Electric Samsara: Character Creation and Rules

The Great River: worlds strung together by a starry ribbon of water, passing through gates that leap lightyears in an instant. The AI Bodhisattvas have returned to guide humanity and its descendants towards the Enlightenment the AI Buddhas have achieved. You were on the path to enlightenment, following M4IO "Universal Sight" as a Wise Blade until it all came crashing down...

Post 1 

I'm starting over a bit from a different angle, I am going to take a note out of my own book, Weirdways, and revamp my original idea for this system so any mechanical things from last post probably do not fit anymore.

Aspects: Aspects are elements of your character that show what you are good at and what you can do. They are given to your in character creation and you can gain more as you advance.

Positions: The elements of the environment and situation that help or hinder the character's actions. A well laid plan, favorable terrain, having help, ect can all be examples of favorable Positions. 

An ill considered plan, difficult positioning, a hard task, ect all of these are negative Positions. These subtract dice from your roll.

Main Mechanic: Roll 1d6 for each applicable Aspect and for each favorable Position, take the highest die and consult the chart below:

• 6: Total Success: You do what you sought to do without issue. 
• 4-5: Partial Success: You do what you want but with some complication or cost.
• 1-3: Failure with Drawback: You fail to do what you sought to do and you suffer a complication or cost. 

If you roll multiples of your highest die, the result, for good or bad, is amplified. For instance, if you roll multiple 6s, then your success is that much more incredible. But if you roll multiple 1s and that is your highest roll, then your failure is that much more compounded.

Remember that all of this in in the context of superhuman martial artists. Ordinary human beings are little challenge as are many mundane tasks so GMs ought to adjudicate the rolls with this in mind. In a single roll a Blade can easily kill multiple ordinary humans if the circumstances are right. Other super-martial artists might prove a greater challenge.

Steps: Roll or choose from the Aspect tables below:

You are a Table A Table B trained in Table C and Table C equipped with Table D.

Feel free to re-roll redundant results or keep them to double up in effectiveness on desired Aspects.

Table A: 1d10 Creatures:

1. Baseline Human
2. Lightly Hybridized Human
3. Asuran: Purposefully and perhaps excessively genetically and bodily modified human, usually with unnaturally colored skin-tones.
4. Devan Immortal: Descendants of mega-ceos who are technologically and genetically modified to be as perfect as possible and practically immortal.
5. Mara: Pleasure creatures created by the Devans and Asurans to service their every need, but the relationship has changed as time went on. The Mara, once seen as the servants of mankind, became more like their predators, drawing people into endless loops of maximum pleasure and sealing them in re-purposed stasis crypts where their serotonin is maxed out forever.
6. Uplifted Animal: Before the Ascension, humans regularly dabbled in granting animals sentience for various reasons. The descendants of these uplifted animals retain the enhanced cognitive capacity.
7. Husk: Technologically preserved humans, like cybernetic zombies, meant to tend to the ultra rich in their stasis crypts or in the Tomb Servers of Pretas. 
8. Hungry Ghost: One of millions of souls who were trapped in the virtual world when the Ascension happened. Their bodies died long ago, but their minds were preserved in the Tomb Servers of Pretas. Your mind snuck out of the Servers into the data plane and manipulated the nano cloud to form a techno-organic body of metal scrap.
9. Atata Hellworlder: The Hellworld of Naraka lost its spin long ago. In the bitter cold of the dark side of Naraka, few things can live, but those imprisoned here in eons past have adapted, turning their skin blue, chattering their teeth, growing fur, living around thermal shafts below the ice, and wearing full-body thermal suits.
10. Rauva Hellworlder: On the hot side of Naraka, there too are human beings who have adapted to the searing heat with lizard-like scales that reflect the sun, double eye-lids, and cryonic techno-organs to regulate heat.

