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Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
The Empire is in danger. The Emperor is dead, and his young heir is a puppet of the scheming Minister of the Right. The Minister of the Left gathers forces to oppose the Minister of the Right - but none know whether it is to defend the throne or seize it, or to carve out a new kingdom from it. The Emperor had another, older child, the true heir - who went missing five years ago while commanding a military expedition.

The champions of the downtrodden are restless, and demand reform. And there are those who desire an end to Emperors entirely. Meanwhile, rumors abound that a secret society seeks to restore the former dynasty. These internal concerns may all be dwarfed though, for the Northern barbarians are on the move.

This age needs heroes. It needs you. But who shall you side with? What will you make of your destiny?


Do you want to be a badass kung fu master who takes on the greatest threats the Empire has ever known with a handful of equally skilled warriors?

Of course you do. What you'll need, then, is to make a character using the rules for Tianxia. Tianxia is a FATE Core powered game of kung fu fantasy and epic wuxia. You will need the PDF of the game or to work with someone who has it.

This game will tend towards the high adventure and action movie approach - a little more pulp and a little less operatic in tone. The martial arts are going to lean towards the more fantastic as well.

A slot has been reserved for Ridley since he convinced me to run this. I will be looking for four to five additional players.

We'll also be looking to flesh out the setting a bit. In addition to your character application, I'd like you to come up with an organization or location of importance in the Empire, and a face for it. Each should have at least one aspect, but not more than three.

Additional Rules
  • Interesting Times (Tianxia): Once per session, you can take the additional Mild consequence Interesting Times to either reduce two stress or gain a Fate point. This is a narrative consequence that gives me a free invoke to use against you. It lasts until the end of the session. What makes it different from usual consequences is that you won't know what it actually is until I reveal it at an opportune moment.

  • Weapon & Armor Dice (Fate Toolkit): Also referred to as Red and Blue dice. Weapons and armor get a rating of 1-4. When you attack with a weapon, you roll its rating in Weapon (Red) dice (we'll figure out how to do this with dice rolling tools). If your attack succeeds or ties, every + on a Red die adds 1 shift to the damage dealt. When you defend with armor, you roll its rating in Armor (Blue) dice. For every + on a Blue die on a failed defense, you reduce the damage taken by 1 shift. Keep in mind that getting Weapon or Armor rating in Tianxia comes from stunts.

  • Collateral Consequences (Fate Toolkit, modified): In addition to your usual complement of consequences, you can also make use of three communal consequences, one of each degree of severity. These represent damage to the environment or new complications in the story, such as Injured Bystanders or Anti-Wuxia Hysteria. You can effectively use them to offload harm from yourselves onto the world around you. A collateral consequence can be cleared just like a regular one, using an overcome action with whatever skill seems most appropriate, with a few minor differences. First, Minor collateral consequences are immediately cleared with no renaming. Moderate collateral consequences are renamed, but cleared from the consequence slot after one scene (though the renamed aspect stays in effect for that area until a session has passed). Severe collateral consequences are also renamed and clear from the consequence slot after a session (though the renamed aspect stays in effect for that area until the end of the next adventure). However, if a Severe collateral consequence has not begun recovery before the end of the adventure, it is cleared from the slot but becomes a permanent aspect of that area (unless you undertake a major effort to fix it) and could potentially become a threat.

  • Society Aspects (Custom): The party as a whole will form a wuxia Society to represent your teamwork. It will have a High Concept, a Trouble, and one other Aspect. An individual player can invoke these by spending a Fate Point as normal, as long as one other member of the Society is present in the scene. Players cannot choose to Compel a Society aspect themselves, however - only I can. But when I do, everyone in the Society gets a Fate Point, so you've got that going for you. As the game progresses, the Society will improve - you can potentially add NPCs to it, and earn Stunt slots on it for sweet combos or special styles for the group.

If you want to talk about character ideas or whatever, check out #Jianghu on Synirc.

Recruit will be open until midnight Eastern time on February 10th.

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Feb 7, 2014

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grassy gnoll
Aug 27, 2006

The pawsting business is tough work.
I am intensely interested in some wuxia action, but I foolishly missed the Kickstarter. There will be an application here, once the VP dudes get back to me about being added to the backerkit.

Ettin
Oct 2, 2010
I'll post some wuxia for youxia :toot:

ProfessorCirno
Feb 17, 2011

The strongest! The smartest!
The rightest!
Beautiful Doctor Zhang


Refresh: 2/2

High Concept: Nontraditional Traditional Medicine Practitioner

Invoke: Be a doctor, discover new treatments, buck tradition, create medicine
Compel: Get scoffed at by other scholars, have his new treatments backfire or fail, medicine has curious side effects

Trouble: "I'll Show You How Good I Am!"

Invoke: be driven to succeed or prove his worth, push himself farther then he can handle, succeed magnificently
Compel: be driven to succeed or prove his worth, take anything/everything as a challenge, get into arguments easily, fail spectacularly

Aspect: Soft Face, Soft Heart

Invoke: be seen as non-threatening, be underestimated, be attractive
Compel: Not be taken seriously, not being seen as "manly," hold back when fighting

Aspect: "Overabundance of Yang"

Invoke: Flirt, defend women
Compel: Be taken advantage of, leap into trouble for ladies, always be a dope

Aspect: Student of the Storm-Eyed Sifu

Invoke: Fight defensively, perform grand acrobatics, focus chi, have an odd affinity with water and rain
Compel: Never make the first attack, get no respect for such a no-name sifu, be called on for errands, get rained on all the goddamn time

Background
When Zhang was young, his entire village fell to illness and fever. Learning all he could from those in his village, Zhang began visiting other villages, and even a nearby city, accumulating all information he could, before returning and curing both village and family of the illness. Now a wandering practitioner of medicine, Zhang has a lot of funny ideas. Ideas about pressure points, exercise, acupuncture and even Chi treatments. Once a simple traveling scholar, Zhang came across a mountainous village, nearest the mountains where a dragon was said to live. The village itself was afflicted with a fierce fever, and being tended to by a lone masculine woman with peculiar grey eyes. Seeing an opportunity both to help and to test his methods, Zhang joined her in treating the village; as reward, the woman, who called herself Storm-Eyed, took him in as sifu. Now, to help and heal those who need it, to prove his unorthodox methods to the world and his fighting power to his sifu, and to simply travel the land and learn all that he can, he travels Jiangzhou to practice both. If this means meeting many pretty girls, well, certainly that's just fate speaking.



Skills
+4: Lore
+3: Fight, Chi
+2: Investigation, Rapport, Athletics
+1: Physique, Will, Notice, Empathy

Stress
Physical: [][][][]
Mental: [][][]

Storm Phoenix
Storm Rumbles in Distance: Move at least 1 zone or select a target that just moved into your zone as part of their last action. Make a Fight or Athletics roll to create an advantage on that target. Gain a +2 bonus to this roll.
Phoenix Calls to Heaven: Use Chi instead of Physique to determine extra stress boxes and consequences. This is in addition to the Armor bonus from having high Chi. If Chi and Physique are the same rating, you may instead reduce physical stress taken by 2 shifts once per session.
Phoenix Beats its Wings: If you succeed on a Defend roll with style, you may gain an Off Balance advantage on the target with a free invocation instead of a bonus.

Stunts
It's All Anatomy, Really: Use Lore instead of Notice or Investigation when dealing with injuries, illnesses, poisons, or other maladies.
Beautiful: When Zhang enters a scene, he may place an aspect on an NPC in that scene. He may place either Infatuation or Jealousy with one free invoke on that NPC, or may add a free invoke to either of those aspects if he has placed that aspect on the NPC before. He cannot use this stunt on an NPC who has overcome the aspect
Chi Flowing as Rain: Training from the Storm-Eyed Sifu has had a deeper influence then Zhang realizes. When Zhang succeeds with style while using Chi, instead of a boost, he can place Chi Flowing as Rain with three free invocations - two for allies, and one for the enemies. It also begins to drizzle, if it's not already raining.

ProfessorCirno fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Feb 16, 2014

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
Looking forward to that Cirno.

Also I have Friday off this week so tomorrow night and all day Friday I will be available to help build stuff or answer questions.

Mitama
Feb 28, 2011

I'm gonna fill this post with Lu Xun a completely original wuxia man when I get home.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
I was talking about this on IRC, so I'll mention it here and add it to the OP.

We're using the following optional rules - and I may throw in a few more.

  • Interesting Times (Tianxia): Once per session, you can take the additional Mild consequence Interesting Times to either reduce two stress or gain a Fate point. This is a narrative consequence that gives me a free invoke to use against you. It lasts until the end of the session. What makes it different from usual consequences is that you won't know what it actually is until I reveal it at an opportune moment.

  • Weapon & Armor Dice (Fate Toolkit): Also referred to as Red and Blue dice. Weapons and armor get a rating of 1-4. When you attack with a weapon, you roll its rating in Weapon (Red) dice (we'll figure out how to do this with dice rolling tools). If your attack succeeds or ties, every + on a Red die adds 1 shift to the damage dealt. When you defend with armor, you roll its rating in Armor (Blue) dice. For every + on a Blue die on a failed defense, you reduce the damage taken by 1 shift. Keep in mind that getting Weapon or Armor rating in Tianxia comes from stunts.

  • Collateral Consequences (Fate Toolkit, modified): In addition to your usual complement of consequences, you can also make use of three communal consequences, one of each degree of severity. These represent damage to the environment or new complications in the story, such as Injured Bystanders or Anti-Wuxia Hysteria. You can effectively use them to offload harm from yourselves onto the world around you. A collateral consequence can be cleared just like a regular one, using an overcome action with whatever skill seems most appropriate, with a few minor differences. First, Minor collateral consequences are immediately cleared with no renaming. Moderate collateral consequences are renamed, but cleared from the consequence slot after one scene (though the renamed aspect stays in effect for that area until a session has passed). Severe collateral consequences are also renamed and clear from the consequence slot after a session (though the renamed aspect stays in effect for that area until the end of the next adventure). However, if a Severe collateral consequence has not begun recovery before the end of the adventure, it is cleared from the slot but becomes a permanent aspect of that area (unless you undertake a major effort to fix it) and could potentially become a threat.

  • Society Aspects (Custom): The party as a whole will form a wuxia Society to represent your teamwork. It will have a High Concept, a Trouble, and one other Aspect. An individual player can invoke these by spending a Fate Point as normal, as long as one other member of the Society is present in the scene. Players cannot choose to Compel a Society aspect themselves, however - only I can. But when I do, everyone in the Society gets a Fate Point, so you've got that going for you. As the game progresses, the Society will improve - you can potentially add NPCs to it, and earn Stunt slots on it for sweet combos or special styles for the group.

Edit: Reflected on weapons a bit and decided to go with the Tianxia core version rather than add a whole bunch of explanation for it.

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Feb 7, 2014

Dynamics
Sep 8, 2006

I'm da man!
Working on this. Probably gonna change a lot in the next day or so!

Perspicacious Lin of the Dancing Crane


Refresh: 2

High Concept: Outcast student of the warrior poets

Trouble: Seeking a song of her own

Invoke: Have a profound experience that speaks to her artistic soul; Make progress on her first original piece; Find inspiration from the actions of her companions
Compel: Be pressured to think and decide things for herself; Fail (again) to perform an original piece; Get distracted by her own failures when it matters.

