Jade and Steel

Jade & Steel

The timing of the release of the Oriental Adventures supplement for the D&D 3e system seems to have inspired a few D20 system publishers to release their own Asian-themed products. Among these are Buring Shaolin by Atlas Games and Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts by Green Ronin. A third product in this category is Jade & Steel, by Avalanche Press.

Unlike the other publishers in this category, Avalanche Press claims settings and adventures inspired by real world history and myth as their forte. Their other recent releases include the late Byzantine adventure The Last Days of Constantinople, and the Norse myth inspired Greenland Saga and Ragnarok.

Jade & Steel details life in a mythical version of China during the three kingdoms era. It includes a brief overview of the setting, rules material, and an adventure.

A First Look

Jade & Steel is a staple bound, softcover book. The book has 48 pages and is priced at $12.95 US. This gives it an overall cost per page that is a little high for books in the size and price range.

The cover is full color and depicts a woman with dark complexion and raven hair. She is clothed in skimpy attire and is holding a sword. In the backdrop is a rugged landscape with a single pagoda-style building in the background. This would have been a fine picture if it was on an issue of Heavy Metal magazine. But it seems woefully out of place on this book. The woman does not look Chinese, and nor does her garb. Further, her sword appears to be of Japanese make. The picture does not well represent the book.

The interior is black and white. The art appears to be ink drawings of Chinese buildings and art objects. For the most part, the pictures appear more ornamental than illustrative to me, and they are certainly a deviation from typical RPG art.

The book has thin margins, but uses a fairly large font. Most rules material is in boxes with a thick patterned border; these text boxes seem to waste a lot of page space. Coupled with the book's high cost per page, I couldn't help but feel that the value for money was a little low on that basis.

Setting and Rules Material

Jade & Steel is divide into three sections. The first is entitled Life and Times in the Three Kingdoms. It covers the history and culture of ancient China with an eye towards the gamer. It covers such things as the prevailing geopolitical situation (and a little history behind it) and the concepts associated with Chinese mysticism, and prevailing philosophies and modes of thought in China. It only spends six pages on this material, so it feels somewhat inadequate. A DM running a full blown campaign in this setting would do well to do a little of their own research as well.

There is a little rules material in this first section. Of the major religious divisions described -- Animism, Buddhism, and Taoism -- each is provided with a brief description of how to represent divine spellcasters using the basic D20 system rules.

The bulk of the rules material is actually in part 2, entitled Characters. The basics of character generation are covered very briefly, giving just a recommendation that characters should probably be human and made specifically for the game, and a sidebar details the roles that female adventurers could logically play in the setting. Presumably, the author may have assumed that many or most DMs using the setting will be using Oriental Adventures for the more basic assumptions of an Asian campaign. The bulk of the rules material is in the form of new prestige classes, feats, and weapons appropriate to the Jade & Steel setting.

There are six new prestige classes introduced in the book. They are:

- Alchemist: A prestige class for spellcasters, this is the Chinese version of an alchemist. Most of their abilities are similar to what you would expect for an alchemist in other settings: improved alchemy and potion creation abilities. However, their ultimate ability, Elixir of Life, allows them to brew an elixir that extends their life.

- Dim Mak Practitioner: This is a martial arts class that focuses on deadly touch attacks. They gain some monk ability, but gain improvements to their stunning blow ability that allow them to weaken or even blind foes. Their ultimate ability is the ability to strike at a distance using Ch'i alone.

- Diviner: This class is based around the Chinese mystical tradition of I Ching, a method of divination that relies on the reading of patterns made by the tossing of 6 specially marked sticks. The diviner can use a scry skill check to make predictions. The potential effects of their readings depend on their diviner class level.

- Geometer: The geometer is a divine spellcaster that practices the art of Feng Shui, achieving favorable results by arranging the landscape to be in harmony with the natural forces of the area. The geometer can use their abilities to endow an area with bonuses to those who reside their or to endow it with an enchantment.

- Iron Hand Disciple: The iron hand disciple is a martial artist who has undergone rigorous physical training to make their body like iron. They can shatter objects with their bare hands and gain natural AC bonuses and damage reduction.

