ENCHANTING SHADOW REVIEW

I have a review of The Enchanting Shadow up at easternKicks. If you haven't seen this movie, it is the perfect film for Halloween. Anyone familiar with A Chinese Ghost Story knows the basic plot of a scholar seduced by a ghost. This film was a large influence on A Chinese Ghost Story, so it is worth viewing for that alone. But it is also remarkably haunting and entertaining. It is a very simple ghost story done well. The sets, the shots are all highly atmospheric and evocative of classic gothic cinema. The lead actress, Betty Loh Tih, is outstanding. You can see all my thoughts in the full review HERE. The Enchanting Shadow has been a bit hard to get a hold of lately but it is coming out in blu-ray soon in the Shaw-Shock Volume 2 set. It is also presently up at Shaw Brothers Cinema YouTube channel for paid subscribers. 

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD RUTHLESS BLADES VI

Art by Jackie Musto 

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The monsters in Strange Tales of Songling mostly started as entries in this blog for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, in a series of posts I made about Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Those entries are available HERE and will allow you to have the monster stats for WHOG.

Today I am doing three of my favorite monsters in Strange Tales of Songling. Killer Snakes was largely inspired by the movie of the same name by Kuei Chih-Hung (a very interesting director). The film is a character study and feels a lot like Taxi Driver, but with snakes who serve the will of the protagonist and harm his enemies (it came out in 1974, before Taxi Driver, but it just has the feel of that kind of film). The mountain troll is just so creepy. And Painted Maidens are my take on Hua Pi (Painted Skin), the Pu Songling Story, but also films inspired by it (I love the Painted Skin movies).

KILLER SNAKES 

Snakes have a strong sense of reciprocity and will willingly serve a person who saves them from dire situations or certain death. When this happens they aggressively protect and carry out the wishes of their benefactor, provided he or she continues to treat them well. People have been known to amass armies of snakes in this way.

Killer Snakes can be any variety of serpent, but the stats provided are for a typical cobra.

Defenses: Hardiness 2, Evade 6, Wits 2

Key Skills: Bite: 2d10 (see below), Speed: 3d10, Detect: 0d10

Max Wounds: 1

Type: Creatures

Resist: 0

POWERS

Venomous Bite: On a Successful Bite attack, roll 4d10 against Hardiness every 10 minutes (unless and until cured by antidote). On a Success, the person dies in 1d10 minutes. 

Karmic Connection: Killer Snakes are karmically linked to their benefactor. They can sense when he or she is in danger. They can also understand the desires of their benefactor and can follow complex commands.

MOUNTAIN TROLL SPIRIT

Mountain Troll Spirits are large beastly creatures who appear with late night breezes and have long, three-inch teeth hanging over their chins. Mountain Trolls are 9-feet tall, with misshapen heads that have patches of dark withered skin. Their flesh is hard like stone except for their fleshy patches (which are soft). They can travel freely on the wind before and after appearing.

Defenses: Hardiness 10 or 3 (patches), Evade 5 or 9 (patches), Wits 2

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (6d10 damage plus 2 Extra Wounds), Claw or Slam: 2d10 (damage 3d10 Open Damage), Speed: 2d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect: 3d10, Athletics: 2d10, Command: 3d10

Max Wounds: 8

Type: Demons

Resist: 2

POWERS

Bite: The sharp teeth of these creatures inflict 6d10 Damage plus 2 Extra wounds to targets.

Wind Travel: Mountain Trolls can vanish into the wind and let it carry them to their next destination. This requires an Athletics roll TN 7.

Fearful Rasp: A Mountain Troll can afflict its enemies with dread by releasing a terrifying rasp. To do this, roll Command (3d10) against Wits of all within hearing distance. On a Success, the target suffers a -1d10 Skill Penalty to all Combat Skill Rolls or Physical Skill Rolls for 1 round. On a Total Success, the target suffers a -1d10 penalty for 2 rounds.

Stone Flesh: The skin of a Mountain Troll is like stone, giving them a Hardiness of 10 and Resist of 2. However, the soft patches on their face are weak, like bruised fruit. They can be penetrated more easily. Hitting the patches requires a TN 9 Attack Roll (see Defenses) but shifts the Hardiness to 3 (from 10) and overcomes Resist for the purposes of making a Damage Roll.