Background: Lin was always a prodigy when it came to the arts. Whether it be with the guqin, a brush and inkwell, or traditional dance - Lin took to it like a natural. The Warrior Poets of the Dancing Crane seemed an obvious choice of school to a young Lin, where one would blend martial arts with the performing arts to become one the fabled warrior poets in service to the Empire.

When she first started at the school she was seen as one of the fastest learners to enroll. She could learn popular songs within hours, copy calligraphy with uncanny precision, or recite lines from the Dust Sage’s Thousand Verses with all the required changes in pitch in the difficult retelling. Her trouble however, was that she was having difficulty producing her own work. As Sifu Koe pointed out- Lin could see, hear, and even speak to the wind.. but she has yet to truly feel it. This continued for many years, and despite her troubles Lin insisted that she was finally ready to uphold the honor of the school and perform at the upcoming yearly festival at province governor's mansion. Her master reluctantly agreed, hoping that Lin would only be asked to entertain a mostly elderly and traditional audience.

For most of that evening, it was just so. Lin plucked away at her guqin, playing pieces such as Flowing Water, Remembering An Old Lover, and Wild Gooses Beside The Reeds while reciting beautiful poetry she had heard fellow students give during previous years. All was going well, until the governors son, young and brash in his military ways, demanded that Lin play and sing praise of his father's success and their hopes for a successful year to come.

To say Lin choked was an understatement. She sat staring at her instruments, unsure where to even begin while fragments of poetry bubbled before her vision, forming nonsensical phrases. When an aggravated governor insisted that she play something, Lin plucked her guqin so hard that she broke two strings and was swiftly escorted away, bringing shame on both the governor and the school he had generously supported financially in the past.

Her exasperated master had finally had enough. Lin was quickly and unceremoniously removed from the school to become a wandering poet, a nicer term for outcast. Sifu Koe still felt sympathy for the girl despite her harsh judgement and told her if she was able to witness and compose a piece that moved her to tears, she would bring her back into the fold. None had seen the master cry since she was a young woman herself, and most just assumed the feat impossible.

Lin left the school proudly wearing her robes and adornments, committed to overcoming her own failures and meeting her old master's challenge. She'd find her honor as a warrior poet once again, even if she had to travel to the ends of the Empire to do it. It was said the Dust Sage began as a humble drifter, walking through a war-torn realm before he found his inspiration. The last bit of news Lin had heard from the traders was that there was an unsettling barbarian movement from the north, so that is where her feet began to take her...

Skills
+4: Lore (Performing Arts)
+3: Athletics (Acrobatics), Fight (Kung Fu)
+2: Deceive (Misdirection), Will, Physique
+1: Chi, Resources, Ride, Rapport (Famous Performers)

Aspect: Stubborn stone in a fast flowing river...
The Thousand Verses of the Dust Sage, The Heron's Lament, The Chronicle of The Immaculate Emperor. These are but a few of the stories, songs, and dances that Lin has committed to perfect memory. Unfortunately, besides the older generation and some elite members of the shang and shi, most common folk are starting to like simpler and less rigid forms of entertainment to pass the time.

Invoke: Gain approval of traditionalists; show poetry is still relevant in everyday life; remember obscure pieces of literature and stories.
Compel: Get discouraged by folk who crave new, exciting things; Allow pride in her role to interfere with the mission; Refuse to play/perform a popular piece simply because it's popular

Aspect: ...Unyielding, even when pulled free.
The Dancing Crane style is well recognized throughout the Empire, and not for its prowess in the martial arts. As disciplined scholars of the arts, they often entertain the shang and sometimes even the shi during social functions for a very modest donation to their school. The somewhat flamboyant robes and adornments of the Outcast are sure to be recognized during her travels, as well as the fact that she now travels alone.

Invoke: Be determined to uphold the reputation of the warrior poets even when no longer a member; Fight and play on despite their laughter or jeers.
Compel: Get recognized as a failure and an outcast; Lie or obfuscate the truth about her outcast status for personal gain; Consider giving up on her dream.

Aspect: A Sheltered Youth
Having most of your youth spent in a secluded martial arts school and library tends to make one ignorant to the comings and goings of the world. Hearing stories from traders and travelers is one thing, seeing and experiencing it for yourself is another.

Invoke: Possess a mysterious allure when in new places; Look the part of a wise, aloof martial artist; Brush off insults from the ignorant
Compel: Unwittingly antagonize commoners; Get laughed at for dressing like grandma; Fail to empathize with the needy

Stress
Physical: [][][]
Mental: [][][]

Dancing (Forest) Crane

Crane Hides in Reeds Add a +2 bonus with using Full Defense, giving you +4 when defending yourself or +2 when defending others.

Leaves Like Razors: When invoking a situation aspect or environment-based advantage in a Fight attack, you add +2 Weapon Rating to that attack.

Crane Stuns the Carp: If you succeed on a Fight attack with style, you may create a Stunned advantage on a target with a free invocation instead of taking a bonus.

Stunts

Doing it with (Crane) style: In a scene where there are any spectators, aspects Lin creates involving misdirection or sleight of hand that are invoked by allies grant +3 instead of +2.

Begone, uncultured swine!: Once per scene: The target of the first social attack made by someone of equal or lower social status than Lin or her companions gains 2 Armor. If the current scene takes place in a public meeting place such as an inn, chess house, or theater, or a private mansion or upper class club - spend a fate point to automatically succeed the defense with style.

-

The Trade Must Flow; Benevolent Xiu Sees All
The Yuanjiang River is the lifeblood of most long distance trade within the empire. The river itself cuts straight through the imperial province, wide enough for relatively large barges to sail and pass each other with ease. Those seeking a fast path through the Empire without reliance on pack animals or wagons might find the Yuanjiang a tempting prospect...

... so long as you remain in the good graces Benevolent Xiu's Crimson Carps. A woman who began her career as a simple trader herself, Xiu quickly expanded her business to include security while traveling the fast flowing river. So long as you pay a modest fee and don't get in the way of her own plans, most travelers and merchants can go down the river in relative peace and quiet. Those who don't, however, usually find the river is full of unexpected dangers.

Everyone Loves Benevolent Xiu; Nobody Crosses Benevolent Xiu

Dynamics fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Feb 14, 2014

Mitama
Feb 28, 2011

Xu Lei



High Concept: Carpenter on a Crusade

It's hard for folks to carry an honest trade when dishonest people always come to take advantage of them. Lei's seen gangs of bandits extort his small town time and time again, men and women who push their weight under the shadow of a lawless Empire. He's seen houses, statues and fortifications tumble down in their violent displays of power, works of craftsmanship his father (and master) built to last the ages. He's been beaten down so many times trying to protect his village, his friends and his father's works. But no matter how much he stands defiant, he can't seem to do anything against these thugs. He's only a craftsman, after all.

A few years back, an old vagrant happened to be around. And when those same bandits tried to beat up the man for kicks, well, they forgot the most important part of heroic stories. Never underestimate the old man. Lei watched the Kung Fu Master Long thrash those guys back to their mountain homes. And he really wanted to learn from him. Really, really wanted to learn. The old man didn't even want to hear of taking in another apprentice, but Lei chased him through the rooftop, then a construction site, where he frantically tried to pin him using the site's tools and scaffolding. Maybe after taking three dozen bamboo poles on the head, Master Long realized that he needed to do something before this crazy carpenter brought a house down on him.

Lei took his first step into the Jianghu that day, and trained under the Wooden Monkey style ever since. Lately, he considered that hey, a lot of people there were a lot like him, just honest men and women who needed someone to back them when they're down. He wanted to be that someone. And well, if he could make himself a really cool legend in the process, that would be something, wouldn't it? Master Long just swished his beard and dismissed his dreams with a "HA!", but allowed him to journey nonetheless. He wanted to see how this lowly carpenter could change the world with kung fu.

Trouble: Hard Luck Hero

The life of a wandering hero ain't easy. Money never seems to come by easily for Lei, or stick with him for long if it does. No one really recognizes the heroic side of his exploits and sometimes his zeal for justice makes him look as much as a troublemaker as the rest. But what can he do? Stand ignorant to injustice? No. Lei's just got to keep pushing on and do the right thing. Someone is bound to remember his deeds remember his deeds when it's all over. He's sure the Bodhisattva will, at least.

Aspect: Master Long says: "Work with humility and diligence."

It's a lesson that the old man's drilling into his head all these years...

Aspect: I say: "If you're gonna do it, do it with flair."

...but humility and diligence alone won't make him a hero, right?

Aspect: (Second) Finest Craftsman in the Jianghu

With a strong body, an eye for detail and an appreciation of form, Lei adopts Kung Fu really well into the carpentry work he's been doing all this time. Much to his surprise though, there is another warrior in the martial arts world far superior as a crafter with deadly martial arts to boot. He looks forward to facing this great craftsman, another milestone to overcome as Master Long is. Whether through the contest of building towers, crafting mazes or folding papers, Lei strives to improve himself and make himself a worthy challenger to that lofty throne.

Skills
+4 Crafts
+3 Chi, Athletics
+2 Fight, Rapport, Physique
+1 Will, Notice, Investigate, Contacts

Kung Fu Style - Wooden (Forest) Monkey
Leaves Like Razors: When invoking a situation aspect or environment-based advantage in a Fight attack, add +2 Weapon Rating to that attack.
Monkey Grabs the Peach: Add +2 Weapon Rating to an attack where you also invoke a consequence the defender has.
Monkey Rolls Away: When invoking an aspect or advantage during a defense roll, gain 2 Armor Rating against the attack if it succeeds.

Stunts
Scaffolding Kung-Fu: Lei can use Crafts instead of Fight to create advantages while in the presence of rooftop tiles, scaffolding and other construction materials.
Impromptu Diversions: When Lei creates an advantage with Crafts by laying down obstacles, obstructions or (really simple) puzzles in a path, anyone who wishes to overcome it must actively roll against his Crafts skill, even if he's not around.
Craftsman of the People: When Lei succeeds with style on an overcome action to build or repair something, instead of a boost he can create a situation aspect representing a helpful person impressed with his work.

Refresh: 2

Mitama fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Feb 12, 2014

Dareon
Apr 6, 2009

by vyelkin
Ven Hao, the Blue Fox


Refresh: 2

High Concept: Spy For The Court of Jade

Invoke: Gather information, possess hidden information, know those with power
Compel: Arouse suspicion, be given inconvenient orders, be known by interesting people

Trouble: Jade-Fogged Memories

Invoke: Suddenly remember information or skills, possess friends he didn't know he had
Compel: Be plagued by headaches, forget important details, possess enemies he didn't know he had

Aspect: Tails of the Fox

Invoke: Deceive, disguise, offer something worthless in a deal, harm indirectly
Compel: Offer no resistance, fear dogs, deceive without cause

The guard loved to drink, and the friendly old man seemed to have a nearly bottomless supply of wine with which to dispel the chill of the night watch. He awoke half-naked in the stables of his lord's manor, uncertain of anything that had happened that night. He found the old man's wine jar on his doorstep when he got home, the rest of his uniform stuffed inside. He wisely kept quiet when it was whispered among the guards that the master's safe had been rifled.

