Nine Swords Under Heaven: Difference between revisions
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Tech Level (TL): Early TL 1 | Tech Level (TL): Early TL 1 | ||
TL Exceptions: Much TL 0 gear in wide use; marginal Gadgeteer-produced TL 2 | TL Exceptions: Much TL 0 gear still in wide use; marginal Gadgeteer-produced TL 2/3 gear | ||
Power Level: | Power Level: 300 points | ||
Realism Level: Over-the-Top | Realism Level: Cinematic/Over-the-Top | ||
=== Campaign Synopsis and Recent Events: === | === Campaign Synopsis and Recent Events: === | ||
About 5 years ago: The Nine Blades of Heaven reappear - the first time they have been seen in over five hundred years. The Jade Emperor sends out the Hounds to track down the swords and determine their would-be wielders. | About 5 years ago: The Nine Blades of Heaven begin to reappear - the first time they have been seen in over five hundred years. The Jade Emperor sends out the Hounds to track down the swords and determine their would-be wielders. | ||
=== Timeline of Significant Historical Events: === | === Timeline of Significant Historical Events: === | ||
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===== 8-15 CE: ===== | ===== 8-15 CE: ===== | ||
A number of gods are born from the unions of these spirits, including Pao Tetl (“The Boar”), Uspa (“White Lotus”), and Taz-Khala (“Eternal Alchemist”). The plants and animals are born as a result of the trysts between Pao Tetl and a number of nature spirits. Experimenting with this new life, Taz-Khala creates the first medicines, offering them to Lixao Shaipei to use on her son. Lixao Feicao is cured, and in her gratitude Lixao Shaipei agrees to grant Taz-Khala one wish; he asks her to create a race of beings in the image of the gods. She agrees, and calls upon the other gods (with the exception of her husband, who she fears will be angered) to aid her: Pao Tetl provides meat from his hunts and molds it into human form | A number of gods are born from the unions of these spirits, including Pao Tetl (“The Boar”), Uspa (“White Lotus”), and Taz-Khala (“Eternal Alchemist”). The plants and animals are born as a result of the trysts between Pao Tetl and a number of nature spirits. Experimenting with this new life, Taz-Khala creates the first medicines, offering them to Lixao Shaipei to use on her son. Lixao Feicao is cured, and in her gratitude Lixao Shaipei agrees to grant Taz-Khala one wish; he asks her to create a race of beings in the image of the gods. She agrees, and calls upon the other gods (with the exception of her husband, who she fears will be angered) to aid her: Pao Tetl provides meat from his hunts and molds it into human form, Lixao Shaipei draws from the rivers of the world to create the blood that flows through them, Uspa breathes life into them, Lixao Mai gives them their hopes and ambitions, and Taz-Khala grants them the knowledge they need to attain them. | ||
=== Money and Currency === | === Money and Currency === | ||
The previous three Jade Emperors have made a concerted effort to consolidate currency, and have been largely successful. Two coins are standard: the | The previous three Jade Emperors have made a concerted effort to consolidate and regulate currency, and have been largely successful. Two coins are standard: the copper piece and the silver piece, and these are valid legal tender anywhere in the empire. However, rural communities still sometimes trade in cowrie shells, and most villages make at least partial use of barter systems. | ||
Currency/$ Value: Tóng Bì (Copper Money)/$1 | Currency/$ Value: Tóng Bì (Copper Money)/$1 | ||
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Currency/$ Value: Yín Bì (Silver Money)/$10 | Currency/$ Value: Yín Bì (Silver Money)/$10 | ||
Is Slavery Legal? | Is Slavery Legal? Not as such, but indentured servitude is common as punishment for a crime or to pay off a debt. An agreement is made detailing the length of service; 5-, 10-, and 20-year tenures and lifetime arrangements being the most common. Sometimes these workers are even compensated for their work. This compensation need not be monetary; a poor peasant may agree to himself and any children he may have becoming slaves so that his grandchildren will be adopted into his master's family. | ||
=== Major Nations === | === Major Nations === | ||
