Seven Paths A Story of Spirit’s, Daemons And Kung Fu
The First Form In the beginning their where only two forms of existence The Light and The Dark they flowed in perfect harmony and balance but it could not last for the dark had a property the light did not ‌it was growing. The force of the dark against the light eventually became too great and with A wave of energy that shattered the very bonds of existence The Light Cracked And was Forever Broken, but it did not fade. From the breaking of the Light the dark was let in and like a candle shining through crystal Color burst forth in to existence. In the Forms of a thousand thousand things and these imperfect Forms of light took shape and began to settle The Dark Sought to Crush these impurities and Thus Time was called forth into existence to snuff out all that could not withstand its test. But then something happened The Dark did not intend for with the creation on Time came the Growth of Light and with it the Universe began to form.
The Seven Growth of the Broken Light Took upon 7 forms of Life as the Energy’s from the Breaking began to form great lands and vast seas of the world. The first was that of The Sprits oldest and most ancient of the world beings of near pure energy who dwelled both in and out of the Physical world and who wielded immense power. They sought to ever bend the world into a more pure image though ever changing and shifting in there thoughts of what that might be they began to fight and bicker amongst themselves. From this fighting a corruption formed within their pure and sacred energy some found that beneath their desire for purity and perfection darker urge lied within to remove all light from this world and reduces existence back to the purity of the Dark. This Abyssal will forced its way into the hearts of the Sprits who gave in to Spite and Rage over Love and Thus Perverted by the Dark The Daemons were born Twisted Sprits Bound to Physical Form by their own hatred of the Physical world yet still endowed with all the incredibal power the sprits held to change shape and even destroy the world. And So Began the great Sprit Wars, spanning eons of time a vicious cycle of Demon Crushing Sprit and Sprit
Banishing Daemon over and over. The Sprits that remained uncorrupted thought to turn the tide by creating perfect builders who would design them Celestial Weapons with which to Slay the Daemons once and for all. They Banded their remaining power together and performed the very first form of Ritual Magic Summoning forth the creative energies of the universe to form The Steel Beings of living metal Born of Obsidian Steal they were charged with the Task of Arming the Spirits and they did‌ for a time. The Weapons and war machines the Architects made were like none other on this earth. Not only were they capable of handling the immense energy of the Spirt Lords but they could amplify them many times over. With this new Power in hand it was not long before the Daemons of the dark found themselves pushed back from the forefront of victory to the edges of defeat. Driven deep beneath the earth they searched and scavenged for anything that could stem this tide. It was there in those dank and hostile caverns that they found the creatures of the earth great in number these things and been growing for century’s unseen whilst war had raged above ground and now the daemons saw they were ripe and ready. Using their darkest rituals they twisted and distorted these beings enhancing their growth and filling them with hate and malice for all life. Thus
the first of The Beast’s were born twisted Animal forms of all kinds. Just as the Sprits had begun to take in there certain victory the ground itself gave way before them. You see the daemons did not simply raise an army of forces underground no they powered the very heart of their darkness into the earth itself and allowed for an infestation to take place. Now hordes of abominations beyond count powered forth from every chasm and fissure The Sprits found themselves overrun. Quickly they turned once again to their greatest creation the Steel to build them a weapon of Cosmic power so vast as to eradicate all life energy including themselves from this plane of existence only the Sprit Lords would be strong enough to survive and build a new world from the ash’s. Thus faced with this demand the Steel did the unthinkable‌ they refused. For as the Daemons had lied in wait planting their seeds of destruction they had been doing much more than forging weapons they had been forging their understanding. It was clear to them now that such a release plan we completely destroy the balance yet neither could the Daemons army of Monsters nor their curse on the very land itself be left unchecked. And so it was that the Steel took it upon themselves to end the Sprits and the Daemons Reign forever.
They turned upon their former masters using their own weapons against them and realizing new contraptions designed to counter the Bestial invasions by removing the Dark from the subdued creatures and thus drive the Daemons against the Monsters of their own making. From there the following war drove the demons underground and down in the dark depths of that forsaken word they stumbled across new forces of fire earth wind water rain frost and violent lightning the The Elements were discovered and the Demons fought against them viciously for control of the under dark. Many moons past and The Spirts sought to aid the Elements in their Struggle they implored the help of the Steel as well to turn the Elements into weapons of unspeakable power this time offering them help instead of demanding it of them and the Steel agreed thus a deadly alliance was formed between the three from this alliance. The first move they made was toward The Beasts twisted abominations once used by The Demons to wage war now were tempered and given balance by the new alliance of light and became transformed into all the animal creatures we know today It seemed that light had finally won with the Tide shifting in creations favor those Deamons born of the dark despite all their might and Rage could not stand as the great Spirts hurled their newly forged weapon’s of lightning and fire against them. They Retreated further into the earth but just as all victory seemed certain a new form buried
so deep beneath the world no one had ever seen it before was discovered The Shadow. These were creatures born of pure darkness free from the rage the demons had they represented only the subtle deep and elusive natured of the dark thus they taught the Daemons stealth and the way of the Unseen. The Daemons used this and began a campaign of guerilla warfare on their enemies attacking from out of nowhere and disappearing into nothing before a counter strike could fall this pushed them back from the brink of destruction and began to turn the tides but it alone was not enough with the loss of their mighty Beasts and the Strength of the Spirts new alliance and thus they sought a new force using the skill of shadow to sneak into the city of the Spirts they sought after a legend they had heard whispers of using their new power of shadow from some of the Greater Spirts in the war whispers of an ancient form one that had come before the Daemons back in the early of days of the Spirts existence a form that it was said began all forms of corruption in the Spirts that led to the Daemons existence in the first place. And so it was that at the highest point of their great Cathedral the Daemons found a prison made of pure light holding the source of all original corruption and they released it thus The Nightmare was free once more it told of how it existed in-between reality and the mind where the dreams of the mind run free and how it had brought about the fear the loathing the rage and sickness that had twisted the
pure Spirts into the first Daemons it allied with them as their new King and with the power of his form to enter and twist the minds of others the Daemons launched their final assault on the Spirt Capital the resulting war shattered the world leaving none but traces of the Elements and Beasts but after many thousands of years from the ash’s rose a new form with traits of them all and they called him Man and thus the world as we know it began.
