Outlaws of the Water Margin

(c) 1996, Paul Mason

Characters


THE ROLE you play in this game is called your character. You can choose to play pretty much any type of character you like, so long as the referee agrees. The most important thing in choosing your character is to get the referee to agree to your ideas. Think about the kind of person you'd like to play, and sound out your ideas with the referee first, as he may already have some ideas for the game which will have an effect on your choice of character.

There are several ways to create a character for yourself. The easiest way is to take one of the sample character types listed at the end of this chapter. If you're not entirely satisfied with it, you'll have to go through and change the details to suit yourself. If you do change details you should be careful to check the relevant section in this chapter. Then, choose a name and flesh out the background to make the character truly yours.

If you've seen a number of movies about China, or read some books or comics, or have a strong idea about the kind of person you want to play, then you can start by just writing a description of the character you'd like to play. Then go through this chapter, and, following your description, design your character as the rules explain. You may find you can't make your character quite as powerful as you had imagined, but you should be able to get close.

Alternatively, have a look at the Simple Character Creation box on this page. You can choose your character's capabilities in more or less any order, but the details you choose to start with will limit your choices in later sections, or you may have to go back and adjust things.

When you have finished, start noting things down on your character sheet (that's the character sheet facing you on the opposite page. Feel free to photocopy it). There's a sample character sheet at the end of the chapter which gives an idea of what to write where.

Simple Character Creation

That's it!

Limitations

Although you can choose most details about your character, you aren't entirely free in your choice. You will use points to 'buy' the abilities and distinctive features of your character. The number of points you have available will depend on the power level decided by the referee, so be sure you know what power level the game is before you start. In fact, it's best if you make your character while the referee is around, just to make sure you're doing things right.

The points with which you will buy abilities for your character come in two types: natural gifts and experience. Natural gifts are fixed, while experience depends on the character's age. Older characters thus have a better chance of being skilful. Unfortunately, however, older characters don't learn so well, and are usually not quite as fit as their younger counterparts. As Confucius said: 'What you win on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts.'


What begins with a Dragon's head often ends with a snake's tail


First Choices

Is your character a hero, destined for great things, facing blood-chilling dangers every day, and shrugging off hardships that would fell an ox? Or are they an ordinary person, trying to make the best of things in a dangerous world? It's up to you.

Most players will probably want to be heroes. And why not? Heroes are capable of extraordinary feats, and usually live an exceptional life, full of danger and excitement. On the other hand, ordinary people can have adventures too, and they face the challenge of rising above their limitations.

What's more, Song society doesn't much care for exceptional people. They tend to live apart from others, as they're not welcome in town. Their lives can be pretty tough - if you're a famous martial artist you will have to face challenges all the time from opponents keen to take your reputation. And you're expected to do exceptional things.

Normal people, on the other hand, have the security of being a part of society. They'll usually have a steady job and a supporting family. If they have to face adventure, it's more of a challenge, and no one's going to blame them if they fail.

It's quite acceptable to mix types of characters. There is no reason why everyone has to play a hero. Players will have to accept the difference in power of their characters as a fact of life, while making the most of their normal characters' benefits. In this case it is very important that the referee remembers to apply the advantages normal characters receive when in towns.

Heroic Characters

Heroes have several advantages over normal people. They are tougher, more energetic, and can have exceptional talents. On the other hand they don't have the social advantages of normal people. As they are not part of society they only have a limited number of occupations available to them, and may not possess a position bonus.

Heroic characters include outlaw leaders, wandering martial artists, hermits and sorcerers, questers after immortality, and seekers of justice. Heroes are believed the reborn souls of spirits of Heaven and the Otherworld.

Normal Characters

Ordinary people are fragile human beings. If you hit them with a sword, they'll probably die. They have to be pretty careful when they get into fights. However, they can have jobs, and earn good money if they're lucky. They can also rely on the help of their family, colleagues and neighbours. And, in certain circumstances, they can become heroes. Normal characters hold down regular jobs, ranging from shopkeepers to clerks to the more dangerous soldier, or the more prestigious magistrate.

Age

In China, age is more important than you think. There's no such thing as equality, and the usual way in which you decide whether you're 'above' or 'below' someone is by age. Of course, older people have more experience, but on the other hand they don't usually learn so well as the young.

You can choose the age of your character as you wish. However, rules for children have not been included in this book, so if you want to play a character younger than 15, the referee will have to work something out specially.

You might also be surprised to learn that your character is considered to be aged 1 at birth! Also it is not necessary to make a note of the character's birthday. The Chinese custom is that everybody is considered to age a year at the New Year. Thus it is possible for a 'two-year-old' to have been born only 1 day!

In this game age will have an effect on the amount of experience your character has. It will also limit their energy and body. And during the game it will affect the character's chances of improving their abilities.

Also, just to balance things even more, young starting characters are allowed to have unknown aptitudes. In other words, they can start the game with abilities about which they are not yet aware.

Choosing your character's age will also decide which year they were born in, and therefore what their birth sign is. If you assume the game starts in 1110CE, that is, 3788 years since the start of the Chinese calendar, all you have to do is subtract the character's age from 1111 to find out in which year they were born.

The birth sign may be used to give some idea of the character's personality: brief descriptions of each of the animal signs are provided in the Beliefs chapter. Astrologers don't set much store by these, however, preferring to work out horoscopes according to the 'Four Pillars' - the hour, day, month and year of birth. You are therefore free to completely ignore the personality assigned to your character's birth sign if it is inconvenient.

More details of Emperors and their reign years are provided in the Culture section of the Beliefs chapter. Reign names provide the most usual means of counting years.

Year	Emperor/Reign Name		Sign
1066	Ying Zong
		Governed Calm 3		Yang Fire Tiger	
1067		Governed Calm 4		Yin Fire Rabbit	
1068	Shen Zong
		Bright Peace 1		Yang Earth Dragon	
1069		Bright Peace 2		Yin Earth Snake	
1070		Bright Peace 3		Yang Metal Horse	
1071		Bright Peace 4		Yin Metal Sheep	
1072		Bright Peace 5		Yang Water Monkey	
1073		Bright Peace 6		Yin Water Rooster		
1074		Bright Peace 7		Yang Wood Dog	
1075		Bright Peace 8		Yin Wood Boar	
1076		Bright Peace 9		Yang Fire Rat	
1077		Bright Peace 10		Yin Fire Ox	
1078		Original Plenty 1	Yang Earth Tiger	
1079		Original Plenty 2	Yin Earth Rabbit	
1080		Original Plenty 3	Yang Metal Dragon	
1081		Original Plenty 4	Yin Metal Snake	
1082		Original Plenty 5	Yang Water Horse	
1083		Original Plenty 6	Yin Water Sheep	
1084		Original Plenty 7	Yang Wood Monkey	
1085		Original Plenty 8	Yin Wood Rooster	
1086	Zhe Zong
		Original Boon 1		Yang Fire Dog	
1087		Original Boon 2		Yin Fire Boar	
1088		Original Boon 3		Yang Earth Rat	
1089		Original Boon 4		Yin Earth Ox	
1090		Original Boon 5		Yang Metal Tiger	
1091		Original Boon 6		Yin Metal Rabbit	
1092		Original Boon 7		Yang Water Dragon	
1093		Original Boon 8		Yin Water Snake	
1094		God's Welcome 1		Yang Wood Horse	
1095		God's Welcome 2		Yin Wood Sheep	
1096		God's Welcome 3		Yang Fire Monkey	
1097		God's Welcome 4		Yin Fire Rooster	
1098		Original Symbol 1	Yang Earth Dog 	
1099		Original Symbol 2	Yin Earth Boar	

Example: Age

We'll generate a character as we go along just to show how things work. You don't have to do it in this order.

First of all, we decide to make him a hero. Our next decision is his age. We choose to make him 24 years old. He was thus born in 1087, or the second year of the Original Boon period of the Emperor Zhe Zong. His astrological sign is a Boar.

Capabilities

Natural gifts and experience points are used to 'buy' abilities for your character. The number of points you have is decided in one of two ways: the referee will decide which you use. The first way is that all the player characters receive the same number of points. This is the 'fair' method. However, life is rarely fair. referees who prefer to reflect real life in their game can ask players to roll dice instead. This is the 'unfair' method.

The truth, of course, is not as simple as this. Even if characters receive the same number of points they may end up with different levels of power. Some players just have to have the toughest character, and will put a lot of effort into designing their character so that it can fight really effectively. Other players will make more effort to create a well-rounded person. If you think about it, this reflects the way people really are. If your players get a kick out of trying to 'beat the system', then that's their fun: let them have it (lying about dice rolls is a different matter of course).

Fair Method

Normal characters always receive 10 points of natural gifts. Heroes receive 10 plus twice the power level of the game. These points may be spent on energy, body, aptitudes, position and stipend.

Characters receive experience of 15 points plus 1 point for every complete 3 years of age over 15. Heroes receive additional experience equal to twice the power level of the game. Experience may be spent on energy, body, skills, earnings, favours, position, motivation and respect.

Example: Points

The referee says we're using the fair method, and the game has a power level of 3.

Our character has 16 points of natural gifts, and 24 points of experience.

Unfair Method

Roll two dice and add 4 (plus twice the power level of the game if your character is heroic). This is the number of points you may spend on your character's natural gifts.

Roll four dice and add 1 point for every complete 3 years of age over 15. Heroes add twice the power level of the game to this number. You may also add one point if you only received 8 points of natural gifts, two points if you only received 7 points of natural gifts, and three points if you only received 6 points of natural gifts.

However, you must subtract 1 point if you received 14 points of natural gifts, 2 points if you received 15 points of natural gifts, and 3 points if you received 16 points of natural gifts. The result is the number of experience points available to your character.

Example: Points

The referee says we're using the fair method, and the game has a power level of 3.

Our character has 16 points of natural gifts, and 24 points of experience.


A dead leopard leaves his skin, a dead man his name


Name

Your character will probably have more than one name. Everyone has a family name. However, there aren't that many family names to go around, so you'll often find a whole village of people with the same family name! Because of this, all but the poorest also have a given name.

The gentry also have a habit of showing off their genealogy with a generational name. This is a sort of 'middle name' shared by all the members of the same generation of a family. If the generational names of a family are taken from the words of a poem everyone knows, these names are a neat way of being able to work out whether that distant relative is your senior or junior!

In addition to these standard names, most people, especially heroes, will acquire one or more nicknames. There are two main types: the first is the nickname parents give their children before their official naming ceremony at the age of ten. Most people are reluctant to reveal this nickname to people outside their family, they're too embarrassed! The other kind of nickname is that given you by your friends or colleagues. This may be complimentary, or it may not. Some characters, especially heroes, acquire a number of nicknames. Thus Wu Song is known as the Tiger Slayer and also the Pilgrim.

Those who are initiated into a Buddhist or Taoist religious institution will take a new name to replace their given and generational names.

