Princess: The Hopeful
When they told you that you were a Princess, you felt your childhood dream had come true.
Sometimes you want to shake your childhood self, to make her see how much hard work it is to be a Princess.
They showed you how you channel your hope into magic.
You never imagined what magic really was like, how your own doubts could drain your powers or turn them against you.
They said you were going to help fix the world.
Some days, you can't even fix your own life.
When you told them how you felt, they said it was ok to take a break.
But it's not ok, because you could never forgive yourself if you let everyone down.
The nerds at RPGnet decided to make a World of Darkness splatbook for the magical-girl genre after a joke spiralled out of control with popularity to the point that it became legitimate. It's worth noting, if you are interested to check this out, that there are two versions of the game: the Dreams version and the Vocations version. The latter is generally more combat focused and there are some lore differences between the two, but otherwise both are good to go. Princess the Hopeful is set in WoD so it's gonna be more Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Sailor Nothing than Kiki's Delivery Service. Shit's gonna get dark, of course. The backstory is this:
A long time ago, there was a magical Kingdom. This Kingdom was ruled by the Queens. It was almost an Utopia, and was the first line of defense against the Darkness. The fight was easy. So easy, in fact, that the Kingdom grew arrogant, and let the Darkness in. The result? The kingdom was destroyed, and five of the Queens were killed, and their souls imprisoned in the Dreamlands. Three escaped- the Queen of Tears used unholy magic to move the city of Alhambra into the middle of the Darkness and keep it safe there (though it survives only by stealing Light from the real world), the Queen of Storms shed her body to become a never-ending storm, and the Queen of Mirrors... well, nobody knows much about her. The Darkness had, essentially, won...
...Until the Apollo landings and the subsequent burst of hope in humanity that spread from the achievement. The Queens returned, or rather realized they had been stuck in the Dreamlands for lord knows how long and that the real world was just outside, and sent their Light out into the world, hopefully to reclaim it from the Darkness.
Stats:
- Disciplines are Charms, Excellencies are Invocations
- Covenants are Queens's Courts; Caitiff are Courtless Princesses
- There are eight Courts (eleven with the Road of Dawn supplement), each with a different philosophy. The most common Courts are the Radiant Courts, led by the Queens who ended up in the Dreamlands. There are also the Twilight Courts, led by the surviving Queens, which offer benefits the Radiant Queens don't give, but have given up conventional morality (along with one or two other drawbacks), also, some anime examples to give you more or less an idea of what we are talking about.
- Clubs is environmentalism, harmony with nature, with a dash of the best parts of modernity. Kind of like the cliche Elf philosophy, only without the worse bits. Clubs' signature emotions are Harmony and Tranquility. Her Invocation is Legno whose element is Wood.
- Diamonds is SCIENCE! Okay, so not always, but Diamonds' philosophy of Enlightenment values and improving the world with Reason definitely attracts a lot of the sciencey types. Diamonds' signature emotions are Curiosity and Wonder. Eg: Ami Azuno/Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon. The Diamond Invocation is Acqua and its element is Water.
- Hearts places emphasis on social institutions and duty. Hearts believes in politeness, responsibility and community. Their signature emotions are Trust and Duty. Eg: Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The Heart Invocation is Terra which has the element of Earth.
- Spades are basically Rogues. They place value on good humor and lateral thinking, and try to spread laughter throughout the world. They use outside-the-box thinking and being quick enough to not get caught to do so. Spades' signature emotion is Laughter. Spades' Invocation is Aria which has Wind as its element.
- Swords is all about passion, heroism, and adventure. The philosophy of Swords is about following your heart, not hurting others, and inspiring the world by your example. Swords' signature emotion is Love. Eg: Hibiki Tachibana from Symphogear. The Invocation of the Swords is Fuoco which uses the element of Fire.
- Cups is the precursors to Tears. They believed in the path of self-discovery that would end in the noble gaining self-enlightenment. Cups chief philosophies are about keeping an open mind, that you are a person and not a label, and to teach others how to find their own enlightenment. Cups signature emotions are Self-Discovery and Enlightenment and their Invocation, Fulmine, uses Lightning as its element. Byakuren Hijiri is listed as an inspiration for the Court.
- Wands the precursor to the Storms. They're are not all labourers, but they all do believe in the virtue of hard work. Wand’s Philosophies teaches that selflessness and hard work are virtues as well as an ideal of loyalty to comrades. Wand’s signature emotion is Humility. They rely on the Invocation of Metallo whose element is, you guessed it, Metal. Emiya Shirou of Fate/Stay Night fame is an inspiration for the Court.
- Pentacles is the precursor of the Mirrors. They used try to look at things without bias so that they can make the clearest decisions for themselves. Pentacle's Philosophies teach to keep a clear mind, that sometimes "the ends justify the means" should happen if there's no better options at all, and that good is subjective. Pentacles signature emotion is Wisdom, her Invocation is Vuoto whose element is Void. Inspired by Princess Zelda.
- Tears is all about doing what the Queen of Tears did by transporting Alhambra into the Darkness: Protecting one's loved ones, no matter the cost to anyone else. The Queen of Tears' advantage is her ability to shelter loved ones in Alhambra, and her network of conspiracies in the mortal world. Tears' signature emotions are Depression and Resolve. Eg: Akemi Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Tears Invocation is Lacrima whose element is Darkness.
- Storms is the opposite of Tears. Its philosophy is simple: destroy the Darkness. The collateral damage doesn't matter. The advantage Storms offers battle magic that's powerful (especially against the Darkness and the Tears), but rather indiscriminate, and can hurt the caster and innocents as it demolishes the darkness. Storms' signature emotions are Rage and Hatred. Eg: Tsubasa Kazanari from Syymphogear (early episodes). The Invocation here is Tempesta whose element is Acid.
- Mirrors's philosophy is a mix of vanity and predestination, which appeals to younger Princesses and Princesses looking for a life free of hardship. It follows the example of the Mary Sue: You are perfect. You are the One True Heir of Mirrors, and whatever you do is right, because it's you doing it. Never compromise, because that means breaking your perfection. Always stick to your ideals, no matter how unrealistic those might be. The advantage Mirrors grants is ability to prophecy and to stay transformed indefinitely. The Mirrors Invocation is Specchio whose element is Light.
- Clans are Callings, there is no equivalent of Caitiff with regards to Callings. The Callings are these:
- Champions: Heroes who stand up for those weaker than themselves. They have an affinity for Combat charms.
- Graces: The leaders, messengers, and therapists. Graces help people to confront their fears and doubts, making them better able to serve the light.
- Menders: Healers who tend to people who suffer both spiritually and physically.
- Seekers: Scientists, detectives, and others driven to discover the truth.
- Troubadours: The artists and performers.
- Blood Potency is Inner Light
- Humanity is Belief
- Blood is Wisps (emotional potence, fuel for the soul-gem, etc)
Mechanically it is the bastard child of Exalted 2E and nWoD. Nobles (catchall name for Princesses, Princes and all the Light users) have Practical Magic which is a somewhat less broken version of Exalted's Excellencies. Basically every Court has their own idea of what's best for humanity and acting within that purview gives you extra dice based on your Invocation score. Nobles mainly use magic in the form of Charms (yeah) which like Exalted can be both hilariously broken or brokenly hilarious. A possible build has a Princess who has no other overt magical powers besides her carrying a bolt pistol, a chainsword and wearing power armour. Made of Love.
Links
- Princess:the Hopeful sourcebook in ePub and pdf
- Princess:the Hopeful wiki
- Mr. Gone's character sheets scroll down to find the Princess interactive pdfs