Character Templates

Bureaucrat [150]:

You were raised to be a court-appointed administrator, treasurer, or governor, giving you a degree of wealth and political power but saddling you with numerous responsibilities. However, you have left your post in favor of living the life of a wanderer. Perhaps your term was concluded, and you had no further motivation to apply for another, or maybe you slighted one too many noblemen or merchants and were forced to leave town. You might even have come to the conclusion that you could better help the people from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Whatever your reasons, you no longer have any actual political clout. However, you are allowed to keep your wealth and (assuming you left on good terms) are accorded a certain amount of respect even after you've left your position. As the old saying goes, "The emperor may rule, but it is the governors that enforce his laws".

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics [65]: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 13 [45]; HT 10 [0]; SI 11 [15].

Advantages [72]: Courtesy Rank 2 (Bureaucrat) [2]; Reawakened [10]; Social Regard 1 (Respected) [5]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10]. • Choose 45 points from among increased IQ [15/level], Charisma 1-3 [5/level], Contacts (bureaucrats or nobility) [varies], Destiny [5 to 15], Eidetic Memory or Photographic Memory [5 or 10], Lightning Calculator or Intuitive Mathematician [2 or 5], Longevity [2], Luck or Extraordinary Luck [15 or 30], Reputation (Just and righteous lawman) [Varies], Sensitive or Empathy [5 or 15], Social Chameleon [5], Social Regard 1-2 (Venerated) [5/level], Voice [10], or improving Courtesy Rank to 3 or 4 [1 or 2] or Wealth to Wealthy or Very Wealthy [10 or 20].

Disadvantages [-50]: You may not take below-Native literacy or Innumerate. • Choose -50 points from among Alcoholism [-15], Appearance [Varies], Charitable [-15*], Chronic Pain [Varies], Chummy or Gregarious [-5 or -10], Code of Honor (Professional or Confucian or Xia) [-5 or -10], Cowardice [-10*], Curious [-5*], Destiny [-5 to -15], Enemy [Varies], Extra Sleep 1 or 2 [-2/level], Fat, Overweight, Skinny, or Very Fat [Varies], Fearfulness [-2/level], Gluttony [-5*], Greed [-15*], Guilt Complex [-5], Hard of Hearing [-10], Hidebound [-5], Honesty [-10*], Incurious [-5*], Lame (Crippled Legs) [-10], Laziness [-10], No Sense of Humor [-10], Obsession (Bring a specific criminal to justice) [-5*], One Eye [-15], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer or Cannot Harm Innocents) [-5 or -10], Reputation (Disgraced lawman) [Varies], Secret (various) [Varies], Selfish [-5*], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (various) [Varies], Slow Riser [-5], Squeamish [-10*], Stubbornness [-5], Truthfulness [-5*], Unfit [-5], Unluckiness [-10], or Workaholic [-5], or remove Social Regard (Respected) [-5].

Primary Skills [19]: Accounting (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Administration (A) IQ+1 [4]-14; Law (Jade Empire Civil) (H) IQ+1 [8]-14; Philosophy (Legalism) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Politics (A) IQ [2]-13; Writing (A) IQ-1 [1]-12.

Secondary Skills [26]: Poetry (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Public Speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]-12. • Choose six: Area Knowledge (Administrative Region), Current Affairs/TL1 (Business, Headline News, High Culture, Politics, or Regional), or Savoir-Faire (High Society), all (E) IQ+2 [4]-15; Architecture/TL1, Criminology/TL1, Heraldry, Interrogation, Merchant, Propaganda/TL1, Streetwise, or Teaching, all (A) IQ+1 [4]-14; Diplomacy, Economics, Engineer/TL1 (Civil), Finance, Geography/TL1 (Political), History (Jade Empire), or Law (Jade Empire Criminal), all (H) IQ [4]-13; or Detect Lies (H) Per [2]-10; or increase one of the above choices or Administration or Law (Jade Empire Civil) (H) IQ+1 [8]-14.

Background Skills [6]: Artist (Calligraphy) (H) IQ-2 [1]-11; Research/TL1 (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Theology (Jade Pantheon) (H) IQ-2 [1]-11. • Choose three: Astronomy/TL1 (Observational) or Speed-Reading, both (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Mathematics/TL1 (Applied or Statistics) or Philosophy (any other), both (H) IQ-2 [1]-11, Meditation (H) Will-2 [1]-9; or increase one of the above choices or Artist (Calligraphy), Poetry, Public Speaking, Research/TL1, or Writing.