PAINTED MAIDEN 

Painted Maidens look like beautiful women and often claim to be concubines, courtesans or performers. Their true form is that of a hideous creature with green flesh, blade-like teeth and claws. They assume an appearance of outer beauty by painting skinned corpses they can wear like a costume. The skin is nearly perfect, making them look like a normal human to most eyes. They feed on human hearts and desire to become a real person more than anything else.

Occasionally male Painted Maidens are found as well, though they are rare.

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 6, Wits 9

Key Skills: Claw: 3d10 (5d10 Open Damage), Bite: 3d10 (3d10 Damage), Speed: 4d10, Muscle: 3d10, Detect: 3d10, Persuade: 3d10, Talent: 5d10

Max Wounds: 7

Type: Creatures

Resist: 1

POWERS

Painted Skin: Painted Maidens can fabricate flesh and facial features for themselves using the
Talent skill on an existing piece of flesh. To do this they must skin a human body for raw materials (they can use several different bodies to create the ideal form). They then wear the fake skin to appear like a normal human. They are so good at painting their bodies and faces that few can tell the difference. It takes two consecutive successful Detect rolls to notice any flaws in the disguise, and characters must specifically be examining the creature closely.

Immunities: Painted Maidens are only harmed by Magic. 

Claw and Heart Taking Hand: Painted Maidens have long, sharp claws that can dig easily into human flesh. Make a Claw Roll against Evade. On a Success, they do 5d10 Open Damage with their claw ability. On a Total Success, they do 6d10 Open Damage plus 1 Extra wound and successfully pull out the target's heart if the damage is enough to kill them. 

Substitution: If a Painted Maiden can find a willing person, she can trade skins with them and become fully human (while the target becomes a painted maiden). This process is painful for both and takes hours.

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD RUTHLESS BLADES V

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. 

Art by Jackie Musto 

I will be doing a few monsters each post and not including every monster as Jeremy and I have been developing certain creatures for an intended expansion. Last post was about ghosts and today starts with a creature called the Hellhound Beast Skin, a creature inspired by the story Sheep Skin in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Also as I am doing conversions for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades, I wanted to point out that the monsters in Strange Tales of Songling mostly started as entries in this blog for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, in a series of posts I made about Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Those entries are available HERE and will allow you to have the monster stats for WHOG. 

HELLBOUND BEAST SKIN 

In the hell of Diyu are racks of animal skin suspended in wooden frames. These hides are wrapped around those sentenced to be reborn as animals. They fuse with the flesh and turn men into beasts. However, some escape from hell and desperately cling to life by taking over human bodies; such creatures are called Hellbound Beast Skins. 

Hellbound Beast Skins look like a skinned hide of animal flesh and fly through the air like a kite. They descend and wrap themselves around the bodies of their victims, turning the person into a weird blend of animal and man. From that day on, the two beings struggle for control of the body and mind. 

Defenses: Hardiness 5, Evade 8, Wits 3

Key Skills: Attack: 3d10, Muscle: 5d10, Speed: 3d10, Fly: 2d10, Detect: 3d10

Max Wounds: 5
Type: Demon
Resist: 1

POWERS

Binding: Hellbound Beast skins wrap around human bodies and bine to them. Roll their attack against Evade. On a Success the target begins to transform into a beast. The target must make an Athletics roll against the Evade of the Hellbound Beast each round. On a Success the target casts off the skin. On a failure the target is transformed (see Transformation below). 

Transformation: Anyone successfully bound by a Hellhound Beast Skin instantly has the hide fused to their flesh and begins turning into a creature of that type. For the first day, the person looks like a normal pig, crocodile, horse, ox or similar creature (they also have the stats for that animal). Each day the victim is allowed an Athletics roll to escape. On a Success, the target regains partial control, becoming a bizarre hybrid of the animal. He or she retains their mind but looks strange and has teeth and claws, plus the inherent desires of the animal (see Hybrid Form below). The person is not permanently free and must continue making athletics rolls. On a Total Success the person casts off the skin and is free. However the skill still may give chase. If they do not success on their Athletics roll for 3 consecutive days, the change is permanent. 

Hybrid Form: In hybrid form, the victim retains his or her mind but still has the impulses of the animal. Therefore they must pass a Wits test (roll 3d10 against the character's Wits) or behave as the animal would. In this form, the victim has two arms and two legs, walks upright, but has the jaws and mouth of the creature (with whatever bite or damage that entails) and any claws or hooves of the creature as well (also with whatever damage or mechanical effect those would entail). 

JIANGSHI (STANDARD)

These are corpses risen from the grave who feed on human life energy. They suck the breath from their victims. Their limbs are stiff, so they hop slowly from place to place. 

