Wuxia and D&D

[Deekin]

I'm Surprised no-one has mentioned ToB: BoNS
It has a sidebar on page 6 describing how it is wuxia.

 

[BadMojo]

I perfer Weapons of the Gods myself.

I'm still waiting for Dragonfist. I"m hoping it's going to be True 20 when it comes out.

 

[Ranger REG]

I'm still waiting for Dragonfist. I"m hoping it's going to be True 20 when it comes out.

Or a d20 version of it.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Needs clarification. What is wuxia, exactly?

I've heard the term used in reference to the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but otherwise I can't pin a solid definition to it.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia

"Wǔxiá, literally meaning "martial (arts) heroes", is a quasi-fantasy sub-genre of the martial arts genre in literature, television and cinema . . . The wǔxiá genre is a blend of the philosophy of xiá ("honor code", "an ethical person", "a hero"), and China's long history in wǔshù ("kung fu" or "martial arts"). A martial artist who follows the code of xiá is called a swordsman, or xiákè (literally "chivalrous guest"). Japan's samurai bushidō traditions, England's knight chivalry traditions, and America's gunslinger Western traditions all share some aspects with China's swordsman xiá traditions . . .

Although wuxia is based on true-life martial arts, the genre elevates the mastery of this art to fictitious levels of attainment. Combatants have the following skills:

• Kung fu. Fighting using a codified sequence of movements known as zhāo which grant the ability to withstand armed foes. In wuxia stories, the swordsmen can fight for as long as they need to without getting tired, and can fend off unlimited foes at the same time.
• Use of objects such as sewing needles, ink brushes, abaci, musical instruments, secret weapons (ànqì), sports balls, water droplets, and candle flames as lethal weapons with unfailing accuracy. In the case of musical instruments, soundwaves emanate from them when they are played that cause wounds or explosions. This is referred to as the "sound wave stance". The sword, bow, and staff weapons are still the most common used by combatants.
• Use of qīnggōng, or the ability to move swiftly and lightly, allowing them to run up walls, run across water, or leap around sixty feet into the air. This is sometimes translated as "lightness kung fu". Real life martial art exponents of qinggong practice by going through years of attaching heavy weights onto their legs. Its use, however, is greatly exaggerated in wire-fu movies where practioners appear to circumvent gravity as if they were on the moon.
• Use of nèijìn or nèilì, which is the ability to control mystical inner energy (qi) and direct it for attack, defense, healing, or to attain superhuman stamina. The effect of using qi often resembles psychokinesis or psychometabolism. In wuxia stories, blades and even arrows can be caught in mid attack, any object can be destroyed by hand, items can be pushed, pulled, picked up, or thrown to any location regardless of weight, shape, or size; a spinning sword makes a shield or flying platform, and qi can be formed into a visible object and sent into a person, which causes that person to be healed.
• Use of zhǎng fēng or palm power, which is the ability to cause explosions by throwing out your palms in an elaborate manner. Single, large explosions or multiple, small explosions are possible. Sometimes the target is disintegrated.
• Use of diǎnxué through dim mak, chin na, or other related techniques for killing, paralyzing, poisoning, or controling opponents by hitting or seizing their acupressure points (xué) with a finger, knuckle, elbow or weapon. Real life martial artists train in these seizing and paralyzing techniques. Their effectiveness is greatly exaggerated in wuxia stories.
• Use of Taoist magic. This is rare, but some swordsmen are taoists.

Jiang Hu (Cantonese: Gong Woo), literally means "rivers and lakes" and is translated as "The World of Martial Arts" or "the martial (arts) world". The Jiang Hu is comprised of swordsmen gathered in wulin. Wulin are sects, clans, or schools of martial arts learning.

The Jiang Hu is a "shared world" alternate universe, and only people that belong to it can experience it. Once one enters the Jiang Hu, one can never really leave, because one knows that it exists. As a result of entering the Jiang Hu, one becomes entwined in, and a part of, the never-ending and ever-changing plots and relationships between its other members. The best wuxia writers draw a vivid picture of the intricate relationships of honor, loyalty, love and hatred between individuals and between communities within this milieu."

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I'm really quite fond of wuxia, though when it comes to D&D I like to generalise it beyond its Chinese origins. You don't have to be wearing silk robes and fighting unarmed to be an implausibly-capable combatant - D&D characters above a certain level already fit the bill. If you look at it a certain way, implausible wuxia action is very similar to implausible swashbuckling action, and I think it's possible to get the right feel in D&D without ever cracking Oriental Adventures.

I think that the jiang hu is something that has a natural place in D&D - it's the "world" you belong to when you're an adventurer, and you can never escape it any more than a regular person can ever experience it.

 

[Andor]

PsiWarrior

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

I'm positive there was an article in Dragon magazine (a 3rd edition article I think) about using Wuxia elements in a campaign. Does anyone else remember this?

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

You see, theres such a focus on the incredible abilities of the martial artists - I want knights on the back of horses bouncing off water and doing the wire-fu sword/shield stuff.

 

[Aaron L]

D&D above 10th level is wuxia. Maybe earlier.