Suggested Changes to Substitute Shinigami Ranking System

[Akio Naito]

Here is my suggestion for a change to the Substitute Shinigami ranking system.

Another organization available to humans is becoming a Substitute Shinigami. These characters are exclusively Fullbringers, and do not possess or gain any form of shinigami powers from their position.

Any Shinigami or existing Substitute can write a letter of recommendation nominating a Fullbringer they've encountered for a position as a Provisional Substitute Shinigami. A Fullbringer who is aware of this ranking system may request this recommendation. Substitute Shinigami are certified by the Gotei Thirteen to work with them on Human World missions as contacts. They also act as liaisons with other Human World organizations. They are also empowered to legally slay Hollows, as well as eliminating other threats to the Soul Society or Human World. This primarily allows them the right to kill Hollows and Arrancar, but also extends to Bounts and members of the Vandenreich. The current policy states that they can work with free Quincy, who are not legal to kill.

All Substitute Shinigami are given a shinigami representative badge to prove their affiliation with the Gotei. All shinigami who see this badge will automatically know the affiliation and rank of the Substitute. This badge is linked to the Substitute Shinigami's soul, because of this it cannot be lost, abandoned, or stolen. A damaged or destroyed badge regenerates from the owner's reiatsu over time. It gives the Substitute Shinigami's fullbring release the purifying properties of a Zanpakutou, allowing them to slay hollows without damage to the balance of souls. Substitutes can also perform Konsō (Soul Burial) on Pluses that must be sent to Soul Society by stamping them with the badge itself.

Among all the Substitute Shinigami, only the Deputy Captain is allowed to know that the badges function as both tracking devices and power limiters. The Deputy Captain knows the location of their subordinates through their badges, and can negate and forcibly seal any other Substitute Shinigami's fullbring by brandishing their badge at them. Shinigami of Vice Captain or Captain ranks may use their own symbols of office (Vice Captain's badge or Captain's haori) to similarly track or suppress the fullbring of any Substitute Shinigami, including the Deputy Captain. The reason for this secrecy is that a Fullbringer who is aware of both of the badge's tracking and power suppressing functions can disable them, losing all benefits of their Rank as they betray both Gotei and their fellow Substitutes. Such defectors are branded as dangerous criminals by Gotei, with both shinigami and substitutes ordered to apprehend them on sight.

{Rank 1} Provisional Substitute Shinigami - These are new Substitute Shinigami who have been recommended for the position and accepted a badge. Provisional substitutes must operate under supervision by higher ranking Substitute Shinigami. Both their real age and age of appearance must be at least 18.

{Rank 2} Substitute Shinigami - These full substitutes are trusted to operate without supervision. To apply for this rank, they must be Class 4, and have slain at least four hollows during their time as a substitute. Both their real age and age of appearance must be at least 19.

{Rank 3} Deputy Lieutenant - There are two deputy lieutenants who are chosen from among Substitute Shinigami by the Deputy Captain. They must be Class 2 and have slain at least four Menos-class hollows. Both their real age and age of appearance must be at least 21.

{Rank 4} Deputy Captain - The deputy captain commands the Substitute Shinigami and receives direct orders from Soul Society. The Deputy Captain must be Class 2 and can only be appointed to or dismissed from their position by a vote of Shinigami Captains in Gotei. A shinigami Captain or Vice Captain's authority supersedes that of the substitute shinigami's Deputy Captain. Both their real age and age of appearance must be at least 35.

My intentions behind these changes are as follow;

● To allow for TT applications as Substitute Shinigami.

The rank of Provisional Substitute Shinigami exists primarily for low class Fullbringers who are training to become full Substitute Shinigami. Remaining under supervision by higher ranking substitutes until they've proven powerful enough to handle hollows and trustworthy enough to go on missions alone.

My thoughts were that players would benefit from the ability to apply into a substitute position without applying a rank two power tier character.

● To allow Substitute Shinigami access to rank 4 stat boosts.

The Deputy Captain position is a rank four position while remaining subordinate to the authority of Shinigami Vice Captains. This allows for the leader of the substitutes to enjoy similar rank benefits to other faction leaders without necessarily being above the Vice Captains.

● To give Substitute Shinigami the ability to purify hollows.

The version of the badge I suggest gives the owner's fullbring the same purification ability as a zanpakutou. This allows substitutes to carry out the duties of a shinigami without damaging the balance of souls, and exists solely to justify Gotei's willingness to allow non-shingami to slay hollows with their blessing.