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 5, Wits 4

Key Skills: Bite and Claw: 2d10 (3d10 plus extra wound), Speed: 0d10, Muscle: 3d10, Detect: 2d10

Max Wounds: 6
Type: Jiangshi
Resist: 2

POWERS

Hop: Jiangshi can hop twice each round to move, going 20 feet each round total. 

Drain Life: On a successful bite or claw attack a Jiangshi can opt to suck the breath of its victim. Roll 2d10 against Hardiness. On a Success the target is drained of one level. 

Immunities and Weaknesses: Jiangshi are immune to mundane and Signature Ability attacks that do not directly impact Jiangshi, or are not based on fire, magic or ritual. Fire always does 2d10 Open Damage to a Jiangshi. The following substances act like fire upon contact with a Jiangshi: sticky rice, dog blood and peach wood. Ba Gua mirrors can keep them at bay. 

WITCH FROM NEPAL

Witch from Nepal is a very interesting genre bending movie. Released in 1986 and directed by Ching Siu-Tung, it stars Chow Yun-Fat as Joe, a man who breaks his leg while vacationing in Nepal after visions of a mysterious woman. He returns to Hong Kong with his girlfriend, Ida to recover at a hospital where the woman from Nepal, Sheila, follows him, and explains he has been chosen by her god to fight an enemy of her people, a kind of panther demon, played by Dick Wei. Joe inherits the powers of Sheila's deceased chieftain. As he explores his powers, he falls in love with her, and finds himself in the center of a love triangle. The film dips from action to horror to romantic comedy. When he and Sheila are caught by Ida, the film veers into wild horror with a scene that feels pulled from Night of the Living Dead. All this builds up to a final confrontation with the panther demon that does not disappoint. See my film thoughts on it over at easternKicks HERE. 

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD RUTHLESS BLADES

Art by Jackie Musto 

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. I will be doing a few monsters each post and not including every monster as Jeremy and I have been developing certain creatures for an intended expansion. Today I am going to cover Ghosts. Ghosts can come in endless variety and these are just a handful of example. 

BITTEN GHOST
Bitten Ghosts often come at night when people are falling asleep. Their exact nature is not well known, but they typically appear as recently deceased corpse in mourning or burial attire. They have pale and bloated features, with enigmatic expressions that induce fright. Bitten Ghosts press themselves on a victim's body, pinning them with great force so they can draw out their life energy through their nostrils. 

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 6, Wits 6

Key Skills: Life Drain: 3d10, External Arts: 2d10, Muscle: 4d10, Speed: 0d10

Max Wounds: 5
Type: Ghost 
Resist: 0

POWERS

Bitten Vulnerability: Bitten Ghosts are vulnerable to human bites. When bitten they recoil and flee, and take 2 Extra Wounds from such attacks. 

Weight of Many Corpses: Their body presses heavily on victims. On a Successful External Arts roll the target is pinned and must make a Muscle Roll TN 8 to lift the Ghost off their body. 

Life Drain: A bitten ghost can draw out a person's life by inhaling near the target's mouth with their nostrils. Roll 3d10 against Evade. On a Success, the target loses 1 Hardiness which recovers at a rate of 1 per week. 

Immunities: Bitten ghosts are immune to mundane attacks but vulnerable to Signature Abilities, rituals and magic weapons. Each one is also vulnerable to a key substance based on its history and all are susceptible to human teeth. 

INVISIBLE GHOST 
Invisible Ghosts cannot be seen by the human eye. However, animals can sense them and are able to harm them as well. These ghosts are both playful and vindictive. They often haunt a chamber or hall to frighten away the residents so they can have the place to themselves. Provided they are not interfered with, they leave people elsewhere in the abode alone. If any dare enter their space, they attack through the night. 

Defenses: Hardiness 4, Evade 4, Wits 7

Key Skills: Attack: 3d10, Detect: 3d10, Speed: 4d10, Muscle: 1d10

Max Wounds: 5
Type: Ghost 
Resist: 0

POWERS

Invisible: Invisible Ghosts are unseen and hard to strike. In order to hit them, one must first make a Detect Roll against TN 8. Otherwise the attack is made at -3d10. Animals can see and harm invisible ghosts. 

Attack: Invisible Ghosts attack by throwing objects. They can hurl anything for 4d10 damage. 

Immunities: Invisible Ghosts are immune to mundane attacks and any Signature Ability that isn't magic or specifies it affects Ghosts. They can be hurt by Peach Wood swords however (so a person wielding one with a Signature Ability, could affect them). 

