Sunshine History (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sunshinehistory) wrote2014-04-29 10:03 pm
sunshinehistory) wrote2014-04-29 10:03 pm
Entry tags:
Rank FAQ
Do all characters with special abilities have to have a shinobi rank?
No, in fact, if your character was never officially trained, but has skills that are a secret they've been keeping, they might not have a rank at all. But, if your character is taking missions while living in a hidden village, you need to have some kind of rank or people will notice. There can be some intense IC consequences for that, not the least of which being possibly finding yourself a captive in hostile territory.
I play a medic, that's not a shinobi, so they don't need one right?
Actually, medics, unless they use no jutsu at all and are simply doctors, would be more likely to have some kind of rank, even if it's just being a genin for all eternity. A medic without a village claiming them is a medic that another country can kidnap without the native village having a legal right to do anything about it.
What about Missing-nin, do they need to have a rank?
Yes. In order to be a missing-nin you first had to be a shinobi of a village, which means being officially ranked. It doesn't have to be much of a rank though. The most powerful characters in the series are genin, which is the lowest official shinobi rank.
So, how do I go about choosing a rank then?
Shinobi ranks are determined by varying sets of criteria. While some villages handle the specifics of promotion differently, here's a general guideline of the traits and expectations for the different rankings. Please note that the village pages will have more details than is listed here.
Academy Student:
Students are children that have passed the selective entrance exam, or show enough promise to be taken on in the wake of any withdrawals. Some clans automatically put their children up for training. Here, they're given a fundamental education before they move onto more practical classes covering tool use, basic attacks, and simulated battle formations. They're taught primarily by Chunin, with the occasional special seminar where a Jounin or even the Kage themselves may drop by to impart wisdom or demonstrate specific skill applications. They may also take on unofficial E-rank missions around the village later in their education.
Girls often have special classes designed to teach them the more feminine arts of fine dress, personal care, makeup, and flower arrangements in order to better prepare them for the unique demands of womanhood.
All students are required to pass a practical exam before they're graduated and sorted into probationary teams.
Genin:
Genin are the lowest ranking of officially recognized shinobi. They possess a solid foundation of shinobi aptitude and reflect the village's budding strength in their often raw, untapped potential. Genin in most villages are typically sorted into three-man cells under a Jounin mentor to be guided and developed to function as both a team and individuals.
This is the most critical period of a shinobi's training, tapping into their unique strengths and coming to understand their weaknesses- to create a solid fighting style and combat role that will provide the foundation for the rest of their career. Genin take D-rank missions, along with the occasional C.
Only teams of three, with their mentor's recommendation, are allowed to participate in the Chunin Exams for most countries.
Chunin:
Making up the bulk of the fighting force, Chunin are elite and experienced Genin that have been selected from the participants of the highly selective, bi-annual event known as the Chunin Exams. These shinobi must demonstrate not only skill and team cooperation, but good judgement and leadership potential. They're expected to be able to successfully lead small platoons made up of Genin and even other Chunin on missions.
Once selected, they receive further training that consists of advanced drills and emotional training, and work outside their Genin teams with higher frequency. It's not unusual for even seasoned shinobi to never advance from here. Chunin usually take on C and B-rank missions. This is also the rank that usually teaches in the Academy for various villages.
Special Jounin:
Special Jounin are selected from Chunin that demonstrate very advanced knowledge or skill in any of various specialization fields. These can be classified as research, interrogation, or espionage, along with fortification, education, sealing, or any other professional field with unique application outside of combat.
As a result of this, Special Jounin often find themselves applied to their respective fields either in direct support of their home village, or even abroad when their specialized knowledge is crucial to a mission's success. They're often classified as B or A-Rank missions.
Jounin:
The highest official rank for any shinobi, Jounin are a village's front line of defense. These elite shinobi are the cream of the crop when selected from among Chunin, picked for their advanced skill-set, excellent leadership capabilities, emotional control, and objective focus. They're put through a rigorous exam designed to thoroughly test their capabilities both on the field and off.
Because Jounin contend with some of the highest ranking missions in the village, they're often entrusted with very sensitive intel, and go through a phase of intensive training designed to help them withstand torture and interrogation so that intelligence might not fall into the wrong hands. Jounin take primarily B and A-rank missions, with the occasional S.
Experienced Jounin may also be pulled from full active duty in order to train up a team of Genin graduates so their knowledge isn't lost.