The order for names is family name first, then generational name then given name. In the case of religious names, characters will usually be addressed by the religious name only. If necessary, however, the family name can be added, as with Sagacious Lu.

Family Names

Choose the name of your character's family from the list provided. The first list consists of common names: 70% of people have one of these names. The names from the other list are more unusual.

The numbers by the names in the first list show their frequency. Those names marked '1' are the ten most common names, those marked '2' the next most common, and so on.

Cai (3)	Cao (3)	Chen (1)	Cheng (3)	Cui (3)	Deng (2)
Du (4)	Feng (4)	Gao (2)	Guo (2)	Han (3)	He (3)
Hu (2)	Huang (1)	Li (1)	Liang (3)	Lin (2)	Liu (1)
Lu (4)	Lu (4)	Luo (3)	Ma (2)	Pan (4)	Peng (4)
Qian (4)	Shen (3)	Song (3)	Sun (2)	Tang (4)	Wang (4)
Wang (1)	Wu (1)	Xiao (2)	Xie (3)	Xü (2)	Xü (3)
Yang (1)	Yuan (4)	Zhang (1)	Zhao (1)	Zheng (2)	Zhou (1)
Zhu (2)

Ai	An	Ao	Bai	Ban	Bao
Bei	Bi	Bu	Cen	Chai	Chang
Che	Cheng	Chi	Chou	Chu	Chun
Dai	Dao	Di	Ding	Dong	Dongguo
Duan	Fan	Fang	Fei	Feng	Fu
Gai	Gan	Ge	Geng	Gong	Gongsun
Gou	Gu	Guan	Gui	Guo	Ha
Hai	Hang	Hao	He	Heng	Hong
Hou	Hu	Hua	Huo	Ji	Jia
Jian	Jiang	Jiao	Jin	Jing	Ju
Kang	Ke	Kong	Kuang	Lai	Lan
Lang	Lao	Le	Lei	Leng	Li
Lian	Liang	Liao	Lin	Ling	Liu
Long	Lou	Lu	Lü	Lun	Luo
Ma	Mai	Man	Mao	Mei	Meng
Mi	Miao	Min	Ming	Mo	Mou
Mu	Murong	Na	Neng	Ni	Nian
Nie	Niu	Nong	Ou	Ouyang	Pei
Pi	Piao	Ping	Pu	Qi	Qiang
Qiao	Qin	Qiu	Qu	Quan	Quan
Ran	Rao	Ren	Rong	Ruan	Rui
Sa	Sai	Sha	Shan	Shang	Shangguan
Shanyu	Shao	Shen	Sheng	Shi	Shou
Shu	Shui	Si	Sikong	Sima	Situ
Tai	Tan	Tang	Tantai	Tao	Teng
Tian		Tong	Tu	Wan	Wei	Wen
Weng	Wu	Xi	Xia	Xiahou	Xian
Xiang	Xie	Ximen	Xin	Xing	Xiong
Xuan	Xuanyuan	Xue	Xun	Yan	Yan
Yang	Yao	Ye	Yi	Yin	Ying
You	Yu	Yuan	Yuchi	Yue	Yuezheng
Yun	Zang	Zeng	Zha	Zhan	Zhang
Zhao	Zhen	Zhong	Zhu	Zhuang	Zhuge
Zhuo	Zong	Zou	Zu	Zuo	Zuoqiu

Other Names

To have a generational name, you have to be a member of the gentry (see the section on background). However, both generational and given names can be chosen from the following list. Chinese writing is not provided, as the number of possible ideograms is truly huge, and it would take up a whole chapter of this book! At any rate, the family name is the most important name from the point of view of society.

Truly poor people are unlikely to have even a given name. Instead they'll be numbered within the family (Li the Third, and so on) and be distinguished with nicknames if necessary. In China, to have a lot of names is a luxury! See the next section for details on nicknames.

The list below gives most of the available names in Chinese. Those mainly suitable for women are marked with a (F). Those mainly suitable for men are marked with a (M).

A	Ai (F)	An (M)	Ang (M)	Ba	Bai	Ban (M)	Bang (M)
Bao	Bei	Ben (M)	Beng	Bi	Bian	Biao	Bie
Bin	Bing	Bo	Bu	Ca	Cai	Can	Cang (M)
Cao (M)	Ce (M)	Ceng	Chan (F)	Chang	Chao	Chen	Cheng
Chi (M)	Chong	Chu	Chuan	Chun	Chuo	Ci (F)	Cong
Cui	Da	Dai	Dan	Dao	De	Deng	Di
Dian	Die	Ding	Dong	Du	Duan	Dun (M)	Duo
E (F)	En	Er	Fa (M)	Fan	Fang	Fei	Fen
Feng	Fo	Fu	Gan	Gang (M)	Gao	Ge	Gen
Geng	Gong	Gu	Guan	Guang	Gui	Guo	Hai
Han	Hao	He	Heng	Hong	Hou (M)	Hu	Hua
Huai	Huan	Huang	Hui	Ji	Jia	Jian	Jiao
Jie	Jin	Jing	Jiong	Jiu	Ju	Juan	Jue(F)
Jun	Kai	Kang	Ke	Ken	Kong	Kuan (M)	Kui
Kun	Lai	Lan	Lang	Lao (M)	Le	Lei	Li
Lian	Liang	Liao	Lie (M)	Lin	Ling	Liu	Long (M)
Lu	Lü	Luan	Lun	Luo	Ma	Mai	Man
Mang	Mao	Mei (F)	Meng	Mi	Mian	Miao	Min
Ming	Mo	Mu	Na	Nai	Nan	Neng	Ni (F)
Nian	Ning	Nong	Nuan	Pa (F)	Pan (M)	Pang (M)	Pei
Peng	Pi (F)	Pian (F)	Pin	Ping	Pu	Qi	Qian
Qiang (M)	Qiao	Qin	Qing	Qiong (F)	Qiu	Qu	Quan
Que	Qun	Ran	Ren	Rong	Rou	Ru	Rui
Run	Ruo	Sai	Se (F)	Sen	Sha (F)	Shan	Shang
Shao	Shen	Sheng	Shi	Shou	Shu	Shui	Shun
Shuo	Si	Song	Su	Sui	Tai	Tan	Tang
Tao	Te	Teng (M)	Ti	Tian	Tie (M)	Ting	Tong
Tu	Tuan	Tuo	Wan	Wang	Wei	Wen	Wo
Wu	Xi	Xia	Xian	Xiang	Xiao	Xie	Xin
Xing	Xiong (M)	Xiu	Xu	Xuan	Xue	Xun	Ya
Yan	Yang	Yao	Ye	Yi	Yin	Ying	Yong
You	Yu	Yuan	Yue	Yun	Zai	Zan	Ze
Zeng	Zhan	Zhang (M)	Zhao	Zhe	Zhen	Zheng	Zhi
Zhong	Zhou	Zhu	Zhuan	Zhuag	Zhuo	Zi	Zong
Zu	Zuo
The religious names taken by those who become initiated into a religious sect usually have a religious significance. Names are only taken by characters who are fully initiated, so lay priests will not have to do this. Since the names have meaning, it is best if you choose ones such as Sagacious, Deep Piety, Clear Vision or Pure Soul.

Nicknames

You don't have to choose a nickname. However, it's a good idea to have one: a nickname is much easier to remember!

The nickname given by your character's parents is usually only used by them or other senior members of your family. It's likely to be a graphic description of what your character was like as a baby, hence something most heroes will want to forget about. Examples would include Windy, Little Dribbler, Big Ears, Howler etc.

The nickname acquired in later life, however, is intimately connected with the character's reputation. It may reflect some famous deed of the character (Tiger Slayer), or some flattering metaphor describing the character's abilities (Striking Hawk). For more examples, check out the nicknames of the heroes of Liangshan Po, which are all listed on the Extras chapter. As you will see, nicknames involving creatures are common, and they vary from the poetic to the downright prosaic.

Example: Names

We choose the name Yang Ming. This means that our character probably isn't from the lower classes, as he's blessed with a given name.

We give him the nickname Sleepy Dragon, based on the ideas about his personality we are starting to form.


If a man has long hair it is because his mind is content; if he has long fingernails it is because he is idle


Physical Qualities

When you imagine a character, probably the first details you imagine are physical. Are they a man or a woman? How tall are they? Do they have any distinctive features which set them apart from others? These are all details you can choose according to the character you want to play. But you should be aware that physical qualities are often the outward reflection of the inner person. If you choose to make your character fat, you can't make them fantastically agile. If you make them thin and short, it's unlikely they'll be very strong.

Some qualities, like energy and body, you don't get to choose - you have to pay for them. Sorry about that. Still, if you're really keen to have a character with a high energy score, that's something for you to work on while you play, isn't it? There are plenty of ways of improving a character's energy during the game. Body and size can also be changed slightly (by crash-dieting or overeating, for example), but gender is a no-go, I'm afraid, for all but the most adept sorcerers.

Gender

There are undeniable physical differences between men and women. However, this game provides no special rules to divide the sexes. Women may be shorter than men on average, but you still have a free choice to make a female character as tall as you like.

Song society is distinctly sexist, as the Society chapter will make clear. However, there are plenty of woman heroes who don't let society get in their way. Further, the invidious practise of foot binding hasn't yet become widespread, so women characters won't suffer that particularly foul disadvantage.

Size

Choose your character's height and build from the following table. You can also decide on your character's weight, but it should be close to the value given for the appropriate build. According to the values you select, you will find a score for size which will have an effect on the rules. Put simply, a large person is easier to hit than a small person. On the other hand, you have to damage a large person more to make them fall over.

Also, large people are more likely to be strong. So there shouldn't be a difference of more than two in these scores. In other words, a character with a size score of -1 can't have a STRENGTH of +2 (you'll have to flip forward to the abilities section to find out what a STRENGTH score of +2 means).

A size score of 0 is average. In the table, the upper of the two rows listed for sizes -1, 0 and 1 represents the average size for a woman. The lower of the two rows represents the average size for a man.


light build

medium build

heavy build
very heavy build

size

4'11"
90lb
4'8"
100lb
4'5"
110lb
- -2
5'1"
95lb
4'10"
105lb
4'8"
115lb
- -1
5'3"
100lb
5'
110lb
4'10"
120lb
- -1
5'5"
105lb
5'3"
115lb
5'
130lb
- 0
5'7"
120lb
5'5"
130lb
5'2"
140lb
- 0
5'10"
140lb
5'7"
145lb
5'4"
155lb
- +1
6'1"
145lb
5'10"
150lb
5'7"
170lb
5'4"
190lb
+1
6'4"
155lb
6'1"
170lb
5'10"
190lb
5'7"
210lb
+2
- 6'3"
190lb
6'
210lb
5'9"
240lb
+3

Energy

Energy is a very important quality (so important it's written in boldface). In Chinese it's known as qi, or breath, but its meaning is far wider than that. Qi is the energy of the universe, the quality that keeps things moving and changing. It's possessed by all living things, and it forms patterns in the earth which the kanyu geomancers (also known as feng shui experts) can follow.

