[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/k9RdUqO.png[/img][/center] [indent]Little is understood of the specifics of sorcery. The supernatural is a nebulous, ambiguous thing, after all, with what knowledge that is obtained often ending up being gatekept by the Lineages that uncover them. What is understood, however, is that one cannot have 'flesh' without 'bones'. That is, there is a baseline level of ability one needs to obtain before they are able to utilize whatever natural-born technique their blood affords them. Without that, even the scion of a powerful Lineage would be utterly incapable of utilizing the gifts that the fortune of their birth has granted them. Therefore, at the very least, every sorcerer in any Lineage is capable at least of superhuman feats of strength, speed, and endurance, and can magically reinforce held or worn objects to similar degrees of unnatural sharpness, lightness, and toughness. Alongside that, they would possess a technique too that enables them to affect reality in anomalous, often-destructive manners. Perhaps the remote detonation of previously-charged objects, perhaps the summoning of great and vile beasts, perhaps a further enchantment upon their bodies that clads them in various elements. Though some focus on 'bones' and others focus on 'flesh', any modern-day sorcerer affiliated with a Lineage would have at least five years, often more, to become a fully-rounded combatant. The agents of the Hirasaka Agency do not have such luxuries. Two years is fundamentally a crash course, and only those who focus on refining their sorcery to the detriment of other professional skills may end up developing their techniques to a usable level before they are sent out to the field. While most Lineages may have differing perspectives, the Hirasaka Agency's Sorcery Research Division has settled on a handful of 'facts' and 'best practices' regarding sorcery: [indent]All known sorceries will be designated and identified using a two-word phrase, which can be referenced through the Agency database. If unknown techniques are encountered in the field, agents are expected to send in a report. Most Techniques can be disrupted by hitting the sorcerer in the head, except in cases of summoned entities, in which case it's not a guarantee that the death of the sorcerer would cause the dismissal of the summoned entity. Fundamentally speaking, the body and the spirit are one, and fatigue derived from the usage of sorcery would be recovered from with food and rest. When using sorcery in combat, agents should expect that they'd exhaust themselves at least twice as fast compared to if they operated without sorcery. Greater efficiency and refinement with sorcery will reduce the burden that using it has on one's body. One should always expect that enemy sorcerers, possessing more experience than agents, will certainly outlast you. If combat is unavoidable, win as soon as possible or retreat immediately if you judge that it's unfeasible to do so. Enhancements to objects do not persist once physical contact is lost with said objects. Ranged weapons, fundamentally, are inferior to melee weapons in all aspects except, as one may expect, range. Beyond physical enhancement and object reinforcement, one may also develop the ability to detect active or lingering sorceries within their vicinity. This is far more of a 'talent' than a 'skill', however; for the majority of sorcerers, this particular skill is either impossible to obtain or entirely unnecessary to. All Techniques are entirely based off of bloodline, not individual characteristics. [/indent][/indent] [hr] Enough time has passed. With holidays done and vacation impending, it's time to get shit madeeeeee. [@Redking0380][@Rekkuza][@Courtaud][@Vertigo][@Shovel][@Dane][@Haha][@Burger] as well as any lurkers that may be interested in applying, the CS template is below. Am lazy, so iz ez. Deadline for applications will probably be something like Jan 20ish, unless everyone finishes early and all. [hider=Resume Template] [b]Character Image:[/b] Keep it professional. [b]Full Name:[/b] Japanese only. Maybe you can be a half though, if you wanna deal with that life. [b]Gender:[/b] Simple as. [b]Age:[/b] Training goes for two years, regardless of how talented you are (you aren't). Potential agents can apply starting from 15 y/o. The Agency does not generally accept newcomers who are older than 30 y/o. [b]Summary of Qualifications:[/b] Single paragraph describing why your character was considered acceptable as a potential agent. The bar is kinda in hell though. [b]Work Experience:[/b] Prior jobs or education your character may have had leading up to this. Note that five years has passed since Japan went to shit. The bar is in hell; they let middle schoolers join, after all. [/hider][hider=Graduation Certificate] [b]General Assessment:[/b] How well did your character perform in