OOC Discussion

[Marullus]

For fun, here's Eiji's weapon and fighting style...

0003820_shaolin-monk-spade-stainless-steel.jpeg (50.59 KiB) Viewed 543 times

(Video)

[jemmus]

Spadejutsu. Spades fit right in with tonfa (ox prods) and nunchaku (grain thresher). Peasants started creating techniques for using farm tools as weapons in the 16th century. Because Shogun Toyotomo Hideyoshi took their swords and spears away in the infamous "Sword Hunt" confiscation campaign. (Actually Hideyoshi's title was Taisho rather than Shogun. He wasn't descended from the Minamoto, so he couldn't use the Shogun title (even though he was a de facto one).

[jemmus]

Nice work decrypting the occult duel rules, GM Marullus, and thanks for your work. I'm going to work through the rules and use Taka's current encounter as an object lesson.

[Marullus]

Wow... that was some seriously dramatic stuff! I am pleased with this story.

[Marullus]

I want to be explicit here OOC and get your input.

Spiritual combat and Astral Duels are the province of both Shigenja and Gakusho. Taka did it. I want to make sure we are clear on Eiji as Ffilz adapts to the character.

1092.2c The Occult Duel addresses how Eiji can use his Yoga like spell schools to engage in spiritual combat the same way Taka just did.

I do not see, however, a Gakusho equivalent to Astral Senses, that would allow Eiji to astrally project and wander around. I assume the duel keys off of Trance and is limited to the dueling.

It is important that Eiji has other powers.

He can prophecy, which allows a "We saw that coming" retcon of IC events.

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Karma-yoga: The Gakusho can prophesy. This allows characters
following his advice an option during play for the next few hours.
They can escape the results of some disaster, or choose to approach
the situation differently.
The Gakusho is assumed to "Foresee" the near future. If used on
the Strategic Scale, the time covered is in hours. If on the Tactical
Scale, it is in 10 minute Turns. The number of hours/Turns foreseen
is 1D3 per Level of Gakusho.
During this period, the Player Character may exercise, ONCE
ONLY, the following option. At any point, they may decide that they
did not do what the Gakusho foresaw them doing. They may "move
back" through time to some point between the time Gakusho left his
Trance state and the beginning of the situation they wish to avoid.
For example, a 3rd Level Gakusho enters a Trance and successfully
uses Karma-yoga. He rolls 3D3, scoring 8. He has seen 8 hours or
Turns into the future. Assuming that the characters are on Tactical
Scale, entering some place of danger, this is 8 Turns, 80 minutes. 30
minutes after the Trance, the group is attacked by some powerful
foe. Massacred in the ensuing combat, the survivors agree that they
did not come this far. They decide that they halted outside the area
guarded by their enemies. They pick up play from that point, taking
precautions Based on the knowledge that the enemies are there. The
Gamesmaster is totally justified in altering his set-up so that some
different situation is found in the same place as the previous/never-
was battle, ruling that the "cancelled" events occurred on a different
"timeline."
The time periods covered by the prophecy may not overlap. In
other words, Gakusho may not receive a new prophecy in Trance
while still within the time period covered by a previous prophecy.
The Gamesmaster should forbid such prophecies to other Gakusho
in the company of the one whose Trance is still in effect, since his
Spell has "muddied" the future for other seers involved in the
outcome of the first prophecy.

He can also meditate to learn secret knowledge.

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Raja-yoga: The Gakusho may ask the Gamesmaster for a hint on any
subject at all. The Effect Number of his BCS roll on the Raja-yoga
Skill should help determine the clarity of the answer. The higher the
Effect Number, the clearer the answer may be.
Yoga BCS rolls that fail may be retried if the Gakusho pays extra
Power equal to his Base BCS in the Yoga divided by 10. Do NOT
round this figure: retain fractional values. The Gakusho may choose
to pay a lower Cost, which in turn reduces his effect BCS for the
question. Thus, a Gakusho having a BCS of 14 in Raja-yoga can only
spare 1 point of Power for a second try. He expends the Power, but
his BCS for this question is now 10 Had he spent enough Power to
use his full BCS, the cost in Power for the use of his full BCS would
have been 14/10, or 1.4.
In general, a Gakusho may only use a Yoga successfully once in a
given Trance. One cannot prophesy twice, using Karma-yoga, or
seek for the key to two mysterious items using Gnana-yoga. The
cleric would have to emerge from the Trance and then enter a new
Trance.

