Most TTRPG players have asked themselves the usual question.
What class would you play?
Wizard. Rogue. Barbarian. The familiar suspects.
Here is the stranger version:
What creature would you become if you wandered into Japanese folklore?
That is the question behind the Yōkai Personality Test, a quick, free test inspired by the strange world of yōkai.
Answer four simple questions and the test gives you a trio of yōkai whose personalities, habits, and quirks may feel a little too close to your own.
Japanese Folklore Does Not Sort Creatures Neatly
Yōkai are supernatural creatures, spirits, monsters, tricksters, ghosts, and urban legends from Japanese folklore. That description is messy because yōkai are messy.
Some are terrifying.
Some are ridiculous.
Some manage both in the same breath.
A giant skeleton made from the bones of the forgotten dead belongs to the same folklore tradition as shapeshifting foxes, raccoon dogs, talking cats, haunted walls, and spirits that spend their time licking dirty ceilings.
That range is part of the fun. Yōkai slip between fear, humor, punishment, bad luck, gossip, hunger, loneliness, and pure weirdness.
Why a Yōkai Quiz Makes Sense
Human beings are complicated. Japanese folklore knows that.
Yōkai often reflect habits, fears, flaws, desires, and strange corners of human nature. That is why folklore and personality tests fit together so well.
The result gives you a new lens to look through for a few strange minutes.
Maybe you are a Kitsune, always reading the room before anyone else notices the room has changed.
Maybe you are a Nurikabe, stubborn enough to become a physical obstacle.
Maybe you are closer to a Noppera-bō, keeping your real thoughts hidden until the exact worst moment.
You may also meet a yōkai you have never heard of before. In many cases, those are the best results.
A Small Door Into Yōkai!
The test is also a first glimpse into Yōkai!, our upcoming tabletop roleplaying game inspired by Japanese folklore and modern Japan.
In Yōkai!, players step into the shoes, paws, claws, smoke trails, or deeply suspicious footprints of supernatural creatures trying to survive, thrive, and occasionally make a complete mess of things in the modern world.
The game draws from centuries of folklore while embracing the weird energy of contemporary urban legends, haunted train stations, forgotten shrines, convenience stores at midnight, and everything in between.
If you have already read the Quickstart Guide, the test is a fun way to start thinking about the kind of yōkai you might enjoy playing.
If you are completely new to the setting, it is an easy place to begin.
Take the Yōkai Personality Test
Answer four questions. Meet your yōkai trio. Learn something strange about yourself, or at least discover which creature would be most likely to steal your spot in the folklore books.
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