Characters need their energy in order to perform actions. It acts as a limit on the total ability bonuses a character can apply to any given task. A character must use energy to use bonuses - the energy score is the number of points of ability bonus the character can use at a time (for example, in one combat round).

Characters may temporarily lose energy from shock, injury, fatigue or disease. If a character's energy is reduced to less than 0 they are exhausted and unable to perform any actions. They will also fall over.

A normal person starts the game with 7 points of energy. A hero has 7 plus the power level of the game. However, older people will lose points: for each complete ten years of age your character is older than 31 (so if you're 41-50 you lose 1, 51-60 you lose 2 and so on).

You can buy additional points of energy with your natural gifts, your experience, or both. However energy point are expensive. The first one you buy costs 2 points, the second 4 points, the third 6 and so on.

Alternatively you can choose to have 1 point of energy less than normal. In this case you get 2 spare points of natural gifts to spend as you like.

Body

This score represents the capacity of the character to sustain physical injury and keep going. When it reaches 0 the character's body is no longer capable of supporting life. The po, or body souls, will leave such a body. This is what death is understood to be.

A normal person starts the game with 7 points of body, while a hero has 7 plus the power level of the game. However, older people will lose points: for each complete ten years of age your character is older than 31 (so if you're 41-50 you lose 1, 51-60 you lose 2 and so on).

To this basic value you should also add the size of a character, and value for STRENGTH, whether aptitude or skill. Remember: this includes negative values!

You can also buy additional points of body with your natural gifts, your experience, or both. However as with energy, body point are expensive. The first one you buy costs 2 points, the second 4 points, the third 6 and so on. Or you can choose to have 1 point of body less than normal. In this case you get 2 spare points of natural gifts to spend as you like.

Appearance

How does your character look - pale or dark, attractive or ugly? The people of Song China almost all have black hair, which is why they are known as 'the black-haired race', and most have brown eyes, so that part's easy. But what about the rest? To bring your character to life you should be able to describe at least two traits which set them apart from others. There's no need to make every character a grotesque with a squint, a birthmark above their right eye and a cauliflower ear. However, if the other players and the referee are going to be able to visualise your character, they should have some kind of a simple handle which they can use.

It is possible, of course, to make your character's traits the fact that they are unremarkable. This could be of particular use to a spy or a thief. However, even in such a case you should try to find something distinctive, if only so that their corpse can be identified when dragged from the river!

Hand

You can choose to make your character right-handed without having to spend any points. However left-handed characters don't suffer such a big disadvantage when they use their right hand as right-handed characters do when they try to use their left. For this reason, to be left-handed you will have to buy +1 in AMBIDEXTERITY (see the later section on buying ability bonuses). Also, like most cultures, the black-haired race are deeply superstitious about left-handed people, who will normally be shunned or at least distrusted if they make this characteristic at all obvious.

If you want to make your character fully ambidextrous you will have to buy an ability bonus of +2 in AMBIDEXTERITY.

Other Details

Any other physical details about your character you are more or less free to choose. Note, however, that if you choose to make them unusually perceptive, or strong, or the like, you will have to pay with natural gifts or experience points.

Habits and traits add life to your character. Some gestures you can act out yourself while playing the character (such as a habit of rubbing the side of the nose while talking to people). Others you should describe.

It's quite acceptable to allow these additional details to develop during play, so don't feel your character is incomplete if you don't have a pageful of detailed notes.

Example: Physical

Yang Ming is male, and average size. We decide to give him a light build, which means he is 5'7", and to make him right handed. Being a hero, he has 10 points each of energy and body. We decide that's sufficient.

He is slightly taller than average, and for some reason has developed a slight stoop. On the other hand his sense of fun gives him an infectious grin.

Although he is still unformed, and will be fleshed out in play, we are starting to get something of a feeling for his personality: a loveable rogue.


Jade is worthless before it's polished; a man is worthless before he's educated


Abilities

There are two main kinds of abilities - aptitudes and skills. Aptitudes are innate. A character may be born with an ear for music, an affinity for animals, a gift for languages and so on. Aptitudes may be negative. Some people just can't dance well, no matter how much they practice (your humble author, for example). Once a character's aptitudes are decided, they are fixed. Skills, on the other hand, are acquired by training or education. You can improve these during the game.

A score of 0 in an aptitude or skill represents an average level. This means, in the case of aptitudes, no special talent; in the case of skills, no specific ability.

A bonus in an aptitude or skill reflects an ability different to the average. A positive bonus indicates a strength, while a negative bonus indicates a weakness. A negative bonus in a skill represents an acquired deficiency, through injury or the like (or just bad upbringing!).

You can have both aptitude and skill bonuses in the same ability. In this case you add the bonuses together to find out how good you are.

Although most of your abilities have to be 'bought' using experience or natural gifts, your character will also receive some bonuses because of background. These are added after you have bought the abilities you want.

Types Of Ability

Abilities are divided into aptitudes and skills, which are bought separately, using natural gifts and experience, respectively. Abilities can be further divided into basic and specific. Basic abilities represent very general levels of ability, while specific abilities represent much narrower fields. Obviously, specific abilities are easier to learn, but can't be used in as many different situations.

Abilities can also be divided according to function: whether physical, mental, spiritual or knowledge. You can't have an aptitude for knowledge, for the obvious reason that you don't have any knowledge when you are born. Instead, you can have the mental aptitude of DILIGENCE, which indicates your ability to learn.

Ability Levels

In general abilities are rated from +1 to +5, although it is theoretically possible to have even higher values, especially by combining attributes with skills. The level of ability can be understood roughly as follows:
Bonus	Meaning
0	Average/no special ability
+1	Familiarity
+2	Full competence
+3	High achievement
+4	Expertise
+5	Mastery
More details on abilities and their significance are given in the Action chapter.

Choosing Aptitudes

Natural abilities are called aptitudes. You buy aptitudes with your character's Natural Gifts (see the earlier section).

Buying aptitudes is fairly simple, but needs to be explained slowly. If you want +1 in a aptitude, you will have to pay one point of natural gifts. If you want +2 in an aptitude, you first have to buy +1 (costing one point), then +2 (costing 2 points) so the total cost is 3. For +3, you have to buy +1 (1 points), +2 (2 points) and +3 (3 points) so the total cost is 6. Expensive, huh?

Just when you thought you'd got it, it gets even more expensive. The prices above cover specific aptitudes. Basic aptitudes cost more. Triple, in fact. But you get a lot for your points, so consider it, eh?

You'll notice you can't buy too many aptitudes. Right. These are pretty special. Even a +1 aptitude means quite a lot. +3 is quite exceptional.

Characters can also have negative bonuses in aptitudes. Players are encouraged to be honest in declaring these during the game, but given human nature, referees should try to make a note of characters' disadvantages, and apply them. Negative bonuses aptitudes may be freely chosen. You can also earn up to 3 points' worth of positive bonuses in aptitudes by choosing negative bonuses: simply add up what you would have paid for the negative bonus if it was positive, and divide by three. The result is the amount of 'extra' points you can spend. The maximum you can earn in this way is 3, so you could, for example, assign values of -1 to nine specific aptitudes in exchange for a +1 bonus in STRENGTH. Or you could have three specific aptitudes at -2 in exchange for a +2 bonus in FIGHTING.

Unknown Aptitudes

Sometimes you don't know your own abilities. To reflect this, you can buy 'unknown' aptitudes. You buy these exactly the same way as normal aptitudes, except that you don't have to say what they are! Just pay your points, and note down 'unknown aptitude', and the bonus, on your character sheet. During the game, when your character attempts an action for which you have no bonus, you can declare that you are testing to see if it's your unknown aptitude. Roll the dice as normal, but add the unknown bonus to the ease. If you succeed at the roll, then the unknown bonus is indeed an aptitude for that action. If you fail the roll, then the unknown aptitude is certainly not that action.

There are restrictions on the unknown aptitudes you can select, however. You can only select specific aptitudes, not basic ones. The amount of unknown aptitudes you can assign depends on your character's age. The table below shows the number of points you can spend on unknown aptitudes.

Age	Number of Points
<21		4
21-24		3
25-27		2
28-29		1
When you test to see if you have discovered your unknown aptitude, you cannot do so for a skill in which you already have a bonus.

Basic Aptitudes

The following are the basic aptitudes, grouped according to function. For descriptions of their uses, have a look at the Action chapter.

Physical

CO-ORDINATION, ENDURANCE, GRACE, HEALTH, STRENGTH

Mental

DILIGENCE, INTUITION, PERCEPTION, REASONING, WIT

Spiritual

ART, EMPATHY, MAGIC, PRESENCE, WILL

Specific Aptitudes

Further details of the specific aptitudes are provided in the Action chapter.

Physical

ACROBATICS, AMBIDEXTERITY, CLIMBING, DANCING, DRINKING, FIGHTING, FOOTBALL, LEAPING, MISSILES, NIGHT VISION, PILLOW ARTS, ROWING, RUNNING, SHIPCRAFT, SINGING, SNEAKING, SOLDIERY, SWIMMING, THIEVERY

Mental

ADMINISTRATION, AGRICULTURE, ALCHEMY, COMMERCE, COMPOSITION, CRAFTS*, EVALUATION, FISHING, GAMBLING, LANGUAGES*, MEDICINE, NAVIGATION, RHETORIC, STRATEGY, TRACKING, TRAPPING

Spiritual

ACTING, ANIMALS, CHANTING, DECEPTION, DISGUISE, DIVINATION, ELEMENTALISM, ILLUSION, INTIMIDATION, INTRIGUE, MEDITATION, MUSIC, OCCULTISM, PUPPETRY, STORYTELLING

*These aptitudes may be applied to any Craft/Language that the character gains a skill bonus in.

Example: Aptitudes

What is the Sleepy Dragon naturally good at? And what are his weaknesses? He's sharp, a natural gambler, but not too good at concentrating.
		bonus	cost
CO-ORDINATION	 +1	 3
WIT	 	+1	 3
FIGHTING	 +2	 3
GAMBLING	 +1	 1
DECEPTION	 +1	 1
DILIGENCE	 -1	 -1
MEDITATION	 -2	 -1
This leaves us 6 points. Being age 24, we can spend up to 3 points on unknown aptitudes. We decide to have two, at +1 each. The remaining 4 points of natural gifts we hold on to, as they might be useful later on.

