u/WillingLet3956

Somewhere recently I stumbled across somebody opining that in the manga, we basically see Ranma start out as having a cantankerous but ultimately respectful relationship with Genma as his father and his sensei, but over the course of the series, he basically stops feeling this way. The specific example I remember them citing was the "Wrath of Happosai" sub-arc, where Ranma's first thought is to turn to Genma for help in taking down Happosai after his thefts threaten to bring disgrace to the Tendos and Saotomes - but Genma ultimately refuses to back Ranma up, and that this results in Ranma basically never turning to Genma for help again, or at least not after the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion arc.

I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw this opinion or the full details, but I do find myself torn on the topic. On the one hand, I can absolutely believe that we should see Ranma lose respect for Genma in the manga - there are so many bad things Genma does to Ranma that I could make a list. On the other hand... I cannot actually say if I recall Ranma actively expressing anything approaching contempt for Genma in the manga; it IS, after all, supposed to be a fairly light-hearted comedy series, so while Ranma growing disillusioned with Genma would be realistic, it's also a lot grimmer and darker than Ranma 1/2 generally goes for.

So what do you think? Does Ranma lose respect for Genma over the course of the manga, or does he just laugh it all off?

The Incantifier is a 5-level long prestige class originating in Dragon #339, which was created to allow for PCs or NPCs who belonged to the Incanterium - a historical Planescape faction that believed arcane magic was the ultimate source of power and which devoted itself to magic's mastery, until some unknown catastrophe warped them into strange, quasi-immortal magic-eaters. It grants characters the following traits:
* 2 free metamagic feats (2nd and 4th levels).
* Spell Resistance (20 + Incantifier level) and the ability to use either Spell Eater or Spell Leech if the SR check is successful.
* Spellcasting: +1 level of existing arcane class (1st, 3rd, and 5th level).
* "Arcane Body" at 1st level (immune to aging/no natural lifespan limit, immune to hunger, thirst & fatigue, but cannot heal except by using Spell Eater).
* "Spell Eater" at 1st level (heal 1d4 hit points per resisted spell's level) and "Spell Eater II" (consume single-use magic items and magic item charges to heal as per Spell Eater) at 3rd level.
* "Spell Leech" at 1st level (recover 1 expended spell of equal or lower spell level to resisted spell) and "Spell Leech II" (drain charges from staves and wands to replenish expended spells) at 5th level.

All in all, this isn't a bad PrC and it does pay considerable homage to the original Incantifer monster. I'm just wondering if maybe there's an area or two that could stand to be strengthened? Primarily, I'm wondering if only +3 spellcasting levels and 2 metamagic feats makes sense, and if maybe the Spell Resistance trait shouldn't be stronger - in 2nd edition, Incantifers had a base magic resistance of 20% starting at 9th level (the lowest you could be transformed), which improved by +5% per level over 9th, so a 20th level Incantifer would have a 75% Magic Resistance plus the spellcasting abilities of a 20th level Mage or Specialist Wizard, whilst a Wizard 15/Incantifier 5 would only have 25% Spell Resistance and the spellcasting abilities of an 18th level Wizard. I don't know, maybe I"m just thinking about this in the wrong way?

Everybody who's read the manga has seen that scene towards the very end of the Jusendo arc, where Ranma openly says "I love you, Akane" and means it for the first time. Everybody who was there in the 90s also remembers the endless debate on whether or not Ranma actually said the "I love you" part aloud, and by extension how Akane managed to hear him if he didn't say it aloud, given she explains her reason for not fighting the forced wedding ceremony in the epilogue is that she believes Ranma confessed to her. So, which camp are you in?

Honestly, I swear I saw a thread on this very reddit somewhere that had some poster explaining that in the original Japanese, it's actually explicit that only the anguished cry of "Akane!" was said aloud, and likewise that Akane doesn't ask if Ranma said he loved her in that scene prior to the reveal of Soun stealing the Nanniichuan, and that's actually something even Viz didn't quite translate right. But I can't find it for the life of me, so I figured this was a more productive way of tracking down if that's true or not.

