NPCS AND INSPIRATION (WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE)

An important aspect of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is the characters. Because it is a game of feuding sects, the personalities of the martial world will often intersect with the player characters, becoming allies and enemies. Both the rulebook and the introductory module, Ogre Gate Inn, feature a number of NPCs. These are my personal favorites to play at the table. I want to give brief excerpts from their entries (some background information is excluded here as that needs context to be understood). I also want to talk about what characters from wuxia series, movies and books inspired them. 

JADE PRIESTESS

This has become an important character in my Blood of the Demon Moon Cult campaign. This wasn't by design, as she began as a random encounter (described HERE). Now she is a vital ally of the party and the Sifu of one of the PCs. She was inspired by Shao Qianmo from the show Journey of Flower, one of the more compelling characters from that series. 

Sha Qianmo from Journey of Flower (2015)

Jade Priest Description from book: 

Jade Priestess is a ranking member of the Demon Moon Cult, being the High Priestess and just below Lord Moon in rank. She was born a man but identifies a woman. She is tall but otherwise it is difficult to detect her birth gender. She dresses in fine silk waist skirts and robes, keeps her hair in a tall double bun adorned with Jade and gold. She also wears a shawl embroidered with swans that she uses for her Arms of Silk and Deflecting Canopy Techniques. Among the members of the Demon Moon Cult she is well respected and even among the orthodox sects she is perceived as the reasonable actor within the cult. Jade Priestess is kind by nature and abides by the Xia code though many of her fellow sect members do not. She is particularly disdainful of martial experts who use their powers to harm or bully the weak. However she can be lethal and cunning when she needs to and when it serves the interests of the cult. Though she is a poisoner, Jade Priestess has been careful to conceal this from others, preserving her reputation.

THE BRONZE MASTER

Zuo Lengshan from the
2013 adaptation of
Smiling Proud Wanderer

I love playing Bronze Master. He is so deceitful and charming, the kind of villain players know they shouldn't trust but they still end up liking him because he is so darn smooth. Some villains are super easy to become at the table and Bronze Master is such a villain. Bronze Master was inspired by the character Zuo Lengshan from Smiling Proud Wanderer. 

Bronze Master Description from book:

The Bronze Master is the most influential member of the Golden Dragon’s council of Six Masters. Throughout the martial world he is respected and held in high esteem for his profound Kung Fu and impeccable character. The Bronze Master values his reputation and works hard to maintain it. He is not above stooping to murder to stamp out gossip and rumor.While he projects this image of himself to the world, inside he is selfish and (to an extent) self loathing. This is perhaps most clearly seen in the role he played when Lady Sapphire (now Lady Plum Blossom) was removed from the sect due to his own schemes. He fell in love with her but she fell in love with another, so he forced her lover, Master Emerald, to testify against her before the council. Worst of all, he disguised himself as Master Emerald and told her his position in the sect meant more to him than their love.

LADY WHITE BLADE

Cheng Pei-Pei as
Lady Hermit (1971)

I love Lady White Blade. She has been hounding parties since I first started running Ogre Gate where she's been one of the more ruthless adversaries for PCs to encounter. Interestingly enough I modeled her after the heroic character Lady Hermit, played by Cheng Pei-Pei. In that movie she is righteous but there is a key scene where she hacks the limbs off of thugs who killed one of her friends. I basically took that moment and built a character around it. 

Lady White Blade description from book: 

Lady White Blade earned her nickname because her temper and sword are said to strike with the ferocity of white lightning and because she is fond of white clothing (she almost always dresses in pure white robes because of their association with death). Famously severe as a Sifu and sect leader, she’s been known to maim students who displease her (particularly favorites who fall short of her expectations). On the other hand she can be quite maternal with her disciples and even with her enemies when they show the proper amount of respect. She has a soft spot for the young and innocent, being unusually forgiving of their mistakes. Such softness quickly gives way to her fierce temper when provoked.

There are perhaps none in the martial world as vengeful as Lady White Blade. She acquires new grudges with ease and devotes considerable energy to satisfying existing ones. Some say she slit a waiter’s throat in Chen for serving her cold tea. When she was informed that the tea was meant to be served cold by the proprietor, she cut out his tongue for failing to speak and allowing her to act in ignorance against the waiter.