Swords and Spirits

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Prak
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Swords and Spirits

Post by Prak »

Swords and Spirits is a D&D 3.5 Tome campaign setting based on Asian culture and myth, drawing on the folk lore and monsters from the civilizations and cultures of Russia, Mongolia, India, China, Japan, Korea and many smaller countries of the East.

It is intended that players experience a cultural milieu similar to standard D&D, at least as far as forming a party of mixed race and skill that wanders the land seeking glory, fortune and power, whether by righting wrongs or committing them, standing up to tyrants and villains, or knifing and replacing them, upholding the landed nobles or undermining them.

This thread is meant as an ordered compilation of what I come up with, if you have any comments or questions, please post them here, and I'll do what I can to answer or consider them, I've honestly got little else to do until the next semester starts.

The World: Yochi-Shijie
The world is a vast body of water, composed of many seas and oceans. It has large and small land masses, mimicking ocean and sea, that were created when the god spirits sent a phoenix for the purpose. The great bird descended and where it neared the water, it boiled the sea away, allowing clay to rise, and it's great heat baked the clay into land. When it's task was finished, the task joined with the creature, and the two became Dao, the Way. From the Way was born Unity, which birthed Duality, from which came Trinity. Trinity then gave rise to the myriad creatures of the world, birds of air, beasts of land, and fish of water. The creatures bear Yin on their backs, and hold Yang within them.
Some of the beasts then gave rise to new races.
Bears of Rhainsiudo learned to walk on two legs, became smaller, and shed much of their hair, becoming the people who inhabit the continent now.
The god Brahma fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed into being the swarthy race of man who inhabit the continent of Ainda, a land of jungle and desert, where Buddhism joined fast with the old religion, creating a new sect that thrives beside the old ways.
In Edongo, people were born of dragons, and carry the fire of these mystical beings within them.
The people of Xiaonwu are descended from the first man, Pan Gu, born of Duality, who lived 18,000 years, achieving equality with Yin and Yang, and transcended. His body was left behind, and became the men and women of Xianwu.
Hwai, son of Ahwu, God of Heaven, gathered 3000 followers and went to a sandalwood tree on the cliff of a mountain on the island of Seokor, where he established the City of God, and named himself Heaven King. A tiger and a crocodile who lived in a nearby marsh came to the tree to pray to Hwai daily. When he saw this devotion, he gave them twenty bulbs of garlic, and some divine mugwort, commanding them to eat only this, and stay in darkness 100 days. The Tiger did as she was bid, while the crocodile grew impatient, emerging from the deep darkness of the marsh before the 100 days was done. For his disobediance, all land south of the marsh was declared forsaken, and the land to the north was forbidden to the crocodile. On the one hundredth day, Hwai bade the tiger to come forward, and when she did, he made her the first human of Seokor. Many years later, when she became inconsolably lonely, Hwai made her his bride, and the birthed the people of North Seokor, who bear within themselves the essence of tigers. The Crocodile, in jealousy and rage retreated to his forsaken land, claiming a large brackish pool in the middle of desert as his lair. He lived in solitude for many centuries, eventually allowing another to come close only long enough to mate, before he died. His spirit could not transcend because it held to much rage and vengeance, and thus it suffused the land, and he is now the oldest location spirit of the World. The eggs he sired before death soon hatched, but they were not crocodiles, they were a new race of man, who quickly claimed the Southern half of Seokor for themselves, and to this day carry the rage and jealousy of their father, living as nomadic raiders and berserker warriors.
(mongolia analogue forth coming, I need to find something I can use... I'm thinking of actually making them shark riding sea nomads with large boat camps...)
Last edited by Prak on Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Prak »

The Races of Edongo
Edongo is a land of culture and civility, thinly concealing a bloody and passionate people, who devote themselves fully to their every task, to the point of devoting every member of the community to it's success and survival. It is an island full of life, not just in the people and animals that inhabit it, but in the spirits that inhabit and represent every single part of the island, from the tiniest grain of sand to the tallest, oldest tree, to the Island itself.

Humans
The humans of Edongo are descended from dragons and carry the dignity, culture, passion, fire and pride of these beings within them. Their skin is olive, ranging in tone, but never hue, and their hair and eyes are almost always black. Some variation occurs, however, usually taken as the mark of a spirit, or an omen. Otherwise, artificial methods are occasionally employed by rebellious Edongoka to separate themselves from the whole, bleaching or dying their hair, using make up or alchemicals to change the hue of their skin, or magic to change the colour of their eyes. The social structure of Edongo is a rigid feudal caste structure, with Warlords claiming vast swathes of land, and holding what they can by the strength of arms of their men. The courts of these warlords are home to courtesans and magicians, while the peasants hardly take notice of who profits from them in any given year, dedicating themselves to providing as best they can for their families. In the cities, theatre companies and geisha houses take the working man's mind off of hardship for a night or two, before he stumbles back into dangerous streets, returning to a life of toil and work the next day if he's lucky.
The warriors kept by savage warlords to support this system are known as Samurai, rough men clad in terrifying lacquer armour, masked in helmets with the faces of demons, ogres and savage beasts. Only these warriors are allowed to bear the daisho, a paired Katana and Wakizashi, for anyone else, possession of these swords is a death sentence, often immediately and gruesomely carried out by the first samurai to discover them.
In hidden encampents deep in haunted forest and mountain live and train martial artists known as Ninja. As much as the samurai, they have their code, but it doesn't interfere with their mercenary nature, or murderous jobs. Somewhat more egalitarian than the Shogun Warlords, these groups are composed of men and women, who train children from an early age. There's no sentimentality to this approach though, the women, Kunoichi, and occasionally children, are often used in assassinations where the surest method is seduction and poison. Clashes between Samurai and Ninja are the stuff of legends, and almost purely that, for the Ninja is a creature of darkness and stealth, while the Samurai is brash and bold. Should the two meet, one dies quickly, and the other is gone once they've looted the fallen body.
There are wandering swordsmen who do not, necessarily, support a shogun, however. The Ronin are masterless warriors, whether the lord died, or they learned the way of the sword from an old sensei in the country, these men, and women, have no allegiance save those they choose.

