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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: xiaolung on March 06, 2010, 09:32:44 AM

Title: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 06, 2010, 09:32:44 AM: Here is my take on the Jade Court Vampires. Check it out and let me know what you like, what you dislike, what you think requires changing, etc. I’ve culled down the material, so maybe it is just a matter of clarifying things. Read and enjoy.

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Jade Court Vampires (Jiang Shi)
AKA: The Faceless, Ghosts

The capabilities of the Jiang Shi, or Jade Court Vampires as they are known in the west, are not well known. Of all the vampire courts, the Jade Court remains an enigma. And with good reason. Jade Court Vampires, known as Jiang Shi in Asia, are actually corrupted souls that have no body. Instead, they jump from body to body riding their host until they have no further need for it. No one outside the Court knows which souls inhabit which bodies. They could be anyone. And those who know the truth are truly terrified.

The original Jade Court Vampires were once eight powerful eunuch wizards – advisors to the Emperor of China who secretly plotted to rule. They tricked Yen Lo Wang, the God of Feng-Du (the Fifth Court of Hell), Yen Lo Wang into making a deal granting them immortality. When Yen Lo Wang found out he had been deceived, he cursed them, rending the souls from their bodies and trapping them in jars of the rare black jade (which can only be found in the extremely remote headwaters of the Yellow River and Mekong Rivers in Tibet).

Over time, these wizards found a way to rip a mortal soul from a living host and inhabit the body and the Jade Court Vampire was born.

Because there are so few Jade Court Vampires, they feel vulnerable and therefore have not spread too far afield, instead consolidating power in Asia and the Pacific Rim and biding their time. Their ability to jump bodies and be anyone has allowed the Jade Court to infiltrate and influence high level corporate, financial and political and criminal organizations in their part of the world.

Of the original eight Jiang Shi, only five remain. These Dragons, as they refer to themselves, rule from their stronghold located somewhere in China, but only their most trusted of the Jade Court know where it is. Every member of the Jade Court is supported by mortals organized in cults. These cults safeguard the black jade jars the vampire’s soul must have to exist and even participate in ancient thaumaturgical rituals to create more of their kind. In exchange the Jade Court provides the cultists wealth beyond measure.

What the Jade Court’s agenda ultimately is, is unknown to all except the Dragons.

Creating a Jiang Shi is done using an ancient thaumaturgical ritual that rips the mortals soul out of its body and deposits it into a jar of black jade where it will stay until further rituals are performed to deposit the soul into a host. The soul effectively becomes immortal. The only way to destroy a Jade Court Vampire is to destroy the jar it inhabits.

Needless to say, only the most loyal cultists are chosen to become one of the Jade Court – and the cultist must choose to become a vampire as well.

So it’s easy to see why the Jade Court is so secretive. If anyone finds out their secret, he could find and destroy the vampire. Considering their small numbers, every loss hurts.

Although the Dragons keep a tight rein on things, it hasn't stopped various factions of Jade Court Vampires from infighting and jockeying for power in the supernatural world. Sometimes Jiang Shi are created only to bolster the ranks of one Dragon or another.

STANDARD PERSONALITY AND OUTLOOK

So what is the typical Jade Court Vampire like? Two typical vampires have emerged. The first, often called Ghosts, thrive on new experiences and crave excitement. They enjoy hopping from body to body and typically get bored quickly preferring not to stay in a body for a very long time. They normally choose victims who will not typically be missed.

The second, also known as an Infiltrator, craves the stability of one host body. They take time to learn about their victim to see if the host would be a good match. Once in a body, the vampire learns everything he can about the host’s life so he can better integrate and hide in plain sight.

When a Jiang Shi is required, he can abandon a body and return to the black jade jar.

The Chop: The Jade Court vampires must identify themselves to their kin – which is hard when you’re swapping bodies all the time. To facilitate this, the Jiang Shi tattoo their host body with their Dragon Name as soon as the ritual is complete. This tattoo is placed on the back of the host’s neck.

