D&D General Asian D&D

[Blue Orange]

In someone created a steampunk fantasy setting inspired by American history I wouldn't be bothered in the least if they created some sort of western setting but concentrated on New York, California, Texas, and Canada and their primary influences. Their version of Not America is perfectly fine with me when it comes to a fantasy setting. I don't see this as a mistake as this fantasy setting isn't actually America.

If you've ever seen Cowboy Bebop, it's very much a mishmosh of American popular culture of various eras. The creators were obviously evident Americanophiles (that a word?).

 

[MGibster]

If you've ever seen Cowboy Bebop, it's very much a mishmosh of American popular culture of various eras. The creators were obviously evident Americanophiles (that a word?).

Behold the theme song used for one of my Deadlands campaigns from a few years back.

 

[Voadam]

For those interested Paizo recently announced they are doing a big hardcover book for their fantasy Asian continent Tian Xia, another book about fantasy Asian characters, and a four part ghost story horror Tian Xia adventure path for their Pathfinder 2e system.

They had a much smaller region book for Tian Xia in Pathfinder 1e along with the six part Jade Regent adventure path in which the first half is getting to Tian Xia from fantasy viking lands, the second half is in Tian Xia.

Their setting sourcebooks are pretty good even if you don't use their rule system. I am using a lot of Paizo's Golarion lore in my current 5e game that I DM.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

For those interested Paizo recently announced they are doing a big hardcover book for their fantasy Asian continent Tian Xia, another book about fantasy Asian characters, and a four part ghost story horror Tian Xia adventure path for their Pathfinder 2e system.

They had a much smaller region book for Tian Xia in Pathfinder 1e along with the six part Jade Regent adventure path in which the first half is getting to Tian Xia from fantasy viking lands, the second half is in Tian Xia.

Their setting sourcebooks are pretty good even if you don't use their rule system. I am using a lot of Paizo's Golarion lore in my current 5e game that I DM.

Do you if creatures in PF2 are roughly the same power-level than the ones in 5e? Like, can I take a PF2 adventure where the PC meet 4 goblins and just have my 5e PCs do the same encounter at roughly the same level?

Because I've been wanting to run Curse of Strahd, but in a more asian setting inspired by games such as Nioh and Sekiro: Shadow Dies Twice. So having another horror game in an asian setting would be super useful.

 

[Voadam]

Do you if creatures in PF2 are roughly the same power-level than the ones in 5e? Like, can I take a PF2 adventure where the PC meet 4 goblins and just have my 5e PCs do the same encounter at roughly the same level?

Because I've been wanting to run Curse of Strahd, but in a more asian setting inspired by games such as Nioh and Sekiro: Shadow Dies Twice. So having another horror game in an asian setting would be super useful.

I couldn't say on converting PF2 monsters.

I am running my second conversion of Paizo adventure paths to 5e and usually swapping in 5e equivalent monsters or CRs and it has worked so far with PCs from levels one to six so far, but that was with Pathfinder 1e modules, which is the equivalent of 3e monsters and encounter design balance.

I played a lot of 3e, 3.5, and Pathfinder 1e and I am familiar with and comfortable with judging those mechanics. I have a bunch of PF2e stuff from two Humble Bundle deals but have not done more than skim some of the mechanics (three action phases, a little bit of skills, and some character creation aspects). I have not played or DMd any PF2 so I could not say how the monsters mechanics could apply or what to watch out for.

There are a number of 5e Asian monster books however if you want specific monsters for an Asian setting Curse of Strahd instead of just reskinning the ones from CoS.

Legendary Games has a 112-page Asian Monsters 5e book and I have liked a number of their monster books (I read a bunch from their Pathfinder 1e line and have a couple 5e ones I have not delved into yet). They also have a shorter 28-page Beasts from the East 5e sourcebook.

There used to be a separate 5e Beasts from the East series of PDFs from Evil Beagle Games/Mobius World with sourcebooks for monsters from India, China, and Japan that were pretty fantastic, but I don't see them available for sale anymore.

From DM's Guild the 5e Oriental Adventures Reference is only $4.99 and has 350+ D&D monsters from piror oriental adventures material converted to 5e and ones inspired by more modern sources.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Of course we can use the lore of other games and franchises.

I repeat my suggestion, to create a new fantasy setting with a "Western culture" look, but with isekai-jianghu essence, of course with our own D&D touch.

 

[Blue Orange]

Of course we can use the lore of other games and franchises.

I repeat my suggestion, to create a new fantasy setting with a "Western culture" look, but with isekai-jianghu essence, of course with our own D&D touch.

You seem to want something very specific. I'd encourage you to develop your ideas and reach out to some artists who can make pictures to help bring your vision to life. Steampunkette's selling her stuff, after all.