Kappa
Kappa are fierce water monsters known for haunting lakes and rivers, waiting to attack and consume unwary travelers and swimmers. They stand barely taller than a child, and have a scaly, or other wise tough hide, ranging in colour from light blue to dark green. Their overall body shape is often frog or monkey like, with powerful limbs, especially their legs, thickly corded with wiry muscle to aid them in swimming and leaping. Their faces may be ape like, or possess a sharp beak like a bird or turtle. A thick, turtle-like shell covers their backs, providing protection not only from all manner of rear attack, but also making them difficult to grapple. Finally, they have a depression in their head filled with water. Should this spill, they "lose their powers." This isn't as simple as it sounds, however, due to their magical natures, they don't spill just because they tip their head.
Kappa are quite fond of wrestling and sumo, and practice often, either amongst themselves or with harassed travelers, willing or otherwise. Due to much practice, stretching back to the time of their birth, Kappa do not suffer any penalty to grappling due to their small size.
A Kappa's favorite food, beside human flesh, is cucumber, and they are strangely compelled to devour it whenever they should see it. It is useful for distracting or appeasing the monsters when one must cross their river, or bath, and writing one's name on a cucumber that is then given to a Kappa to eat is as good as letting it eat you, as far they're concerned. If a named cucumber is consumed, the Kappa leaves the person whose name was written on it alone and unharmed for as long as the person is near the water. A future encounter will require another cucumber.

Kappa as Player Characters
Kappa adventurers have decided to give up their river or lake, possibly due to competition with other Kappa, and gone out to seek their pleasure elsewhere. Usually they seek an unclaimed, but well traveled waterway to make their own, but many are quite happy to devour humans as they find them in the wild, and take in a nightly bath at a nearby city's inn.
Racial Stats
  • +4 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Int, and -2 Cha, Kappas are quite physically capable, but not especially bright, and they tend to be off putting and gruff, even amongst each other.
  • Small Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic)
  • Base speed: 20 ft. Swim 40 ft.; +8 racial bonus to Swim checks, can always take 10.
  • +2 racial bonus to Jump.
  • Powerful Build
  • Turtle Shell: Attackers who flank a Kappa do not receive a +2 bonus on attacks as they normally would.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Amphibious
  • Head Bowl: The water in a Kappa's head bowl is the source of their "power." Should this water get spilled, they are dazed. However, any time their bowl would spill because they are physically inverted, they get a will save (DC10+1/2 character level of grappling opponent/total level of spell) to keep the water, even if completely upside down. Any action they willingly undertake does not allow a will save.
  • Favoured Classes: Fighter and Monk
The Spirit Subtype
Creatures with the spirit subtype typically have an associated sphere. They always have Non-Access to their associated sphere, which provides them with the granted ability but 0 uses per day of listed spell-like abilities beyond any that might be granted by that initial ability.

Kitsune
Kitsune are mischievous fox spirits known for their ability to take human form, and their skill at illusion magic. Despite their reputation for trickery, they are perfectly capable of interacting with human society with little to no problem, and in fact come in two distinct varieties, the Zenko, benevolent, celestial foxes associated with Inari, and Yako, the traditional mischievous, and occasionally malicious, field foxes. In human form, they can usually be distinguished by the presence of their tail, however other tells are not unknown, and a kitsune in human form may retain it's tails, a coating of fine hair, a fox shaped shadow, or their true form revealed by reflection. Furthermore, kitsune harbour deep fear and hatred for dogs which is present even when shape shifted. Confrontation with a dog may cause a disguised kitsune to revert to true form and flee. Finally, kitsune are quite fond of Aburage, (fried sliced tofu) found, appropriately, in Kitsune Udon and Kitsune Soba, and can be swayed and convinced more easily when Aburage is mentioned or offered.
As Honorable creatures, even Yako will hold to their word and endeavour to repay debts and favours. However, they are Youkai, and as such are not bound to human morality, feeling free to steal as they wish, and payments will usually be in the form of valueless items made to appear as wealth through illusion.

Kitsune as player characters:
-blurb-
Racial Stats
  • +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Cha. Kitsune are agile and well spoken, but have fragile bodies.
  • Small Magical Beast (Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 40 ft.
  • +2 racial bonus to disguise and bluff. Kistune are masters of illusion and deception.
  • Humanoid Form: Kitsune may, at will, assume a humanoid form (as alternate form). The form is restricted to human, but may look like a unique person, or a specific person, with a completely customizable appearance based on the kitsune's whims. A kitsune who does not take on a specified form will automatically take a human form unique to themself, that is their standard human form.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Favoured Classes: Rogue and [Conduit of the Spirit Realms]
The Kitsune Sphere
A Kitsune is inherently magical, but, at it's base, barely distinct from a normal fox. A kitsune is a fox who has lived 100 years, gaining at this point the ability to take Human Form. They gain another tail at 2nd through 4th level, then a new tail at every third, when they gain a feat, to a maximum of 9 tails at 18th level.

There are two ways I'm considering handling their sphere, inherent, as a racial trait, or as an alternate class feature. As a racial trait, Kitsune would have basic access. As an alternate class feature, a Kitsune Rogue would give up Trapfinding and Trap sense +1 & +2, gaining basic, then advanced at 5th, then expert access to the sphere at 9th.

Granted Ability: You may use Ghost Sounds and Dancing Lights at will.
1st Minor Image
3rd Invisibility
5th Fly
7th Dreamwalk (Heroes of Horror)
9th Persistant Image
11th Shadow Walk
13th Fireball or Lightning Bolt (chosen at acquisition, cannot be changed, issues from the mouth of the Kitsune)
15th Scintillating Pattern
17th Shapechange (allows non-creature forms, at loss of mobility)
19th Time Stop

Nekomata
Nekomata are cats who have lived beyond 100 years, grown beyond 7 lbs in weight, or been allowed to keep a long tail. When it becomes a Nekomata, the tail splits into two at the halfway point, and the cat gains the ability to speak, take human form, and walk on it's hind legs in cat form. The nekomata can eat anything, and is particularly fond of poison. Dishonorable creatures, nekomata are known for haunting any dwelling in which they're kept, greatly vexing the nearest people. They may eat their mistress and take her place, and should not be allowed access to corpses, for fear they may reanimate the body.
In human form, the nekomata is distinguished by a sly grin, tendency to toy with people like mice, and a physical feline characteristic, whether soft fur on part or all of their body, cat ears, tail, or whiskers, or even retractable claws. Powerful nekomata (10th level) have as their spirit form an anthropomorphic cat monster, and the ability to take either human or cat form at will.
Not all nekomata are evil, dishonorable creatures, some nekomata are benevolent symbols of fortune known as maneki neko. Their stats are identical to regular nekomata, they just “use their powers for good.”

Nekomata as Player Characters
-blurb-
Racial Stats
  • -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Int. Nekomata are physically weak, but graceful and intelligent.
  • Tiny Magical Beast (Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 30 ft.
  • +2 racial bonus to Knowledge (any one), and Move Silently.
  • Nekomata use their dexterity instead of their strength when climbing and jumping.
  • Humanoid Form: Nekomata may, at will, assume a humanoid form (as alternate form). The form is restricted to human, but may look like a unique person, or a specific person, with a completely customizable appearance based on the nekomata's whims. A nekomata who does not take on a specified form will automatically take a human form unique to themself, that is their standard human form.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Favoured Classes: Overlord and [True Spirit]
Nekomata Sphere
Nekomata are cats that have grown unusually large or lived 100+ years, and been allowed to keep a long tail that are known as powerful magic spirits capable of great physical feats and raising the dead.

