Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms
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Transcript of Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms
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Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms
by Cooper » Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:43 pm
Families
Whenever someone creates a character have them create afamily name and pick one of the eight traits. Thereafter anyoneelse taking the same family name shall receive the same traitbonus.
Schools
Rather than making new schools from scratch, this is a list ofschools which already exist in other AE products which couldbe easily re!tooled to fit the "vory #ingdoms.
• Priest (Brahmin)
As Naga Jakla, replacing Akasha with Void and Pearls withSutra
• Vedic (Brahmin)
As Naga Vedic, replacing Akasha with Void
• Temlar
As LBS Ebonite Templar with E update! Not a"ailable toVaish#a!
• !arrior (Kshatriya)
As $irumoto Bushi, but uses paired scimitar instead o% a
daisho and Thaddi instead o% &ai'utsu!• Scout (Kshatriya)
As Nata Scout, replacing Akasha with Void
• "ani (Kshatriya)
As LBS Jackal Jani with E update
• Trader (Vaishya)
As (asuki )ourtier
• #surer (Vaishya)
As LBS *ahabi $erchant with E update
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• $umahl Traitor
As LBS Jackal +abir with E update
• $umahl Priest
As LBS Jackal Necromancer with E update
Brahmin% Kshatriya% & Vaishya
$rahmin fall somewhere between %onks and &ahir, and maylearn #iho as if they were non!brotherhood monks. #shatriya arekings and warriors, and may learn #ata as if they were samurai.'aishya are artists, craftsmen, and farmers. "f a character hasranks in a school with one of these tags, they may not have
ranks in any school or path with another of these tags.
Devotions
(evotions are a special type of &piritual Advantage available inthe "vory #ingdoms. They function in a manner identical toAncestors, and one cannot have both a (evotion and an
Ancestor.
• Kali'a * Points+
#ali!ma was originally the god of rebirth, the lesser aspectof &hiva. )owever, something went horribly wronghundreds if not thousands of years ago and the only rebirthshe brings now is perverse and twisted. *nce someone hasdied during the current skirmish you gain a bonus of +k
to all damage rolls for the remainder of the skirmish. #ali!ma will only accept the devotion Rumahl -ultists, and willabandon anyone who disobeys her orders.
• Shiva * Points+
&hiva is a god of death and destruction as embodied in thenatural cycle of existence. &hiva now lies dormant within#ali!%a, but for centuries he was the dominant aspect. oumay spend a 'oid /oint during a skirmish to ensure that
none who die during that skirmish can be raised as undead.
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&hiva will abandon anyone who uses necromancy orotherwise raises the dead.
• Vishnu * Points+
'ishnu is a guardian deity and patron of the social orderwithin the "vory #ingdoms. ou gain +k0 on all (efenseand Eti1uette rolls. ou also gain +k0 on all 2ore rolls if$rahmin, +k0 on all Weapon &kill rolls if #shatriya, or+k0 on all -raft rolls if you belong to one of the lowercastes. 'ishnu will abandon anyone who physically orsocially attacks a higher &tatus citi3en of the "vory#ingdoms 4though he may make an exception if he knowsthe target to be a -ultist of Rumahl5.
(ear Readers,
A few weeks ago, a tattered letter came to my possession. "t appears
to have been found in a destroyed house in the &econd -ity. &ince
receiving it, " have been trying to track down its origins in order to find
the veracity of its claims. &adly, none of my re1uests for information
have given any results6 and at this moment, " cannot even say if this
7Asako -.8 really exists, or if his musings are anything more than therambling of a madman.
)owever, seeing the game changing implications of this letter, " see no
other course of action than sharing its contents with you. $e warned,
however, for if what it says it true, it might greatly impact your
believes towards the -elestial )eavens and its connection to the gai9in
far and beyond our precious lands.
ou have been warned.
*ear )ousin,
& must %irst apologie %or the burden & am about to bring to #ou, but &
trust that #ou will see through this %indings with an open mind,
heretic as the# might be called!