 

[kunadam]

I THINK (not sure) part of it is the separation of the boys from the men, and the girls from the woman. In some parts of that culture, when you are a man you don't do things that the little boys do. You focus on more manly things (and this may be something that is going out of style with the younger generations, I'm not sure, but with the older generations, men did not watch cartoons for example, they did not go and play with toys and little kids video games. Instead they would work, hang out with their work buddies, go to the bars, watch sports, and be "mature" (hard to put exactly what the term mature means, but it's what separates you from those who are not mature). You would play golf with your boss or work on finances.

This also exists in Europe. When I admitted that I play with friends at my parent-in-law village, most thought that I gamble. Gambling is the only playing that grown man do. (so basically card games and slot machines) And when I started RPG, we had like 2 girls sometimes showing up, and a girlfriend of a buddy sometimes hanging around. Now I have a gaming group where I'm the only male present, and in another with roughly half-half. There were enormous changes in the last 20-30 years in what is acceptable to do as a grown-up and what is boys' stuff and what is girls' stuff. So, as far as I think, it is less of a East vs. West thing, but more as 21st vs. last century.

What appeals in India is going to be vastly different than what appeals in Georgia or Turkmenistan.

Both are technically Asia (albeit in case of Georgia we can argue) but setting wise they would fall under just Forgotten Realms or Al-Qadim. Georgia is an orthodox christian nation. Turkmenistan is one of the Turkic nations which have more in common with Turkey and to a lesser extent Arabia and North Africa (acknowledging that Turkic and Arabic is two different culture, and Mediterranean culture is yet another).

 

[Voadam]

I have not played or DMd any PF2 so I could not say how the monsters mechanics could apply or what to watch out for.

To follow up a little bit, here is the encounter building tables from the PF2 core book, note that PF2 uses creature level and not a challenge rating as their term for gauging monsters.

TABLE 10–1: ENCOUNTER BUDGET
Threat XP Budget
Trivial 40 or less
Low 60
Moderate 80
Severe 120
Extreme 160

TABLE 10–2: CREATURE XP AND ROLE
Creature Level XP Suggested Role
Party level – 4 10 Low-threat lackey
Party level – 3 15 Low- or moderate-threat lackey
Party level – 2 20 Any lackey or standard creature
Party level – 1 30 Any standard creature
Party level 40 Any standard creature or low-threat boss
Party level + 1 60 Low- or moderate-threat boss
Party level + 2 80 Moderate- or severe-threat boss
Party level + 3 120 Severe- or extreme-threat boss
Party level + 4 160 Extreme-threat solo boss

I find 5e's xp budget math less than intuitive but here 1 creature of the average party level (40xp) would be a trivial threat, 2 of them would be moderate, 3 severe, and 4 an extreme encounter.

My general understanding is that because so many of the offensive and defensive stats are tied to level and that degrees of success and failure have escalating impacts that parties are balanced much more tightly against things close to their level than in bound accuracy 5e and so higher level things in PF2 can be more unstoppable powerhouses in combat while lower level ones can be effectively steamrolled or ignored for a bit without much concern.

 

[Demetrios1453]

With regard to the OP specifically - why Kara-Tur in particular? I mean, it hasn't had a meaningful presence in D&D lore since what, the Horde metaplot in FR, and the dragonships in the original Spelljammer? So 30 years minimum? A quick google doesn't exactly reveal a thriving fan community. It's the next thing to invisible, in fact. Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, and Dark Sun leave it for dead in that department. I can't even remember anyone having lore arguments about the place on this board, whereas we can go on for hundred and hundred of posts about pretty much any other setting. So far as the wider D&D culture, it seems to have pretty much vanished without leaving a trace on the zeitgeist. Quick, everyone, without googling, name 6 Kara-Tur deities! I could do that with the greatest of ease for almost any other D&D setting, even the ones that went out of print before i got into the game in the mid-late 90s. In fact, Kara-Tur seems to be the rarest of rare beasties - an AD&D campaign setting that DOESN'T have a vocal fanbase clamouring for WotC to bring it back! Even Maztica gets more love, and near-universal opinion is that Maztica sucked.

Assuming WotC wanted to put out a product with a more Asian-inspired look and feel, why would they go back to Kara-Tur, and have to deal with or retcon all the hamfisted or problematic stuff rather than make something new? What in particular makes Kara-Tur unique, memorable, and worth salvaging?

The main reason is that it is part of the same world as most of the 5e adventures, with all the connections and (relative) ease of travel that implies.

The one of the very few good things about the Spellplague and the Second Sundering, along with a century of non-comminication, is that any revisit to the region can easily remove the problematic material and update things for modern sensibilities - or, heck, even change things up significantly - and not even the most canon-adhering fan could argue against it.