-Sword Saint: The sword saint is a Taoist who learns to master a weapon. They have a philosophy that prevents them from using their full abilities against those that they don't consider "worthy opponents." However their abilities are pretty impressive, including many monk-like abilities that they may perform with their weapon.

Overall, I found the classes fairly balanced and fairly true to the setting. The spellcasting classes have full spellcasting advancement. This is usually a trouble sign for a class, but the class abilities they receive are actually pretty modest. The combative classes are likewise very interesting, and make good use of the rules. The only one I consider a little powerful is the sword saint.

In addition to this, the prestige classes make use of the intended qualities of prestige classes. Owing to the way prerequisites are structured, they fit the classes in the Oriental Adventures book as neatly as the classes in D20 system reference document that they where written around.

The new feats are primarily combat oriented. A few feats are focused on improving two-weapon combat a little further. The modest Leap of the Monkey feat allows the character to ignore penalties to AC when climbing.

There are many unarmed combat techniques. Grappling Finesse allows the character to use dexterity in place of strength when grappling. Improved Grapple which lets the character make a grapple as a move equivalent action without suffering an attack of opportunity. Sticking lets the character anticipates their foe in combat by touching them; they represent this simply by providing a bonus to disarm, grapple, and trip attempts. Typhoon attack allows the characters to strike multiple opponents in a charge. Whirlwind kick allows the character to strike an addition target during a full attack. Finally Willow Step allows the character to attempt a tumble check after a charge to continue moving. Of these, I found Whirlwind kick and Willow step the iffiest. Whirlwind kick is poorly phrased, implying that it takes a full attacks but then implying it does not prevent with the character's normal full attack. Willow step seems like a weaker version of spring attack.

There are a few new weapons and weapon equivalences, different from the Oriental Adventures book's version. For example, where the OA states the jian is equivalent to a longsword, Jade & Steel gives its stats equivalent to a short sword except that it can slash or thrust. Finally, the book introduces Chinese rockets as a weapon.

The Adventure
(Warning: there are spoilers regarding the adventure in this section.)

The last half of the book is the adventure For Love or Money. The adventure is for d20 system characters of 11th - 14th level. There are a variety of hooks provided, but it is generally assumed that the characters are wandering heroes during the warring states period. The adventure is primarily event driven, split into four "acts".

The first act depicts the players arrival in the area. The players can pick up some facts surrounding the adventure, but eventually they will be invited to dinner with the lord of the local region, Lord Chiang. After some decent role-playing opportunities (and the chance for a cultural faux pas), Lord Chiang asks the PCs to perform a task for them. Recently his daughter, who was traveling to wed a member of the Lim, a rival family. The wedding was set up to heal the longstanding rivalry, but his daughter was kidnaped by a group of bandits called the Black Tigers. Lord Chiang is relied upon by the merchants to protect them. He must continue to do so, and cannot alarm them by letting them know that his own daughter disappeared in the very lands he was charged to secure. So he asks the PCs to help recover her.

The truth is that the whole situation is a set up. There are two spies within Lord Chiang's house, one of them one of his concubines. They work for the Lim. The spies were responsible for convincing Lord Chaing to set up the wedding, and introduced his headstrong daughter to the leader of the Black Tigers. The Lim hope that they can use this distraction to create an opening during the upcoming pearl festival that will allow them to issue a coup.

The second act has the PCs on the trail of the black tigers. Some Lim soldiers attack the PCs in the guise of Black Tiger bandits. After the imposters are dealt with, the PCs will also have to deal with a devil summoned by a Lim wizard. During this battle, Black Tiger (leader of the Black Tiger bandits) and Black Crane (an ally of his, a druid), who have been casing the battle, will join them in fighting the fiend.

Once the battle is over, the players will find themselves in an interesting roleplaying situation. The enemy they were sent against stands before them, but he will show that the Lim soldiers are imposters and not bandits. The players will have to decide what to do from there. However, he also relates the news that Kim Nan (Chiangs daughter) is with him willingly, and if the players have not trounced or captured him, he is willing to show the PCs back to his campaign to demonstrate that this is true.

