Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms

8/10/2019 Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms

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Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms

by Cooper » Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:43 pm

Families

Whenever someone creates a character have them create afamily name and pick one of the eight traits. Thereafter anyoneelse taking the same family name shall receive the same traitbonus.

Schools

Rather than making new schools from scratch, this is a list ofschools which already exist in other AE products which couldbe easily re!tooled to fit the "vory #ingdoms.

• Priest (Brahmin)

As Naga Jakla, replacing Akasha with Void and Pearls withSutra

• Vedic (Brahmin)

As Naga Vedic, replacing Akasha with Void

• Temlar

As LBS Ebonite Templar with E update! Not a"ailable toVaish#a!

• !arrior (Kshatriya)

As $irumoto Bushi, but uses paired scimitar instead o% a

daisho and Thaddi instead o% &ai'utsu!• Scout (Kshatriya)

As Nata Scout, replacing Akasha with Void

• "ani (Kshatriya)

As LBS Jackal Jani with E update

• Trader (Vaishya)

As (asuki )ourtier

• #surer (Vaishya)

As LBS *ahabi $erchant with E update

http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=294&t=86426#p1141611

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http://www.alderac.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6865

http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=294&t=86426#p1141611



• $umahl Traitor

As LBS Jackal +abir with E update

• $umahl Priest

As LBS Jackal Necromancer with E update

Brahmin% Kshatriya% & Vaishya

$rahmin fall somewhere between %onks and &ahir, and maylearn #iho as if they were non!brotherhood monks. #shatriya arekings and warriors, and may learn #ata as if they were samurai.'aishya are artists, craftsmen, and farmers. "f a character hasranks in a school with one of these tags, they may not have

ranks in any school or path with another of these tags.

Devotions

(evotions are a special type of &piritual Advantage available inthe "vory #ingdoms. They function in a manner identical toAncestors, and one cannot have both a (evotion and an

Ancestor.

• Kali'a * Points+

#ali!ma was originally the god of rebirth, the lesser aspectof &hiva. )owever, something went horribly wronghundreds if not thousands of years ago and the only rebirthshe brings now is perverse and twisted. *nce someone hasdied during the current skirmish you gain a bonus of +k

to all damage rolls for the remainder of the skirmish. #ali!ma will only accept the devotion Rumahl -ultists, and willabandon anyone who disobeys her orders.

• Shiva * Points+

&hiva is a god of death and destruction as embodied in thenatural cycle of existence. &hiva now lies dormant within#ali!%a, but for centuries he was the dominant aspect. oumay spend a 'oid /oint during a skirmish to ensure that

none who die during that skirmish can be raised as undead.



&hiva will abandon anyone who uses necromancy orotherwise raises the dead.

• Vishnu * Points+

'ishnu is a guardian deity and patron of the social orderwithin the "vory #ingdoms. ou gain +k0 on all (efenseand Eti1uette rolls. ou also gain +k0 on all 2ore rolls if$rahmin, +k0 on all Weapon &kill rolls if #shatriya, or+k0 on all -raft rolls if you belong to one of the lowercastes. 'ishnu will abandon anyone who physically orsocially attacks a higher &tatus citi3en of the "vory#ingdoms 4though he may make an exception if he knowsthe target to be a -ultist of Rumahl5.

(ear Readers,

A few weeks ago, a tattered letter came to my possession. "t appears

to have been found in a destroyed house in the &econd -ity. &ince

receiving it, " have been trying to track down its origins in order to find

the veracity of its claims. &adly, none of my re1uests for information

have given any results6 and at this moment, " cannot even say if this

7Asako -.8 really exists, or if his musings are anything more than therambling of a madman.

)owever, seeing the game changing implications of this letter, " see no

other course of action than sharing its contents with you. $e warned,

however, for if what it says it true, it might greatly impact your

believes towards the -elestial )eavens and its connection to the gai9in

far and beyond our precious lands.

ou have been warned.

*ear )ousin,

& must %irst apologie %or the burden & am about to bring to #ou, but &

trust that #ou will see through this %indings with an open mind,

heretic as the# might be called!