LOVING GHOST 
Loving Ghosts are benevolent spirits who cannot be eligible for reincarnation until they've dealt with some unresolved matter of fate regarding a lover they had in their previous life. They typically help their former lover deal with a present challenge or difficulty. Their presence is highly disruptive because they usually arrive after their lover has reincarnated many times. A person who meets their Loving Ghost becomes greatly confused as memories of their previous life come flooding to the foreground and overwhelm them. 

Defenses: Hardiness 4, Evade 5, Wits 6

Key Skills: Attack: 1d10, Detect: 2d10, Speed: 3d10, Fly: 2d10, Muscle: 1d10

Max Wounds: 3
Type: Ghost 
Resist: 0

POWERS

Awaken: When a Loving Ghost is in the presence of their former lover, that person forgets their present life, and the memories of a previous life spent with the ghost dominate their mind. This is very disorienting and the effect remains until the Loving Ghost can move on. 

Fly: Loving Ghosts can fly freely. 

Immunities: Loving Ghosts are immune to Mundane Attacks and Signature Abilities that are not magical. They are affected by magic and sunlight (causes 2d10 damage each round of exposure). They can also be harmed by weapons made from objects dear to their former lover. 

PEONY GHOST

A Peony Ghost is the returned spirit of a person who was offered a shortcut to rebirth if they can find true love for three years. They are sustained by feelings of affection and usually seek out a spouse so they can marry and have children. However, if they are ever discovered to be a ghost by their spouse, they must return to Diyu (Hell) and face their full punishment before being reborn (averting this requires extreme means contending with the ghostly officials and demons of diyu). They look human unless they are exposed to light from direct candle or the sun (moonlight, reflected light, and distant candle light has no effect on them). When exposed to these by sun light, they are seen for what they truly are: a rotting corpse. Still they are able to live as normal people, eating, having children and all the rest. They also have the ability to dampen and freeze a person's heart with a touch (though each life they take in this way creates additional challenges they must face when reborn). 

Defenses: Hardiness 5, Evade 6, Wits 7

Key Skills: Attack: 2d10, Persuade: 2d10, Empathy: 2d10, Speed: 2d10, Detect: 2d10, Religion: 2d10 

Max Wounds: 4
Type: Ghost
Resist: 1

POWERS

Heart Touch: By pressing their palms to a person's chest, Peony Ghosts can chill it and even cause death. Roll Attack against Evade. On a Success the target is Drained of 2 Hardiness as their heart chills. When they reach 0 Hardiness their heart is frozen and they die. 

Deathless: A Peony Ghost regenerates 1 wound per hour and returns in 1 day if destroyed. 

Weakness: Sun and direct flame will reveal a Peony Ghost to be nothing more than a rotting corpse. If this is ever discovered by their spouse, they must return to Diyu and face punishment. If they eat or drink anything made from Peonies they are permanently destroyed. 

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD RUTHLESS BLADES III

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. I will be doing a few monsters each post and not including every monster as Jeremy and I have been developing certain creatures for an intended expansion. Today will get into Spirited Beasts but I am just including the Snake Demon and Tree Spirit from that list as we had a pretty extensive treatment of these kinds of creatures in our expansion. I am also including Fox Spirits here (which appear later in the Strange Tales of Songling monster section). This is for ease of use. 

Art by Jackie Musto 

SPIRITED BEAST: SNAKE DEMON
Snake Demons usually appear as beautiful women, though they can be any sex. They can also take other forms such as a giant serpent, a small snake or human-snake hybrid. Most began life as snakes and intentionally or accidentally used external alchemy to become more human over time. They cultivate faster by drawing on human life force and can become fully human if they conceive and give birth to a child. 

Defenses: Hardiness 6, Evade 6, Wits 7

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (2d10 Plus poison and drain), External Arts: 2d10, Muscle: 1d10, Speed: 3d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect: 3d10, Medicine & Alchemy: 3d10, Persuade: 3d10, Empathy: 1d10, Talent: 1d10, Survival: 3d10

Max Wounds: 8
Type: Demon (Spirited Beasts)
Resist: 1 (only against non-magic)

POWERS

Captivation: Anyone who looks into a snake demon's eyes is subject to its captivation ability. Roll 2d10 against Wits. On a Success the target is helpless and can't move for 1 round. On a Total Success the target falls in love for 1d10 months. 

