Sorry for the time in between these, but brushing up on my D&D took time, not to mention exams. Hopefully the next update will come much more quickly. Also, I think I improved on my writing style this time. I'm trying to not destroy the world today, so let's repeat. This is a work of fiction, all relations to current people, events, etc. is completely coincidental... Also I do not own Haruhi.
Chapter 2:
After the horrifying announcement made by Koizumi, I quickly attempted to protest, but Haruhi shot my protests down with a glare.
"Um... how do you play this?" Asahina asked shyly.
"I believe each person makes their own character and follows an adventure that one person creates." explained Koizumi.
"As Brigade Captain, I'll be making this adventure!" declared Haruhi.
"No way! I can just imagine her making some senseless campaign just like she did with the movie!"
"Thank you, but creating this adventure will take a while. Wouldn't you rather play a character while I create it instead?"
"Oh yeah, good call. That's just what I expect from my subordinate!"
With that baffling exchange completed, we began to make characters. I had just chosen a name for my character when someone entered the clubroom.
"Hi, guys! ... Oh, you're playing that game, nyoro~n? Can I join in too?" asked the excitable Tsuruya-san.
"An excellent idea." Koizumi declared.
Meanwhile, I turned around to look at my character sheet and found Haruhi had grabbed it from behind my back.
"Hey, give that back!"
"What kind of name is this?! Kyon will do fine."
I sighed. "So even in a game I can't escape that childish nickname?"
Eventually each of us had created something resembling a character sheet. Nagato was the first to finish, writing on the sheets that Koizumi provided with amazing speed. Although she must have had alien inspiration from that Data Integration Thought Entity, where do aliens get the knowledge on how to play this game?
I finished some time after Nagato, since I had some knowledge of the game myself. After remembering what each class did, I wrote down 'Fighter'.
"Huh. This game is coming back to me quicker than I thought. I guess I had never really forgotten it, although I dropped it so quickly when Sasaki learned that I played it…"
It had been a hot day near the end of my last year in middle school. Sasaki, that girl that earned me my unappealing reputation, spoke to me as she did most days.
"So, Kyon, what are the activities that you are planning over the summer break?" she asked me.
I explained to her some of my activities. I finally reached playing fantasy games, and got a predictable reaction.
"You would play a fictional game?"
"Well, yeah… Those games are fun, aren't they?"
"A person's interests tell a lot about them. If you play such games in your spare time, you would have to be such a bored person to seek escape into a escapist world. The point of any of these activities is to allow a person to create a new life for himself that is more entertaining than his real life. If philosophers are correct and your perceptions influence reality, a person who makes a new world for himself is trying to reverse this idea and influence his perceptions with a new reality. I didn't think you were that sort of person."
"I didn't catch most of that…" I thought at the time, but I recognized her tone of disapproval. I made some excuse that I was only thinking of starting the games that summer, and she seemed to believe me. After that, I stopped coming to the games with Taniguchi and Kunikida and all those others who I cannot remember right now.
While I was thinking about such nostalgic things, I realized that Tsuruya-san had also finished her character sheet. Haruhi was talking to Koizumi about something in the corner while he was leafing through one of my books, nodding in that annoyingly agreeable manner he has. Asahina-san was looking at her sheet in a panic that just made her look even cuter than she is normally in her maid's outfit. I walked over to look, and saw that she had covered her paper with erased spots, so that there was very little clean space on the sheet.
I helped Asahina-san decide on a class, suggesting the cleric as a more gentle option. When I asked her what weapon she would choose, though, she became nervous again.
"Ah- a weapon? I'm really not good at that kind of thing…" she said softly.
"I understand what you mean, and you using a weapon is a laughable idea! But you need something, right?"
We compromised on a quarterstaff, which I assured her was not normally used for fighting. I walked away quickly before the stunning image of Asahina-san in the miko costume she wore at the end of last summer appeared before me. Meanwhile, Haruhi appeared to have finished her sheet as well, so I walked over to look as Asahina-san attempted to understand the cleric spell list.
Looking at Haruhi's character sheet, I saw she had chosen some bizarre combination, and decided to wait for Koizumi after the SOS Brigade had been dismissed and ask him about it. I checked the time.
"We spent that long just making these sheets? Mom is going to kill me! And I have all this homework to do over the weekend!"
Asahina-san was still working on her sheet, and Koizumi had a mass of papers in front of him trying to design a campaign that would placate our leader.
"This could take another hour at least!"
When I explained my concerns to Haruhi, she acted dismissive. "Kyon, you're not much of a Brigade member if you can't spend a lot of time here."
"So I'm obligated to stay here for hours just on your whim?"