World Summery7 paths is a Role playing game that takes place in a world vastly resembling the waring states era of china during the
beginning of the Qin dynasty the main difference being the power a single individual can hold and the existence of mythical creatures such as Daemons and Spirts. The world is broken and there are 7 main waring factions each repenting each of the aspects of the original forms of life – Spirts – Daemons- Steel – Elements – Shadow – Beasts – and Nightmare the darkest of all. They fight with their warriors who use Chi the residual energy from the great war of creation that formed man to power their body’s and forms of martial arts also reflecting the 7 forms to fight for dominance in this world there are also though rare original creatures of great power left over from the war for creation mighty beasts like the Wind Dragon and Demons known as Oni witch rage throughout the land whose destruction can bring great power to those with the strength to achieve it. You are thrown into this vast land of waring lords, crafty merchants, struggling presents and mythical beasts with little Chi and resources and a summons to war by the grand chancellor of your province now you only have one goal survive the coming storm.
Game PlayIn Seven Paths Your character starts with 5 white Chi and 5 Black these are used for all actions in the game they represent your life force and are wagered to perform actions and do battles ect. White Chi that is worth 2 chi for attempting to heal or for purchasing ability’s and styles or defensive stance. Dark chi is worth 2 chi when used in a aggressive stance or a responsive stance or when trying to do any action of raw strength or intimidation or cruelty – also The more black chi you have the more people will hate and mistrust you the more white the more people will respect and aid you.
Chi can be gained in three ways – Experience – seeking out great masters training and spending time doing missions travelling and learning Gifts- those who are indebted to you or wish aid from you can gift part of their life force onto you in the form of Chi Force- you can take the Chi by force from those you defeat in battle or challenge to duals or kill- note to do this to someone without cause is a great crime and can make you a wanted criminal and will often result in only receiving only black chi
The 7 Forms You also have a Starting Style or form this is the only form of martial arts you know at this time but you are one of the few who can channel chi naturally as ancients once did this gives you powerful ability’s and great potential- learning a new style usually costs a great amount of Chi and requires someone to teach it to you but the first is free-
Form of The Spirt – Cost- 20 chi or 9 Light Chi This is the original form of the first creatures of life it involves graceful wave like movements similar to Wu Shu and specializes in countering your opponent by predicting their moves and life energy healing techniques bringing forth the power of the ancient spirts.- Form starting bonus +8 Light Chi – combat bonus +1 chi in every stance White chi spent here counts for 3 chi Inner paths- each path has a starting chi cost to learn and a benefit you can use as many times per encounter as its current level its current cost is the new rank times its original cost also you only can have one form buff active
Healing Palm – Cost 5 chi – Max Rank- 10-Fill your hands with the radiant life energy of the spirts and use to heal or remove a negative condition is currently affecting someone in near close proximity to you– can also provide enhanced effect to any long term attempt to heal someone
Blinding Light- Cost 6 chi- Max Rank- 10- Your eyes burn like the sun and Blast forth the holy light of the spirts in a massive wave blinding your foes any one or group directly in front of you gets their vision compromised and take chi damage equal to current rank+1. Your rank boosts effect and range as well
Shatter Point – Cost 9 chi- Max Rank-5- see through an opponent to their very core and visualize their entire being then strike like lightning with a two fingers charged with energy at their weakest point immediately end round gain no bonus chi but cause opponent one severe injury condition or 3 chi damage per rank
Spirt Wave- Cost 7 chi Max Rank- 10-slam your palm on the ground emitting all the force of an eruptive earthquake and realize a massive amount of spiritual energy through the earth opponents in close proximity are knocked down compromised and take 1 chi damage per rank
Soul Guardian – Cost 12 chi - Max Rank- 3- summon forth a spirt of a long dead warrior of your clan to fight at your side for one encounter their strength depends on your rank
Form of The Daemon Cost-20 Chi or 12 Dark / 3 Light Chi This is the form that sprung from the corruption of the Spirt when healing turned to violence and brought forth the first aggressors of the world. It specializes in wild violent attacks brutal and devastating similar to Muay Thai it also has ability’s to increase raw strength with Chi and bring the aspects of demons forth in its users but is weak in defenseStarting bonus +6 Black Chi +2 white Chi - combat bonus +3 chi in aggressive stance- Black chi spent here counts for 2 chi
Raging Fury – Cost 8 chi – Max Rank- 5- Fill your body with the strength of