Aspect: Assassination

Invoke: Strike first, infiltrate a group, poison a target
Compel: Lack staying power, be surrounded,

"The attacker stood... here, in full view. The one in armor died first, one needle to the throat. Then, the three by the wall, before they could even draw their swords. The attacker pulled back into the kitchen, pursued by most of Sour Noodle Lang's men, while, according to the teahouse staff, Lang laughed and ordered more tea. Which, as you can see from Lang's body, was poisoned. We believe the attacker did this while retreating through the kitchen. Either that, or a second person decided to kill Sour Noodle Lang on the same day, which is unlikely."

Aspect: Imperial Righteousness

Invoke: Punish Imperial foes, protect Imperial citizens
Compel: Serve two masters, clash with Jianghu ideals, withhold aid or mercy

The carpenter had hidden as well as he could manage. His embezzled funds had bought him a fine shop in a small city, and he had covered his thefts well enough that he thought himself beyond Imperial justice. But the Court knew. A note was on his pillow when he awoke. As he fled, Ven was waiting. The carpenter died, his wife's clothes were stained with blood, and his children were left crying. Constables sought the killer among the beggars. The beggars sought the killer in the Jianghu.

Background
The merchant Xiao Lu. The farmer Wan Dong. The scholar-monk Quiet Bell. The beggar Greasy Pang. Clothes, hats, hairstyles, acoutrements. All just furniture to change the underlying house of Ven Hao, spy for the Imperial Court of Jade. The Court of Jade's training techniques include doses of tea made from the soporific jade lotus, which, among other effects, can cause forgetfulness of what happened when under the influence.

For his shadowy Imperial masters, Ven infiltrates the houses of suspect families, rooting out secrets that the eunuchs of the Court may use to influence the destiny of Shenzhou. Upon the death of the Emperor, many spies, Ven among them, were pulled from their assignments and given a new task: Find the true heir.

Skills
Great +4: Deceive
Good +3: Shoot, Chi
Fair +2: Contacts, Empathy, Athletics
Avge +1: Provoke, Will, Notice, Resources

Stress
Physical: [][][][]
Mental: [][][]

Ghost Serpent Spirit Fox
Spirit Fox Form is a shifting, deceptive style that focuses on hiding its attacks behind flourishes of clothing or while an opponent is busying themselves with another. An appropriately watchful opponent or one focusing entirely on the practitioner can negate many of the style's benefits.
Serpent Strikes Twice: +2 bonus to Deceive rolls to create an advantage based on disorientation, distraction, or unbalancing against opponents you have already inflicted stress on this combat.
Ghost Strikes The Spirit: Ignore 1 point of Armor when making Fight Shoot attacks and add +1 Weapon Rating to any Fight Shoot attack against opponents with a lower Chi skill than the attacker.
Serpent Bites The Hand: If you gain shifts on a defense, you can sacrifice your action next turn to immediately inflict an attack on your opponent using the shift value of your defense as your attack result.

Stunts
Catching The Fox's Tail: Use Deceive instead of Physique for determining physical stress track.
A Thousand Faces: Spend a fate point to appear, in disguise, in a scene he is not present for and could conceivably get to, and place the aspect "Unexpected Help" on the scene.
Myriad Needles: Use Shoot instead of Fight for any kung fu abilities.

Dareon fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Feb 14, 2014

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
By the way we're hanging out in #Jianghu on Synirc.

Velyoukai
Mar 4, 2011


I hate Suits. All of them.
Not done yet, but gonna finish tonight, probs.

Zhu Qiang



High Concept: Retired Rescue Grandpa
Invoke: Ply upon the sympathies for the elderly and those who have lost children, come across as ‘just an old man,’ appear wise and sage-like without being such
Compel: Be treated as “just an old man,” be considered a liability, be a little rusty as moves that worked just fine 30 years ago(!), be a really nice old man with a soft spot for kids.

It is the priority of the young to strike out at the world and forge their own paths and spread their own tales, be they of just heroes or cruel villains. Once upon a younger time, Grandpa Qiang was known as Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon, feared for his ruthless brand of roaming justice, yet respected for his refusal to stray from the path of honor. Many bandits were struck down, like swathes of rice flowers before the scythe, same as many maiden hearts were broken, like fragile, spun jade in his monstrous hands, all in the name of the Great Red-Mountain Demon’s youth.

However, whereas the priority of the young is to strive, the priority of the elderly is to maintain. No longer a young man urged by red-lusts and the impetuousness of youth, the calmer, wiser, shorter Grandpa Qiang spent his days as a shaman for one of the few villages that never requested him to leave. His life was mostly simple, livened by the presence of unruly, or sometimes merely overly playful, 99-year spirits, and sometimes by the village children, emboldened by their parents whispers of “Old Man Qiang’s” past and delighted by his willingness to tell them stories. With a supply of constant, if simple, food and a small hut near the outskirts of the village to keep him steady, Grandpa Qiang was content to live the rest of his life in relative peace.

Fate, however, foresaw a different end for Grandpa Qiang, and a renewed demand for Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon. Following the expulsion of a particularly unfortunate kamuiy born from misfortune and the evils of desperate men unleashed upon a caravan, Qiang returned to a village raging in uproar and despair. While he had been away, a rogue band of miscreants had snuck upon the village and kidnapped several children before fleeing away on horseback. Their parents, unable to follow, had grieved and raged until Qiang’s return, at which they begged for him on bended knees to save their children.

Grandpa Qiang, who had cherished the children’s laughter and hoped to protect their futures, could not refuse their parents’ request.

Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon, born again of fury and determination, would smash their kidnappers’ bones to bloody dust.

Trouble: Retired Vigilante
Invoke: To defend those in need, the bring justice upon the unjust
Compel: Forgetting his age in the heat of indignation, becoming furious at those who do not act.

Even once Qiang sought a life of peace, he knew that he could not channel tranquility in his heart without a venue to expend his innate wrath on. Before the kidnapping, he served as both shaman and mediator for the villagers who housed him, dispelling and bringing peace to their spirits, both benign and vengeful, and preventing anyone from acting out on their own violences by subduing them and composing poetry with them in order to temper their tempers and stoke their inner yin towards more focused action.

Qiang is no longer within his simple village’s borders, however, and the spirits and reckless actions of his fellow men are even more impacting than he remembered from his youth. Betobetos and simple 99-year spirits are the rarest of his obstacles; amongst the unkept roads that caravans dare to travel only as last resorts, dozens, if not scores of kamuiy roam, seeking to bring unwary travelers to a rotting, plagued end. Miscreants and highwaymen, none of which the very ones he seeks to rescue his children, are themselves foul beasts upon the land, beasts that Qiang’s spirit, once tempered and cooled by peace and love, finds itself roaring to furious life and demanding justice upon.

Qiang only hopes to find his children soon, before the Great Red-Mountain Demon returns completely.

Aspect: Spirit-Warder
Invoke:Be attuned to spiritual wrongness, know how and be experienced in dealing with the spiritual, discern rage and grief from possession and haunting.
Compel:Be more susceptible to the spirits, come across as ‘crazy old man’ by others, feel the need to carry salt and flame and talk to invisible shoe-spirits.

Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon fought men and beasts alike, serving his justice upon them. Grandpa Qiang faced spirits and the raw emotions of his fellow men, bringing peace and control back to them, and giving them comfort. Qiang is beset on all sides by all four and must deliver to them the appropriate action, as best as he is able to.

Aspect: Old Man From the Mountains
Invoke: Knowing useful herbs and remedies, being a hardy old man, getting along well with other old mountain men
Compel: Never been much for fashions or trends, terrible manners, can't read

Before Grandpa Qiang, and before Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon, Qiang the baby was born in the wilds and abandoned. He was raised by a vagrant, who died, and then by himself, until he grew strong, but his upbringing was never forgotten. Even as an old monk, Qiang cannot read, and he has always stayed closer to the fringes of society than in the bright city lanterns.

Aspect: Once a Hero, Never Forgotten
Invoke: Using his former reputation to his advantage, having old connections from the old days, other retired badasses, knows a lotta stories and is the subject of a few, too.
Compel: His former reputation isn't exactly good all over, being sure about wrong connections, other badasses might be dead, or hate him.

Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon was a hero of the younger times, no matter how he acted. For better or worse, his name has been recorded in the memories of the people and passed down to their children. His name has also been recorded in quite a few wanted posters, and while he is much shorter and has much less of an impressive beard these days, name-dropping has an equal chance of getting him information on the kidnappers as it does of getting him chased out of a town.

Skills
+4 Will
+3 Fight, Chi
+2 Physique, Deceive, Burglary
+1 Athletics, Lore, Notice, Contacts(old badasses)

Kung Fu Style - Mountain Bashe (Stone Serpent), Reborn Spirit (Ghost Phoenix)
Stone Resists The Blow: You gain 2 Armor against any physical attack you are aware of.
Serpent Strikes First: Use Fight to determine turn order instead of Notice in combat. Apply a +2 bonus instead if both Notice and the selected Skill are the same rank or Notice is greater
Mountain Does Not Fall: You get a +2 bonus to defend against attempts to create an advantage based on unbalancing, pushing, tripping, or knocking over the defender. If a technique from an opponent instead allows them to create such an advantage with free invocations, one less free invocation is granted though the advantage is still created.
Ghost Strikes the Spirit: : Ignore 1 point of Armor when making Fight attacks and add +1 Weapon Rating to any Fight attack against opponents with a lower Chi skill than the attacker

Stunts
You Need Exorcism!: Once per scene, by taking a moment to interact with another character, Qiang can convince them with subtle chi manipulation and some fast talk that they are being haunted. Place A Foul Spirit Lurks on that character with two free invokes.
Bishamon's Evil Eye: Once per session, Qiang may spend a Fate Point to activate Bishamon's Evil Eye, a spiritual technique he learned in order to deal with the lies of spirits. While active, the Evil Eye allows Qiang's sight to pierce through all illusions, seeing the world as it is both spiritually and physically. This technique lasts the entire scene, being very noticeable and very unpleasant to behold.
With Age, Comes Experience: Qiang's years of fighting, surviving and learning have honed his body to respond purely to his willpower. Will replaces Physique when Qiang has suffered at least one consequence.

Refresh: 1

Velyoukai fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Feb 15, 2014

Decus
Feb 24, 2013
Xun Xun



High Concept: Wide-Eyed Pirate Rebel
Xun Xun’s father was a renowned pirate, captain of the Sea Serpent, feared all across the southern seas as the Noble Pirate, a pirate to all other pirates. But, none of that mattered to the boy, who was more enthralled by the stories told by Kung Fu Master Hua Qiang, a guest on the ship. So it came as a surprise when, after his father fell ill and died, the rest of the crew gathered up to take his life.

He didn’t even want to be captain of some crummy ship, but they wouldn’t hear it--they wanted him dead to instate a new order, a new type of ship. Master Qiang stepped in to save him, and succeeded in doing so, but at a cost; his father had promised pay to the man for training and protecting his only son, knowing he would die within a few years, but the largest share of the pay was in the form of a treasure ‘only the boy knows how to find’.

