A little more help, please? Modelling Zanpakuto.

[Raekai]

It's me again. Haha.

This time I'm wondering how to model the basics of Zanpakuto from Bleach.

I'm thinking it would be treated as an Ally. It's a sentient magical weapon. The problem is how it uses its attacks. Rather than defining them as innate attacks for the users, could the Zanpakuto have innate attacks that it can use? This seems more canon anyway. It's not exactly the wielder doing it, but the Zanpakuto. The wielder must call out it's name and a command, etc. to use it.

Honestly? I'm going for the cheapest route possible. However, it also makes sense since Zanpakuto are sentient and have "moods".

[Anaraxes]

If it's sentient and acts on its own -- under control of the GM, mind! -- it's an Ally. If it's an object that gives the owner some ability, it's a Gadget.

Allies can also grant power to their PC; see the "Granted By Familiar" limitation.

[lexington]

To replicate the backstory of Bleach buy them as powerful Allies.
To replicate the style of Bleach build each them a suite of abilities with -5% for "Granted by Zanpakuto" to represent the rare occasions they refuse to work or will only work at partial power. Gadget limitations would make sense as well, I know they break occasionally and disarming should at least be possible.

[Refplace]

They are defiantely allies.
In part of the series they even have a rebellion.
Thaumatology has a nice section on gadgets as allies.
though since many of them can move around on thier own some wont have the variant sessile disadvantage. Heck a few even have arms.
Bleech has a lot of Shamanic metaphors and roots.

[William]

99% of the time, the zanpakuto is merely a weapon which gives its user their shikai and bankai abilities (and don't forget konso!). Its apparent sentience -- probably just a projection of the user's psyche -- tends to manifest only at important junctures in the user's growth, or for plot purposes. Only once outside of the acquisition of shikai, bankai, or whatever Ichigo's last power is, and the plot arc with the zanpakuto spirits, did we ever see one speak (Zabimaru showed up and talked with Renji while he was unconscious).

That said, Kubo Tite said he'd have liked to have done zanpakuto spirits as a more regular part of Bleach. More active conversations and independent actions could develop that vision.

[zoncxs]

named possession perk grants that article the potential for gaining
special abilities. since we are talking about Zanpakto's its safe to say that the player must have gone threw training to obtain it, so the player learned the name and the weapons first power.

normally each point you earn your weapon earns. and it can be converted into 25pts worth of enchantments. but that's not how zanpakto's work. I would first let the players determine what the basic power of their weapon be (or let them make it using 25pts - 50pts, depending on what I want to run). that is the power the weapon has when the player first learns the name. after that the player must use the weapon (train with it etc) to make them both strong enough to unleash bankai.

so for 1pt the player can have a named sword (but still needs to pay for the weapon! using signature gear would be best)

[lexington]

Originally Posted by zoncxs

so for 1pt the player can have a named sword (but still needs to pay for the weapon! using signature gear would be best)

I would not have characters pay for Zanpakutos. The swords are literally a part of them and each is unique. They're not on the market in the setting.

[JCurwen3]

The zanpakuto are sentient, but they're also described as being sentient parts of the soul of the wielder. In many ways they are you... which is why they mostly don't rebel. But, sometimes, parts of you can rebel; that's why people can feel inner conflict, meaningfully say things like "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (I find that's usually a cop out and that the flesh is fine and it's the spirit that's really lacking, but still), and do things they regret even whilst doing them. The arc where they rebelled (although not strictly speaking canon in the sense of being included in the manga nor ever referenced again in the anime) does not necessarily contradict this idea about them.

That having been said, the zanpakuto are all so different, that I honestly think that some of them work best built as Gadgets, others as named weapons, others as Allies or even Patrons, and some... with Imbuements. Probably a great deal of what they do and are work best with Imbuements, actually. Not truly within the Powers system of GURPS, but still, they serve a role in cases like these.

Just think of the vast differences in how Aizen's, Ichigo's, and Kamamura's zanpakuto abilities function (let alone all the others). I'm really not convinced there's a one-size-fits-all answer that works best for all of them. If forced to pick one at gun point, I'd try to make it work basing them on Gadgets; possibly with Unreliable or something that potentially requires a reaction roll.

[zoncxs]

I now want to write up my zanpakto using gurps lol. but yeah, how about a weapon that you then write up as an ally? all the powers they grant would be afflictions only for you. tag on the cost of the weapon using sig gear and BAM, zanpakto. so:

cost of katana = $650 = 2pts

cost of ally = less than 40pts

so you got 42pts TOPS (depending on the level you are going for, at the begining of bleach I say he had only 6pts for the zanpakto and did not have the named possesion perk. which I would require to make the weapon stronger).

not only that, but once this is done I would then hand wave the maximum amount of damage the weapon can do (so if I have ST 200 I can hit with that much and not have to worry about max damage and things)

[Raekai]

Originally Posted by zoncxs

I now want to write up my zanpakto using gurps lol. but yeah, how about a weapon that you then write up as an ally? all the powers they grant would be afflictions only for you. tag on the cost of the weapon using sig gear and BAM, zanpakto. so:

cost of katana = $650 = 2pts

cost of ally = less than 40pts

so you got 42pts TOPS (depending on the level you are going for, at the begining of bleach I say he had only 6pts for the zanpakto and did not have the named possesion perk. which I would require to make the weapon stronger).

not only that, but once this is done I would then hand wave the maximum amount of damage the weapon can do (so if I have ST 200 I can hit with that much and not have to worry about max damage and things)

Wait, wait, wait. When would you EVER have to PAY 40 points for an Ally? Are you saying the ally itself would be around that much?