Oriental Adventures Source Material

[exempt]

I'll third the "excellent" rating of Jade Dreagons and Hungry Ghosts. Of all the monster books I have (MM, Monsters of Faerun, Creature Collection I and Creature Collection II), the creatures in this are hands-down the most interesting.

The downside is that not all of the monsters are created "well" -- that is, skill points, feats, and such don't coincide with HD or type. But, if you can overlook that, it's a "must" for an OA campaign.

One more link to add, and it is self-serving. Featured is a Japanese campaign:

The Wu Jen

Ganbatte.

 

[ninthcouncil]

The original L5R source materials from AEG are, on the whole, pretty good. However, be prepared to be confused by the timeline, as in the original game this is significantly prior to the period described in the Rokugan d20 book. A LOT of stuff has happened in between (rather too much, if you ask me, but that's what happens when your hisotrical developments are determined by CCG tournaments...). Families have been expunged, created or changed clan, loads of people have died. Oh, and the gods have been replaced !?!

 

[Tzarevitch]

The original L5R source materials from AEG are, on the whole, pretty good. However, be prepared to be confused by the timeline, as in the original game this is significantly prior to the period described in the Rokugan d20 book. A LOT of stuff has happened in between (rather too much, if you ask me, but that's what happens when your hisotrical developments are determined by CCG tournaments...). Families have been expunged, created or changed clan, loads of people have died. Oh, and the gods have been replaced !?!

That confused the hell out of me too. Dates are hard to come by in the L5R supplements, but in general they seem to be set about 20 or so years before the d20 Rokugan materials. I can't pin down the dates exactly but it seems that the d20 Rokugan info is about a generation after most of the L5R stuff.

In followup of my earlier post, my local game store just got Magic of Rokugan. I must say I am VERY, VERY pleased. There is a lot of information on how magic works in the setting and the role of the shugenja in Rokugani society. I love the bit about spontaneous enchantment of ordinary items. (Since all things that aren't corrupt and tainted have spirits within, it is possible for non-spellcasters to cause the spirits within their equiptment to "awaken" and cause the item to become a magic.) No longer are other PCs dependent on the party spellcasters to make magic items for them. If the PC uses his normal equipment enough the kami within awaken on their own and grant the item magic properties appropriate to the item, its owner and the manner in which the owner uses it.

The book is also a must because it clarifies how the samurai's ancestral daisho ability works and provides a great deal of information on the role of magic in the world. It also adds several prestige classes including: The Jade Magistrate (the emperor's magic police), The Master Smith (a samurai add-on prestige class that allows the creation of superior equiptment, high-grade Rokugani steel and eventually magic arms and armor and no spellcasting required), The Medium (Reibai) (talks with spirits), The Phantom Hunter (the Yorei-Ryoushi) (undead and spirit hunter).

There is also a large number of new magic items included within. My personal favorites are the Imperial Writs. Anyone who possesses one of these writs from the emperor can break the seal and read the contents aloud to invoke the writ's power.

The book itself is softcover and features grayscale artwork (which is actually quite well done) similar to the Creatures of Rokugan book. It also uses the same heavy, durable paper.

All in all, the book is a great buy. I recommend it highly.

Tzarevitch

 

[LcKedovan]

You probably want to check out The Wu Jen at http://www.geocities.com/winspir/ as well for original and converted material.

-Will

 

[Black Omega]

That confused the hell out of me too. Dates are hard to come by in the L5R supplements, but in general they seem to be set about 20 or so years before the d20 Rokugan materials. I can't pin down the dates exactly but it seems that the d20 Rokugan info is about a generation after most of the L5R stuff.

The RPG and Miniatures game were both set in the Clan wars period of the CCG, which is about 1123, just prior to the Scorpion Coup. The current timeline is around 1158. Nearly everyone from the original storyline is dead or ascended. Even so, the 'Way of' books have alot of interesting information on the various clans and are going cheap now since AEG is updating to the current time and doing more with d20.

If you are interested, there are a couple of websites with storyline information and short stories from AEG relating to the various storylines. At present AEG is posting a short story a week for the current storyline.

In followup of my earlier post, my local game store just got Magic of Rokugan.

Now if only my area had it in...

 

[Paka]

A good book...

A book that always get's brought up when someone asks for Oriental Adventure inspiration is The Initiate Brother by Sean Russell. It is an amazing novel with a good concluding sequel that ties it up as a complete series in two lovely books.

If you feel like some inspiration, give it a shot.

P-

 

[Geoff Watson]

Re: more sources

Complete "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" Text online:
http://www.threekingdoms.com/

This link seems to be broken.

Could you check it?
Or send me a copy of the text file?

Geoff.

 

[Psion]

Nemuranai? Could you expand on this a bit?

(Note to self: I really must get my Magic of Rokugan review up...)

Sure.

The basic concept in Rokugan (and Japanese folklore) is that there are "kami" spirits in all things.

The concept on Nemuranai is that when in association with great heroes, favored but otherwise mundane items can become magical as the spirit within becomes awakened. For example, you "lucky sack" might become a bag of holding, etc.

The Nemuranai has rudimentary intelligence (and wisdom and charisma) but is otherwise like any other permanent magic item with a few exceptions. Nemuranai almost never work if stolen or looted from someone. They may, however, work if given away. Nemuranai never appear on a character who already has their recommended allotment of items.

This allows you to use traditional D&D magic assumptions while not violating the spirit of the Rokugan setting in a manner that is consistent with the assumptions of the setting.

I am not currently running Rokugan, but I use kami-like spirits in my game as well, and I think this is such an interesting idea that I may use it in my regular game.

 

[yongi]

Re: Re: more sources

This link seems to be broken.

Could you check it?
Or send me a copy of the text file?

Geoff.

The link works fine for me. Is anyone else having trouble with it?

-y-