RUMOURS & IDEAS

Sleepers - it is rumoured that some Jade Court Vampires have had their minds wiped – that they do not remember their vampiric life. That their dark soul has not been placed in a shell, but put into the body of someone with their soul intact. Sometimes, the urges of the Jiang Shi manifest themselves (such as the need to feed on Chi). No one has figured out if these Sleepers even exist nor what the Jade Court would do with them.

Wall of Jade: When a Jiang Shi steals the body of a mortal, the mortals soul is transferred to another jar made of white or green jade (very common forms of jade). If the Jiang Shi ever leaves the host, the mortal’s original soul can be returned. The soul will have no memory of what the body has seen or done, although some mortals once taken by a Jade Court Vampire and returned (a rarity) claim some of their dreams were instead snippets of memories. It is also rumoured that the souls of these mortals are kept in large vaults where there are entire walls of enchanted Green Jade jars. No one has ever found one of these vaults and lived to tell the tale.

Unit 44 (Hong Kong): The Hong Kong police force has long known about the existence of the supernatural. But since most people, even in Hong Kong, deny the existence of the supernatural, only die-hard believers ever enter the department. The Department is called Unit 44 and no officer who wants a normal career ever asks to be transferred to it. The number four in Chinese sounds like the word “death”. Forty-four is double death. Who wants to work in a department with that title on your back?
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 06, 2010, 09:42:11 AM: Part 2:

RULES

This is where things get tricky. The above background should be fine, but what I need help with are Rules. What Supernatural Powers should I give them? Which ones will I need to create whole cloth? Which ones can simply be adapted?

PC CHARACTERS

Disaffected Jade Court Cultist: You didn’t know whom you were serving, but you were terrified when you discovered who or what your master truly is – an immortal vampire. It took a lot of thinking, but you must do something to bring the Jade Court down – from the inside.

ASPECTS

If anyone can offer some suggestions here (with compels), that would be great.

SUPERNATURAL POWERS

Drinking Chi: Jade Court Vampires drink Chi energy – the breath of life. It is very similar to drinking blood, but it creates no physical mark. Anyone witnessing a feeding see wisps of smoke coming from the victim’s orifices (mouth and nose typically). Draining a mortal of all his Chi leaves a dessicated corpse in its place devoid of any moisture. The skin looks and feels like leather.

Other Supernatural Powers:
Soul Drinker
Feeding Dependency
One of Inhuman Strength, Inhuman Toughness or Inhuman Speed

MAGIC

The Sight – What Does Harry Dresden See? The Soulgaze would show any sorcerer or wizard that the soul inhabiting the body is no the owner’s original soul. Jade Court Vampires will not have access to the Sight.

Thaumaturgical Rituals (6)

Although Jade Court Vampires originated from Wizards, modern vampires have little supernatural affinity for magic. They will know rituals which help them transfer souls and create other Jiang Shi, but that is all. Older Jade Court vampires such as the Dragons would be formidable foes indeed who not only have the powers of a vampire, but also the powers of a wizard.

1. Create new Jiang Shi by performing the Black Jade Ritual – Rending the Immortal Soul

2 Create new Hosts by performing the Green Jade Ritual – Rending the Mortal Soul
Either have the body nearby (easiest) or steal the soul from afar by having something very personal. But then, need to have knowledge about the person.

3. Restoring the Soul - Third Ritual – restore chi to dessicated body – have only one hour to do this – after that, the body will no longer accept any soul. It can only be controlled as a Jiang Shi

4. Questioning the Soul – ritual to speak with a soul in a jar. Can ask it questions, but whether it answers or not is another matter.

5 and 6.Two Rituals to Create the Enchantments for the Black Jade and Green/White Jade:Enchanting the Black Jade, Enchanting the Mortal Jade
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 06, 2010, 09:47:43 AM: DESIGN NOTES

Before designing the Jiang Shi, I took a good look at the Red Court and White Court vampires to figure out what to do that would be fundamentally different. Taking a cue from White Wolf, I deemed the Red Court dominated the Physical realm, the White Court dominated the Social realm, and so the Jade Court had to dominate the Intellect realm. What better way to simulate that than by having a vampire that takes over your mind, or in this case, takes your soul and replaces it with his own.

