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Well then consider it like this. All Shinigami are trained in combat. Literally all of them can fight to some degree. The difference between Squad 3 and the others however is they are often called to make first contact.

If in fact a diplomatic mission were to break down they'd be able to hold their own but it's likely they'd call for backup in the interest of retreating with minimum casualties. It's also likely that unless you were trying to prove a point you'd bring along perhaps another squadron.

So basically the difference between being Squad 3 and not when it comes to diplomatic missions is that your character may be expected to handle diplomatic channels whereas otherwise you might simply be an escort however Squad 3 members can protect themselves and should be not only able to escape from a dangerous situation but also attempt to dissolve a situation non violently though this may not always be possible.

Also, will the quincy and arrancar have similar organized groups? You would think that after all this time that they would.

Thanks for your questions!

We're not going to have levels because we go by what's called the Milestone system. Basically, if something cool happens to your character that justifies some form of advancement, then you'll advance. The magnitude of the cool thing will determine just how big a change it is. It's a pretty easy system to work with, but expect a thread on the details of it soon.

Defined leadership isn't much of a necessity in most RP situations. Usually you'll be working together with people to solve problems rather than declaring who should be doing what. If I had to answer the question directly, I'd say leadership is de facto. If I had to answer the question honestly, Radio Control is in charge, since that's who you're getting your mission info and objectives from, but it's full of NPCs and is thereby completely unimportant to you as a player.

While Westboro is a good example of modern day zealotry, we're going more for a 'Crusades' kind of feel. See, we've got 13 gods, each of which have unique features. People in this squad try to exemplify the traits of their god or goddess of choice both in and out of combat. I mean, you're not going to see Squad 13 people picketing funerals or something.

We're doing something called the 'Cycle of Souls' approach to old characters. Since they'd have had a millenia of training and such, most of the old characters will be so powerful as to be unplayable. The Cycle of Souls says, basically, that when a soul passes away, eventually it will move through the system and return to its origin. An old shinigami would CoS into beginner shinigami, but would have the same potential abilities minus the memory. In other words, yes we're starting at ground zero, but no you don't have to think up a new character.



Squad hopping is going to be much less of a big deal under this system, so feel free to jump around a bit until you find a classification that fits you best.

Well then squad 9 here I come ... I just have to wait on that profile format.

While I understand wanting to have a cleric in the party, that is squad 4's job. I do not see what place a religious division has in a military organization, much less why you need to create additional gods and create something this far off from cannon.

I think the idea of taking the emphasis off squads and shifting it onto characters was so that people could form lasting bonds with other characters and not just with their squads.

Not to try and presume anything, but I think this system is particularly great for making character bonds in a sort of 'party' sense. If you think about it like DnD or a final fantasy game, then you can pick and chose members from different 'squads' to make a classic party to adventure with. Like squad four trains clerics, squad eleven trains the fighters and barbarians, so on and so forth. So you're 'squad' isn't what's terribly important here for much else than flavoring, or specialization. Don't worry though! I think you'll get the close character bonds and loyalty to squadmates you're looking for in the end. Just perhaps not from where you'd expect it.

Precisely because there are differences you may be put on missions with people from different Squads. They involve different skillsets.

That said we'll try not to put a person with two characters who are played by the same individual into a single team.

You can have two characters though. Just be wary that we will focus on your first character over your second when it comes to handing out missions and you may be passed over on your second character if another primary character is in need.