Interest Check: Oriental-flavored Adventure

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Jun 10, 2019 1:25 pm
http://conceptartworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Fan_Ming_Art_02b.jpg
The Setting
Qing'lai. Shining Jewel of the East. A land bordered on the north-east by the orc-infested Barrier Mountains, on the south-east by the nigh-impassable Haunted Desert, elsewhere by the sea.

On the nation's south-west coast, Qing'lai's great ports trade in silk, spices, tea, and opium. To the east, beyond the mountains, lies the Sea of Storms, criss-crossed by seasonal kaiju migrations that bring both destruction and prosperity. Some of these behemoths are so large, entire communities have been established on their carapace: shining monasteries, roving markets, ancient catacombs roamed by maddened minotaurs, the mighty fortress headquarters of a fabled mercenary company.

Beyond the Sea of Storms lies the mysterious land Yatpun, said to be inhabited by people who couple with fox-headed spirits, siring the world's most fearsome warriors.

https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/250/677/large/yasu-_-oriental-concept02-by-yasu.jpg?1413357825

The capital of Qing'lai sits in the center of the Perfumed Lake like a silk-swathed whore shrouded in opium smoke. Like her people, the Opal City is equal parts opulent and squalid, refined and depraved, ascetic and debauched. She is bloated by her excess, only saved from collapse by a strict societal hierarchy.

In the highest strata are the slug-people, the race who built the city's first buildings, founded its great civilization, and who have lived here since, they say, the dawn of time. They alone are permitted to own fixed property, to import and export goods, and to attend many of the city's libraries, archives and educational institutions. They are a pompous and effete people, fascinated by clothes and fashions and the decoration of their own appearances, though they love learning and study and pursuits scientific, aesthetic, and sorcerous.

Below the slug-people are the "noble" humanoid races, who are themselves separated into castes. Some are warriors in private employ, others are shopkeepers or sailors, while others fight for money or sell their love (the whores in the Opal City being notable for their beauty and skill). Their lowest rank is called the mumin, the people who herd giant cockroaches in the darkest alleyways. These cockroaches eat the city's litter and are in turn eaten by their herders.

Lowest of all are the crab-people, grasshopper men, and other "lowly" humanoid races who live outside the city in the mangroves and the saltwater marsh to the northwest, and are not permitted to enter the city proper except in servitude. They are unintelligent things, but strong and tough, and they are sometimes forced to do manual labor or simple tasks, on pain of death or torture and for scant reward. They are undoubtedly unfortunate and pathetic beings, very meek of character, though the people of the city think of them as the reincarnated souls of criminals and breakers of taboo, and deserving of their miserable lot. They do not generally have names, though those in employment are often daubed with paint to signify who is their master.

In the midst of all this, opportunities abound for a band of intrepid adventurers. Do they seek riches, fame, power, or glory? Peace and refuge from a dark past better left forgotten? Welcome to Qing'lai, Land of Splendor.
In creating this setting I've borrowed heavily from a variety of sources, so don't be surprised if you recognize something from your favorite anime, manga, kung-fu flick, or RPG. The flavor will be "Oriental," shamelessly jumbling together elements from many of the world's Asian cultures. I am Asian myself, but I make no attempts at historical accuracy. It's a fantasy world.

The Ruleset
The game will be run using the Dungeon World ruleset. Foreknowledge of the rules is not required. You'll find everything you need here and here. No doubt, there are many other rulesets suited to a martial arts heavy story, but this is the one I'm familiar with, so this is what we're using.

In addition to the character classes found on the two sites linked above, I am including The Monk as a playable option.

Interested?
I'm looking for active players who can post once per weekday. Please reply to this post with an idea about what kind of character you'd like to play. There's no need to specify character class or anything, just tell us your basic character idea or ideas. Character portraits are highly encouraged. Anything is acceptable, as long as the character is "Oriental." How you interpret that is entirely up to you. I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas!

https://66.media.tumblr.com/ae721cf1294c52a60927569cbd2b9fe4/tumblr_mvuk4nj4vP1qhttpto1_500.jpghttps://66.media.tumblr.com/9115b6c4fa1796e49f63c2c21a633ff8/tumblr_mvuk4nj4vP1qhttpto2_500.jpghttps://66.media.tumblr.com/39fe2eb297a67f3db13a584ffd57a853/tumblr_mvuk4nj4vP1qhttpto3_500.jpg
Last edited June 21, 2019 12:15 pm
Jun 10, 2019 2:19 pm
I'm thinking of a warrior, a Samurai type, from a fallen noble family that's on a path to redeem his family's honor.
Last edited June 10, 2019 4:15 pm
Jun 10, 2019 2:47 pm
This character is loosely based off of a character I made many years ago. Her name, Yuki Shirosenshi means "Snow White Warrior". The funny part of this is that I'd chosen her name and then rolled on my DM's homebrewed hair/skin/eyes tables and got white on all of them.

I then tried to play her in a game on here, but it went belly-up before it started :(
[ +- ] Appearance
[ +- ] Personality
[ +- ] Character Backstory
Any aspect of this can be changed to fit the setting :)
Jun 10, 2019 3:24 pm
Oriental? Sign me up! Here's one of my favourite tropes interpreted as a character I'd like to play.