As a racial trait, Nekomata would have basic access. As an alternate class feature, a Nekomata Overlord would give up Conjure Weapons and Maneuvers, gaining basic access to their sphere at first level, then another four sphere picks.

Granted Ability: Nekomata can consume anything and suffer no ill effects from other wise toxic or diseased material. The physical material may cause problems, if normally indigestable, such as steel or a magic item, but poison, disease and alcohol have no effect.
1st Sap Strength (BoVD)
3rd Slow Consumption (BoVD)
5th Animate Dead (The Nekomata jumps over the body to be animated, instead of using the usual material component)
7th Fly
9th Dreaming Puppet (Heroes of Horror)
11th Consume Likeness (BoVD. Nekomata do not use the corruption component, and this is the only way they can copy an existing person. Instead of the usual focus, the Nekomata consumes the entire body while casting the spell in a 10 minute ritual)
13th True Seeing
15th Plague of Nightmares (BoVD, Nekomata takes half the damage of the corruption component, and any piece of the person will serve, even a lock of hair.)
17th Create Greater Undead (Jiangshi and -gaki only)
19th Utterdark (BoVD, Nekomata can always see through it's own Utterdark, regardless of alignment)

Tanuki
Tanuki are racoon dog spirits known for their overlarge scrotums and jovial trickster nature. Unlike other animal spirits, their spirit form is a highly stylized and anthropomorphized figure, with large eyes and tail, large belly and testicles, standing upright on it's back legs, carrying a promissory note and sake jug, wearing a conical hat and showing a friendly smile. They are skilled shapeshifters, are very fond of sake, and like to play their large testicles or stomachs like drums.
Despite their tricks, they are very positive symbols. The conical hat they wear represents protection from ill weather and fortune, their promissory note a sign of trustworthiness, large eyes to take in the environment and make good decisions, a sturdy tail to show steadiness and strength until success is achieved, the stomach indicative of bold and calm decisiveness, oversized testicles emblematic of financial luck and the sake jug shows virtue.
Like many spirits, a Tanuki in human form has a tell. A tanuki in human form retains his large testicles. Good luck finding out whether anyone in your town is a tanuki in disguise this way. Tanuki are also fond of sake, soup and noodle dishes, and, as symbols of prosperity, kintama, ie, gold balls. (yes, that's why they have “big brass gold ones”).

Tanuki as Player Characters
-blurb-
Racial Stats
  • -2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Cha. Tanuki are hardy and personable, but their stocky frames leave a bit to be desired in the flexibility department.
  • Medium Magical Beasts (Spirit)
  • Base Speed: Base Speed 40 ft.
  • +2 racial bonus to Bluff and Perform.
  • Humanoid Form: Tanuki may, at will, assume a humanoid form (as alternate form). The form is restricted to human, but may look like a unique person, or a specific person, with a completely customizable appearance based on the tanuki's whims. A tanuki who does not take on a specified form will automatically take a human form unique to themself, that is their standard human form.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Favoured Classes: Jester and [True Spirit]
Tanuki Sphere
Tanuki are spirits of illusion and prosperity, and their sphere follows suit, but is more angled towards personal transformation and disguise than creating large exterior illusions.

As a racial trait, Tanuki would have basic access to their sphere. As an alternate class feature, a Tanuki Butoh(Jester) would give up Harlequin's Mask gaining basic access to their sphere at first level, then Cruel Comment at fifth, gaining advanced, and Low Comedy at 8th, gaining expert access.

Granted Ability: In addition to taking a human form, you may take the form of an unattended object of your size or smaller, a tea pot, for example, at will.
1st Ventriloquism
3rd Entice Gift (Draconomicon)
5th Arcane Sight
7th Polymorph (Self Only)
9th Major Creation
11th Analyze Dweomer
13th Teleport Object
15th Irresistible Dance (Requires you play your stomach or testicles as a drum)
17th Shapechange
19th Foresight

Tengu
Tengu are protective, but potentially dangerous spirits of the mountains and forests. Their spirit form is that of a large crow, or raven, and these birds can occasionally be seen carrying swords in their talons. When a tengu takes human form, they usually disguise themselves as a priest of some form, usually a yamabushi.
The actual human form of a tengu is generally more variable than other youkai. They may take a standard form, which is that of a human with a beak, a more human form, a human with a large, almost phallic nose, or a more terrifying form, a humanoid body covered in black feathers, with full wings, raven head, and talons on their arms and legs. As youkai, it is technically possible for them to wield their katanas in bird form, but take the standard size penalties for a tiny creature using a medium sword (-4).
The art of Kendo is said to have been taught to man by the Tengu, and indeed the highest masters of the art are very old, powerful Tengu. Tengu are also associated with hauchiwa, magic fans made of feathers, capable of creating great gusts of wind, and cause a person's nose to grow or shrink.
In many areas, Tengu are placated or gifted with either kuhin-mochi () or okoze (fish) to avoid the wrath and trickery of the wardens of the forests and lakes they live from. Mackeral is also occasionally employed as a ward against Tengu, as they smell this fish quite strongly, and are not fond of it, but this merely makes them leave if they're not particularly intent on causing trouble, otherwise they are able to bare the smell. Kuhin-mochi and okoze are both foods that can be useful for discerning a Tengu in human form.

Tengu as Player Characters
Tengu adventurers often travel with priests and yamabushi, serving as guardians and protectors. They may join a party found in the mountains if the whim takes them.
Racial Stats
  • +2 Dex, +2 Wis and -2 Cha. Tengu are agile and wise, but can be somewhat abrasive in social situations.
  • Tiny Magical Beast (Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 10 ft, Fly 40 ft. (average)
  • +2 racial bonus on Spot and Survival Checks.
  • Insightful Strike as a bonus feat.
  • Humanoid Form: Tengu may, at will, assume a humanoid form (as alternate form). Unlike other spirit animals, the form is not restricted to human, while may look like a unique person, or a specific person, with a completely customizable appearance based on the nekomata's whims, the tengu may also incorporate bird features such as feathers, a beak, talons, or even wings as they wish. If a beak is not incorporated, the human nose will always be large and phallic, to a noticably inhuman degree (think Cyrano d'Bergerac). A tengu who does not take on a specified form will automatically take a beaked human form unique to themself, that is their standard humanoid form.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Favoured Classes: Samurai and [True Spirit]
Tengu Sphere
Tengu are known for their ability to create things out of thin air, their martial prowess and their protection of holy shrines and people. Only powerful Tengu gain this sphere. Basic access is obtained at level 6.

