial body here> 
  22 
  Silly 
  22 
  Sugar 
  23 
  Shining 
  23 
  Soldier 
  24 
  Sweet 
  24 
  Healer 
  25 
  Kitty 
  25 
  Sugar 
  26 
  Pastel 
  26 
  Princess 
  31 
  Silver 
  31 
  Tempest 
  32 
  Crystal 
  32 
  Girl 
  33 
  Lovely 
  33 
  Lady 
  34 
  Pink 
  34 
  <insert favorite letter of the alphabet> 
  35 
  Sailor 
  35 
  Knight 
  36 
  Sexy 
  36 
  Star 
  41 
  Shining 
  41 
  Power 
  42 
  Magical 
  42 
  Angel 
  43 
  Beautiful 
  43 
  Blade 
  44 
  Golden 
  44 
  Bunny 
  45 
  Shadow 
  45 
  Pineapple 
  46 
  Crimson 
  46 
  Raspberry 
  51 
  Final 
  51 
  Phantom 
  52 
  Raging 
  52 
  Cat 
  53 
  Pixie 
  53 
  Storm 
  54 
  Violet 
  54 
  Song 
  55 
  Mysterious 
  55 
  Guardian 
  56 
  Justice 
  56 
  Bride 
  61 
  Rainbow 
  61 
  Phoenix 
  62 
  Hello 
  62 
  Dragon 
  63 
  Princess 
  63 
  Unicorn 
  64 
  Happy 
  64 
  Heart 
  65 
  Joyful 
  65 
  Love 
  66 
  Avenging 
  66 
  Warrior 
  
  Chapter 7:  
  GM Section 
   
  This section provides advice for the Game Master, 
  primarily concerning just how to go about setting up a 
  campaign based around mahou shoujo. 
   
  Genre Conventions 
   
  The magical girl genre is infested by an unusually 
  large number of genre conventions, which distinguish it 
  clearly as having been created originally for shoujo 
  manga (girls' comics). Of course, this book contains a lot 
  of stuff intended to systematically dismantle a lot of these 
  conventions, but if you're intending to run a more 
  "standard" magical girl type thing, the following should be 
  kept in mind. 
   
  Combat should generally be very indirect. For the 
  most part, magical girls operate by simply tossing out 
  their magical attacks and hoping that they work. 
  Fortunately, this usually works, since it's basically the 
  same tactic used by most of their enemies. A few of 
  them do use actual physical combat, but in the truly 
  shoujo series, it tends not to work very well. 
   
  The enemies they face, usually denizens of the Dark 
  Kingdoms, invariably have some scheme by which 
  they intend to take over the world or something 
  equally nefarious. Luckily for our heroines, they are 
  often severely lacking in imagination (and in some 
  cases intelligence). The types of schemes they 
  attempt will depend on their ultimate goals, but they'll 
  usually try to incorporate in some way twisting 
  something that people hold dear, whether to siphon 
  their energy, or just to spread misery. 
   
  One of the more unfortunate results of the tactics 
  used by the Dark Ones is that they often will try 
  variations on the same scheme over and over, 
  sending a different youma to carry it out each time. 
  This "Monster of the Week" phenomena will certainly 
  keep our heroines busy, but that's about all. 
   
  In-between times spent bashing youma, magical girls 
  will, unsurprisingly, go about their everyday business, 
  whatever that might be. Again, owing to the origins of 
  the genre, this usually entails worrying about school, 
  working on hobbies, and especially obsessing about 
  whatever cute guys they might be interested in. 
   
  The abilities of minor characters are de-emphasized 
  nearly all the time. While they needn’t (and for that 
  matter shouldn’t) lack depth, they’re called minor for 
  a reason, and will almost always take a back seat to 
  the main characters. 
  Campaign Concepts 
   
  Magical World presents a lot of possibilities for 
  campaigns; the following are some general ideas for 
  campaign concepts. 
   
  Conventional Magical Girls 
   
  Go by the stereotypical magical girl series concept; 
  the characters are a team of magical girls who work 
  together to fend off the monster of the week and try to 
  make their way through everyday life as well. 
   
  Being the Heroine Isn't Easy 
   
  In the present day Magical World setting magical 
  girls have more problems than simply stopping the 
  youma and romantic entanglements. They must contend 
  with a public that is a mix of groupies, antagonists, and 
  people who just want to live their lives free of magic. This 
  mixes the conventional magical girl series with a lot of 
  angst and potential danger, and can be a lot of fun. 
   