TO DO: Nobility [150]:

You are a hereditary (as opposed to elected, like a bureaucrat) member of the upper classes, your childhood spent learning the intricacies of courtly etiquette as well as a smattering of practical skills: philosophy, literature, and the arts. You may or may not be "idle rich"; plenty of noble families have a long history of excellence in warfare, while others are content to confine themselves in the Emperor's court. Whether out of noblesse oblige or simple wanderlust, you have left your home - though perhaps not its comforts - in favor of a wandering lifestyle. Anywhere you go, you are likely to be treated better simply due to the circumstances of your birth.

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 11 [15]; HT 10 [0]; SI 11 [15].

Advantages: Military Rank 2 (Nobleman/Noblewoman) [10]; Reawakened [10]; Status 2 (Nobleman/Noblewoman) [0]*; Wealth (Wealthy) [10]. • Choose 25 points from among increased ST [10/level], increased IQ [15/level], increased DX [20/level], increased Rank and/or Status [Varies], Increased Wealth [Varies], Appearance [Varies], Charisma 1-3 [5/level], Combat Reflexes [15], Contacts (bureaucrats or nobility) [varies], Destiny [5 to 15], Independent Income [1/level], Luck [15], Sensitive or Empathy [5 or 15], Social Chameleon [5], Social Regard 1-2 (Venerated) [5/level], or Voice [10].

Disadvantages: You may not take below-Native literacy. • Choose -50 points from among Alcoholism [-15], Appearance [Varies], Bad Temper [-10*], Bully [-10*], Charitable [-15*], Chronic Pain [Varies], Chummy or Gregarious [-5 or -10], Code of Honor (Professional or Confucian or Xia) [-5 or -10], Cowardice [-10*], Curious [-5*], Destiny [-5 to -15], Enemy [Varies], Extra Sleep 1 or 2 [-2/level], Fat, Overweight, Skinny, or Very Fat [Varies], Fearfulness [-2/level], Gluttony [-5*], Greed [-15*], Guilt Complex [-5], Hard of Hearing [-10], Hidebound [-5], Honesty [-10*], Incurious [-5*], Lame (Crippled Legs) [-10], Laziness [-10], No Sense of Humor [-10], Obsession (Bring a specific criminal to justice) [-5*], One Eye [-15], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer or Cannot Harm Innocents) [-5 or -10], Reputation (Disgraced lawman) [Varies], Secret (various) [Varies], Selfish [-5*], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (various) [Varies], Slow Riser [-5], Social Stigma (Disowned) [-5 or -10], Squeamish [-10*], Stubbornness [-5], Truthfulness [-5*], Unfit [-5], Unluckiness [-10], or Workaholic [-5], or lower Rank, Status, and/or Wealth [Varies].

Primary Skills: Administration (A) IQ-1 [1]-10; Law (Jade Empire Civil) (H) IQ-1 [2]-10; Leadership (A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Literature (H) IQ-2 [1]-9; Philosophy (Legalism) (H) IQ-1 [2]-10; Philosophy (any other) (H) IQ-2 [1]-9, Poetry (A) IQ-1 [1]-10; Politics (A) IQ-1 [1]-10; Public Speaking (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+2 [4]-13; Theology (Jade Pantheon) (H) IQ-2 [1]-9.

Secondary Skills:

Background Skills: • Choose one: ▪ 30 points spent improving the above skills or on the following skills: Area Knowledge, Current Affairs/TL1 (Business, Headline News, High Culture, Politics, or Regional), Detect Lies, Diplomacy, Economics, Geography/TL1 (Political), Heraldry, History (Jade Empire Civil), Intimidation, Mathematics/TL1 (Applied or Statistics), Meditation, Musical Composition, Musical Instrument (any), Philosophy (any other), Strategy (Land), Tactics, Teaching, or Writing. ▪ 10 points spent on improving the above skills or on the following skills: Area Knowledge, Current Affairs/TL1 (Business, Headline News, High Culture, Politics, or Regional), Detect Lies, Diplomacy, Economics, Geography/TL1 (Political), Heraldry, History (Jade Empire Civil), Intimidation, Mathematics/TL1 (Applied or Statistics), Meditation, Musical Composition, Musical Instrument (any), Philosophy (any other), Strategy (Land), Tactics, Teaching, or Writing, AND take a 20-point Mastery Level.

• Free from Rank and Wealth.

