Author Topic: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court  (Read 11436 times)

Offline deathwombat

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The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« on: November 21, 2010, 12:04:43 AM »
I am curious if anyone has statted the Jade Court for a campaign and if they would share with me?
Thank you
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Offline Amelia Crane

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2010, 12:19:07 AM »
Or better yet, maybe we could get several takes on the Jade court.  Then prospective GMs can use whichever one tickles their fancy.  Actually, I have a vague sort of notion, myself.  I'll go try to stat up my vision of it.

Offline sinker

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2010, 01:32:18 AM »
Yeah I've seen several different takes on this already but they are scattered about the forums.

My take was a cross between the classic hopping vampire (though not nearly as silly, I stole the long barbed tongue and claws and the ability to cause bad luck to anyone who saw them) and an undead yin sorcerer concept (with the abilities to sense the flow of yin chi well enough to sense others moving in a yin rich environment, to wield negative chi like any other sorcerer, and to become pure yin chi with no physical form). They also had improved speed and strength, and the living dead power. They consumed flesh imbued with yin/dark energy and the closer it is to their own the better (I.E. Human is better than pig, relative is better than stranger, brother is better than distant relative). As such they keep whole hidden villages of their descendants if they still have any and require regular sacrifices. They were essentially chi spirits inside animated corpses and have no "Bodily threshold" so to speak so they take damage from yang chi, sunlight and running water as all of those essentially erode their being.

I had a team of three working together with some undead underlings (mostly ghouls). One was physical focused with the ability to inflict bad luck (I gave him a free maneuver before attacking), one magic focused wielding a Vajra (weird asian artifact basically worked as a focus item + plus the ability to absorb and recast enemy spells) and the last chi focused (I had a very chi focused player).

Offline Ala Alba

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2010, 01:53:42 AM »
There are a couple major kinds of Asian Vampires.

Jiang Shi(China) are probably closer to Zombies than Vampires.

Otherwise we have the Nukekubi(Japan), mandurugo and manananggal(Philippines), Penanggalan(Malaysian), and Leyak(Balinese) which are all almost exactly the same! The common features being: female, wings, flies around at night, long tongues.

The fact that four different countries all have the same vampire legend means that this is probably what JB would be basing the Jade Court on.

Offline mostlyawake

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2010, 02:33:35 AM »
Because I like the idea of white court vampires better, and that chiang-shi/chiang-shih/whatever were known for sucking "life-force" more than just blood, I made them emotional vampires like the WCVs.

Inhuman strength and speed probably is enough for them to cover the legends ("rip a man's head off"), and as some legends have them blind (they sense you by your breathe, so if you hold it you can avoid them) and afraid of loud sounds, it makes sense to give them supernatural sense: echolation. Plus, it's cooler than just stating them the same as WCVs.

Despite most of the myths of them being similar in weaknesses to regular vampires (BCVs, here), salt, garlic, sunlight, running water, ect, i stayed with the WCV catch.  

So, erm, basically like WCVs?  My big thing is that they are usually less charmers and more monsters, angry on their best days. So, while it is not a refresh power difference, they play entirely differently. They aren't so slick and political. They are more like BCVs in this; they don't resist their temptation. Hunger only serves as a guide for when they HAVE to stop doing other stuff and actually eat.  There are no Thomases, no half-ways, no good guys.  They aren't born the same (well, some legends say they are the souls of people who were so mean/powerful that they crawled right back out of the afterlife).  Their natural state is somewhat monstrous, with long patches of white hair growing from irregular places on the skin. This is hidden by human guise. Lastly, without any real guide, i just made their blood some nasty yellowy-orange-pus type mess.

As they progress, the open up into flight (common for most types of asian vampires), shapechanging (wolves), and "dark magic" - whatever that is.

Offline Blackblade

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2010, 05:11:52 AM »
Otherwise we have the Nukekubi(Japan), mandurugo and manananggal(Philippines), Penanggalan(Malaysian), and Leyak(Balinese) which are all almost exactly the same! The common features being: female, wings, flies around at night, long tongues.

That sounds a lot like the Red Court.

Offline Ala Alba

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2010, 05:49:47 AM »
That sounds a lot like the Red Court.

Well, it's either that or Jiang Shi, which are a lot like the Black and White courts mixed with a lot of Zombie. I couldn't find any other Asian vampire-like legends.

Offline Blackblade

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2010, 05:52:38 AM »
Well, it's either that or Jiang Shi, which are a lot like the Black and White courts mixed with a lot of Zombie. I couldn't find any other Asian vampire-like legends.

True

Offline sinker

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2010, 05:52:52 AM »
The classic vampire really is a western concept. There aren't a lot of asian analogues and those that are there are rather different.

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2010, 06:03:33 AM »
Here's the version I went with...still a bit rough:

Jade Court
 Also called gaki, preta, jikininki, or simply hungry ghosts, Jade Court vampires prey on humans to remain physical. In their natural state, gaki are ghosts, spirits of hunger. To live, they dominate and possess humans, eating the dominated souls. As time passes, the possessed bodies become thinner, only-bone-and-skin, emaciated human beings with bulging stomachs and inhumanly small mouths and throats.  Once the possessed body deteriorates too much, they move on to another victim.

Common powers include:
  • Soul Eater [-1] Similar to Emotional Vampire. Soul Eaters live on the essential human anima, the soul.
  • Domination [-2]
    • Possession [-3]
  • Spirit Form [-3]
  • Feeding Dependency [+1] which will affect the following:
    • Illusion [-2] (As Glamours but based on mind control and mental magic.)
    • Inhuman Recovery [-2]
« Last Edit: November 21, 2010, 06:08:28 AM by UmbraLux »
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Offline Blackblade

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2010, 06:25:27 AM »
What's the catch?

Offline Nyarlathotep5150

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2010, 06:56:38 AM »
   Which brings up an interesting side question. Can you use feeding dependency as a Catch? I'm feeling too lazy to look it up.

Offline gaelvin

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2010, 07:42:23 AM »
In our game, we're going with the Naga as the Jade Court. Since they're from Southeast Asia, and that is where the Jade Court is supposed to be centered, it seemed like a good fit. Naga myths are very diverse, so there's plenty of room to play around. The version we're going with is the human torso on a snake's body, but they might have shape-changing abilities as well.

I like the Nukekubi, Penanggalan, and such too. Another common theme I found for them is that their heads separate from their bodies and fly around when they're hunting.

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2010, 02:59:04 PM »
What's the catch?
Currently going with all the 'true emotions' as catch (on the theory each would be beneficial to the soul) but I'm not entirely happy with it.  I'd like to find something better before it comes up.  Any suggestions?  :)
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Offline toturi

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Re: The Secretive Mysterious Jade Court
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2010, 02:45:02 AM »
Currently going with all the 'true emotions' as catch (on the theory each would be beneficial to the soul) but I'm not entirely happy with it.  I'd like to find something better before it comes up.  Any suggestions?  :)
No fixed catch. That's why there're stories of such vampires being slain by so many different means. JCV are like a box of chocolates, you never know what Catch they have.
With your laws of magic, wizards would pretty much just be helpless carebears who can only do magic tricks. - BumblingBear