As #ou know, & ha"e been stationed here in the Second )it# %or the past -. #ears, as & research unto the "er# e/istence o% the %alse
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goddess +ali0$a and her attack on 1okugan2 and %or much o% that
time, & ha"e %ound nothing! But that all changed about a month ago2
when & disco"ered something trul# unbelie"able! As soon as & shared
m# %indings, & was told that & must ha"e gone cra# i% & were to belie"e
in such nonsense! And #et, the more & research, the more & belie"e it
to be true! And #ou know me, & am not one to hide knowledge %rom
an#one2 but & might ha"e pushed m# luck too %ar this time! & %ear &
might be soon accused to be a 3udoist, or worse, a 4%allen52 and &
can6t reall# argue, a%ter all, claiming that Lord Sun and Lad# $oon
were somehow incompetent7
& might be rushing too much, cousin! please, allow me to e/plain!
& ha"e disco"ered that the &"indi nati"es belie"ed that the world was
created b# three power%ul beings! Three gods the# claimed e/isted
be%ore e"en the 3irst Sun and $oon! These three entities represented
the creation and e"entual destruction and renewal o% the world! & had
at %irst dismissed these theories as childish tales o% gai'in who would
ne"er be able to trul# understand the truth o% the )elestial 8rder!
(et, & %ind m#sel% no longer doubting their e/planations!
(ou see, cousin, it appears that the constant struggle between
creation, preser"ation and destruction was being kept in check b# an
4e/ternal %orce52 which appeared to ha"e been weakened
recentl#, allowing +ali0$a to seie more power and e"en kill the other
gods! As & researched this e/ternal %orce, & %ound out some 1humalist
writings which e/plain that the 4Sun and $oon6s in%luence is waning,
as the# begin to %ocus their e#es somewhere else5! And it would
appear this started happening about 9: or 9; #ears ago7 about thesame time that Lord (akamo and Lad# <itomi became the new Sun and
$oon!
)ould it be that the ascendance o% the Second Sun and $oon caused
this e/ternal %orce to be weakened= )ould these e/ternal %orce be
something that the 3irst Sun and $oon were e/erting, and when the
Seconds took o"er the# %ailed to keep it= & wouldn6t dare to belie"e
such a thing, i% were it not %or what & disco"ered later!
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>ithin another 1humalist writing dated around ?. #ears ago, & %ound a
passage stating that 4the Sun and $oon now blink di%%erentl#! 8nce
again the# seek to claim control, but the# are too late, %or the
@oddess now reigns supreme5!
& know "er# well that trusting the writings o% mad cultists leads to the
same madness2 but & cannot dismiss the coincidence o% the dates
proposed! To claim that the Sun and $oon begin to e/ert in%luence
once again, about at the same time in which the Jade Sun and
8bsidian $oon ascended2 it 'ust too precise o% a timing! )ould it be
that the Jade and 8bsidian *ragons knew about this 4e/ternal %orce5=
)ould the# also ha"e known that the Pre"ious Sun and $oon were,
kami %orgi"e m# tongue, %ailing to keep this %orce in place= )ould thatha"e been the reason the# claimed man was pro"ed unworth#=
& saw m#sel% doubting m# own %indings, #et e"er#thing seems to add
up! & dare not share this with an#one else an#more, %or it is were
truth2 the reason wh# +ali0$a managed to claim such power7 and the
reason wh# the Empress was %orced to make such a pact with <e >ho
Shall Not be Named7 is all because o% the Second Sun and $oon6s7 no!
& dare not sa# more!
And #et, & wish that was all & would %ind, but there is more! &t seems
that, as their pantheon was de%eated, the %ew remaining godless souls
o% the &"indi and which ha"e not alread# been bound to the 3alse
@oddess, now seek to 'oin the kharmic wheel! Some might ha"e
alread# succeeded, and b#passing Emma086s 'udgment, the# might
ha"e alread# reincarnated as samurai! To think that some o% the
esteemed samurai might actuall# b# the souls o% %ilth# gai'in And #et,& alread# ha"e some ideas o% who might carr# a gai'in soul! But & am
a%raid & lack the method to pro"e it! 3or now!
But & %ear man# do not wish m# %indings to be made public2 which is
wa# & write to #ou, dear cousin2 so that these truths sta# ali"e, e"en i%
those who wish us to remain ignorant were to kill me in hopes to keep
me %rom re"ealing them!
& know #ou will know what to do with these truths! (our cousin,
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Asako )
With this new findings revealed, " propose the following theories:
;ew (isadvantage
Atman Ajnana (Ignorant Soul) [Spiritual] (5 points)
Re1uisite: *nly characters with the &ocial (isadvantage: ai9in 4"vory
#ingdoms5 (isadvantage may take this (isadvantage.