The Jade Empire is the only | The Jade Empire is the only human civilization known to exist. Apart from the lands under the domain of the Emperor and his administrators, there exist dozens, perhaps hundreds, of small tribes of humans living in the surrounding jungles. | ||
Name: The Jade Empire | Name: The Jade Empire | ||
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Cultural Familiarities: Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern) | Cultural Familiarities: Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern) | ||
Language(s): | Language(s): Jade Tongue. This language is used throughout the empire, and extensive bureaucracy has protected the written form from linguistic drift. The spoken form of the language has three dialects: Eastern, Northern, and Southern. A person who knows one of these languages understands the others at a comprehension level one lower (for example, someone with Native spoken Eastern Jade Tongue has Accented spoken understanding of the Eastern and Southern dialects). | ||
Typical Literacy: None | Typical Literacy: None | ||
TL: 1 | TL: 0/1 | ||
Society/Government: Theocratic Dictatorship | Society/Government: Theocratic Dictatorship | ||
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Corruption modifier: -3 | Corruption modifier: -3 | ||
Geographically, the Jade Empire is divided into 39 administrative divisions known as "commanderies", each divided into 2-30 counties. | |||
=== Other Major Planes of Existence === | === Other Major Planes of Existence === | ||
==== Name: Sorrow Mist Land ==== | ==== Name: Sorrow Mist Land ==== | ||
Type: Afterlife (?) | Type: Afterlife (?) | ||
Description: This is the home plane of all the varieties of devils that plague tianxia. All that is known of it comes from divination, as nobody has ever been there and returned alive. Its terrain consists of endless gray swamps and plains, occasionally punctuated by a mountain or two. It is theorized that those who are killed by a demon have their souls removed from the cycle of reincarnation and dragged here to suffer for all of eternity. | Description: This is the home plane of all the varieties of devils that plague tianxia. All that is known of it comes from divination, as nobody has ever been there and returned alive. Its terrain consists of endless gray swamps and plains, occasionally punctuated by a mountain or two. It is theorized that those who are killed by a demon have their souls removed from the cycle of reincarnation and dragged here to suffer for all of eternity. | ||
==== Name: Great Peach Field ==== | ==== Name: Great Peach Field ==== | ||
Type: Afterlife | Type: Afterlife | ||
Description: The realm of Gods, Buddhas, and the Tiāntángniăo (Heaven Peach Bird). Here it is always Spring and the weather always temperate. It is said to be the final resting place of the soul who has completed his journey of reincarnation, but the enlightened denizens spend their time honing their minds and bodies, attempting to ascend further. Particularly devout ascetics and powerful sorcerers have reported visiting the Great Peach Field while still alive, but there is no definitive proof to any of these claims. | |||
=== Rules === | === Rules === | ||
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=== GURPS Character Creation Guide === | === GURPS Character Creation Guide === | ||
Starting Points: | Starting Points: 300 | ||
Disadvantage Limit: -50 (Below-Native literacy and Innumerate do not count against this total). This is a "soft" limit. If you can justify disadvantage choices worth more than -50 points, I may allow you to take them. | |||
Quirk Limit: Up to -6, of which a maximum of 4 can be “roleplay-only” (i.e. without occasional inherent penalties) | |||
Suggested Character Types: See Character Templates, below. | |||
==== [[Character Templates]] ==== | ==== [[Character Templates]] ==== | ||
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==== Social Traits ==== | ==== Social Traits ==== | ||
Low TL: Low TL 1 (giving a TL of 0) is allowed. This is appropriate for | Low TL: Low TL 1 (giving a TL of 0) is allowed. This is appropriate for anyone raised outside of the capital or another metropolitan area. | ||
High TL: No. | High TL: No. | ||
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Wealth Levels (Min./Max.): Dead Broke/Wealthy. | Wealth Levels (Min./Max.): Dead Broke/Wealthy. | ||