As a racial trait, Tengu would gain basic access to their sphere at 6th level. As an alternate class feature, a Tengu Samurai would give up Pledge of Loyalty, Whirlwind Attack and Blindfighting, gaining basic access to their sphere at first level, advanced at 4th, and expert access at 6th.

Granted Ability: Combat school: Kendo. If the Tengu already has this feat, he instead gains another Combat Feat. For the purposes of Combat School: Kendo (and only that feat. This doesn't apply to any other feat granted by this sphere), his BAB is considered to be 3 higher for determining the feat's benefits.
1st Shield of Faith
3rd Aid
5th Bestow Curse
7th Divine Power
9th Mark of Justice
11th Major Creation
13th Control Weather
15th Iron Body
17th Soul Bind (usually used with shide, “zigzag paper tassels”, fans, or feathers)
19th Wish (wealth and magic item only for free, spend for raise the dead and increase power of item only)

Usagi
Usagi are literally large, anthropomorphic rabbits that are said to live on the moon and make mochi. As spirits, they tend towards a slight mischievousness, enjoying playing tricks on people, but often leaving behind bundles of mochi as a gift to those they trick. They are commonly seen carrying their usu, large pestles shaped like mallets used for making mochi, and a jug of sake.

Usagi as Player Characters
Usagi adventurers pack up their usu and mortars, and usually advance as spell casters of some sort.
Racial Stats
  • -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con. Usagi are agile and have great stamina, but lack strength.
  • Small Magical Beast (Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 30 ft.
  • +2 racial bonus to Craft (Alchemy), Craft (Cooking), and Jump, which they modify with their Dexterity score rather than their Strength score.
  • Low Light Vision
  • 3/day an usagi may use the spell goodberry. targeting a handful of mochi instead of berries. The spell is cast as that of a druid of level equal to the usagi's character level.
  • Favoured Classes: Sorcerer and [Conduit of the Spirit Realms]
Moon Sphere
Usagi are, at their basic, spirits of the moon and rice. They have a kinship to Inari spirits, and the Goddess Spirit Inari, and will frequently carry messages to or from either. The light of the moon, which Usagi can borrow for a short time, excels at revealing true forms and highlighting falsehoods.

As a racial trait, Usagi would have basic access. As an alternate class feature, an Usagi Sorcerer would give up their Familiar class ability, gaining basic access to their sphere at 1st level, advanced at 5th, and expert at 9th

Granted Ability: Radiate light as a torch at will. This light aids revelation of illusions and shapechanging. The dc for anyone to discern an illusion or see through a magical disguise within the range of this light is lowered by an amount equal to the Usagi's HD.
1st Shillelagh (specifically applies to the usagi's Usu)
3rd Zone of Truth
5th Plant Growth
7th Air Walk
9th Sending
11th Moon Path (FRCS)
13th True Seeing
15th Screen
17th Moonfire
19th Mage's Disjunction

Yuki-Onna
Yuki-Onna are beautiful maidens who are spirits of snow. They will appear to lost travelers in blizzards and lead them to safety, only exacting as a payment a bit of body heat, stolen by sleeping with the traveler. Yuki-Onna are tall, pale skinned women, with bright red lips, and long black hair. They may appear wearing a white kimono, or nude with only her face, eyes and lips standing out as her pale skin blends into the snow.
Some evil Yuki-Onna exist who instead lead travelers to their doom.

Yuki-Onna as Player Characters
Yuki-Onna may, on occasion, leave their blizzards and waste lands, or stay after winter has passed, and wander the world for a time. Some even decide to join civilization and live as humans, or as much as humans as possible.
Racial Stats
  • +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Wis. Yuki-Onna are lithe and wise, but frail.
  • Medium Fey (Cold, Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 30 ft.
  • +2 racial bonus to Perform, favouring singing, and Survival.
  • Cold Touch: As a melee touch attack, a Yuki-Onna may drain the heat of another creature, dealing 1d4 points of cold damage.
  • Icewalking: Yuki-Onna are never at risk to losing their footing in snow and ice, and function as though under the effects of the spiderclimb spell, but only in concern to snow, ice and slush (or other frozen liquids). They leave no tracks in snow.
  • Low Light Vision
  • Favoured Classes: Bard and [True Spirit]
The Yuki-Onna Cold Sphere
As a racial trait, Yuki-Onna would have basic access. As an alternate class feature, a Yuki-Onna would give up Performance Tricks gaining basic access to their sphere for the first, then advanced for the second, and expert for the third. Essentially, access to the Cold Sphere is a Performance trick for a Yuki-Onna usable with String Instruments and Singing.
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Post by Prak »

The races of Rhainsiudo
Rhainsiudo is a small territory bridging the gap between Edongo and Xiaounwu with a narrow land bridge branching from a cluster of small islands above Edongo up to a circular mass of land on the north-eastern edge of Xiaounwu. It's humans are simple, but no less capable than those of other regions. The creatures there are primarily animals, spirits and some monsters.

Humans
The Rhainsiudo people are descended from bears, physically imposing, with coarse dark hair. Their skin is a shade or two dark than that of the Edongo people, though capable of ranging through the usual Edongo shades to a deep olive-tan colour. Man and women wear their hair long, about shoulder length. The men never shave after about the age of 13, quickly developing full beards and mustaches.
Women tattoo their mouths and forearms, the tattoos around their mouths starting with a small spot above the upper lip at a young age, then gradually get more complex and extensive.
Their clothing is usually a short robe, woven from soft wood fibers of the elm tree.

Koropokkuru
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Post by Prak »

The Races of Xiaonwu
The land of Xiaonwu is a sprawling continent, where a massive empire struggles to overtake, and hold, smaller cultures, assimilating them into a whole. The people toil under harsh taskmasters and bureaucratic red tape, as the empire holds them down and raises itself higher. Armies surge across the land, putting down uprisings, and defending whatever the borders are that week. Monsters are solitary predators who dot the landscape, their old societies crushed ages ago by the Jade Emperor's leather and steel booted soldiers. Out of the way, in harsh landscapes, live old martial arts masters, who have tired of brash would-be pupils trying to prove themselves not only worthy, but possessing the right to be taught by the "old fool". They do still occasionally teach young men and women who prove themselves humble and respectful enough to be worthy of learning the master's personal death-fist.
Humans