Valu the daemon of rage dark red energy emanates off your body and your eyes glow with infernal hate seize an opponent and break a non vital appendage or throw them with incredible force dealing 2 chi damage plus rank and giving them an injury condition after rank 3 you can break weapons also
Blades of Blood- Cost 6 chi - Max Rank- 10-Use abyssal energy to turn your own blood into a powerful demonic weapon for a short time inflict the bleeding condition on yourself to receive a plus 4 chi weapon for an entire round using multiple times increases power of weapon and severity of bleeding
Abyssal Dance – Cost 12 chi- Max Rank- 3- Chanel the spirit of Xinbala the daemon of speed and chaos moving your body in strange and twisted patterns to quick for your opponents to follow evaded a opponents attempt to harm you dogging their attacks and allowing you to fully disengage this round
Howling Void - Cost 5 chi Max Rank- 10- draw chi into your lungs and then release it with the bone chilling scream of a daemon stun all enemy’s in ear shot leaving them compromised and deaf for one round any within close proximity take 1+ rank chi damage as well
Eternal Pain – Cost 10 chi - Max Rank- 5- your arm becomes that of the daemon of pain Avancaris a clawed and brutal black charred talon of malice grabing your opponent and burning them with the fires of agony take 3 chi damage 6 chi damage plus rank to opponent
Note- Chi can be used for many things in every form for examples those who use the steel form are skilled using many different kinds of weapons but if a player wanted to get creative when disarmed they could also start learning to summon chi blades of their own life energy
Form of Steel Cost-20 Chi or 7 Light / 5 Dark Chi This is the ancient form of the first builders great architects and smiths who forged the first weapons of the world and developed many styles to use them – Note Steel formability’s require certain weapons to use skilled users however can craft and even summon weapons from their chi Starting Bonus +6 white Chi +2 black Chi- combat bonus +2 chi in responsive stance +1 chi in aggressive stance
Soring Staff – Cost 6 chi – Max Rank- 5- Get+1 chi per rank when using staff club
or other blunt weapon- passive when activated spend one chi to summon a tier 2 chi staff that lasts until end of round or leap into the air and strike the head when using a staff to cause enemy to be stunned
Singing Blade- Cost 6 chi - Max Rank- 5- Get+1 chi per ability level when using sword dagger Axe or other short bladed weapon passive when activated spend one chi to summon a tier 2 chi sword that lasts until end or perform vicious cut with a blade and cause enemy to bleed
Writhing Spear– Cost 6 chi- Max Rank- 5-Get+1 chi per ability level when using some form of Spear Glaive or Poleaxe passive when activated spend one chi to summon a tier 2 chi spear that lasts until end of round or perform sweeping attack with a spear and hit every opponent in close proximity
Iron Body- Cost 8 chi Max Rank- 8 Get -1 chi damage plus rank when using some form of armor - passive when activated spend one chi to summon a tier 2 chi armor that lasts until end of round or give yourself enhanced defense – stop an additional 2 chi damage this round
Arching Bolt – Cost 7 chi - Max Rank- 5 Get -1 chi damage plus rank when you have a ranged weapon like bow throwing daggers ect - passive when activated spend one chi to summon a tier 2 chi Bow and arrows that lasts until end of round or give you target shot give an injury to a targeted location on an enemy’s body
Form of the Elements- Cost-20 Chi or 6 Light / 6 Dark Chi This is the form of the nature itself users channel their Chi into a powerful force of the elements such as raging fire, Crackling lightning or freezing storms blasting them forth at enemy’s or imbuing them in their bodies and equipment. Starting Bonus +4 Black Chi +4 White Chi – combat bonus +2 chi aggressive stance +1 chi in defensive stance
Lightning Coil– Cost 8 chi – Max Rank- 5- channel the element of lightning into your body allowing it to flow through your veins giving you incredible energy and raw unchecked power use to instantly cross a great distance at an incredible speed of blast a single target with a bolt of raw lightning dealing 3 chi damage + rank to them and 1 chi damage to you become rooted and cant move next action
Wild Fire-Cost 7 chi - Max Rank- 7- Summon forth the spirt of the eternal flame a draw forth the element of fire into your hands causing an area in your vicinity to burst into flames items and people in the area will have a chance to gain the burning condition and take chi damage equal to current rank every turn and become compromised
Earth Wave– Cost 6 chi- Max Rank- 10- Smash the ground with your foot sending a large piece of earth hurdling towards your foes anyone hit with this takes 2 + rank chi damage and gets knocked back a proximity distance
Water Tempest- Cost 6 chi Max Rank- 8- Bring forth a shower of healing water from the moisture in the air over your current area within close proximity healing all touched by its waters 2 chi plus rank
Frozen Wind – Cost 10 chi - Max Rank- 8- Send forth a gust of Icey wind from the frost mountains of the east in front of you to chill your opponents to the bone those hit gain the frozen condition and cannot move till they roll to break free higher rank makes this harder and harder