ANBU:
The shadowed subdivision of any major village, members of ANBU are selected from elite Chunin and Jounin. They're handpicked by their reigning Kage and much like Jounin, put through an intensive testing and training phase. Potential members are often tested in an unforgiving trial that assesses not only an individual's personal skill level, but situational awareness and ability to function under both physical and mental duress. Each test is specially designed for each potential recruit, and the criteria for passing is never discussed.
Should they pass, new members of ANBU are required to master a handful of new skills not limited to an extensive vocabulary consisting of only hand signs. Members are also required to learn at least basic sealing skills, advanced first aid, and the signature ability to mask their presence and blend in with the shadows. In addition, if a member possesses an easily identifiable fighting style, they may be required to rework it entirely.
ANBU receive a new standard issue uniform worn only during ANBU-specific missions. The masks hide their identity from the public, and they adopt new names to avoid giving each other away on the field. Most villages have some sort of seal on the masks they issue to help deflect awareness of the identity of the wearer that is not known of outside ANBU. The names and faces of the ANBU are meant to be known only to the Kage whom they serve, and the other members of the ANBU they may work with.
This special unit of shinobi operates in the shadow of the village, carrying out some of the darker and dirtier tasks that don't see the light of day, with a focus on discretion, so that more objectionable actions that could lead to complications between the different countries can't be traced back to the village of origin. There's no back-up for ANBU, and members will destroy their own bodies if they're critically injured on the field, or in captivity.
ANBU deal almost exclusively in A and S-Rank missions.
Status Changes?
Promotions?
Yep, you can get those. There are exams for chunin and jounin that you can go through, though jounin tests are determined in a different way in every village. Academy students also graduate twice a year in most places, one group in the spring, and one in the autumn, so this is something to keep in mind as well.
Demotions?
Yep. You have to kind of really screw up for this to happen. Most won't affect your paper rank, and only your mission standing. In other words, you'll be treated like a rank lower with lower clearances until you fix however you messed up.
Missing nin?
Leave the village without permission or notification when you've been told not to. You're now hunted. I sincerely hope you're not a genin. To clarify, you would need to inform the mods that this is the case as, unless you're on a travel ban for some reason, we hand wave permission.
Returning from Missing nin status?
That'll be complicated. It can be done. Points of difficulty include: If you were from that village, they will probably not trust you. In this case you have to go through whatever observed security measures the village will place on you, and very likely be interrogated as well. That's if you're lucky, and they are willing to believe you at all instead of killing you on sight. If you're attempting to get rid of missing nin status by joining another village then it becomes a matter of politics. How important are you? Are you worth endangering the treaty over? Are you of high enough value that your new village will want to protect you instead of interrogate and kill you?
Choose wisely, as all these things can happen.
Are there any rank limits?
A village can't have two leaders. If the village has a Kage, then you have to work for it IC and get that character to choose yours in proper fashion. Any lower ranks simply involve being the appropriate age (Academy to Genin) or being put in for exams by either your jounin-sensei (Genin to Chunin) or yourself (Chunin to Jounin).
How does a character get higher clearances?
Get promoted. Get them through IC networking and plot. Promotions can be gotten through points from Activity.
Can my character go from civilian to ninja status, or vice versa?
Yes, but both methods have difficulties. A shinobi would have to go through IC channels to actually be declared no longer an active part of the fighting forces. If they've done something or agreed to something that caused any political issues, their requests might be denied until they're resolved. If, however, they're simply old (this is relative and 'old' can be as low as fifty) then they will be allowed to retire gracefully with minimal fuss. Retiring to have children is also a viable and accepted reason. There are many others as well, but listing them all here would get unwieldy. Essentially, assume that any requests should go through a mod.
A civilian on the other hand, will have to find someone to teach them if they're an adult, or find a way into the Academy if they're not. It's more difficult for people who are not children to tap into chakra for the first time so please keep this in mind for your character when handling the difficulties of learning these skills.
No, in fact, if your character was never officially trained, but has skills that are a secret they've been keeping, they might not have a rank at all. But, if your character is taking missions while living in a hidden village, you need to have some kind of rank or people will notice. There can be some intense IC consequences for that, not the least of which being possibly finding yourself a captive in hostile territory.
I play a medic, that's not a shinobi, so they don't need one right?
Actually, medics, unless they use no jutsu at all and are simply doctors, would be more likely to have some kind of rank, even if it's just being a genin for all eternity. A medic without a village claiming them is a medic that another country can kidnap without the native village having a legal right to do anything about it.