Choosing Skills

Choosing skills for your character is done in pretty much the same way as choosing aptitudes. The price works the same way, it's just that you use experience rather than natural gifts. So +1 in a specific skill will cost 1 point, +2 will cost 3 and so on. +1 in a basic skill will cost 3 points, +2 will cost 9 and so on. Don't forget that even though you add the two together to find your total ability, skills are bought separately from aptitudes. So you could spend 3 points of natural gifts to get +2 in an aptitude, and 6 points of experience to get +3 in the same skill, for a total bonus of +5. Cheaper than the 15 experience you'd have to spend to get that +5 if it was all skill, eh?

One more difference in buying skills is that, while aptitudes are just what nature provided, you had to learn skills somehow. So you should be able to explain how your character gained their bonuses. Usually this will be fairly easy, but you'll need a lot of imagination and persuasion to convince the referee that your riverboat cut-throat is actually an expert surgeon!

What's more, for any specific skill bonus of +2 or more you will almost certainly have acquired the skill from a teacher. If you can't come up with a convincing explanation of how you managed to learn the skill on your own, you will have to make a note of the teacher as a patron (see the section on Patrons).

Negative skill bonuses can be acquired as a result of background. Dedicated role-players may also choose to start the game with disadvantaged characters if they wish, assigning negative skill bonuses as desired. However, they won't get any extra experience points by doing so.

Basic Skills

The following basic skills can be acquired. These all correspond to aptitudes (though not all aptitudes can be learned as skills). In the game you should just add the bonuses together to discover your total ability. However, as it makes a difference in learning new skills, you should be sure to know how much of your bonus is aptitude and how much is skill. You will notice that AMBIDEXTERITY and FIGHTING, though specific aptitudes, are basic skills.

AMBIDEXTERITY, CO-ORDINATION, ENDURANCE, FIGHTING, GRACE, HEALTH, LITERACY, PERCEPTION, REASONING, STRENGTH

Specific Skills

The following lists divide specific skills according to function. As with basic skills you can just add them to the attribute of the same name to find your total ability.

Physical

ACROBATICS, CLIMBING, DANCING, DRINKING, FAST DRAW, FOOTBALL, LEAPING, MARTIAL ARTS*, MISSILES*, PILLOW ARTS, RIDING, ROWING, RUNNING, SHIPCRAFT, SINGING, SNEAKING, SOLDIERY, SURGERY, SWIMMING, THIEVERY

Mental

ADMINISTRATION, AGRICULTURE, ALCHEMY, ANIMAL TREATMENT, CHESS, COMMERCE, COMPOSITION**, CRAFTS*, EVALUATION, FISHING, FORGERY**, GAMBLING, MEDICINE, NAVIGATION, RHETORIC, STRATEGY, TRACKING, TRAPPING

Spiritual

ACTING, CALLIGRAPHY**, CHANTING, DECEPTION, DISGUISE, DIVINATION, ELEMENTALISM, ILLUSION, INTIMIDATION, INTRIGUE, MEDITATION, MUSIC, OCCULTISM, PAINTING, PUPPETRY, STORYTELLING

Knowledge

ANIMAL LORE, ASTROLOGY, CEREMONY, CHINESE, CLASSICS**, DIALECTS*, FIRST AID, FOLK LORE, FOREIGN LANGUAGES*, GOODS LORE, HISTORY**, LAW, LEARNING**, MANNERS, PLANT LORE, ROUTES LORE, RUMOURS, SPELLS*, TALISMANS, TASTE, THEOLOGY, WILDERNESS LORE

*You must buy a separate bonus for each specific martial skill, dialect, craft, spell or foreign language.

**Requires at least +1 LITERACY.

Example: Skills

What has Yang Ming learned in his 23 years of life? 24 points of experience give us quite a lot of choice.
		bonus	cost
GRACE		 +1	 3
STRENGTH	 +1	 3
CLIMBING	 +1	 1
FAST DRAW	 +1	 1
LEAPING		 +2	 3
MARTIAL ART 1	 +3	 6
MARTIAL ART 2	 +2	 3
EVALUATION	 +1	 1
INTIMIDATION	+1	 1
This leaves us two points spare.


No true Chinese prevaricates about his origins


Background

Decent Chinese society is traditionally divided into four main classes: the artisans, farmers, officials and merchants. In general the classes represent rank in society: the officials are at the top, followed by the farmers, the artisans and then the merchants.

However, there are more people in society than just these four, so we have to expand a little. So, in descending order of importance:

There are also certain people who occupy a special position in society, or who are for some reason outside of it. For example, the large corps of eunuchs who attend to the needs of the Emperor, insulating him from contact with 'ordinary' people, could not be said to be highly regarded, though their proximity to the Emperor lends them a very high level of status in practical terms. Outsiders include barbarians from other lands, outlaws, and those who for whatever reason place themselves outside civilised society. Such people cannot really be ranked in the above table, precisely because they are outside of society. While a barbarian might be regarded as the lowest of the low, in practical terms he will have a higher status than a slave, who occupies the lowest rank of the lower classes.

The simple table presented needs further detail, which you'll find in the chapter on Society. For now, all you need to know is that you should choose one of the listed classes for your character's family. Once you've chosen it, it's pretty much fixed: China is a rigid society, and families don't have much social mobility, though this doesn't stop a host of wealthy merchants doing their best to buy their children into the gentry - successfully in many cases. Traditionally it is also impossible for individuals to alter their class, except by drastic measures such as becoming a Eunuch or a priest.

Of course, the reality of social relationships is more complex than just social ranks. Merchants find that wealth often makes up for a low position in society. A master craftsman commands more respect than a lowly farmer.

Class is more important for normal characters than for heroes, but it's still worth knowing, as it might have an impact on dialect (see Language in the Action chapter).

Also, although you have a free choice of social class, there can be disadvantages in shooting too high. If you choose to make your character a member of the gentry, for example, you'd be wise to spend some natural gifts on wealth. Otherwise you'll be in the unenviable position of being a poor member of the upper classes!

Provenance

Where is your character from? You may like to leave this up to the referee, as it may be convenient for all the characters to come from the same town. Or you may have some strong preference: for example, you may want to be a citizen of the teeming metropolis that is the Capital.

The first thing to note about your character's provenance is whether it is country, town or court (in other words the high ranking bureaucrats, generals, scholars and aristocrats of the Imperial Palace). This has an effect on wealth, and also on the bonus abilities they will receive.

However, your choice is limited by the social class of the character. You can only choose a provenance if it is listed below.

		Possible Provenances
Imperial Family		Court
Official		Court, Town
Farmer			Country
Artisan			Country, Town
Merchant		Town
Lower Class		Country, Town
You can then add to your skills the following additional bonuses (these are added to existing bonuses). The 'Country' provenance may seem like a bargain, but don't forget that any wealth bonus you have is worth less, and you are quite likely to be treated as a yokel in urban surroundings!

Provenance	Bonuses
Court		INTRIGUE +1, MANNERS +1, TASTE +2
Town		COMMERCE +1, RUMOURS +1, TASTE +1
Country 	FIGHTING +1, ANIMAL LORE +1, PLANT LORE +1, WILDERNESS LORE +1,  
manners -1 
Maps and lists of towns are provided in the China chapter from which you can choose (or even roll the dice for) your home town or district. There's quite a strong feeling of loyalty among most heroes, and finding someone who comes from the same town as you is usually cause for celebration. Characters from the country should still note down the name of the nearest town, as it represents the name of the country region which it administrates.

The character's home district will also determine the dialect and sub-dialect they can speak. Although conversations in the game are generally assumed to be in 'ordinary' Chinese, dialects may become important to the plot.

All births are registered by the squire of the local ward, who must forward information on births and deaths to the registrar of the district. This, along with unique sub-dialects, means that it is relatively easy to determine whether a person is native to a district, or an outsider. Travelling outside one's native district is not encouraged, and those without a good excuse may be detained by the authorities and given a stern warning. Good excuses include visiting a relative or going on a pilgrimage, though perhaps the most common is claiming to be a merchant. This is one more reason why merchants are often treated with suspicion by the authorities.

Example: Background

We know that Yang isn't from the lower classes, so we decide to place him in the Gentry. His father is an official of some kind, so we know he comes from the town. This means we can add bonuses of +1 to COMMERCE, RUMOURS and TASTE. We place his birth in the town of Dongping, coincidentally one of the closest prefectures to the outlaw stronghold of Liangshan Po.

The Yang family is a prolific clan. Their large estate houses four generations, including Yang Ming's paternal grandparents, two sets of uncles and aunts and sundry children. One notable omission is his father. Being an official, Yang senior cannot work in his home town. He is the magistrate of Nang county, four hundred miles to the south, where he lives with his wife Xuanyuan Ai and Ming's younger sister E.

Such a family is clearly rather wealthy. Three of those 4 spare natural gifts disappear to provide our lucky Dragon with a +2 stipend.

Family

The importance of the family in Chinese society cannot be over stressed. Of all the loyalties a character possesses, loyalty to family is expected to be the highest. And the family is regarded as the model of Chinese society. A family's father is the 'Emperor' and must be shown respect. Children must obey their older siblings. In principle, children are expected to follow the calling of their father. Rebellion is harshly punished: a son who strikes his father commits a crime for which the penalty is execution. Even raising a hand against an older sibling is punishable by two and a half years of forced labour.

You should make a few notes about the members of your character's family. Are your father and mother still alive? What about your grandparents? What brothers and sisters do you have? What do they do? Anything you don't write about your family is fair game for the referee to create and use in the game. You may make other notes about your character's attitude towards other family members, and their attitude towards your character.

Also consider whether your character is married. If you are married, you should describe your spouse in as much detail as you can. However you don't decide on abilities: that's up to the referee. See also the sections below on Patrons and Dependants.

Wealth

There are two kinds of wealth with which your character can start the game. The first is a stipend, in other words wealth derived from the family. The second is earnings, or wealth acquired by personal effort. For the purposes of determining whether you're eligible for an occupation, you can just add the two bonuses together, much like adding an aptitude to a skill. The result is referred to as your character's wealth.

When buying wealth, for both stipend and earnings, you should bear in mind the appropriateness of what you decide. It's rather unlikely that the child of a pedlar will have much in the way of a stipend, for example (though if you can come up with an interesting explanation, so much the better). The cost for both earnings and stipend is the same as a specific ability bonus; in other words 1 for the first point, 2 for the second and so on. Once you have an occupation, you may find that your earnings from that occupation increase your wealth still further. For each occupation, the earnings derived from your position are listed in the descriptions. This may be added to any other bonuses for wealth.

The Society chapter explains what wealth bonuses mean in cash terms. Generally a wealth bonus represents surplus monthly income. However, upon the death of your character's father, a stipend will be converted to a lump sum. This may provide your character with an earnings bonus. Wealth bonuses run from +1 to +10, though as with position, +10 is the exclusive preserve of the richest person in the Empire - in this case the Emperor, with a staggering monthly income of 70,000 strings! As the bonus represents surplus cash, you should understand that any bonus indicates that the character is quite well off. The overwhelming majority of China's population earn only enough to feed and clothe themselves (barely, in many cases), and this is reflected in the usual 0 earnings bonus.