  Historical 
   
  Take whatever historical setting you choose, make 
  an anime version of it, and throw in some magical girls, 
  and you have the makings of a very unique game. 
  Magical girls from other eras will likely have a look and 
  feel drawn at least partly from that time, and it will in 
  some ways be very difficult going for them. Being a child 
  and a female in most societies means being doubly 
  excluded from mainstream society, and as such trying to 
  be a heroine become difficult, but no less important. 
   
  The Magical War 
   
  Imagine a game that takes place during the Magical 
  War, when magical girl fought magical girl, crossing 
  wands and fighting to the death. The PCs could be the 
  foot soldiers, the elite warriors, or others, mortal or 
  magical, trying to stop the madness. 
   
  Or what if a new war broke out? Whether between 
  magical forces, or against the Dark Kingdoms, an all-out 
  conflict makes the everyday youma fighting seem like a 
  picnic. 
   
  World of Disillusionment 
  The world has taken a turn for the worst. The 
  problem isn't an impending disaster of any specific sort; 
  it's a rising feeling of despair and a decline in the spirit of 
  wonder that allows magic to exist on Earth. As it 
  recedes, so does the power of the mahou shoujo, and all 
  over the world, they desperately try to rekindle the flame, 
  but to no avail. There is one being, part angel, part 
  demon, wandering the world, who can be its savior or 
  destroyer at their whims. Can they be convinced that the 
  world is worth saving? 
   
  World of Magic 
  Why not take your campaign into one of the Magical 
  Kingdoms – or even one of the Dark Kingdoms. Rather 
  than dealing with the mundane world, you can create 
  your own fantastic landscapes. 
   
  
  Alternate Character Types 
  All In A Day’s Destruction 
  No one ever bothers to look at things from the 
  youma’s perspective, do they? Of course, that’s partly 
  because most youma are too damn stupid to bother with, 
  but suppose we dealt with some smarter than average 
  ones as player characters? Do they like their jobs, or are 
  they doing this simply because they have no choice? And 
  if they can break free of their masters, what then? What 
  kind of future can the once evil hairstyling youma hope to 
  find? 
   
  Friends and Allies 
  This is similar to the premise of White Wolf’s Year of 
  the Ally series; take the friends, confidants, and whatnot 
  of the ones who would ordinarily be the main characters, 
  and focus on them instead. This can be a campaign in 
  and of itself, or a secondary “troupe-style” one run 
  alongside the main one. Both sides of the war know that 
  mortal allies can be extremely useful, and dealing with 
  their concerns – gathering information, staying alive, and 
  so forth – can be a nice break from the usual youma of 
  the week stuff. 
   
  The Heart of Darkness 
  So, what would it be like to be a Dark One? At the 
  orders of the Dark Queen (or whoever), the PCs must 
  wage a constant and often losing battle against the 
  mahou shoujo threat. But how can you fight them without 
  losing the hate that keeps you alive? 
   
  Darkness Reformed 
  Some of the Dark Ones simply cannot hold on to 
  hatred for too long. The do-gooders finally get to them, 
  and they find themselves becoming more and more 
  human. It is possible, although rare, for Dark Ones to 
  reform themselves, but this is never easy. Many are 
  simply destroyed or recaptured by their compatriots, and 
  many others lose most of their powers in the transition. 
   
  Magical Girl Hunters 
  For those of you who don't like magical girls… The 
  PCs are magical girl hunters, hiring out their services to 
  the highest bidder. It's a dangerous job, and some 
  people want them to stop, but for many the satisfaction 
  of seeing Princess Love with a bullet in her brain is more 
  than enough compensation. 
   
  Youma Hunters 
  Of course, the decline in the magical girl population 
  has caused certain problems, mainly in the form of more 
  youma to deal with. Using whatever powers they might 
  be able to muster – or sometimes simply whatever 
  firepower they can get their hands on – they bravely face 
  the evils of the Dark Kingdoms when the forces of magic 
  fall short. It’s not always an easy job, but someone has to 
  do it, right? This kind of campaign can feature most any 
  sort of character, and can get down to some good old 
  fashioned superheroing (even though that’s not actually 
  a word). 
  Themes 
   
  The world presented in Magical World is not always 
  a pleasant one. While it offers quite a few possibilities for 
  adventures, certain themes run throughout it. Whether 
  and to what extend a campaign explores these is up to 
  you, of course. 
   