Jing
Perhaps due to some unique quirk of Xiaonwu, perhaps something that happens across the world, and isn't noticed, but in Xiaonwu it is widely known that anything can acquire human human form, magical powers and immortality, given sufficient energy in forms such as human breath, the essence of the moon, etc.
Jing are creatures, objects, or locations that have been augmented by the Spirit template.
However, while anything can become a Jing, there are several specific varieties that have established themselves as races which breed true:
Xuan and Wu
Xuan are man-shaped tortoises, and were one of the first sentient races on the continent, much older than man. They live closely with the other first sentient race, the Wu, large snakes with humanoid heads and arms. Frequently interacting, the two live as almost a single society. A Xuan and Wu who adventure and live together get to a point where they're practically one being.
Both races are dark in colour, ranging from the look of the moon-lit sky to black as obsidian. They stand about as tall as a man, the Xuan shorter by up to a foot, the Wu taller by about the same amount.
The Xuan are a stocky built race, with legs like short tree trunks and arms like great, sinewy branches. Their backs and sides are covered with thick shells.
The Wu are literally large snakes, with human qualities. Their faces are flattened slightly, looking at once human, ophidian, and alien, and their arms branch from their trunk, about a foot down their neck from their head. their arms are more akin to snakes themselves than humanoid arms, being long lengths of vertebrae and flesh, rather than being supported by proper arm bones.
The Xuan and the Wu embody duality in almost every aspect of their societies. The Xuan favour physical roles, such as building and martial combat, while the Wu favour more mental pursuits, leading, organizing, and spellcasting. As a Xuan and Wu come together, they begin to affect one another, leading the Xuan to take on activities that encourage thought before action, and the Wu to act before thinking.

Xuan and Wu as player characteristics
Xuan seldom adventure, usually being content to create the infrastructure of their and Wu society. Those who do adventure are usually those who have been greatly affected by a Wu, whether as friend, colleague or lover. They will usually adventure together. A lone Xuan adventurer is usually one who has lost his Wu companion, and is either seeking vengeance or to live his life as his companion taught him.
Xuan Racial Traits
  • +2 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con. Xuan are strong and sturdy, but their thick fingers and hide are less than ideal for agile work.
  • Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Reptilian, Spirit)
  • Base speed: 20 ft.
  • Natural Armour +2
  • +1 racial bonus to Fortitude saves.
  • +2 racial bonus to Balance and Listen checks, Xuan are difficult to knock over, and their tendency to wait and listen to the world has made them very good at hearing unexpected sounds.
  • Favoured Classes: Fighter and Monk
Wu Racial Traits
  • +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int. Wu are agile, and highly intellectual, but their bodies are fragile where the Xuan bodies are stocky.
  • Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Reptilian, Spirit)
  • Base Speed: 40'
  • +1 racial bonus to Will saves
  • +2 racial bonus to Concentration and Swim checks, Wu are possessed of great mental strength, and much like their mundane kin, quite good at swimming.
  • Favoured Classes: Wizard and Marshall
  • Both races speak a language known as Xuanwu, and Common
[ uncertain about this: Xuan and Wu Racial Trait
A player of either race begins play with a loyal cohort of the other race. This cohort will always be no more or less than two levels lower than the Player Character, advancing in level as the PC does. At first level, the PC is accompanied by a warrior class Xuan (if the PC is a Wu) or an adept class Wu (if the PC is a Xuan). Once the PC reaches third level, the cohort gains a level in a PC class.]

The Warriors of the Dragon Kings
The dragon kings employ a strange aquatic race to be their muscle in the mortal lands, the Da Hai Shi. The Da Ha Shi is actually a pair of semi-aquatic races, the Linxia and Pengxie. The Linxia is a race of large prawn-like humanoids, covered in chitin ranging in colour from light pink, to dim grey-blue, to black. Their faces are monstrous things crowned with long antennae, and a short mass of tendrils in place of a mouth. The Pengxie are large crab shelled, multi armed humanoids, usually ranging in colour from red to brown. They have two pairs of arms, one large, muscular, ending in thick crushing pincers, the other pair are thin, light, and equipped with fingers good for fine manipulation and wielding weapons.
Linxia Racial Traits

Pengxie Racial Traits

The Races of The Exalted Path and Ainda
Special mention is deserved of a large swath of mountain range in the middle of Xiaonwu. Held by a powerful culture led by reincarnated priests and their acolytes, The Exalted Path is the name of the Religion, and the territory, showing some sense of humour on the part of said priests. Xiaonwu has tried many times to assimilate this territory, and every time, it's forces have met with defeat at the hands of Path-walker clergy and their spirit allies and draftees. The Exalted Path holds it's own culture and races, quite apart from those found elsewhere on Xiaonwu.

There is also Ainda, a large tract of land connected to Xiaonwu, but culturally distinct. For one thing, the people of Ainda have a more god based, less spirit based religion, where they believe they are dreamt by Brahma; in fact Ainda is culturally distinct from other peoples of Yochi-Shijie by having spawned several different religions. For another thing, they have a rigid caste system, based on birth rather than Xiaonwu's money and honour driven bureaucracy. However, The Exalted Path is intimately linked with Ainda, as the founder of the religion was an Aindan man. The two areas, due to this link of religion, share races and culture to a certain degree.

Humans
The humans of The Exalted Path are amazingly cosmopolitan compared to other areas of Yochi-shijie. As the ties of culture in The Exalted Path have more to do with religion than blood, belief than heritage, members of practically any human culture, any race, in fact, can be found in this harsh, yet beautiful terrain. There are even rumours of a Xuan master in charge of a dojo inhabited solely by Jing. While The Exalted Path teaches non-violence (non-action, at that, in all technicality), the Path-Walkers understand the need to protect themselves, and so practice martial arts, both to that end, and as a form of meditation and mental conditioning.

The Humans of Ainda believe in a rigid caste structure in which one is born into their station, and advancement is nigh-impossible. On the bottom are the untouchables, the Harijans. These are people who work jobs that are seen as unclean, unhealthy, unpleasant, or polluting jobs, such as tannery or funerary preparation. They are considered literally untouchable, as if they had a highly communicable disease. They are not allowed temple access with others, must use separate water sources, etc. Very often, this status is a sentence to a life of pain, suffering and disease. The next step are the Shudras, the artisans, labourers, and service providers, then the Vaishyas, agriculturists and merchants. The last two are the Kshatriya, warriors and kings, and the Brahmins, the teachers, priests and scholars.

