Alita Battle Angel Powered by Fate

Angel of the Scrapyard

This isn’t intended to be a full conversion of a property like Nausicaa or Mage. No, this is mainly just me getting hyped about the upcoming live action movie!

I’ve been an Alita fan since the late ’90’s when I stumbled upon the American style single issues comic versions of the original Alita Manga put out by Dark Horse. The art was visceral with a graphic splatterpunk ascetic. The characters tipped between absurd to empathetic in a setting that was pretty bonkers if you thought about it too hard.

The most insane element of the work, however, is that it’s still actively in print! Nearly 30 years of continuous publication in Japan.

Re-reading it as more of a writer makes the series even more impressive. Multiple series, uncounted story arcs, huge changes in Alita’s character, and even long digressions into back story that don’t involve the titular character. Even with all that Alita is still Alita and is still a likable character struggling with identity, meaning, and the machinations of the powerful forces arrayed around her.

With all that in mind I got it into my head to try to make Alita using the Venture City super power system for Fate Core. My initial scratch at the itch was to try it with Mutants and Masterminds but I felt that system had too much detail to do what I wanted in the time I had available to me.

Also, if you can’t tell, I loves me some Fate!

What follows is a starting level Venture City version of Alita using her Berserker Body stage as a template. This is after her first story but before Motorball. This is an Alita who has found a purpose, has begun to make lifelong friends outside of Ito, and is expressing her individual identity.

I’m also reasonably sure this version will probably be close to the one in the live action film.

She is a martial combat bad ass who can handler herself against some of the most terrifying creations Desty Nova’s meddling could lose upon the scrapyard.

Alita (Venture City) Build:

Aspects: Registered Hunter-Warrior, Meister of Panzer Kunst, Angel of the Scrapyard, Berserker Body

Trouble: Blank Slate

Skills: Fight +4, Athletics +3, Physique +3, Empathy+2, Rapport +2, Notice +2

Stunts:

• Hertza Haeon – With a simple touch Alita creates a deadly vibration wave inside a target’s body. Once per scene, on a successful melee attack, spend a fate point to ignore a target’s Armor.

Berserker Body: Alita’s body is an advanced artificial organism run by her living brain.

• It is fast, resilient, and able to channel plasma to devastating effect. This plasma is incredibly short range forcing Alita to be up close and personal with any threat she goes up against.
• Alita has Athletics +5 when moving quickly which also means that her initiative is +5 while moving. If she gets enough room to build up speed she can also run across water and up vertical surfaces.
• She has Fight +6 while brawling unarmed in close quarters thanks to the Plasma Jets that she can generate from her fingertips.
• If she succeeds with style while moving quickly, or Fighting, she can immediately move up to 2 zones or recover all physical stress.
• Her body is tough granting her Armor:2.
• She’s devastatingly effective against organic opponents and she can instantly take out any unnamed NPC, or create a Mild Consequence on a named NPC, if she inflicts a situational aspect like covered in gore to herself or the scene.

Stress Tracks and Consequences:

• Physical Stress: [1][2][3][4]
• Mental Stress: [1][2]
• Consequences: Mild [2]; Moderate [4]; Severe [6]

Refresh: 3

Power Breakdown: Berserker Body (Cost: 5 Refresh)

• Basic Super Speed (+2 Athletics when moving quickly; water running)
  • Improved Reaction Time (Athletics for initiative)
  • Basic Super Toughness (Armor: 2)
  • Basic Natural Weapon (Plasma Jets; Gain +2 to Fight while brawling unarmed in close quarters)
• Theme: Technology (can’t be power nullified)
  • Intense Training: Fight (use special effects with Fight)
• Special Effects: Extra Movement, Physical Recovery
• Drawback: Only good up close
• Collateral Damage: Eviscerate
• Total Cost: 5

Links

Want more Alita goodness?

• Read all the Manga, which are still actively being released!
• Watch the old ’90’s Anime
• Don’t forget to dig through the Alita Wiki!
• Get the Live Action Movie on Blu Ray or Digital!

Updates:

• (1/31/19) Realized I got the refresh and stunt totals wrong so I added a Hertza Haeon stunt and upped her final refresh to 3.