Urban Arcana... in the Orient.

[psychognome]

The Urban Arcana campaign setting seems to concentrate quite exclusively on the western world. What I've been wondering is that could the powers of the Shadow somehow differ in the Orient?

Using Oriental Adventures as a basis, the races would be simple enough to convert, using the Shadowkind races in Urban Arcana as a basis. The question is in the classes: which of the Oriental Adventures classes do you think truly deserve to be converted into Urban Arcana? In my humble opinion at least the Samurai, Shaman, Wu-Jen, and maybe the Sohei deserve to be converted into Modern Advanced Classes... there's probably one that I'm forgetting too. What do you think? Could the Samurai just be an Archaic Weaponsmaster? Any ideas?

Now, there's quite a lot about Oriental myths and action movies that would make a great framework for an Urban Arcana style mythical modern action campaign... if you catch my drift. Street samurais, high-tech ninjas, martial artists performing acts of extraordinary acrobatics, evil eunuchs casting mystical spells, evil snakemen (Yuan-Ti, of course. Their name just screams out "ORIENTAL!!!") forming mysterious cults, hengeyokai, ratmen living in the sewers... and of course, Gun-Fu.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Stormborn]

What you describe sounds cool. But I am afraid I don't have enough background in asian culture provide any real help. However, I will point you to Shadowfist, the card game, and the RPG based on it, Feng Shui. My fiancee is a rabid Shadowfist fan and we looked at the RPG but didn't like the mechanics. Perhaps you can mine somethign from it. Or, since much of D20 modern and Urban Arcana adapts DnD, you could look into Oriental Adventures and do something similar with it. Big Eyes Small Mouth might also help you out.
Oh, and don't forget Shadow Run -with its dominant asian culture and "Street Samuri."

 

[Pagan priest]

You really want to check out Blood and Fist. I am currently pulling together resources for a pulp game set in the Orient, and that book was one of the first.

 

[Doc_Souark]

There's at least 2 references to Orental organizations/NPCs in the UA book, if D20M wasn't such an orphan child at WoTC I'ld say an orental and/or Eurpeon sourcebooks would be in the works now.

And you're be thanking about the Yakazia(sp ?) as the other PrC

 

[Stormborn]

Just remembered, Polyhedron had a d20 Modern Yankuza a while back, with the greatly controversial "Gun Fu" feat. Overall pretty neat. Haven't got Menace M., but does it have any Orietanl Orginizations?

 

[zenld]

Just remembered, Polyhedron had a d20 Modern...

I am not a subscriber to poly. Is there a way to get a hold of all these 'wonderful' things they have come out with? With or without subscribing?

 

[Sir Elton]

Now, there's quite a lot about Oriental myths and action movies that would make a great framework for an Urban Arcana style mythical modern action campaign... if you catch my drift. Street samurais, high-tech ninjas, martial artists performing acts of extraordinary acrobatics, evil eunuchs casting mystical spells, evil snakemen (Yuan-Ti, of course. Their name just screams out "ORIENTAL!!!") forming mysterious cults, hengeyokai, ratmen living in the sewers... and of course, Gun-Fu.

Any thoughts on this?

I got a copy of the Feng Shui RPG, and it shouldn't be to hard to convert, and a Feng Shui type campaign (HK Action Movies, YEAH WHO!) is easy to do with D20 Modern. Feng Shui is way over the top action movie roleplaying, and it has a tendency to jump Time Periods.

Go pick up a copy and see for yourself. I don't know what Robin D. Laws is doing, but he is fully capable of converting Feng Shui to D20 if he wants to.

 

[Stormborn]

zenld
Polyhedron has been incorporated into the flipside of Dungeon for a year or more. My FLGS has lots of back issues, most all of them, yours might as well. Alternately, you can check out the Paizo website for some back issues, or pick up a copy of the current one and your FLGS, Books A Million, Barnes and Nobles etc... there is an add for ordering back issues.

Sir Elton, don't want to hi-jack this thread, but what were your thoughts on the Feng Shui mechanics, done any d20 conversions yet?


psycognome,
Any of this helping? What did you have in mind?

 

[beta-ray]

Just remembered, Polyhedron had a d20 Modern Yankuza a while back, with the greatly controversial "Gun Fu" feat. Overall pretty neat. Haven't got Menace M., but does it have any Orietanl Orginizations?

It's Yakuza...

I think we should see a much more interesting breed... The salaryman!

 

[Sir Elton]

Sir Elton, don't want to hi-jack this thread, but what were your thoughts on the Feng Shui mechanics, done any d20 conversions yet?

I don't want to risk damaging Robin's copyright (he owns the game lock, stock, and barrel. It says Copyright 1996 by Robin D. Laws on the first page), but his over the top movie style martial arts can be converted into feat chains. His modern archetypes can be converted into advanced classes, and his ancient achetypes can be represented by D&D classes: specifically Fighter, Monk, Wizard, and Sorcerer. The creature archetype can be played by an appropriate monster, And Robin's D20 Wuxia Rules are already available.

Really, if I converted Feng Shui to D20, I won't be doing it for publication, nor would it show up on the Web. I respect Robin way too much, and the Law, to do that.

It's not for me to come up with a D20 version of Feng Shui for everyone to use. That's Robin's perogative.