As #ou know, & ha"e been stationed here in the Second )it# %or the past -. #ears, as & research unto the "er# e/istence o% the %alse



goddess +ali0$a and her attack on 1okugan2 and %or much o% that

time, & ha"e %ound nothing! But that all changed about a month ago2

when & disco"ered something trul# unbelie"able! As soon as & shared

m# %indings, & was told that & must ha"e gone cra# i% & were to belie"e

in such nonsense! And #et, the more & research, the more & belie"e it

to be true! And #ou know me, & am not one to hide knowledge %rom

an#one2 but & might ha"e pushed m# luck too %ar this time! & %ear &

might be soon accused to be a 3udoist, or worse, a 4%allen52 and &

can6t reall# argue, a%ter all, claiming that Lord Sun and Lad# $oon

were somehow incompetent7

& might be rushing too much, cousin! please, allow me to e/plain!

& ha"e disco"ered that the &"indi nati"es belie"ed that the world was

created b# three power%ul beings! Three gods the# claimed e/isted

be%ore e"en the 3irst Sun and $oon! These three entities represented

the creation and e"entual destruction and renewal o% the world! & had

at %irst dismissed these theories as childish tales o% gai'in who would

ne"er be able to trul# understand the truth o% the )elestial 8rder!

(et, & %ind m#sel% no longer doubting their e/planations!

(ou see, cousin, it appears that the constant struggle between

creation, preser"ation and destruction was being kept in check b# an

4e/ternal %orce52 which appeared to ha"e been weakened

recentl#, allowing +ali0$a to seie more power and e"en kill the other

gods! As & researched this e/ternal %orce, & %ound out some 1humalist

writings which e/plain that the 4Sun and $oon6s in%luence is waning,

as the# begin to %ocus their e#es somewhere else5! And it would

appear this started happening about 9: or 9; #ears ago7 about thesame time that Lord (akamo and Lad# <itomi became the new Sun and

$oon!

)ould it be that the ascendance o% the Second Sun and $oon caused

this e/ternal %orce to be weakened= )ould these e/ternal %orce be

something that the 3irst Sun and $oon were e/erting, and when the

Seconds took o"er the# %ailed to keep it= & wouldn6t dare to belie"e

such a thing, i% were it not %or what & disco"ered later!



>ithin another 1humalist writing dated around ?. #ears ago, & %ound a

passage stating that 4the Sun and $oon now blink di%%erentl#! 8nce

again the# seek to claim control, but the# are too late, %or the

@oddess now reigns supreme5!

& know "er# well that trusting the writings o% mad cultists leads to the

same madness2 but & cannot dismiss the coincidence o% the dates

proposed! To claim that the Sun and $oon begin to e/ert in%luence

once again, about at the same time in which the Jade Sun and

8bsidian $oon ascended2 it 'ust too precise o% a timing! )ould it be

that the Jade and 8bsidian *ragons knew about this 4e/ternal %orce5=

)ould the# also ha"e known that the Pre"ious Sun and $oon were,

kami %orgi"e m# tongue, %ailing to keep this %orce in place= )ould thatha"e been the reason the# claimed man was pro"ed unworth#=

& saw m#sel% doubting m# own %indings, #et e"er#thing seems to add

up! & dare not share this with an#one else an#more, %or it is were

truth2 the reason wh# +ali0$a managed to claim such power7 and the

reason wh# the Empress was %orced to make such a pact with <e >ho

Shall Not be Named7 is all because o% the Second Sun and $oon6s7 no!

& dare not sa# more!

And #et, & wish that was all & would %ind, but there is more! &t seems

that, as their pantheon was de%eated, the %ew remaining godless souls

o% the &"indi and which ha"e not alread# been bound to the 3alse

@oddess, now seek to 'oin the kharmic wheel! Some might ha"e

alread# succeeded, and b#passing Emma086s 'udgment, the# might

ha"e alread# reincarnated as samurai! To think that some o% the

esteemed samurai might actuall# b# the souls o% %ilth# gai'in And #et,& alread# ha"e some ideas o% who might carr# a gai'in soul! But & am

a%raid & lack the method to pro"e it! 3or now!

But & %ear man# do not wish m# %indings to be made public2 which is

wa# & write to #ou, dear cousin2 so that these truths sta# ali"e, e"en i%

those who wish us to remain ignorant were to kill me in hopes to keep

me %rom re"ealing them!

& know #ou will know what to do with these truths! (our cousin,



Asako )

With this new findings revealed, " propose the following theories:

;ew (isadvantage

Atman Ajnana (Ignorant Soul) [Spiritual] (5 points)

Re1uisite: *nly characters with the &ocial (isadvantage: ai9in 4"vory

#ingdoms5 (isadvantage may take this (isadvantage.