TO DO: Hermit/Sage [150]:

You are a scholar, an inventor, a philosopher, a writer, a doctor, a magician, or some combination of these. You and your kind are the intellectual backbone of the empire, and you may even have served as a court advisor. It is more likely that you were instead a hermit - taking solace in your isolation, milling over old ideas and thinking up new ones. You may be a generalist or a specialist, but no one can doubt your expertise. For whatever reason, you have abandoned your isolated existence and begun to travel - perhaps you seek the final ingredient to the elixir of immortality, or you wish to institute political change along the lines of an obscure philosophy.

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics [110]: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [60]; HT 11 [15]; SI 13 [45].

Advantages: Reawakened [10]; • Choose 30 points from among increased HT, IQ, or SI 1-3 [15/level], Absolute Timing [2], Ally (Spirits, etc.) [Varies], Animal Empathy [5], Blessed (Harmony with the Tao or Enlightened Teacher) [5 or 10], Channeling [10], Charisma 1-3 [5/level], Claim to Hospitality (various) [Varies], Clerical Investment (Imperial Cult) [5], Common Sense [10], Contacts (various) [Varies], Cultural Familiarity (any) [1/level] or Cultural Adaptability [10], Destiny [5 to 15], Eidetic Memory or Photographic Memory [5 or 10], Fearlessness [2/level], Gadgeteer [25], Gizmos 1-3 [5/level], Higher Purpose (various) [5], Independent Income [1/level], Indomitable [15], Intuition [15], Languages [Varies], Language Talent [10], Lightning Calculator or Intuitive Mathematician [2 or 5], Longevity [2], Luck or Extraordinary Luck [15 or 30], Magery 0 to 2 [5, 15, or 25], Magic Resistance [2/level], Medium [10], Oracle [15], Patron (various) [Varies], Reduced Consumption 1 or 2 [2/level], Reputation (Wise hermit) [Varies], Sensitive or Empathy [5 or 15], Spirit Empathy [10], Single-Minded [5], Social Chameleon [5], Social Regard 1-2 (Venerated) [5/level], Talents [varies], Wealth [varies], or Zeroed [10].

Disadvantages: You may not take below-Native literacy, but you can take Innumerate [-5]. • Choose -50 points from among: Reduced ST 1 [-10], Absent-Mindedness [-15], Appearance [Varies], Bad Back [-15 or -25], Bully [-5*], Charitable [-15*], Chronic Pain (various) [Varies], Clueless [-10], Code of Honor (Confucian or Xia) [-10], Compulsive Generosity [-5*], Curious [-5*], Deafness [-20], Delusion (various) [Varies], Destiny [-5 to -15], Disciplines of Faith (any) [-5 to -15], Enemy (various) [Varies], Fearfulness [-2/level], Guilt Complex [-5], Gullibility [-10*], Hard of Hearing [-10], Honesty [-10*], Hunchback [-10], Indecisive [-10*], Lame (Crippled Legs) [-10], Loner [-5*], Low TL 1 [-5], Magic Susceptibility [-3/level], No Sense of Humor [-10], Obsession (anything arcane) [-5* or -10*], Oblivious [-5], One Eye [-15], Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism (any) [Varies], Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Reputation (Eccentric hermit) [Varies], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (various) [Varies], Shyness [Varies], Skinny [-5], Slow Riser [-5], Stubbornness [-5], Stuttering [-10], Truthfulness [-5*], Unfit [-5], Unluckiness [-10], Unnatural Features [-1/level], Vow (various) [Varies], Wealth [Varies], Workaholic [-5], Wounded [-5], or Xenophilia [-10*].

Primary Skills: Research/TL1 (A) IQ+1 [4]-15; Survival (Jungle or Mountains) (A) Per+1 [4]-12.

Secondary Skills:

Background Skills: Housekeeping (E) IQ+1 [2]-15.