We all know that Rumiko Takahashi's original vision for Urusei Yatsura had only two main characters; Ataru Moroboshi and Shinobu Miyake. Then, after intended one-time antagonist Lum proved a smash hit with readers, she was brought back as the series' primary antagonist, only to shift into its third main character (and the replacement leading lady) as she continued steamrolling in popularity. Then Shutaro Mendo was introduced as the 4th main character, acting as a rival to Ataru and a replacement love interest for Shinobu. Once the gang of four is assembled, you rarely see chapters where they don't all appear. But... while she appears much later than even Shutaro, Ryunosuke Fujinami is an extremely prominent character once she does appear. She appears very frequently up until the very final arc of the manga, she has multiple focal stories, and she's one of the characters whose home life we explore the most - we actually see more attention paid to her screwed up family dynamic than we see appearances by Shinobu or Lum's parents. So, would you consider Ryunosuke the 5th main character of the manga?

The Dark Ages adventure anthology "Darkening Skies" has a Dark Ages: Fae adventure called "Accidents and Deliveries". A big part of the adventure is the story that Melusine has been investigating some way to undo the negative effects that happen to a changeling if they are baptized as an infant, before their fae soul manifests, and the crossover hook for werewolves implies that baptism likewise has a serious negative effect on pre-change werewolves as well. The problem is, as far as I can tell, this idea has never been mentioned in either the Dark Age: Fae or the Dark Ages: Werewolf books. Can anyone point me to where the official sources on baptism affecting changelings and werewolves comes from? And what does it actually DO to them, anyway?

One of the more interesting things about Viconia in the original Baldur's Gate trilogy - ignoring what Larian did to her in BG3 - is that she's actually not the best fit for a Sharran Cleric if you're familiar with the tabletop game. And the game actually recognizes this; even her default ending shows that she ultimately comes to cross-purposes with the Cult of Shar, destroying a sect that she herself founded. And that's not even getting into the whole "Viconia can be persuaded to become True Neutral" angle, which would only deepen the divide between them. So, I'm curious; if Viconia did eventually realize that Shar was lying to her and exploiting her - that she was, in effect, unworthy of her faith, just as Lolth had proven before her - what do you think Viconia would do?

Obviously, this would result in Viconia losing her Clerical status and attendant magic. But I don't think Viconia would move on to a new patron deity - not without extraordinary circumstances. She's given herself with true and sincere devotion to two gods now, and both have proven unworthy of her faith. Why would she open her heart to a third? At the same time, after having wielded the powers of a cleric, I don't doubt she'd seek to master another form of mystical power - but this time, one that isn't dependent on subservience to a master. So I could see Viconia turning to arcane magic and becoming a Wizard instead. Or she might be inspired by the example of House Oblodra and turn her thoughts inward until she awakens the power of a Psionicist. Or even both paths. But that's just me.

If we presume the 1st and 2nd chapter of Ranma 1/2 take place about 3-4 weeks into the first semester of the school year, how long would it be until Ranma and Akane experience the first inter-semester break of the year?

Yeah, I know, Ranma 1/2 doesn't have a concrete timeline, but this is a question that's been bugging me, and I figure it's abstract enough it should be plausible to answer it.

I've long opined that the many downsides of the Nekoken make it a poor choice for a technique, despite fanon's seeming obsession with hyping it up, but it suddenly struck me: I'm legitimately not sure what the advantages of using the Nekoken are even supposed to be!

As far as I can make out, the supposed benefits of the Nekoken in the manga are...

1. Superhuman leaping ability... but Ranma can already make super-jumps, so this is not really an upgrade.
2. Unpredictability... I mean, I'd argue becoming as smart as a housecat is more of a downgrade, but I will give it that Ranma certainly can't be predicted while using the Nekoken.
3. Slashy claw fingers... I mean, they're impressive, I guess, but are they really enough to make up for everything else about the technique? Plus, even Kuno showed off a wind thrust projectile attack in his debut arc, so not really that that impressive in comparison...

