Tales of Perpetual Peace/Babbling Stargazer Meng

(a work in progress)

Plays in Tales of Perpetual Peace

Rank: 4th

Archetype: Scholar

Concept: A once-prominent Guardian of Bones disgraced from the organization by his obsession with the Vile Rain Cult. He now sells predictions to the lowest bidder to feed his opium habit.

Vital Stats

Chi Lake River/Aura Chi Threshold with Armor Cultivation Chiv/Mal Joss

13 7 2 13/26/39 18/36/54 34 (15 Kung Fu, 19 SA) 1/1

Awareness Learning (Predictions, Bagua Tower) Politics (Predictions) Survival (Predictions) Tactics (Predictions) Wu Wei (Predictions, Detect Corruption) Inspire (Bad Cop)

5 10 5 5 5 5 0

Honor Benevolence Righteousness Loyalty Force

4 3 2 4 2

Revenge Individualism Obsession Ruthlessness Ferocity

3 3 4 2 1

Gear

• Light Armor
  • Increase Chi threshold by 5 for damage purposes

• Celestial Sphere Staff (Staff + Massive)
  • +5 Strike, +5 Block, +5 Damage
  • You can Flood a die or set of dice from the River as the basis for a Secondary Attack.
  • If an attack with a Massive weapon is described in such a way that it is best Dodged instead of Blocked, the penalty to Block is -10 instead of -5.

Chi Conditions

Opium Addiction (Minor Paired Fire Condition)?

• Hyperactivity: When hopped up on opium, Meng receives an incredible clarity of mind and awareness of the constellations, somehow tapping into a cosmic consciousness. +5 Action Bonus
• Weakness: Without opium infusing his lungs, Meng actually becomes sluggish, his thinking clouded as it is disconnected from the stars. -5 Action Penalty

The Vile Rain Cult Uncovered. The heavens have spoken. The Vile Rain Cult, once draped in shadows, shall stand revealed by an Illumined Agent of the Stars. (Minor Hyperactivity Prediction)

• Hyperactivity: When trying to find out the truth about the VRC, Meng receives a +5 Action Bonus

External Styles

White and Black Stones (Bagua Tower) [9]

Speed Footwork Strike Damage Block Toughness

5 5 10 (15 Staff) 5 (10 Staff) 5 (10 Staff) 5

Laughs At: White and Black Stones laughs at simple styles and straightforwards styles, whose attacks and defenses are easy to predict. It also laughs at trickery, as it’s razor-keen insight penetrates deception with ease. Fears: White and Black Stones fears the passionate and the mad. With its focus on winning strategy, madmen and fools who fight without tactics or technique can confound this style’s many plans. White and Black Stones also knows that even a momentary delay in formulating a counter-tactic can be lethal, so it fears any circumstance of condition that could inhibit its ability to think clearly.

Thousand Stratagem Master (2) You can use the Learning skill in place of the Tactics skill to evaluate opponent’s external kung-fu styles. You have a +5 bonus to such rolls. Seven Moves Ahead (3) You may use your Learning skill to defend against Disrupt and Disorient marvels and to Break your opponents’ Waves, regardless of circumstance. Reverse the Trap (4) When you Dodge an attack described as best Dodged, or when you Block an attack described and best Blocked, you Laugh At that attack and don’t Fear it.

Internal Styles

Guidance of the Purple Star [6]

1. Future Holds No Secrets

• You do not Fear any attacks this round.

2: Dancing Bones Method

• You have a bonus to +5 Footwork
• If you are acting in accord with a Prediction, the bonus increases to +10, and you may Reply when you Dodge result exceeds an attack by ten or more. If you are acting contrary to a Prediction, you may not employ this technique.

2. Heart-Finding Strike

• You have a +5 bonus to Strike.
• If you are acting in accord with a Prediction, the bonus increases to +10, and you inflict a Rippling roll if your attack exceeds your opponents' defense by 5. If you are acting contrary to a Prediction, you may not employ this technique.

2. Battle-Scholar's Insight

• You may make an Tactics-based Minor Action on your initiative roll to 'predict' a single opponent's offensive approach for the round. If the Minor Action succeeds, the opponent must act in accord with this quasi-prediction or suffer a -10 penalty to all actions on his attack roll.
• The difficulty of this Minor Action is set by the Sage based on the likelihood and the specificity of the prediction. Something the target might do anyway (e.g. target one of his opponents that round over another) is Common [20] difficulty; something that seems tactically dubious but for which you can provide some justification (e.g. 'He forgoes using Dragon Chi this round to demonstrate his superiority!') can be anywhere from Moderate [30] to Legendary [80]; while absurd predictions (e.g. the target attacks his ally, or surrenders at the start of a fight against an evenly matched opponent) are at least Legendary [80], if not Impossible [100].

Loresheets

The Five Petal Lotus [5 Entanglement]

• The Void Petal: Those who have sampled the drugs crafted from the inky black Void Petal maintain that their minds have never been sharper, but rumors circulate about the unfortunates who have sought too much insight.
• 3 Fortune: You have taken one of the drugs created from the Five Petal Lotus. Work with your sage to create the specifics of the effect, but it will be a Minor Paired Condition that grants a Hyperactivity when under the effects of the drug, and a Weakness otherwise. In a time frame determined by the Sage, the Condition will inflame to Major intensity, requiring more frequent uses or more potent doses to avoid the Weakness.
• 2+ Treasure: You have either a cache of drugs created from the Five Petal Lotus, or a reliable supply of them from your allies in the faction.

