Believe in Justice and Hold a Determination to Fist

[prof]

In the not too distant future, humanity is under siege. The world was thrown into a panic by the first appearance of the Noise. Their origins and motives a mystery, these monsters appear from nowhere and strike where humans gather, seeking nothing other than our total eradication. Conventional weapons were useless against them, bullets and rockets simply passing through them harmlessly. Humans they touched turned to ash in a moment. While they disappeared as quickly as they appeared, meaning this wasn't an extinction-level event, the Noise regardless killed countless people, and were declared a worldwide crisis. We had no weapon to raise against them, until the invention of the Symphogear System.

Symphogear, formally FG-Type Revolutionary Specialized Armor, is a new kind of weapon that blurs the lines between science and myth. Each Gear is built around a shard of a different ancient legendary weapon or item, known as a Relic. The Gear allows the wielder to harmonize with the relic, and transforms into a set of esoteric battle armor around them. Every Gear is unique, and while the form of their weapons is usually rooted in advanced modern technology, the power behind them is far greater than anything known to man, and is the only force we have capable of damaging and destroying Noise. The power at the heart of the Symphogear System is the power of song. While it's possible to use a Gear silently, their true capabilities are drawn out by singing during combat. Song draws out the power of human emotion, and manifests it in a form that can harmonize with the Gear's relic, resulting in a weapon powered by music and the strength of the human heart. In addition, a Gear is not a static weapon; each is not just unique, but also evolves constantly to grow alongside its user. The more a Wielder fights, the stronger they become, and the more new abilities their Gear will develop. The young candidates found with the rare ability to harmonize with relics are called Symphogear Wielders, Harmonizers, or just Symphogears, and are recruited by the international disaster prevention organization Forte to act as mankind's last line of defense.

However, this is not a clear-cut story of man against monster. There are human forces lurking in the shadows of the world, sprawling sinister conspiracies that would use the Noise, or even the Symphogear System itself, to further their own ends. In addition to fighting the Noise, Forte must contend with dangers from within the world of humans, and uncover the countless dark truths hidden behind the veneer of civilization. Where did the Noise come from? What forces manipulate the conflict between humanity and the Noise from the shadows? Who is the true enemy of this world?

For humanity to survive these trials, you must rise to foes and dangers beyond imagination. Believe in the power of your heart, and your bonds with each other. Never let your valor waver, and you'll shine like shooting stars.

What the fuck
Symphogear is a big anime franchise with the perfect combination of cool ideas and annoying crap that makes me want to take it apart and recreate it in my own image. So, Symphogear V is a Valor Alter campaign based on it! A quick primer on what to expect and what's different from canon:

• The vibe of action is somewhere between magical girl anime, mecha, and 90s action movie stunts. Ramp a motorcycle off a cliff into a giant monster, flipping off the motorcycle in midair to henshin into a cute robot battle suit to shoot missiles at it.
• Expect over-the-top action setpieces, huge world-shattering plot reveals, and befriending tragic enemies while exploding the asshole ones.
• Recruiting antagonists as party members is a series staple, so at least one villain PC who later teams up with the party is a must.
• "Gear" Refers to the magical armor weapon itself. "Wielder", "Symphogear Wielder", or "Harmonizer" refers to the person inside the armor. "Symphogear" can refer to either.
• Canon only gives us female Symphogears - I'm going to say that about 90% of Wielders are female in this setting, but in theory anyone can become one.
• Most Harmonizers are somewhere around the 16-22 age range - the system only began use about a year ago, so it's not known if the powers are lost later in life.
• While canon just has a handful of existing Wielders and they're usually all in one place, Forte is an international organization managing small teams in multiple countries. All in all, there's around thirty active Symphogears in the world at present. The main focus of the campaign will be the Tokyo branch.
• Each Gear is based on a weapon or object from mythology. Any source can be used, including making up your own; canon weapons already used include Gungnir, Nehushtan, Dainsleif, Dur da Blá, the Antikythera Mechanism, and a bunch of others in the mobile game that I'm not counting.
• Inactive Gears generally take the form of a pendant with a red crystal containing the relic fragment; by singing out an activation phrase in an ancient language, it awakens and transforms into a suit of powered armor around the wielder.
• Named attacks are a thing, although not in the usual attack-name-yelling sense; in canon, attack names briefly flash on screen in cool dynamic ways when used. That's generally going to be your Special Techniques.
• Symphogears have a special kind of ability called a Climax Song (or Superb Song or Ultimate Song, based on your translation); this allows the user to wield powers far beyond what would otherwise be possible to turn the tables in a dire situation. However, even the slightest disharmony between the Gear and its Wielder will cause immense backlash damage, potentially destroying the relic or even killing the person using it. Use with extreme caution.
• This takes place in a parallel universe where Gears are allowed to include pants.

When's this starting?
I dunno!

What do I do here?
Ask questions! Pitch character concepts! Shitpost!