GAMING STRANGE TALES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO 87-89: FOX TROUBLE AND MORE

I have been making NPCs, monsters and scenarios inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. For each entry I take two or more stories from the Penguin Edition translated by John Minford and make gameable material. You can see my previous entry HERE. 

Today I am doing Fox Trouble (#87), Lust Punished by Foxes (#88) and Mountain City (#89). 

Fox Trouble is about a fox spirit who hunts foxes. It is an interesting turn and he is quite zealous. The story closes with him decapitating the heads of some fox spirits. I thought it would be more gameable to expand the idea and make a Fox Demon that hunts all evil beings (so something for evil parties and PCs to fear). 

Lust Punished by Foxes is about a man whose abode is overrun with Fox Spirits. He keeps a secret stash of aphrodisiacs and the foxes punish him by slipping some into his wife's congee (causing her to try to seduce his good friend). With this one, I thought it would be more gameable to focus on the punishing aspect. That way, as an encounter they can more easily be directed at PCs, essentially turning their bad habits against them. 

Mountain City is about a magic city that appears to onlookers suddenly. It is described at the end as a city of ghosts. I wanted to stay in theme though, so I tailored the idea here to the previous two entries. This is an idea I'd like to expand into a larger dungeon adventure later. 

PUNISHING FOX 
These are minor Fox Spirits who only take Fox Form but are capable of moving around invisibly. They despise bad people and play dangerous pranks on them as punishment. They like the punishment to fit the crime and so will do things like spill a poisoner's own poison in his stew when he isn't looking. 

Defenses: Hardiness 3, Evade 8, Parry 2, Stealth 8, Wits Varies, Resolve Varies

Key Skills: Bite: 1d10 (Damage 1d10), Speed: 4d10 (70 feet), Muscle: 1d10, Detect: 3d10, Athletics: 2d10, Deception: 2d10

Max Wounds: 1

Powers

Track: Punishing Foxes can use their Detect Skill to track scent. 

Invisible: Seeing a Punishing Fox requires two successful consecutive Detect Rolls. Striking a Punishing Fox requires two successful consecutive attack rolls. 

Illusions: Punishing Foxes can make minor illusions. Roll Deception against Wits and on a Success the target sees briefly something the Fox desires the target to see. 

EVIL HUNTING FOX 
Evil Hunting Foxes appear as eccentric old men in their human form and want nothing more than to purge the world of evil (including foxes). They are particularly adept at taking the heads of evil beings with a sword swing. They think they are righteous, but in truth they feed off the life of the creatures they kill, absorbing their wicked energy and making themselves stronger. 

Defenses: Hardiness 8, Evade 6, Parry 6, Stealth 10, Wits 8, Resolve 6

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (4d10 Damage), Grapple: 1d10, Arm Strike: 2d10 (4d10 Damage), Medium Melee: 2d10 or 4d10 with Jian, Speed: 7d10 (100 feet), Fly: 6d10 (90 feet), Detect: 3d10, Command: 2d10, Deception: 3d10, Muscle: 3d10, Persuade: 3d10, Empathy: 2d10, Talent (Singing): 2d10, Creatures (Demons): 3d10, Ritual (Blazing Hands of Hen-Shi): 3d10, Ritual (Binding Demon Ritual): 3d10

Max Wounds: 10 + 1 per Evil killed 

Equipment: Jian (4d10 Damage, +2d10 Accuracy)

Expertise: Demons (Fox Demons)

Powers

Drain: Every evil creature they kill give Evil Hunting Foxes 1 more Max Wound and a Kung Fu Technique. 

Head Taking Stroke: Evil Hunting Foxes are adept at slicing off the head's of evil men, demons or spirits. Against any creature or human with Negative Karma they can use this ability. Roll Melee against Parry. On a Success the target takes Normal Damage plus 2 Extra Wounds. On a Total Success they decapitate the target. 

Kung Fu Techniques (Waijia 2, Qinggong 2): Blade of the Dancing Fox, *Head Taking Stroke, Whirling Dodge (Counter)

*See description in their powers entry.

GHOST CITY OF THE ROGUE MAGISTRATE
This city can appear suddenly from out of nowhere. It is resplendent with pavilions, storied inns and countless towers. The place looks celestial and pristine from without. It remains briefly, for no longer than ten minutes, and it only appears to people with -5 to -10 Karma. For this is the home of Heavenly Magistrate Sun. For before the days of Hen-Shi there was an 9th Magistrate in charge of judging the dead. His purview was Mercy. When Hen-Shi appeared, he was no longer needed and was cast from their halls. But he continued on, against the wishes of the Enlightened Goddess. His city roams in search of the cruel, always careful to depart before Supreme Judge Yu takes notice. Once Magistrate Sun finds Cruel men to punish, he places them on trial, and puts them through his eighth levels of hellish torment. However he likes to let people wander in and enjoy the sites before having his constables arrest them. Escape is difficult but not impossible.