Immunities: Snake Demons are immune to mundane attacks and have 1 Resist against any attack that isn't magic based. 

Drain and Poison: On a successful bite, a Snake Demon does 2d10 damage and drains one Hardiness. It can choose to deliver venom as well. Roll 3d10 against the Hardiness of anyone exposed to its venom. On a Success the target dies in 1d10 days unless they obtain an antidote. 

Shape Change: Snake Demons can change into many forms, including: human, a giant serpent or a small snake (as well as any shape in between the three). 

TREE SPIRIT

These wicked creatures are shape shifting trees that feed on humanity and control ghosts. They can take human form and attack with roots that suck the fluids from a person's body. If they plant a person's bones beneath their roots, they can command that persons spirit. At night they can move freely and take human form, but during the day, a tree spirit must return to its tree form in a specific location. 

Defenses: Hardiness 3, Evade 8, Wits 9

Key Skills: Roots: 3d10 (3d10 open damage), External Arts: 3d10, Speed: 3d10, Fly: 4d10, Muscle: 3d10, Detect: 4d10

Max Wounds: 13
Type: Demon (Spirited Beasts)
Resist: 2

POWERS

Immunities: Tree spirits are immune to Mundane attacks and have Resist 2 against all other attacks. Fire overrides their resist. 

Roots: Tree spirits can launch roots at up to 4 targets in their immediate area. These impale and drain fluids. Roll 3d10 against Evade. On a Success they do 3d10 Open Damage and Drain 1 point of Hardiness. On a Total Success, one of the roots is able to go down the targets mouth to drain their body directly doing 4d10 Open Damage and draining 2 points of Hardiness. 

Bone Masters:  If the bones of a ghost or a recently deceased person are placed near the tree spirit's roots, then the ghost must obey the tree spirit in all things. 

Shapechange: Tree spirits can take human form at night, but always look uncanny. They can also take their tree form and the form of a human-tree hybrid. During the day they are trapped in their tree form and cannot act. 

FOX SPIRITS

There are many types of Fox Spirits. Here are listed two: The Enchanting Fox Spirit and the Hungry Fox Spirit. 

ENCHANTING FOX SPIRIT

Enchanting Fox Spirits look like beautiful women but can take the form of a fox. They drain men of their essence by sleeping with them, using their energy to cultivate. The more they drain, the more powerful they become as well. Some even achieve status as great martial artist or enlightened sages. 

Male Enchanting Fox Spirits exist but are more rare. 

Defenses: Hardiness 3, Evade 6, Wits 10

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (2d10 damage plus 1 extra Wound), External Arts: 2d10: (1d10 damage plus 1 Extra wound), Speed: 4d10, Muscle: 1d10, Detect: 5d10, Persuade: 4d10, Empathy: 3d10, Talent: 3d10, Theft: 2d10, Survival: 3d10, People and Places: 2d10

Max Wounds: 7+1 per person killed. 
Type: Demon (Spirited Beasts)
Resist: 1

POWERS

Enervation: Enchanting Foxes cultivate by draining men of their vital essence as they sleep with them. Every time they do this, they gain 1 point of Hardiness for a day (which the target loses) and if they kill that person, their Max Wounds increase by 1. If they reach Max Wounds 10, their Resist goes up by 1 (and up by one again if they reach Max Wounds 13). 

Enchanting Form: The true form of an Enchanting Fox is a fox, but to most people they look like beautiful women. The wise person can occasionally see through this veneer, catching a small glimpse of their real nature. Anytime a person first sees the Enchanting Fox, roll 4d10 against their Wits. On a Success the target simply sees a beautiful woman. On a Total Success they see a beautiful woman and are instantly smitten. On a failure, the person sees a trace of the fox's real form (a bushy tail, yellow eyes, whiskers, etc). This is very brief, as the Enchanting Fox can immediately roll 4d10 against Wits again to restore the perception of a beautiful woman. One an Enchanting Fox succeeds against a target, that person will always perceive them as the fox desires (unless the target actively seeks evidence to the contrary: and if they find evidence, they can roll again). 

Signature Abilities: When they reach 10 Max Wounds, Enchanting Fox Spirits can learn 1 Signature Ability each time their Max Wounds increase by 1 (to a maximum of 3 Signature Abilities). 

Incense Vulnerability: Incense disturbs Enchanting Fox Spirits greatly, imposing a -1d10 to all their skills and causing them 2d10 damage each round they inhale incense smoke. 

Immunities: Enchanting Fox Spirits are immune to mundane attacks. 