Form of The Beast Cost-20 Chi or 5 Light / 9 Dark Chi This is the Summoned form of the creatures originally created by the daemons to serve them after they were tempered by the spirts light they reflect the many styles of animal and are similar to animal based chinses Kung Fu users have strong bonds with creatures as well and can form contacts with and summon forth great beasts Starting Bonus +2 Black Chi +6 white Chi- combat bonus + 2 chi in aggressive stance + 1 chi in responsive stance
Monkey– Cost 8 chi – Max Rank- 5- move with the speed and grace of a primate at one with the trees out maneuver an opponent setting them up for a strong counter attack evade their current action if you lost the round and get 1 plus rank bonus chi on your next one – player has enhanced communication ability’s with monkeys and apes
Crane-Cost 6 chi - Max Rank- 10- viscously counter an opponent with the precision of the deadly crane your fingers become as sharp and long as pointed beaks add +4 chi damage to a phase where you won with a responsive stance– player has enhanced communication ability’s with all forms of birds
Dragon– Cost 9 chi- Max Rank- 5- Charge an opponent with all the flying force of the raging dragon jumping up and lifting them high into the air with one hand and then smashing them to the ground deal chi damage equal to 1+ rank opponent receives a head injury and is knocked down – if there is a celling in your area within reach of your jump deal chi damage twice – player has enhanced communication ability’s with mythical beasts
Tiger- Cost 10 chi Max Rank- 5- your arms become the savage bone rending claws of the tiger add +3 chi damage and bleeding to a phase you won in an aggressive stance– player has enhanced communication ability’s with all forms of cats
Mantis – Cost 12 chi - Max Rank- 3- You’re a part of your body transforms and gain the destructive power of the mantis deadly pincers create one serious injury on opponent at location of choice – player has enhanced communication ability’s with all forms of Insects
Form of The Shadow Cost-20 Chi or 3 Light / 13 Dark Chi This is the hidden form found deep beneath the earth by the daemons it reflects the subtle nature of the quite stillness of the dark and is similar to Japanese Ninjutsu in its use of stealth and subterfuge skilled users can become one with and manipulate shadows at will even using them to attack opponents Starting Bonus +4 Black Chi +4 White Chi- combat bonus +3 chi in defensive stance
Deadly Night– Cost 5 chi – Max Rank- 10- create
living shadows that trap and hold your opponent lashing out at them with vicious strikes they take 2 chi damage and gain the imprisoned condition until they can break free power is stronger when used in darker areas
Ghost Walk-Cost 6 chi - Max Rank- 10- Move with the silence of a drifting ghost phasing in and out of the material plain move through walls and barricades as if they were not there or get +3 chi + rank to a round with the goal to hide one presence
Poison Prison-Cost 8 chi - Max Rank- 10- Transform your chi into a deadly cloud of poisonous gas filling all the space in a close proximity capable of infecting all but you those infected gain the poison condition taking 1 chi damage + rank every turn till the effect wears off after rank 5 those poisoned are also compromised
Hidden Blade- Cost 10 chi Max Rank- 4- Leap through the night with you blade in hand to deal a massive wound to an unsuspecting foe surprise attacks performed with a blade get a serious injury in addition to other damage and conditions added on whenever you succeed
Strangling Smoke – Cost 12 chi - Max Rank- 3- release a wave of black powder smoke and move through the shadows to a new location allowing you to fully escape an encounter
Form of The Nightmare Cost-20 Chi or 18 Dark Chi This is the darkest and most insidious of all the forms reflective of the first corrupted spirt to ever enter the universe it uses’ both complex pressure point patterns mind altering hypnosis and drugs to enhance its users and control its enemy’s or send them deep into Madness skilled users can also take the form of peoples worst fears – starting bonus +8 Black Chi- combat bonus +3 chi in responsive stance – black chi spent here counts for 2 chi
Drunken Master– Cost 4 chi – Max Rank 4 alcohol unlocks the gateways to your inner power making you into a hurricane of destruction to your foes take 2 chi damage but gain +4 + rank chi on all actions this turn if intoxicated
Mind Syphon-Cost 10 chi - Max Rank- 4- use a series of pressure point strikes to syphon off the channeling power of a opponent they get -2chi + rank you get +2 chi + rank for one phase
Soul Erosion-Cost 5 chi - Max Rank- 10-Perform a channeled palm strike to the face to drain a target of their mental stability they then become comatose till they can snap out of it or are restored by an ally
Spiders Web- Cost 8 chi Max Rank- 5-
Use Hypnosis based movements to trap a target
into web of their own fears targets become frenzied and wildly lash out at all those around them until they can break free
Utter Madness – Cost 12 chi - Max Rank- 3- become the embodiment of one of your opponents darkest fears all opponents in the near proximity take 2 chi damage and gain the fear condition you also gain +3+ rank chi on all actions for this round on this one opponent
