Prayer Strips

[Skade]

I often see in anime priests, monks, or the like using stips of paper with a series of kanji to exorcize or otherwise affect demons. Is there a historical analog to this, or purely a creation of anime? Also, is there any game material for d20 based on this?

-kane

 

[Olive]

i think there's something in OA that affects undead.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

i think there's something in OA that affects undead.

in the original OA they're called charms. Charm of Protection from Fire, Spirits or Theft, and are described as long strips of yellow or red paper with magical writings on them (i don't have the 3e book with me though...)

 

[Epametheus]

It IS a real religious custom.

They're usually associated with Shintoism, though I've been reading Journey to the West, and seen Taoists and Buddhists make use of them in that work (such as writing a prayer on a piece of paper and then burning it so that the prayer will reach heaven).

As for the other question -- no, I don't know of any game mechanics for these things.

 

[Tonguez]

It IS a real religious custom.

They're usually associated with Shintoism, though I've been reading Journey to the West, and seen Taoists and Buddhists make use of them in that work (such as writing a prayer on a piece of paper and then burning it so that the prayer will reach heaven).

As for the other question -- no, I don't know of any game mechanics for these things.

So the historical part has been coveed

as to Mechanics - just treat them as Divine Scrolls...

 

[s/LaSH]

The Jackie Chan Adventures toon had similar papers in use occasionally... and (at least in theory) that's an American production focusing on Chinese culture. Not Japanese. Anyway, there was only one ep I can remember where they refered to them as anything, and the label they used was 'scroll'. As in, an immortal wandering around shooting pieces of paper out of his sleeves, shouting, "Energy scroll," and blasting gangsters, wherupon the scroll curls up and goes back up his sleeve.

Sadly, that's the limit of my experience... but JCA had some coool scrolls.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I'd use them as a variant of holy water; not splattered but plastered on the bad things. Maybe they ignite when contacting the hopping vampires, or something.

 

[Maldur]

You can probably use them as potions.

Ill afix this prayer of health to your forehead. ( heal D8+1 HP)

or as spell component or divine focus.

 

[Mindcrime]

In Chinese, those mystical post-it notes are called "fu". Taoist exorcists write a secret "ghost script" on them to power them with magic and spells and curses and what not. The ghost script appears to be nonsensical chinese characters, but only Taoist priests and, well, ghosts know what they really say.

Fu translates as "talisman", more or less.

Chris

 

[Skade]

Using all of your suggestions I will just have to make a new class of magic items for my next OA game.

Feat: Scribe Fu [Item Creation]
You may create Fu, a talisman composed of sacred parchment and ghost script, that you or another may activate to release the stored magic.

Prerequisite Spellcaster level 3rd, you may create a Fu of any spell that you know that targets a creature or creatures.

I go any further on this and its house rules. So I will repost it there.

Thanks for all the help. I really need to get me a good book on Taoist and Shinto practices. any suggestions?