In the third act, the players find their way back to the Black Tiger's camp -- either with Black Tiger or following his trail. There they will meet Kim Nan. The text provides for a variety of different possible paths at this point, but most likely when Kim Nan hears the news of the situation, she will become suspicious that something is up, and will probably be willing to accompany the PCs back to the Chaing compound.

When they arrive, they will find the Lim have indeed sprung their coup. They have a force inside the city and control the gates. A group of Chiang wardens are assembling a force to go in and assure their Lord's safety. It is up to the PC to get in and help expose the spies and resolve the situations. The adventure is tolerant to some of the paths the PCs may have taken to get to this point, but there is a good chance they will end up in a face off with the Lim spies, and may or may not be able to save Lord Chiang.

Summary

The rules and background material seemed fairly good to me. The prestige classes were well put together and appropriate, and the feats were generally interesting and balanced. The addition of some more details to flesh it out would have been very nice. For example, character names, significant NPCs and factions in the setting, adventure seeds, and character roles all would have nicely enhanced the book.

I found the adventure very good. There were a few points that seemed a little contrived. For example, I fail to see how Kim Nan concluded something was up back at the Chaing city. However, it was a nice little intrigue and showed a lot more robustness for differences in the flow of events than most event based adventures do. I found this a very refreshing break from the site-based fare that is so common in the D20 universe.

My feelings can be summed up as: nice stuff, give me more. Overall, I thought that the author did rather well in the background material, the rules material, and the adventure. The drawback is that the presentation was somewhat poor and the price was high for this size of a book. If you are running an Oriental Adventures campaign, it may be worth your while. The prestige classes fit well with OA, and the adventure and background material would work well if you are running a game in historical China or a fantasy analog of it.

-Alan D. Kohler

Edit: In retrospect, despite the price and presentation of the book, I feel the content of this book is very strong and am bumping its score to a "4".

The pricing for the book seems fairly typical. If it's 64 pages, $13 is pretty much average.

On the low end, you have the witchfire adventures which are 64 pages and $10. On the high end, you have WOTC products that are 64 pages and $15. And some other companies, as well. The new Deadlands d20 splatbook for the Huckster is $15 and 64 pages.

It's not 64 pages. It's 48 pages. (My initial edit said 64 pages, but it is 48 like the product page says.) Otherwise, you'd be right. Trust me -- I keep a spreadsheet that gives me a pretty good idea where a product stands.

Travel to a land of mystery, misunderstood by outsiders for millenia. Find out what adventures lie in the mist shrouded lands of Ancient China.

Beware! This review contains major spoilers.
This is not a playtest review.

Price: $12.95
Page Count: 48
Price per page: About 27 cents per page

Format: Softcover

External Artwork: Typical Avalanche cover of scantily-clad woman. The quality of the art is good, regardless of the subject matter.

Additional Page Use: Both inside covers are blank. The first three and last two pages are taken up with credits, contents, the OGL and adverts.

Internal Artwork: The internal artwork is mainly black and white digitally altered photographs that are pretty effective. The actual black and white sketches are of good quality.

Maps: The map in the centre pages is basic but shows the main location of the adventure and a rough political map of the Three Kingdoms at the heart of the module.

Text Density: Text density is average, with no large amounts of white space. However, there are numerous sidebars which have a wide graphic margin that diminish the actual amount of text.

Text Style: The writing style is clear and concise. There are a few typos.

Whats Inside:

The Introduction gives us background information to the sourcebook. Set in 210 AD, the Empire of China has collapsed into three warring states. As implied by the title, despite its historical background this is a mythic setting where monsters and magic exist.

Part 1: Life and Times in the Three Kingdoms, gives us a brief history of how the Three Kingdoms came to be shaped, with sidebars on food and clothing of the time. Several sections on magic look at alchemy, the importance of the five elements (earth, fire, metal, water, wood), Feng Shui (understanding the flow of power in the magical landscape), and I Ching (Chinese art of divination by throwing six marked sticks and reading their formation). It then gives an overview of Philosophy and Religion before going into more detail on Animism (manipulating nature spirits), Buddhism (quest for enlightenment over various reincarnations), Confucianism (respect towards authority), Legalism (harsh laws, strict punishment) and Taoism (seeing through the illusion of the material world, introduced the idea of yin and yang, and martial arts). The section finishes with some notes on crime and punishment, with some really rather nasty ideas for torture, including the infamous Chinese Water Torture.

