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Chaosium Digest Volume 05 Number 05
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 <eyin@nml1sun.hsc.usc.edu>
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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