As a member of the "vindi Wheel of Rebirth, your soul now lacks the
guidance that was once provided by your gods, and you have become
aware of this. The knowledge that your soul is condemned to disappear
as soon as you die have caused you to doubt your own existence. oumay not spend 'oid /oints to affect any Roll which uses a %ental Trait
4"ntelligence, Awareness, /erception or Willpower5 or &pellcasting
Rolls. Additionally, the T; of all 2ore: Theology rolls is increased by <
for you.
;ew Advantages
Atman Jnana (Realized Soul) [Spiritual] (3 points)
Re1uisite: *nly characters with the &ocial (isadvantage: ai9in 4"vory#ingdoms5 (isadvantage may take this Advantage.
Even though your soul now lacks the guidance once provided by your
gods, it has found a way to 9oin the Rokugani #armic -ycle, allowing
you to reincarnate as a Rokugani, which has somehow provided you
with access to Theological knowledge beyond your own understanding.
Whenever you would spend a void point to improve on a 2ore skill
which relates to Rokugani Theology or -osmology 42ore: Theology,2ore: &pirit Realms, etc5, you may choose to spend = 'oid /oints
instead of one, gaining twice the usual benefit.
Atman Moksha (reed Soul) [Spiritual] (5 points)
our soul once belonged to the "vindi Wheel of Rebirth, but has since
found a way to 9oin the Rokugani #harmic -ycle. our soul was once
that of a #shatriya Warrior, and you still permeate some if its warrior>s
honor. The Tulwar and #ukri both have the samurai keyword for you.Whenever you attack with a Tulwar, you may spend a 'oid point to
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increase its damage, as if it were a katana. "f one of your &chool
techni1ues re1uires the use of a katana or a waki3ashi, you may use a
Tulwar or kukri instead, respectively. ;ote: "ai9utsu still re1uires the
use of a katana.
"tem ?pdate
!ul"ar
The Tulwar is a slender, curved sword with a recessed hilt or no hilt,
specially designed to be used on horseback. "t was the trademark
weapon of the #shatriya.
• &kill: #en9utsu
• #eywords: %edium, ai9in
• (R: @k=6 4+= to the (amage Roll while on horseback5
#ukri
The #ukri is a large knife with a broad, heavy curved blade, often
carried as a companion to the Tulwar.
• &kill: #nives or #en9utsu
• #eywords: %edium, ai9in
• (R: k= if used with the #nives &kill 4ie, thrusting56 =k= if used
with #en9utsu 4ie, swinging5
The ,ase o- the adness Touched.r /o0 to Include P1an Ku1s adness in your
Ta2le
*ctober @, =0@, by Tensei
The ear is B, and as the -olonial Winter -ourt Ends abruptly due to
the &econd -ity is besieged by the ;inth "mperial 2egion6 a new threat
is identified in the -olonies: A madness that seeks to take over the
mind and soul of the honorable samurai of Rokugan. A madness that
threatens the stability of not only the -olonies, but the Emerald
Empire as a whole. A madness caused by the %ad (ragon>s touch. And
your players are in the midst of it all.
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We have seen the results of this madness in the story. We have seen
how it all 7ends8. $ut how can we use this in our campaignsC )ow can
a % introduce this uni1ue twist to the storyC What follows is but a
possible solution, by including a new stat to inflict %adness upon your
players.
*f Dallen and 2ost
)aving player character fall to the whims of a mad god is not
something new to the 2<R R/. "n fact, in the past many individuals
who have fallen to the &hadowlands Taint where considered to be
nothing more than madmen. "f one were to only look in at the surface,
/>an #u>s and igoku>s touch are very similar. They both seek to
separate the samurai from the true path of $ushido, and takes them
into an inevitable spiral out of control and into madness.
These similarities can thus be used to implement %adness into the R/
in a similar way to how the &hadowlands Taint works: with a system of
/oints and Ranks. "n most cases, this proposed system would work the
same way, but a Dallen individual would resist the influence of %adness
with an )onorFWillpower Roll rather than a pure Earth Roll.
aining %adness
/>an #u>s Touch is powerful, after all he was once one of the (ragons
of the -elestial )eavens, and his influence spreads as fast and far as
his unstable mind wishes. This means that, unlike the &hadowlands
Taint, the %ad (ragon>s influence does not re1uire any physical contact
with already tainted ob9ects, nor the assistance of corrupted kami to
in9ect itself into the samurai. Rather it attack the individual>s own
weaknesses.