Part 2: Characters, provides information for playing characters in Mythic China. All PCs must be human, and preferably of Chinese origin rather than using Western characters. There is also a sidebar covering the role of women in the Three Kingdoms. Six new Prestige Classes are introduced: Alchemist (searches for the Elixir of Life), Dim Mak Prectitioner (martial artist who affects life force of opponents by attacking pressure points), Diviner (using the I Ching), Geometer (using Feng Shui), Iron Hand Disciple (monk warriors with enhanced physical powers), and Sword Saint (Taoist philosophers who seek to understand harmony via battle against a worthy opponent using 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'-like powers). Several new feats are also introduced: Dual Weapon Attack (allows full Strength bonus for offhand weapons), Grappling Finesse, Improved Grapple, Leap of the Monkey (keep Dex bonus to AC when climbing), Sticking (bonus to Disarm, Grapple or Trip), Superior Two-Weapon Fighting (can use two non-light weapons), Typhoon Attack (leaping attack against two nearby opponents), Whirlwind Kick, and Willow Step (continue to move after Charge). The sectio ends with some information on new Chinese weapons (Jiann sword, Hook Sword, Butterfly Sword), new weapons that use existing equivalents (e.g. Fighting Wheels use Short Sword stats), and details on Fireworks and gunpowder rockets.

Part 3: For Love or Money, is an adventure designed for 4-6 characters of levels 11-14. The story involves a plot by the Lim Clan to assassinate the head of the Chiang clan and take the Chiang's holdings - most importantly, a lake that holds shellfish which produce the finest freshwater pearls in China. The Lim and the Chiang have been fighting over the land for generations, but there is a plan to marry the daughter of the Chiangs to the son of the Lims to cement peace between the two clans. However, the daughter of the Chiangs has fallen in love with a bandit leader called Black Tiger and hearing about the murderous traits of the son of the Lims, arranges for Black Tiger to 'kidnap' her on the way to the betrothal. The PCs are hired to rescue the princess, and will have to deal with traitorous servants in the Chiang's fortress, Lim Clan warriors dressed as Black Tiger bandits and in control of a cornugon devil, the reluctant princess and her bandit lover and a finale involving the invasion of the Lim clan against the Chiang's lands, which the PCs must help to avert. Detailed information on the various NPCs are kept to sidebars apart from the main text.

The High Points: A nice mix of setting information, character enhancements, and a cracking adventure in 'Crouching Dragon' style. The NPCs have useful roleplaying tips accompanying the stats in the adventure, the feats seem balanced and in keeping with the theme of the module, and the Prestige Classes are in keeping with the setting too.

The Low Points: I would have liked a little bit more information on the current political situation in the Three Kingdoms and, as usual for Avalanche, the rules side of things could be sharpened up. It is necessarily limited in its depth and breadth of coverage by its size, and more information on the geography and deities would also have been useful for developing adventures in the Three Kingdoms. There just isn't enough to run a full-blown campaign without extra research being done.

Conclusion: A well-balanced, well-written sourcebook that suffers from being too short and fairly expensive. More of a dessert than a main course, but a very tasty one for what it is. I haven't got Oriental Adventures or the Rokugan setting sourcebooks so I can't compare Jade and Steel with them, but from reviews by others I imagine Jade and Steel to be less comprehensive, but still of great interest to those who have a penchant for oriental settings, particularly if they want the bones to develop a campaign with a 'Crouching Tiger' feel to it. It also reminded me of the old TV series 'The Water Margin', for those of you who have seen it.

I've always been a bit leery of buying Avalanche Press products, mostly because the first product of theirs (Last Days of Constantinople) was awful in terms of using the d20 rules. Still, it was mentioned that they've improved, so I bought 3 of their books on ebay for about half-price. And I was leery because of their covers are a bit on the embaressing side, another benefit of buying mail order.