Yak Folk
Yak folk are... basically what you'd get if you took a yak, stood it on it's hind legs, and shrunk it down abit so it was only barely taller than a man, relatively speaking. They are 7-8 foot tall humanoids, with the heads of cattle, covered in long fur that ranges in colour from dark blonde to black, with the very, very occasional white. White hair is generally seen as an undesirable trait in yak folk society as only domesticated yaks display this colouration, and so it's frequently seen as the mark of subservience, or domestic dalliances, whether any happened or not. The males can be referred to as bulls, preferably far, far away from the nearest male yak folk, far enough that he would tire out from charging you rather than getting a nice run up for your curb stomp. It's best to refer to males as yak-men, or really even just yak. Female yak folk can be called dri- or nak-women, or, indeed, just dri or nak, and calling them a "cow" has about the same affect as calling a male a bull.
They are perfectly fine with being referred to as yaks and dri/nak, as they really don't worry too much about differentiating between themselves and normal yaks. They know which they're talking about at a given moment, and expect other people to be able to keep up.
Both yaks and dri have long, curved horns on their heads, used in combat and, in the yaks, attracting/winning mates. Yaks are generally larger and heavier than dri, but even the smallest dri is likely a good bit taller and heavier than all but the biggest humans.
Yak folk maintain good relations with the spirits of mountains, cold and the sky, often being able to call on them for aid when necessary.

um... yeah, I have no clue what to do with them, culture wise, really...

Yak Folk Racial Traits
  • +4 Str, -2 Dex. Yak folk are amazing strong, but their hoof like fingers are best for rough gripping and that's about it.
  • Medium Monstrous Humanoid
  • Base Speed: 30 ft.
  • Gore Attack: The large curving horns on a yak folk's head are serviceable as weapons, they do 1d8 points of damage, x3 crit. On a charge attack, the horns do 2d6 damage.
  • Powerful Build: Yak Folk count as one size category larger whenever it would benefit them.
  • Cold Tolerant: Due to their long hair, Yak Folk are quite adept at surviving sub zero temperatures. gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against cold damage and cold effects. Yak Folk can also exist comfortably in conditions between -20 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (severe cold to warm) without having to make fortitude saves, and are partially protected in temperatures between -50 and -20 degrees(extreme cold), meaning saves only need be made every hour. This ability counts as Cold Endurance for the purposes of feats and prestige classes. If the Yak Folk should find himself in a particularly hot climate, he is considered to be wearing heavy clothing, and thus takes a -4 penalty to his saves against subdual damage from the heat. He can of course shear his fur, allowing him to withstand temperatures up to 110 degrees with only mild discomfort (he makes saves against subdual damage as normal). However, should his hair still be shorn when returns to cold climates, he is unprotected for about 4 months after shearing his fur.
  • Spirit Pact: Many Yak Folk have made pacts with a spirit, whether for a service, ability, or company. As PCs are exceptional, it can be safely assumed that a PC Yak Folk has done such, and so gains a [something]
  • Yak Folk speak Gnuin and Common.
  • Favoured Classes: Monk and Warlock
Naga
Like the Wu, the Naga are snake people, unlike the Wu, however, they are frequently recognizable as a specific type of snake, from the Hooded cobra-like holy-kings of the race, to the iridescent sunbeam snake-like farmers who provide much of the culture's food, to strong, stout, python-like hunters and warriors that hunt for and protect the race. Like the Ainda people, Naga are born into their castes. Unlike them, however, it is possible to transcend from one caste to another, the naga's form changing to match his new peers. The naga live in humid, partially submerged caves and temples, often taking over ruined, abandoned human temples that were long ago claimed by the jungle. They dwell in opulence and study, devouring gold, jewels, and books with equal fervour.

Physically, the naga tend towards an equal mix of snake and humanoid physiology, with humanoid torsos and arms, snake tails (with no legs), and heads that are an appealing mix of both. There are certain subraces that are more snake or humanoid, though they are not the norm.

Naga Racial Traits
  • Naga are lithe, vaguely humanoid predators. They have +2 dex, and another bonus dependent upon type.
  • Medium Monstrous Humanoid
  • Base Speed: 40', Swim 20', Climb 10'
  • Cold Blooded. Naga's body heat is dependent upon the ambient temperature, rather than internally regulated. In moderate weather(60-40 degrees), they are effectively fatigued, unless they are in direct sunlight (or equivalent) and were allowed 2 minutes to bask. In cold weather (40-0 degrees) they are effectively exhausted, and no amount of basking will really help. At best they can be allowed to bask in particularly strong light or other warmth for ten minutes and continue to act as though fatigued, even if they stay in the heat or light. A cold weather outfit will allow them to function in either of these climates with little to no difficulty. In temperatures below 0 degrees, a naga is dazed, and cannot move until warmed up. Partial protection from the cold allows the naga to act as though the category were one less severe.
  • Caste benefit. Each caste or type of Naga has their own traits:
    -Naja, The Holy King caste: The Naja are the priest-like kings of the naga, and resemble cobras. They possess a specialized neck structure that they may expand to give the appearance of a hood. They are, as a rule, wise, and clever, they have a +2 wisdom bonus. They are scholars of religion, their own and others, and can be terrifying when roused to anger, they have +2 racial bonuses to Kn. Religion and Intimidate. Finally, they have a paralytic venom, usable a number of times per day equal to their con modifier (Injury, DC 10+1/2 HD+Con mod, paralysis for 1d3 hours). Their favoured class is Cleric.
    -Molurus, The Warrior caste: The Molurus are the warriors and hunters of the naga culture. They are large and thickly built, like pythons. They have a +2 bonus to strength, and the powerful build trait. Their mottled colouration aids them in hiding in the many forests and jungles of Ainda, giving them a +2 bonus to hide checks. Finally, they are constrictors, like their animal cousins, and have the Constriction (1d4) ability. Their favoured class is Fighter.
    -Peltis, The peasant caste: The Peltis are the lowest caste, but, unlike the castes of Ainda, are welcomed within the community, so long as they perform their duty of cultivating the many vegetables and herbs the naga consume and use as medicine. They are slim and slightly built, being small size and having a +4 bonus to dexterity in place of the usual +2. They burrow, rather than swim, possessing a burrowing speed of 20' instead of a swim speed. Finally they [No Clue]. Their favoured class is Ranger.
  • Naga speak their own language, Ophidian, and Common.
  • Favoured Classes: In addition to the specified classes above by caste, all naga favour the sorcerer class.
So, I'm not sure the Naga are balanced having two +2 abilities, no -2, and an extra something. I suppose I could make the -2 dependent on caste, if they need one. Also, I need a special for the Peltis, and possibly one more caste.

Balu
The balu are a race of bear "people" native to the forests of Ainda. They are identical to the black bears that live there, save for their intelligence and culture. They are as intelligent as any human, and speak their own langauge, along with the prevailing human tongue of their region and walk upright with some frequency. However, their forelimbs end in paws, rather than true hands, giving them some difficulty in manipulating objects. They live in small clans that are related by blood and marriage, deferring to the eldest member of the clan.
They live mostly in small cave structures surrounded by forest, and eat mainly vegetation, and are well suited to an arborial life, though this is supplemented by the occasional meat.
Due to their complete physical resemblance to normal black bears, they are occasionally killed by humans, mostly in traps or at a distance, as they've taken to conversing with an opponent as a survival tactic, (most humans, when fighting a bear, stop fighting once the bear talks, at least long enough for it to explain itself). Usually, this tactic succeeds in ending combat born of mistaken identity, but, even so, many balu cubs are killed because they cannot speak yet.
Balu live semi-closely with their normal bear cousins, and take to shepherding them to some degree to lower the chances of run ins with humans.
Due to the structure of their forepaws, they favour their natural attacks and simple bludgeoning weapons when fighting, though they technically have little difficulty with swords, they just don't "feel right" in their paws. Most projectile and thrown weapons are impossible for balu to use.