Since I wasn't focusing on this as an NPC, I am willing to allow the prep to have happened off camera if Eiji wants to bring those into play now that he is a PC. This could allow:

• Eiji to have given a prophetic warning that Taka remembers, and changes her action to not run into the cave.
• Eiji could have foreseen Taka's action and is able to tell the others of her fate.
• Eiji could seek secret knowledge and bring things Taka just learned into play.
• Eiji can Invoke the Buddha's (p.36) to request divine aid to rescue and rejoin Taka's soul.
• Eiji can use magical senses to see an Astral being, like a Shugenja baka or Taka's soul.

Otherwise, if you physically bring Taka's body to her soul or bring her disembodied soul to her body, it is within Eiji's Yoga to restore her.

[jemmus]

Wow. Yes, that was dramatic. Very nice narratives by both player and GM. So at 0 HP due to subdual damage, Taka is unconscious but not dead, correct?

1095.1 LETHAL AND SUBDUAL DAMAGE
Lethal and Subdual damage directly affect the Hit Point Ability.
When damage of either type is suffered it reduces the Current Hit
Points. When this total falls below 1. the character is unconscious.

If the total Lethal damage suffered exceeds an amount equal to the
character’s Permanent Hit Points plus his Level, then he is dead.
Otherwise, even if the Hit Points are reduced below 0, he is only
unconscious.

Subdual damage simulates shock and minor damage. It is not in
itself fatal. Subdual Damage done to an unconscious foe is
counted as Lethal Damage: crushing bone, smashing tissue,
eventually killing.

[Marullus]

So at 0 HP due to subdual damage, Taka is unconscious but not dead, correct?

Correct.

But she travelled away from her body. I allowed a save (rather than dying) and she failed. So, consider her to be in a coma until her soul is recovered.

[ffilz]

I don’t want to do retro stuff so Eiji will now have to seek to restore Taka. Will look over stuff tomorrow when I am in front of my computer.

[jemmus]

So, did it happen like this?
a) Taka moved through the hag's physical lair, but on the Astral Plane.
b) The o-bakemono used physical things that are in the lair (the portcullis, etc.) to attack her on the Astral. It did that via Metal spells.

c) - e) below are just restating the rules, for everyone's benefit (including mine)
c) Taka's Power served as the equivalent of HP in a physical fight. The dai-bake's attacks did damage to her Power.
d) When her Power reached 0, she dropped out of the Astral.
e) Because she involuntarily left the Astral, she took 100% of her HP in subdual damage. Which left Taka at 0 HP. If a character has less than 1 HP from either kind of damage, they are unconscious. If Lethal damage takes a character to less HP than 0 minus their level from Lethal damage, they are dead. So at first level, dead at -2 HP or below. But that only applies to Lethal damage. Characters don't die from subdual damage, even if they go into negative HP.

f) Normally Taka would be dead because of the spell damage suffered in the Astral? Sorry, I've read the rules for magic, but I haven't re-read them, sorted them out, and made sense of them yet.

[ffilz]

Looks like Eiji should perform the Segaki Rite, it requires no power but takes on average 1 hour per body (30 + 1d6 * 10 minutes).

As to Taka, I looked over the rules and I'm really not quite clear. It looks like she may actually need to be resurrected.

I'm open to restoring Taka requiring some kind of adventure with a mystical nature if that makes sense.

[Marullus]

So, did it happen like this?
a) Taka moved through the hag's physical lair, but on the Astral Plane.

Yes.

b) The o-bakemono used physical things that are in the lair (the portcullis, etc.) to attack her on the Astral. It did that via Metal spells.

