#Design Notes

Contents

Canon — fc01 design principles. When interpreting rules, take the principles of this document as the primary basis for judgment. Gray zones where an individual rule is silent are filled with the principles here.

#Principle 1 — Class × Divinity Orthogonality (Orthogonality)

Divinity is a separate axis laid over the structure of class and dan. They do not replace each other.

Class · dan = "what that figure knows how to do" (personality, ability, social role).
Divinity = "what area that figure holds as a god" (authority, domain, ritual standing).

Therefore:

A 1-dan Commoner can also be granted Divinity 1 (Lesser God).
A 10-dan arahitogami can be granted Divinity 5 (Imperial God).
The Divinity rank does not press the class's dan down as a ceiling — and vice versa.

#Why It Was Designed This Way

A god is not "an extension of a strong human." The kitchen god is a kitchen god even if it cannot fight, and Amaterasu is the sun even if she never learns swordsmanship. Mixing attributes and divinity on the same axis breeds a mistaken intuition like "high Divinity means strong in combat too." So we separate the two axes.

#Principle 2 — Separation of Need (Separation of Need)

The main channel by which a god acts in the game is the arahitogami / Tatarigami classes of co. Divinity is used only when that channel is excessive or insufficient.

Situation	Expression
A PC plays a god	Arahitogami · Tatarigami (class)
A main NPC god as a moving agent	Arahitogami · Tatarigami + (if needed) Divinity
A supporting or symbolic god	Any class + Divinity
A Commoner old woman who is actually an ujigami	Commoner + Lesser/Minor God
A fragment of a god dwelling in a samurai	Samurai + Middle God (domain-restricted)
A god that functions as terrain or scenery	Class omitted + Divinity recorded only

#Why It Was Designed This Way

The reason for making this supplement is to fill the "corners the main edition does not cover." It does not rebuild the areas the main edition handles well (playing a leading god, a PC's rise in divine rank). When two systems exist for the same task, a conflict will inevitably arise somewhere.

#Principle 3 — No Omnipotence (No Omnipotence)

However high the Divinity, a god does not become omnipotent. It merely becomes more certain within its domain.

Divinity 1 (Lesser God): 0–1 domains. Extremely narrow authority.
Divinity 5 (Imperial God): 4–5 domains. Still only up to 5.
Outside the domain, the ordinary character sheet stays as is. No Divinity bonus.

#Why It Was Designed This Way

The gods of Japanese mythology have clear "things they do well" and "things they do not." Izanagi fails in trying to bring his wife back from Yomi. Susanoo is expelled from Takamagahara for his violence. Okuninushi is killed many times by his many brothers. Their stories are moving because of their limits. An omnipotent god generates no narrative.

D&D's Divine Rank and Pathfinder's Mythic Rank flow in the direction of "gradually being able to do anything" as the value rises. These rules deliberately avoid that road. What high Divinity grants is "perfect success at what one can do," not "expansion of what one can do."

#Distance from Reference Comparisons

Reference	Point taken	Point departed from
D&D Divine Rank	Ranking of divinity · the domain concept	21-tier complication · large increase in combat-power scale — not adopted
Pathfinder Mythic Rank	Short tier count (10) composition	Mythic Path · alternate-roll system — not adopted
Shinto · Kiki mythology	Clarification of domains · narrative of limits	Literary staging only — mechanics are designed in-house

#Principle 4 — A Domain Is "One Noun Phrase" (Domain as Phrase)

Each domain is written as one concrete noun phrase.

Good: "the sun," "storm," "grain," "the sea," "war · archery"
Bad: "nature," "life," "good," "the power to win"

#Why It Was Designed This Way

An abstract domain ("love") is easy to slip into any check. A concrete domain ("delivering lovers' letters") makes the usable scenes clear, so both the GM and the player can immediately judge when to apply it. The narrower, the stronger; the narrower, the fairer.

#Principle 5 — Shrine and Rite Are the Axis of Return (Shrine as Reset)

Divine Authority, once depleted, is restored by a rite at a shrine. It is not an authority that triggers infinitely in the thick of combat.

Lesser/Minor God: daily-cycle recovery (a small daily offering).
Middle God: weekly/monthly cycle.
Great God: a great festival on a seasonal cycle.
Imperial God: a main festival on an annual cycle.

#Why It Was Designed This Way

A Shinto god exerts power only while it is enshrined. When the shrine collapses and people forget, the Divinity drops. Conversely, when the rite is grand, the same god momentarily grows stronger. Simplifying this rhythm to fit game time is the depletion-and-return mechanic.

This rhythm also becomes a campaign hook. If a hostile force destroys the shrine, the god weakens. If a shrine fallen to ruin is restored, a forgotten god returns. Shrine = politics is naturally laid down.

#Principle 6 — Separating Data and Scenario

A being that cannot be run with a single stat block is not put in this supplement. The results of this principle:

The major gods of Japanese mythology — included. Summarized into one data card.
Outside deities (Zeus, Odin, Cthulhu, etc.) — included, but as narrow entries.
Mythic-class yoma (Jormungandr, Yamata no Orochi, etc.) — not included. These are beings that can be handled only when "stat block + scenario design + environmental rules" form a single lump. They will be handled in the future in a separate fcNN scenario focus.

#Outside the Area Where This Supplement Operates

When the main edition must be fixed via mechanics → raise it as a co revision proposal.
When building a large-scale campaign arc → open a new exN.
When alternate classes or alternate schools are needed → layer onto ex2.
When building a raid session for a mythic-class yoma → plan a separate fcNN scenario pack.

#One-Sentence Summary

"A god is a god only within its own domain" — this single principle compresses every rule of this supplement.