Cultures (for Cultural Familiarity): Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern), | Cultures (for Cultural Familiarity): Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern). Those with appropriate backgrounds may pick more obscure choices, e.g. the various tribal cultures of the jungle. | ||
Languages: | Languages: Northern Jade Tongue, Eastern Jade Tongue, Southern Jade Tongue. Those with appropriate backgrounds may pick more obscure choices, e.g. spirit languages. | ||
Social Stigma: Of these, Criminal, Disowned, Ignorant, Minority Group, Second-Class Citizen, and Valuable Property are relevant to the players. Social Stigma (Subjugated) is widespread but concerns currently indentured servants. Escaped servants should take an Enemy instead. | Social Stigma: Of these, Criminal, Disowned, Ignorant, Minority Group, Second-Class Citizen, and Valuable Property are relevant to the players. Social Stigma (Subjugated) is widespread but concerns currently indentured servants. Escaped servants should take an Enemy instead. Members of isolated tribes sometimes suffer Social Stigma (Minority Group). The Jade Empire also has a history of applying Social Stigma (Minority Group) to minority religious or philosophical movements. As agriculture continues to develop, there is an increasing trend towards lowering the status of women. Except for at the fringes of its territory, women of the Jade Empire suffer Social Stigma (Valuable Property). | ||
Social Regard: The elderly have Social Regard (Venerated) 1 or 2; Current and ex-bureaucrats have Social Regard (Respected) 1. Other types | Social Regard: The elderly have Social Regard (Venerated) 1 or 2; Current and ex-bureaucrats have Social Regard (Respected) 1 (unless they have done something serious to lose that respect). Other types are unavailable. | ||
Rank: Starting PCs may be former members of an organization (take Courtesy Rank and consult the GM), but as of now you are freelancers. | Rank: Starting PCs may be former members of an organization (take Courtesy Rank and consult the GM), but as of now you are freelancers. | ||
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===== Required Advantages ===== | ===== Required Advantages ===== | ||
Reawakened | Reawakened. | ||
===== Allowed Special Advantages ===== | ===== Allowed Special Advantages ===== | ||
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==== Disadvantages ==== | ==== Disadvantages ==== | ||
===== Required Disadvantages ===== | ===== Required Disadvantages ===== | ||
None, but characters are ''very'' strongly encouraged to take at least one "good" Disadvantage (e.g. Code of Honor, Honesty, Sense of Duty, etc.) | None, but characters are ''very'' strongly encouraged to take at least one "good" Disadvantage (e.g. Code of Honor, Honesty, Sense of Duty, etc.). You needn't be a goody-two-shoes, but you shouldn't be a remorseless spree killer either. Wuxia does mean "Martial Heroes", after all. You will need a very good explanation for why your character does not have one of these. | ||
===== Allowed Special Disadvantages ===== | ===== Allowed Special Disadvantages ===== | ||
Special Disadvantages (e.g. Divine Curse) may be potentially allowed on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they fit the "vibe" of your chi powers (e.g. a fire elementalist with a weakness to rain). In all cases, run these by the GM before taking them. | |||
===== Prohibited Mundane Disadvantages ===== | ===== Prohibited Mundane Disadvantages ===== | ||
Dependents or Enemies with a Frequency | Dependents or Enemies with a Frequency greater than 9; Sadism. Crippling physical or mental disavantages will of course inhibit your kung fu prowess, but they have a lot of precedence in the genre. Consider taking the Distinctive Features Quirk in cases where your skill is such that having e.g. only one eye doesn't inconvenience you. | ||
===== Appropriate Enemies ===== | ===== Appropriate Enemies ===== | ||
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==== Skills ==== | ==== Skills ==== | ||
===== [[Unavailable Skills]] ===== | |||
===== Required Skills ===== | |||
''Every'' character should have: | |||
* | |||
===== Special Skills ===== | ===== Special Skills ===== | ||
====== [[Alchemy and Herb Lore]] ====== | ====== [[Alchemy and Herb Lore]] ====== | ||
See also [[Magic]]. | See also [[Magic]]. | ||
====== Breath Control ====== | ====== Breath Control ====== | ||