No. Those were just effects on the astral of his Metal School attacks (conjuring metal attacks). It was the same type of open narrative as we were doing in the duel.

c) - e) below are just restating the rules, for everyone's benefit (including mine)
c) Taka's Power served as the equivalent of HP in a physical fight. The dai-bake's attacks did damage to her Power.
d) When her Power reached 0, she dropped out of the Astral.
e) Because she involuntarily left the Astral, she took 100% of her HP in subdual damage. Which left Taka at 0 HP. If a character has less than 1 HP from either kind of damage, they are unconscious. If Lethal damage takes a character to less HP than 0 minus their level from Lethal damage, they are dead. So at first level, dead at -2 HP or below. But that only applies to Lethal damage. Characters don't die from subdual damage, even if they go into negative HP.

Yes.

f) Normally Taka would be dead because of the spell damage suffered in the Astral? Sorry, I've read the rules for magic, but I haven't re-read them, sorted them out, and made sense of them yet.

That's a little more complicated.

I cited this portion of the text when I set the terms of the duel, which were that she would be ejected unconscious, not dead, from the duel. Expending all Power in the duel being the trigger.

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Returning to the body imposes 2D10 of Subdual damage upon the
Shugenja if performed voluntarily, the magician having first returned
to the place where his body lies entranced. If forced back into the
body by the means mentioned above, the Shugenja suffers 100% of
his current Hit Points in Subdual damage. [b]This also occurs if the
Shugenja expends all of his Power while upon the Astral.[/b] Violently
handling the Shugenja's physical body has a similar effect.

When she fled the duel, it could've changed the circumstances. The next paragraph in the book says:

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If the Shugenja's Astral body is slain, the Shugenja may be
resurrected. If he is not returned to life, then he reincarnates
normally, with full Karma.

I made a choice to honor the original terms and continue in duel-terms instead of switching to hit points and slaying her.

As to Taka, I looked over the rules and I'm really not quite clear. It looks like she may actually need to be resurrected.

That would follow from the above, but I am deliberately choosing to continue in the Duel Terms instead of "dying on the astral" terms.

I'm open to restoring Taka requiring some kind of adventure with a mystical nature if that makes sense.

That's basically what I'm allowing. As stated above, if her body is brought to her soul or her soul to her body, I will allow Eiji to rejoin them successfully. That means it is solvable within the context of the adventure. The context clues from the narrative should help with that.

Looks like Eiji should perform the Segaki Rite, it requires no power but takes on average 1 hour per body (30 + 1d6 * 10 minutes).

The NPC Eiji spent all day consecrating and burying the already-dead bodies - I was assuming this process as part of that. Eiji was born an Eta Gravedigger, took a "Digging Graves" BCS as his free skill, and is a buddhist who can consecrate them. It was a given that he'd take that seriously.

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Segaki Rite: Range: Short. Cost: Varies.
This is nothing more or less than the burial service for the dead.
Performed normally, over a newly deceased individual, it prevents
the dead person's spirit from returning as a ghost. It also prevents
any attempt to raise the character from the dead, since it sends his
spirit onwards into the next life.
Performed over the body of one whose spirit is active as a Ghost,
Specter, Gaki-oni, etc., it permanently exorcises the spirit, sending it
onwards into the afterlife.
Performed in the former case, no Power is required. Performed in
the latter case, Power equal to the Rank of the spirit is required and
the Gakusho must make his BCS to succeed in banishing the angry
ghost. The BCS is at a penalty equal to the spirit's Rank but only on
successful roll is required to banish it, unlike an Exorcism. The spirit
is likely to try and disrupt the ceremony in this case.
The Segaki Rite requires 30 + (1D6 x 10) minutes to perform and
requires that the corpse be burned once the BCS is made
successfully, or the ghost will return in 2D6 months.

What I missed, however, is the hour-per-body and that the bodies are burned at the end of the ritual (all Buddhists cremate??). I allowed about 30 minutes per body, and we're going to say that's enough, and that burning them wasn't required (because the story stops making sense with that error).

So... roleplay as if Eiji already completed consecration and that burning was optional. Whether disturbing the bodies disrupts the consecration is a matter of IC debate.

Everyone okay with that?

[jemmus]

Sounds good, and thanks for the detailed explanation. Again, that was an epic scene.

I did some research on cremation vs. burial in Japan. During the Heian period we're in, almost all Buddhists kuge aristocrats were cremated rather than buried. A little later heimin Buddhist peasants also started to be cremated. It seems that Shinto continued to mostly follow the old tradition of burying rather than cremating.