But I'll admit, I'm biased. Anyone have any opinions on what the strengths or advantages of the Nekoken are that I might have missed?

The battle between Ranma and Ryu Kumon, where Ranma's Umisenken is pitted against Ryu's Yamasenken, is one of the most intense battles against a human opponent in the series. But something that's always stuck out to me is this: outside of the unnamed stealth technique that is the core of the Umisenken, and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist, all of Ranma's Umisenken moves are clearly designed as counters to the Yamasenken techniques he'd seen Ryu use before, and some of them are legitimately not useful outside of that specific role. But then something comes to mind: Genma didn't teach Ranma any of these moves outside of the Stealth Mode and the Venom Fist. Ranma came up with all of these moves himself, clearly building both upon his "lesson" with Genma and his knowledge of the Yamasenken. So, with that in mind... is it possible that Genma has his own arsenal of Umisenken techniques that are completely different to Ranma's?

Ranma 1/2 is a fascinating series, full of hidden reference, sneaky little in-jokes, and just fun details across its multiple incarnations. So I thought maybe folks would be interested in sharing whatever various bits of Ranma 1/2 trivia they're aware of. It could be a sneaky reference in a chapter or episode, or a fun detail about a difference in continuities, anything.

To get us started, I'll share three titbits off the top of my head...

1. In the manga, the formula numbers for Shampoo's memory-erasing and memory-restoring shampoos are #110 and #119, which are the Japanese numbers for the public emergency services and the ambulance plus fire fighters respectively. Viz Media changed these numbers when translating the manga into English, turning them into #411 (public information services) and #911 (emergency services) respectively. Neither version of the animes has their numbers changed from the Japanese originals in their English translations.
2. In the live action film special, the mechanics of Jusenkyo's curse are tweaked slightly. In this continuity, not only is the transformation tied to water, but specifically the water must wet the cursed individual's head. If they can keep their head dry, then the water won't affect them, even if it's the right temperature. This leads to a scene of Ranma sitting in a hot bath as a girl and staying a girl until he ducks his head under the water. This was obviously done for the sake of the director, if not the audience.
3. In the 1989 anime's adaptation of the Waterproof Soap arc, after Ranma and Ryoga first discover Ryoga's apparently having been cured, the English dub changes Ryoga's internal monologue to "We're equals now, he and I... no, I'm even MORE EQUAL than he is!!" This is obviously a reference to George Orwell's anti-Stalinism novel "Animal Farm", where the last editing of the animal commandments by the corrupt pigs is to simplify it into a single law: "All animals are equal - but some are more equal than others". This was obviously inspired by Ryoga's own curse being to transform into a pig.

I recently stumbled across a piece of artwork from an AD&D book - I can't recall what it was, only that it was connected to magic items; it MIGHT have been the Encyclopedia Magica quadrilogy? - that depicted a magical ring which was made from a solid piece of faceted crystal that had been carved into a ring, with an inset band of gold to cushion between the crystal and the finger. I can't remember what the ring was called, either. And, idiot that I am, I didn't save the artwork, and now I can't find it again. Anybody have any ideas what I might be thinking of?

This started as a stray thought and it lodged in my head and I can't dig it out... We're all familiar with the arc in which Akane, in an unusually extreme outburst of temper, calls off her engagement to Ranma and tells him that he should be engaged to Nabiki instead. She soon regrets this of course, and wacky hijinks ensue before we return to the status quo, we all know this. But... like the title says, anyone else ever think that maybe this scenario would have made more sense earlier in the timeline?