training? Did they suck up to their instructors? Did they make friends? Did they cause trouble? [b]Courses Taken:[/b] You will have [b]24 points[/b]. With these points, you will select a number of courses that your character has taken during their training. These become things your character becomes proficient in. [b]Martial Arts:[/b] If you obtain [Martial Arts], [Specialized Martial Arts], [Sorcerous Conditioning], and [Object Reinforcement], you will be considered intermediate-level at close-quarters combat, utilizing a particular martial arts with a specific weapon. This will give you an edge in purely physical contests, as well as Technique-less sorcery contests. [b]Sorcery Technique:[/b] If you obtain [Sorcerous Conditioning], [Object Reinforcement], [Latent Sorcery Induction], and [Active Technique Training], you will be able to use the innate Sorcery within you at a low-intermediate-level. Follow proper naming conventions by the Hirasaka Agency. Generally speaking, the more specific a Technique is, the more powerful it is, in exchange for being useful in less situations. Summoning-type Techniques are fairly rare. [b]Noteworthy Boon:[/b] Since you are player characters, you aren't necessarily purely mooks. Feel free to come up with something unique that your character possesses which helps them as an agent. This can go as far as having a pseudo-sacred weapon or being spiritually tied to a supernatural being, or can be as basic as having a particular proficiency towards a skill. [/hider][hider=Course List] [b][u]Core Investigative Courses[/u][/b][indent] [b]Physical Investigation [2][/b] - Footprint analysis and mundane tracking. Higher chance of uncovering clues. [b]Advanced Physical Investigation [4][/b] - Crime scene reconstruction. Real-time tracking through varied environments. [b]Interpersonal Investigation and Interrogation [2][/b] - Rapport building. Higher chance of detecting lies. [b]Advanced Interrogation and Psychological Analysis [4][/b] - Psychological pressure application. Psychological profile construction. [b]Forensics and Evidence Handling [2][/b] - Blood and residue sampling and analysis. Basic autopsy skills. [b]Surveillance and Counter-Surveillance [2][/b] - Undercover movement and analog surveillance. Higher chance of dodging pursuit. [b]Intelligence Analysis [4][/b] - Pattern recognition. Accurate predictions and extrapolations from available information. [/indent] [u][b]Mundane Combat and Field Courses[/b][/u][indent] [b]Martial Arts [/b][2] - Basic CQC, featuring joint locks, takedowns and arrest techniques utilizing batons. [b]Specialized Martial Arts [4][/b] - Specialized martial arts training with a specific melee weapon. Often a katana, but can be more exotic. [b]Firearms Licensing [2][/b] - Usage and maintenance of Agency-issued handguns, as well as education on appropriate use cases. [b]Squad Tactics and Breach Operations [4][/b] - Room clearing and formation drills. Covers squad coordination and leadership. [b]Medical Response and Trauma Care [2][/b] - First aid, emergency treatment, and resuscitation through mundane means. [/indent] [b][u]Sorcery Fundamentals[/u][/b][indent] [b]Sorcerous Conditioning [4][/b] - Standard superhuman physical enhancement. Foundational course for all sorcerers. [b]Object Reinforcement [2][/b] - Application of internal enhancement onto held objects. [b]Combat Fatigue Management [4][/b] - Intensive course focused solely on increasing efficiency with basic sorcery, reducing fatigue. [/indent] [b][u]Sorcery Development - Refinement[/u][/b][indent] [b]Advanced Body Reinforcement [4][/b] - Modulation of physical enhancement, allowing for short-term bursts or low-gear sustained output. [b]Weapon Synchronization [2][/b] - Enables finer control of object reinforcement, reducing fatigue and enhancing specialized martial arts. [b]Physical Regeneration [4] [/b] - Accelerates natural healing process, purging illness and poisons in the process. Extremely taxing. [/indent] [b][u]Sorcery Development - Techniques[/u][/b][indent] [b]Latent Technique Induction [2][/b] - Grants understanding of innate Technique's usage and applications. Not combat-ready. [b]Active Technique Training [4][/b] - Enables usage of Technique in high-stress and combative situations. [b]Specialized Technique Training [2][/b] - Customized course in efficient and refined usage of Technique. [/indent] [b][u]Counter-Sorcery Courses[/u][/b][indent] [b]Anti-Sorcery Combat [4][/b] - Increased understanding of sorcerer-to-sorcerer combat. Refined sense for predicting Technique activation. [b]Sorcery Detection [4][/b] - Detect active and residual supernatural elements in surroundings, with limited capacity for tracking. [b]Archival Sorcery Studies [2][/b] - Advanced studies in Agency-logged Techniques and Lineages, as well as prevailing sorcery theories. [/indent] [/hider] If you have questions, go shoot. Otherwise, have funnnnn.