Wuxia in D&D?

[sniffles]

I've longed for years to play in a campaign inspired by "wuxia" films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Storm Riders, Bride With White Hair, and Hero. I like d20 D&D and would love to find a way to fit that style of adventure into a d20 rules set, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I'm looking for suggestions.

The type of action I'm looking for would involve characters being able to do some things that D&D rules don't seem to accomodate very well except at very high levels. For example, characters in wuxia films and literature can basically all fly (in literature this is referred to as "lightness kung fu"). They seem to have damage reduction, and I would certainly expect to use either DR or the alternate rules for unarmored AC, since kung fu heroes don't typically wear armor. But how to simulate the other abilities that kung fu action heroes demonstrate? Sure, you can just play epic characters, but that doesn't quite suit what I'm looking for. I wouldn't want all of the PCs to be monks, either; often wuxia heroes are more like fighters than monks. They don't always use unarmed attacks. And what about some of those funky weapons they use? What kind of stats would one give to a "shooting star melon" weapon? (if anyone's ever even seen that one; looks like two basketballs connected by a chain)

Is it ridiculous to try this with d20 rules? I know about Feng Shui, but I don't want to learn a new system.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Step One: d20 Modern SRD

Step Two: Blood And Fists from RPGObjects

Step Three: Get Jiggy With Your Bad Self

--fje

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think it's a ridiculous goal at all, but it'd likely need new core classes and appropriate (new) bonus feats to emulate what you're looking for. Maybe Green Ronin's "Dragonfist" will cover this territory, I dunno. This certainly seems like something that would fit into an "Expanded Oriental Adventures" nicely, if WotC were interested in doing such. I think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has a larger audience than the historical stuff at this point.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

...The type of action I'm looking for would involve characters being able to do some things that D&D rules don't seem to accomodate very well except at very high levels...

In most cases, those who perform those feats are high level (i.e. masters of their art, gurus, etc.). So, don't let that hold you back. Let the characters be high level (if that does not contradict your campaign ideas).

As far as the best rules set/setting/supplements goes, I cannot help.

 

[Tonguez]

IMC I let characters use the psionic feats in the SRD consuming HP (fatigue) instead of PP

thngs like speed of thought and up the walls (followed by tumble check for the backwards sommersault off the top of the 10 foot wall) helps give a wuxia feel as do the deep impact feats etc. You might want to give things a boost to get the real wuxia feel but Psionics in the SRD is a free method of adding the feel

 

[sniffles]

IMC I let characters use the psionic feats in the SRD consuming HP (fatigue) instead of PP

thngs like speed of thought and up the walls (followed by tumble check for the backwards sommersault off the top of the 10 foot wall) helps give a wuxia feel as do the deep impact feats etc. You might want to give things a boost to get the real wuxia feel but Psionics in the SRD is a free method of adding the feel

Hmm, interesting idea. I hadn't really looked at psionics because I'm not really familiar with them - we don't use them in any of our games. But that would fit to a certain extent, since kung fu power is based on chi and chi is an internal force rather than a magical ability.

 

[Tonguez]

Hmm, interesting idea. I hadn't really looked at psionics because I'm not really familiar with them - we don't use them in any of our games. But that would fit to a certain extent, since kung fu power is based on chi and chi is an internal force rather than a magical ability.

precisely there are something like 36 Psionic Feats in the SRD which relate to improving martial combat ability bothed unarmed and armed (melee and ranged) and which are quite clearly taken from Wuxia/Kung Fu Myth). A particularily cool power is return shot

Prereqs: Point Blank Shot, Psionic Shot, Fell Shot, base attack bonus +3. Once per round when you would normally be hit by a projectile or a thrown weapon no more than one size category larger than your size, you can deflect the attack so that you take no damage from it. The attack is deflected back at your attacker, using the attack bonus of the original attack on you. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed. Attempting to return a shot is a free action

so imagine Wuxia master Wen running up a wall to escape whilst the the palace guards are shotting at him. Master Wen not only deflects the arrow but sends it back to peirce the guards heart

 

[Psychotic Jim]

Actually, back in Dragon 289 (November 2001), there was an article on making a D&D game resembling Wuxia films, with several rules and sugguestions, like everybody getting to fly at 10th level. FYI, it's also the issue with the kaiju.

 

[Ranger REG]

I don't think it's a ridiculous goal at all, but it'd likely need new core classes and appropriate (new) bonus feats to emulate what you're looking for. Maybe Green Ronin's "Dragonfist" will cover this territory, I dunno. This certainly seems like something that would fit into an "Expanded Oriental Adventures" nicely, if WotC were interested in doing such. I think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has a larger audience than the historical stuff at this point.

Damn. Japan should push more of the Sengoku Jidai movies into the states. Just don't keep using the same dual-swordfighting samurai element in every movie. That resulted in the Complete Warrior class.

 

[Owldragon]

Well, one thing I would suggest if you want to do wuxia in D&D is taking a look at Beyond Monks: The Art of the Fight from Goodman Games. Most of the really wuxia-type feats and such require monk abilities, but you can always tweak that. One of the suggestions that also is mentioned in the book is granting "campaign feats" - giving feats like Flashback or Unchained Spirit (which lets you fly for short periods) to all PCs and major NPCs who qualify for them.

That being said, Tonguez might have an even better idea with using psionic feats. Simply change all instances of "psionic" to "ki" and change PP costs to non-lethal damage. If you want to make things more cinematic, you could grant some of them as campaign feats, as mentioned above (though some abilities you might want to only grant at higher levels).