I quickly developed the basics of the Jiang Shi from my knowledge of Chinese mythology, books, Asian-style RPG’s and wuxia films. The details took a bit longer to write.

But, this is only background. I don’t have the DFRPG in front of me to accurately say which Supernatural Powers would fit and which Aspects might be kick ass. For that, I will have to wait for the PDF’s. If anyone has any suggestions, please post them.

So, what are they? Are they vampires? Are they wizards? Well, they are a bit of both. I say they are mostly vampires. Their wizardly powers will be severely curtailed (as most of them have lost that aspect of themselves) and would most likely resemble Focussed Practitioners with a couple of Jiang Shi rituals and some evocation. Some might even have evocation. The eldest Dragons, the Big Five, will most certainly be Sorcerers as well as Vamps. But even the younger ones will be a force to be reckoned with.

So, this begs the question: are they PC’s? My answer at the moment is no. At least until I get the rules and am able to balance them out. They would make good antagonists, but PC’s, probably not. Why? Because Jiang Shi, especially modern ones, have made the ultimate choice: to give themselves Immortality as a Chi Sucker. They’ve given up Free Will.. That makes them great antagonists that can keep coming back to haunt your heroes over and over again (at least until a PC smashes that darn black jade jar).

So, I would appreciate any comments or critiques on the Jade Court Vampires I've created. Let me know what you think.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: SoulCatcher78 on March 06, 2010, 12:39:53 PM: Quote
Of the original eight Jiang Shi, only five remain. These Dragons, as they refer to themselves, rule from their stronghold located somewhere in China, but only their most trusted of the Jade Court know where it is. Every member of the Jade Court is supported by mortals organized in cults. These cults safeguard the black jade jars the vampire’s soul must have to exist and even participate in ancient thaumaturgical rituals to create more of their kind. In exchange the Jade Court provides the cultists wealth beyond measure.

I would avoid the temptation to place more than one of the originals in the same location. Even going so far as to keep their individual locations secret from one another wouldn't be considered overkill for a psuedo-immortal (the only thing that keeps them immortal is that darned jar...modern versions might even consider a safe deposit box a good place to hide their jar). Motivations for the cultists might extend beyond greed (ascending to what they consider a godlike state being an option) thus creating truly dedicated followers. Using entire remote villages as followers (Serving the vamp has become a serflike responsibility) would work as well (fear/duty being the motivator).

From a "power" standpoint, I would like to see something along the lines of pyschic domination since sex and drugs are now taken. This would help explain how they have remained a force to be reckoned with in Communist China (maybe working with Mao to help consolidate his power?). The best way to be invisible is to convince everyone that you do not exist.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: mrsleep on March 07, 2010, 12:21:30 AM: That's pretty impressive.

Have you considered vulnerabilities? There are a lot of odd vampire myths in the East (even the famous garlic aversion is often attributed to Asia). With a little digging, I think you'll find a vast amount of folklore to draw from.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: srl51676 on March 07, 2010, 01:25:27 AM: This is good work I like the flavor a lot.
powers wise I would consider dream invasion, illusion, & hypnosis to go with the mental aspect and limit their physical capabilities for all but the oldest and most powerful. Also the soul stealing mechanic should be a very involved and delicate process used only as a plot device otherwise you run the risk them being very overpowered.
weaknesses from Wikipedia
-"When grains or rice, seeds, anything small thrown in the path of a jiang shi, the jiang shi will stop and count the grains of rice. Sticky rice is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiang shi out."
-"Other items used to repel jiang shi in films include chicken's eggs (whereas duck's eggs are ineffective), and the blood of a black dog."
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Bosh on March 07, 2010, 07:51:02 AM: Sounds like quite a nasty long-term antagonist since being able to retreat out of your body makes one very hard to kill. I guess that the easiest way to take these guys out would be to draw a magic circle around them without them realizing it (to keep their soul in) and THEN kill them, which would keep their soul from running away. Would something like that work?
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 07, 2010, 08:00:00 AM: Quote from: SoulCatcher78 on March 06, 2010, 12:39:53 PM
I would avoid the temptation to place more than one of the originals in the same location. Even going so far as to keep their individual locations secret from one another wouldn't be considered overkill for a psuedo-immortal (the only thing that keeps them immortal is that darned jar...modern versions might even consider a safe deposit box a good place to hide their jar). Motivations for the cultists might extend beyond greed (ascending to what they consider a godlike state being an option) thus creating truly dedicated followers. Using entire remote villages as followers (Serving the vamp has become a serflike responsibility) would work as well (fear/duty being the motivator).

