Several notes on things from Naruto:
1. Magic item creation is very easy once the process is properly researched and materials are at hand. However, the users seem to specialize in just a few specific items (they usually produce effects of basic type and those that have to do with their specialization).
- Naruto and others seem to never run out of exploding notes,
- Tenten, Sai - they easily restock supplies on their magic scrolls.
- Creation of magic items (and restocking) requires excellent knowledge of Calligraphy skill. Basically, all written seals and all scrolls benefit from quality of writing.
2. Chakra is a generic term. My opinion is that each of types of Ninja arts (Taijutsu, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu) is a separate power source, and each character can benefit from all of them, but may specialize only in a single source (specialization in one of them allows for easier access to advanced techniques pertaining to that source).
- Rock Lee lacks access to Ninjutsu, IIRC, but in return gains easier access to Taijutsu.
3. While the number of special abilities per character is smaller than in 4E, they can be used with several differing strengths.
This can be represented by several similar powers of differing strength.
It is possible to use powers beyond one's capacity, however they have to pay for this with their health.
4. Forbidden techniques are techniques which either:
- require expenditure of users health to activate,
- are so advanced that everyone except those of legendary status (higher tiers than Heroic perhaps?) need to pay the cost of their use with their health to activate,
- require that users pay with their health once the effect or encounter ends,
- run high chance of severely damaging user's health during use, or once the effect or encounter ends.
5. Naruto anime relies on emotional buildup and often explores the issue of personal sacrifice.
- each character is allowed to acquire allegiations,
- if the character attempts to use a power in persuit of her or his allegiation, he is allowed to gamble his possessions, health or other personally important elements (subject to GM's discretion, of course). In other words, everyone may say "I put my life on line" or "This is MY way of the ninja" and so on,
- once the gamble is accepted by GM, the character is allowed to use higher version of the power.
- if the character fails, she or he pay the power cost and lose the item they gambled with.
- evil characters often lack allegiations so their access to this mechanic is restricted (and that's why they often lose),
- the character starting a gamble may raise the stakes (for example, going from small health cost to major health cost... from weakening to loss of consciousness) to gain even better access to power.
Examples:
- Rock Lee's Lotus,
- Hinata's fight during exams,
- duels during pursuit of kidnapped Sasuke (villains stake their health to varying degrees, while heroes stake their health and bonds of friendship),
- Naruto originally employed Kyuubi's chakra only during such episodes.
6. Basic techniques known to most ninjas.
- illusionary clone,
- replacement technique,
- earth technique (tunnelling and hiding in the ground),
- water technique (similar to earth, employed by Ninjas of Village of the Mist)
- tree/wall jumping
- running over vertical surfaces
- waterwalking
- ranged attacks with small weapons
- sneak ranged attacks
- hand to hand combat with ninja weapons
- parrying ranged attacks with melee weapons
- throwing volleys (usually threes) of ranged thrown weapons
6. Advanced techniques known to most ninjas.
- teleportation (witness ANBUs teleportation) within line of sight
- teleportation to known location (slower to cast, may be used for group of individuals)
- detecting killing intent (to spot enemies)
- detecting presence of living sentient beings (Orochimaru's ability to spot enemies borders on supernatural)
- emanating strong version of killing intent (to slow down or paralyze opponents)
- ability to analyze opponent techniques and counter them (that's why most ninjas don't use their advanced techniques publicly, and that's why Bingo Book is so important)
- hiding one's presence from detection abilities
7. Custom techniques.
- the key success to become a real badass requires creation of one's custom technique (and creation of related powers),
- usually the custom technique begins at lowest possible power, but, with the development of character, new related powers are created in the order of ascending effects.
- creation of new powers is an effect of training, frequent use or emergency (see Naruto's awakening of conscious access to red chakra)
8. Chakra manipulation, nature element manipulation, bloodline limits.
- several advanced techniques require specific skills, which are:
Chakra Manipulation (example: Rasengan)
Nature Element Manipulation (example: clan Uchiha fire techniques)
Combined Nature Element Manipulation - techniques which combine nature elements with chakra allowing for stronger and more elaborate effects)
Clan Secret Techniques - several clans developed secret techniques based on genetic heritage. They can be used only by members of those clans related by blood ties to main family or by people who acquired (in rather gruesome way) body parts required by these techniques and only if those people are strong enough to support the use of such techniques.
Especially powerful Clan Secret Techniques are known as Bloodline Limits.
regards,
Ruemere