HUNGRY FOX SPIRIT 

These Fox Spirits must eat human hearts to survive, otherwise their bodies waste away until they die. They can into human form, often choosing to look menacing. 

Defenses: Hardiness 5, Evade 7, Wits 8

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (Damage 3d10 plus 1 Extra Wound), Claw: 3d10 (4d10 Open Damage), Speed: 4d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect: 3d10, Athletics: 2d10, Persuade: 2d10, Talent: 2d10, Survival: 2d10

Max Wounds: 6
Type: Demon (Spirited Beasts)
Resist: 2

POWERS

Change Form: Hungry Foxes can assume human form and change their appearance to look more or less attractive. 

Feed: Hungry Foxes must eat a human heart each day or lose 1 point of Hardiness (which returns each time they consume a heart). 

Claw: If a Hungry Fox attacks with its claws and kills, it can rip out the heart to consume it. 

Immunities: Hungry Foxes are immune to mundane attacks. 

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD, RUTHLESS BLADES II

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. I will be doing a few monsters each post and not including every monster as Jeremy and I have been developing certain creatures for an intended expansion. 

Before getting into new monsters though I want to provide some abilities for contending with monsters, which requires discussing monster types in the game. This will be a much more rudimentary method than the one Jeremy and I were working on for Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. It will basically just be converting some of the demon hunter abilities into Signature Abilities so players have ways to fight demons and ghosts. 

In the expansion we were working on we created a number of creature categories. Here I am just going to establish categories that are useful for Strange Tales of Songling (since my goal this month is to provide monster conversions for RBRB from that rulebook). The categories are Creatures, Jiangshi, Ghosts and Demons (Spirited Beasts). Most creatures are susceptible to normal attacks or have clear immunities described in their entries. Demons and Ghosts are generally immune to normal attacks and even to Signature Abilities (as a general rule if a Signature Ability looks like it should affect a demon or ghost allow it). The GM should also be flexible with characters who took the Daoist Priest/Nun or Buddhist Monk/Nun Occupation. 

I am converting a number of Demon Hunter powers. In some cases I am combining two or more abilities into a single SA. Characters who take these will have an easier time contending with the supernatural. Note some of these were more involved in the Strange Tales version. For example there were Max Wound requirements for them to work on certain ghosts, but implementing this for RBRB seemed too fraught. But gamesters should feel free to examine the powers they are based on to form their own conclusions. These are just four to start. I may do more during the course of this month. 

JIANGSHI MAGIC
Characteristics: Magical Arts, External Arts 

Prerequisite: Magical Arts

You know how to command and control hopping vampires (Jiangshi) with the use of a bell or talisman. You can use Magical Arts TN 8 to make a talisman in ten minutes, which requires ink and the blood of a chicken (monks who are forbidden from harming animals can use their own blood). On a Success the Talisman stops Jiangshi from moving when placed on their foreheads (placement of the Talisman requires an External Arts roll). One the paper talisman is in place, you can then command the Jiangshi to move by ringing a bell (roll Magical Arts against its Wits every hour). 

BLOOD AGAINST THE DEMONS 

Prerequisite: Magical Arts

Characteristics: External Arts and Magical Arts 

You slice the palm of your hand and strike a demon or ghost with it, causing them to burn. This overcomes any immunities such creatures may have against your attacks. The blood can also be used to coat weapons allowing other peoples' mundane attacks and to affect them. 

GHOST AND DEMON MASTER 

Characteristics: Command, Magical Arts

Prerequisite: Magical Arts

You can harm and expel ghosts or demons with a bellowing command and mudra gesture. This can be used to command ghosts and demons out of the area for an hour (roll Command against their Evade). You can also use it to harm a ghost that is within 10 feet doing 1d10 damage (again roll Command against their Evade).

TALISMANS

Characteristics: Magical Arts

Prerequisite: Magical Arts

You can craft paper talismans that will ward an area against evil creatures. This takes two houss and a successful TN 8 Magical Arts roll. On a success the talisman its power lasts for 2 hours once you activate it (this can be increased by investing more hours in its making). Any evil creature who tries to pass by the talisman must pass a 3d10 Wits test (roll 3d10 against its Wits). 

OCTOBER MONSTERS FOR RIGHTEOUS BLOOD, RUTHLESS BLADES

In the spirit of October I am converting monster entries from Strange Tales of Songling for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. These are supernatural creatures inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. I will be doing a few monsters each post and not including every monster as Jeremy and I have been developing certain creatures for an intended expansion. 