Good point. Each of the Dragons represent one of the Chinese directions, so it would make sense if they were seperated as well - just to keep them safe. I hadn't figured out whether they would all be in China or not. But that would also make sense if a rural village were to be used as servants for the Dragon.

As for motivations beyond greed ... any suggestions? I agree - greed is not always the best motivator. It was the only thing I could think of at the time.

Quote from: SoulCatcher78 on March 06, 2010, 12:39:53 PM
From a "power" standpoint, I would like to see something along the lines of pyschic domination since sex and drugs are now taken. This would help explain how they have remained a force to be reckoned with in Communist China (maybe working with Mao to help consolidate his power?). The best way to be invisible is to convince everyone that you do not exist.

Hmmm...domination. Great addition to the powers. It also fits the theme.

Sex and drugs (white and red) - I hadn't thought of the Red and White courts like that before. That's really cool. I kinda wish "Rock n Roll" would fit the theme.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 07, 2010, 08:18:59 AM: Quote from: mrsleep on March 07, 2010, 12:21:30 AM
That's pretty impressive.

Thank you.

Quote from: mrsleep on March 07, 2010, 12:21:30 AM
Have you considered vulnerabilities? There are a lot of odd vampire myths in the East (even the famous garlic aversion is often attributed to Asia). With a little digging, I think you'll find a vast amount of folklore to draw from.

Quote from: srl51676 on March 07, 2010, 01:25:27 AM
weaknesses from Wikipedia
-"When grains or rice, seeds, anything small thrown in the path of a jiang shi, the jiang shi will stop and count the grains of rice. Sticky rice is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiang shi out."
-"Other items used to repel jiang shi in films include chicken's eggs (whereas duck's eggs are ineffective), and the blood of a black dog."

Both MrSleep and srl51676 bring up the same point: weaknesses were not mentioned. I had considered the above, but decided that, like the other vampires (black court excluded), the vampire legends tell only part of the story - and that story may not even be accurate. The legends regarding Sticky Rice did not seem entirely realistic, but a weakness dealing with something intellectual - perhaps a psychological disorder like "Obsessive Compulsive" disorder might actually work. This would mean the idea or throwing rice in front of a Jade Court Vampire might actually work - the vampire would stop to count them - just like the legend. Of course, the disorder would change between vampires. Good ideas, guys. Thanks.

Quote from: srl51676 on March 07, 2010, 01:25:27 AM
This is good work I like the flavor a lot.

Thank you very much

Quote from: srl51676 on March 07, 2010, 01:25:27 AM
powers wise I would consider dream invasion, illusion, & hypnosis to go with the mental aspect and limit their physical capabilities for all but the oldest and most powerful. Also the soul stealing mechanic should be a very involved and delicate process used only as a plot device otherwise you run the risk them being very overpowered.

All great ideas. Coupled with the idea of a psychic/domination mental vamp, all that is legit. And yes, they should be very physically underpowered. They should be thinkers, not combat machines.

And yes, the soul stealing thaumaturgical ritual should be plot devices. Imagine a situation where a vampire takes the soul of one of your PC's loved ones and the vampire then takes the body of said loved one. Now imagine battling the vampire. Do you kill it and run the risk of never seeing your loved one again or let it go? Oh, the possibilities...
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 07, 2010, 08:25:33 AM: Quote from: Bosh on March 07, 2010, 07:51:02 AM
Sounds like quite a nasty long-term antagonist since being able to retreat out of your body makes one very hard to kill. I guess that the easiest way to take these guys out would be to draw a magic circle around them without them realizing it (to keep their soul in) and THEN kill them, which would keep their soul from running away. Would something like that work?

