Nine Swords Under Heaven

Genre: Wuxia/Xianxia (Martial Arts Fantasy)

Tech Level (TL): Early TL 1

TL Exceptions: Much TL 0 gear in wide use; marginal Gadgeteer-produced TL 2+ gear.

Power Level: 400 points

Realism Level: Over-the-Top

Notes: Unless noted otherwise, proper nouns are given in Northern Jade Tongue, the lingua franca of the Jade Empire, currently known to be the foremost state in tianxia (literally “everything under heaven” but used as a term to describe both the continent on which the Jade Empire is located as well as the entire known world).

Campaign Synopsis and Recent Events:

~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.

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 (here the story diverges depending on who is telling it. In the tradition of the Stone Men, they were created first, using stone provided by Lixao Feicao instead of meat, with humanity being created afterwards), Lixao Shaipei creates 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 currency, and have been largely successful. Two coins are standard: the Copper piece and the silver piece (left over from Elven occupation and reprinted with the face of the current Jade Empire). However, rural communities still sometimes trade in cowrie shells, and most villages make at least partial use of barter systems. The Northlanders have no currency and use a barter system. Dwarves mint their own coins in copper (called Tepotzli), which have the same value as Tóng Bì.

Currency/$ Value: Tóng Bì (Copper Money)/$1

Currency/$ Value: Yín Bì (Silver Money)/$10

Is Slavery Legal? No, but indentured servitude is very common. Typically an agreement is made with the seller (or more rarely with the slave) detailing their length of service; 5-, 10-, and 20-year tenures and lifetime arrangements being the most common. Sometimes these "slaves" will be compensated. This need not be monetary; a poor peasant may agree to himself and any children he may have becoming slaves so that any of his grandchildren will be adopted into his master's family.

Major Nations

Name: The Jade Empire

Capital: Jewel on the Lake

Ruler: Emperor Long Yún of the Heavenly Jade Dynasty

Population: 7,345,700

Search bonus: +3

Terrain: Floating (Fresh-Water Lake)

Appearance: Very Beautiful

Hygiene: -1

Cultural Familiarity: Jade Empire

Language(s): Northern Jade Tongue, Eastern Jade Tongue

Literacy: None

TL: 1

Wealth: Average

Status (range): -2 to 8

Society/Government: Theocratic Dictatorship

Control Rating (CR): 5

Corruption modifier: -3

Military Resources: $477,469,005

Defense Bonus: +6

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.

Name: Old Elf Forest

Type: Alternate Plane (?) Description: Little is known of this place other than that it is somehow related to the elves, having been inscribed on many of their old structures.

Name: Dragon Mountain Home

Type: Alternate Plane Description: Those dragons willing to answer the question, "Where are you from?" give this as their answer; hence, its existence has not been confirmed by human scholars. It is said to look much like the known world, but much larger, and dragons say they "go there when they dream".

Rules GURPS Books Used Title: Notes:

Title: Notes:

Title: Notes:

Optional Rules Rule: Book: Page:

Rule: Book: Page:

Rule: Book: Page:

House Rules: ½ Points are available, to spend on Skills, Techniques, and Trademark Move Perks (Other Perks are still 1 Point). Techniques bought as part of a Style that you have the Style Familiarity Perk for are half cost. Weapon Master has been merged with Trained by a Master, which has been given a variant pricing scheme: Choose one of a) A single unarmed combat skill (e.g. Judo): 15 points, b) One specific weapon (e.g. the Sword of Goujian): 15 points, c) A single kind of weapon (e.g. the Jian or Unarmed): 20 points, d) Any two weapons (e.g. the Jian and Unarmed): 25 points, e) All weapons used with a specific Skill (e.g. all weapons used with the Broadsword Skill): 25 points, f) A small class of three to five weapons (e.g. “Pak Hok Weapons”: Jian, Gùn, Qiang, and Jiǔjiébiān): 30 points, g) A medium class of six to fifteen weapons (e.g. all swords), h) A large class of sixteen or more weapons (e.g. all bladed weapons or all one-handed weapons), 40 points, or i) All muscle-powered weapons, 45 points. A warrior with Trained by a Master gains all of the benefits of Trained by a Master AND Weapon Master when using a weapon covered by his specialty. Any per-die damage bonuses (from high Skill, Claws, Trained by a Master, etc.) become flat bonuses.

