Chaosium Digest Volume 5, Number 5 Date: Sunday, January 9, 1994 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: Once Upon a Time in China (Eric Yin) PENDRAGON -------------------- From: Eric Yin Subject: Once Upon a Time in China System: Pendragon Variant This is the draft of a Pendragon/RuneQuest variant that I have put together for a "wuxia" style oriental campaign. The wuxia genre is typified by romance, tragedy, intrigue and a timespan that Pendragon is well suited for. The high-flying, superhuman martial arts that is the other trademark I found to be better suited for a RuneQuest-like combat system. The player will take on the role of "xia" (I'm not sure of the exact translation, but it's probably something along the lines of knight, warrior, adventurer), and adventures will be along the lines of Hong Kong wuxia films, with cannibal bandits, beautiful ghosts, magical swords, hopping corpses, scheming eunuchs and powerful enemies. In this post, I'll just cover character generation, and a little on combat. I may add more later on adventure vignettes, house combat rules, the supernatural, and magic if I have time and people are interested. I've set the time period in Ming dynasty China, for my own convenience, but other periods can be used with minor changes. CHARACTER CREATION RULES ======================== PERSONAL DATA Name The method I suggest is to pick a surname, and then add a descriptive title as a first name; e.g. Two-knives Tan. Homeland The Provinces are actually more akin to the Regions from which a character comes from in Pendragon, but I have them as Homelands because I have yet to find any adequate sources for information on the various prefectures and sub-prefectures within each province. Provincial Table ---------------- D20 Province 01-02 Shantung (modern Shantung, Heilungkiang, Chilin, and Liaoning) 03-04 Honan 05-06 Nanking (modern Anhui) 07-08 Hukuang (modern Hupei and Hunan) 09 Capital (modern Hopei) 10 Shansi 11 Shensi (modern Shensi and part of Kansu) 12 Szechuan 13 Chekiang 14 Kiangsi 15 Kweichow 16 Yunnan 17 Fukien 18 Kwangsi 19 Kwangtung 20 Other (e.g. Mongolia, Korea, Tibet, Annam, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Japan) Culture Each culture would more realistically be divided along Provincial lines, but for the sake of convenience, I've divided Culture along Bei Fong (Northern), and Nan Fong (Southern) lines. Bei Fong people originate from north of the Yellow River, while Nan Fong people are from the south of the Yellow River (occasionally, the demarcation is the Yangtze River). Religion All characters regard themselves as Confucian though they may also believe in other philosophies or religions. Ethics and religion are considered separate entities, and active proselyting is considered useless, as ethics are considered self-evident. Religious Virtues Table ----------------------- Confucian: Generous, Honest, Just, Merciful, Modest Buddhist: Chaste, Merciful, Modest, Temperate, Pious Taoist: Lazy, Prudent, Cowardly, Modest, Selfish Religious Bonus Table --------------------- Religion Bonus Confucian Good Fortune +/- 3 on one Family roll and one Experience Check roll in Winter Phase Buddhist Illumination +/- 3 on Passion or Trait rolls Taoist Immortality +/- 3 on Aging Table Father's Name Choose a name. Father's Class Characters receive the following modifiers depending upon their father's profession. Father's Class Tables --------------------- Thief 10 points Stealth +1 Climb +1 Burglary +3 Thievery +3 Selfish +1D3 Bandit 20 points Stealth +2 Weapon skill +3 Cruel +1D6 Valorous +1D3 Soldier 20 points Sword skill +3 Other weapon skill +3 Cruel +1D6 Valorous +1D3 Ji'an-hu (Riverlaker) 24 points Acrobatics +1 Jump +1 Awareness +2 Martial Arts +2 Weapon skill +3 Proud +1 Reckless +1D3 Valorous +1D3+2 Honor +1D6 Loyalty (secret society/school/sworn brothers) +3 Inherited Glory 2D6+50 Merchant 10 points Accounting +1 Courtesy +1 Bargain +5 Selfish +1D6 Sailor 10 points Climb +1 Swim +3 Boat +3 Entertainer 10 points History +1 Courtesy +1 Folk Lore +2 Act, Dance, Play Instrument, Puppetry, Acrobatics, or Sing +5 Craftsman/Artisan 15 points Bargain +1 Industry +3 Energetic +1D3 Hunter 10 points Awareness +1 Bargain +1 Bow skill +3 Hunting +3 Herdsman 10 points Bargain +1 Herding +3 Energetic +1D3 Prudent +1D3 Fisherman 10 points Bargain +1 Fishing +3 Energetic +1D3 Prudent +1D3 Farmer 10 points Bargain +1 Farming +3 Energetic +1D3 Modest +1D3 Prudent +1D3 Captain 20 points Bargain +1 Boat +1 Swim +2 Shiphandling +3 Prudent +1D3 Xia 26 points Acrobatics +1 Jump +2 Awareness +2 Martial Arts +2 Weapon skill +3 Proud +1 Valorous +1D3+2 Honor +1D6 Loyalty (secret society/school/sworn brothers) +3 Inherited Glory 4D6+100 Scholar 24 points Courtesy +1 Art skill +1 History +2 Law +2 Philosophy +2 Read/Write +3 Inherited Glory 2D6+50 Physician 26 points Courtesy +1 Art skill +1 History +1 Law +1 Philosophy +1 Read/Write +3 Medicine +3 First Aid +3 Inherited Glory 4D6+50 Sifu (Master/Teacher) 26 points Orate +1 Inherited Glory 6D6+150 Add the following skills depending upon type of Sifu: Scholarly Art skill, History, Law, or Philosophy +5 Other skills as Scholar Martial as Xia Sorceror 15 points Meditate +1 Alchemy +2 Astrology +2 Occult +2 Read/Write +2 Medicine +3 Folklore +3 First Aid +3 Philosophy +3 Religion (Taoism) +3 Priest/Monk 10 points Occult +1 Meditate +2 Read/Write +2 Folk Lore +5 First Aid +5 Philosophy +5 Religion (Buddhism) +5 Medicine +5 Landlord 28 points Accounting +1 Courtesy +1 Intrigue +1 Bargain +2 Law +2 Stewardship +3 Read/Write +3 Inherited Glory 4D6+100 Officer 28 points History +1 Philosophy +1 Law +2 Read/Write +2 Awareness +2 Battle +2 Martial Arts +2 Sword skill +3 Proud +1 Valorous +1D3 Honor +1D3 Loyalty (lord) +4 Inherited Glory 6D6+150 General 32 points History +1 Philosophy +2 Intrigue +2 Law +2 Awareness +2 Martial Arts +2 Sword skill +3 Read/Write +3 Proud +1D3 Valorous +1D3 Honor +3 Loyalty (lord) +4 Inherited Glory 6D6+200 Magistrate 32 points Courtesy +1 Art skill +1 History +2 Law +2 Philosophy +2 Read/Write +3 Proud +1D3 Honor +3 Loyalty (lord) +4 Inherited Glory 6D6+250 Lord/Noble 32 points Courtesy +1 Art skill +1 History +2 Law +2 Philosophy +2 Battle +2 Martial Arts +2 Intrigue +3 Sword skill +3 Read/Write +3 Honor +3 Proud +1D3 Valorous +1D3 Loyalty (lord) +3 Inherited Glory 6D6+250 Son/Daughter Number Roll 1D6. Liege Lord Feudalism died out in the Han dynasty, so characters will have no liege lord. Current Class All characters will probably start as ji'an-hu (riverlaker); a class similar to the Japanese ronin. Current Home Ji'an-hu have no fixed residence. Age and Year Born Extrapolate from the Ming Timeline. PERSONALITY TRAITS AND PASSIONS Personality Traits Everything can be taken directly from Pendragon, except all characters hold Confucian values regardless of religion. Passions All characters will start out with Honor and Love of family. Riverlakers will have Loyalty to sworn brothers, school of martial arts, or secret society. Starting values of Passions are 15. STATISTICS Add the statistics INT and CHI. Intelligence (INT): as the INT statistic in RuneQuest et al. Chi (CHI): as the POW statistic (more or less) in RuneQuest et al. Distribute a total of 84 points among the seven statistics. Cultural Modifiers Table ------------------------ Culture Modifier Bei Fong +2 APP, +1 STR Nan Fong -1 APP, -1 SIZ, +3 DEX, +2 CON Derived statistics are used as is, with the exception of "Damage" being replaced by the RuneQuest "Damage Bonus." SKILLS Eliminate the skills Faerie Lore, Heraldry, and Tourney. Replace Chiurgery with Medicine. Add the following skills to the list: Accounting See Call of Cthulhu. Acrobatics See Tumble skill from Stormbringer. Act See Art from Call of Cthulhu. Alchemy A combination of chemistry and pharmacy concerned with the transformation of base metals to gold, and immortality. See Potions from Elric! Art See Call of Cthulhu. Includes Calligraphy, Literature, Painting, and Poetry. Astronomy See Call of Cthulhu. Bargain See Call of Cthulhu. Burglary See Pick Lock skill from Call of Cthulhu. Climb See RuneQuest. Divination The skill of interpreting portents to fortell the future. Farming The skill of tilling the land and growing crops. Herding The skill of animal husbandry. History See Call of Cthulhu. Jump