Balu Racial Traits
  • Balu are strong and hardy, but express themselves poorly, acting like any normal bear most of the time, and their forepaws can only manipulate the most basic of objects. They have +4 Str, -2 dex +2 Con, and -2 cha.
  • Medium Monstrous Humanoid
  • Base speed 30'
  • 2 Claw attacks (1d4) and 1 Bite (1d6)
  • Low light vision
  • Scent
  • +4 racial bonus to climb checks
  • Balu speak Ursine and Common. Ursine allows them to communicate with normal bears.
  • Favoured Classes: Barbarian and Spirit Shaman
Concerned about the balance of Balu, just because they get so many ability bonuses, but they should be ok.

Bandar
Monkey people. Medium size, maybe slight build, prehensile tails, probably -2 str, +4 dex or something, and a climb speed

----------------

Right, so that's five races between Tibet and India, including humans. That's... probably not enough...
I could add Yeti, but I'm not sure they'd be different enough from Yak Folk, and I don't see them as being particularly social. I'd think they're better as a monster race which someone may want to play for one reason or another and should totally be able to.
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Post by Prak »

races of mongolian analogue

...ideas?
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Post by Prak »

races of korean analogue
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Post by Prak »

Monsters of Yochi-Shijie
Edongo
The Monsters of Edongo range from the obvious and terrifying, like Oni, to the subtle and sinister, such as the Jorogumo. Many want nothing more than to devour all who cross their paths, but some can be moved to allegiance, protection, or even kindness.

Baku
Large Magical Beast
HD 3d10+9 (25 hp) Init +2 Speed 40 ft AC 14 (+2 Dex, -1 size, +3 natural) BAB/Grapple +3/+9 Attack 2 Claws +4m (1d6+2) Full Attack 2 Claws +4m (1d6+) and Bite +2m (1d8+3) Sp/Rch 10'/5' Special Attacks Devour Dreams, Spell Like Abilities Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft., Low Light Vision Saves Fort +7 Ref +5 Will +1 Abilities Str 14 Dex 14 Con 17 Int 8 Wis 10 Cha 6 Skills Hide +7, Move Silently +7
Feats Stealthy, Dreamtelling (HoH) CR 2

Baku are a strange form of chimeric creature, with a horse like body, a lion's head, and a tiger's legs. They are gentle, harmless creatures, usually, and can be summoned by a waking sleeper to eat troublesome dreams. Occasionally they are driven to a frenzied rampage by dreams they eat, and some are just evil, driven to devour the dreams and bodies of all creatures.

Devour Dream With a ranged touch attack, a Baku can begin devouring a dream of a target. If the target is willing, the dream gets devoured, and no harm is done. If the target is unwilling, it gets a will save (DC 11), success means no damage is done and the dream is not eaten, failure means the Baku rips the dream from the target's mind, causing 1d4 wisdom damage. Baku have a limited telepathic ability which allows them to see a creature's most cherished and loathed dreams as clearly as the clothes they wear.

Spell Like Abilities The Baku can use the following spell like abilities as specified: Restful slumber (at will), Dream Walk (at will), Manifest Desire (3/day), Manifest Nightmare (3/day), Dream Sight (3/day)
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Post by Prak »

classes

I'll start by just brainstorming a list, with some explanation of how they fit.

Assassin: People in every world find a way to profit from murder.
Barbarian: Very common in Southern Seokor, but not so unknown in other regions. The people of Edongo occasionally channel the passion and essence of their dragon ancestors into battle prowess, the people of Rhainsiudo occasionally learn to let their bear ancestors ride through and direct them in combat, etc. Other people learn to use their fury for greater combat acumen from spirits or monsters.
Curator: Could be great as a buddhist monk type class.
Druid: Hermits who live deep in the woods, who learn to talk to animals and spirits, and control the elements, even taking animal, plant or elemental form by channeling spirits. When the druid uses wildshape, the form is obviously not natural, displaying some form of spirit trait (a kitsune's multiple tails, the tanuki's excessive endowment, etc.)
Elementalist: Just another form of spirit channeling.
Fire Mage: works just fine
Fighter
Jester: Might need a rename, but western society does not hold a monopoly on seeing the world as a joke. Rename as Kabuki, maybe?
Kantian Paladin: While they may not have any real position in society, it's not so unreasonable to expect champions of good to arise in these cultures, in fact most of the code coincides pretty well with the high minded idea of honor.
Knight: I don't know. It might fit, might not. It'd need appropriate orders for the world, but...
Marshall: See no reason the leaders of men can't lead men in asian-land.
Monk: Obviously
Ninja: duh
Overlord: reflavoured as calling spirits, rather than figments of imagination.
Rogue: easy fit
Samurai: again, obvious
Shadow Warrior: lots of things in asian folk lore go bump in the night, it's the way of cultures from before the advent of artificial light. So getting power from darkness isn't out of the question
Sohei: yeah.
Soulborn: A person whose awakened their spirit and use to beat people to a pulp with their soul.
Spirit Shaman: perfectly fits, bit like the overlord, though doesn't coerce. might need a bit of tinkering for the setting
Storm Lord: crazy old mountain men that throw around lightning and shit. awesome.
Thaumaturge: Priest?
Thief Acrobat: easy fit
Warlock: slight reflavour for powers coming from spirits as well as demons
Wizard: the case has been made they fit as priests, which makes a certain amount of sense, ofuda, scrolls, etc. Maybe a bit of a reskin of magic items, works fine, it seems.