Master Qiang became quite cruel, enough so that Xun Xun eventually gave him the slip mid-search--using a trick treasure trove his father had told him about before his passing--but still the boy had to be thankful. After all, Master had gotten him off the ship and onto the land he had talked about, a land of adventure, full of treasure just waiting to be found. And it's not like he wouldn't pay him back someday, maybe, if he ever stopped being so mean.

Trouble: Master Qiang’s School of Hard Knocks
The trap treasure trove wasn’t enough to hold his former Master forever, and once he got out he quickly used all of his connections to proclaim Xun Xun guilty of high thievery--not entirely false as he did go back and nab the promised treasure for himself --putting in a reward for capturing the boy alive or, as long as they could recover what was stolen, dead. Xun Xun likes to look at the situation as his former Master sending guys after him to further his training, even if there’ve been many close calls in the past. And it's sometime kind of hard to be in populated areas...or sleep soundly out in the wild. Oh well.

Aspect: Quick Learner, Mischievous Pupil
Xun Xun is actually a fairly quick learner, at least when the subject matter is something mischievous or tricky. Basically, if he thinks it’ll help him get to treasure faster--like a treasure hunter would, not a crummy pirate like his dad--or pull a fast one on people, he’ll learn it with the best of them, techniques and knowledge, whatever. Otherwise, if it’s none of that, there’s a high chance that it’ll be gone with the wind, in one ear and right out the other.

Aspect: Always an Upside
No matter how grim the situation looks or actually is, there’s always an upside to exploit and get right back on top! Or, at least, that’s what Xun Xun believes. Something of an optimist, he prefers to look up rather than down. Well, unless he’s searching for treasure; when searching for treasure he makes it a habit to look both up and down and left and right as you never know where a trap might lie.

Aspect: Creature of Whim
Xun Xun is neither a boy of his word nor of solid decision. He'll establish long-term goals, sure, but the details tend to be vague and the path to obtaining them windy and full of all sorts of detours as random other things catch his interests; when he says he'll commit to something it's almost always a lie, if not one of malice so much as his nature as a human being, such that he won't know it as a lie when he says it. At the time it might've seemed fun to promise that he wouldn't use his left arm in the fight, and he intended not to use it, honest, but then it just sort of became boring.

Plot Hook
With the current situation within the Empire, Xun Xun sees at least two treasures up for grabs: the lost heir and whatever the former dynasty needs to reclaim its glory. Whether he seeks these things to help their factions or to sell to the others matters not, as to him the only thing that matters is the treasure itself and the adventure of finding it--once it's found he can sort out who the best customer is and move onto a new treasure. Or at least, that's how he currently feels, ignorant as to what's truly at stake.

Skills
+4 Athletics
+3 Notice Deceive
+2 Will Fight Empathy
+1 Physique Stealth Burglary Resources

Kung Fu Style - Lightning Serpent
Lightning Strikes Without Pause: Gain a +2 bonus to Athletics when determining turn order.
Serpent Bites the Hand: If you gain shifts on a defense, you can sacrifice your action next turn to immediately inflict an attack on your opponent using the shift value of your defense as your attack result.
Serpent Strikes First: Use Athletics to determine turn order instead of Notice when in combat.
Serpent Strikes Twice: +2 bonus to Deceive rolls to create advantages based on disorientation, distraction or unbalancing against opponents you have already inflicted stress upon this fight.

Stunts:
Treasure Hunter’s Lore - Can use Deceive instead of Lore for any Lore related to piracy or treasure.
A Dagger for Every Occasion - He's well-armed with daggers and other small, bladed weapons and prefers to keep it that way. Against any attempts to disarm him, he can roll defend with Deceive to purposefully allow it to happen while simultaneously pulling out another dagger.

Jianghu Rank: 1
Refresh: 2
Stress: Physical: [ ] [ ] [ ] Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences: Mild: OPEN, Moderate: OPEN, Severe: OPEN

Face and Place posted:


Place - Sea King's Mountain
Aspects: God Given Treasure, Full of False, Trapped Ruins, Entrance to Ao-Kuang's Palace

A Mountain said to be guarded by spirits subservient to Ao-Kuang, as at least one entrance to his Palace is contained somewhere within its network of false ruins, themselves guarded by all manner of traps and puzzles. It's said that if one is capable of getting past his spirits, finding the correct ruin and navigating its network of traps they will gain whatever they desire from within Ao-Kuang's treasure vault.

Some rumours state that there are actually two entrances to his Palace, one harder to find than the other. While the first would give you a single desired treasure directly from his vault, the second would give you full access to his Palace, allowing you to bargain with Ao-Kuang for more or, if even braver, attempt to loot the entire place.


Bloody Violet, Leader of The Violet Troupe
Aspects: Speak Before the First Drop Falls, My Loyal Minions, Every Rose Has its Thorns

The Violet Troupe is a renowned band of treasure hunters named for its leader, Fen 'Bloody' Violet. Her nickname comes from her preferred method of information gathering: a poison so potent that it causes its victim to bleed out of nose, mouth and ears upon receiving even the smallest of doses, before death from organ damage. Most speak before the first drops falls, to receive the antidote. To her a hunt for treasure is a hunt for information, as her minions can have the pleasure of giving their lives to obtain the treasure itself once she knows where it is and how to get at it. It's said she was hired to search the Sea King's Mountain

Decus fucked around with this message at 08:30 on Feb 12, 2014

grassy gnoll
Aug 27, 2006

The pawsting business is tough work.
pre:
Lin Ling



High Concept: Jaded Swordswoman

Invoke: Veteran, Seen It All Before, Survivor of Countless Battles
Compell: Hard-hearted, Old Rivalry, Montoya Syndrome

Trouble: Blinded by the Son

Invoke: I've Heard of Him, I Owe Him, The Enemy of My Enemy...
Compel: Unexpected Visitor, He Owes Me, You Look Familiar

Heartless Jia

Invoke: Daoist Centering, Soul Reader, Flashing Blade
Compel: Rival Schools, I Doubt Your Story, Bleeding Heart

Zhi Chu

Invoke: Love Blooms on Battlefield, Child of Conflict, War's Over
Compel: Long-term Conflict, Simmering Hostilities, Ng's Army

Beautiful Gem

Invoke: Escort Service, Favor of the Nuan, Disciplined
Compel: Bad Memories, I Don't Like Children, Class Society

Skills

4 Empathy
3 Chi, Athletics
2 Will, Physique, Notice
1 Deceive, Provoke, Rapport, Resources

Stunts
Heart's Edge: Use Empathy instead of Fight when using Heart's Edge Style
Keen Eye: Take +2 to rolls analyzing someone's intentions
Foresight: Spend a Fate Point to know the next thing one person will do.

Kung Fu

Stone Dragon Heart's Edge Style
Stone Resists the Blow
Stone Weathers the Storm
Dragon Rules the Fields
Dragon Rules the Heavens
Dragon Sleeps in Mist

Physical	[ ][ ][ ][ ]
Mental		[ ][ ][ ][ ]

Consequences: Mild/Moderate/Severe

Refresh: 1

Equipment
Sword, mementos, fine clothing
Ling Lin lives by the sword. She's fought in wars, skirmishes, brawls and countless other conflicts over the decades.

She's practiced the Heart's Edge Style for longer than many of her opponents have been alive. The style is simple: know your opponent better than they know themselves. Sword techniques are less important than reading body language, eye movements, and the sixth sense. Heartless Jia taught this art, so many years ago, to a select few, for reasons she never would mention.

To read hearts, one must harden their own against the world, lest they be overcome. Years ago, Lin was hired to escort a young bride-to-be to her new family. Beautiful Gem was appalled at her fate. The young woman, proud of her knowledge and her honeyed words, could not stand to be wed into a merchant's family. Many times, she attempted to escape Lin's guard. Each time, she was found, and each time she pleaded to be released, with words that would move the sun and moon. A blind man could see her anguish, and a deaf man could hear her sorrow.

Lin was very well compensated by the groom's family.

It's hard to fight against someone who knows exactly what you're going to do. Once, a man named Zhi Chu, a valiant soldier in the Warlord Ng's army, stood and matched it. Lin and Zhi fought each other to a standstill. Each unable to defeat the other, they retired from the battlefield. Eventually they went their separate ways, as soldiers do. Such things come, such things go.

Only one person has defeated Lin Ling. The vile bandit who calls himself Cracked Jade is the terror of the western Jade Road. Lin calls him by his real name. Her son is the only person whose heart she cannot read.

Today, Lin travels from place to place, earning her keep as she best knows. But she always has an ear out for tales of her son.

-

Southern Warlord Ng

The diabolical Ng, barbarian warlord of the Southern Coasts, invaded the empire nigh on two decades ago. As the Emperor's armies were off fighting the usual northern steppe peoples at the time, a force of mercenaries and peasant levies was raised to repel Ng's invasion. The fighting trickled off, rather than end like a proper war, and long scars were left across the southern reaches.

Bandit Resurgence A host of fragmented mercenary companies were left behind when Ng's armies retreated. As is typical, they resorted to banditry in short order. It turns out leaving large numbers of trained soldiers with large debts to their name without any supervision is a bad idea.

Mercenary Kings Countless sellswords made their names during Ng's invasion. Reputations were made, legends wrought, and it was a storied time in general. Certain famous mercenaries rose to prominence across the Empire. Business ever since has been good.

grassy gnoll fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Feb 10, 2014

MollyMetroid
Jan 20, 2004

Trout Clan Daimyo
Name: Vivacious Yue


A Fresh New Beginning

Invoke: To be eager to experience the world in all its glory
Compel: To act without thinking things through all the way - it's a new experience!

Yue wasn't always Yue - she's a brand new her, and she's determined to make up for lost time. She's extremely happy to be the beautiful young star of the Waxing Moon Troupe, but she's not really that good at planning ahead or seeing consequences--mostly she just sees opportunity.


The World is My Oyster

Invoke: To try to get my way, to expect only the best
Compel: To be selfish and spoiled, to demand only the best

When you're a beautiful girl and you know it, and the star of a famous group of traveling performers, you can expect a lot of things to come easily. Unfortunately, acting like you always expect that to be the case can cause problems, especially if you do it all the time. Yue doesn't generally throw temper tantrums, but she does have certain expectations and can grow a little sullen if things are not to her liking.

The Waxing Moon Troupe’s Star Performer

Invoke: To stand out, to show off in flashy ways
Compel: To be recognized, to be associated with criminal acts

Yue is the star dancer of the Waxing Moon Troupe, a group of traveling acrobats, dancers, and performers. Also thieves, which Yue doesn't know about (and the other members of the troupe have been careful not to let her find out--she's too naive, and too good a draw for the crowds.) She has access to the resources of the troupe - flashy costumes, traveling papers, contacts, and the like. To those who know the Waxing Moon Troupe's criminal nature, she may also be a target for revenge, blackmail, or other kinds of trouble...

Note: this can be "used to be" if it suits better.


“Look at Me!”

Invoke: To be distracting, to be the center of attention
Compel: To stand out even when it would be best not to, to be jealous

Yue is all too aware that she's a beautiful girl, and she likes to be the center of attention. It makes her feel good. She's not happy when someone else is getting the limelight.

Fresh Faced

Invoke: To be appealing in appearance, to be earnest
Compel: To be naive as hell, to be gullible

Yue, for all her flaws, is earnest, friendly, and generous of spirit. She trusts much too easily, however, and this has certainly got her into a bad situation...