The Quarantine [2 Entanglement]

• 2 Fortune: You have connections among the poor unfortunates forced to inspect those going into the city; why do you hang around such people? In any case, they have a first-hand view of the government's efforts to keep the Demon at bay, and are privy to all sorts of interesting tidbits gleaned from the merchants and visitors approaching the city.

Vile Rain Cult Legend [4 Entanglement]

• 2 Status: You are considered to be a Vile Rain Cult Expert; those who believe in its existence seek you out to share knowledge, receive advice, and to listen to their own theories. More than a few are cranks, but occasionally you meet someone with something interesting to say.
• 2 Fortune: You have a contact, either in the Wulin or the Imperial Bureaucracy, who believes as you do, and -- while no more informed than you overall -- may be able to provide new information or insight into the Cult.

• You just know it to be true. Perhaps you had a dream, or a vision. Perhaps a series of coincidences revealed itself to be a warning. Or perhaps it has always been an article of faith, passed down to you from a father, a shifu, a mentor. But despite the disbelief of the rest of the Wulin world, nothing has dissuaded you from your conviction, and now -- for reasons perhaps just as mysterious -- you are sure proof is at hand.
  • 0 Bonus: You may take either a Confidence Specialty: Hard-Headed or a Wu Wei Specialty: Detect Corruption

The Scholar's Life [0]

• Black Market Fortunes
  • 0 Bonus: Once per chapter, you can declare that an NPC has made use of your services, and this either gives you leverage over that NPC, or otherwise makes him or her inclined to help you out. The Wulin Sage has final say over such a declaration in cases where it would be especially unlikely.

Elder and Younger Brother [3 Entanglement]

• Kuo Fen - Older brother, member of The Beggar Fraternity

Some district in Perpetual Peace [0]

The Beggar Fraternity [6 Entanglement]

• 3 Fortune: Whether you are a member of the Fraternity or not, you have earned their friendship and loyalty: they will come to your aid in times of need. Work with your Sage to define the background of this relationship. Once per Story, you may call upon the help of the Beggar Fraternity. The cost will depend on the magnitude of the favor and the impact on the story.'

Guardian of the Bones [2 + 3 Entanglement] [5]

• 3 Status: You are one of the Guardians of the Bones. You serve the Astral Directorate, and work to ensure that the predictions of the Purple Star Sages come to pass.
• 0 Bonus: If you are a member of the Guardians of the Bones, you may purchase the Fatalism loresheet at a -2 discount.
• 0 Treasure: You may purchase a special weapon with a -2D discount.
• 0 Bonus: All Guardians of the Bones are taught the Guidance of the Purple Star internal style; you may learn all techniques in that style, rather than one per level.
• 0 Bonus: You have a free Inspire specialty: Bad Cop, that applies whenever you make use of your position to intimidate possible offenders or common folk.
• 0 Disadvantage: You have been placed on Probation. You have done something to earn the ire of your superiors; you can be sure they are aware of your every move, and further disappointments may result in more severe sanctions. Among the Wulin and the Imperial authorities, you yourself are considered to be a Crank; no matter how strong your evidence, no matter how persuasive your arguments, past experience has led your peers and superiors to consider you prone to wild theories. Take one additional Destiny when your poor reputation causes you trouble.
• 5 Technique: Shadow of the Tower
  • If you're in the Bagua Tower stance, and use the Heart-Finding Strike technique and are acting in accord with a Prediction, you inflict a Rippling roll if your strike lands.
  • If you're in the Bagua Tower stance and use the Gift of Foresight technique and are acting in accord with a Prediction, opponents must exceed your initiative by 20 in order to break your waves.

Introduction to Predictionism [0]

The Secret Art of Prediction [0]

The Secret Art of Genius [0]

The Story of the Three Arts [14]

• 2 Fortune: You have a quality set of equipment for performing Three Arts divination; using it gives you a +5 bonus to making Predictions in this way.

• 2 Secret: Divine Reckoning Expertise
  • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning matters of state (war, diplomacy, succession) or similarly large-scale events.

• 2 Secret: Wondrous Doors Expertise
  • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning the gain or loss of wealth, fame, or social standing.

• 2 Secret: Great Cycle Expertise
  • 0 Bonus: You have an additional +5 bonus to making Predictions concerning natural phenomena, including agriculture and animal husbandry.

• 0 Bonus: You have the equivalent of 3 Status among Scholars who know of your expertise. If you have expertise in two of the three methods, you have the equivalent of 5 Status; if you have expertise in all three, you have the equivalent of 8 Status.

• 3 Extraordinary Technique: Scholar's Diffidence
  • At your option, you may use Learning as the basis of a Resist roll to defend against Discovery of a Medical, Passion/Inspiration, or Curse/Influence condition, or a Doctor's, Priest's, or Courtier's Secret Arts attack. You should act out a pedantic refutation of the would-be discoverer's logic.