  Escape 
   
  There is a place that still remains 
   
  It eats the fear it eats the pain 
   
  The sweetest price he'll have to pay 
   
  The day the whole world went away 
   
   -- Nine Inch Nails, "The Day the World Went Away" 
   
  The decision to accept the powers of a magical girl 
  can come about for many reasons. The world can often 
  seem to be a place full of nothing but pain, and many 
  seek a way to escape all their troubles. If magic can do 
  anything, they reason, it can save them from everything 
  that makes life seem painful, meaningless, or fearful. 
  Those who take this path are doomed to fall further into 
  despair, as the candy-coated dream is marred inside and 
  out by the rotting filth of the dismal real world which, in 
  reality, they never left. 
   
  Limitations and Purposes of Magic 
   
  As the title implies, magic is fundamental. It is a 
  means by which pure mystical energy is shaped by the 
  heart and mind into a realization of one’s desires. It is 
  also, to the disappointment of many magical girls, far 
  from omnipotent, and in no way capable of solving all of 
  one’s problems. Magic can only do so much. The things 
  that magic can accomplish are often beyond the reach of 
  even the greatest technology, the most dedicated 
  actions, but conversely it cannot grant wishes. If a 
  magical girl aspires to be a pianist, she will find that that 
  magic will fade before long. If the wants to make others 
  happy, a happiness spell will only make things worse 
  when it wears off, because its effects were never real to 
  begin with. 
   
  Magic reflects what it is inside. That is something 
  fundamental to its nature. Magic is always at its best 
  when the action it is to be used for is in accord with the 
  user’s own heart; otherwise its power is lessened, often 
  to the point of uselessness. 
   
  Loss of Innocence 
  When I was a kid 
  I thought that I could fly 
  Threw myself out a window 
  Right out into the sky 
  Now that I am older 
  I know that I could die 
  Die from a depression 
  I would learn my lesson well 
   – Millencolin, “Boring Planet” 
  First and foremost, it is about the loss of innocence. 
  When a schoolgirl becomes a magical girl, whether she 
  knows it or not, she has become a front-line soldier in a 
  desperate, if subtle, war. Whatever she might believe it 
  would be like, this world will, to some degree, prove her 
  wrong. As though the battles against the youma weren't 
  enough, there are madmen ready to do with guns what 
  the claws and magics of the youma cannot. 
  
   
  Violence 
   
  You never wanted to stop the smell of burning flesh  
   
  The hero marches alone across the highway of death  
   
  It’s not a matter of rights, it’s just a matter of war  
   
  Don’t have a reason to fight, they never had one before 
   
   – Ministry, “Hero”
  "The War" as some call it, the seemingly endless 
  battle against the youma, is an important part of Magical 
  World, as well as many magical girl series. The 
  difference is that Magical War pays more attention to the 
  consequences of what happens. As is inevitable in battle, 
  people get hurt. They die. And a magical girl must force 
  herself to cope with this as well. 
   
  Shades of Gray 
  Shades of truth 
  Between disparate lines 
  You don’t know I’m all right 
  You don’t know I’m all right 
   – Bad Religion, “Shades of Truth” 
   
  While the magical girls of anime have it pretty easy, 
  in Magical World they must make hard choices. Things 
  are never completely clear-cut, black and white, and 
  many mahou shoujo are brought to question their 
  purpose, whether what they are doing is right, and so 
  many other things. Some fall prey to their own doubts 
  early on, while others fight on blithely until something 
  comes along later to open their eyes. 
   
  Morality 
   
  Deciding between right and wrong is something 
  everyone must do, but a magical girl is forced to make 
  such decisions in life and death matters. For better or for 
  worse, they are made to regularly slay youma for a living. 
  They must confront the Hunters who would destroy 
  them, and yet struggle not to sink into their madness. 
  Many magical girls are highly principled. 
   
  Others, whether because of the lure of power, or 
  simply because they never really learned in the first 
  place, simply abandon morality and do whatever they 
  enjoy. And if that includes killing youma, they will be all 
  the more effective – but at what cost? 
   