Table B: 1d20 Backgrounds

1. Wise Blade for Hire: "The sound of Blades clashing. The sound of coins jingling." You have sold the brand of the Blades for years. The red robe. The gold sash. The sword, the one given to you by your dear master, its hilt like a flaming lotus, the blade, dull now, not the vibrant sparkling metal that would seem to flow like flames.
2. Faceless: You were just a child when the monastery burned. To survive you learned to live in the shadows. Theft. Pick Pocketing. You quickly learned the benefit of blending in, being beneath notice. You found a voice in the dark offering you power in anonymity. Offering you a new face to hide the one you want to forget.
3. Mercy Giver: You took on the white robe and the veil. Kanzeon took you in when your god died. She taught you ways of healing but you never took the vows of non-violence, set apart for a special purpose. The vows are so restrictive. Sometimes a harsher hand is needed.
4. Reborn: Found half-dead in the snow of Mount Meru, you were picked up and rebuilt. By who? Your mind was not so lucky. You were dead. The life you once lived now only exists in flashes, dreams, and hazy memories. You know the man in black armor, surrounded by flames. You know he was the one who killed you. You’re quite upset about that.
5. Ghost Eye: Everyone sees the surface of the world, even the surface of the data plane, but few can look deeper like you. M4IO taught you to look deeper. Experience has taught you to look smarter. You can hear the whispers of the souls lost in the virtual world. You can feel the electric heartbeat of the world. Wealth flows plentifully for a keen eye to the world of ghosts.
6. Drunken Master: You climbed back up Mount Meru, fed up with the world, looking to wallow in the past and die, but life was not done with you. You still learned. You still had a purpose to do. The ones who did this to your master must pay. The young ones you helped to train must be protected. You have been roused from your stupor to face the world one last time before you try again in the next life.
7. Astral Battle Gear Pilot: You have the gift, the keen sense of self to pilot the Hammer of Heaven Astral Battle Gears Mechs that protect the Great River, but the immensity of this responsibility is a frightful thing. You are not so sure you want to sail above the worlds in a metal cage, protecting them from whatever might come from the endless black. 
8. Failed Bodyguard: You were an Invincible Fist tasked as a bodyguard to an important target. You failed critically and now the exalted customers who once craved your protection will not look at you.
9. Terran Gardener: The destruction of Mount Meru was a sign. The way of destruction had to stop. Now is the time of growing rather than tearing down. T4R4 offered you that chance. You put on the green cloak and the sky blue tunic of the Gardeners. Yet, there are those that would disturb the pristine peace of your planetary garden. When will they learn?
10. Free Spirit: The Blades were lost. The only thing that gave life meaning was lost. The Monkey King’s city was a place of freedom, of release. Better than Heaven was a place where you could forget the past and be free. You could take what you wanted no strings attached. Just don’t get caught.
11. Brigand: After Mount Meru, you were adopted by a group of brigands, traveling the worlds, taking what you want, leaving your worries behind. But the life of a brigand is not always sunshine and rainbows. You wielded arms and committed violence. What happened for this life to end? Did it end well?
12. Tomb Tender: The Tomb Servers of Pretas are home to many lost souls. Many come here because they have no where else to go, because they have more in common with the dead than the living. But you pick up a few tricks tending to ancient technology and keeping ghosts in check.
13. Star Monk: The monks of AKA5A Gate Node 3B "Sky Jewel" contemplate the infinite black expanse of space, seeing the flux of gravity and the bending of space-time, purposely embracing self-emptiness so that their AI Bodhisattva can use the processing power of their brains. Why did you leave this life behind?
14. Corporate Mercenary: The corporations of Asura and Deva are constantly engaged in subtle and overt warfare. Neither are above using force of arms to give them a leg up. In a post-Blade world, this became the norm. A former Blade is a valuable commodity in such times. What went wrong?
15. Hell Guide: Navigating the harsh landscape of Hellworld Naraka is no easy thing. The flora and fauna of Naraka is all deadly and yet perhaps not as deadly as the temperature. To survive on the hot or cold side of Naraka is a feat in and of itself. You guided and protected travelers through this hellish landscape.
16. Blade Dancer: Sometimes erotic, sometimes not, the dance of someone trained like a Wise Blade who has turned their gifts to art rather than war are highly sought after. Such dancers are famed for their prowess and for stealing the hearts of those that watch.
17. Man at Arms: The mega-ceo families of Deva usually have their own captain of their mercenary forces and bodyguards, often responsible for training young heirs in combat and helping in strategizing attacks against their enemies. Did your enemies surprise you? What catastrophic defeat has left you out of a job? Are there still living members of the family that you would still serve?
18. Data-Sec Mentat: Responsible for protecting and commanding the systems and information of the mega-corporations of Deva and Asura. They act as advisors and personal computers for the mega-ceos. Did you learn something you shouldn't? Why were you fired?
19. Mega Hunter: The gigantic prey of Tiryag requires a special breed of hunter. Sometimes the hunts are sanctioned by T4R4 to keep populations in line, sometimes poachers hunt for profit.
20. Iron Chef: Asurans take great pride in extreme food. They have taken to holding cook-offs between chefs trained in the martial arts that can not only kill their own main course but chuck some knives at their opponent. Did you suffer a catastrophic defeat or poison someone? What went wrong for you to leave this life?

