Bones of Li-Peng

Certainly one of the more ghoulish weapons ever created, the Bones of Li-Peng are exactly that—the right arm-bones of the famous monk Li-Peng, bound with sinew at the elbow joint and fashioned into nunchaku.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 nunchaku; Cost 2,302 gp. You gain a +1 bonus on one Concentration check per day. Omen: Despite their morbid looks, the Bones of Li-

Peng are not at all evil. In fact, the weapon radiates a tangible aura of tranquility and calm. HISTORY

Li-Peng was the most famous sifu (teacher) at the Monastery of the Five Cherry Blossoms, a fabled site of learning and enlightenment nestled high in the mountains. This teacher is something of a folk hero among the peoples living in and around the mountains, although his true nature remains a mystery. The human goatherds in the valleys and lower peaks describe Li-Peng as a human, while the dwarf miners, whose outposts cling to the steep cliffs, call Li-Peng one of their own. Regardless of Li-Peng’s true origins, after his death many of his personal effects gained reputations for possessing magical properties. (DC 15) One spring, the monks of the Monastery of the Five Cherry Blossoms sent the young acolyte Li-Peng down into the village to purchase supplies, since the long winter had depleted their stores. Laden with bolts of the fi ne cloth the monks had woven, Li-Peng took up his staff and began the trek down the mountain. Halfway along his journey, he was accosted by a terrible ogre who held a vicious but blind hell hound on an iron chain. The ogre told Li-Peng the hound would be set upon him if he didn’t hand over the goods he was carrying. Li-Peng simply smiled, said that he had no fear of dogs, and made to continue on his way. True to his word, the ogre released his hound and ordered it to kill the monk, but Li-Peng was too quick. The nimble ascetic leapt into a tree and, running lightly along a branch above his enemies, quickly pulled off his robe and tossed it down over the ogre. The hell hound was fooled by the robe’s scent and fell upon the ogre, tearing the giant limb from limb. Li-Peng, meanwhile, climbed down the tree and continued on his way. (DC 18; Monk’s Cunning)

When Li-Peng was an older man, a peasant came to the gates of the monastery to beg the monks’ aid. A band of fi erce brigands was terrorizing the villagers and stealing their rice crop—the people had no rice with which to pay their taxes. Li-Peng vowed to deal with the bandits and set off toward the town with his trusty staff in hand. At dusk that evening, the outlaws rode into the settlement and demanded the daily harvest. Li-Peng, looking small and unassuming in his orange robe, stepped forward and told the robbers to depart and fi nd honest work, lest their souls suffer in the afterlife. The thieves scoffed and fi red their crossbows, but with a twirl of his staff, Li-Peng knocked their bolts away. The bandits, amazed by this display of skill, nevertheless leapt to attack. The monk simply laughed at them, for he was too nimble to be caught. Leaping about like a hare, he struck the brigands repeatedly with his staff, knocking them all senseless. When the leader awoke after the fi ght, Li-Peng harnessed him to a donkey cart and made him pull the vehicle back to the outlaws’ hideout. The stolen rice was recovered. (DC 25; Martial Whirlwind) At the twilight of Li-Peng’s life, when he had been master of the Monastery of the Five Cherry Blossoms for many years, one of his students came to him and asked why he didn’t write his wisdom down for future generations. Li-Peng grinned and repeated one of his oft-quoted proverbs—”If you meet the Enlightened One on the road, kill him.” The pupil pondered this, realizing the master meant no person could lead another to enlightenment. When the student countered that at least Li-Peng’s legendary martial arts skills should be preserved, Li Peng replied, “My arms are my own. Only if they were yours would they follow your road.” Evidently, the younger monk took Li-Peng’s proverb a bit too literally. When Li-Peng was dead and his body had been reduced to its skeleton, the young monk took Li-Peng was a famous monk whose armbones were transformed into a set of magic nunchaku after his death

Illus. by D. Martin

Table 3–3: Bones of Li-Peng

——————— Personal Costs ———————

Wielder Attack Skill Check Hit Point Skill Point

Level Penalty Penalty Loss Loss Abilities

5th — — — — Master’s grace +2 6th — — 2 4 — 7th –1 — — — +2 nunchaku 8th — — — — — 9th — — — — — 10th — –2 2 2 +2 defending nunchaku 11th — — — — +2 defending holy nunchaku 12th — — — 2 — 13th –2 — — — Student of the master 14th — — 2 — — 15th — — — 2 +3 defending holy nunchaku 16th — –3 — — — 17th — — — — +4 defending holy nunchaku 18th — — 2 2 Master’s grace +6 19th — –4 — 2 Oneness of balance 20th — — — 2 +5 defending holy nunchaku the master’s right arm bones, bound them into a nunchaku, and fled the monastery in the night. His fate is unrecorded. (DC 31; Li-Peng’s Road) LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of the Bones of Li-Peng.

Monk’s Cunning: You must overcome an encounter with a hostile creature whose Challenge Rating is at least equal to your character level. You can accomplish this through intimidation, trickery, stealth, or any other appropriate method. Cost: 2,000 gp. Feat

Granted: Least Legacy (Bones of Li-Peng).