Anyway, the last of the 3 is Jade and Steel. This is set in mythic China, apparently during the period known as the 3 Kingdoms, of which there is a fairly famous PC and Console strategy game series (Romance of the 3 Kingdoms). I always found those games interesting, but could never get into them. So I wasn't completely sure if I wanted this. But I'm glad I bought it.

Like all of Avalanche Press's early books, it's 48 pages with a MSRP of $12.95 (they're now apparently moving to 64 pages, though with a hefty price increase), and has a cover by some semi-famous artist. In this case, the cover is of a barely dressed somewhat asian looking woman. Unlike most of his other covers, she's not about to tip over due to gravity, which is perhaps why it's the only cover I actually like, even if it is a bit sleazy. (I paid $8 or so for it)

Inside though, the artwork is more mundane, and somewhat sparse. The font used is fairly large, but there is little margin, either on the side or top, so the amount of text is pretty decent.
The book is divided into 3 parts - the first an overview of mythic China, the second on playing apropriate characters (rules, mostly), and lastly an adventure for fairly high level characters (11th - 14th).

The first part, on mythic China, is fairly short at 6 pages. It gives a very brief overview of the history (very brief) than some info on culture and different religions. While they do seem to have covered most things, it's really very brief. Makes me want to look up a history book on ancient China (which I plan to).

The second part (which is all open content) is on making apropriate characters and is about 11-12 pages long. It starts off by saying all characters are human, and should probably be Chinese for the best effective. It then introduces a number of prestige classes...

The Alchemist
- An arcane spellcasting prestige class who specializes in making potions, and potion like things (paints, oils, pills, gases that act like potions), as well as the ultimate power of making the Elixir of Life. At 6th level, it can also substitute expensive material for xp in potions/items at the rate of 5 gold per xp.

The Dim Mak Practicioner
- basically a monk prestige class. The special powers all deal with special types of nerve strikes.

The Diviner
- an arcane spellcasting prestige class that specializes in fortelling the future.

The Geometer
- a divine spellcasting prestige class that specializing in harmonizing with nature, or Feng Shui. Good at arranging furniture for the best benefit.

Iron Hand Disciple
- another monkish prestige class. This one specializes in hardening his body so that it takes less and gives out more damage

Sword Saint
- One of the cooler and more desireable (for players) classes, I think. It essentially is a fighter prestige class, with some monkish abilities. The ultimate power is that of 'Spellcleaver', which allows the character to deflect ray or energy spells with his weapon of choice by making a reflex save against 15+ the caster level of the spell. Pretty cool.

After this, there are 10 or so new feats. Most are combat related, and don't seem too appealing. There's a handful of new weapons, and some new names for new weapons, including the rocket

Lastly, and taking up over half of this book, is an adventure. Essentially, the PCs are wandering heroes, and are hired by the local warlord to find his daughter, who has apparently been kidnapped.

So, it's up to the PCs to find her. This is rather complicated though, with a fair amount of duplicity. It's a pretty good adventure, with lots of room for roleplaying, freedom on the players part, and is interesting in both terms of plot and in characters. The trouble is, it's for rather high level characters (and I haven't had a chance to use it yet). I think it would have been more apropriate to have a low level or introductory adventure.

All in all, this is a pretty good book though. I would really have liked to have seen more on the history and culture of China. And perhaps a better adapation of the various chinese religions to the d20 system, rather than them just giving potential domains. But still, it's definitely enough material to get you started on a mythic Chinese campaign, though you'll really need to also hit the history books.

I also liked the prestige classes, though some seem ill suited for players. In general, the use of the d20 rules is quite good (there are some gaffes/confusion regarding the tables for the monkish prestige classes), and the open content is generous. So I think this product is a pretty solid 4.

Update 4/15/02:

It dawned on me that this book completely fails to mention what sort of armor was used then. It covers weapons, but not armor. Looking at the NPC stats in the adventure is not much of a help either. This is a big gaffe, so I'm downgrading my score to a 3.