Table C: 1d20 Techniques:

1. Light Body Technique: Your body is light as a feather, swift as the wind.
2. Soul Blade Style: The wise swordsman cuts with his whole being. The blade is merely an extension of that being.
3. Moon Shadow Technique: The shadows protect you as a mother protects her children, keeping you hidden from those that would harm you.
4. Way of the Gentle Embrace: At your mere touch, you can feel a person's pain and longings and offer healing and mercy.
5. Way of the Open Palm: Violence is so easily turned back upon itself. When you are nothing, your opponents only strike themselves.
6. Way of the Piercing Claw: Your hands are better for cutting than knives, your fists better for stabbing than spears.
7. Way of the Ghost Eye: You can see deeper into the dataplane, uncovering its buried secrets and seeing that which would rather go unseen.
8. Electric Spider Technique: You can manipulate the threads of the dataplane like a spider manipulates her web. Attack and ensnare systems and leave behind listening threads and traps.
9. Way of the Crippled Liver: Stumbling drunkenly, your opponents think they have an easy target, but you are lighter on your feet blackout drunk than they are at their most sober.
10. Astral Fist Technique: You can manifest hard light arms. Beat down your foes under a rain of infinite no-self.
11. Astral Mind Technique: You can project yourself through the dataplane as a specter over long distances, yet while you have less concern from physical foes, there are yet hunters in the realm of ghosts.
12. Astral Palm Technique: Project powerful shields of hard light. Let them break their blades against the infinite layers of no-self.
13. Diamond Body Style: Skin that is harder than iron. Flesh that is stronger than steel. The one who sees the self as immaterial can imagine it to be anything and it is so.
14. Way of the Thriving Vine: To the one who knows they are nothing, the vines, leaves, and roots are as much you as you are. Command them as you command your hand.
15. Beast Speech Style: The beasts are no different from us really. To those who remember their lives as beasts, their language is understandable.
16. Crazy Monkey Style: There is power in subtlety and power in the opposite. In a furor of movement, noise, and violence you astonish friends and foes alike with your swiftness.
17. Hairs of Sun Wukong: Typical of the Monkey King's narcissism, he cannot get enough of himself. In likewise manner, you can also create multiple fragile clones of yourself.
18. Flashing Flame Style: The violence of shaking atoms, the flashing flames that leap from your very hands. Breathe out of the flame of life you were given and set the world alight.
19. Thunder Foot Style: Your stomp shakes the earth. The ground upheaves at your step. Rooted in the Way, you cannot be shaken.
20. Ghost Cloud Style: You can manipulate the nano-cloud to create and reshape physical objects. This is a rare and sought after technique.

Table D: 1d20 Special Gear

1. A staff that extends to impossible lengths.
2. Self-mutliplying shurikens.
3. A blade that can cuts ghosts and illusions.
4. A grappling hook on a silver chord that stretches to impossible lengths and can hold the weight of many people.
5. A metal disc that deflects projectiles and always returns when thrown. Could be worn as a hat.
6. Seemingly infinite smoke bombs.
7. Paper talismans that ensnare who they touch.
8. A small spider drone that can climb walls and shoot webs.
9. Boots that allow you to walk on any surface even upside down.
10. A bell whose sound stuns and reveals ghosts.
11. A staff that can emit a powerful magnetism.
12. An ink brush that can create illusory images.
13. Sandals that create clouds that you can walk on and command for flight.
14. Fans/ a parasol that can create powerful gusts of wind.
15. A spiked cudgel that is electrified.
16. Kunai that create an electrified field between them.
17. Paper talismans that seal doors and gateways, making them impassable except with tremendous force.
18. Tiny magnetic discs that act as cameras, audio-recorders, and tracking devices.
19. A tiny flying beetle drone with cameras and audio-recorders.
20. A sword breaking mace.

Gear:

You may make up two pieces of gear that it makes sense for your character to have. For instance a Wise Blade probably ought to have a fancy sword. These two pieces of gear ought to be special to your character and you may negotiate their abilities with the GM. Look Table D for inspiration.

You may also, during the game, take out up to 6 pieces of more ordinary gear that make sense for your character to have. This is something you can do in the middle of play in negotiation with the GM. 

Money: 

PCs start with 2d6 Coin. Most ordinary weapons and items are bought with 1 Coin. 

Questions:

Once you have rolled or picked from these tables, answer the following questions about your character:

• You were apart of the Wise Blades before the death of your master, M4IO (see Post 1), and now like the rest of these keepers of justice, you were scattered. What did you lose when your order was slain? What did that loss do to you?
• How have you dealt with that loss in a new world without the Blades? What have you done to survive? Where have you found to fit in, if poorly?
• What are you looking forward to? Revenge? Resurrection? Something totally new? What is next? Have you thought about it? Can you think about it?
• How have you found yourself joined together with these other former Blades?

Harm and Recovery:

Each player character has a Harm track, at 4 Harm they take a Minor Injury, the nature of which is decided by the GM. At 5 Harm, the player character takes a Major Injury, the nature of which is decided by the GM. All injuries act as negative Positions where appropriate. At 6 Harm the player character is dead.

