Qi

Qi is the natural energy of the world and exists in nine principal forms: pure, fire, water, earth, wind, light, shadow, life, and death. Everything within the world is composed of these principal qi's in different proportions or combined with one another to create more complex forms.

Auras

Certain areas within the world are so deeply infused with qi that they produce Auras. These Auras alter their surroundings with the properties of the qi they are composed of, creating wondrous and dangerous locations where magical materials and natural treasures may be found. Due to their value these areas are coveted by cultivators and sacred beasts alike making them highly contested territories.

Core

A beings core is the center of their spirit where all of their qi is concentrated. The core of all living beings begins as pure qi although through cultivation its properties and composition can be changed. Finally, depending on the nature of the being upon death the core can either dissipate entirely, manifest as a spiritual entity, or crystallize into a spirit treasure.

The Path

There are two definitions which pertain to paths. The first is the philosophical journey that a cultivator must undertake as they learn to master qi and themselves. This journey is punctuated by great tribulations and culminates with the cultivator's ascendance to the Nine Heavens. The second definition is the collection of a cultivators martial skills, mystic arts, and techniques that they have learned through their lives. While many clans and bloodlines perfect these paths for hundreds of generations, passing them on to rare geniuses and high-born heirs, most people forge their own path upon the foundation of their own experiences.

The Stages

There are six stages to cultivation in the mortal realm: foundation, copper, iron, silver, gold, and jade. Each stage grants the cultivator access to more innate powers while expanding their capacity to utilize qi. During these stage cultivators will use Insight to learn different techniques and mystic arts while augmenting themselves through alchemy, treasures, spirit tools, and a myriad other forms.

Cultivation

Cultivation is the process of gathering qi within the core of a cultivator. To cultivate a cultivator uses two types of techniques: refining techniques and cycling techniques. A refining technique is used to both harness qi from an Aura and integrate it into the cultivators core as well as combine principal qi into various complex forms. Cycling techniques are primarily used replenish the cultivators core with qi but can also have secondary effects on their minds or bodies. While some paths use only one of each of these techniques other paths call for several of them to be used at different points.

Tribulation

Once conditions are meet a cultivator can begin the process of advancement to the next stage. Each stage requires that the cultivator overcome a series of mental and spiritual tests known as Tribulations. The further a cultivator advances the more difficult the tribulations become. The success and failure of a tribulation is a matter of degree rather than an absolute and if sufficiently worn down by the process the cultivation will develop defects in the core or meridians known as tribulation scars.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:23, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

Basic Mechanic

This game is primarily focused on the narrative and uses a simplified system to arbitrate the outcome of actions. To determine the success or degree of success for an action a total is generated and compared either to a passive difficulty rating (DR) or the total of an opposing party such as an NPC or another Player. To generate this total a Player adds their Cultivation Stage (0-5) to any relevant skill, martial talent, or mystic art rating. This total is further modified by bonuses or penalties granted from passive abilities, treasures, techniques, spirit tools, and situational circumstances.

Difficulty

The DR of a passive obstacle is based on the following scale:


Degrees of Success and Failure

When the outcome of an action can be variable, such as when performing alchemy or crafting a spirit tool, degrees of success and failure are used to determine the outcome.

• Critical Success: You exceed your normal expectations and limits.
• Total Success: You accomplish your goal without complications.
• Setback or Complication: Depending on the action you either achieve a lesser result than desired or success with a complication.
• Conditional Failure: You fail to accomplish your goal but gain a minor bonus (+2) to attempt again under different circumstances or at a later time.
• Critical Failure: You have failed miserably and likely either harmed yourself or prevented any future attempts from being performed.

Modifiers

There are three categories of modifiers: minor, major, and overwhelming which are equal to a +/- 2, 4, and 6 respectively. These modifiers can be gained from environmental or situational circumstances as well as various abilities, effects, and pieces of equipment. There is no limit to the number of modifiers that can be applied to a given total but modifiers from similar sources do not stack. In these instances only the largest modifier is applicable.

Ratings

To quantify the various martial abilities, mystic arts, and skills that a cultivator can utilize they each possess a rating between 0 and 5. These ratings can be increased through Insight or obtained as in-game rewards for various actions.

Skills

Skills encompass all abilities that are not related directly to cultivation. Some abilities such as climbing, jumping, and swimming are assumed and proficiency is left to the fiction of the players background and the circumstances. Listed below are the 16 skills used in this game.

