I'll keep the real specifics of the adventure we're running a bit vague to avoid spoilers, as it's one that could be purchased, and the details aren't REALLY important.
What is important is that I have a monk character in a game I'm DMing. The player has been watching a lot of cultivation anime and has built the character around the genre. The character was annihilated by a very lucky hit in the first adventure. I've killed this player's characters one or two times lately, and there was a very epic spiritual event about to happen so I figured the gods would be watching at that moment. So I had a good story reason to let him keep the character he'd put a lot of passion into inventing, instead of killing him in the first 45 minutes. Anyway, I felt like it was a good time to reward to player for being a good sport and not force him to fall back to a secondary concept.
So yada yada yada, spiritual intervention. He came back.
Here's the problem, I don't know the body of media he pulled his concept from... (I know the real world stuff, like Transcendental Meditation and Taoism, but not the themes and storylines of the anime). I'd like to do a story where his soul is partially connected to the shard of a sword that is the big McGuffin in their game. Maybe even fragmented, so part of the shard's power is in him and the shard is carrying part of his soul as a side effect of his resurrections. The shard will be with the party most of the campaign. I suspect the sword will be restored in the last hour or two of the campaign's story. Last session for sure.
But I'm not sure what the implications of a fractured soul might be in the established themes of the cultivation genre. What landmines I might have in front of me. What expectations the player might have. Is it a complete no/no? Has it been done a lot and already has assumed rules and implications to his progression? I am completely blind in the genre, but I want to be true to the player's vision.
So I thought I'd fish for ideas here before I start developing a plot so I don't have to go to the player with a giant pile of spoilers to approve.
Anyone know the genre well enough to advise me or to brainstorm a bit?
What is important is that I have a monk character in a game I'm DMing. The player has been watching a lot of cultivation anime and has built the character around the genre. The character was annihilated by a very lucky hit in the first adventure. I've killed this player's characters one or two times lately, and there was a very epic spiritual event about to happen so I figured the gods would be watching at that moment. So I had a good story reason to let him keep the character he'd put a lot of passion into inventing, instead of killing him in the first 45 minutes. Anyway, I felt like it was a good time to reward to player for being a good sport and not force him to fall back to a secondary concept.
So yada yada yada, spiritual intervention. He came back.
Here's the problem, I don't know the body of media he pulled his concept from... (I know the real world stuff, like Transcendental Meditation and Taoism, but not the themes and storylines of the anime). I'd like to do a story where his soul is partially connected to the shard of a sword that is the big McGuffin in their game. Maybe even fragmented, so part of the shard's power is in him and the shard is carrying part of his soul as a side effect of his resurrections. The shard will be with the party most of the campaign. I suspect the sword will be restored in the last hour or two of the campaign's story. Last session for sure.
But I'm not sure what the implications of a fractured soul might be in the established themes of the cultivation genre. What landmines I might have in front of me. What expectations the player might have. Is it a complete no/no? Has it been done a lot and already has assumed rules and implications to his progression? I am completely blind in the genre, but I want to be true to the player's vision.
So I thought I'd fish for ideas here before I start developing a plot so I don't have to go to the player with a giant pile of spoilers to approve.
Anyone know the genre well enough to advise me or to brainstorm a bit?