In addition to this skills' benefits in the Basic Set, a successful skill roll lets you regain one SP in only two minutes. You may take an Optional Specialty: Chi OR Physical. Breath Control (Chi) only allows SP recovery, and Breath Control (Physical) only allows FP recovery. | In addition to this skills' benefits in the Basic Set, a successful skill roll lets you regain one SP in only two minutes. You may take an Optional Specialty: Chi OR Physical. Breath Control (Chi) only allows SP recovery, and Breath Control (Physical) only allows FP recovery. | ||
===== Cinematic Martial Arts Skills ===== | |||
None. These are Advantage-based instead; see [[Chi Powers]]. | |||
====== New Skill: Expert Skill (Style Analysis) ====== | ====== New Skill: Expert Skill (Style Analysis) ====== | ||
Available Optional Specialties: Armed or Unarmed OR a particular region. | Available Optional Specialties: Armed or Unarmed OR a particular region. | ||
This skill replaces both Expert Skill (Hoplology) and Hidden Lore (Secret Styles), and is capable of doing everything either of those skills could do. Additionally, it can act as a Complementary Skill to a Tactics roll. | This skill replaces both Expert Skill (Hoplology) and Hidden Lore (Secret Styles), and is capable of doing everything either of those skills could do. Additionally, it can act as a Complementary Skill to a Tactics roll. | ||
==== [[Magic]] ==== | ==== [[Magic]] ==== | ||
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==== Jobs ==== | ==== Jobs ==== | ||
I will not be using the Job rules in this game. You will be | I will not be using the Job rules in this game. You will be too occupied by your quest to keep regular employment, anyway! Down time will be abstracted. | ||
==== Common Equipment (Weapons, Armor, Vehicles, etc.) ==== | ==== Common Equipment (Weapons, Armor, Vehicles, etc.) ==== | ||
All TL 0 gear and most TL 1 gear is available in the largest towns, but in more rural markets supplies of TL 1 gear will likely be limited. For the most part, equipment uses the rules in GURPS Low-Tech and its companions as written. The exception is with weapon, armor, and tool materials: For reasons of scarcity, all obsidian gear is 3x list price, copper gear is 5x list price, and bronze is 10x list price. For bronze, this price multiplier is in addition to existing modifiers (for example, bronze plate having +3 CF). | All TL 0 gear and most TL 1 gear is available in the largest towns, but in more rural markets supplies of TL 1 gear will likely be limited or nonexistent. For the most part, equipment uses the rules in GURPS Low-Tech and its companions as written. The exception is with weapon, armor, and tool materials: For reasons of scarcity, all obsidian gear is 3x list price, copper gear is 5x list price, and bronze is 10x list price. For bronze, this price multiplier is in addition to existing modifiers (for example, bronze plate having +3 CF). This price multiplier is separate from and applies after that of weapon quality, etc. (anything using the CF rules). Due to the existence of inventors and gadgeteers, some TL 2 or TL 3 gear may be purchasable. For the most part, however, these are one-off items and cannot be taken at character creation. In all cases, ask the GM. | ||
==== Religion and Philosophy ==== | ==== Religion and Philosophy ==== | ||
The Jade Empire pursues a mostly homogenous pantheistic faith, although | The Jade Empire pursues a mostly homogenous pantheistic faith centered on worshipping the Jade Emperor as a living god, although animism is common (and ''very'' heretical) on the fringes of the empire. The gods of the pantheon are described in the [[Pantheon]] page. | ||
The Jade Empire also has a rich philisophical tradition; some of the more common schools of thought are described in the [[Philosophies]] page. | The Jade Empire also has a rich philisophical tradition; some of the more common schools of thought are described in the [[Philosophies]] page. | ||
Latest revision as of 18:49, 5 April 2022
Genre: Wuxia/Xianxia (Martial Arts Fantasy)
Tech Level (TL): Early TL 1
TL Exceptions: Much TL 0 gear still in wide use; marginal Gadgeteer-produced TL 2/3 gear
Power Level: 300 points
Realism Level: Cinematic/Over-the-Top
Campaign Synopsis and Recent Events:
About 5 years ago: The Nine Blades of Heaven begin to reappear - the first time they have been seen in over five hundred years. The Jade Emperor sends out the Hounds to track down the swords and determine their would-be wielders.