One more important point to remember is that the cost of living is much higher in the city. Thus, a wealth bonus possessed by a character from the country is worth less if that character starts to live in a town. Conversely, city dwellers moving to the country will find themselves more affluent. This is explained in more detail in the Society chapter.

Occupation

To a great extent your occupation will determine your position in society, your income, what clothes you are expected to wear, and the way in which you behave. It will also provide the opportunity to learn specific skills.

Occupations are associated with certain social classes. The list of occupations gives the social classes you may belong to if you follow that occupation. Sometimes, joining an occupation will alter your class (as with Eunuch or Priest). You may join an occupation of a lower class, but you can't join an occupation of a higher class.

Occupations themselves also carry certain status in society. This is reflected in the bonus, ranging from 0 to +5, listed by the name of each occupation. This will have an effect on attempts to influence people, in certain circumstances, and is explained further in the Society chapter. There is no need to note this value on your character sheet.

Of course, there are other restrictions on choosing certain occupations. For example, you can't be an Aristocrat unless you're pretty wealthy. You can't be a Magician unless you can do magic (well, you can try I suppose...). You can't be a Eunuch unless you've had your... yes, well, the less said about that the better.

These restrictions are given in italics immediately after the name of each occupation. At the end of the description of the occupation, a list of bonus skills is provided. These are skills which are easier to learn for a character following that occupation.

Occupations will usually provide characters with basic necessities. They may also provide surplus income, represented as earnings. After bonus skills, a value for earnings may be noted, usually based on position. This may be added to any bonus the character has acquired using experience.

Characters may, of course, try to pretend to be another occupation (especially if they are criminals). This is perfectly permissible, but not as easy as you might think: you have to have the right clothing, and speak the right way. The further the professed occupation is from your true occupation (such as a criminal trying to pass himself off as a Eunuch) the more difficult it's going to be to get away with it.

More details about occupations can be found in the Society chapter.

Aristocrat +5

Imperial Family or Official
Wealth +3 or more

Members of extremely high ranking families can enjoy the varied life of a aristocrat. Although many employ their influence to acquire official position, or manage a large estate, some become 'hangers-on' to the Imperial Court. This requires a chameleon-like ability to adapt to the latest trends and intrigues, but has the advantage of providing plenty of opportunity to 'network' as a means of securing a prestigious appointment, by-passing the usual channels. This occupation also includes relatives of the Imperial Family. Aristocrats can draw large salaries from the state if they play their cards right.

Bonus skills: INTRIGUE, MANNERS, TASTE

Barbarian 0

Outsider
Characters from countries outside China are normally merchants, spies or explorers. Barbarian occupations are more or less the same as Chinese ones, but confer no social advantages on the barbarian.

Beggar 0

Lower Class
Begging is well established, with beggars even having their own organisations to co-ordinate their operations. Methods of begging vary, but many pretend to be mendicant monks. Most beggars survive through a store of knowledge about localities and personalities, as well as through their abilities to engage peoples' sympathy.

Bonus skills: DECEPTION, DISGUISE, RUMOURS

Boatman +1

Lower Class
There are many inland waterways (both rivers and canals) used for trade and travel purposes. The boatman makes his living ferrying people or wares across rivers or down river to the next town. They are competent boat handlers and some will not be averse to the occasional bout of smuggling, kidnapping or out and out banditry.

Bonus skills: FISHING, ROWING, SHUPCRAFT, SWIMMING

Earnings: +1 for position 7 or greater

Bodyguard +1

Lower Class
Wealthy patrons requiring protection will employ bodyguards to provide it. Such patrons may be merchants, foreigners, officials, or even successful craftsmen or farmers. This isn't a very respectable profession, but it usually provides the bodyguard with some clout, and the opportunity to hone his martial skills.

Bonus skills: EVALUATION, INTIMIDATION, MARTIAL ARTS

Earnings: bonus of position/3

Clerk +2

Gentry, Merchant, Lower Class
literacy +1 or more
This occupation covers a vast range of administrative roles. The Imperial Bureaucracy requires a huge supply of clerks and scribes to maintain the paperwork. Merchants, too, often require clerks to keep track of the bureaucratic necessities of their trade. Many graduates of the examinations work as clerks at tribunals before they obtain a position as a mandarin.

Bonus skills: ADMINISTRATION, CALLIGRAPHY, LITERACY

Earnings: +1 for position 5 or greater

Constable +2

Gentry, Lower Class
Employees of the judicial tribunal, which stands at the centre of every Chinese town, constables are responsible for the 'dirty jobs' involved in judicial work. They have to search for and bring in suspects, then beat them and even torture them if it is required by the magistrate.

Bonus skills: EVALUATION, INTIMIDATION, LAW, RUMOURS

Earnings: +1 for position 5 or greater

Countryman +1

Lower Class
Ordinary people who scrape a living in the wilds are called countrymen. This includes woodcutters, grass gatherers, charcoal burners and the like.

Bonus skills: ANIMAL LORE, PLANT LORE, WILDERNESS LORE

Courier +3

Gentry, Commoner
Communication is essential to the efficient working of the empire, and official couriers are charged with the task of carrying messages between officials. They have the right to stay at inns at no cost (in fact, inns are set up specially for couriers). Wealthy merchants and aristocrats may also employ couriers for their personal service.

Bonus skills: RIDING, ROUTES LORE, RUNNING

Earnings: +1 for position 5 or greater

Craftsman +2

Artisan
Crafts are listed in the Action chapter. Craftsmen form quite specialised guilds, which act as price setters, labour exchanges and general middle men. Apprentices receive no pay, learning the craft from a master (see Patrons).

Bonus skills: COMMERCE, CRAFT, GOODS LORE

Earnings: bonus of position/5

Criminal 0

Lower Class
Despite its harsh laws, China has its fair share of criminals. Many peasants, driven off the land by the greed and corruption of the bureaucracy, turn to illegal pursuits. Criminals tend to associate in guilds, but most have to pretend that they belong to a different occupation. You have to be pretty rich to pass yourself off as a mandarin or the like, and a smattering of appropriate skills are also necessary.

Bonus skills: DECEPTION, FORGERY, GAMBLING, SNEAKING, THIEVERY

Doctor +3

Artisan, Lower Class
There are two kinds of doctor: those who are employed by the bureaucracy, and those in private practice. The latter ordinarily come from a family practice, or are priests, while the former have to study in the state-run Medical Academy and pass rigorous examinations. This occupation includes physicians, surgeons, vets and those medics specialising in forensic medicine.

Bonus skills: ANIMAL TREATMENT, MEDICINE, PLANT LORE, SURGERY

Earnings: bonus of position/4

Entertainer +1

Lower Class
In general, the profession of entertainer is considered a dishonourable way to make a living, though there's no doubt that entertainers are widely appreciated. Since Chinese dramatic performances involve such a wide array of entertainment, this occupation covers such diverse talents as singers, acrobats and dancers.

Bonus skills: ACROBATICS, ACTING, DANCING, MUSIC, PILLOW ARTS, PUPPETRY, SINGING, STORYTELLING

Earnings: +1 for position 7 or greater

Eunuch +2

any
Anyone may be a eunuch, and although it is possible to achieve considerable power this way, it is not necessarily an occupation to be recommended to player characters. The process of becoming a eunuch is not really suitable for publication, and it has a relatively high fatality rate. Furthermore eunuchs must sever all family ties. On the other hand, once they become a Eunuch they effectively join the Imperial Family, and they are considered to be of this social class.

Bonus skills: CEREMONY, INTRIGUE, MANNERS

Earnings: bonus of position/3

Farmer +1

Farmer, Lower Class
The majority of farmers are tenants on land owned by others. Their life is hard, their rents are high. Others are lucky to own their own land. They, unfortunately, must bear the brunt of the taxes, which rich folk somehow manage to evade paying. The luckiest farmers of all come from wealthy families with official connections. A touch wealthier, however, and they stop having to follow this profession, instead becoming landowners.

Bonus skills: AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL LORE, FOLK LORE

Earnings: bonus of position/5

Hermit 0

any
Anyone who secludes themselves away from the hustle and bustle of town life can be considered a hermit. For this reason it includes lone swordsmen dedicated to perfecting their art, as well as the more traditional philosopher, searching for the truth through meditation. A hermit becomes an outsider.

Bonus skills: MEDITATION, WILDERNESS LORE

Hunter +1

Lower Class
A dangerous job, especially in those areas infested by tigers. A hunter may be employed by the authorities to rid an area of a menace, or by traders to obtain precious hides, tusks or internal organs. For those who balk at the man-eaters, there is a thriving trade in game animals, or a meagre living can perhaps be scraped by trapping rabbits.

Bonus skills: ANIMAL LORE, FISHING, MISSILES, SNEAKING, TRACKING, TRAPPING, WILDERNESS LORE.

Earnings: +1 for position 7 or greater

Instructor +3

Gentry, Lower Class
An instructor teaches the martial arts, whether to soldiers in the army, or as the personal tutor to a rich personage. Such a person will normally have a reputation and may well receive challenges from other martial artists.

Bonus skills: EVALUATION, FIRST AID, MARTIAL ARTS

Earnings: bonus of position/5

Labourer 0

Lower Class
Labourers are manual workers, often employed by craftsmen or farmers, or as servants to the wealthy. They do the heavy work under the supervision of their employer. Sometimes they will stay in a job for some time and eventually change to the employer's occupation (such as an apprentice craftsman). This is not common, though; the bulk of labourers simply turn their hands to whatever pays. Labourer is the most common single career for the average city dweller. This occupation also includes probably the toughest occupation of all: that of miner.

Bonus skills: STRENGTH, ENDURANCE

Landowner +4

Gentry
Wealth +2 or more
When you own a certain amount of land, you find you are sufficiently rich that you no longer need to work it yourself as a farmer. In this case, you become a landowner. Most landowners will have tenants, who may be farmers or craftsmen (depending on whether the land owned is in the country or the town). They may employ a manager to handle day-to-day affairs, but will normally have to exercise at least some supervision.

Bonus skills: ADMINISTRATION, TASTE

Earnings: bonus of position/2

Magician +2

any
The various kinds of sorcerers have a wide variety of abilities at their disposal. Many are practitioners of the philosophy of Taoism, and one of the most common branches of the arts of Chinese sorcery is Alchemythe quest for immortality. However, Buddhist sorcerers are also encountered, and so are wu ren, shaman sorcerers of the folk religion.

Bonus skills: ALCHEMY, DIVINATION, ELEMENTALISM, ILLUSION, SPELLS, TALISMANS

Earnings: bonus of position/5

Manager +3

Merchant
A merchant may be employed by a landowner, or by the state, as a general manager, supervising collection of rent, upkeep and so on. A merchant who is fortunate enough to run his own business might earn a living selling some commodity, or working as a moneychanger. Shopkeepers tend to be fairly specialised, and they run their enterprises as family businesses, so wives and children are expected to assist. This occupation includes those shopkeepers who own their own shop, as well as those who pay rent to a wealthy landowner, magnate or the government.