As a member of the "vindi Wheel of Rebirth, your soul now lacks the

guidance that was once provided by your gods, and you have become

aware of this. The knowledge that your soul is condemned to disappear

as soon as you die have caused you to doubt your own existence. oumay not spend 'oid /oints to affect any Roll which uses a %ental Trait

4"ntelligence, Awareness, /erception or Willpower5 or &pellcasting

Rolls. Additionally, the T; of all 2ore: Theology rolls is increased by <

for you.

;ew Advantages

Atman Jnana (Realized Soul) [Spiritual] (3 points)

Re1uisite: *nly characters with the &ocial (isadvantage: ai9in 4"vory#ingdoms5 (isadvantage may take this Advantage.

Even though your soul now lacks the guidance once provided by your

gods, it has found a way to 9oin the Rokugani #armic -ycle, allowing

you to reincarnate as a Rokugani, which has somehow provided you

with access to Theological knowledge beyond your own understanding.

Whenever you would spend a void point to improve on a 2ore skill

which relates to Rokugani Theology or -osmology 42ore: Theology,2ore: &pirit Realms, etc5, you may choose to spend = 'oid /oints

instead of one, gaining twice the usual benefit.

Atman Moksha (reed Soul) [Spiritual] (5 points)

our soul once belonged to the "vindi Wheel of Rebirth, but has since

found a way to 9oin the Rokugani #harmic -ycle. our soul was once

that of a #shatriya Warrior, and you still permeate some if its warrior>s

honor. The Tulwar and #ukri both have the samurai keyword for you.Whenever you attack with a Tulwar, you may spend a 'oid point to



increase its damage, as if it were a katana. "f one of your &chool

techni1ues re1uires the use of a katana or a waki3ashi, you may use a

Tulwar or kukri instead, respectively. ;ote: "ai9utsu still re1uires the

use of a katana.

"tem ?pdate

!ul"ar

The Tulwar is a slender, curved sword with a recessed hilt or no hilt,

specially designed to be used on horseback. "t was the trademark

weapon of the #shatriya.

• &kill: #en9utsu

• #eywords: %edium, ai9in

• (R: @k=6 4+= to the (amage Roll while on horseback5

#ukri

The #ukri is a large knife with a broad, heavy curved blade, often

carried as a companion to the Tulwar.

• &kill: #nives or #en9utsu

• #eywords: %edium, ai9in

• (R: k= if used with the #nives &kill 4ie, thrusting56 =k= if used

with #en9utsu 4ie, swinging5

The ,ase o- the adness Touched.r /o0 to Include P1an Ku1s adness in your

Ta2le

*ctober @, =0@, by Tensei

The ear is B, and as the -olonial Winter -ourt Ends abruptly due to

the &econd -ity is besieged by the ;inth "mperial 2egion6 a new threat

is identified in the -olonies: A madness that seeks to take over the

mind and soul of the honorable samurai of Rokugan. A madness that

threatens the stability of not only the -olonies, but the Emerald

Empire as a whole. A madness caused by the %ad (ragon>s touch. And

your players are in the midst of it all.

http://www.coquilegion.org/2013/10/case-madness-touched



http://www.coquilegion.org/member/tensei



http://www.coquilegion.org/member/tensei



We have seen the results of this madness in the story. We have seen

how it all 7ends8. $ut how can we use this in our campaignsC )ow can

a % introduce this uni1ue twist to the storyC What follows is but a

possible solution, by including a new stat to inflict %adness upon your

players.

*f Dallen and 2ost

)aving player character fall to the whims of a mad god is not

something new to the 2<R R/. "n fact, in the past many individuals

who have fallen to the &hadowlands Taint where considered to be

nothing more than madmen. "f one were to only look in at the surface,

/>an #u>s and igoku>s touch are very similar. They both seek to

separate the samurai from the true path of $ushido, and takes them

into an inevitable spiral out of control and into madness.

These similarities can thus be used to implement %adness into the R/

in a similar way to how the &hadowlands Taint works: with a system of

/oints and Ranks. "n most cases, this proposed system would work the

same way, but a Dallen individual would resist the influence of %adness

with an )onorFWillpower Roll rather than a pure Earth Roll.

aining %adness

/>an #u>s Touch is powerful, after all he was once one of the (ragons

of the -elestial )eavens, and his influence spreads as fast and far as

his unstable mind wishes. This means that, unlike the &hadowlands

Taint, the %ad (ragon>s influence does not re1uire any physical contact

with already tainted ob9ects, nor the assistance of corrupted kami to

in9ect itself into the samurai. Rather it attack the individual>s own

weaknesses.