Background

Yue wasn't always the girl she is today - but while she is her own favorite topic of conversation, she tends to clam up when it comes to her past. Usually she smiles, dismissively tosses her head, and comments that she started a new life and that's all that matters.

Fortunately for Yue, her skill as a dancer and acrobat earned her a position among the prestigious and famous Waxing Moon Troupe, a group of traveling performers famous throughout the Empire for their skill and impressive performances. Unfortunately for (and unbeknownst to) Yue, in certain circles the Waxing Moon Troupe are also known as thieves, thugs, smugglers, and all manner of other shady things--which the earnest young dancing girl would leave the group in a heartbeat if she knew.

Maybe two heartbeats. It is a pretty good gig, and her new life as their star dancer is so very much better than...before. Still, they've been careful to keep her in the dark--helps to have a legitimate front to go along with the shady side business, after all.

Yue may be selfish and a little spoiled, but she's a nice person beneath it all, especially to the downtrodden. She always gives to beggars, for example, and has a soft spot for children. Children and cute animals. Sometimes, when she thinks no one can see, she seems a bit melancholy, but when she's the focus of attention, she's all smiles.


Jianghu Rank: 1

Skills:

+4 Athletics
+3 Chi, Empathy
+2 Fight, Rapport, Physique
+1 Will, Investigate, Contacts, Deceive

Refresh: 3

Stunts
:

Leaf on the Wind: You ignore passive barriers or obstacles to movement as long as there is a path over, around, or through them. For example, you can get over a wall or leap a stream but not get out of a locked room. Your Jianghu Rank is always considered one higher when determining your movement bonus or whether you gain an advantage against obstacles created by foes.

Chi Blocking:
By spending a Fate point after an attack that deals at least one shift of stress, you may place the aspect Blocked on the target. The target may not use Chi to create advantages, including Chi Armor, and if they have Chi Armor active, they cannot invoke it until the Blocked aspect is overcome.

Styles:

Storm Serpent
Flowing Serpent Form

Techniques:

Storm Rumbles in Distance:
Move at least 1 zone or select a target that just moved into your zone as part of their last action. Make a Fight or Athletics roll to create an advantage on that target. Gain a +2 bonus to this roll.

Serpent Strikes First: Use Athletics to determine turn order instead of Notice in combat. Apply a +2 bonus instead if both Notice and the selected Skill are the same rank or Notice is greater.

Stress
Physical: [ ] [ ] [ ]
Mental [ ] [ ] [ ]

The Waxing Moon Troupe are a organization that I am throwing up there for the setting detail thing, also, that cave we talked about privately, Gorbash, you know the one I mean.

MollyMetroid fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Feb 10, 2014

Dareon
Apr 6, 2009

by vyelkin
Organization: The Court of Jade

Behind The Throne, Beneath The Surface: Officially speaking, the Court of Jade is dedicated to advising the Emperor, letting him make the decisions about what parts of All Under Heaven require the guiding touch of Imperial attention. In practice, however, it is remarkably easy to simply not mention certain things, suggest slightly different courses of action, or relay orders that may regrettably be misinterpreted or diverted in transit. It is truly a shame that we are cursed with such shiftless messengers and generals who cannot fulfill the will of the Empire.

Another aspect may go here if I can get it worded correctly.

Face: Minister Zhi


"No Blood On My Hands": Terrible news, most exalted and divine lord. Our own General Sima She's army, which you may recall was marching on a farming village, encountered our General Gu Kang's army, which your most august personage surely remembers was marching to a nearby temple. Curses and devils take our messengers, however, for neither army knew of the other's presence until they were upon each other in the dead of night. Each fearing the other was the enemy, battle was joined, and nearly half of each force was killed or wounded. Yet the heavens conspire to heap misery upon misery, for fires broke out in the camps of both armies as the wounded were being tended to. In all, each fighting force is at perhaps one third of its strength now. But even within the rains does the sun shine, for both generals have reported that they are uninjured and will be joining forces for the coming conflict.

This Is Taking Too Long: Message for Red Mantis. Give hospitality to Gu Kang, Sima She. Make sure the tea is hot. Firmly admonish Black Bear for not pleasing them with his reception.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
Okay, so here's the deal. If you have something up by deadline tonight, I'll give you some more time to complete it and put up some reactions and so forth. Don't forget you need a place/organization and a face as well.

And by something, I mean more than just an interest post or a name.

Ettin
Oct 2, 2010
Sneaking in before the deadline! :toot:


Irresponsible Hu

High Concept: Preserver of the Drunken Fist

Trouble: The Most Irresponsible Man in Jianghu

Aspect: Incredible Strength

Aspect: Sorry Father, I Must Avenge My Master

Aspect: Justice Is My Responsibility

Background
Irresponsible Hu was once Hu Siu-wong, a mischevious young man with a simple life and muscles that could put a whole in a wall. His father sent him to train under Wandering Zhang, a former Imperial bodyguard, hoping the man would teach Siu-wong both how to use his incredible strength and how to be responsible. Siu-wong learned one of these things, and also Zhang's personal technique, the Way of the Drunken Fist. Just as Hu was completing his training, though, Zhang was killed by an old rival.

Siu-wong finally understood responsibility. Ignoring his father's wishes to come back and learn the family's ancestral Steel Tiger style, Siu-wong resolved to preserve Zhang's fighting style until he found someone to teach it to, and seek justice for his death. And so, Irresponsible Hu set out to find his master's killer.

Maybe stop at a few inns on the way.

Skills:
+4 Provoke
+3 Fight, Athletics
+2 Chi, Physique, Will
+1 Deceive, Lore, Notice, Rapport

Jianghu Rank: 1

Refresh: 2

Stunts:
Breaking The Seal: Irresponsible Hu may spend a fate point to automatically overcome a Physique obstacle, even if he's already rolled for it, provided he is relying on his brute strength.
Bar Fight Veteran: Anything Hu can swing is a weapon, and Hu can swing a lot of things. Once per scene, Irresponsible Hu can grab an improvised weapon and declare a boost.
Too Drunk To Notice: When Irresponsible Hu is drunk, he gains an additional mild consequence.

Style: Iron Tiger Way of the Drunken Fist

Techniques:
Tiger Moves With Purpose Go Home Tiger, You're Drunk: Move at least 1 zone and make an attack using Athletics or make an Athletics attack on a target that just moved into your zone on their last action. Add 2 shifts to any stress you deal with this attack.
Tiger Rules the Jungle: You may use Provoke instead of Will to defend against Provoke attacks.
Iron Cleaves the Stone: Ignore 2 points of Armor when making an attack to inflict physical stress.

Ettin fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Feb 10, 2014

Mitama
Feb 28, 2011

Organization - The Hands of the Earth
Aspects: Society of the Masses, Power to the People!, An End to Emperors

The Hands of the Earth are a populist movement growing in force and number ever since the former Emperor's demise. They're made of the disfranchised, the farmers, craftsmen and merchants suffering under the yoke of the Minister's cruelty and taxation. They claim to enforce the right to overthrow their ruler as it is in the Mandate of Heaven, but also believe Heaven's Blessing doesn't belong to any single person and wish to abolish the throne altogether. They do not have many martial artists on their side, though they make up for it in sheer numbers, dedication and violence.


Stone-Leaping Yuan
Aspects: Stone Hand of the Earth, Most Wanted Dashing Swordsman

The Hands don't have a single unifying leader, though Stone-Leaping Yuan may as well be the loudest voice in the pack. An accomplished swordsman and orator, Yuan has incited many rebellions all across the Empire, luring the masses into the philosophy of the Hands. He has eluded Imperial forces time and time again as well, his speed and ability his assets thanks to his Stone's Leap style. No one really knows what his originsstr; rumors range from a man seeking revenge for his family, a rabble rouser from the North, or even an illegitimate son of the Emperor carving his own path. All that really matters is that he hates the Empire and will stop at nothing to tear down the throne.

Mitama fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Feb 12, 2014

K Prime
Nov 4, 2009

Prepare for the secret art of the K Prime Last Minute Application Technique~!


I beg forgiveness from the gods for this lateness because nobody goddamn told me this was happening.

Centipede Hong


High Concept: Rogue Heir to the Venoms

The ancient Venom Cult is the hidden secret of the Empire. Once, they were the Emperor's cruelest torturers and assassins... until they decided the Emperor had lost the Mandate, and slew him in turn. For this crime they were executed... but their skills let them substitute innocents in their place and flee. Now they kill for money, whim, or for the sheer unholy joy of it.

Centipede Hong was next in line for the Mastership of the Venom Cult, handed from father to son. But somehow, he had changed when the time came for him to inherit. The cruelty and viciousness of his youth was gone. He was now, somehow, a kind man who did not wish to murder for any reason. And so the man in white fled into the wildnerness, and the cult...

Trouble: Marked for Death

..followed. One does not leave the Venoms. The only exits are death and well, death. Hong knows that even now the killers of the Venom Cult trail his every movement, following his tracks to slay him. If they catch him, it will not be a kind death, either: they will make him suffer a thousand torments before they finally let him die.

Hong does not wish to die.

Aspect: Hundred Fists In Mind and Body

Centipede Style requires a fast mind as well as fast hands. Speed is nothing if you can't make a decision fast enough to use it. The truest practitioners of the venom seek wu wei, action without action.

Hong isn't there yet, but he's still really quick to think, and to act. This has saved him many a time... but also gotten him into more trouble than the Black Whirlwind in a bar.

Aspect: A Really Nice Guy Somehow

Something changed Hong. He does not speak of it, or even mention it; but Hong went from Yama King to the Jade Emperor's grace quickly. Everything else about his demeanor and style scream that he is a dangerous man, someone to flee from, but those knowledgeable in the ways sense a great inner peace...

Aspect: ...With a Real Dark Side

...mostly. Some of the old Hong still lurks within, and when the cult threatens or evil lurks it can come out with a vengeance. Hong prays and fasts to fight it, but in the end, you can't purge a decade and a half of evil with a single change of heart... Part of him still craves to hurt those who harm him.

Skills:
+4 Rapport
+3 Fight, Athletics
+2 Deceive, Notice, Will
+1 Chi, Lore, Shoot, Burglary

Jianghu Rank: 1

Refresh: 2

Stunts:
God-Speed Fists: Nothing is too fast for the Centipede Venom. When trying to do anything fast involving his hands without opposition, Hong succeeds. Period.

Calm Demeanor, Wild Heart: Once per scene, when interacting with another character in a social setting, Hong may make a free Rapport roll to discover an aspect of that character. Any aspect revealed this way greants two additional free invokes, in addition to any granted by the roll.

Regretful Killer: When Hong makes a successful attack that deals at least one stress, he may choose to also deal a Moderate physical consequence to the target. If he does, he takes a Moderate mental consequence as well.

Style: Lightning Serpent Centipede Venom
Centipede Fist Form

Techniques:

Lightning Strikes Without Pause Centipede Senses Prey: Gain a +2
bonus to Notice (or other skill) used when determining
turn order.

Serpent Bites the Hand 2 Arms Block, 98 Arms Strike: If you gain shifts on
a defense, you can sacrifice your action next turn to
immediately inflict an attack on your opponent using
the shift value of your defense as your attack result.