What about Missing-nin, do they need to have a rank?
Yes. In order to be a missing-nin you first had to be a shinobi of a village, which means being officially ranked. It doesn't have to be much of a rank though. The most powerful characters in the series are genin, which is the lowest official shinobi rank.
Missing nin difficulties?
Missing nin are hunted by their native village. If they have made enemies, other villages might go after them as well. You will have a bounty on your head so that will always be a concern. This is one bonus to affiliating with a new village, or at least one of the two that hires.
Missing nin have no backup for their missions, and no one, unless set up in game, would care to avenge them. Please note that IC circles will be harder to get in if your character is an obvious well known missing nin.
On a game mechanic level, they can't use the seal transport, which makes travel more difficult. Also, if your missing nin left far enough back, they might not have a scroll for using the network either. At least, not one that was gotten legitimately.
Missing nin benefits?
Missing nin don't have to worry about ranks. If they can do a job, they can get a mission well beyond their training and the pay that goes along with it. They can work in the underground, and have access to jutsu that is forbidden to shinobi that are still affiliated with their villages.
They also have the benefit of not being held accountable and can easily work through things that could start a war without it actually being any sort of detriment to them. Please note that missing nin usually either go civilian or get very strong, because they can either hide very well, or they're too powerful to mess with.
As a game mechanic, missing nin players will be approached first with plot options that involve missions of questionable nature, since NPCs would not go to proper villages if there are other options.
Also, it should be noted that missing nin have the added benefit of being able to run off anywhere on the map and possibly cause some serious havoc without having to worry about politics.
So, how do I go about choosing a rank then?
Shinobi ranks are determined by varying sets of criteria. While some villages handle the specifics of promotion differently, here's a general guideline of the traits and expectations for the different rankings. Please note that the village pages will have more details than is listed here.
Academy Student:
Students are children that have passed the selective entrance exam, or show enough promise to be taken on in the wake of any withdrawals. Some clans automatically put their children up for training. Here, they're given a fundamental education before they move onto more practical classes covering tool use, basic attacks, and simulated battle formations. They're taught primarily by Chunin, with the occasional special seminar where a Jounin or even the Kage themselves may drop by to impart wisdom or demonstrate specific skill applications. They may also take on unofficial E-rank missions around the village later in their education.
Girls often have special classes designed to teach them the more feminine arts of fine dress, personal care, makeup, and flower arrangements in order to better prepare them for the unique demands of womanhood.
All students are required to pass a practical exam before they're graduated and sorted into probationary teams.
Genin:
Genin are the lowest ranking of officially recognized shinobi. They possess a solid foundation of shinobi aptitude and reflect the village's budding strength in their often raw, untapped potential. Genin in most villages are typically sorted into three-man cells under a Jounin mentor to be guided and developed to function as both a team and individuals.
This is the most critical period of a shinobi's training, tapping into their unique strengths and coming to understand their weaknesses- to create a solid fighting style and combat role that will provide the foundation for the rest of their career. Genin take D-rank missions, along with the occasional C.
Only teams of three, with their mentor's recommendation, are allowed to participate in the Chunin Exams for most countries.
Chunin:
Making up the bulk of the fighting force, Chunin are elite and experienced Genin that have been selected from the participants of the highly selective, bi-annual event known as the Chunin Exams. These shinobi must demonstrate not only skill and team cooperation, but good judgement and leadership potential. They're expected to be able to successfully lead small platoons made up of Genin and even other Chunin on missions.
Once selected, they receive further training that consists of advanced drills and emotional training, and work outside their Genin teams with higher frequency. It's not unusual for even seasoned shinobi to never advance from here. Chunin usually take on C and B-rank missions. This is also the rank that usually teaches in the Academy for various villages.
Special Jounin:
Special Jounin are selected from Chunin that demonstrate very advanced knowledge or skill in any of various specialization fields. These can be classified as research, interrogation, or espionage, along with fortification, education, sealing, or any other professional field with unique application outside of combat.
As a result of this, Special Jounin often find themselves applied to their respective fields either in direct support of their home village, or even abroad when their specialized knowledge is crucial to a mission's success. They're often classified as B or A-Rank missions.
Jounin:
The highest official rank for any shinobi, Jounin are a village's front line of defense. These elite shinobi are the cream of the crop when selected from among Chunin, picked for their advanced skill-set, excellent leadership capabilities, emotional control, and objective focus. They're put through a rigorous exam designed to thoroughly test their capabilities both on the field and off.
