Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 16 STR 6 12- Lift 229.7 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [2] 24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 19 CON 18 13- 15 BODY 10 12- 14 INT 4 12- PER Roll 12- 18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 10 COM 0 11- 8 PD 5 Total: 11 PD (3 rPD) 7 ED 3 Total: 10 ED (3 rED) 4 SPD 6 Phases: 3, 6, 8, 12 7 REC 0 38 END 0 32 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 120 Movement: Running: 7"/14" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills Martial Arts: Kenjutsu Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 4 Cut +0 +2 Weapon +2 DC Strike 4 Evade -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 5 Leaping Strike +1 +0 Weapon +v/5; FMove 4 Lightning Stroke +2 +0 Weapon +2 DC Strike 5 Slashing Stroke -2 +1 Weapon +4 DC Strike 5 Thrust +1 +3 Weapon Strike 0 Weapon Element: Blades 22 Katana: HKA 1 1/2d6 (2 1/2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (-1) plus +1 OCV; OAF (-1) plus Range Based On STR (+1/4) for up to 25 Active Points of HKA; 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (-1), [1 rc] 14 Wakazashi: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (-1) plus +1 OCV; OAF (-1) plus Range Based On STR (+1/4) for up to 15 Active Points of HKA; 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (-1), [1 rc] 35 Sweeping Strike: Area Of Effect (up to 2" radius; +3/4) for up to 55 Active Points of HKA, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4); OIF (any sword of opportunity; -1/2), Can Be Blocked (-1/4), END 2 2 Fast On His Feet: Running +1" (7" total), END 1 Perks 10 Fringe Benefit: Kirisutogomen 0 Babycart of Doom: Vehicle Talents 6 Chambara Swordsman: Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 32 Dairokkan: Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of combat, Discriminatory, Function as a Sense) 12- 7 Swordmaster: Deadly Blow: +1d6 (with swords) Skills 24 +4 with HTH and Ranged Combat 12 Penalty Skill Levels: +6 vs. Hit Location modifiers with swords 2 AK: Japan 11- 3 Climbing 14- 3 Concealment 12- 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 3 Iaijutsu: Fast Draw (HTH Weapons) 14- 3 High Society 13- 2 KS: Criminal Underworld 11- 3 KS: Kenjutsu 12- 0 Language: Japanese (idiomatic; literate) 3 Lockpicking 14- 2 MIF (Aerophones) 11- 2 PS: Assassin 11- 2 PS: Samurai 11- 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 3 Riding 14- 3 Stealth 14- 2 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12- 4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons Total Powers & Skill Cost: 250 Total Cost: 370 200+ Disadvantages 20 DNPC: Gorogoro 14- (Normal) 10 Distinctive Features: Samurai Bearing/Ronin (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Style (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Large Group) 15 Hunted: Hirone Clan 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Limitation: Assassin's Code Of Honor (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Protective Of/Devoted To Gorogoro (Very Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: assassin/outlaw on the road to hel, 11- (Extreme) 10 Social Limitation: Assassin/Ronin (Frequently, Minor) 55 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 370
Background/History: Yagi was formerly the bodyguard for Lord Higashi. When Higashi died, he forbade his retainers from committing jusnshi, killing themselves to follow Higashi in death as proof of their loyalty. Instead, he wanted them to provide council and direction to his son, Hirone. Unfortunately, Higashi's wise decree was lost on Hirone, who listened to supercilious sycophants who flattered Hirone and then turned him against his father's loyal followers. The first to be disgraced was Higashi's personal bodyguard, Yagi, who was made to look like a traitor. Yagi, in turn, killed many of the people responsible, before fleeing, now wandering Japan as a sword-for-hire, accompanied only by his son, Gorogoro. He is now known as the Lone Goat and Kid assassin.
Yagi is first mentioned in Volume 5, Lone Goat and Kid, in the story The Way Of The Samurai. He then appeared personally in the follow-up story, Lone Goat and Kid, where he fought Usagi to a draw. He appears next in Volume 17, Duel At Kitanoji, with his son, Gorogoro becoming friends with Usagi's son, Jotaro.
Personality/Motivation: For the most part, Yagi is a cold and emotionless individual, who only cares about his son, Gorogoro. He sells his sword to anyone who can pay his fee (500 ryo, in advance), but even then, reserves the right to decide if his target is worthy of death or not. Yagi is an honorable man, who will make sure his client's request is carried out, but will also turn down, or cancel, a contract if it’s shown he was tricked or fooled into attacking an innocent or the wrong person. Normally, Yagi can’t be bargained with or dissuaded from his contracts, but threats to Gorogoro will usually make him back off—for the time being. Such threats will also only work to keep Yagi at bay as long Gorogoro is directly threatened. There's a good chance Yagi might declare that his son is the true son of a samurai, is unafraid of death, and attack anyone holding Gorogoro anyway.
Quote: "My sword may be for hire, but I choose my clients."
Powers/Tactics: To say Yagi is a skilled swordsman is sort of like saying 'fire is hot.' In his first appearance, he single-handedly fought off an attack by 40 samurai of the Hirone Clan, and fought Usagi to a virtual standstill. He tends to use his Sweeping Strike a lot, cutting down enemy swordsmen in groups of two and three. He is also somewhat of an acrobatic fighter, moving constantly and often attacking while moving, using his Leaping Strike. As with many skilled swordsmen, he directs his cuts to the torso, avoiding limbs to strike killing blows to the stomach or vitals.
Yagi often has a wooden babycart with him, which looks like a modern shopping cart, with wooden walls made from planks, small wheels, and a frame of bamboo. The cart is a virtual trove of weapons, with assorted hidden blades, blade launchers, a length of weight on a chain, and removable lengths of frame with blades inside (working as impromptu spears). Gorogoro sits in the cart and knows how the weapons work, tapping sections of frame to activate the assorted spring-loaded blades.
Appearance: Yagi is a tall and lean tan-furred anthropomorphic goat who wears a black full-length kimono over a pale yukata. He carries a katana and wakizashi. Gorogoro is a young anthropomorphic goat who wears a simple kimono with a grid pattern.
Designer's Notes: Yagi's character sheet is derived from the Fuzion stats given in the Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game put out by Gold Rush Games. Additional skills were derived from material in the Sengoku Role-Playing Game and from scenes in the comic series. Yagi and Gorogoro are based on the famous manga characters of Ogami Itto and his child, better known as the "Lone Wolf and Cub." Like Yagi and Gorogoro, Ogami was a high-ranking samurai accused of treason, who sought vengeance against his betrayers, while accompanied by his son, who rode in a baby carriage.
This character sheet represents Yagi at no particular point in the series, although I'd personally place it around Volume 17. In Volume 19, Father's And Sons, Usagi and Jotaro meet Yagi and Gorogoro. This is where Jotaro and Gorogoro become friends, and where Gorogoro finally speaks his first words in the comic ("g'bye"). As a final note, Gorogoro is far from defenseless—he can use a sword, albeit a short one and isn't afraid to stand up to enemies.
(Yagi created by Stan Sakai, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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