Timeline of Significant Historical Events:
1 Celestial Era (CE):
Tiān Xūkōng, the Heavenly Nothingness, awakens in the void of chaos and forms the stars and the sky, simultaneously birthing Lixao Setsun (“Primal Flame”), Lixao Shaipei (“Enveloping Rivers”), and the Four Cardinal Beasts (the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North), who hold up the sky.
5 CE:
Lixao Setsun and Lixao Shaipei marry, and from their union comes Lixao Feicao (“Stone Prince”), who is born blind, lame, and mute, and Lixao Mai (“Silver Moon Princess”). Lixao Shaipei cries over her crippled son, creating the rivers, the lakes, and the oceans, from which spring hundreds of nature spirits.
8-15 CE:
A number of gods are born from the unions of these spirits, including Pao Tetl (“The Boar”), Uspa (“White Lotus”), and Taz-Khala (“Eternal Alchemist”). The plants and animals are born as a result of the trysts between Pao Tetl and a number of nature spirits. Experimenting with this new life, Taz-Khala creates the first medicines, offering them to Lixao Shaipei to use on her son. Lixao Feicao is cured, and in her gratitude Lixao Shaipei agrees to grant Taz-Khala one wish; he asks her to create a race of beings in the image of the gods. She agrees, and calls upon the other gods (with the exception of her husband, who she fears will be angered) to aid her: Pao Tetl provides meat from his hunts and molds it into human form, Lixao Shaipei draws from the rivers of the world to create the blood that flows through them, Uspa breathes life into them, Lixao Mai gives them their hopes and ambitions, and Taz-Khala grants them the knowledge they need to attain them.
Money and Currency
The previous three Jade Emperors have made a concerted effort to consolidate and regulate currency, and have been largely successful. Two coins are standard: the copper piece and the silver piece, and these are valid legal tender anywhere in the empire. However, rural communities still sometimes trade in cowrie shells, and most villages make at least partial use of barter systems.
Currency/$ Value: Tóng Bì (Copper Money)/$1
Currency/$ Value: Yín Bì (Silver Money)/$10
Is Slavery Legal? Not as such, but indentured servitude is common as punishment for a crime or to pay off a debt. An agreement is made detailing the length of service; 5-, 10-, and 20-year tenures and lifetime arrangements being the most common. Sometimes these workers are even compensated for their work. This compensation need not be monetary; a poor peasant may agree to himself and any children he may have becoming slaves so that his grandchildren will be adopted into his master's family.
Major Nations
The Jade Empire is the only human civilization known to exist. Apart from the lands under the domain of the Emperor and his administrators, there exist dozens, perhaps hundreds, of small tribes of humans living in the surrounding jungles.
Name: The Jade Empire
Capital: Jewel on the Lake
Ruler: Emperor Long Yún of the Heavenly Jade Dynasty
Population: 7,345,700
Cultural Familiarities: Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern)
Language(s): Jade Tongue. This language is used throughout the empire, and extensive bureaucracy has protected the written form from linguistic drift. The spoken form of the language has three dialects: Eastern, Northern, and Southern. A person who knows one of these languages understands the others at a comprehension level one lower (for example, someone with Native spoken Eastern Jade Tongue has Accented spoken understanding of the Eastern and Southern dialects).