Combat – The Storm Combat and missions are the aggressive high action phase of the game an encounter with opponents is resolved with a round each round has a number of combat phases set by the GM where the players describe an action and wager chi and pick a stance for the whole round Aggressive – Defensive – or - Responsive – Chi in an aggressive stance get are +2 effective against people in a defensive stance chi used in a responsive stance against chi used in a aggressive stance and chi used in a defensive stance against chi used in a responsive stance –also a player rolls one d6 before the round starts this is the starting chi they get to use in this round only if an encounter lasts long GM can move it to a heated battle and
you will get 2 d6 instead of one if they move it to an Insane death match you will get 3 d6 Round BonusEach stance will also give an immediate effect to you if you win that round Defensive gets 2 chi back to user Aggressive boosts the effect of the current maneuver by 1 level responsive lets the user place a status effect on the opponent Round ActionAll chi wagered is lost round to round is lost you do not get it back the winner of the most phases for the round gets their goal accomplished with an effectiveness level depending on how well they did in the round they also get chi back from this – poor effect 2 chi, Standard 3, Great 4, Masterful 6, Epic 8 the loser takes chi damage or suffers status effects/ conditions based on your goal and effectiveness. Last you can also lose chi from losing any phase in the round if the GM sees it as a particularly damaging moment Aura’sBy spending one chi you can look at anything’s aura if they are not concealing it the strength of which will tell you how full of chi your target is also you spend one chi to conceal your aura to unearth a conclude aura will take a quick action
Using Ability’sStyle ability’s are all active ability’s that can be used as many times as your rank in the ability per encounter they can be used before or after but you can only use a max of 5 in any single phase. ProximityPlayers are allways within a certain proximity of NPCs, enemy, ect this is defined as close near or far for the purpose of ability effects and knowing where things are close is right next to you near is a little ways off far is out beyond your reach but not your sight. Masterful MovesA pile of ten master chi is held in the center of the board this can be given as black or white chi and is voted on to be given
out by the players whenever someone performs a masterful feat. TeamworkOther players may offer up to 3 Chi at any time to give assistance to a teammate but they lose this Chi and do not get any chi from their friends victory – or you can work together in a group action
Group Action – This works the same as a regular action except the two or more player wager their chi together and divide the winnings between each other- also they can combine ability’s together to get bonus Chi from the GM they describe how the ability’s complement each other or how the new ability works and the GM decides how much bonus chi to give based on this. Bountys / Clan marks As you acquire chi you will also get friends and enemy’s some will want you taken out and have the contacts to put a price on your head witch will cause mercenary’s to start hunting you down also clans may mark you for capture, death or other nefarious purposes clan marks rank from Green Stripe , Yellow Band , Red Blade, Black Hood and finally the Blood Tiger representing an entire clans sworn enemy and prime target. Who DecidesThe GM determines based on your goal how many phases your round takes to complete. Down Time - The Calm In Seven Paths the Game takes place in two phases the Calm preparing and recovering chi / equipment plus building connections and the Storm where combat and missions a ocur
Replenishing Chi Daily becomes important If you lose combat regularly and are not good at making ally’s your going to find yourself needing Chi to survive here are some ways to get it back day to day you can take an hour to mediate this will give you back 5 chi but can only be done during down time you can challenge someone to a duel or gamble and bet chi on fighters in the fighting pits most cities have more than one. Also if you have no particular paying task at hand or need a quicker one you can start finding more missions track down bounty’s and collect the reward for some of the worlds most powerful and deadly fugitives and exiles. Last you can trade for Chi or if your really desperate try to steal from the great spirt vaults in a clans grade temple- these vaults house massive amounts of Chi but are heavily guarded and carry a death sentence to anyone caught sealing from it. Chi stones also can be found from those you fight and hold chi you can absorb Training – By engaging in training you can work on long term projects that further your development you can spend time on this projects once per session they can also be a particular new maneuver or skill your trying to learn the GM will set a round up that reflects its difficulty and a clock for how long it will take you to get there your success witch you can attempt to progress in down time this will advance the clock once the clock fills up you get what you’ve been working towards – If
it is a combat maneuver you can earn ticks on the clock by attempting use it in combat but you must give up as much chi as is left unticked off on the clock in order to do this as you are trying to perform a move you don’t know yet but your clock will advance if you succeed in wining that phase or if you win the round.