  Duality 
   
  A magical girl is forced to lead a double life, halfway 
  in a world of magic and adventure, and halfway in a 
  world of mundane (but no less pressing) difficulties. 
  Living two lives strains the very fabric of the soul at 
  times, especially in a world where one of these is 
  considered a warrant for death by some. Even as the 
  magical girl struggles to reconcile her two halves, it is all 
  too clear that revealing the truth to loved ones only puts 
  them in danger. 
   
  Coming of Age 
   
  The idea of Coming of Age is a prominent theme in 
  any magical girl series, and this holds true in Magical 
  World as well. Most magical girls are at such an age that 
  they are poised on the brink of that process which 
  transforms child into adult, girl into woman. Especially for 
  one touched by magic, this is a difficult time in one’s life. 
  Like any other teenager, a magical girl must forge her 
  own identity in the world – but she has to do all of that in 
  the midst of the struggle to save the world. 
   
  The Call of Adventure 
   
  ―May you live in interesting times.‖ 
   
   – Chinese curse/proverb 
   
  Being a heroine is far removed from the way in which 
  normal people live. Like it or not, adventure comes to 
  them. It may be nerve-wracking at times, but never 
  boring. Facing youma and being in danger and saving 
  the day may be a harrowing experience, but many would 
  say it's a lot more fun than doing homework all the time. 
   
  Return to Real Life? 
   
  "Let me tell you something, my Tenchi. The carnival 
  comes and goes, but if you wait a while, it'll always come 
  back to you." 
   
   – Ryoko, Tenchi Muyo! TV 
   
  The freedom of the fantastic is often juxtaposed with 
  the inextricable coils of the "real world." When the battles 
  are over with, there is only the mundane world to 
  contend with. This can be a blessing and a curse in 
  equal measure. Friends and family left behind are seen 
  again, but everything boring or outright painful that had 
  been left behind comes back with a vengeance. 
   
  Many 
  an 
  adventurer 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  bittersweet 
  homecoming, and mahou shoujo are no exception. 
  Many, upon returning, long for the adventures to begin 
  anew, for the carnival to start up once more. 
   
  Friendship 
  Most magical girls have friends in one form or 
  another, be it mundane friends, fellow magical girls, or 
  others besides. Friends and family are vital; they help the 
  magical girl anchor herself to the real world, and remind 
  them of why it is that they carry on the fight against the 
  youma every day. Without them the fight is meaningless. 
   
  Hope 
   
  ―In the Light Universe I was darkness. Perhaps in the 
  Dark Zone… I can be light.‖ 
   
   -- Kai, Tales of a Parallel Universe 
   
  Finally and perhaps most importantly, is hope. 
  Despite all the hate and darkness the world throws at 
  them, magical girls, more than anyone else, must learn 
  to see the fleeting rays of hope and love. Lacking the 
  cynicism of adults, they can learn to look forward to a 
  future brighter than the present, a world they will create. 
   
  The Heroine’s Quest 
   
  A common thread through many of the world’s myths 
  is what Joseph Campbell called “the Hero’s Quest.” As a 
  scholar of the world’s mythologies, he saw a recurring 
  tale of sorts. It is a simple yet elegant story that has been 
  told in one form or another in nearly every culture on the 
  planet. It is a story of a journey of many perils and a final 
  redemption. 
   
  So, you ask, what the hell does this have to do with 
  your campaign? That’s up to you to answer. Using such 
  a classical mode of storytelling can enliven a campaign, 
  and the general outline is vague enough that if you don’t 
  severely overuse it, it can remain fresh to the players. 
  
   
  Of course, in the context of magical girls this has 
  some rather interesting implications. In ancient cultures – 
  and even in the earlier magical girl series – females were 
  not as independent as they are today. In Campbell’s 
  Freudian interpretation of the Hero’s Quest, the 
  underlying meaning of said quest is the conquest and 
  replacement of the parent of the opposite sex (which 
  only occasionally occurred in a literal sense). In the rare 
  cases when such a classical epic deals with a female 
  character, she has to put up with things like being 
  seduced by gods, and although she can find happiness 
  as surely as the hero, it’s usually a far cry from whatever 
  bold rewards he may carry home. 
   