● To remove the ability to instantly kill rogue substitutes.

I reduced the badge's ability to suppress reiatsu to only shutting down the target's fullbring release. This retains the power limiter aspect of the badge while still allowing the rogue agent an opportunity to fight or flee.

● To allow rogue substitutes to leave to other organizations.

The addition of an option for characters who know the secret features of the badge to slip Gotei's leash exists solely to allow former substitutes to leave the organization via the Ginjo route. More or less as a matter of player freedom to do so.

[Kitai Yoru]

Change Rank 2 to be class 4 minimum, and rank 3 to class 2, and I can get behind this. Maybe expand it to Free Quincy, and exceptions for in character decisions.

[Akio Naito]

Fair enough. Changes made.

For those who didn't see this before the edit - I had set the initial class requirements one step lower than traditional, with Rank 2 Substitute Shinigami at Class 5, and Rank 3 Deputy Lieutenant at Class 3; Placed to align at the classes where a fullbring and secondary fullbring were unlocked.

[Kitai Yoru]

I like it

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

I don't have a problem with it!

[Col Arana]

I think Deputy Captain should cap at Rank 3 position but I’m otherwise fine with this.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, so I have a few things that will probably need to be addressed regarding this:

1) What is the point of adding a whole new ranking system? This is not disparaging, this is an honest question. Is it to be a FB who can purify Hollows? We have purification weapons for that. Is it to be a FB who can be allied with SS and assist them? That's doable without a ranking system. Is it a mean to gain Ranks for a stronger character? We have two factions that need to be filled, as well as mercenary ranks. So the question is simply: what does this offer that necessitates creating a new ranking system as opposed to filling current organizations and making use of existing mechanics?


2) Question 1 aside, I'm definitely going to say no to adding new Rank 4 positions. Rank 3 maybe, and that's at the tip-top, but we've got plenty of open slots for existing Rank 4s that need to be filled first.


3) The reason the Substitute Shinigami badge kills is because once you're "affiliated" with SS, you're still potentially a rogue agent. You can gather information, learn things about your Shinigami "comrades," etc. You're only in a hierarchical chain of command, you're not actually forced to follow them, so in C46's eyes you'd likely be seen as a reasonably high risk. If we removed the kill penalty, I'd at least have them immobilized or otherwise unable to resist so they can be taken in for arrest to speak on their own behalf, rather than just "your Release is shut down." Example, what if it's a TM who doesn't have a Release? The badge drawback is moot.

An alternative suggestion would be to temporarily lower all OS stats to base human levels (50) for a period of 24 hours IC (i.e. one long rest would usually cover it, or end of thread) and to leave some sort of recognizable mark on the rogue agent. This means that they can be captured because they're likely to be unable to fight back, but because we're not touching things like speed or sensories, there is still an option to escape. Perhaps it forces a bounty on them as well. Basically, anyone who leaves the SS role will forever be branded as a traitor in a recognizable way.


Feel free to discuss these points, as this isn't a hard no or anything. I'm just resistant to expanding options when current ones aren't being filled.

[Akio Naito]

I'm honestly surprised by the amount of approval my suggestion received.

● [1]

My intent was in rebuilding the existing Substitute Shinigami ranking system that was not in use, not in creating something new. Expanding the substitutes into a full pseudo-squad was in part an attempt to build them up as something that, while smaller than other HWD organizations, could still act on the same stage as the globe spanning Xcution and Vandenreich. The end goal of such an overhaul was attract players to something otherwise unused.

● [2]

A class 4 position was added because the other human world ranking systems had multiple such posistions; With the other fullbringer-centric system having five in total. The deputy captain can be reworked as a rank 3 posistion if necessary. While I did believe the stat boosts that came with such a posistion should be available to fullbringers who are uninterested in Xcution's assassin-centric nature, I would rather back away from it than argue that particular point.

● [3]

As I've stated on the opening post, I find the idea of an instant death button as a narrative consequence near-unacceptable. Though you are correct that I have gone too far in the opposing direction by limiting it to the negation of fullbring releases. I agree with your alternative suggestion, or a somewhat more extreme form that drops physical strength to 50 and both spiritual stats to 0.

I had been operating under the assumption that a bounty would already be included for rogue agents as part of their narrative consequences without need for an explict call for such. Fundamentally, I wanted escape to be difficult but possible.

● [4]

I cannot argue that this does anything other than add more space to a forum where plenty of unused space already exists. I can only hope to present a space that allows greater variety in the stories available to fullbringers.