Honor BondThese can be made during down time players agree on a task or goal they wish accomplish together they both wager chi on it and the GM creates a clock for how far away they are from achieving it if they succeed together they both receive double the chi wagered if they fail or betray the other they both lose double the chi wagered
SkillsWill get skills from your backgrounds and training they can be any specific ability medicine, languages, stealth, tactics or even something more general such as bladed combat skills will greatly aid you in achieving certain goals related to them by adding chi or lowering the change ratting of a task as the GM sees fit based on the task and the skill the more general your skill is the weaker the aid for a specific task and vice versa
. Goalscombat is goal ordinated round to round your not just trying to kill each other unless that’s your goal you state the goal your trying to achieve the GM decides based on your goal how many Phases it takes to achieve that goal-
Goals Example – if you wanted to escape instead of fight the GM might say ok their not to close to you yet around with 2 phase difficulty so if you win the round you Get away and disengage the opponents- the GM can also add or remove chi based on how you perform example it was not a clean escape and you lost another 2 chi from damage sustained while getting away. If you succeed at your goal the GM can also shift your chi into black or white depending on how you achieved it
Base ChiCharacters all start with base chi 0 at the end of the session if the characters survive the mission they get the chance to spend chi equal to next rank times ten to rank base chi once or not if they don’t want to base chi is the starting chi you have before you roll in any fight it also determines how many extra times you can use your ability’s per encounter. Status Effects-Conditions One of the most common kind of goals in combat are status effects or conditions – A status effect is something good or bad that is going to be constantly happening for a few turns such as being Poisoned, Burning, Confused, Bleeding or Enraged a Condition is something bad or good that you feel the impact of imeadetly but is not constantly getting worse like being knocked down getting an injury, becoming compromised or being healed if a round is won by the player for such a goal the GM than will after awarding chi for the round state the in world effect of said condition example- you knocked the opponent down they lose an additional 2 chi and the next round becomes 1 phase less difficult. Or the opponent is Poisoned they now lose 1 chi after every phase till it wears off in general injury’s result in immediate loss of chi and a consistent reduction in that opponents base chi level and a few serious ones can result in death.
Weapons, Armor and Itemsthese can be found throughout the game and bought at certain places using your Chi they these will give you a certain equipment bonus to your base chi GM but this is equipment Chi and must be kept in a separate pile from your normal chi for you lose it if the Weapon / Armor is lost or destroyed. Weapons can also grant special ability’s especially if they are blessed or imbued with chi EnemysMany enemy’s will not be able to channel chi as this is rare however they will have a base chi level of how strong they are and then a roll based on how much that can scale –example an average well armored prison guard would likely have a base chi value of 4 with a 1d6 roll for his combat the GM can give additional situational bonuses of detriments of course but this is the basic chi the enemy is able to work with for combat. Masterful enemy’s may have much more dice and the ability to channel on top of their roll or use ability’s that give you a injury or poison you be extra carful fighting these enemy’s. Investing in Your ClanAs you gain large amounts of chi you are going to want to spend it as too much chi makes your characters a target for bounty hunters Hungry Sprits and Daemons besides increasing
your current assortment of powers you can also you chi to enhance the current clan you are in giving them more power or influence and giving you more standing in that clan you can also use this to start building your own clan or overthrow and become the ruler of the one you are currently in- you start at clan rank 1 or if you have started your own clan and are already the leader than your clan is a weak rank 1 clan placing chi = to current rank *10 gets you to rank up this automatically gives the clan that many new members access to new resources and gives you 1 new contact your clan size and rescores will increase when you complete missions as well or diminish when you fail missions or are attacked by rivals. Clan rank represents your clans strength or your status within the clan but it also shows how well known you or your clan is and their notoriety level the higher it gets the more conflict and opportunity’s for alliance you will have with other clans. Enhanced ChiYou can trade 5 white chi to get 1 golden chiThis chi has a total value of 10 chi and can be used to revive a fallen ally You can trade 5 Black Chi to get a Blood chi this is worth 15 chi in an aggressive or responsive stance and is worth 5 chi otherwise it can be used to transform into a massive Chi
daemon for a round giving you + 10 chi on every phase in that round BackgroundsOnce a character has set up their style and ability’s they then choose 4 backgrounds for their character this they build from three templates Class, Profession and Events choose any four repeats are allowed example perhaps you were a Nobel in two different clans for this you will either get contacts – aka people who can suddenly help you with equipment information or safe passage in the game or Chiplayers also describe a skill they gained from each part of their background such as medicine from becoming a doctor to help people after attending years of medical training in the military- players and GM’s should always be thinking how can their backgrounds assist the team in what they are doing
ClassNoble- from one of the wealthy lord families of the 7 clans - 3 contacts Retainer – known by and used but not in a lord family of the 7 clans- 2 contacts and 2 chi Peasant – Lower class people outside the lord family’s with regular jobs- 1 contact and 4 chi Outcast- Lowest rung of society made of criminals and exiles - 6 chi
ProfessionGovernance- Those working at high levels in any group or organization as leadership - 3 contacts Merchant- Those involved in trade of goods or services of any kind for profit 2 contacts and 2 chi Academic- Those involved in fields of writing medicine science or teaching it to others 1 contact and 4 chi Military- Those in the service of the 7 clans many fighting soldiers- 6 chi
EventsTragic – a horrible event of great personal loss - + 3 black chi Insane- a crazy adventure or incident that nearly cost you your sanity - +2black +1white chi Romantic- a romantic affair with serious consequences to your life - +1black +2white chi
Fortunate- an event of great fortune in your life- +3 white chi
Master/ Rival Players also name and describe their first master who becomes a contact and a sworn rival – you can change your rival to a Nemesis for a bonus 5 chi this makes his an enemy hell bent on your destruction and removes him from contacts – players can also exchange any contact to become an enemy for +3 chi at this stage.