See RuneQuest. Law See Call of Cthulhu. Medicine A combination of Chiurgery from Pendragon, and Pharmacy from Call of Cthulhu. Meditation The skill of clearing one's thoughts through contemplation. Navigation See Call of Cthulhu. Occult See Call of Cthulhu. Philosophy Knowledge regarding the classical teachings of Confucius, Lao Tzu, and others. Puppetry The skill of manipulating puppets. See Art from Call of Cthulhu. Shiphandling See Call of Cthulhu. Stealth A combination of Hide and Sneak from RuneQuest. Thievery A combination of Conceal and Sleight from Runequest, and Pick Pocket from Call of Cthulhu. Throw See RuneQuest. COMBAT Combat mechanics are the same as in RuneQuest, except D20s are used in place of percentile dice, and the Call of Cthulhu "Base Range" system is used for missile weapons. New Combat Skills Arrow Cutting See RuneQuest (Land of the Ninja). Dodge See RuneQuest. Parry See RuneQuest. Martial Arts See RuneQuest. Chi Skills Chi Points (CP) are used to perform Chi Skills, and are the equivalent of RuneQuest Magic Points (MP). CHI is recovered as MP, with the exception that a character making a successful Meditation roll can regain 1D3 CP per 5 minutes spent in meditation. All Chi Skills are performed at will, and manifest instantaneously, otherwise, they are similar to Ki Skills found in Land of the Ninja (for RuneQuest). Breaking Technique The character can break any item under 1/2 CHI in armor points (AP) by making a successful attack and expending 1 CP. Chi Projection The character can project damage from any successful Attack at a distance equal to 1/2 CHI in meters. Each use expends 1 CP. Constitution Enhancement The character can increase his CON by 1/2 CHI for 5 minutes for each 1 CP expended. Death Touch The character knows vital points which can be struck to induce delayed death in his foe. The character must make a successful Attack roll under 1/5 skill, and expend 2 CP. Lightfoot This skill allows the character to increase his vertical Jump by his own height; his horizontal Jump by twice his own height; or his Movement Rate by 1 for each point that his CHI exceeds his SIZ. Each Jump or 15 minutes of Movement expends 1 CP. Pugilism (Iron Skin) This skill allows the character to ignore the effects of physical blows against his body. He gains 1/2 CHI AP for 1 minute per 2 CP spent. In addition, any wooden or stone weapon striking his body will shatter if their AP are exceeded by the character's AP. Healing This skill allows the character to purge a body of poison or disease (or at least impede its progress) in conjunction with a successful Medicine roll and the use of 3 CP. In addition, each 1 CP used will heal 1D3 points of damage. Strength Enhancement The character can increase his STR by 1/2 CHI for 5 minutes for each 1 CP expended. Telekinesis This skill allows a character to manipulate objects of less than 1/10 CHI in SIZ without touching them. Each use expends 1 CP per minute of use. Weapon Catching A character making a successful roll using this skill can catch and immobilize an attacking weapon harmlessly in his bare hand(s). Each use expends 1 CP. The character can also use the skill to catch missile weapons by using 2 CP. Weapon Flexibility A character using this skill can ignore a foe's successful Parry against his successful Attack by causing his weapon to bend around the parrying weapon (immobilizing it) and striking home. This ability can only be used for thrusting-type weapons like swords and spears, or naturally flexible weapons like chains. Each use expends 2 CP. Armor Armor is the same as in Pendragon, but characters will typically wear clothing or leather armor, as Dodge is the standard method of defense. Weapons Table ------------- Weapons Damage AP Notes Hatchet 1D6+1 6 Halberd 3D6 10 Butterfly Knife 1D6+1 10 Dagger 1D4+2 6 Chain Whip 1D8+1 10 Fighting Chain 1D6 8 Three Section Staff 1D8+1 8 Fighting Stick 1D6 8 Mace 1D10 10 Staff 1D8 8 Bastard Sword 1D10+1 12 Broadsword 1D8+2 12 Longsword 1D8+1 10 Sabre 1D6+2 10 Shortsword 1D6+1 10 Glaive 2D6+2 10 Half-moon/Spade Staff 2D6/1D6+2 10 Long Spear 1D10+1 10 Short Spear 1D8+1 10 Trident 1D10 10 Fighting Hoop 1D6 8 