Let's look at the facts. What provokes Akane to temporarily annul her and Ranma's engagement? He uses a handmade towel of hers as a cleaning rag, he insults the quality of her stitchwork on said towel, he fumbles an attempt to compliment her by telling her that she looks her best when dressed in her gi, he resentfully half-asses an apology to Akane that the other Tendos basically ordered him to make, and finally, when Akane loses her temper and breaks the 2nd floor balcony they're all standing on, Ranma saves Nabiki instead of Akane. Despite the fact Akane rescued herself just fine and she was scared Nabiki would be hurt.

This isn't no provocation, and I won't say it is. But on the other hand... this is the 39th arc in Ranma 1/2's continuity. By this point, they've been through misadventures with Martial Arts Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Tea Ceremony, Takeout, and Dining. They've been through Shampoo's first appearance in Japan, the Phoenix Pill, the Amazon Love Pills. They've raced for a trip to Jusenkyo at Zekkyo, they've dealt with the Dragon's Whisker and the Gambling King, they've had the Super Soba and Waterproof Soap arcs, and they've stood together against the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion.

So, I don't know, the more I think about it, the more it feels like such a display of insecurity and anger on Akane's part would have been more fitting earlier in the timeline, and that by this time, she should be invested enough in their relationship that she wouldn't ever think of openly rejecting her and Ranma's engagement outside of their usual bickering. We all know that Takahashi largely makes her stories up as she goes along, she's said as much in the 2025 interviews, so that's probably why this arc came so late, but still....

Unlike her prototype Lum, Shampoo was never fortunate enough to amass the popularity power to steal the leading lady's limelight. But we wouldn't be fans if we couldn't dream, so I was curious; how do you think the series would have changed if Shampoo was its female star?

My own 2 dollars on the subject? Well...

I'd have had the changing point be at the Joketsuzoku village of Nyuchiezhu, being that Cologne is actually present, realizes that the Jusenkyo Guide is there, and she clears up Ranma's gender and the appropriate Law he is being held to, instead of having Shampoo basically undermine herself by spending the next week-plus trying to kill Ranma for dishonoring her.

In general, the vibe of Ranma 1/2 shifts to a slightly more serious wuxia-esque adventure based out of China - more very late canon Ranma 1/2 or Inuyasha, not Mao or Mermaid Saga-level grimdark seriousness. Still plenty of comedy, but more focus on action and romance.

I have no idea how I'd justify Ranma staying cursed until at least the final chapter, since Jusenkyo being a curse and Ranma being right there next to it raises so many logical questions. There are methods, they're just not important enough to discuss right now.

Genma is an early series obstacle. He is NOT going to be happy that Ranma is making goo-goo eyes at Shampoo, and even less happy that she is actively reciprocating. On the other hand, Ranma is not going to feel particularly inclined to abandon Shampoo just to meet some random girl because Genma decided he should marry that girl instead; Ranma is both very loyal to people he decides deserves his loyalty, and not a huge fan of being pushed into what to do. Honestly... I can kind of see it building towards Genma foolishly making a "it's her or it's me, boy!" ultimatum, and then having to live with it when Ranma choses Shampoo over him.

Mousse probably becomes Ranma's defacto rival. This is so obvious I don't think we really need to discuss why that is.

Ryoga can still be a recurring rival; we can easily justify him learning a new technique of the week from random sensei (perhaps even rivals or enemies of Cologne) to pose a threat to Ranma. But the P-chan thing really isn't going to work. Honestly, I'd be inclined to give this Ryoga different curse. Maybe his own Nyanniichuan, since Ryoga tries so hard to be "Ranma's true rival" and there's so much irony in that.

Pink & Link could easily become the primary female antagonists, since even the canon manga portrays them as basically Shampoo's version of Ryoga or Tatewaki Kuno. One option to bring back the Love Dodecahedron of canon is that the twins develop a crush on Mousse (or even Ranma!) and thus their rivalry gets a secondary element to it.

Pantyhose Taro and Herb have potential to become recurring "serious" antagonists, and Saffron of course has "endboss" written all over him, but there's certainly a huge amount of space to add all kinds of unique allies, rivalries and enemies, since Ranma will a) be interacting with Shampoo's social group, and b) making his own social group as he integrates.