"That's right. Oh, fine. You can all go home now. But make sure you're ready to stay until the end next time, or there'll be a penalty!"
Moments later, I asked Koizumi about Haruhi's strange choice while we were leaving the clubroom. "Hey, what's this? 0th level Rogue / 0th level Sorcerer?"
"Oh, yes. Suzumiya-san seemed to be having problems deciding between two classes. It seems as though a 1st level character can choose two classes at the same time and be apprentices at both at the same time. She seemed delighted to take the suggestion."
"All right, fine, but why are you doing this?"
"Well, that may take a while to explain. If you'll walk with me while we leave I can explain it to you."
So I followed him on the way out. "Don't stand so close to me."
He laughed in that irritating way and began to explain. "You see, it is a theory among some factions of our organization that Suzumiya-san's powers can be limited more easily if she is permitted minor uses of her power. Of course, as you well know from the movie incident, she often makes minor things happen on her own whim, though sometimes they can become dangerous."
"However, preventing her from using her power may cause a dangerous build-up of energies. We believe that the chances of her discovering the exact nature of her powers becomes greater if she has more of an urge to use them."
"You know how I feel about that. You espers should just tell Haruhi what her powers are." I said.
"Maybe so. But this kind of game where Suzumiya-san plays as a character in a fantasy universe is likely to cause her to more readily recognize the difference between reality and fiction."
"But in the movie she only got worse!"
"That is true, but Suzumiya-san's powers aren't always simple. During that movie she was not a character. The reason Asahina-san obtained such a power then was because of Suzumiya-san's role as director. Her feeling that she was an observer and creator of the situation was what allowed her powers to become manifest. As a participant in this game Suzumiya-san will not see the need to manipulate reality. At least, that's what we espers hope. And this will weaken her responses so that she will never realize the power she possesses. Then she can live a calm, peaceful life."
"Is this what I would want? To have powers and never know about them, letting my friends put themselves in danger to protect me, and to trade an exciting life for a predictable one?"
"Well, that's all of it. I hope you will consider my position more in the future." Koizumi said, leaving.
I walked home, awaiting some kind of punishment but more dreading the ordeal of the next SOS Brigade meeting. Ordinarily I would savor the weekend, but Haruhi wanted a special meeting tomorrow to start playing the game.
"Sigh... I never get a break."
First off, feel free to comment on any of this or make suggestions. Now, for the side material. Another major part of this chapter is each player's character sheet. Note that stats such as personality, appearance, age, height, and so forth are identical to the actual person's. Also note that all stats were randomly generated using 6 rolls of 4d6, discarding the lowest, and assigning the sums among each stat by choice.
Name: Kyon
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class / Level: 1st Level Fighter
Strength: 17 +3
Dexterity: 14 +2
Constitution 16 +3
Intelligence 11 +0
Wisdom 11 +0
Charisma 11 +0
HP: 9 = 6 + 3
Total Base Stat Feat
Attack Bonus: +4 = +1 + +3 + +0
Fort Save: +5 = +2 + +3 + +0
Reflex Save: +2 = +0 + +2 + +0
Will Save: +2 = +0 + +0 + +2
Skills:
Jump: 4
Climb: 4
Ride (Horse): 4
Feats:
All Armor Proficiencies, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, Power Attack, Cleave, Iron Will
Equipment:
Weapons: Halberd Damage 1d10 Crit: 20/x3 Weight: 15lb Size: Large Type: Piercing/Slashing
Armor: Scale Mail: AC: +4 Max Dex: +3 Armor Check Penalty: -4 Spell Failure: 25% Weight: 30lbs Size: Medium
Equipment: Silver Dagger, Sunrod, Silk Rope, 10gp