These conversations are all preliminary. I am still on the fence with my max wounds adjustment. I ultimately settled on +1 from the base creature because wound scales for PCs in RBRB are higher than Strange Tales of Songling characters (but more than +1 created problems). I encourage GMs to experiment using different modifiers or no modifiers at all. For example the Bears of Intelligence in the Strange Tales book have Max Wounds 5, so I raised them to 6 here (originally raised this to 10 but that was too high, even though I think it might be a better reflection of an actual bear). If you think  this is too low, try a higher number. For wounding I simply added a +1 Extra wound and in some cases opted to make monsters use open damage instead of closed damage. As I do more of these, I might adjust the numbers in this entry. 

A note on Resist: A monster's resist is unaffected by and not reliant on Level. It always is in effect no matter the level of the character attacking them. 

BEARS OF INTELLIGENCE 
These look like normal bears but have the intelligence of humans. Not only are they capable of thought and human-emotion, but they organize themselves into hierarchies and can engage in simple craftsmanship. Some groups have magistrates or kings. When dealing with other creatures they can be very civil, but with humans they are ferocious and cruel. It is possible for a person to reason with them. Some Bears of Intelligence can speak, some cannot. 

Defenses: Hardiness 8, Evade 6, Wits 7

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (damage 4d10 plus 1 extra wound), Claw: 3d10 (Damage 3d10), Speed: 2d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect: 3d10, Trade: 1d10, Survival: 3d10, Athletics: 1d10, Drinking: 2d10, Institutions: 1d10

Max Wounds: 6
Type: Creature
Resist: 1

BUCKWHEAT BEAST

These creatures feast on farmers, stalking through their fields at night, surprising them when they harvest. They have thick red hair and bristly beards that provide camouflage amid ripened buckwheat stems and flowers. Tall, Buckwheat Beasts reach heights of ten feet. But they are natural cowards, fleeing when cut or harmed. Despite this, they are persistent, lingering in the shadows to strike again hours later. They have been known to fall in love with humans. 

Defenses: Hardiness 9, Evade 7, Wits 4

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10 (damage 4d10 damage plus 2 Extra Wounds), Slam: 3d10 (4d10 Damage), Speed: 3d10, Muscle: 4d10, Detect: 3d10

Max Wounds: 8
Type: Creature
Resist: 0

POWERS

Chomp: Their sharp teeth cut easily through bone, imposing a -3 penalty to Hardiness for the purposes of rolling damage when they make a bite attack. The bite does 4d10 plus 2 Extra Wounds. 

Blend: Though enormous, the Buckwheat Beast can remain still and hide in fields. When they are hiding in a field of unripened buckwheat it is a Detect TN 8 to see them, and a TN 10 to see them in a ripe field. 

Cowardly: Anyone who does damage to a Buckwheat Beast, should make a Command Roll against its Wits. On a Success the Beast flees and returns in 1d10 minutes. On a Total Success they flee and return in 1d10 hours. 

DOG SPIRIT 

These are the spirits of dogs who were loyal to their master in life and have returned to continue serving them. Such creatures can possess the body of any dog in the area and use them to harm their master's enemies. In rare cases they inhabit the bodies of other creatures, even humans. The following stats are for a typical Dog Spirit that has possession of a dog's body. 

Defenses: Hardiness 3, Evade 5, Wits 4

Key Skills: Bite: 1d10 (1d10 Damage), Speed: 2d10, Muscle: 1d10, Detect: 4d10, Command: 2d10

Max Wounds: 1
Type: Ghost
Resist: 0

POWERS

Possess Creature: Dog Spirits have no form until they find a body to possess. When a potential vessel is in the area, they roll Command against its Wits. On a Success, they possess the target provided it is a dog. On a Total Success they can possess the target regardless of what type of creature it is. Possession lasts for 1 hour. 

Immunities: Dog Spirits will continue to return until suppressed or contained by magic. However they ca be compelled to destroy themselves if their master commands them to do so. 

PLOT ORBITS IN A SANDBOX

I have been working on a sandbox campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate set in Zhang Chang prefecture. This might be released as a PDF or put up on the blog, as I would like to keep releasing material for the setting so GMs have an easier time running it. If I do put it out as a PDF it will be much more modest than the Sons of Lady 87 book, which is our flagship adventure and setting supplement, as I am trying to shift towards smaller books and PDFs. Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is a dramatic sandbox that emulates wuxia films (in the rulebook we call it Drama and Sandbox). I have been building the Zhang Chang sandbox as I run the campaign and one of the tools I am using is something I call 'plot orbiting'. This is nothing new or revolutionary, just a fun label for a simple technique that helps connect the player's exploration of the sandbox to exciting plot developments. 