Other than that, anything else that seems like it could fit? any niches that aren't filled? I'm tempted to make a geisha class, but there's no real need for it, it's just an occupation, not an adventuring role, and could be just as well be represented with a bard (and not with that kind of performing, necessarily...)
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Post by Prak »

skills/feats as necessary
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Post by Prak »

race heights, weights, ages, all that boring stuff

Equipment
Katana The most well known and recognized piece of the Daisho. Essentially a masterwork Bastard Sword.
Kine The large wooden mallet used to pound cooked rice into a paste for mochi. Seldom wielded as a weapon, except by Usagi. Uses Greatclub stats.
Kusari-gama A Kama on a 20 ft. length of chain, opposed by an iron weight on the other end of the chain. It is a dual weapon, with reach of 15 ft. Unlike most reach weapons it may be used against adjacent targets at no penalty. Attacking non-adjacent targets requires a ranged attack roll, and the increment is 10'. The weapon is exotic, two handed, though each end is considered a light weapon, weapon, the kama end does 1d6 with a x2 crit, the weight does 1d4 bludgeoning damage with a x3 crit. The chain and the shape of the kama gives the wielder a +2 bonus to disarm or trip foes, and can be used in grapples. Finally, the wielder may, as full attack action, attempt to entangle his foe with a ranged touch attack. If successful, the foe is entangled, and the wielder can only attack with the kama, and only targets that are adjacent to the entangled foe.
Some kusarigama are made with kamas on both ends, some, called manrikigusari, have weights on both ends.
Ninjato
Nodachi
Tanto
Tetsubo
Wakizashi
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Your new and improved kusarigama should only get 15' reach at most. You need that last 5' to control the damn' thing. Also, I know this is dumb, but the ranged attack needs a range.
I'd just say that you can use it as a net, because most of the other net stuff (for example still being able to hold on) applies. The range for the entangle should be, again, 15' at most. This time it's because you need at least 5' of chain to properly entangle a person.
Lastly, the sickle end was often used to attack entangled foes.

For balance's sake, I'd implement it as follows:
Kusarigama: A kusarigama is a kusari (chain) with a kama (sickle) attached to one end and a weight at the other. This exotic light double weapon gives reach with both ends, but can also be used to attack adjacent foes. It gives a +2 bonus to trip or disarm attempts, and can be used to grapple. Some kusarigama are made with kama on both ends. A kusarigama with weights on both ends is a manrikigusari.
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Post by Prak »

makes sense, I was just going off the top of my head and putting down what sounded right. After writing up most of the races, the fluff and putting in the bbcode, I wasn't looking at balance.
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Post by Orion »

Reachier reach weapons are really obviously a bad idea if you want swords to be even a little relevant.

Kitsune are off the hook powerful.

The other races get quirky and interesting spells instead of gamebreakers. Although, I need to think about the impact of Tiny PCs.

I like the ideas behind the races, of of having race really matter, though. It's an interesting read.
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Post by Prak »

Well, the problem with weapons and balance is that they have always been an arms race. That's where the term comes from. The very idea of keeping balance between weapons is laughable, regardless of how necessary it is in a game.

Kusarigama were... what they were: sickles on a 20' chain, with a good 5 lb. wait on the other end. They were designed to be useful in melee and outside the range of a sword, or spear, and to trip, disarm and ensnare. Take away any part of that and they aren't kusarigama anymore.

tiny races... well, they'll be harder to hit, but their combat options in animal form are limited for the most part, until they get the more combat applicable spells in their spheres.

What's so powerful about kitsune? In my defense, I only gave them what they display in folklore.
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Post by Prak »

hm, hit the wrong button and didn't realize it...

reserved for... spells, I guess.
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Post by Orion »

Let's not have a weapon realism debate, although I can resist pointing out that you aren't requiring 20 feet of clearance to swing the damn thing.
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Post by Prak »

sorry, the asshole in me got to the "response structuring" part of my brain first.
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Post by Orion »

Kitsune, being small with a mental bonus, have ideal stat bonuses. To that you add an extra kill spell (minor image), a stealth/utility, and melee immunity, by level 5. That's a lot of free spell slots for a sorcerer, or, well, a free sphere for a conduit. If you're using some of the more aggressive fan-made metamagic on this board, *maybe* a human could keep up, bu in general there's no feat that would benefit a low-level caster as much as the Kitsune powers.

Now, the higher-level spells in the sphere are disappointing, and by high level you probably want some special feat combo or PrC reqs, so the human may pull ahead again. And the Kitsune benefit aren't *so* overpowering that a Kitsune sorcerer might be a balanced character. But the bottom line is that I wouldn't expect to see any CHA-based caster play anything but a Kitsune. Which may be fine with you if you like the race and you're only running this setting once.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Prak_Anima wrote:Jester: Might need a rename, but western society does not hold a monopoly on seeing the world as a joke. Rename as Kabuki, maybe?
Yeah, kabuki is a good fit.
It's completely anachronistic, but butoh might be an even better fit. Then again, butoh is almost deserving of a class of its own.
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Post by Prak »

Orion wrote:Kitsune, being small with a mental bonus, have ideal stat bonuses. To that you add an extra kill spell (minor image), a stealth/utility, and melee immunity, by level 5. That's a lot of free spell slots for a sorcerer, or, well, a free sphere for a conduit. If you're using some of the more aggressive fan-made metamagic on this board, *maybe* a human could keep up, bu in general there's no feat that would benefit a low-level caster as much as the Kitsune powers.

Now, the higher-level spells in the sphere are disappointing, and by high level you probably want some special feat combo or PrC reqs, so the human may pull ahead again. And the Kitsune benefit aren't *so* overpowering that a Kitsune sorcerer might be a balanced character. But the bottom line is that I wouldn't expect to see any CHA-based caster play anything but a Kitsune. Which may be fine with you if you like the race and you're only running this setting once.
well, I gave them the spells they should have by folk lore, I did the same thing with Nekomata and Tengu and was more concerned with their balance. Nekomata have an insane sphere, at least to me, and I was really concerned about giving Tengu Wish, until I saw it in the creation sphere.

So, yeah, kitsune are quite possibly better sorcerers than humans, but honestly, I see about as little problem with that as I do in the idea of elves being better rangers than humans. I'm not saying there isn't an issue, but rather it makes sense from the source material

...and honestly I doubt I'll get any kind of chance to run this, ever.
CatharzGodfoot wrote:
Prak_Anima wrote:Jester: Might need a rename, but western society does not hold a monopoly on seeing the world as a joke. Rename as Kabuki, maybe?
Yeah, kabuki is a good fit.
It's completely anachronistic, but butoh might be an even better fit. Then again, butoh is almost deserving of a class of its own.
Maybe a Jester prestige class?
Last edited by Prak on Wed Jul 07, 2010 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Prak
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Post by Prak »

wrote up a pair of races for the china analogue, along with a blurb about using the spirit template there.
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Post by Orion »

Nobody is going to play a race that doesn't get a sphere if they can play a race with a sphere. Xuan and Yu = fail.
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Post by Prak »

I'm trying to stay away from giving everything a sphere, while being true to the creatures that should have them, what do you suggest?

especially since, if all the other races get spheres, then what the fuck do humans get?
Last edited by Prak on Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

How do you feel about cohorts?
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France

Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.

-Josh Kablack

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Post by Prak »

I'm fine with cohorts, really. what's the suggestion, exactly?
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