Typical Literacy: None
TL: 0/1
Society/Government: Theocratic Dictatorship
Control Rating (CR): 5
Corruption modifier: -3
Geographically, the Jade Empire is divided into 39 administrative divisions known as "commanderies", each divided into 2-30 counties.
Other Major Planes of Existence
Name: Sorrow Mist Land
Type: Afterlife (?)
Description: This is the home plane of all the varieties of devils that plague tianxia. All that is known of it comes from divination, as nobody has ever been there and returned alive. Its terrain consists of endless gray swamps and plains, occasionally punctuated by a mountain or two. It is theorized that those who are killed by a demon have their souls removed from the cycle of reincarnation and dragged here to suffer for all of eternity.
Name: Great Peach Field
Type: Afterlife
Description: The realm of Gods, Buddhas, and the Tiāntángniăo (Heaven Peach Bird). Here it is always Spring and the weather always temperate. It is said to be the final resting place of the soul who has completed his journey of reincarnation, but the enlightened denizens spend their time honing their minds and bodies, attempting to ascend further. Particularly devout ascetics and powerful sorcerers have reported visiting the Great Peach Field while still alive, but there is no definitive proof to any of these claims.
Rules
Optional Rules and House Rules
GURPS Character Creation Guide
Starting Points: 300
Disadvantage Limit: -50 (Below-Native literacy and Innumerate do not count against this total). This is a "soft" limit. If you can justify disadvantage choices worth more than -50 points, I may allow you to take them.
Quirk Limit: Up to -6, of which a maximum of 4 can be “roleplay-only” (i.e. without occasional inherent penalties)
Suggested Character Types: See Character Templates, below.
Character Templates
Attributes and Secondary Characteristics
All levels are relative to the base; i.e. ST may noy be lower than 8 (10-2) or higher than 18 (10+8). See also House Rules, above.
ST: Min. -2, Max. +8
HP: Min. 0.7xST, Max. 1.3xST
DX: Min. -2, Max. +6
Will: Min. -4, Max. +4
IQ: Min. -2, Max. +6
Per: Min. -4, Max. +4
HT: Min. -2, Max. +6
SI: Min. -2, Max. +6
SP: Min. 0.7xSI, Max. 1.3xSI
FP: Min. 0.7xHT, Max. 1.3xHT
Basic Speed: Min. -2.00, Max. +2.00
Basic Move: Min. -2, Max. +2
Social Traits
Low TL: Low TL 1 (giving a TL of 0) is allowed. This is appropriate for anyone raised outside of the capital or another metropolitan area.
High TL: No.
Status Levels (Min./Max.): -1/3
PC Starting Wealth: $500
Wealth Levels (Min./Max.): Dead Broke/Wealthy.
Cultures (for Cultural Familiarity): Jade Empire (Eastern), Jade Empire (Northern), Jade Empire (Southern). Those with appropriate backgrounds may pick more obscure choices, e.g. the various tribal cultures of the jungle.
Languages: Northern Jade Tongue, Eastern Jade Tongue, Southern Jade Tongue. Those with appropriate backgrounds may pick more obscure choices, e.g. spirit languages.
Social Stigma: Of these, Criminal, Disowned, Ignorant, Minority Group, Second-Class Citizen, and Valuable Property are relevant to the players. Social Stigma (Subjugated) is widespread but concerns currently indentured servants. Escaped servants should take an Enemy instead. Members of isolated tribes sometimes suffer Social Stigma (Minority Group). The Jade Empire also has a history of applying Social Stigma (Minority Group) to minority religious or philosophical movements. As agriculture continues to develop, there is an increasing trend towards lowering the status of women. Except for at the fringes of its territory, women of the Jade Empire suffer Social Stigma (Valuable Property).
Social Regard: The elderly have Social Regard (Venerated) 1 or 2; Current and ex-bureaucrats have Social Regard (Respected) 1 (unless they have done something serious to lose that respect). Other types are unavailable.