Because Jounin contend with some of the highest ranking missions in the village, they're often entrusted with very sensitive intel, and go through a phase of intensive training designed to help them withstand torture and interrogation so that intelligence might not fall into the wrong hands. Jounin take primarily B and A-rank missions, with the occasional S.
Experienced Jounin may also be pulled from full active duty in order to train up a team of Genin graduates so their knowledge isn't lost.
ANBU:
The shadowed subdivision of any major village, members of ANBU are selected from elite Chunin and Jounin. They're handpicked by their reigning Kage and much like Jounin, put through an intensive testing and training phase. Potential members are often tested in an unforgiving trial that assesses not only an individual's personal skill level, but situational awareness and ability to function under both physical and mental duress. Each test is specially designed for each potential recruit, and the criteria for passing is never discussed.
Should they pass, new members of ANBU are required to master a handful of new skills not limited to an extensive vocabulary consisting of only hand signs. Members are also required to learn at least basic sealing skills, advanced first aid, and the signature ability to mask their presence and blend in with the shadows. In addition, if a member possesses an easily identifiable fighting style, they may be required to rework it entirely.
ANBU receive a new standard issue uniform worn only during ANBU-specific missions. The masks hide their identity from the public, and they adopt new names to avoid giving each other away on the field. Most villages have some sort of seal on the masks they issue to help deflect awareness of the identity of the wearer that is not known of outside ANBU. The names and faces of the ANBU are meant to be known only to the Kage whom they serve, and the other members of the ANBU they may work with.
This special unit of shinobi operates in the shadow of the village, carrying out some of the darker and dirtier tasks that don't see the light of day, with a focus on discretion, so that more objectionable actions that could lead to complications between the different countries can't be traced back to the village of origin. There's no back-up for ANBU, and members will destroy their own bodies if they're critically injured on the field, or in captivity.
ANBU deal almost exclusively in A and S-Rank missions.
Status Changes?
Promotions?
Yep, you can get those. There are exams for chunin and jounin that you can go through, though jounin tests are determined in a different way in every village. Academy students also graduate twice a year in most places, one group in the spring, and one in the autumn, so this is something to keep in mind as well.
Demotions?
Yep. You have to kind of really screw up for this to happen. Most won't affect your paper rank, and only your mission standing. In other words, you'll be treated like a rank lower with lower clearances until you fix however you messed up.
Missing nin?
Leave the village without permission or notification when you've been told not to. You're now hunted. I sincerely hope you're not a genin. To clarify, you would need to inform the mods that this is the case as, unless you're on a travel ban for some reason, we hand wave permission.
Returning from Missing nin status?
That'll be complicated. It can be done. Points of difficulty include: If you were from that village, they will probably not trust you. In this case you have to go through whatever observed security measures the village will place on you, and very likely be interrogated as well. That's if you're lucky, and they are willing to believe you at all instead of killing you on sight. If you're attempting to get rid of missing nin status by joining another village then it becomes a matter of politics. How important are you? Are you worth endangering the treaty over? Are you of high enough value that your new village will want to protect you instead of interrogate and kill you?
Choose wisely, as all these things can happen.
Are there any rank limits?
A village can't have two leaders. If the village has a Kage, then you have to work for it IC and get that character to choose yours in proper fashion. Any lower ranks simply involve being the appropriate age (Academy to Genin) or being put in for exams by either your jounin-sensei (Genin to Chunin) or yourself (Chunin to Jounin).
How does a character get higher clearances?
Get promoted. Get them through IC networking and plot. Promotions can be gotten through points from Activity.
Can my character go from civilian to ninja status, or vice versa?
Yes, but both methods have difficulties. A shinobi would have to go through IC channels to actually be declared no longer an active part of the fighting forces. If they've done something or agreed to something that caused any political issues, their requests might be denied until they're resolved. If, however, they're simply old (this is relative and 'old' can be as low as fifty) then they will be allowed to retire gracefully with minimal fuss. Retiring to have children is also a viable and accepted reason. There are many others as well, but listing them all here would get unwieldy. Essentially, assume that any requests should go through a mod.
A civilian on the other hand, will have to find someone to teach them if they're an adult, or find a way into the Academy if they're not. It's more difficult for people who are not children to tap into chakra for the first time so please keep this in mind for your character when handling the difficulties of learning these skills.