Ultimately, it's the story of two crazy martial artists falling in love, and dealing with dating and training in the crazy magical backcountry of China.

While fanart of Shampoo is popular and certainly on the rise, it can't go unnoticed that there is sadly a real dearth of fanfiction where our favorite Chinese Amazon manages to achieve her happy ending and wins the hand of our loveably dense main lead, Ranma Saotome. But just because they're rare, doesn't mean they don't exist. So, I thought it might be nice to share any recommendations, links, or other material on the topic here on the Shrine.

The "Arcane Age" sub-setting for the Forgotten Realms introduced the Arcanist and the Dualist, the original forms of wizard before Mystryl's death and the rise of Mystra led to the nerfing of magic. Among the Arcanist's various oddities is that it divides magic into three schools that are very different to the eight schools of magic associated with the traditional D&D wizard, their future descendants. What I'd like to know is if anyone has opinions on how the Arcanist's schools of magic map onto the Wizard's schools?

Whereas the Wizard divides magic into the schools of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy and Transmutation, the Arcanist divides magic into these three schools: Invention (magic able to create or destroy), Mentalism (magic able to affect the mind), and Variation (magic able to alter and transform, including altering/transforming magic itself).

Now, Arcane Age does list the spells for each of the Arcanist's schools, albeit by the fancy renames that each spell got (which makes figuring out what a given spell is a nuisance), but I'd like to know because that would make it easier to port the Arcanist to non-Forgotten Realms settings, as well as to modify the Arcanist's spell list with spells from other books, such as Tome of Magic.

When Domains of Dread introduced the Half-Vistani as a playable race for AD&D 2nd edition, it mentions there are also Elf/Vistani hybrids, called "Giamarga" to the Vistani/Human's' "Giamorgo". However, it also said that players should not be allowed to play them. But, years later, TSR did throw them a bone when it published Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani. In the appendix, it notes that there are half-vistani of elven heritage, and it tells the reader that, with the DM's permission, they may use the Mortu Vistani kit combined with the Half-Elf race, while specificially noting that half-human/half-vistani should use the half-vistani racial writeup from Domains of Dread.

Now, in my opinion, the writeup is a little murky on how the "Vistani Kit" and the Half-Elf actually merge together, and I was wondering if people have their opinions on these slightly abstract rules for Giamarga? Below is my take on the subject, from reading VRGttV and cross-referencing it with both the AD&D 2e PHB and Domains of Dread...

Giamarga
Racial Ability Modifiers: +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, -2 Charisma (the book specifically calls out "half-vistani" getting these modifiers, contrasting the -2 Int of a Mortu Vistani; the Half-Elf has no racial ability modifiers)
Mandatory Ability Scores: 6+ Dexterity, 6+ Constitution, 4+ Intelligence (PHB Half-Elf) or 13+ Dex and 10+ Int (DoD Half-Elf)
Ability Score Maximums: 18 in all scores (PHB Half-Elf)

Available Warrior Classes: Avenger, Fighter, Ranger
Available Priest Classes: Cleric, Druid
Available Wizard Classes: Mage, Specialist Wizard, Psionicist
* Per DoD, a Half-Elf can became a Conjurer, a Diviner, an Enchanter, or an Illusionist. Per VRG, a Half-Vistani can become an Arcanist, Conjurer, Enchanter or Illusionist - or a Diviner, IF they're female. Not sure how to reconcile for a Giamarga.
Available Rogue Classes: Thief, Bard (PHB), That Which Shan't Be Named (DoD)
Level Limits: Unlimited Bard levels, Cleric 14, Druid 9, Fighter 14, Wizard (Any) 12, Ranger 16, Thief 12, Unlimited Psionicist levels.
* DoD doesn't give any race restrictions on how far they can rise in the Avenger or Embarrassment classes.