Rank: Starting PCs may be former members of an organization (take Courtesy Rank and consult the GM), but as of now you are freelancers.
Advantages
Required Advantages
Reawakened.
Allowed Special Advantages
Gadgeteer (Regular), Trained by a Master. At the GM's discretion, any Advantage can form the basis of a Chi Power; see Chi Powers. Daredevil, Destiny, Luck, Super Luck, and Serendipity are explicitly not allowed; I am using Destiny Points instead. See Optional Rules and House Rules.
Disadvantages
Required Disadvantages
None, but characters are very strongly encouraged to take at least one "good" Disadvantage (e.g. Code of Honor, Honesty, Sense of Duty, etc.). You needn't be a goody-two-shoes, but you shouldn't be a remorseless spree killer either. Wuxia does mean "Martial Heroes", after all. You will need a very good explanation for why your character does not have one of these.
Allowed Special Disadvantages
Special Disadvantages (e.g. Divine Curse) may be potentially allowed on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they fit the "vibe" of your chi powers (e.g. a fire elementalist with a weakness to rain). In all cases, run these by the GM before taking them.
Prohibited Mundane Disadvantages
Dependents or Enemies with a Frequency greater than 9; Sadism. Crippling physical or mental disavantages will of course inhibit your kung fu prowess, but they have a lot of precedence in the genre. Consider taking the Distinctive Features Quirk in cases where your skill is such that having e.g. only one eye doesn't inconvenience you.
Appropriate Enemies
Name Power Intent Modifiers Base Point Cost The Jade Empire as a whole is too decentralized to be taken as an enemy, but a few of its subordinate groups qualify:
Wūshù Lièquǎn
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Skills
Required Skills
Every character should have:
Special Skills
Alchemy and Herb Lore
See also Magic.
Breath Control
In addition to this skills' benefits in the Basic Set, a successful skill roll lets you regain one SP in only two minutes. You may take an Optional Specialty: Chi OR Physical. Breath Control (Chi) only allows SP recovery, and Breath Control (Physical) only allows FP recovery.
Cinematic Martial Arts Skills
None. These are Advantage-based instead; see Chi Powers.
New Skill: Expert Skill (Style Analysis)
Available Optional Specialties: Armed or Unarmed OR a particular region. This skill replaces both Expert Skill (Hoplology) and Hidden Lore (Secret Styles), and is capable of doing everything either of those skills could do. Additionally, it can act as a Complementary Skill to a Tactics roll.
Magic
See also Chi Powers, Alchemy and Herb Lore.
Jobs
I will not be using the Job rules in this game. You will be too occupied by your quest to keep regular employment, anyway! Down time will be abstracted.
Common Equipment (Weapons, Armor, Vehicles, etc.)
All TL 0 gear and most TL 1 gear is available in the largest towns, but in more rural markets supplies of TL 1 gear will likely be limited or nonexistent. For the most part, equipment uses the rules in GURPS Low-Tech and its companions as written. The exception is with weapon, armor, and tool materials: For reasons of scarcity, all obsidian gear is 3x list price, copper gear is 5x list price, and bronze is 10x list price. For bronze, this price multiplier is in addition to existing modifiers (for example, bronze plate having +3 CF). This price multiplier is separate from and applies after that of weapon quality, etc. (anything using the CF rules). Due to the existence of inventors and gadgeteers, some TL 2 or TL 3 gear may be purchasable. For the most part, however, these are one-off items and cannot be taken at character creation. In all cases, ask the GM.
Religion and Philosophy
The Jade Empire pursues a mostly homogenous pantheistic faith centered on worshipping the Jade Emperor as a living god, although animism is common (and very heretical) on the fringes of the empire. The gods of the pantheon are described in the Pantheon page.
The Jade Empire also has a rich philisophical tradition; some of the more common schools of thought are described in the Philosophies page.