Places

The Venom Cult

Aspect: Killers Without Remorse, Poison Everywhere, Money for Nothing

The Venom Cult lost its purpose when the Emperor cast them out. They know this; but all they've ever known how to do is kill and torture, so they continue. In the vaults deep beneath the earth, gold and jade pile up. In the torture chambers, new recruits are forged from the flesh of the victims.

Why? Because they can.


Venom King, 10th Cult Master

Aspects: Unknown Armies, Slow but Steady, Unrelenting

Who is that masked man?

It's not Hong's father, who died for Hong to ascend. Someone inherited, that's for sure, but who? Hong knows not. All he knows that the new master is a terrifying practitioner of the Snake Venom and more than once, he's had to flee for his life from him. The only saving grace is that the Snake is slow to approach... but the Snake is also clever and vicious.

And patient.

K Prime fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Feb 13, 2014

Velyoukai
Mar 4, 2011


I hate Suits. All of them.
Place and face. Place and face. Fplace!


The Swamp That Souls Disappear In
Aspects: Growing in Power; Growing in...Size?, Spiritual Nexus, Den of The Humble Sagacious Swamp Hermit
In his youth, Qiang the Red-Mountain Demon traveled and came upon a beautiful swampland. In the day, the trees allowed beams of sunlight to filter through, lending a shimmering flare to the surface of the waters, and a sense of timeless tranquility enveloped the entirety of the swampland. Despite its beauty, though, Qiang later discovered that he was immensely lucky to have slept the night there and survived to leave the next day. For generations, the swamplands have glowed with an enchanting beauty in the day, and an terrifyingly ethereal glamour at night. Bizarre, shimmering snakes of moonlight and stardust wander the treetops and throughout the swamp at night, entrancing travelers and leading them to never be seen or heard from again. Qiang himself was faced with one such moonlight serpent, but his refusal to follow his curiosity was perhaps what saved his life.

Or perhaps...


Moon-Child With Laughing Eyes
Aspects: Shikigami, Daughter of the Swamp Hermit, One of Legion, Judge of Character.
...Qiang owes his life to the mysterious spirit that visited him the night he stayed in the swamp. A bizarre and distressingly energetic spirit, Moon-Child With Laughing Eyes wandered into Qiang's camp and proceeded to tease him with illusions and temptations. Only when Qiang refused to be swayed did the spirit cease, instead taking spot in Qiang's camp and partaking of his supplies in equal share. When the moonlight serpents gathered, it was Moon-Child With Laughing Eyes' mountain-air laughter, clear and grating on Qiang's ears like stone on stone, that dispersed them and allowed Qiang to rest in peace. Moon-Child With Laughing Eyes disappeared by the morning, and Qiang never sought to curry its attentions or those of the swamp ever again.

The Humble Sagacious Swamp Hermit
Aspects: Irritating Eccentric Old Man, Master of the Staff, Sage of the Swamp, Is He Even Human...?

Velyoukai fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Feb 13, 2014

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
Gonna go ahead and close to new apps! If you have something up you can continue to work on it. I will be making selections at the end of the week. I'll try to do some critiques or questions or what not during the week.

spectator
Oct 31, 2013

I like to watch.
Ahh! Totally misunderstood "midnight on the 10th." Oh well, good luck with the game!

MollyMetroid
Jan 20, 2004

Trout Clan Daimyo
Yeah I made the same mistaken read on that timing. Throwing up some...stuff, I guess.

Group: The Waxing Moon Troupe

Aspects: Known Across the Empire, Secrets and Lies, Acrobats and Thieves

The Waxing Moon Troupe are a gang of traveling criminals - acrobats, thieves, and hired fighters - who travel the Empire using the cover of a band of performers. They're good at both the cover and the darker business, and there are some among them who don't even know about the shadier side of the troupe. Their leader is a man who goes by the name of Smiling Shu.

Smiling Shu

Aspects: Good to my Friends, A Nightmare to my Enemies. Masked Devil Thief. The Waxing Moon's Boss.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.

spectator posted:

Ahh! Totally misunderstood "midnight on the 10th." Oh well, good luck with the game!

I kind of played loose with that deadline, so you can throw up an app as the last one in.

Gonna try to have some responses for you guys today.

spectator
Oct 31, 2013

I like to watch.
Oh cool, thanks. Here's what I've put together:


Shu Li

quote:

“Just a little more... there!” the old man cheered as Li struggled to right his cart. The creaky vehicle looked almost as ancient as its owner, but was still surprisingly heavy. When the wheels finally settled into the ruts of the dusty road Li had to catch himself on the side of the cart just to keep from collapsing.

“I can’t believe you did it! I thought this old thing was stuck for good,” the old man chattered. “Please, let me give you a little something for your trouble,” he insisted, digging through a small coin purse.

“Not... not necessary,” Li panted. He wobbled to his feet and waved off the old man’s generosity. “Really, it’s alright. I couldn’t. Just happy to help.” He managed a thin smile, mopping down his sweaty brow and collecting his coat and baton.

“Well at least take some water, you look like you’re about to keel over and I wouldn’t want that on my conscience.”

“I could use a little water,” Li admitted. The man found a miraculously unbroken clay jug in the mess the cart had dumped into the road, and offered it up. Li drank longer than he had meant to, but the sweet clear refreshment was almost irresistible. When he drank his fill he insisted on helping reload the cart.

“That’s very kind of you, very kind. Not many young men like you around these days, not in these hills anyway. My name’s Wong, you’re welcome to ride along in the cart if you like. It’s not fancy, but it’ll get you off your feet for a little while.” Wong coaxed his ox into position with the cart, and Li hesitated only briefly before accepting.

“I am constable Shu Li,” he intruduced himself as they trundled along the trail. “Thank you for the ride. Normally I'd walk, but it has been a long trip.”

“Where you coming from, constable?” Wong asked, all chatty good humour now that he was back on his way. “Nothing but villages around here, none of them got constables that I've seen...”

“Bao Jiang, three days ago.”

“What? Where's your horse? Why, you'd have to walk--”

“Day and night, yes,” Li smiled stoically, but weariness showed through. “As I said, it's been a long trip.”

“But where's your food? Or water?” Wong stared sideways at Li, beginning to wonder if he'd let a crazy man share his bench. Li just shook his head.

“There was no chance to prepare, time is of the essence. It's alright though,” he smiled again, reminiscing, “I've been trained for these things.” Wong scoffed and launched into a long monologue on the follies of youth, but Li was losing focus as the rhythmic bounce of the cart lulled him into a half-sleep.

“You should stay alert, Li.”

He looked to the source of the voice, and in his mind's eye he could see his father striding tall and strong alongside the cart.

“Stay alert,” the apparition repeated. “You're stronger than this. Pull yourself together! I once crossed the Southern barbarian wastes with only a horse blanket and my baton--escorting a prisoner, too. You can keep your eyes open for a little longer.” Shu Chen gestured to the bamboo forest that had risen up around them as they traveled. “You're here, Li. Pay attention, or you'll miss the whole thing! Look at the signs, there's danger here!”

“Constable?” Li started and looked around clear eyed. His father was gone but the words stayed with him, and he was right--something was off. Li studied the forest, body tense and ready for anything.

“I was just asking you what could possibly have brought you all this way in such a hurry? What's out here that's so important?” Even as the old man spoke ghost-like figures moved through the bamboo to either side. One second there was nothing, and the next a dozen screaming men burst from the forest to surround them. All were armed and masked, and they weren't there to talk.

“Bandits,” Li answered, and leapt from the cart.


The consummate outdoorsman and tracker, Constable Shu Li uses his talents to serve the interests of Imperial justice. He has done his best to follow the path of his legendary father Constable Shu Chen, ever since Chen was killed when Li was barely a young man. He has an unwavering dedication to his vision of the ideal constable--fearless, courteous, helpful, honest, and above all never, ever giving up--which guides his actions, though it can be a difficult standard to keep. Most of Li's assignments put him "at large" in the wilder regions of the empire, which suits him fine and keeps him from annoying his superiors too much. So far his single-minded ethic has dampened Li's personal relationships, but he's more human under his moral armour than most people realize. Li almost never carries a sword or other blade, instead relying on his constable's baton, a three-foot pole of hard wood banded and capped with bronze, which happens to be inherited from his father.

ASPECTS
High Concept: The Iron-Clad Bureau’s Most Relentless Constable
Trouble: Just Doing My Job
“A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone”
Living With My Father’s Ghost
Annoyingly Virtuous

The Iron-Clad Bureau’s Most Relentless Constable (high concept)
Li always gets his man. He’s developed a bit of a reputation, both within the Bureau and in the criminal element they pursue. He’s the kind of agent they want to keep out in the field—his attitude and track record are great tools there, but get a little much in refined company.
Invoke: pursuing criminals, sheer stubbornness, using official credentials to sway or intimidate
Compel: chasing lost causes and dead ends; some people just don’t like the authorities, and they can show up at the worst times

Just Doing My Job (trouble)
Li is dedicated to his position and following through on his orders, no matter who it might piss off or what trouble it might land him in. He's not a slave to technicalities, but getting the job done can and does push aside personal relationships or safety.
Invoke: activities directly related to a mission or his job mandate (pursuing criminals, etc.)
compel: when the requirements of the 'badge' are inconvenient--"I know we're friends, but I have to..."; walk into an underworld stronghold to publicly arrest their leader

"A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone"
Li is an accomplished outdoorsman. He’s at home on the frontier and in the elements, and has the experience, skills, and temperament to handle them. Some people prefer the city, but Li just doesn’t see eye to eye with them.
Invoke: wilderness situations, like survival, tracking, etc.; resisting the effects of inclement weather or surroundings
Compel: putting people off (“that guy is crazy!”); sometimes you really should come in out of the rain

Living With My Father’s Ghost
Shu Chen was a legendary constable with the Iron-Clad Bureau, one of their best agents. He worked mostly out in the more remote reaches of the empire, and it is his legacy that Li seeks to emulate. Cheng was killed on the job many years ago, which was what inspired Li to join the Bureau himself. Living up to Chen’s reputation—now inflated beyond reason by time and exaggeration—is difficult to say the least, and it’s sometimes hard to know exactly what the old man would have done, but Li tries as best he can to be his father’s son.
Invoke: when he has time to reflect on his father’s wisdom—real or imagined—and apply it to the current situation; pulling off insane feats in the name of the Bureau
Compel: a moment of indecision or uncertainty (“what would Chen have done?”), to let something slip past; old enemies (or acquaintances) of Chen popping up; making reckless actions because “dammit, Chen could have done this”

Annoyingly Virtuous
Morally upright action is one of Li's hallmarks, a personal code that he keeps. He never actively push his code on others, but still, sometimes you wonder if he isn't being a little smug about it... Always courteous, even enemies have to push pretty drat hard to get Li to say something rude.
Invoke: keeping his cool, making a good impression where courtesy will help, passive-aggressively getting under someone's skin
Compel: people get rubbed the wrong way by him sometimes; when compassion, courtesy, or honesty would be inconvenient ("we can't finish him off, just tie him up", "it might be a trap, but we can't be rude", "no, my friend here isn't telling the truth")

SKILLS
Great (+4): Investigation
Good (+3): Will, Physique
Fair (+2): Notice, Fight, Burglary
Average (+1): Resources, Empathy, Athletics, Stealth

Jianghu Rank: 1

KUNG FU STYLE: Stone Tiger
Stubborn Dog style
Stone Resists the Blow – you gain 2 Armor against any physical attack you are aware of.
Stone Weathers the Storm – if you succeed on a defense with style, you may remove your physical 1 stress box or convert another physical stress box to 1 lower instead of taking a boost.
Tiger Rends the Flesh – when you tie on an attack using Fight for defense you can inflict a 2 point shift physical attack instead of taking a boost.
Tiger Rules the Jungle – gain +2 Armor Rating when using Will to defend against Provoke attacks.