Any samurai within />an #u>s Area of "nfluence and who fails a

Willpower roll related to any %ental or &piritual (isadvantage instantly

gains a %adness /oint. 4Remember that most of theses Rolls are

supposed to represent the samurai>s inner struggle, and thus only truly

come into effect when the player feels his character would act

contrary to his disadvantage. A player choosing to have his $rash %atsu

act brashly does not automatically gain a %adness /oint, but should the



same player choose his character to try and not act brashly and fail the

roll, then he gets the %adness point.5

While technically eternal, />an #u is not a being know for his patience,

so one would expect that he would not simply wait for people to actagainst their nature to spread his touch. The following table define

other instances in which a roll would be re1uired to prevent the

ac1uisition of %adness. 4Remember the Roll to resist %adness is a

)onorFWillpower Roll, that is Roll G)onor+WillpowerH and #eep

Willpower5

Ta2le 34 adness 56osure $olls

Source of Exposure TN*

Traveling in P’an Ku’s Area of Inuence (per week) 5

Being in the presence of an Egg of P’an Ku !

Being in the presence of the "eart of #u$o !

Touching an Egg of P’an Ku 5

Touching the "eart of #u$o 5

Being in the presence of P’an Ku hi%self &!

I"ncrease the T; by < for each Dull Rank of %adness the character possesses.

"ncreasing %adness

%uch like ogoku>s touch, />an #u>s influence tends to corrupt the

samurai, pressing him into a more chaotic environment. The samurai>s

)onor and force of Will are usually the only tools he has to repeal the

%ad>s (ragon>s influence, and at first that might be enough, but as the%adness takes over, it becomes harder and harder to repel it. ou may

use Ta2le 789 Taint :ro0th from the -ore Rulebook to simulate this

effect, remembering that %adess is resisted with an )onorFWillpower

Roll instead of a Raw Earth Roll.

2evels of %adness

%uch like the &hadowlands Taint, %adness is divided into the following

2evels of -orruption:



$e%el &' Seeds o Madness

A character with less than one Dull Rank of %adness is not yet

completely under the influence of />an #u. At worst it has drawn upon

his attention as one of the many toy soldiers of the Rokugani Toy box.

$e%el ' Sura*e Madness

A character with at least Dull rank of %adness, but less that = ranks

has 9ust touched the surface of %adness. As soon as a character

reaches Rank , he gains a minor %ental (isadvantage. This

disadvantage should be chosen carefully so as to not adversely affect

the character 4after all, it should not be clear at this point that the

character is under the influence of />an #u5. ood disadvantages to

consider are: -ompulsion, -ontrary, (oubt or (riven. *ther(isadvantages could also be considered if they are usually associated

with the character>s -lan 4a $rash %atsu or an Ascetic monk, for

instance5.

$e%el +' A*ti%e Madness

A character with = or more Ranks in madness is now clearly showing

the effects of />an #u>s Touch. "t is now clear there is something wrong

with the person, although it is no necessarily evident that he has been

touched by />an #u. A character with this level of %adness gets two

more minor %ental (isadvantages. Additionally, the character begins to

act erratically, often choosing to perform duties that he would not

usually consider.

$e%el 3' ,onsuming Madness

A character with @ or more Ranks in %adness is effectively losing his

identity, and becoming more and more a pawn of />an #u. At this

stage, a character gains two more %ental (isadvantages, at least oneof which is completely opposite to his -lan>s ideals 4A $rash Asahina or

a /acifist %atsu5. ood options include -onsumed and Dailure of

$ushido, or -annot lie for a &corpion.

$e%el -' .eadl/ Madness

A character with J or more Ranks of %adness becomes a time bomb. At

this stage the character gains no new disadvantages, but would rather

take those he has to the extreme. To the brash, everyone is opposing

him. The overconfident would believe he is the only one able to do



anything, etc. The T; of any mental (isadvantage is increased by =0.

When confronted about his mental state, the character will react

violently, accusing others to be 7in the wrong8.

$e%el 5' allenAny character with < or more Ranks of %adness is considered Dallen.

)e is no longer in control of himself and seeks only to throw down the

Dalse *rder imposed unto him by the Empire. )e is no longer allowed

to roll against any of his %entalF&piritual (isadvantages and

automatically fails those he tries 4increasing his madness as he does

so5. %ost character would not survive until this point6 and if they do,

they would often be better used as ;/-s.