GURPS Character Creation Guide

Starting Points: 350 Disadvantage Limit: -80 (Below-Native literacy and Innumerate do not count against this total) Quirk Limit: Up to -8, of which a maximum of 5 can be “roleplay-only” (i.e. without occasional inherent penalties) Suggested Character Types: See Character Templates, below. You must pick one of these.

Character Templates

Attributes and Secondary Characteristic Maximums and Minimums, Relative to Base Min., Max. House Rules 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 +/- 15 points/level rather than 20. Per: Min. -4, Max. +4 Based on HT rather than IQ. HT: Min. -2, Max. +6 +/- 15 points/level rather than 10. QN: Min. -2, Max. +6 +/- 15 points/level. QP: Min. 0.7xQN, Max. 1.3xQN 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. 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), Northlander, Stone Men. Languages: Old Elf Tongue, Stone Speech, Stone Man Pidgin, Northern Jade Tongue, Eastern Jade Tongue, Southern Jade Tongue, Ice Voice, Northlander Trade Pidgin. Social Stigma: Of these, Criminal, Disowned, Ignorant, Minority Group, Second-Class Citizen, and Valuable Property are relevant. Social Stigma (Minor) exists but is unavailable for PCs. Social Stigma (Uneducated) does not exist, as most people are “Uneducated”, and Social Stigma (Excommunicated) is a moot point as anyone who has committed crimes sufficient enough to warrant this is more likely to be put to death anyways. Social Stigma (Subjugated) is widespread but concerns current slaves and indentured servants. Escaped slaves and indentured servants should take an Enemy instead. Shí Rén in Human society, and vice-versa, suffer Social Stigma (Minority Group). The Jade Empire, and to a lesser extent the Federation of Stone, have 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). Běifāng Rén and Shí Rén women suffer no such stigma, their populations being for the most part decentralized and nomadic. Social Regard: The elderly have Social Regard (Venerated) 1 or 2; Current and ex-bureaucrats have Social Regard (Respected) 1. Other types do not exist. Rank (Type): Number of Levels: Notes: Rank (Type): Number of Levels: Notes:

Advantages Required Advantages: None. Allowed Special Advantages: Gadgeteer (Regular), Trained by a Master. At the GM's discretion, any Advantage can form the basis of a Chi Power. Prohibited Mundane Advantages: Anything involving TL2+ technology.

Disadvantages Required Disadvantages: None. Characters are strongly encouraged to take at least one "good" Disadvantage (e.g. Code of Honor, Honesty, Sense of Duty, etc.). Allowed Special Disadvantages: Potentially allowed on a case-by-case basis. Run these by the GM. Prohibited Mundane Disadvantages: Dependents or Enemies with a Frequency of 12 or 15; Sadism.

Appropriate Contacts Name Type Skill Effective Level Reliability Base Point Cost __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appropriate Contact Groups Name Category of Skills Effective Level Reliability Base Point Cost __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appropriate Patrons Name Power Modifiers Base Point Cost __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Special Skills Skill: Expert Skill (Style Analysis) Available Specialties: Armed or Unarmed OR a particular region. This skill replaces both Expert Skill (Hoplology) and Hidden Lore (Secret Styles). It can act as a Complementary Skill to a Tactics roll. Available Cinematic Skills: None. These are Advantage-based instead. Available Wildcard Skills: None. Prohibited Mundane Skills: Anything involving TL2+ Technology.

Magic (see also Magic, Thaumatology) Average Mana Level: N/A PC Mages Allowed? Yes. Unusual Background Cost:_______ Max. Magery Level: N/A Are Magic Items for Sale? No. Notes: See the Magic in Tianxia section.

Psionics (see also Psionic Powers) Notes: Psionics do not exist in this game world.

Jobs I will not be using the Job rules in this game. You will be plenty occupied by your quest, anyway!

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, and usually unavailable outside the capital. For bronze, this price multiplier is in addition to existing modifiers (for example, bronze plate having +3 CF). In all cases, this price multiplier is separate from 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 exist, with some even in circulation in small numbers. For the most part, however, these are one-off items.

Religion and Philosophy The