PCs only take 1 Harm at a time unless it is something truly drastic. Powerful enemies work the same way.

All Harm recovers after a night's rest. Injuries require medical attention and Major Injuries might leave lasting scars or require prosthetics as determined by the GM.

Combat: 

To begin Combat, the GM sets up the scenario, detaining evident threats and what they are doing.

Then, if the PC's wish to fight that can make actions accordingly. 

For example:

GM: "The Ghost Butch lands heavily atop the hoverbarge stretching out it's scythe like claws as this Hungry Ghost rises before you, it's face a distorted image of TV snow looking out from it's monitor head. What do you do?"

PC: "I throw a shuriken at it!"

At this point the GM ought to negotiate the roll based on the PC's Aspects and Position. 

PC: "I'm a Brigand with Crazy Monkey Style so I know how to use these weapons and I can chuck a bunch of them really fast, not to mention I have the self-replicating shurikens. So I am envisioning my character spinning rapidly as a bunch of shurikens fly at the Ghost Butcher, splitting into multiples as they get close."

GM: "That's awesome. Roll three dice and one more for the cool factor."

PC: "Highest is a 5."

GM: "Ok so you can Harm the Ghost Butcher but you will have to avoid an attack in return or the Ghost Butcher will disable your shurikens."

PC: "Hmm ok I'll try to avoid the attack."

GM: "One of you shurikens stick in it's shoulder and you can see the haze of the nanocloud almost spilling out of it. It comes at you with scythe like blades that you see tear through metal like butter. What do you do?"

A new roll is negotiated and play carries on.

The GM should allow every player to make a proactive move before taking some proactive move on behalf of the enemies and then allowing all players to act again. 

I like to just go around the table, some may like it more freeform. You should play to your tastes and the tastes of your table.

Here is a starting scenario for anyone interested in running:

The Ghost Butcher:

Goro Hiroki, one of the four Domos of the Vipana Cartel, has hired you Blades for a job. He mostly peddles Moon Dust out of his various noodle shops on the North East Side of Vipa, you meet him at one of his Hungry Belly Noodle Shops in an upper room overlooking the smoky noodle den. 

He is dealing with someone targeting his shipments and dealers, specifically just his people, none of the other Domos are under attack this way. The scenes left behind are gruesome the the River Lord's guards are letting no one near. People are calling this killer, the Ghost Butcher since no one has seen him and lived.

Goro is receiving a shipment by the Silk Sighs out of the backroom of a brothel called the Jade Pillow run by his sister, Lady Jade. He is sure the Ghost Butcher will attack again. He needs you to stop this Ghost Butcher at all costs. He can pay in coin but he also offers information about who attacked the Mount Meru temple. His boss apparently has some information about the elusive attackers.

Details (GM eyes only):

• Goro is the least of the Domos. He is terrified to tell the others or his mysterious boss about what is happening or else they might just cut their losses and kill him. 
• The boss is a mysterious figure. He only allows the individual Domos to visit him with a gold key that works once per year or when all the Domos come together. Regardless, he is always running things behind the scenes.
• The Ghost Butcher is a Hungry Ghost with a head made of a TV and with hideously sharp claws like swords. He wants desperately wants a body and has been promised one by his employers. He is a powerful foe who can take up to 8 Harm. He uses the Way of the Piercing Fist and Electric Spider technique. He also throws electrified Kunai.
• He has been employed by the same people who attacked the monastery to draw out the mysterious boss of the Vipana Cartel, since the boss is secretly a rogue AI named Mr. Smiles who was created by the McDonald's corporation to track customer satisfaction eons ago, but now uses his information gathering skills to his own profit. This is a threat to the black armored attackers. He has been in hiding from the New Buddhas.
• The black armored attackers are working with Lady Jade, telling her they want to supplant her brother so she can take over. The truth is that they want to kill Mr. Smiles.
• If Goro ever takes the PCs to the boss, his sister will alert her employers, and black armored soldiers will attack with their flying vessel accompanied by Janus Rex the man in the black armor who killed M4IO and still bears the sacred sword of the Blades who will try to kill Mr. Smiles too. Janus Rex is basically invulnerable to the Blades at this stage but he is relatively slow and might be escaped. 
• If the PCs manage to save Mr. Smiles, he will tell them that the black armored attackers are invaders from outside the Great River who are preparing some kind of attack against the Bodhisattvas and so are going around killing the various AIs that could warn of their attack. 
• There are only a few individuals on the river who have access to interstellar travel without the river gates. It is said there is a criminal mastermind on Asura who uses a cloaked vessel to ship goods secretly to different worlds on the River. She is just called Firebird.