Racial Bonuses:
* Can identify plants, animals, and pure water, as per Druid.
* No penalties to Fire-building checks for high winds, rainy conditions, or damp fuel, and can automatically start a fire in optimum conditions.
* Only a 5% chance of misinterpreting words in Patterna (the Vistania language) on a failed Int check to decipher it.
* Can find & interpret paaterns (Vistani glyph-language) on a D6 roll of 1-4.
* Can take proficiency in Astrology, regardless of class. A Wizard can take Astrology for only 1 Proficiency Slot.
* 30% Resistance to Sleep & Charm spells.
* Infravision 60 feet.
* Heightened chance to detect secret doors.
* +1 bonus to Fear and Horror checks.
* Select a single Vistani Tribe, and receive a racial bonus based on that tribe, as detailed in VRGttV.

Racial Penalties:
* Cannot Specialize in weapons, even if a Warrior class.
* Cannot have Extraordinary strength.
* Racial level limit for Wizard classes is 10th level.
* If using "pay for training" rules, DOUBLE the costs to train.
* Suffers Moon Madness, as detailed in VRGttV.

One of the subtler differences between the manga and the 1989 anime adaptation is the topic of Cologne & Happosai's ages. Both versions portray them as twists on the "old master" archetype, making them incredibly ancient and yet still incredibly formidable martial artists. Neither version nails down a specific age for the duo - in fact, we don't even know for sure how old Happosai is, other than apparently when he met Cologne, they were both 18 years old, which makes it reasonable that they're around the same age. But the difference is that the manga has Cologne say in her introductory arc that she's over 100 years old. And in the 1989 anime, she instead says that she's over 300 years old. So, I'm curious which age folks prefer for these two killer fossils, and why.

When TSR put out the third and final incarnation of the Ravenloft core setting, "Domains of Dread", they made the decision to start promoting the idea of players playing characters native to the Domains of Dread, whereas the Black and Red Boxes had focused more on players being pulled temporarily from other campaign settings in mid-campaign. As part of this push, they offered four new classes unique to the Ravenloft setting (well, technically five, but the Elementalist had previously appeared in Tome of Magic); the Anchorite, the Arcanist, the Avenger, and the Gypsy. This was apparently well-received by the fans of the setting, who went on to make a number of new Ravenloft-unique classes as well; the Kargatane creating the Artiste, Caretaker and Paragon, while the Lonesome Road created the Inquisitor, Leech, and Numenist.

I'm curious if anyone's out there on this reddit who actually played any of these nine (or ten) classes, and if you did, what were your thoughts on them? Are there any you particularly liked? Heck, are there any you especially disliked?

And if anyone wants me to explain just what these classes actually *were*, particularly the fan-made ones, drop a comment and I'll do my best to summarize.

We admittedly don't visit the Kuno estate much in either continuity, but I'm curious; do people think there are any major differences between the Kuno estate as presented in the manga, and how it's presented in the first anime? A part of me really wants to say that the anime version of the estate is larger, but I'm actually not sure if that's the case - I don't *think* that it being presented as a feudal Japanese castle is unique to the anime, but I don't think I'd be too surprised if it was...

The 1989 anime's third season has a filler episode called "Ghost Story! Ranma and the Magic Sword", where the ultimate final is a clash against Tatewaki Kuno, who has become possessed by a haunted bokuto reputedly carved by Miyamoto Musashi from the oar he used in his legendary duel on Ganryu Island. In the English subtitles track, Kuno refers to his new possession-granted techniques as the "Black Miyamoto Wooden Sword School". I was wondering if anyone knows what he actually calls it in the Japanese audio track? My understanding of Japanese is too limited to pick out the title, or even if he uses said title in the first place. Also, when Kuno calls it the "Black" school, does he mean that literally, as in the color, or is this a translation choice on the subbers' part, akin to how the "Evil" type in Pokemon became the "Dark" type in the English-speaking world?