Any samurai within />an #u>s Area of "nfluence and who fails a
Willpower roll related to any %ental or &piritual (isadvantage instantly
gains a %adness /oint. 4Remember that most of theses Rolls are
supposed to represent the samurai>s inner struggle, and thus only truly
come into effect when the player feels his character would act
contrary to his disadvantage. A player choosing to have his $rash %atsu
act brashly does not automatically gain a %adness /oint, but should the
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same player choose his character to try and not act brashly and fail the
roll, then he gets the %adness point.5
While technically eternal, />an #u is not a being know for his patience,
so one would expect that he would not simply wait for people to actagainst their nature to spread his touch. The following table define
other instances in which a roll would be re1uired to prevent the
ac1uisition of %adness. 4Remember the Roll to resist %adness is a
)onorFWillpower Roll, that is Roll G)onor+WillpowerH and #eep
Willpower5
Ta2le 34 adness 56osure $olls
Source of Exposure TN*
Traveling in P’an Ku’s Area of Inuence (per week) 5
Being in the presence of an Egg of P’an Ku !
Being in the presence of the "eart of #u$o !
Touching an Egg of P’an Ku 5
Touching the "eart of #u$o 5
Being in the presence of P’an Ku hi%self &!
I"ncrease the T; by < for each Dull Rank of %adness the character possesses.
"ncreasing %adness
%uch like ogoku>s touch, />an #u>s influence tends to corrupt the
samurai, pressing him into a more chaotic environment. The samurai>s
)onor and force of Will are usually the only tools he has to repeal the
%ad>s (ragon>s influence, and at first that might be enough, but as the%adness takes over, it becomes harder and harder to repel it. ou may
use Ta2le 789 Taint :ro0th from the -ore Rulebook to simulate this
effect, remembering that %adess is resisted with an )onorFWillpower
Roll instead of a Raw Earth Roll.
2evels of %adness
%uch like the &hadowlands Taint, %adness is divided into the following
2evels of -orruption:
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$e%el &' Seeds o Madness
A character with less than one Dull Rank of %adness is not yet
completely under the influence of />an #u. At worst it has drawn upon
his attention as one of the many toy soldiers of the Rokugani Toy box.
$e%el ' Sura*e Madness
A character with at least Dull rank of %adness, but less that = ranks
has 9ust touched the surface of %adness. As soon as a character
reaches Rank , he gains a minor %ental (isadvantage. This
disadvantage should be chosen carefully so as to not adversely affect
the character 4after all, it should not be clear at this point that the
character is under the influence of />an #u5. ood disadvantages to
consider are: -ompulsion, -ontrary, (oubt or (riven. *ther(isadvantages could also be considered if they are usually associated
with the character>s -lan 4a $rash %atsu or an Ascetic monk, for
instance5.
$e%el +' A*ti%e Madness
A character with = or more Ranks in madness is now clearly showing
the effects of />an #u>s Touch. "t is now clear there is something wrong
with the person, although it is no necessarily evident that he has been
touched by />an #u. A character with this level of %adness gets two
more minor %ental (isadvantages. Additionally, the character begins to
act erratically, often choosing to perform duties that he would not
usually consider.
$e%el 3' ,onsuming Madness
A character with @ or more Ranks in %adness is effectively losing his
identity, and becoming more and more a pawn of />an #u. At this
stage, a character gains two more %ental (isadvantages, at least oneof which is completely opposite to his -lan>s ideals 4A $rash Asahina or
a /acifist %atsu5. ood options include -onsumed and Dailure of
$ushido, or -annot lie for a &corpion.
$e%el -' .eadl/ Madness
A character with J or more Ranks of %adness becomes a time bomb. At
this stage the character gains no new disadvantages, but would rather
take those he has to the extreme. To the brash, everyone is opposing
him. The overconfident would believe he is the only one able to do
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anything, etc. The T; of any mental (isadvantage is increased by =0.
When confronted about his mental state, the character will react
violently, accusing others to be 7in the wrong8.
$e%el 5' allenAny character with < or more Ranks of %adness is considered Dallen.
)e is no longer in control of himself and seeks only to throw down the
Dalse *rder imposed unto him by the Empire. )e is no longer allowed
to roll against any of his %entalF&piritual (isadvantages and
automatically fails those he tries 4increasing his madness as he does
so5. %ost character would not survive until this point6 and if they do,
they would often be better used as ;/-s.