His shifu was murdered by one of his disciples, who sought to steal the secret manual of mystic arts. Wisely, the shifu had divided it into separate scrolls, some hidden, some distributed among his students. Now masterless, with one of his shifu's pages in his possession, he makes his way to Opal City to make a new life for himself, all the while looking over his shoulder...
Jun 10, 2019 4:13 pm
I am also new to the ruleset but have an idea for a whip fighter. I recently joined my first Dungeon World game here but that game has been unbearably slow to update.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQoTIO3tr1jNBPnJkLgM1E_f__2rSpujdr8B3xKy2_i_LDjiJsl
Jun 10, 2019 4:23 pm
I'd love to try dungeon world. That being said my character concept isn't altogether ironed out but right now: average person went and got themselves possessed by a vengeful ghost, and now has terrifying supernatural power. Sort of a ghost rider situation.
Jun 10, 2019 4:33 pm
I might join in. Here are 2 ideas I have:
[ +- ] The Rebelling Labourer
[ +- ] The Abstinent Noble
I might pick one, do some changes, or even think of another character concept. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and is it possible to pick slug-person as a race?
Last edited June 10, 2019 4:34 pm
Jun 10, 2019 5:06 pm
Great ideas so far, everyone! Man, I can't take more than 4 or maybe 5, so it's going to be so hard to pick from among those who have posted here, and a couple others who have expressed interest! I may end up randomizing it!

Squadfather44: A samurai could be a Fighter or perhaps Paladin.
Naatkinson: Yuki could literally be almost any class.
BedzoneII: Great story! You could absolutely be any class.
Campeador: Depending on the fighting style you envision, could be Fighter, or maybe an Arcane Duelist!
Somebox: Very cool! May I suggest an Immolator?
RoAries: Hmm...the slug-person race isn't part of the ruleset, so while I wouldn't disallow it, there wouldn't be any mechanical benefit to being one.

Core DW doesn't have a monk class, but there's a ton of homebrew ones to be found online. I'll look around for a good one to make available for this game.
Last edited June 10, 2019 5:22 pm
Jun 10, 2019 5:07 pm
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a4/2d/42/a42d4259a4800c8af463b664f917adbc.jpg

This is what I'm thinking of for my character. Let me know if this will work. I think I'll go with the fighter class.
Last edited June 10, 2019 5:15 pm
Jun 10, 2019 5:25 pm
Looks great, Squadfather44! I'll be honest: submissions with character portraits get bonus points!
Jun 10, 2019 5:31 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Looks great, Squadfather44! I'll be honest: submissions with character portraits get bonus points!
Should I go ahead and work out a custom character sheet, or wait?
Jun 10, 2019 5:35 pm
I love the enthusiasm, but this thread is only 4 hours old. I feel like I should allow a bit more time before finalizing the lineup. :-D
Last edited June 10, 2019 5:53 pm
Jun 10, 2019 6:09 pm
I'm now thinking of playing the ranger class. My idea:
An Elven huntress that claims to be from Yatpun. She has a fox as her companion(its not in the list, but is it still OK?) She came to Qinglai to hunt local beasts, offer her service as forest guide, and to solve some sort of mystery that threatens nature itself(maybe involving Somebox's character).
Jun 10, 2019 6:19 pm
I looked at a bunch of monk playbooks. I've chosen to make this one available to anyone interested.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/77b9a46f900a3cdf5a409ebac877f42e/tenor.gif
Last edited June 10, 2019 6:19 pm
Jun 10, 2019 6:20 pm
Ranger sounds great, RoAries! I have no problem with a fox companion.
Jun 10, 2019 6:40 pm
Immolater looks pretty nifty, the whole create weapons of fire aspect is very neat to me.

@RoAries Character collaboration would be cool, I'm thinking the spooky ghost was burned in a fire to accommodate all the fire-based power.
[ +- ] Character portriat? Probably
Jun 10, 2019 6:48 pm
Thanks Jabes. BTW, I tried to find an image close enough, this is an example of what I got so far: http://www.womenofchina.cn/Profiles/Women_in_History/images/picc3opwi61.jpg
Jun 10, 2019 6:50 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Great ideas so far, everyone! Man, I can't take more than 4 or maybe 5, so it's going to be so hard to pick from among those who have posted here, and a couple others who have expressed interest! I may end up randomizing it!

Squadfather44: A samurai could be a Fighter or perhaps Paladin.
Naatkinson: Yuki could literally be almost any class.
BedzoneII: Great story! You could absolutely be any class.
Campeador: Depending on the fighting style you envision, could be Fighter, or maybe an Arcane Duelist!
Somebox: Very cool! May I suggest an Immolator?
RoAries: Hmm...the slug-person race isn't part of the ruleset, so while I wouldn't disallow it, there wouldn't be any mechanical benefit to being one.

Core DW doesn't have a monk class, but there's a ton of homebrew ones to be found online. I'll look around for a good one to make available for this game.
My plan was likely going to be paladin. Her appearance and powers can be explained by a connection to the divine.

Len

Jun 11, 2019 12:26 am
Jabes, here's my character idea!

Asuza, Lost but Seeking is a kind and loyal elf druid from the ancient forests that lie at the feet of the Barrier Mountains.

http://www.winonanelsonart.com/assets/azusa_lost_but_seeking_by_winona_nelson.jpg

"I do not miss Jukai Forest. It is not my home. My home is Qing'lai, its people my family. Wherever I set my pack and rest my head, I am home."

Concept totally stolen from mtg :) Forest name is non-binding!
Last edited June 11, 2019 4:03 am
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