You know, I don't know. I think I would have to see the text of the RPG before making a call on that. It's one of my problems right now. I've got to wait for the two big books like everyone else (or the PDF's - which I will get with the Preorder). It sounds like a MEAN idea.

I guess if I had to make a decision now, I would say it works...to a point. I'd have to decide how long it would take before the soul dissipates and goes to oblivion and then decide how long a magic circle lasts. If the circle dissipates quickly, the soul returns to the jar.

Still. It's a great idea and I wouldn't discount it as a possibility. Thanks for the idea. It is a very Harry Dresden thing to do. Just lets see the rules first.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Ihadris on March 07, 2010, 08:33:10 AM: This is amazing! Fantastic to read through and a really solid concept.

For the Cultist idea: Perhaps they should have a law breaker stunt if they have participated in any of the rituals that involve transfering souls. Perhaps Second or third law? Its kind of hard to think what ripping someone's soul out comes under.

As for motivations, the scariest one is always when someone didnt need to be brainwashed but beleived in them and wanted to do it. Perhaps some of the cultists genuinly beleive that the Jade Court will make the world a better place when they have their day of uprising? Or maybe some them are after protection. Im guessing that the vampires would fiercely guard what is their own. Protection from the other supernatural factions could be quite an incentive.

Aspect: Paranoid eye for detail. The abilit for your boss to be literally anyone you know has meant youve become very skilled at noticing subtle differences in behaviour.
Bonus: Spotting deception and lies. Any other situation where noticing cues from body language would help
Compell:The paranoid bit. Might freak out/run away/turn jack bower on a team mate at an inconvenient time

The Chop Would the ghosts tattoo every host body they use especially if they are changing regularly? Just for clarification on the Ghosts, how often where you think they would change bodies?

Theres a suggestion for the were-wolf build on the were-form write up of having "Pack Instincts". Pehraps something similar, could it be possible that the Jiang Shi could sense each other? For instance
(click to show/hide)
Mouse seemed very adept at sensing other vampires
.

Powers: If the dragons are each affiliated with one of the cardinal directions and each have their own Jiang shi, what about them each of them specialising in a different way of influencing people's minds or take different kinds of host bodies but this might be straying a bit too white court for your liking.

couple of questions
- what happens to the vampire spirit when the body they are inhabiting is killed or dies?
- Do you envision the remaining 5 dragons as keeping a very close relationship or having their own groups and power structures much similar to the rival white court families?
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: srl51676 on March 07, 2010, 09:04:04 AM: As far as a Circle goes I would think that it would contain the soul until the circle was broken and allow one to trap it in a more permanent container like a genie in a bottle. You could also trap it until sunrise. A day light vulnerability for an unhosted soul would be reasonable. Also What about drowning with water grounding out magical energy. perhaps they don't swim.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: mrsleep on March 07, 2010, 11:10:44 PM: Quote
As for motivations beyond greed ... any suggestions? I agree - greed is not always the best motivator. It was the only thing I could think of at the time.

There are lots beside wealth and power for there own sakes. You might want to start with a goal so massive or far off that it would take near eternity to accomplish. Maybe they actually have good intentions and horrid methods. Maybe they've spent centuries trying to keep a very nasty "genie" in the bottle.

Another thing to think on is how many have strayed from their original purpose (perhaps all of them have).
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Ancalagon on March 14, 2010, 05:34:55 PM: Really cool stuff!

Am I correct in reading that you aren't suggesting that they be suitable PCs, but rather vilains, or at "best", a sponsor for a PC?

As far as a goal for them, I would propose Tianxia - All under heaven (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_under_heaven ). Basically, they want to bring harmony by bringing *everyone* under one rule. They believe that a "perfect leader" will emerge, but that they must create the right conditions first. It's the kind of agenda that needs a very long view, patience yet ruthlessness.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 16, 2010, 06:17:28 PM: Quote from: Ancalagon on March 14, 2010, 05:34:55 PM
Really cool stuff!