Dighting the %adness
?nlike the &hadowlands Taint, the touch of />an #u is as fickle as the
(ragon itself. While many of the options below are con9ectures 4and
thus the % has the final say on which are true and which are not5,
they are believed by many to be the only sure!fire way to combat the
%adness.
•/onor a2ove all else: The rolls to resist the %adness alreadytakes )onor into account6 but should a % want to reward thosewho are able to keep their )onor even when driven to %adness,he could use the following option: >hene"er a pla#er would gain<onor, he can choose to %orgo it in order to make an<onor>illpower 1oll at TN -CDC %or each 1ank in $adness the)haracter possessesF to reduce his $adness b# - point! Thisreduction does not remo"e an# disad"antages acGuired b# $adness!
• The Sel- versus the Dragon4 The cult of Dudo believes that, by
putting oneself above all others, man can achieve a greaterstate. To them, this has proven of great use in their hunt of theDallen. %any see the Dudoist values as very similar to theteachings of &hourido, and so, a @$ that wants to pla# with this possibilit# ma# allow an# pla#er to use his *ark Paragon Ad"antage to re0roll an# $adness )heck2 howe"er, rel#ing onthis *ark belie%s can lead to a darker path, so, a character that
%ails a re0roll made in this wa# gains twice the amount he would ha"e gotten in the %irst place!
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• The "ealousy o- the $ealms4 igoku is a ealous Realm. *nce it
grabs hold of someone is would never let go. &o, having a (ragontaking over the mind of its sub9ects is not something it is very kinto. &hould the % want, he can represent this %ight %or control
o"er the mortal man, b# allowing an# character with at least -3ull 1ank o% Taint to denounce P6an +u6s $adness b# gaining points o% Taint eGual to amount o% $adness he would ha"e gotten, plus -! 8% course, nothing impedes the $ad *ragon too%%er the same deal to those who would pre%er $adness o"er Taint!
• The Purity o- Thought4 />an #u>s influence last for as long as
/>an #u>s interest. And while the effects of its %adness could be
long lasting or even eternal, a live of pious devotion could helpcalm the mind. A character that chooses to li"e an ascetic or pure li%e, and who meditates dail#, ma# be able to purge the$adness so long as he remains outside o% P6an +u6s Area o% &n%luence! An# character that meets this criteria, makes an<onor>illpower 1oll at TN -CDC %or each 1ank in $adness the)haracter possessesF e"er# week, to reduce his $adness b# - point! This reduction does not remo"e an# disad"antagesacGuired b# $adness2 but should his $adness be reduced be#ond
the 1ank that granted the disad"antage, the @$should consider allowing the pla#er to pa# it o%%, possibl# with adiscount!
• ,rystal ,lear Thoughts4 "n the -olonies, there is a rumor
spreading of some crystals which protect those who wear themfrom the touch of %adness. &ome claim that they have an effecton the individuals which causes them to become obsessed withgai9in customs and artifacts6 but many more say that its better tobe interested in gai9in, than being a madman lost on the streetsof &econd -ity. An#one wearing these cr#stals, gains a ?k?bonus to an# roll to resist $adness, but su%%er %rom a uniGueside e%%ect! @$s wanting to learn more about these cr#stalsshould re%er to the LC1 H.-H @encon 1P@I >hispered Secrets $odule!
/>an #u>s Area of "nfluence
"t is hard, if not impossible, to understand the mind of a celestial
being, moreover if that -elestial $eing is the (ragon of %adness. Thismakes it impossible to really discern where />an #u>s Area of "nfluence
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truly lies. "s it only where he can see, or can he influence the whole of
the Empire, or maybe even beyondC (oes he maintain a constant
influence over an area, or does his influence roam as freely as his
mind, only remaining in a specific city for a few days before moving
onC The answers to these 1uestions are beyond the character>s
understanding. The % should feel free to move, enlarge or expand
the the area as he sees fits 4to the betterment of the story, of course5.
While the current story!line seems to indicate that />an #u>s influence
extent throughout the whole of the -olonies6 the % should not feel
bounded by this, after all, />an #u can be a fickle as his madness, and
could choose to shape this area however he wants.
There you have it, a simple way to bring %adness into your game. 2etme know what you think about it and.or in which other ways you have
implemented the Touch of the %ad (ragon in your -ampaign.