But-- in Bushido, we also have supernatural beings. If you don't burn the body, I believe some of them could possibly reanimate. I suppose gakusho and shugenja might have been taught about that and would be aware of the possibility.

For simplicity, do we want to say that that Buddhists always cremate, and Shintoists generally bury?

(FYI, in modern Japan everyone is cremated and the ashes are buried. It's because of public health concerns, as well as limited geographic space issues).

[ffilz]

The rules obviously reflect the later period but we don't want to retro all the action that just occurred, so I'm happy to go with not cremating the bandits. I'm willing to assume Eiji underestimated the potential for the supernatural and simply buried the bodies if it's important that they be available for some supernatural purpose. Of course if that's not important, the bakemono may have not understood that the bodies WERE properly consecrated so could not be used for supernatural purposes, of course maybe they just wanted to eat the bodies or desecrate them?

In any case, now that the potential of the bodies being desecrated or used for supernatural or purposes is clear, Eiji will re-consecrate them and cremate them. Of course the others have still collected the heads, which Eiji understands is a necessary if impure undertaking.

[jemmus]

My notes from the other game's OOC thread about what happens when characters (such as Ha) level up.
Gain 5 On
Add +2 (for Level 2) to BCS for bonus skills (only)
Add one hit die
Spellcasters add 10 to Power

[ffilz]

I didn't manage to read up on what Eiji should do... Can any of his magic determine what happened to Taka and at least get us started on reviving her?

(and apparently I had this post all ready to go and never hit submit...)

[Marullus]

His potential actions are all laid out here:

This is they key moment for action by Eiji the Gakusho. He gets his 28 Power Points restored with his morning prayers at dawn.

• He can perform a Ki action to enhance his future actions, he needs to roll d20s until he gets a 1, but we're not time limited so he can do that. The only one relevant to this situation is Power Reservoir, which will increase his Power points from 28 to 29 (because he only has 1 Ki, that's the maximum).
• He can enter a Trance for 9 Power (10-level) and roll for one Prophecy (Karma-Yoga) useable in the coming day and one piece of Secret Knowledge (Raja-yoga) while in the trance. BCS to enter a trance is (Magic+Meditation/2) BCS 7. Successful use of either Yoga is BCS 3.
• He can attempt to heal the wounded, paying 1 Power for each roll and if successful healing 1d6. (BCS is 9 minus the amount of lethal damage the subject has/10. So BCS 7 for Souta and Ha, BCS 9 for Toshizo, and Taka can't be healed.)

He can cast Blessings upon himself or his teammates. This requires a BCS 9 roll and and each attempt costs 2 Power Points. Success allows the recipient to either add +2 to BCS rolls (Karma Yoga) or to gain 18% bonus hit points above their current total (Raja-Yoga). Either blessing lasts 1d3 turns, rolled when activated.

I think he gains Shugendo as follows:

• .1 Shugendo per successful healing roll with a minimum of 1 Shugendo for the scene.
• 1 Shugendo for gaining useful information from a Trance.
• .2 Shugendo for each Blessing successfuly cast.

After Eiji makes his decisions regarding his power points and has his scene, then the rest of you can plan your action for the day.

If he achieves a Trance he can use Raja-Yoga to ask a question on how to revive Taka / what happened to her as an option. (You can also attempt a Prophecy if you make it into the trance.) The Trance uses 9 Power, which impacts how much you have left for blessing or healing, as well.

[ffilz]

Sorry, I was being dense...

[jemmus]

I do that pretty often. I forget information that we already hashed out once or twice before.

[jemmus]

Chochin portable lanterns. Wish Toshizo had equipped one.

Lantern: Cost 2s; Weight 2; Class C
Lanterns burn oil. They consume 1 quart in about 10 hours. When
lit, they will cast good light with a radius of about 5 yards and poor
light another4 yards beyond that. If a lantern is dropped, oil will spill
and, if a fire is not started, the remaining oil will be consumed in 1D3
Detailed Turns.

Lantern Oil: Cost 5c per quart; Weight 1 per quart; Class D
“Molotov Cocktail.”
Oil is used in lanterns and is not suitable for use as a firebomb or "molotov cocktail."

[Marullus]

It is safe to say you found oil and lanterns in the house.