Bonus skills: ADMINISTRATION, COMMERCE, TASTE

Earnings: bonus of position/3

Mandarin +5

Gentry
A magistrate is the effective ruler of a district (a walled town and the surrounding countryside), and therefore responsible for tens of thousands of citizens. He is in charge of all civilian administrative decisions within the district, and except in a military district or prefecture, outranks the officer in charge of the garrison. He is primarily the dispenser of justice, a job which often means that he has to act as detective, too. The magistrate's immediate assistants occupy the lowest rank of the imperial bureaucracy. If diligent, and given success in the imperial examinations, they may become magistrates. A magistrate who performs his tasks well can hope for promotion up through the hierarchy: whether as a prefect, a provincial governor, or a functionary of one of the various ministries of the central government.

Characters wishing to occupy higher positions as mandarins must first pass the Imperial examinations. See the Society chapter for details.

Bonus skills: ADMINISTRATION, CEREMONY, LAW, RHETORIC

Earnings: +1 at position 1, rising to +2 at position 3, and +3 at position 7 or greater

Outlaw 0

any
This occupation includes a wide range of character types, though of course most are out-and-out bandits. Anyone who is recognised to be outside the law must have this occupation. They become an outsider. It is anticipated that many hero characters of this game will end up in this occupation. Despite the bonus skills, it is by no means limited to warriors.

Bonus skills: FIGHTING, MISSILES, WILDERNESS LORE

Pedlar 0

Merchant, Lower Class
The lowest level of merchant, pedlars wander the streets dispensing anything from medicine to snacks to magical charms and paraphernalia. Traditionally, medicine pedlars advertise their wares by putting on a display of martial skills. This is a common profession for down-on-their-luck warriors.

Bonus skills: COMMERCE, DECEPTION, RUMOURS

Priest +2

any
The occupation of priest covers a wide range of people concerned with the various types of religion. These include Buddhist and Taoist monks, geomancers, diviners, astrologers and so on. To be ordained in a monastery, monks require an official document of authorisation. There are, of course, many lay priests who lack such authentication, but who nevertheless cater to the religious needs of the populace. Priests are viewed as lower class by many but in practice their association with the occult lends them influence.

Bonus skills: ASTROLOGY, CEREMONY, CHANTING (Buddhists only), DIVINATION, ELEMENTALISM (Taoists only), MEDITATION, OCCULTISM, THEOLOGY

Earnings: +1 at position 7 or greater

Pugilist +1

Lower Class
Martial arts contests are a regular spectacle in Chinese society, and this occupation includes those prize-fighters who make their living by competing in such tournaments. However it is wider than this, including any student of the martial arts, and the monks of the Shaolin monastery.

Bonus skills: FIGHTING, MARTIAL ARTS

Sailor +2

Lower Class
The Chinese are great traders, and their merchant vessels regularly journey across the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. This occupation covers the whole gamut of ocean-going sailors, from deck hands to ship captains.

Bonus skills: NAVIGATION, ROWING, SHIPCRAFT, SWIMMING

Earnings: bonus of position/5

Scholar +4

Gentry
China has a great tradition of learning. People of all classes aspire to the status of scholars. Those who show particular ability at the classics stand a good chance of passing not only the local examinations but the Palace onesthe key to a lucrative career in central government. This occupation includes students and teachers, and even the illustrious scholars of the Imperial Academy.

Bonus skills: CLASSICS, COMPOSITION, HISTORY, LEARNING

Servant 0

Lower Class
Servants can be quite highly trained insofar as one needs training in the procedure of serving food or drink and so on. Even bringing a simple message to a master could involve a degree of ceremony and correct behaviour, certainly in the case of a official master. A servant usually works for a wealthy master in return for food and board and a poor salary. Alternatively, they may be waiters in a tavern.

Bonus skills: MANNERS

Soldier +1

Gentry, Lower Class
At the bottom of this occupation is an ordinary foot soldier in the ranks of the Imperial army. It also covers officers and even the military officials who provide one arm of the bureaucracy. However, this is not a highly regarded occupation. In fact, soldiers are intensely disliked by many people. When they are not involved in military action or duties, many soldiers supplement their income with mercantile activities.

This occupation also includes those countryfolk drafted by the bureaucracy as leaders of local militia, whether temporarily or permanently.

Bonus skills: FIGHTING, SOLDIERY, STRATEGY

Earnings: bonus of position/3

Spy +2

Lower Class
Spies are of use to a variety of powerful people: officials, generals, merchants and so on. They specialise in the arts of disguise and deception.

Bonus skills: DISGUISE, PERCEPTION, SNEAKING

Earnings: bonus of position/4

Trader +1

Merchant
A trader is a travelling merchant, supplying shops, or other businesses with commodities. The trader specialises in the distribution of goods, and therefore a detailed knowledge of trade routes and market fluctuations are essential to his success.

Bonus skills: COMMERCE, GOODS LORE, ROUTES LORE

Earnings: bonus of position/2

Wanderer 0

any
A character may become a wanderer at any time, simply by abandoning his present occupation. Acquiring a new occupation after being a wanderer may be difficult, however.

Bonus skills: none

Wastrel 0

Gentry, Merchant
Stipend +2 or more
The children of wealthy parents are free to indulge themselves in whatever diversions they choose. Their parents will often engage arms instructors to tutor them in the military arts.

Bonus skills: TASTE plus one, according to the teacher engaged

Heroes' Occupations

If you choose to play a heroic character, you have one great disadvantage: you have stepped outside normal society. For this reason, heroes may not have a position bonus. The character's respect bonus is the only measure of status which a hero can use. You must choose one of the following occupations: Barbarian, Countryman, Hermit, Hunter, Magician, Outlaw, Pugilist, Priest, Spy, Wanderer or Wastrel. However, this doesn't mean that the hero has followed that occupation all their life. You should feel free to determine the previous history of your character (see the later section), including what occupation they followed until they felt the call of the wild (or were forced into following it).

Referees may allow characters to 'defer' their exile from society. In other words, at the start of the game they can follow any normal occupation. The circumstances in which they leave that occupation will form one of the events of the game.

For example, an Arms Instructor to the Imperial Guards (occupation: instructor) is framed by a corrupt official who covets the man's wife. As a result of this he becomes an outlaw, and so his life as a hero begins...

In cases where a character's exile is deferred, the player should agree to a deadline by which the character must leave their occupation. Once the deadline is reached the referee is at liberty to have them framed...

Example: Occupation

A look at his abilities makes it obvious that Yang is not cut out for a career in the Civil Service. But coming from the family of a magistrate he wouldn't have much trouble being employed as a constable at the local Yamen in Dongping.

Unfortunately Yang is a hero. We know that he will lose his position as a constable. The referee decides to allow Yang to be a Sergeant (position +3) without spending any points, because he'll lose that position very soon. Yang's exile is deferred, but the player agrees that circumstances will soon conspire to switch Yang's occupation to Outlaw.

Position

A normal character's position in their occupation is expressed as a bonus. For most members of that occupation it will be 0, and this is what your character will be unless you choose differently. If you adopt a new occupation during the game, you may well enter at a lower position (-1 is normal). Position is usually rated from +1 to +10, though +10 is extremely rare - as a general rule it indicates the one highest person in that occupation in the whole of China! If you want your character to start the game with a higher position you can buy it with your natural gifts or experience. If you want your character to start at a lower position you may do so, but you don't gain any points.

Position is very cheap to buy: it costs one point of natural gifts or experience per point of bonus. However you can only use natural gifts in a case where your father could conceivably assist you in acquiring such a position (if your father follows the same occupation, for example).

Position reflects the character's formal social prestige, at least within their profession, and is not available to heroic characters, who are outside of society. It also partly determines a character's monthly net income, as explained in the section on wealth and the Society chapter.

What a given position represents for certain occupations is explained in greater detail in the Society chapter.

Patrons

In a society such as China, where the idea of equality is almost entirely unknown, patrons are of crucial importance. If you want to get anywhere, a patron is essential. You should make a note of your character's patrons on their character sheet.

There are two basic kinds of patrons: active and inactive. An active patron is one with whom the character currently has a relationship of some kind. An inactive patron is someone who is no longer in regular contact with the character.

The principal patrons for all characters are their parents. If the character still lives with their parents (which is normal for most characters until they marry, and in many cases even after) then the parents will be active patrons. If the parents are dead, or the character lives apart from their family, then the parents will be inactive patrons. Characters are expected to make offerings to their ancestors at the family altar, and in the case where the character's parents are dead, this is of particular importance.

Other patrons arise because of occupation or learning. Any teacher of a character automatically becomes their patron. As a general rule, if a character has a specific skill of +2 or more, they will have been taught, and that teacher will be a patron. They may choose whether the patron is active or inactive.

A character in an occupation will normally have a patron: their superior in that occupation. A manager working for a rich trader will regard the trader as their patron. Soldiers in the army regard their superior officer as a patron. A married woman regards her husband as a patron. Players may describe their patrons in as much detail as they like but, since they are the referee's characters, the referee has final say, and may change the players' descriptions.

Patrons are useful in that they provide a resource which can be drawn on. On the other hand, characters are expected to obey their patrons if they wish to maintain respect (and retain their patron). Thus patrons can be something of a burden at times.

Characters often owe their patrons favours (see below). By owing favours to patrons you can gain extra experience to spend on your character's abilities. The exception to this is that you can't get experience from the 3 favours you owe to your parents.

Dependants

Of course you don't only have patrons. You may acquire dependants to whom you are a patron. Firstly there are family dependants. A married man regards his wife (or wives and concubines if he's very rich) as dependants. He must support them, but in return he can expect their loyalty and obedience. The same is true for children.

Secondly, there are servants. A character who comes from the gentry or higher, and any character with a wealth bonus, will almost certainly have one or more servants, maids or retainers. Of course, a portion of the character's wealth bonus will have to set aside to provide the living expenses for these dependants. The referee should determine the details of a character's family retainers.

Dependants may also be acquired through an occupation. An officer in the army regards all his men as dependants. A magistrate's dependants are the staff of the tribunal (though some might argue that everyone in his district is his dependant in a sense!).

As with patrons, dependants are usually played by the referee. Players may describe these dependants, but the referee has final say. Dependants owe their patrons favours, but subject to the approval of the referee, you don't have to pay experience for this.

Favours

Obligation is important to the people of Song China. They must keep careful track of who owes them favours, and who they owe favours to. The network of favours (guanxi) becomes very important in using influence. This is explained further in the Society chapter. When you create a character you might like to think about the favours they owe or are owed. All characters owe their parents three favours (whether those parents are dead or alive!).