Dighting the %adness

?nlike the &hadowlands Taint, the touch of />an #u is as fickle as the

(ragon itself. While many of the options below are con9ectures 4and

thus the % has the final say on which are true and which are not5,

they are believed by many to be the only sure!fire way to combat the

%adness.

•/onor a2ove all else: The rolls to resist the %adness alreadytakes )onor into account6 but should a % want to reward thosewho are able to keep their )onor even when driven to %adness,he could use the following option: >hene"er a pla#er would gain<onor, he can choose to %orgo it in order to make an<onor>illpower 1oll at TN -CDC %or each 1ank in $adness the)haracter possessesF to reduce his $adness b# - point! Thisreduction does not remo"e an# disad"antages acGuired b# $adness!

• The Sel- versus the Dragon4 The cult of Dudo believes that, by

putting oneself above all others, man can achieve a greaterstate. To them, this has proven of great use in their hunt of theDallen. %any see the Dudoist values as very similar to theteachings of &hourido, and so, a @$ that wants to pla# with this possibilit# ma# allow an# pla#er to use his *ark Paragon Ad"antage to re0roll an# $adness )heck2 howe"er, rel#ing onthis *ark belie%s can lead to a darker path, so, a character that

%ails a re0roll made in this wa# gains twice the amount he would ha"e gotten in the %irst place!



• The "ealousy o- the $ealms4 igoku is a ealous Realm. *nce it

grabs hold of someone is would never let go. &o, having a (ragontaking over the mind of its sub9ects is not something it is very kinto. &hould the % want, he can represent this %ight %or control

o"er the mortal man, b# allowing an# character with at least -3ull 1ank o% Taint to denounce P6an +u6s $adness b# gaining points o% Taint eGual to amount o% $adness he would ha"e gotten, plus -! 8% course, nothing impedes the $ad *ragon too%%er the same deal to those who would pre%er $adness o"er Taint!

• The Purity o- Thought4 />an #u>s influence last for as long as

/>an #u>s interest. And while the effects of its %adness could be

long lasting or even eternal, a live of pious devotion could helpcalm the mind. A character that chooses to li"e an ascetic or pure li%e, and who meditates dail#, ma# be able to purge the$adness so long as he remains outside o% P6an +u6s Area o% &n%luence! An# character that meets this criteria, makes an<onor>illpower 1oll at TN -CDC %or each 1ank in $adness the)haracter possessesF e"er# week, to reduce his $adness b# - point! This reduction does not remo"e an# disad"antagesacGuired b# $adness2 but should his $adness be reduced be#ond

the 1ank that granted the disad"antage, the @$should consider allowing the pla#er to pa# it o%%, possibl# with adiscount!

• ,rystal ,lear Thoughts4 "n the -olonies, there is a rumor

spreading of some crystals which protect those who wear themfrom the touch of %adness. &ome claim that they have an effecton the individuals which causes them to become obsessed withgai9in customs and artifacts6 but many more say that its better tobe interested in gai9in, than being a madman lost on the streetsof &econd -ity. An#one wearing these cr#stals, gains a ?k?bonus to an# roll to resist $adness, but su%%er %rom a uniGueside e%%ect! @$s wanting to learn more about these cr#stalsshould re%er to the LC1 H.-H @encon 1P@I >hispered Secrets $odule!

/>an #u>s Area of "nfluence

"t is hard, if not impossible, to understand the mind of a celestial

being, moreover if that -elestial $eing is the (ragon of %adness. Thismakes it impossible to really discern where />an #u>s Area of "nfluence



truly lies. "s it only where he can see, or can he influence the whole of

the Empire, or maybe even beyondC (oes he maintain a constant

influence over an area, or does his influence roam as freely as his

mind, only remaining in a specific city for a few days before moving

onC The answers to these 1uestions are beyond the character>s

understanding. The % should feel free to move, enlarge or expand

the the area as he sees fits 4to the betterment of the story, of course5.

While the current story!line seems to indicate that />an #u>s influence

extent throughout the whole of the -olonies6 the % should not feel

bounded by this, after all, />an #u can be a fickle as his madness, and

could choose to shape this area however he wants.

There you have it, a simple way to bring %adness into your game. 2etme know what you think about it and.or in which other ways you have

implemented the Touch of the %ad (ragon in your -ampaign.

Quick and Dirty Ivory Kingdoms

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