I am going to discuss that here, but first I just want to review what a dramatic sandbox is. This is the opening paragraph on the section in the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate GM section about it: 

If you want to learn more about this concept, you can find it on page 421 of the WHOG rulebook (it is pay-what-you-want at Drivethru). But it is about respecting the players freedom to explore, and not anticipating outcomes or forcing anything, but continuing to thread in active elements that help heighten the excitement and keep it in genre. It is still planned as a sandbox. I prep maps and locations. Once I set the players loose, then I start engaging in plot orbiting, which is a way to connect what the players do with interesting aspects of the sandbox. 

This is a very crude map and as you can see I am still working on the details (I need to make more locations and many of the towns don't even have names yet). But this gives you an idea of what I am developing. 

To illustrate what I mean by plot orbiting, I will talk about recent campaign events. The players decided to seek employment with a silk merchant they encountered named Li. Silk Merchant Li was on his way to Senzhou to set up an emporium and by offering to work with him, this put me in a position of having to send the players on missions (which can be dicey in sandbox campaigns). I had only just invented Silk Merchant Li moments before and using the pinning it down technique I established that he had a son who had come before him two years ago and gone missing, and that he was interested in getting an edge on local competition. This is where plot orbiting came in. I looked at other things of interest in the setting. I knew I had a killer operating out Li Manor in Xi An (a different Li, which became a point of confusion). And I knew I had a secretive sect inspired by the movie The Golden Sword called Black Leopard Villa. I decided that his son was abducted by Black Leopard Sect while staying in Li An. I wanted this to be intriguing so I made it like the movie where he went willingly because of some unknown background story (which I knew but the players didn't, and when they discover the truth I am sure it will be quite interesting to them). That instantly created a dramatic situation with the son, that had all kinds of adventure potential. 

Looking up Li Manor I saw that the head of the household was a respected engineer, so I decided that Silk Merchant Li wanted the party to infiltrate the house and take any plans for a new loom the man had designed which was reputed to double production. Once the party got there they decide to stay at an inn called the Green Raksha. I had very little information on this place, so I decided to make it connect to the Li Manor. To bring it into the plot orbit of the the manor house. I made it a black inn, where human meat was served and guests often killed. But I decided unlike many black inns, they had started acquiring their meat by scavenging the remains of victims left by the Li Manor murderer. They even know that the murderer resided at Li Manor. Because one of the players decided to snoop around the kitchen, during which time he discovered evidence of human limbs being used in food, the cooks decided to try to kill him that night. But the players were cautious and prepared, setting a trap for their assailants and extracting information about Li Manor in the process. 

Because one of the other players went to scout Li Manor while this was happening, it proved dramatically interesting. I was able to time when I went back and forth so that the reveal that a member of the household was a killer had the most impact. What I like about this kind of technique, timing shifts from one group of players and another when they split up, is you can heighten the tension, but it is all stuff that would happen regardless (you aren't inventing new information or developments just to land a surprise, the surprise is simply due to the timing of the shifts). 

Plot orbiting added to the experience at the inn, making it a more volatile situation but also connecting it to the destination they were going to. It also added to journey because they passed through Li An on the way and learned from a local weaver about the abduction of Silk Merchant Li's son. The idea is to treat any place of interest as having an orbit like a planet and being flexible and adaptive to bring other places and people the players encounter into that orbit. 

THE 14 AMAZONS

The 14 Amazons is an amazing experience. It is one of those movies that is just special. The source material that has been covered in other movies, but never quite in this way (even the remake in 2011, despite its great cast, couldn't quite capture its magic). I have a review of The 14 Amazons up at easternKicks and you can read it HERE. 

The 14 Amazons was released in 1972 and directed by Cheng Kang. It has a huge cast that includes Ivy Ling Po, Lisa Lu, Lily Ho, Shu Pei-Pei, Wang Ping, Li Ching, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Teresa Ha Ping, and many more. It tells the tale of the female generals of the Yang family who march to face the Western Xia after the death of General Yang. It blends elements of wuxia and war movie, and has some of the best visuals and sounds from this era. The fights are all incredible and it's filled with colorful characters and adventure set-pieces. Check out my review for a deeper exploration of the movie.