• Alchemy: The skills necessary for the  harvesting and refinement of medicinal and spiritual materials in elixirs and pills.
• Archery: Allows for the use of bows and other projectile weapons in combat.
• Evasion: Allows for the avoidance of harm from attacks, traps, and other harmful effects.
• Exotic: Allows for the use of exotic weapons such as rope darts, judge's brushes, and fans in combat.
• Fist: Allows for the use of bare hands, awls, and other fist weapons in combat.
• Guard: Allows for the blocking, parrying, or otherwise prevention of harm using the body, weapons, armor, or shields.
• Hidden: Allows for the use of hidden weapons such as sleeve arrows, throwing knives, and acupuncture needles
• Oratory: The ability to speak formally in public and elicit the desired response.
• Performance: The ability to engage in artistic performance through ceremony, music, calligraphy, or the arts.
• Persuade: The ability to convince someone to do or believe something through discussion.
• Qismithing: The skills necessary to harvest and manipulate qi-laden materials to produce spirit tools and treasures.
• Sabre: Allows for the use of heavy, single edged blades.
• Socialize: The ability to interact successfully with people in social settings.
• Spear: Allows for the use of spears and other bladed pole weapons in combat.
• Staff: Allows for the use of staffs, canes, and similar blunt instruments in combat.
• Sword: Allows for the use of double edged straight blades in combat.

Paths

Each Player is the founder of their own Path. This path has a name and associated qi types. These qi types may be principal qi's or any of the complex forms that they can achieve; at the Gm's discretion. While principal qi's can later be refined into the composite forms the inverse is not true. Additionally paths can use one, two, or three types of qi regardless of their type. These qis can increase through further cultivation of Auras or decrease by refining two types of existing qi into a more complex form.

Shen Wu upon reaching Copper Stage begins upon the Path of Embers, a pure fire qi path. After reaching Iron Wu elects to cultivate air qi into his core and alters the name of his path to Path of Soaring Embers. Just prior to his advancement to Silver Wu takes on the spirit treasure, Thunder Gods Horn, which allows him to refine his fire qi into lightning qi and sets him upon the Path of Soaring Storms, a lightning and air path.

Han Fei is an Iron Stage cultivator upon the Path of Deep Rivers, an earth and water path. After discovering a powerful Aura inside an ancestral forest they bind an emerald spirit seed to themselves causing their earth and water qi to combine into wood qi. Renaming their path they take on the name Path of the Ancestral Forest.

Martial Arts and Mystic Arts

Martial Arts and Mystics Arts are both qi-enables techniques used by cultivators. Martial Arts act solely on the body and senses of the cultivator while mystic arts affect the world around the cultivator. There are four categories of martial talents: offensive, defensive, movement, and sensory while there are three categories of mystic arts: controller, conjurer, and striker. Each of these techniques is associated with one or more forms of qi that the cultivator possesses and this influences the traits that the techniques manifests. These traits cannot be suppressed or otherwise mitigated unless permitted by some other effect.

By default each of these techniques requires 1 qi to activate and an additional qi to maintain, should the effect endure. Each technique has a rating similar to skills and these rating is combined with cultivation stage to determine various aspects such as modifications to offensive and defensive totals, durations, scale, etc.

Wei Shu is an Iron Stage cultivator who follows the Path of Fallen Leaves, a wood and death qi path. He has a martial art known as Ancient Tree's Bark (III) which augments his defensive total by +5 and lasts for 3 rds. before needing to maintained. Due to its association with his wood qi his skin takes on the texture of rugged bark and splinters rather than parts when damaged.

Jai Song is a Silver Stage cultivator who follows the Path of Brilliant Dawn, a light and fire path. He has a striker mystic art known as Heavens Lance (II) which projects a coherent shaft of yellow-white fire at his opponents. The lance has an attack bonus of +2 which is added together with his cultivation stage for an attack total of 5. Due to its association with his fire and light qi the lance ignites any nearby flammable objects and imposes a minor penalty (-2) for 3 rds. to any who are looking towards the attack, excluding himself.

Bloodline Abilities

Bloodline Abilities are the inherited powers of powerful ancestors. These powers manifest during the Foundation Stage and grow more potent as the Cultivator advances. Each player begins play with a bloodline ability whose power behaves as a rating 0 martial talent or mystic art without need for expending qi. This ability improves in rating with each stage until it reaches rating 5 at Jade. Certain spirit treasures, elixirs, and pills can further augment or alter a bloodline ability.

Tribulation Scars

When a cultivator obtains a complication as a part of a Tribulation or fails to advance they obtain what is known as a tribulation scar. These scars impose indefinite penalties against the cultivators skills and abilities as a reflection of the damage done to their cores. The severity of the scar is determined by the stage that the cultivator was attempting to achieve.


Tribulation scars can be decreased in severity through elixirs, pills, and spirit treasures although they are rare and difficult to obtain. If a scar's severity is reduced below minor is considered healed.

Zhang Fan reaches the peak of the Iron Stage and attempts his advancement to Silver in a bid to surprise his lifelong rival in an upcoming tournament. He is besieged by his inner demons during the process and is overcome, resulting in him failing to advance. He gains the tribulation scar Warped Meridians which prevents him from using his cycling technique to restore his qi. Now he must find obtain a six-star lotus and phoenix blood elixir to free himself of his affliction.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:50, Sun 27 Sept 2020.