Thank you. :)

Quote from: Ancalagon on March 14, 2010, 05:34:55 PM
Am I correct in reading that you aren't suggesting that they be suitable PCs, but rather vilains, or at "best", a sponsor for a PC?

Yes and no. I've struggled with this. I initially tried to design the Jade Court vamps as both antagonists as well as PC’s. But this changed for two reasons. These reasons go back to the basic tenets of the Dresden game.

First, without knowing exactly how many points of Refresh (I don’t have the books in front of me) the entire power package would cost, I am estimating it to be over 10. This puts it out of reach for most beginning PC’s.

Second, background-wise, the Jade Court vamps I have created made a conscious choice to become vamps. They utilized Free Will to become a monster and give in to that monster’s Nature. They had to in order to undergo the thaumaturgical ritual. When I looked at the other Courts, I noticed a pattern: none of the other Court vampires had Free Will regarding their monster-hood. They were never given a choice. Red/Black Court vamps were bitten by vamps they did not know. White Court vamps are born into their status. So, in the Dresdenverse, it makes sense that progeny of these Courts who still have Free Will (defined by the game as at least 1 point of Refresh), might choose to fight their Nature.

My Jade Court vamps chose to become what they are. They chose Nature over Free Will.

So, you see my dilemma. How can you justify a PC Jade Court vamp when the vamp made such a choice? Two things have to happen for me consider redesigning things. First, my point estimation has to be wrong. It can and has happened before. Second, and most importantly, there has to be a way to break free of one’s Nature as a monster and return to the status of having some form of Free Will.

Then, I think we can see Jade Court vamps as PC’s (at least under this current design). And that, would be really cool.[/quote]

Quote from: Ancalagon on March 14, 2010, 05:34:55 PM
As far as a goal for them, I would propose Tianxia - All under heaven (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_under_heaven ). Basically, they want to bring harmony by bringing *everyone* under one rule. They believe that a "perfect leader" will emerge, but that they must create the right conditions first. It's the kind of agenda that needs a very long view, patience yet ruthlessness.

Oh man, that is so great. Fantastic. Thank you for the idea.
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Sh33p on March 17, 2010, 04:14:33 AM: Basically sounds like a legion of Corpsetakers with the added failsafe of a D&D Lich's phylactery.

I like it. Especially the Eight Immortals bit. Although, I'm with earlier posters who recommended they not all be in one place. On top of that, maybe these guys have some beef with the real Dragons like Ferrovax?

And I will say this: Reading this made me think of Shiro's duel and Jet Li's Fearless, except it'd be body-jumping vampire Jet Li against a Samurai on a mission from Elvis. ;D
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Ancalagon on March 20, 2010, 01:38:58 AM: Quote from: xiaolung on March 16, 2010, 06:17:28 PM
Oh man, that is so great. Fantastic. Thank you for the idea.

I'm happy to help! :)

I find that as a game master, collaboration really helps creativity
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: xiaolung on March 23, 2010, 06:34:44 PM: Quote from: Sh33p on March 17, 2010, 04:14:33 AM
And I will say this: Reading this made me think of Shiro's duel and Jet Li's Fearless, except it'd be body-jumping vampire Jet Li against a Samurai on a mission from Elvis. ;D

Ooo...on a mission from Elvis. What an aspect. Cool stuff.

Baltimore is up. It looks tres kewl. When I have more of the crunch, I'll start posting basic Jade Vamp stats for your perusal and comment. Should be latest...May?
Title: Re: Jade Court Vampires
Post by: Jebm on January 30, 2012, 04:02:58 AM: In addition to hen's eggs, rice and black dog blood,they're also vulnerable to wooden swords crafted from peach trees. I'd add in stunts related to martial arts and bladed weaponry to make up for the lack of magical skill. I hope this turns out well as playing a Jade Court vamp sounds very cool as I could easily see a cold-war style turf war between them and the other supernatural factions in Asia.