• Choose 40 points from among Alchemy/TL1*, Animal Handling (anything exotic), Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture/TL1, Area Knowledge (surrounding wilderness), Armoury/TL1 (Body Armor, Heavy Weapons*, Melee Weapons, or Missile Weapons), Artillery/TL1 (Catapult)*, Artist (any), Astronomy/TL1 (Observational), Autohypnosis, Breath Control, Carpentry, Connoisseur (any), Cooking, Cryptography/TL1, Current Affairs/TL1 (Jiang Hu or Regional), Diagnosis/TL1, Diplomacy, Dreaming, Economics, Engineer/TL1 (Artillery*, Civil, Combat, Materials, or Mining), Erotic Art, Esoteric Medicine, Exorcism, Expert Skill (Military Science, Natural Philosophy, or Style Analysis), First Aid/TL1, Fishing, Fortune-Telling (Astrology, Augury, Dream Interpretation, or Feng Shui), Games (Mahjong, etc.), Gardening, Geography/TL1 (any), Gesture (Taoist), Heraldry, Herb Lore/TL1, Hidden Lore (various), Hiking, History (Jade Empire Civil or something esoteric), Innate Attack (any), Intelligence Analysis/TL1, Jeweler/TL1, Law (Jade Empire Civil), Leatherworking, Linguistics, Literature, Machinist/TL1, Market Analysis, Masonry/TL1, Mathematics/TL1 (any but Computer Science), Mechanic (any), Meditation, Metallurgy/TL1, Mimicry (Animal Sounds or Bird Calls), Mind Block, Musical Composition, Musical Instrument (any), Naturalist, Navigation/TL1 (Land), Observation, Occultism, Panhandling, Pharmacy/TL1 (Herbal), Philosophy (various), Physiology/TL1, Poetry, Poisons/TL1, Politics, Professional Skill (varies), Prospecting/TL1, Psychology (Applied), Public Speaking, Religious Ritual (Imperial Cult), Ritual Magic (Taoist), Savoir-Faire (High Society), Scrounging, Sewing/TL1, Smith/TL1 (Copper or Lead and Tin), Sociology, Speed-Reading, Strategy (Land), Surgery/TL1, Symbol Drawing (Taoist), Tactics, Teaching, Theology (Imperial Cult), Traps/TL1, Veterinary/TL1, Weather Sense, or Writing, or improving Housekeeping, Research/TL1, or Survival.

• Requires the Anachronistic Skill Perk or Gadgeteer.

Merchant [150]:

You are an upper-middle-class man or woman who made their name through trade. As a result, you are well-accustomed to travelling. Whether you continue to do so as a means of conducting trade or simply for the sake of seeing new places, your skills in convincing people will be useful to you wherever you go.

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [30]; HT 11 [15]; SI 10 [0].

Advantages: Business Acumen 1 [10]; Reawakened [10]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10]. Choose 40 points from among increased IQ or HT [15/level], increased ST [10/level], Absolute Direction [5], Animal Empathy [5], Animal Friend [5/level], Appearance [Varies], Charisma 1-3 [5/level], Claim to Hospitality (various) [Varies], Contacts (various) [Varies], Cultural Familiarity [1/level] or Cultural Adaptability [10], Destiny [5 to 15], Languages [varies], Language Talent [10], Lightning Calculator or Intuitive Mathematician [2 or 5], Luck or Extraordinary Luck [15 or 30], Reputation (Honorable merchant) [Varies], Seafarer [10/level], Social Chameleon [5], Voice [10], or improve Business Acumen [10/level] or Wealth [varies].

Disadvantages: You may take less-than-Native literacy but not Innumerate. -50 points chosen from among Alcoholism [-15], Appearance [Varies], Charitable [-15*], Chronic Pain [Varies], Chummy or Gregarious [-5 or -10], Code of Honor (Professional or Confucian or Xia) [-5 or -10], Compulsive Carousing [-5*], Compulsive Generosity [-5*], Cowardice [-10*], Curious [-5*], Destiny [-5 to -15], Enemy [Varies], Extra Sleep 1 or 2 [-2/level], Fat, Overweight, or Very Fat [Varies], Fearfulness [-2/level], Gluttony [-5*], Greed [-15*], Honesty [-10*], Laziness [-10], Pacifism (Reluctant Killer or Cannot Harm Innocents or Cannot Kill or Self-Defense Only) [-5 to -15], Reputation (Swindler, cheat, etc.) [Varies], Secret (various) [Varies], Selfish [-5*], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (various) [Varies], Slow Riser [-5], Squeamish [-10*], Stubbornness [-5], Truthfulness [-5*], Unfit [-5], Unluckiness [-10], or Workaholic [-5].

Primary Skills: Accounting (H) IQ+1 [4]-13*; Area Knowledge (Jade Empire or a specific trade route) (E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Merchant (A) IQ+3 [8]-15*.