Speed 20ft
Name: Mikuru Asahina
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good
Class / Level: 1st Level Cleric
Strength 13 +1
Dexterity 11 +0
Constitution 14 +2
Intelligence 11 +0
Wisdom 15 +2
Charisma 14 +2
HP: 9 = 7 + 2
Total Base Stat Feat
Attack Bonus: +1 = +0 + +1 + +0
Fort Save: +4 = +2 + +2 + +0
Ref Save: +0 = +0 + +0 + +0
Will Save: +4 = +2 + +2 + +0
Domains: Good, Law
Skills:
Heal: 4
Spot: 2
Concentration: 4
Feats: Simple Weapon Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, All Armor Proficiencies, Improved Initiative, Combat Casting
Spells Per Day: 0: 3 1: 3 2: 1
Equipment:
One Hand: Quarterstaff Damage: 1d6/1d6 Crit: 20/x2 Weight: 4lb Size: Large Type: Bludgeoning
Other: Buckler AC: +1 Armor Check: -1 Spell Failure: 5% Weight: 5lb
Armor: Leather Armor AC: +2 Max Dex: +6 Armor Check: 0 Spell Failure: 10% Weight: 15lb Type: Light Armor
Gear: Vial of Holy Water, Silver Holy Symbol, Small Steel Mirror, 10gp
Spd 30 ft
Name: Nagato Yuki
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Class / Level: 1st Level Wizard
Strength: 10 +0
Dexterity: 15 +2
Constitution: 12 +1
Intelligence; 16 +3
Wisdom: 10 +0
Charisma: 11 +0
HP: 3 = 2 + 1
Total Base Stat Feat
Attack Bonus: +0 = +0 + +0 + +0
Fort Save: +1 = +0 + +1 + +0
Ref Save: +2 = +0 + +2 + +0
Will Save: +2 = +2 + +0 + +0
Specialized School: Conjuration
Prohibited School: Transmutation
Skills:
Concentration: 4
Spellcraft: 4
Spot: 2
Search: 2
Alchemy: 4
Forgery: 1
Appraise: 1
Feats: Spell Focus(Evocation), Combat Casting
Spells Per Day: 0: 3 1: 2 2: 1 3: 1 Conjuration: 1
Spellbook: All 0th Level Spells, Summon Monster I, Comprehend Languages, Sleep, Magic Missile, Mage Armor, Shield
Equipment:
Weapon: Quarterstaff (See Mikuru Asahina)
Equipment: Spellbook, Component Pouch, 5 Pieces of Parchment, Vial of Ink, Inkpen, Backpack, Waterskin, 2 Days Ration, 2 Vial of Alchemist's Fire, Vial of Acid, 7gp
Spd 30ft
Familiar: Cat (Night-Vision, +2 Move Silently)
HP: 1
Name: Tsuruya
Race; Human
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class / Level: 1st Level Druid
Strength: 13 +1
Dexterity: 13 +1
Constitution: 13 +1
Intelligence: 10 +0
Wisdom: 17 +3
Charisma: 8 -1
HP: 7 = 6 + 1
Total Base Stat Feat
Attack Bonus: +1 = +0 + +1 + +0
Fort Save: +3 = +2 + +1 + +0
Ref Save: +1 = +0 + +1 + +0
Will Save: +5 = +2 + +3 + +0
Skills:
Animal Empathy: 4
Concentration: 4
Handle Animal: 4
Heal: 4
Wilderness Lore: 4
Feats: Light/Medium Armor Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, Track, Dodge
Spells Per Day: 0: 3 1: 2 2: 1 3: 1
Equipment:
Weapon: Scimitar Damage: 1d6 Crit: 18-20/x2 Weight: 4lb Size: Medium Type: Slashing
Armor: Hide AC: +3 Max Dex: +4 Armor Check: -3 Spell Failure: 20% Size: Medium Armor Weight: 25lb
Other Hand: Large Wooden Shield AC: +2 Armor Check: -2 Spell Failure: 15% Weight: 10lb
Equipment: Holly + Mistletoe, 5gp
Spd 20 ft
Animal Companion: None yet.
Name: Haruhi Suzumiya
Race: Human
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class / Level: 0th Level Rogue/ / 0th Level Sorceror
Strength: 15 +2
Dexterity: 16 +3
Constitution 14 +2
Intelligence 16 +3
Wisdom 5 -3
Charisma 8 -1
HP: 5 = 3 + 2
Total Base Stat Feat
Attack Bonus: +2 = +0 + +2 + +0
Fort Save: +2 = +0 + +2 + +0
Ref Save: +6 = +1 + +3 + +2
Will Save: -1 = +1 + -3 + +2
Skills:
Use Magic Device: 4
Spot: 4
Search: 4
Sense Motive: 4
Open Lock: 4
Appraise: 4
Balance: 4
Bluff: 4
Climb: 4
Decipher Script: 4
Disable Device: 4
Read Lips: 4
Feats: Light Armor Proficiency, Combat Reflexes, Iron Will
Spells Per Day: 0: 4 1: 3 2: 1 3: 1
Known Spells: Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Disrupt Undead, Daze, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
Equipment:
Weapon: Rapier Damage: 1d6 Crit: 18-20/x2 Weight: 3lb Size: Medium Type: Piercing
In Pack: Light Crossbow Damage: 1d8 Crit: 19-20/x2 Range: 80ft Weight: 6lb Size: Small Type: Piercing
Equipment: Thieves' Tool, 6-Days Rations, Signet Ring (SOS Brigade Logo), 20gp
Spd 30ft