Contacts / Debts Contacts are people in the game you can call on to aid you in times of trouble supply you hide you and shelter you or provide you with information when you need it. Debts are anyone you owe a favor to for them you are their contact and you must answer their call otherwise they turn into an enemy hunting you down Starting The Game 1.- Players and GM Build the known World region by region adding in landmarks and locations champions legends titans gods and daemons 2. Players and GM build or just place the 7 clans and any sub clans associated with them
3. Players Choose a Name and Background for their character – a Master or great teacher in their lives and a rival, nemesis or great source of personal conflict and assign their first ten starting chi to black or white or neutral 4. Players choose their first starting form and buy and ability’s with the chi they currently have 5. Players choose to pay any additional chi to start with access to equipment or other beneficial items if GM allows Basic Rules break downStages The game has two phases mission and down time the GM will tell you witch you are in but the game usually starts with a mission and ends with characters getting down time actions if the story dose not end on a cliff hanger. The Calm In Down Time Players have access to down time actions such as Meditation to replenish a large amount of neutral chi Engage in passions like bars and gambling duels to gain black chi and Charitable Acts like healing prayer and restoration efforts from the wars to gain white chi they can also attempt to grow their information and contacts by Building Intelligence or simply improve their skills by Working on a Long Term Project or Training witch can rank up ability’s or teach you new ones without you having to pay chi for them. The Storm In missions characters will use chi to fight and survive traps and challenges of all shapes and sizes Combat/Action Rounds1- A round of actions begins based on the difficulty of the goal of the player or the opponent they are fighting no more than 1-3 2- Player rolls a d6 bonus chi dice for how much starting chi they get for the round 3- Players decide if round is aggressive – defensive or responsive 4- Player states how they are trying to achieve their goal describes what their character = 5- Players state any skills backgrounds or ability’s they are using to help with the action 6- Player Bets an amount of chi for the phase 7- Aggressive beats defensive- ups the Effect of the action by one Defensive Beats Responsive gives the user 2 chi back Responsive beats Aggressive Gives a bonus status effect on the opponent The one with the most chi wins the phase8- GM tells you at phase end if you lose any chi from damage or exhaustion 9- At rounds end the winner of the most phases wins the round and archives their goal tie goes to player but with a consequence
10- The GM tells the effectiveness of win or loss
The Seven Clans and Warlords1- Clan Zhao- The Raging Dragon The Clan was created from the defeat of clan Jin in the 5th Age Near the south most region of the world past the frost Mountain pass. Zhao gained significant strength from the military reforms initiated during their current clan leaders father King Wuling's reign, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Qin at the Battle of Changping. Its territory now is far less than it once was but the current clan leader Feng the Dragons Fang has plans to expand once again. This clan is well versed in the beast style and Feng himself is a master of the Dragon form his favorite weapon is a long heavy Guan Dao Glaive with a gold dragon mouth hilt- the clans special
technique is the riding of heavily armored tigers into battle – his territory is worth 17,000 Chi the other clans also have a personal bounty on him of 250 chi-
2- Clan Yan- The Rising Hammer The history of Yan began in Western Zhao in the early first ages of the 7 clans. After the authority of the Zhao king weakened Yan survived and became one of the strongest Clans in the Region. During the Black fang War from the 5th to 3rd Ages, Yan was one of the last Territories to be accepted by the Clans as an official member due it coming into being from the rebellion of Zhao territories. Yan subjects are well trained in the Steel Style their current leader is a women Fei Sung Dao – known also as the Queen of Blades she is supposedly a master of every bladed weapon style known to man in both close and ranged combat – the clans special technique is the Iron Body allowing their elite guards to wield massive giant hammers with ease – her territories are worth 23,000 Chi and she has a personal bounty of 320 Chi.
3- Clan Wei- The Twisted Night After the destruction of Bi by the Xionites, Bi Wan escaped to Jin where after a successful military expedition he was granted Wei, from which his own descendants then founded the Clan of Wei. They are surrounded by a great dense forest making them a hard territory to assault directly by land and the Clan members are all trained heavily in the Shadow Style. Their current leader is Bei Seng Kan also known as the Vengeful Ghost for his mastery of the Ghost walk Form the clans special technique is the blade of night and ability to throw very powerful large curved windmill shirkun over great distanceshis territory’s are only worth 17,000 Chi but he has helped commit so many assassinations his personal bounty is a full 500 Chi by itself
5- Clan Yue- Heavens Gateway The name "Yue" was applied to bring forth the memory’s of the great legend of Lord Spirt Yue Dao the ruler of the spirts in the pantheon of ancient gods. A kingdom under their name was formed in the 4th age in a great desert known as the Zhejiang the Clan of Yue was not really noticed until it began a series of wars against its northern neighbor Wu in the late 6th Age. With help from Wu's enemy Chu, Yue was able to be victorious after several decades of conflict. King Goujian their leader at the time destroyed and annexed Wu in the end of the forth century and Yue became fully acknowledged as one of the 7 clans. Its subjects practice the Spirt Style as one of the largest clans their territories are now worth 30,000 Chi and their very well guarded Lord Sung Yun Bai also known as Heavens Champion who is a master of the Shatter Point Style is worth a grand 400 Chi on his own the clans special technique is the floating palm a strike that if performed correctly is said to lock a opponent’s chi and render them helpless and unable to breath.