Secondary Skills: Administration (A) IQ [1]-12*; Economics (H) IQ [2]-12*; Finance (H) IQ [2]-12*; Market Analysis (H) IQ [2]-12*. • Choose four: Connoisseur (any), Fast-Talk, Leadership, Professional Skill (any), or Smuggling, all IQ (A) [2]-12; Counterfeiting/TL1, Forgery/TL1, both (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-12; Hiking (A) HT [2]-11; Body Language or Survival (any), both (A) Per [2]-11; or Detect Lies (H) Per-1 [2]-10; or increase one of the above choices or Area Knowledge, Economics, or Finance by a level. • Choose one:

▪ Animal Handling (Bovines or Equines) (A) IQ [2]-12; Navigation/TL1 (Land) (A) IQ [2]-12; Packing (A) IQ [2]-12; Teamster (Bovines or Equines) (A) IQ+1 [4]-13.

▪ Freight Handling/TL1 (A) IQ [2]-12; Navigation/TL1 (Sea) (A) IQ [2]-12; Seamanship/TL1 (E) IQ+1 [2]-13; EITHER Boating/TL1 (Sailboat or Unpowered) (A) DX+1 [4]-12 or Shiphandling/TL1 (Ship) (H) IQ [4]-12°.

Background Skills: Cartography/TL1 (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Current Affairs/TL1 (Business) (E) IQ [1]-12; Diplomacy (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. • Choose three: Connoisseur (any not yet chosen), Gambling, or Holdout, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Geography/TL1 (Regional) (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; Lifting (A) HT-1 [1]-10; or increase one of the above choices or Administration, Cartography/TL1, or Current Affairs/TL1 (Business) by a level.

• Includes +1 for Business Acumen.

°Requires you to take Leadership as a Secondary Skill.

TO DO: Peasant:

You are a member of the lower classes - one of hundreds of thousands of gears that turn the wheels of the empire. You may live in a rural area or in one of the Jade Empire's more cosmopolitan regions; If the former, you are likely a farmer, hunter, or fisherman; If the latter, you may be an artisan or merely a street thief. No matter your origins, you have left your home in favor of a wandering life, perhaps to find a better life for you or your family. Although your social betters tend to look down on the peasants, you know that your rugged temperament and down-to-earth wisdom are very useful tools.

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [30]; SI 10 [0]

Advantages:

TO DO: Soldier:

You are a fighter, born and bred. You may be independent, a peasant born with a natural skill-at-arms, or a noble scion of a line of warriors. Whether you used to serve a lord or were always itinerant, you are currently a wanderer. You bring strength, skill, and training in combat to bear against your foes.

Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: ST 12 [20]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [15]; SI 12 [30].

Advantages: Reawakened [10]; • Choose 20 points chosen from among ST +1 or +2 [10 or 20], DX or IQ +1 [20], HT +1 or +2 [10 or 20], HP +1 to +3 [2/HP], Per +1 to +4 [5/level], FP +1 to +3 [3/FP], Combat Reflexes [15], Danger Sense [15], Enhanced Block 1 [5], Enhanced Dodge 1 [15], Enhanced Parry 1 [5 or 10], Fearlessness 1-5 [2/level] or Unfazeable [15], Fit [5] or Very Fit [15], Hard to Kill 1-5 [2/level], High Pain Threshold [10], Military Rank 1-4 [5/level]†, Penetrating Voice [1], Rapid Healing [5] or Very Rapid Healing [15], Style Familiarity (any) [1/style], Style Perks [1/perk], or Weapon Bond [1]. Perks: Style Familiarity (own style) [1].

Disadvantages: -25 points chosen from among Code of Honor (“Stay bought”) [-5], (Soldier’s) [-10], or (Bushido or Chivalry) [-15], Duty (Unit or force; 12 or less) [-10] or (15 or less) [-15]†, Fanaticism (Unit, force, nation, etc.) [-15], Greed [-15*], Intolerance (Enemy nation) [-5] or (All nations but own) [-10], or Sense of Duty (Unit) [-5] or (Own nation) [-10]. • A further -15 points chosen from among the above traits or Berserk [-10*], Bloodlust [-10*], Callous [-5], Chummy [-5] or Gregarious [-10], Overconfidence [-5*], Stubbornness [-5], or Workaholic [-5].

Skills: Hiking (A) HT+1 [4]-12 and Soldier/TL1 (A) IQ+2 [8]-12. • Spend 40 points on Mastery Packages or Moves. • Spend 20 points on Skills from the following list: Camouflage or First Aid/TL1, all IQ/E; Armoury/TL1 (Body Armor, Melee Weapons, or Missile Weapons), Connoisseur (Weapons), Leadership, Navigation/TL1 (Land), all IQ/A; Expert Skill (Style Analysis), Strategy (Land), or Tactics, all IQ/H; Scrounging, Per/E; Observation or Survival (Plains or Jungle), all Per/A.