| It is a time of change in the Empire. The corrupt Ming have been brought down by their own incompetence and treachery from within. Betrayed from within by the General Wu Sangui, the Empire is now ruled by the Manchus of the North, and their Emperor Kangxi Wu Sangui, himself betrayed by the Manchus, has fled to Southern Provinces where he has set up a rebellious alliance with the remains of the Ming Imperial Army. With the threat of insurrection looming large, the Manchus have consolidated their power and replaced much of the ruling Elite with their own “Banner Clans” of warriors loyal first and foremost to the Emperor. But, the Manchus are outnumbered and are strangers in a strange land learning to cope with a foreign culture. Much escapes their notice, and the land is still very much in turmoil. Bandits, warlords, cults, corrupt officials, spies, conspirators and the gangs of the Black Hand bring terror to the lives of the peasants. Hope lies in the windswept plains and the fog enshrouded forests, the high mountains and the back-alley gambling dens, there are those who have the skill of Gong Fu. The children of a hundred generations of warriors, they are the WuXia, and with their ancient skills they carry on traditions of justice and nobility that seem lost in this chaotic day and age. The Year is 1672, and the Qing Dynasty as just Begun. The Following are the rules for my WuXia campaign, set in 1672 era Qing Dynasty China. Premise: The PCs are a small WuXia "Brotherhood" (close friends) in the city of NanJing, a former capitol city and home to several hundred thousand people. NanJing sits just beneath the border between North and South on the East Coast, it is also the nexus point where many of the natural and manmade waterways like the Grand Canal meet. As a trade city, it attracts all kinds of people, and can be a wild and chaotic place where the local Manchu governor and his troops struggle to maintain control. The campaign will be a mix of city and countryside travel, and players should come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Tone: The tone of the campaign will be a Swashbuckling Heroic WuXia tone, with characters rewarded for larger than life actions and deeds. Romance, chivalry, intrigue, and challenge are the name of the day, and few of the foes they fight will be truly evil, most of them being fellow Xia who are misguided or at odds with them. Death will not be a stranger, but is not a friend to be sought lightly unless the crime is especially foul. Magic: Magic will be rare in this campaign, and is the realm of Priest and Shaman NPCs, a few items and rare magical creatures. Magic is only useful for minor tasks when it appears, such as healing, exorcism, divination and placing curses. Players are required to read: The WuXia The Qing Dynasty A Short History of Nanjing People of Nanjing Once Upon a Time In China (Read general information about China and the Chinese people at the start.) Character Creation: The PCs will be built as follows: 1) Players will select a Background Package to act as the basis for their character. This background package can be added to, but not sold off without GM permission, however all disadvantages are optional and can be replaced as the player wishes. These packages are worth 25pts. 2) Players will have 75 free base points and up to 25 more points of disadvantages to use to make their characters as they see fit, producing 75+50=125 point characters. Characters Automatically Get Normal Characteristic Maxima for No Points. General Characteristics: 10-20 SPD: 2-4 CV: 3-7 DC: 3-8 Active Points: 10-45 Skill Points: 10-50 Skills Rolls: 8< -to- 14< Max DEF/resistantDEF: 8/4 Martial Arts: -All PCs are expected to practice some form of Martial Arts, and should buy a minimum of 3 Martial Maneuvers and a Familiarity KS: (Their Martial Art) for 1pt. (8<). While they might not be Martial Artists "per se", they have received some training, and should be able to handle themselves in a fight. Also, all Martial Artists must classify themselves as being predominantly "Hard" or "Soft" (see HERE) as it will be a story element. (But have no special effect on buying powers initially.) -All PC's are required to purchase an END Reserve which represents their body's ability to manipulate and control Qi energy. The maximum beginning size of the END reserve is equal to the character's EGO X5, and Max REC is equal to the Character's EGO/2. (ie a character with an EGO of 10 has a Maximum Qi Reserve of 50, and a Max Qi Recovery rate of 5.) The REC of the Reserve must also be bought with the limitation: Requires 1 Day to Recover (-3 limitation total) to simulate that the END in the reserve is gained back through a night's sleep. [Note: Characters who have exhausted their Qi Reserve will have the option to spend BODY instead to power their Qi Techniques in game.] -PCs may buy "Qi Techniques" using rules found HERE to represent higher levels of skill they have developed and tricks they have learned. -Declared Disabling Attacks are Available if the Disable Element is bought. -Characters in Armour suffer limitations to maneuvering because of their armour, in addition to the standard DCV penalty they have a –1 (light armour) to –3 (full heavy armour) OCV penalty. (This does not apply to “special” armour bought with character points.) -Hit Locations are Optional, and characters can choose to target locations with 1/2 penalties, but receive no bonuses for hitting that location unless they accept the full penalties. -UnStructured Sequence Attacks are available, they add +2 OCV or +2DC per phase in the sequence. -Normal Damage Classes from Martial Maneuvers don’t count vs the 10DC limit. Skills: Analyze Style: If an analyze style roll is made against an opponent then the analyzer gets +1 Combat Skill Levels against that opponent for the duraction of that fight. If they make it by more than ˝ the analyzer’s skill then the analyzer gets +2 temporary CSLs against that foe. Breakfall is at –1 for every 2D6 a throw does. Combat Skill Levels: Characters can buy 3 special types of combat skill levels in addition to the normal 5pt Combat Skill Levels. These special CSLs and other “modified” CSLs do not count towards the Max total CV of 7, but no more than 4 of them may be bought. 3pts: Combat Skill Levels which Cost END(-1) and use 1 END per level per use. 2pts: Combat Skill Levels which are DCV Only(-1/2) and Require an Acrobatics Roll (-1/2) 2pts: Combat Skill Levels which are only good against a specific style (-1) and require a Knowledge skill roll of that style to use. (-1/2) Knowledge Skill of a particular Martial Art gives the character access to the following things about the art: History, Philosophy, Personalities, Schools, Symbols, the ability to recognize other styles, and a bonus to Analyze Style if it’s within the same Art. Feints: These are done using the Slight of Hand skill, and take a ˝ phase action, but give the Character a +1 OCV Bonus to his next attack for each 2pts the roll is made by. Each additional roll against the same opponent in the same fight is made at –2. Perks: Recognised Instructor: 1pt Right to Marry 1pt (Buddhist monks only.) Talents: Lightning Reflexes: 3pts for +2 to general initiative, 1pt for +1 to initiative with a specific maneuver. Additional Notes: The following rules and restrictions apply: -All "unique" items the PCs own must be paid for with points, and bought as Foci with the "independant" limitation (-2) on them because unless there is some special reason they were made for the PC, they can be used by anyone. All other equipment the PCs own is paid for with money, not points. -PCs will have the standard starting wealth of 1000 silver pieces ($1000) saved up which they can use to buy equipment before the game begins. It's advised for them to have jobs or other means of support besides being "adventurers", but these jobs should be flexible ones which they can leave for periods of time or which facilitate travel. |