Up to three points of experience can be gained by owing favours. Each favour owed gains one point of experience, irrespective of the social standing of the person to whom the debt is owed. These favours may include the character's Patrons (see above), but you can't get points of experience from the three favours you owe to your parents!

You may also be owed favours. Any dependants your character has, which are agreed by the referee, will owe you favours.

It is also possible to be owed favours by other people. These cost experience according to the social standing of the person relative to the player character.

Position of Person	Experience
Lower than character	1
Same level as character	2
Slightly higher		3
Higher			4
Much higher		5
The referee will have to interpret these relative levels. Obviously it will always be necessary to think up some details about the person with whom the character has a relationship: at the very least a name. The referee is at liberty to use that person in the course of a game.

Example: Contacts

Yang's first Patron is his father. He also owes a lot to Prefect Hua, who has just completed his term in Dongping, and who has now moved to a position in the central government in Bianliang. He also has his martial arts teacher as an inactive Patron. As long as Yang remains a constable, he has a squad of lower-ranking constables as his dependants. He also shares some responsibility for the children of his extended family, though these are not direct dependants.

His life up to now has been busy, if uneventful. During his teens he was on the move every four years or so as his father's official post was changed. As an adult, he obtained his position as a constable through his family. To gain promotion to sergeant, however, he persuaded Prefect Hua, to whom he now owes a favour. This provides him with an additional point of experience, which we immediately sink into a favour owed by Gu, a kind-hearted petty crook in Dongping. Yang deliberately allowed Gu to escape arrest a year ago, earning a flogging for his pains.


No great virtue may be brought to perfection without politeness


Personal Qualities

Although most aspects of the personality of a character are left to players to bring to life through their performances, certain areas are made easier to understand and administer by the use of rules. None of these rules restrict a player's freedom to play the character they want, but they do go some way to encouraging players to make their characters real Chinese heroes, and not just Joe Average Westerner in a strange costume. They also provide players with possible goals for their characters in relatively concrete form.

Motivation

A character's drives are an essential element in describing who they are. Most areas of personality don't require rules, just the ability to imagine that you are a different person. Motivation, however, has an effect on a character's chances of improvement, so some rules are necessary.

Players may select a principal motivation for their characters. The motivation should usually be one appropriate to the character's class and occupation. Possible motivations are given below. Characters will start the game with 0 motivation unless they buy additional points with their experience, with 2 points costing 1 experience.

Players may also select a secondary motivation for their character if they like. They can claim points freely for both motivations if they do so.

Points of motivation are acquired in the game by players 'claiming' them at appropriate moments, as explained in the chapter on Action. They may be used to assist in character improvement and, optionally, may be spent by players to gain one-off bonuses to important rolls. They have some other effects on the game (especially for religious characters), and referees may like to take account of the characters' current motivations in adjudicating the game. However, motivation is not presented as a restriction on player freedom. In the end, the psychology of the character is the player's to decide.

You can are free to abandon a motivation at any time, and may also switch to a new one. Any points acquired are lost (but bad joss which was acquired because of that motivation is not lost).

A player character does not have to have a motivation.

Ambition

The character desires advancement above all other things, though the method will vary according to circumstances. A character with this motivation will usually be socially competitive and probably try to acquire position.

Chivalry

Martial virtue in China is not necessarily the same as we would recognise in the West. Chivalry prizes generosity, honesty, bravery, and to a large extent, chastity. A martial hero should be quick to leap to the aid of the underdog, or to revenge an injustice, and extreme violence is acceptable in such circumstances.

Desire

A character with this motivation is driven by the pleasures of the flesh, whether they be food, members of the opposite (or same) sex, or whatever.

Enlightenment

The character must be a practising Buddhist to select this motivation. Buddhist enlightenment requires a character to transcend the cares of the world. It is usually acquired through meditation and ascetic practices. Ultimately a character following this motivation may become a Lohan, a form of Buddhist Sublime. How to do this is not explained in this game, however.

Face

A character with this motivation is driven to protect their prestige, and avoid ridicule by others. While most people consider it important to be treated properly, with appropriate respect, this motivation suggests a level of passion in excess of the normal.

Fame

The character wants their name to be known far and wide. This is a common motivation of heroes and villains alike. Character's desiring fame will often attempt to improve their respect score.

Filial Piety

Actually the highest moral duty a person can have, filial piety is the dedication of a child towards the well-being of their parents. It is considered the natural response to the 'debt that can never be repaid' (the gift of life).

Greed

The character desires wealth above all else. This is an appropriate motivation for merchants, but it is usually looked down upon, and therefore characters from other social classes may suffer from making this motivation too obvious.

Happiness

A popular motivation though not, it has to be said, necessarily the strongest. The character simply wishes to lead a happy life, and, if a virtuous person, probably feels that other people should also be happy.

Immortality

The character must be a practising Taoist to select this motivation. There are various levels of immortality for which a Taoist may strive, from simple longevity in this world, to becoming a Sublime, and even dwelling in the Otherworld. The method for attaining Immortality is not dealt with in this game.

Justice

A basic belief in justice in China usually accords with the ideas expressed in the Law Code. There is no sense of 'equality' involved. Justice means that everyone should be treated correctly according to their station in society. In some circumstances the Law Code may be perverted by corrupt individuals.

Loyalty

For this to be an overriding motivation, an object of the loyalty should be specified. The object of loyalty should not be too far removed from the character (it's pointless a peasant choosing loyalty to the Emperor as a motivation, for example) and should ideally be an immediate superior.

Mercy

Almost entirely limited to Buddhists, as it particularly stems from the doctrine associated with Guan Yin. The Chinese concept of mercy involves showing compassion to all living things, irrespective of their social status.

Perfection

An obsessive desire to achieve a high level of ability in a certain area may be possessed by scholars and warriors alike. The disadvantage with this motivation is that points may only be added to the chance of improvement in the particular area with which the character is obsessed.

Purity

Usually limited to monks, priests and hermits, the motivation of purity involves a rejection of contaminating influences from the everyday world. Depending on the precise religious beliefs of the character, this may include lusts and desires, non-vegetarianism and violence.

Revenge

The character is determined to revenge some specific past action. This motivation goes far beyond Justice, and may indeed apply in cases that could not be called just. The player should specify the object of the revenge. Usually, obtaining the revenge sought will force the character to choose a new motivation. Ordinarily, however, characters find it hard to adjust to a new motivation after having followed this one!

Virtue

Mainly possessed by ardent followers of Confucianism, as this concept is fundamental to its teachings. Virtue relates to interpersonal relations. It is usually understood to refer to a sensitive awareness of the situation of other people. However, it differs from the Taoist and Buddhist ideals in this it stresses dealing with people correctly, and maintaining harmony and order in society.

Example: Motivation

Yang is a prime candidate to become one of the brotherhood of heroes. Who knows, he may even be one of the reborn souls of the Water Margin heroes. He follows the Chinese ideal of chivalry above all else. In his work as a constable he has tended to prize fair play above the letter of the law.

Respect

You can't get very far in Chinese society without respect. The higher you climb, the more important it is that your reputation is flawless. Respect is more than this, however. It is a character's informal prestige: including face, good (or bad) name and even charisma.

Respect is measured on the same scale as abilities. A respect of 0 indicates that the character has no special reputation. A negative value for respect indicates that the character is actually disdained by people. Positive values show increasing levels of regard in which the character is held.

In Song China, respect often comes from being a part of a hierarchy. Characters will have a score in respect according to the following criteria:

+1 respect
is gained by characters with a simple position in a hierarchy: that of a person who has been placed in charge of a small number of subordinates. For example: the manager of a thriving business, a sergeant in a magistrate's yamen or a military unit, a master craftsman or a small-scale bandit chief.

+2 respect
is gained by being part of a more complicated hierarchy, and having at least two tiers of subordinates. This applies to 'mid-level' people, for example, officers in the army, ward chiefs of villages, magistrates, magnates or Abbots of temples.

+3 respect
is gained by those at the top of a substantial hierarchy. This applies to ministers, generals, bandit kings and the Taoist Celestial Master.

This should be added to any respect bought with your experience when you create your character. It costs the same as a specific ability: so the first additional point costs 1, the second 2 and so on. You may, if you wish, start the game with negative points of respect. Each negative point of respect provides 1 additional point of experience.

Don't confuse respect with any moral judgement. There is no sense in which a person with high respect is 'good' while a person with low respect is 'bad'. It simply shows what others thinks of your character, and in China that is more important.

Respect will change in the course of the game as a result of your character's actions. It is important in relations with patrons and dependants, as well as in the use of influence. It is especially important for heroes, who may not possess a position score, and who therefore often rely on their respect scores (and their ages) to determine relative status. It is explained further in the Society chapter.

Previous History

Much of the character's previous history should be clear from the preceding sections. You know where the character was born and something about their family. You also know what occupations they have followed up to the present, and what patrons, dependants and contacts they have acquired in the course of their life.

Although it's by no means necessary, writing a brief life history of your character will help you bring them to life in the game, and may give the referee some useful ideas for adventures. You should also note down any events in your character's life which left a deep impact on them. Examples might include the death of a parent, the first time they had sex or killed someone else, and so on.

Example: Reputation

Yang's qualities have stood him in good stead, earning him a reputation for generosity. We spend one of his spare experience points to give him a respect bonus of +1. As long as he remains a sergeant, this is raised to +2 because of his position in a hierarchy. If he becomes an outlaw, he may retain this level of respect if he manages to be put in command in some way: becoming a lieutenant to the chief, for example. For a character with Yang Ming's talents, this should be possible.


Sons receive their father's fortunes; daughters share their husbands' lot


Possessions

The possessions with which your character starts the game are mainly determined by their occupation and their wealth.

Clothing

All characters automatically gain clothing appropriate to their occupation and position. Examples of typical clothing for particular occupations can be found in the illustrations throughout the game.

Characters requiring additional clothing either have to pay for it with their spare cash (see below), or they may count it as 'tools of the trade' (if, for example, they are criminals, entertainers or spies).