  Where, then, does this leave our sailor suited 
  heroines? Again, the ultimate answer is up to you. 
  Although it is certainly an odd medium for such, the trials 
  and tribulations of a magical girl can make an ideal 
  backdrop for exploring gender roles, both in mythical and 
  real-life contexts. Spending time overcoming impossible 
  odds to save the world tends to affect one’s attitudes 
  towards more banal aspects of life. Not only that, but a 
  more modern girl probably isn’t about to simply accept 
  the commands of others, even if the issuer is a god or 
  whatever. 
   
  The Hero's Path 
   
  What follows is a rapid-fire guide to the basic plot of 
  the Hero's Journey. For a more complete version, refer 
  to The Hero With A Thousand Faces, or for a quick 
  version, Changeling: The Dreaming. Or watch Star Wars. 
  1. The Ordinary World: The hero begins as a more or 
  less normal person, in her ordinary world. This is 
  shown to the audience briefly, to give a sense of 
  perspective. 
  2. The 
  Call 
  of 
  Adventure: 
  Something 
  happens. 
  Something unusual that hints at the coming storm. 
  The hero discovers some clue as to what they must 
  do. 
  3. The Refusal of the Call: At first, the hero tries to 
  ignore the Call, unwilling to leave the comfort of her 
  ordinary home. 
  4. Meeting with the Mentor: A mentor of some sort 
  gives the hero sage advice, ultimately convincing her 
  to proceed on the Quest. 
  5. Crossing the First Threshold: The hero must 
  overcome an obstacle, a Guardian, in order to 
  proceed out of the Ordinary World and into the 
  Fantastic. 
  6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: The longest part of the 
  journey, the hero journeys towards her eventual goal, 
  meeting many friends and enemies along they way. 
  The hero learns more the Fantastic and comes to 
  understand better just what is going on. 
  7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: At last, the hero has 
  learned what she must do to complete the test. 
  Everything comes together, and she ventures to the 
  place where she will ultimately face the final 
  challenge. 
  8. The Supreme Ordeal: This is the Final Battle, when 
  all that has been said and done comes to a head, 
  and all that has been prophesized comes true. The 
  hero faces a great foe against the most terrible of 
  odds. 
  9. The Reward: It is not, however, over just yet. The 
  Quest is not truly complete; the outcome of the 
  Ordeal has shown that the Fantastic has invaded the 
  Ordinary, and something must be done. 
  10. The Road Back: The road back is dangerous, and 
  the hero must hurry before all is lost. 
  11. The Final Threshold: The hero comes face to face 
  with the true terror, and confronts it. This is the true 
  Final Battle, and when it ends, the changes the 
  Quest has wrought on the hero become clear. 
  12. The Return: With the Darkness defeated (for now, at 
  least), the hero returns to her home and is welcomed 
  back after so long, bringing many stories to tell. 
  
  Unusual Magical Girl Varieties 
   
  The traditional mahou shoujo aren't the only girls 
  who wield magical powers and fight evil (or other stuff); 
  the following are some of the more commonly seen 
  types, although they'll be rare in Magical World. 
   
  Alien: Extra terrestrial girls in anime inevitably have 
  some kind of special powers with which they can 
  cause all manner of trouble, and occasionally help 
  people out. Good examples include Lum and they 
  myriad other aliens from Urusei Yatsura, not to 
  mention most of the cast of Tenchi Muyou!. 
   
  Demon Hunter: Demon Hunters tend to be fairly 
  similar to magical girls in terms of the form their 
  powers take, except that their outfits are more 
  scanty, and their abilities are more direct and 
  combative. 
   
  Esper: The character is a psychic of some kind. She 
  needn't necessarily be into the whole Love and 
  Justice thing; the girls from Miracle Girls are more 
  into causing trouble than anything else, for example. 
   
  Holy Warrior: While some magical girls double as 
  priestesses, a holy warrior actually derives their 
  abilities from some divine force. As such, they are 
  highly religious and tend to have powers based on 
  their deity. 
   
  Techno-Girl: This refers to a heroine whose powers 
  are technologically based. This can include any 
  number of possibilities, but the most common will be 
  androids and girls with special power suits or other 
  items (some of which may even look something like 
  mahou shoujo abilities!) with which they go about 
  their business. See, for example, Cutey Honey, Dr. 
  Slump, Moldiver, etc. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Magical World/Magical World Corebook.pdf