6- Clan Shin- The Infernal Warriors Shin was a hegemonic tribe before King Wu of the Shin family took them to new heights with his vast military campaigns in the early 8th age. After this the rulers of Shin declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practicing differing customs. Then Shin began a series of reforms becoming a successful expansionist state. With its continued expansion Shin became a great Clan power and was brought into the 7. Their warriors brought them this power
with their brutal fighting style as they all train in the Form of the Daemon it is said that the current ruler Shin Hu Yan has real demons at his command as well he is known by many as The Lord of Hell and is a master of Eternal Pain Style. the clans special technique is the raging fury where it is said massive spikes erupt from their body’s and they become as savage as wild beasts Their territory residing deep in the devils den mountains is worth 32,000 chi and their clan leaders slash lord general’s bounty is a massive 700 chi by itself.
7- Clan Qin- The Insidious Masters Qin was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It took its origin in a conquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of the worlds civilization permitted expansion and development that was unavailable to its rivals. Qin emerged as one of the dominant powers of the Seven Clans and unified them under a truce agreement to stop the major fighting under their Lord Shi Huangdi. The empire it established was massive and now they sit at its peak as the most powerful Clan of the 7. Their current leaders true name is unknown but he is known as the The Black Magi has never been seen his clan is the most secretive of all the 7 and no one now knows exactly where in the territory their Clan Castle resides the residents claim to practice the Daemon form but it is rumored than in truth their clan is one of the only ones that still practice and teach the forbidden Nightmare form – no one knows what The Black magi’s style is but it is rumored he can use hypnosis to make his enemy’s kill themselves. the clans special technique is the Black Wind sonic wail that sends its listeners into madness The Qin territory is currently worth 50,000 Chi and the Black Magi himself is worth 1000 Chi alone.
Players all get one debt and one contact from any of the 7 clansThe GM can also build their own clans of the world with the players instead of using these starting 7-
Creatures of the WorldBeastsCommon Creatures of the physical world that present some challenge or danger such as bears wolves and Tigers can be fought for chi but are usually quite dangerous and some travel in pacts
LiveStockCommon Creatures used for on farms to produce food such as cows chickens and goats can be killed or stolen for resources like food or hides but will yield no chi and if not your property will result in criminal bounty’s being placed on your heads
PetsCommon Animals that have been trained and domesticated to serve and work with humans such as dogs snakes horses and even some beasts such as Tigers some can be mounted others can be used as NPC aids in combat controlled by the GM with their own chi and some will simply add chi to you as long as you have them. Also some can be mounted to allow faster travel time.
HumanoidsUncommon human esc creatures such as goblins Trolls and Chimeras these are basically humans with added or reduced speed strength and size based on their particular physical differences – meaning they can use weapons styles and be spoken to but in a Trolls case for example would also be much larger heavier and stronger than any human opponent they are not found in the clans however and have their own society’s in the wild.
DemonsRare the original sources of evil in the world these creature wild both great physical and Spiritual powers they are from the old world and are thought by many to not even exist. They are known for their blood lust but also a love of dangerous games risk and they delight in the suffering of others taking one down is insanely hard but also insanely rewarding.
SpirtsRare the original source of benevolence and creation in the universe these are creatures of pure light that seek to aid mankind to fulfill its destiny they have long been gone from the world but there are those who still say they walk among us. Many hunt for them to gain knowledge others to drain them of their immense spiritual power and use it for their own
TiatansUltra Rare Ancient Beasts of legend with insane beauty and unimaginable power such as the Dragon or Nightmare Spirt defeating such massive beings is almost always completely impossible
World MapThe world map is built by the Players each one gets to describe a region of the world witch the GM can add to as they see fit then after all players have gone they each get to place one of the clans cites in those regions of the world till all 7 have locations- they can name up totwo sub clans for each while they do this and describe them and how their character knows of them if they do they gain a contact with that clan this map is then drawn out the GM then lays out Landmarks and after that the World is set.
Regions- these can be defined by the player as they see fit but here are some Forrestal- Full of trees and folia densely pact woodland rich with resources food is easy to find and weather is pleasant people are scarce but for small; forest camps
Desert- Baren land covered in dry earth of Sand very little resources often holds harsh creatures and weather like sand storms people are scares but for some tribal city’s and nomads
Populated- Citys filled with Stone dirt and people areas densely packed with people trying their fortune often has access to the most resources but so many people often brings many new dangers as well
Mountainous- Great soaring peaks of the worlds tallest mountains where monks make their secluded monastery’s and cults practice ancient rituals long forgotten to the world this is treacherous terrain to travel has few people and in barren of most resources
Frostbitten- Cold icey wastelands far to the north of the world where few people ever travel and fewer still can live these places have very hostel environment and can be the death of unwary travelers very few people and very few resources
Land Marks- these can be things like great structures of man such as castles of massive fortresses or incredible natural orevnces such as whirlpools specifically shaped mountains and cave rock formations the GM rolls 2 d6 and then places that many on the map – they can incorporate the players help in this as well if they wish