Martial Whirlwind: In contrast to the previous ritual, you have to defeat a group of three or more opponents with a total Encounter Level at least equal to your character level. You must engage the enemies alone but can use any weapons or tools at your disposal. Cost: 12,000 gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Bones of Li-Peng).

Li-Peng’s Road: You are required to travel to the legendary Monastery of the Five Cherry Blossoms and visit Li-Peng’s sepulcher. There you must spend 24 hours in prayer and meditation. Cost: 40,000 gp.

Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (Bones of Li-Peng). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

Monks benefit most from the Bones of Li-Peng, but any character proficient with the nunchaku might find the weapon’s abilities useful.

Bones of Li-Peng Wielder Requirements

Wisdom 13 Base attack bonus +2 Balance 6 ranks Any nonchaotic alignment

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of the Bones of Li-Peng.

Master’s Grace (Su): At 5th level, you acquire some of Li-Peng’s legendary nimbleness, gaining a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity. At 18th level, this bonus rises to +6.

Student of the Master (Su): Beginning at 13th level, you are treated as a monk five levels higher than your actual monk level for purposes of Armor

Class bonus and unarmed damage. You can make one additional stunning attack per day, if you have the

Stunning Fist feat. If you have no monk levels, you gain the Armor Class bonus and unarmed damage of a 5th-level monk. This bonus does not include a monk’s Wisdom bonus to Armor Class.

Oneness of Balance (Su): At 19th level, you gain a +10 competence bonus on Balance, Escape Artist, and Tumble checks. ADVENTURE SEED (EL 6)

While spending the night at an isolated monastery one evening during their travels, the characters are awakened in the middle of the night by a loud pounding on the monastery gates. Investigating the noise, they find an emaciated, pale monk, carrying nunchaku that appear to be made from a set of human armbones. Suk Chan introduces himself and then challenges any of the acolytes to a battle to prove his style’s supremacy. The resident monks are all frightened of

the newcomer, certain that he can and will kill any of them. A PC might answer the challenge, but Suk Chan insists that the fi ght be conducted only with monk weapons. He wields the Bones of Li-Peng during the battle.

Suk Chan CR 6

Male human monk 5 LE Medium humanoid Init +4; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2 Languages Common AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 13; Dodge hp 31 (5 HD) Immune normal disease Resist evasion Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +6 (+8 against enchantments) Speed 40 ft. (8 squares) Melee Bones of Li-Peng +8 (1d6+2) or Melee Bones of Li-Peng +7/+7 (1d6+2) with flurry of blows or Melee ki strike (magic) +7 (1d8+1) or Melee ki strike (magic) +6/+6 (1d8+1) with flurry of blows Base Atk +3; Grp +8 Atk Options Combat Reflexes, ki strike (magic),

Stunning Fist 5/day (DC 14) Abilities Str 12, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 SQ master’s grace (+2 enhancement bonus to Dex), slow fall 20 ft. Feats Combat ReflexesB, Dodge, Improved Grapple,

Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Least Legacy (Bones of

Li-Peng)B, Stunning FistB, Weapon Finesse Skills Balance +11, Climb +9, Diplomacy +1, Jump +10,

Knowledge (religion) +8, Sense Motive +7, Tumble +13 Possessions Bones of Li-Peng

Tactical Notes

Suk Chan is an aggressive fi ghter who takes full advantage of his own strengths and the terrain of the battlefi eld. Against enemies with low AC that do not have damage reduction against magic weapons, he prefers to use his unarmed strike for its higher damage. He reserves the Bones of Li-Peng for enemies with better defenses. The battle begins formally, with a strike of the gong. The combatants begin 10 feet apart, 5 feet to each side of the gong.

Round 1: If Suk Chan is not dazed from the gong (see below), he moves to attack the challenged PC. If the challenged one is dazed, the monk moves in and attacks. Otherwise, if he wins initiative, he charges and makes a stunning attack; if he does not win initiative, he uses his fl urry of blows and makes a stunning attack.

Round 2 and Beyond: If an opponent is stunned by a stunning attack, Suk Chan continues to batter with fl urry of blows, using one fl urry attack for another stunning attack. If the PC is wielding a one-handed or two-handed weapon, Suk Chan might attempt to initiate a grapple to deny the use of the weapon. His relatively low Strength makes this a somewhat risky move unless the opponent is already stunned, but

Improved Grapple gives him an advantage and negates attacks of opportunity. Monastery Courtyard

Weapons Racks Each rack keyed to this entry contains the following weapons: 1d2 spears, 1d2 quarterstaffs, 1d4 nunchaku, 1d4 sianghams, 1d4 sais, and 1d4 kamas. Statues These are gigantic stone sculptures representing divine beings and fantastic creatures. Gong Striking this gong creates a loud, echoing tone that dazes those within 5 feet for 1 round (Fortitude DC 10 negates). Anyone who succeeds is unaffected.