Tools Of The Trade

Characters automatically have access to the tools of their trade as defined below. However they won't necessarily own them. In the case of many craftsmen, for example, employees will use tools provided by their masters. Soldiers usually do not own their weapons, which are provided by the army. However characters of increased position may own their own tools.
ARISTOCRAT	none
BARBARIAN	according to occupation
BEGGAR		begging bowl, wooden fish
BOATMAN		for position +1 or greater, a boat
BODYGUARD	weapons, see below
CLERK		writing set
CONSTABLE	weapons, see below
COUNTRYMAN	none
COURIER		nine
CRAFTSMAN	according to craft
CRIMINAL	according to type of crime
DOCTOR		medical almanac
ENTERTAINER	according to type
EUNUCH		pickled organs
FARMER		farm implements
HERMIT		none
HUNTER		traps, weapons, see below
INSTRUCTOR	weapons, see below
LABOURER	none
LANDOWNER	none
MAGICIAN	magical focus
MANAGER		scales
MANDARIN	none
OUTLAW		weapons, see below
PEDLAR		goods
PRIEST		religious paraphernalia
PUGILIST	none
SAILOR		none
SCHOLAR		books
SERVANT		none
SOLDIER		weapons & armour, see below
SPY		disguise
TRADER		none
WANDERER	none
WASTREL		none

Weapons & Armour

The tools of war are regulated in Song China, so possessing them openly in a town is not advisable for those characters who do not follow an occupation which makes them eligible to do so. Only Bodyguards, Constables, Hunters, Instructors, Outlaws and Soldiers may count weapons as tools of the trade. Of these, only Constables, Soldiers, and those Instructors employed by the government, are permitted to openly bear arms within a town. Officials are permitted to bear arms, though few choose to do so as the military profession is scorned.

Characters following one of the above occupations are entitled to a weapon according to the following list.

Bodyguard	Any weapon (but beware of the law!)
Constable	Sword, sabre, mace or staff
Hunter		Axe, mace, spear, bow
Instructor	Any weapon (but beware of the law!)
Outlaw		Any weapon
Soldier		Any weapon (usually sabre, spear or sword)
Such weapons are of average quality. Characters with wealth bonuses may choose either to improve the quality of their weapon (for each point of wealth bonus, improve the quality by one step), or to have an additional weapon from the list per point of wealth bonus.

Soldiers and Outlaws (only) may also receive armour. All soldiers are issued with medium armour. At position +3 this improves to metal armour, while Field Commanders and higher (+5 position) are equipped with full armour. Outlaws only have what they can scavenge: basically light armour, though the expenditure of 3 points of natural gifts or experience enables an outlaw to own medium armour.

Characters from other occupations who want weapons must buy them with spare cash (exception: any character who wants a knife may have one). As it is against the law to supply military equipment to those ineligible to use it, characters will have to be careful about the weapons they buy.

Animals

In a society in which dog meat is sometimes eaten, pets are rather uncommon, apart from in the more decadent reaches of the aristocracy. Beasts of burden and horses are a little more common. Farmers with a wealth bonus may own a number of oxen equal to their bonus cubed.

Horses are quite rare, as the best ones are bred by the barbarians beyond the borders. A character may have as many horses as their wealth bonus, assuming the horses are of poor quality (for example, a donkey). As with weapons, for each additional point of wealth bonus a character may either have an additional horse, or improve the quality of a horse by one step: from poor to average to good to fine.

Spare Cash

The only currency recognised officially is the cash, a copper coin which may be collected in strings of 1000 (a string is threaded through the hole in the middle of the coin). An official string of 1000 cash is abbreviated in these rules with an 's'. The inheritance values listed in the table below are measured in official strings.

Ordinary people make their own strings of 100 cash (abbreviated 'h'), and are also very happy to exchange silver and gold. As a rule of thumb, an ounce of silver, called a tael, is worth 1000 cash. A one-ounce ingot of gold is worth five times that.

A character without a wealth bonus is unlikely to have much spare cash available. Such a character may make a roll against ease 8. If successful, the result is the number of hundreds of cash the character has available at the start of the game. The money may be taken in any form.

Characters with a wealth bonus may make two monthly surplus rolls (explained below) to find out how many hundreds of cash they have available at the start of the game.

Bonus	Multiple	Inheritance
+1	1		12s
+2	16		240s
+3	81		1440s
+4	256		5000s
+5	625		13500s
+6	1296		30000s
+7	2401		60000s
+8	4096		120000s
+9	6561		200000s
+10	10000		360000s

A monthly surplus roll has an ease of 10, to which the character's total wealth bonus is added. Check the Action chapter for how to deal with chances of success of greater than 10. The degree of success is multiplied by the wealth bonus raised to the power of four (this multiple is provided in the table above) to find the number of hundreds of cash.

Characters with a stipend, whose father is dead (referee's discretion) may chose to convert their stipend into a lump sum. The exact nature of the lump sum should be discussed with the referee (as noted earlier, it will usually include property and land) but the table provides a lump sum Inheritance value for reference.

Money is discussed in greater detail in the Society chapter.

Example: Possessions

Finally we find out what Yang owns. He is decked out in constable's gear, and is entitled to a weapon: a mace. As the proud possessor of a +2 wealth bonus he can opt to have two additional weapons. We decide instead to give him one good sword. So now we know what his martial arts bonuses are in. The +3 is in SWORD, the weapon of a gentleman, and the +2 is in MACE.

We roll twice for Yang's spare cash, against a chance of 12. The first roll fails, while the other roll is a 2 and a 1, so taking the higher of the two dice, adding the bonus of 2 and performing abstruse calculations on it (the result of 4 multiplied by his earnings bonus of 2 raised to the power four) provides 96 strings of a hundred cash (henceforth referred to as 'a hundred'). The referee, as we already discovered with the position business, is a generous old so-and-so, and permits Yang to write 10 official strings (of 1000 cash each) down on his character sheet.

Example: Finishing Off

Wait a minute: we still have one point of experience and one point of natural gifts. Glancing back over our choices, we decide to pick up an aptitude in INTIMIDATION and a skill in MISSILES: BOW (how could we have forgotten that?)

The completed character sheet, with all the things we've decided written in the appropriate places, is presented for your amazement and amusement.

Anything else can be written on the back of the sheet, in a note book, typed into a very expensive Pentium notebook computer or whatever, as you like.


The best harvests are other peoples',the best children one's own


Sample Characters

Creating a character is a long and complicated process. Here are a few characters which illustrate the process, and which represent typical people from legendary China. You may recognise a couple of them from popular Chinese movies or stories...

These are all normal characters. To make them heroes, just add three to each of their energy and body scores. Then, if the power level of the game is more than 0, assign additional abilities by buying them with the power level of the game.

Warriors

Dashing Officer

Age 35
Size +1
Energy 7 Body 9
Aptitudes:
STRENGTH +1, PRESENCE +1, WIT -1, MAGIC -1,FIGHTING +2, SOLDIERY +1, SINGING -2
Skills:
FIGHTING +2, LITERACY +1, PILLOW ARTS +1, RIDING +1,SOLDIERY +1, SWORD +1, STRATEGY +1, FIRST AID +1,COMMERCE +1, RUMOURS +1, TASTE +1
Occupation: Soldier, position +3
Background: Town. Coming from the gentry, obtained current rank of captain through the influence of father, a retired General.
Patrons: Father, Major
Dependants: soldiers of unit
Favours: 1 owed to sergeant who saved his life.
Motivation: Fame
Respect +3
Possessions: sword, medium armour

Old Master

Age 50
Energy 7 Body 7
Aptitudes:
STRENGTH +1, PRESENCE +1, FIGHTING +2,LEAPING +1, INTIMIDATION +1,DRINKING -1, GAMBLING -1, INTRIGUE -1
Skills:
FIGHTING +2, LEAPING +1, UNARMED COMBAT +4,RIDING +1, SURGERY +1, EVALUATION +1, FISHING +1,MEDITATION +1, FIRST AID +2, ANIMAL LORE +1,PLANT LORE +1, WILDERNESS LORE +1
Occupation: Hermit
Background: Country. A career as a pugilist and arms instructor has culminated in a retreat from society.
Dependants: a daughter
Favours: owed favour by former student
Motivation: Purity
Respect +1

Young Boxer

Age 20
Energy 7 Body 8
Aptitudes:
CO-ORDINATION +1, GRACE +1, FIGHTING +2,LEAPING +1, DILIGENCE -1, UNKNOWN +1
Skills:
FIGHTING +2, STRENGTH +1, LEAPING +1,MARTIAL ART +3, FIRST AID +2, ANIMAL LORE +1,PLANT LORE +1, WILDERNESS LORE +1, MANNERS -1
Occupation: Pugilist
Background: Country. Born to the merchant class, but became lower class on becoming a pugilist.
Patrons: Father, Martial Arts Teacher
Motivation: Chivalry

Scholars

Shrewd Magistrate

Age 40
Energy 7 Body 7
Aptitudes:
INTUITION +1, REASONING +1, ADMINISTRATION +2,DISGUISE +1, RUNNING -1, THIEVERY -1, GAMBLING -1
Skills:
LITERACY +1, CLASSICS +1, LAW +3, CALLIGRAPHY +1, CEREMONY +1, COMPOSITION +3, RHETORIC +1, INTIMIDATION +1, RUMOURS (local area) +2, INTRIGUE +1,
MANNERS +2, TASTE +2
Occupation: Mandarin, position +1
Background: Court. Son of an Academician, primarily owes his position as magistrate to his father's influence. Nevertheless, he has passed the examinations. Takes a particular pleasure in unravelling crimes.
Wealth: Earnings +1
Patrons: Father, Prefect
Motivation: Justice
Respect +2

Young Clerk

Age 19
Energy 7 Body 7
Aptitudes:
DILIGENCE +1, ART +1, EMPATHY +1, DRINKING -1, SHIPCRAFT -1, SOLDIERY -1, TRACKING -1, TRAPPING -1, DECEPTION -1, INTIMIDATION -2, UNKNOWN +2, UNKNOWN +1
Skills:
LITERACY +1, RIDING +1, ADMINISTRATION +1, COMPOSITION +1, ACTING +1, CALLIGRAPHY +1, MUSIC +1, PAINTING +1, CLASSICS +1, MANNERS +1, COMMERCE +1, RUMOURS +1, TASTE +1
Occupation: Clerk
Background: Town. Brought up in a family of gentry who had fallen on hard times, learned to read and write, but owing to the family's poverty has been forced to take a job as debt collector for a wealthy merchant.
Patrons: Father, Employer, Teacher
Motivation: Happiness 4

Mystics

Taoist Sorcerer

Age 45
Energy 6 Body 6
Aptitudes:
MAGIC +1, AMBIDEXTERITY +1, FIGHTING +1, NIGHT VISION +1, SINGING +1, ALCHEMY +1, ELEMENTALISM +1, ILLUSION +1
Skills:
LITERACY +1, FIGHTING +1, SWORD +2, CALLIGRAPHY +1, DIVINATION +1, ELEMENTALISM +2, OCCULTISM +1, ANIMAL LORE +1, MANNERS -1, PLANT LORE +1, WILDERNESS LORE +1, SPELLS (Master of Fire +3, Eyes of the Snake +2, Strength of the Yellow Earth +2, Dragon Veins +1)
Occupation: Magician
Background: Country. Practitioner of the Magical Arts. Has constantly been distracted by circumstances from his desire to study the Arts of Longevity. Now seeks a 'quick fix' method of Immortality.
Patron: Master
Dependants: Two students
Motivation: Immortality

Many more sample characters are provided in the full (registered) game.