Hook Sword 1D6+1 10 War Fan 1D4 6 Flying Guillotine decapitate 8 must roll 1/5 skill to hit; 5m base range (15m max) Meteor Hammer 1D8 4 5m base range Rope Dart 1D3 2 3m base range Dart 1D3 --- 3m base range Knife 1D4 --- 3m base range Needle 1D2 --- 2m base range Throwing Star 1D3 --- 5m base range Fist 1D3 Kick 1D6 Grapple 1D6 Family Characteristics Table ---------------------------- Replace the following numbers with the accompanying description: 18 Natural affection for writing (+10 Art (Calligraphy)) Luck Benefits Table ------------------- Replace denarii with silver taels, and libra with gold taels; in addition, replace the following numbers with the accompanying description: 08 Family Heirloom: sacred relic. Roll 1D6 (1=scroll, 2=pi-disk, 3-4=holy rice, 5=oracle bone, 6=tripod cauldron). 10 Family Heirloom: magic spear. Add +1 modifier to spear skill when using this spear until it breaks. Value 25 silver yuan. 14 Family Heirloom: valuable cloak worth 1 gold yuan from: (roll 1D6 1-2=Turkey, 3=Japan, 4-5=Tibet, 6=India). A MING TIMELINE =============== 1260 Ghengis Khan founds the Yuan dynasty. 1352 Kuo Tzu-hsing starts a rebel group, as revolts spring up like wildfire across China. 1355 Kuo Tzu-hsing dies, and is succeeded by Chu Yuan-chang. 1366 Chu Yuan-chang defeats all rival rebel groups, and unifies their members. 1367 Chu Yuan-chang controls all areas south of the Yellow River, and marches on Bejing. 1368 The Yuan emperor retreats to Mongolia, Chu Yuan-chang takes the name Hung Wu, and founds the Ming dynasty. 1375 Nationwide school system established. 1380 Potential contenders to the imperial throne purged. 1393 Potential contenders to the imperial throne purged. 1398 Death of Hung Wu. 1399 Ming Hui-ti, grandson of Hung Wu becomes emperor at age 16. His uncle Chu Ti marches on the capitol. 1402 Chu Ti overthrows his nephew, and becomes emperor Yung Lo. 1405 First of seven voyages into the Western Ocean taken by Cheng Ho. 1424 Yung Lo dies. Increased frequency of internal strife. 1425 Yung Lo's heir dies. 1430 Increased Mongol border activity. Japanese tribute mission arives at Ningpo. 1433 Return of the last Chinese armada. 1435 Cheng T'ung ascends the throne at age 8, signifying the rise of eunuch influence. 1443 Cheng T'ung becomes emperor formally. 1449 Cheng T'ung captured by Mongols, and his younger brother is placed on the throne. 1457 Mongols release Cheng T'ung, who becomes emperor T'ien Shun. 1514 Portuguese traders arive in Canton. 1520 Increased Japanese piracy. 1523 Japanese trade missions banned due to incident between rival factions. 1555 Japanese pirates sweep across three provinces killing thousands. 1557 Portuguese establish trading post at Macao. 1558 Increased Japanese piracy off Fukien and Kwangtung Provinces. 1564 Japanese piracy suppressed by the Japanese government. 1573 Emperor Wan Li ascends the throne. 1578 Li Shih-chen finishes compiling "An Outline of Herbal Medicine" after 30 years of research. 1582 Matteo Ricci arives in China. 1592 Hideyoshi unifies Japan, and sends armies into Korea. Ming intervention is requested by the Koreans. 1597 Japanese repelled from Korea. 1601 Matteo Ricci founds a Christian mission in China. 1620 Death of emperor Wan Li, and the period of Ming stability. 1621 Ming Hsi-tsung becomes emperor, signifying the apogee of eunuch influence. 1627 Death of emperor Ming Hsi-tsung. 1628 Ch'ung-chen becomes emperor. A great famine strikes Shensi. Li Tzu- cheng becomes a rebel operating in the Yellow River basin. 1629 Professional couriers join rebel groups as their positions are eliminated. 1630 Chang Hsien Chung and his followers join the rebellion, operating in the Yangtze River basin. 1640 Li Tzu-cheng conquors Honan. 1643 Li Tzu-cheng takes Bejing, and the last Ming emperor commits suicide. 1644 Wu San Kuei unites with the Manchus to destroy the rebels. Start of the Ch'ing dynasty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric Yin Dept. of Pathology, USC "I got me da kine mo'bio blues" eyin@hsc.usc.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The old digests are archived on soda.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.