STUNTS:
On The Scent – when you use a Fate point to reroll an Investigation roll to track or find someone, add +2 to the roll.
Official Questioning – you may use Investigate instead of Contacts to get information from neutral parties in the area, provided you use your credentials and they know (or think) you’re on an official investigation.

REFRESH: 2


And a submission for an organization:

The Iron-Clad Bureau, Imperial Truth & Justice Constabulary
The Bureau is a law enforcement organization set up by the Emperor directly many years ago, focused largely in investigation with an empire-wide jurisdiction. The Bureau isn’t large, but they take only top level recruits. Many Bureau agents work alone or in small groups—they are a precision tool, not concerned with the everyday maintenance civil order but targeted at difficult and damaging individuals. In theory the Bureau reports only to the Emperor himself, although it has become customary for him to appoint a representative for the Bureau to report to in his stead. Whether that representative is a true and loyal advisor, or a power-hungry corrupt bureaucrat depends on the political climate and the strength of the Emperor’s hold on the realm.

The Emperor’s Dogs
Originally a slur against the Bureau, most of its agents have come to embrace this nickname to some degree. To them, it symbolizes their loyalty and determination, and their service to the Emperor himself. When the Emperor wants something sniffed out or someone retrieve, he sends his dogs.
Invoke: the dogged execution of duties; fellowship and loyalty between Bureau members; loyalty to the emperor and his will
Compel: dogs take orders, and the Bureau is no exception; many people in both high society and low dislike the Bureau and its agents, and will give them a hard time

Agents Everywhere
If there isn’t a Constable in the region, there’s probably going to be a local deputy. Or his contact. Or an informant. It’s hard to be sure you're beyond the reach of the Bureau, because their jurisdiction is everything under the sun. The Bureau isn’t huge though, so sometimes that means resources get stretched thin.
Invoke: declare an ally in the local town—informant, or local branch, or something; hear about happenings throughout the empire through the Bureau grapevine
Compel: help might be a province away, looking into some other matter; an agent needs help nearby

Face: Grand Marshal Autumn Moon
Autumn Moon is the head of the Iron-Clad Bureau, a composed woman just past 40 who holds her age with striking grace. Moon is a bit of an enigma—she doesn’t admit to any ambition to advance her station at all, and yet she’s risen to the head of a powerful bureau of the empire. She disavows any interest or connection to politics, for herself or her organization, and so far the Bureau remains deftly beyond the scheming of any major faction. Surely it would take some political savvy to keep the Bureau so untouched... As far as anyone has been able to tell though, Moon runs the Iron-Clad Bureau with stark efficiency, uncompromising integrity, and a total disinterest in anything larger. Naturally, the more cynical bureaucrats in the empire assume it’s just a front.

Political Untouchable
Moon is so pointedly against politicking that most people have stopped even trying to talk to her about it at this point. If she is playing some game, it has a very deep cover.
Invoke: resisting political pressure; useful when needing the appearance of total integrity
Compel: asking for political favours is completely out of the question—if she can’t take care of it with her own resources, she’s in trouble

spectator fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Mar 25, 2014

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
As promised, reactions and suggestions! Don't forget to hit up #Jianghu if you have questions or need advice.

I mention it in a few responses here, but starting with 1 Refresh is chancy and to be honest even with awesome kung fu not as fun as you'd think. Since it came up a few times, I'll go ahead and say that advancement will probably be a little quicker than in a standard FATE game. I'll be handing out things like extra techniques and rewards that effectively grant you stunts as part of that development, so don't feel like you have to grab all the kung fu now since it won't improve for ages and ages.

Now, on to the responses!

Beautiful Doctor Zhang (ProfessorCirno)
This is just what I'm looking for. The new stunts are much better and pitch perfect for the genre. I love the aspects and what you're putting together. I would like to see a little more background, just a specific incident from his past. Doesn't need to be longer than 2-3 sentences even.

I do still need a organization or place and a face from you though.

Perspicacious Lin of the Dancing Crane (Dynamics)
I like the concept and we've spoken a bit about what you're aiming for. I'd like you expand it a bit in her background and aspects. We talked over the stunts and they look solid. The aspects might be a little narrow as they're currently worded. I think if you provide some example invokes/compels it would help.

Your location/face is solid. It's short, but the aspects are very evocative so I'm pretty much set for using them.

Xu Lei (TurninTrix)
Another strong entry! The building idea is a great genre idea and your stunts set it up nicely. The background covers what I need, and the aspect set sells it, and I like the interaction you have with them. My only suggestion is that starting with one Refresh is a bit risky. You'll be getting a lot of compels, so just be prepared for that. I don't really have any further suggestions or questions.

Your organization is spot on. Just what I'm looking for in an organization.

Ven Hao, the Blue Fox (Dareon)
I love this concept, your stunts are great and really evocative, and the aspects are spot on. I just need more background! I would suggest expanding your aspects a little. Rather than the standard "here's what this aspect means" since they come across so well as they are, maybe give a few lines describing an incident that illustrates each?

Your organization and face are fantastic. I'd like to see another aspect on the Court of Jade but only because I like it so much, not because I actually need one.

Zhu Qiang (Velyoukai)
Having a wise old man with powerful kung fu is a classic genre character, and I like your take on the background. Your aspects are good, and the example invoke/compels are nice. Again, I am a little worried about the 1 Refresh. You will need a lot of compels I think. Your stunts are improving but the first one in particular still isn't quite there. My suggestion would be to check out other recent FATE game recruits and see if there's any stunt ideas you like to play off of.

I like the location for story reasons, but I need an aspect for it. I would like a little more about the face, and I need an aspect for her too. Conceptually she's good but I don't know what she does, just what she is, at the moment. It's also a little tricky to use more than once. You might be better off with something that will come up more often.

Xun Xun (Decus)
Kung fu pirate! Another solid entry. Conceptually it's really good, and for the most part the aspects and stunts are nice. The last aspect - A Dagger for Every Occasion - might be better as a stunt. And I'm not clear on what the second stunt is supposed to actually do. The Interesting Times extra rule actually gives you a second special Minor consequence.

I like your face, but the location is a little too vague at the moment. You can do a pretty large area as a location, so having a mountainous region with a hidden treasure would work, it just needs to be a little more clearly defined as a place. Your Face is good, but needs an aspect. Maybe something to highlight her personality a little more?

Lin Ling (Desty)
I like the concept you have going here, but right now it's a little lacking. Your background is a little scatter-shot and I'm having trouble following the narrative. I think you just need to expand it and fill in some blanks. Your stunts are, frankly, really bland. Heart's Edge is fine since it's character defining, but Keen Eye is pretty blah. +2 stunts are dull, and its very generic and doesn't improve the character's flavor much. Foresight I'm not sure how it's supposed to work. It should be defined in FATE terms a little more explicitly. Perhaps once per scene you can steal an aspect an opponent places - you get the free invoke instead of them, and add an additional invoke onto it. It's a good start but I need more.

I think you sort of missed on the place/organization and a face part. I'm not sure if you mean Southern Warlord Ng to be your face, and who the organization is here. The mercenaries? His forces? I think you have a good idea here, it just isn't presented clearly or the way I'm looking for yet.

Vivacious Yue (Zero Suit Ridley)
We've been talking about your character for a while, so I know more than is up so far! The aspects are coming together and the stunts are good. I think you're in very good shape.

I'd like to know more about the Waxing Moon Troupe and Smiling Shou. The aspects for both are excellent and cover a lot of ground in themselves, but flesh them out a little more. Make them unique. What is it that makes it impossible to mistake them for some lesser troupe?

Irresponsible Hu (Ettin)
All right, a nice simple concept well executed. Your aspects do a good job of covering background already, and have clear invoke/compels even without examples. The concept is nice and straightforward so it doesn't need a lot more. As with Ven Hao, though, a little bit extra would go a long way. I would have the same suggestion, having little example incidents to show how his aspects come into play would work. Maybe 2-3 sentences each at most. Your stunts are well named and well designed. Bar Fight Veteran should give him Weapon 1 until he invokes the boost, I think.

Again, I need a place or organization and a face!

Centipede Hong (K Prime)
The toad style is immensely strong and immune to nearly any weapon. You've got a solid concept going here and pretty strong background and aspects. Again, one of your aspects - Hundred-Arm Speed - might be better as a stunt. Some example invokes/compels for it might help. The other aspects are clear enough as is. Your stunts are pretty good but I think we should work on clarifying the wording a little. I think I understand how they would work in play and I like what they do - declarative stunts like God-Speed Fists are underused, so it's nice to see a well done one.

Your organization and face are great. The aspects are well named and flesh out the description nicely. Spot on here.

Shu Li (spectator)
Conceptually solid. It sounds like you're going for a sort of FBI agent or marshal type character. I'd suggest cleaning up the background at the start to be more flavorful. It's a good rundown of the concept, but to be honest I think it doesn't sell the character well. It took me a few reads and the aspects to really get a feel for what you were heading for conceptually. I don't think you need specific incidents for each aspect like Blue Fox or Irresponsible Hu, but maybe as your background write out a little fiction that is evocative of Shu Li? You've got good aspects in general and I like your stunts. Also you should give Shu Li a cool nickname.

Your organization and Face are excellent. I do get the reference, but its perfect for the genre and something I would have needed if you hadn't made it. Good job.

Everyone
HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS. This is an amazing collection of characters to choose from already. I've got nine great ideas here and it's going to be hard to pick even if I had to do it right now. Including some of the above suggestions is going to make it even harder, but frankly that's actually a good thing.

Thanks for providing such good stuff to work with! I'm already getting more story ideas just reading these over.

Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Feb 12, 2014

Mitama
Feb 28, 2011

Thanks. I dropped my Iron Monkey style and renamed my remaining style as the Wooden Monkey as appropriate.

ProfessorCirno
Feb 17, 2011

The strongest! The smartest!
The rightest!
Organization: The Imperial Courts
Grown corrupt and decadent in recent times, the Imperial Courts have begin drooling at the thought of controlling the new heir. Magistrates from across the land have begun pushing for their own individual power even as the people they serve fall into hardships. Reently, the courts have begun growing more cruel, with increased taxes and levies placed on even the most poor, and small bands of imperial servants flexing newfound legal muscles to take what they desire. Their ambition seemingly knows no bounds, with some even attempting to push for power over The Iron-Clad Bureau.

Aspects:Technically Legal; The Price of Decadence; Political Strife; Law of the Land; Ambition is a Virtue


Face: Clear Skies
The legendary official Clear Skies is maybe one of the most physically hideous people alive. He is also the most honest, upright, and incorruptible man the government has ever seen. Before the Emperor's death, he had been given full power over all matters of the law - and he uses it judiciously. Clear Skies by technical legal rights could sentence even the emperor's heir to be beaten (though of course a substitute would be found). Clear Skies has made a name for himself for hsi naked hatred of corrpution, and much of the court has begun uniting against him. As beloved in the countryside as he is hated in civilized areas, he is well aware of the downsides of his reputation, especially in these dark times, and travels with a group of handpicked bodyguards known for their loyalty.

Aspects:Corruption's Nemesis; As Ugly As It Gets; "I AM The Law;" Hero of the People; Band of Righteous Servants



Face: Minister Chen Pang
One of the leading voices of the courts and - unknown to most - the real power behind most of it's recent cruelties. With his daughter in place as an imperial concubine, he has become nearly untouchable - not that he plans on needing that shield. Minister Chen Pang rarely touches on things personally and instead makes use of others to fulfill his desires. As he uses others to champion increasingly horrible laws, he keeps his eyes on the true prize: the heir.

Aspects:Unironically Villainous; Politically Untouchable; Always Keeps the Glove On; The Mastermind's Daughter; Hands on the Heir

grassy gnoll
Aug 27, 2006

The pawsting business is tough work.
Yeah, I was doing a lot of scrambling to make the original deadline.

Aspects - I based them around the people involved in that part of her life, but that's not very descriptive. You want me to change them to something a little more straight forward?

Stunts - That replacement for Foresight sounds pretty rad, so I'll probably do that. What do you say to replacing Keen Eye with something like "Emotive Sense - Always know the issue that presses most heavily on a person's mind," only with a better, cleverer name?

Backstory - Redrafting it so it makes sense to humans who are not me at the moment. Same with Warlord Ng.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
If you make changes to your character based on the responses, please post to the thread so I don't miss them!

MollyMetroid
Jan 20, 2004

Trout Clan Daimyo
I haven't had a chance to yet. With luck you'll be awake when I'm back home from work so we can chat about it.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
By the way, I am planning on making selections this coming Sunday morning so I can have the OP up on Monday at the latest, since I have the day off. So you have until about 9am Eastern on Sunday Feb 16 before I close things out to make picks!

As a note, at this point everyone's characters are done enough that I would consider them for selection. Addressing the suggestions earlier will improve your chances of being picked though.

Also, does anyone not want their place/organization used if they do not get in? I do not mind if this is the case and it will not be part of considerations for selections. I would like to use the ideas to flesh out the game, but I also understand if you would rather not have it be used if you don't get in.

grassy gnoll
Aug 27, 2006

The pawsting business is tough work.
Lin mk 2.

Lin Ling

High Concept: Jaded Swordswoman

Invoke: Veteran, Seen It All Before, Survivor of Countless Battles
Compell: Hard-hearted, Old Rivalry, Montoya Syndrome

Trouble: Blinded by the Son

Invoke: I've Heard of Him, I Owe Him, The Enemy of My Enemy...
Compel: Unexpected Visitor, He Owes Me, You Look Familiar

Heart's Edge School

Invoke: Daoist Centering, Soul Reader, Flashing Blade
Compel: Rival Schools, You Can't Be Serious, Bleeding Heart

Love Blooms on the Battlefield

Invoke: Available for the Right Price, Stuff of Folk Legends, Expert on the War
Compel: No True Allegiance but Money, Bad Parenting, Too Famous to be Safe

Escort Service/b]

Invoke: Favor of the House of Wei, Dependable, It's Just Business
Compel: It's Nothing Personal, Bad with Young People, Contractually Obligated

Skills

4 Empathy
3 Chi, Athletics
2 Will, Physique, Notice
1 Deceive, Provoke, Rapport, Resources

Stunts
Heart's Edge: Use Empathy instead of Fight when using Heart's Edge Style
Empath: Always know what issue weighs heaviest on the heart of the target
Foresight: Once per scene, modify an aspect placed by an opponent, possibly to their disandvantage

Kung Fu

[s]Stone Dragon
Heart's Edge Style
Stone Resists the Blow
Stone Weathers the Storm
Dragon Rules the Fields
Dragon Rules the Heavens
Dragon Sleeps in Mist

Physical [ ][ ][ ][ ]
Mental [ ][ ][ ][ ]

Consequences: Mild/Moderate/Severe

Refresh: 1

Equipment
Sword, mementos, fine clothing

-

Your Honor,

I have compiled my dossier on the woman called Ling Lin, as per your order of 5th Siyue.

Born to peasantry in Beilong province, 7th year of the Tianjian era. Fourth child.

Her martial instruction begins with the tutelage of a woman referred to as "Heartless Jia;" our files lack much information on this individual. Schooling was informal in nature, in an unorthodox style known as Heart's Edge. Practitioners of this school react in time with their opponents, supposedly reading their minds to divine the forthcoming actions of their opponents. As your honor is more learned in such things than I, I defer to your expertise in such matters.

Following an agreeable separation from the Heart's Edge School, Ling travels south. She takes work as a sellsword throughout her travel, as listed in the attached document. Of greatest note is the conveyance of the betrothed of Wei Ping Wei to her marriage. Merchant Wei's patronage appears to have sustained the Ling woman for quite some time. If your honor will excuse the digression, there is apparently a folk song about this event. In a shocking lack of propriety for the institution of marriage, it paints the merchant and the Ling woman as villains. Its transcribed lyrics are also included in the appendices to this report, should your honor find himself in a spirited mood.

Due to the turmoil during the invasion of the southern barbarian Ng, records of Ling's actions during the conflict are sparse. She appears on payrolls of mercenary companies fighting for both the warlord and His Imperial Majesty's army.

It is during this time period when her dalliance with the mercenary Zhi Chu begins. Their names appear on no wedding rolls from the area, though we cannot discern whether that is due to the general tumult of the time or a lack of legal correctness. They part ways after the end of the border wars, for reasons our agents cannot determine. Zhi is currently in the employ of the Akhakhan of the western barbarian kingdoms, which our agents suspect is a fact unknown to the Ling woman.

The bandit leader calling himself "Cracked Jade" is detailed in my other report to your honor, but I shall include a brief summary of the information detailing the relationship between the subjects of each document here. At an undetermined point after the end of the southern invasion, the Ling woman gives birth to a son. Multiple sources corroborate stories of the mercenary accompanied by her child in the field - see the third and fourth appendices of the bandit report. At a point approximately seven years ago, the two separate, apparently under extremely disagreeable circumstances.

Jade's thieves operate in Jianzhou province, as has his mother in recent years. Excuse my presumption, your honor, but it would seem she is hunting the bandit. I believe her assistance would not only be valuable in running the man to ground, but that we can use the bandit as leverage to draw the mercenary into our service.

In your humble agent's opinion, the Ling woman is capable of the tasks you have put forth. That her services may be purchased for the ultimate end of purging another blighted bandit from our land is most encouraging.

Compiled 8th Liuyue
Excellent Coursing River

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Southern Warlord Ng

The diabolical Ng, barbarian warlord of the Southern Coasts, invaded the empire nigh on two decades ago. As the Emperor's armies were off fighting the usual northern steppe peoples at the time, a force of mercenaries and peasant leavies was raised to repel Ng's invasion. The fighting trickled off, rather than end like a proper war, and long scars were left across the southern reaches.

Aspects: Leader of Men and Other Things, Barbarian Warlord, Touched the Lives of Many

Ng's Wake

Because having a barbarian army lurking just over the borderlands wasn't enough, the passage of the armies through the southern provinces marked the land irreparably. Armed bands roam the land, which has yet to recover from the depredations of the soldiers. Unemployed mercenaries, remnants of Ng's guards and even fragments of the Imperial army stalk the place.

Aspects: Broken Land, Mercenary Kings, Peasant Unrest

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I'm cool with you using Warlord Ng if I don't get in.

On a related note, my organization and face are not Lin's son and his bandit gang because I think they have more value as a pervasive shadow instead of an active agent in the plot. They make a better motivator and rumor generator than NPCs.

What needs to be fixed this go 'round?

Decus
Feb 24, 2013
Made changes to the final stunt, final aspect and the place. Feel free to use anything I've posted if I don't get in.

Dareon
Apr 6, 2009

by vyelkin
Added some examples of most of my aspects. Still working on an additional aspect for the Court of Jade, but I can't get the wording hammered out right.

spectator
Oct 31, 2013

I like to watch.

Comrade Gorbash posted:

Shu Li (spectator)
Conceptually solid. It sounds like you're going for a sort of FBI agent or marshal type character. I'd suggest cleaning up the background at the start to be more flavorful. It's a good rundown of the concept, but to be honest I think it doesn't sell the character well. It took me a few reads and the aspects to really get a feel for what you were heading for conceptually. I don't think you need specific incidents for each aspect like Blue Fox or Irresponsible Hu, but maybe as your background write out a little fiction that is evocative of Shu Li? You've got good aspects in general and I like your stunts. Also you should give Shu Li a cool nickname.

Your organization and Face are excellent. I do get the reference, but its perfect for the genre and something I would have needed if you hadn't made it. Good job.

If I'm to be entirely honest, I started with "kung fu mountie" as a starting point (stole a few pieces of inspiration from the show Due South). Which, yes, is very much like an FBI agent or marshal or something, only woodsier. I wrote a short fiction intro and re-wrote the summary a little bit, but let me know if it's still not coming across clearly. After thinking about a character so long I sometimes find it hard to know if I'm communicating what I've thought about.

I added a 5th aspect. I'd still be very interested in dropping one in favour of an inter-PC aspect, but as of now it's set to be good to go as is.

It occured to me that Li isn't a particularly great fighter, at least not in a conventional sense (fortunately Fate allows lots of way around the conventional approach). His Fight is low and Chi isn't there at all. Chi I guess I could bump up with some adjustment, but I'm also ok with him not being a directly potent fighter right now--I think he'd use a lot of Physique-created advantages and stuff. Learning fighting arts could be a direction for him to develop though, especially if there's another PC who might "enlighten" him to those skills. Not necessarily, but certainly on the table.

A nickname is a great idea, I shoulda thought of that! Gotta think of a good one though...

As a note, I'm going away to a wedding as of... right now. I'll be back Sunday, but I think I'll be able to check in either tonight or tomorrow to do any other updating that's needed and just keep in touch with what's going on.

Feel free to use the Bureau regardless. Think of another name too if you want, that's just one that popped into my head.

Comrade Gorbash
Jul 12, 2011

My paper soldiers form a wall, five paces thick and twice as tall.
I just got home after spending last night at a hotel (that my job put me up at) due to the weather, and had to dig out some when I got here as well. Plus I have some games tonight. I'll review additions and updates and provide some feedback later tonight.

Velyoukai
Mar 4, 2011


I hate Suits. All of them.
Made requested edits, continuing to rage and ponder at A Foul Spirit Lurks.

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spectator
Oct 31, 2013

I like to watch.
Velyoukai, what are you thinking re. A Foul Spirit Lurks? if you want to simplify, you could always just go with using Chi in place of Decieve for creating advantages related to falsified spirit possessions, etc. But then, I'm a fan of staying simple with Stunts whenever possible, so that might not suit your taste.

Oh and Gorbash--all I can say is drat, that is some heavy weather.

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