Xia: Major Edges

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"I had a sagacious and wise uncle, who worked in the Imperial Bureaucracy all his life and eventually rose to be Chief of Imperial Taxes in the whole kingdom. He said to me, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Me, I'm just a mere friendly neighbourhood gazeteer for the Imperial Bugle, but I'm beginning to see what he meant."

Introduction

Generally, the background of your character is just there for characeterisation purposes. The game system allows a noble courtier to walk alongside a foreign peasant woman, and have neither penalised or assisted in social conflict by their relative stations.

On the other hand, if you want it to make a difference, then you make it a Major Edge. If you feel that your Xia's righteous and hard earned position in the Imperial Bureaucracy ought to mean something, then you'll have to take a Major Edge!

In the game system we treat major edges as kung fu secrets because it is not so much what advantages you have, but rather knowing how to use them.

As with Quality Items, edges should never be generic. Just saying you are an "influential courtier" is exceptionally dull, while saying that you are "the first son of the Emperor's sister in law, and well recognised in the Southern Provinces for your superb logic" is so much more informative and interesting! Also, as with Quality Items, elegance and game balance requires all Major Edges take up a single Kung Fu Secret, and all cost 1 XP. Your major edge could be being a respected scholar in the university, or it could be being the Emperor's newest wife - regardless, it's 1 XP!

This page sets out a workshop to help you balance these factors. You get 5 Building Points to start off, then can earn extra Building Points by taking Drawbacks. You then spend Building Points to gain Benefits.

Again, GMs should beware of players who seek to abuse the system by accumulating a mass of Major Edges and trying to combine all their benefits. Rules of common sense should be applied as to using multiple items at once. At the very least, it should be noted that any one attack can only benefit from one Major Edge at a time, and any one defence can only benefit from one Major Edge at a time. Also, its worth noting that you can't use a Major Edge and a Quality Item at the same time, as the sort of situations they apply to should never overlap.

Drawbacks

Security

• +0 Points - Full Security - The edge is story-guaranteed to you by the GM - you can never lose it.
• +3 Points - Partial Security - The edge can be removed or taken from you. If it is taken from you temporarily, you'll always regain it by the end of the game session. If it is taken permanently, you gain 1 XP in compensation. Also, it can't be removed or taken from you without you being defeated in an appropriate conflict first.
• +5 Points - No Security - The edge can be removed or taken from you. What is more, you gain no compensation if this happens. However, it still can't be removed or taken from you without you being defeated in an appropriate conflict first.
• +10 Points - Destined to be lost - The Edge can be removed or taken from you - in fact, such is the Edge's fragile nature that youa re sure that it will not last. When you gain this Major Edge, you gain it only for D6 game sessions - the GM makes the roll secretly. At the end of that time, if it has not been removed or taken from you already, it will then be lost to you. An example of this might be being the favoured courtesan of an Emperor with roving eyes, or being a noble lord of a dominion that is being invaded by far greater forces. You don't even have to lose a conflict to lose this Edge - it can just happen!

Authority

• +0 Points - No Limits - The edge works under almost all reasonable circumstances. For example, exceptional beauty works everywhere...
• +3 Points - Broad Authority - The edge will function under most circumstances that would be encountered in play - for example, having the authority of the Jade Protectorate is an edge that will work with any Middle Kingdom citizens.
• +5 Points - Limited Authority - The edge applies only in a small proportion of circumstances that would be encountered in play. For example, being the Honoured Bureaucrat of Rice Paddy Allocation helps you deal with peasants, farmers and merchants, but isn't going to impress anyone else.
• +10 Points - Single Target - The edge only works on one specific target. For example, if you are the one true love of the sorcerer Ta Yu, its likely you can influence him, but that Edge isn't going to help you with anybody else at all.

Responsibility

• +0 Points - No Responsibility - The edge comes with no price.
• +3 Points - Inconvenient Responsibility - The responsibility won't interfere greatly with your ability to adventure, but it still troubles you from time to time. For example, if you are an officer in the Jade Protectorate, then you would be expected to obey orders from your superiors, and to uphold the law when you encounter crime.
• +5 Points - Arduous Responsibility - The edge comes with a significant responsibility that will come up almost every game session, and force you into certain actions if you want to keep the edge. For example, if you are the Emperor's concubine, then you can't leave the palace to go adventuring without his permission, and are expected to come back whenever you are called for.
• +10 Points - All Encompassing Responsibility - The responsibilities you hold take up pretty much all of your time. Unless the GM is going to set the campaign around these responsibilities, then you're probably not suitable to be a player character in this game. The Emperor's First Minister, for example, would have all encompassing responsibility.

Benefits

Attack and Defence Bonuses

• Cost 5 points: +1 effect - The edge adds +1 to one of the following when used: Power, Accuracy, Motion, Initiative, Inteference, Absorption or Evasion. This applies to one conflict ype only (usually social or mental). This benefit can be bought multiple times.

Inherent techniques

• Cost 6 points: 1 Kung Fu Secret - The edge allows the wielder to use a certain Kung Fu Secret while he is wielding it. This is normally a Heart Secret, Shen Secret or Magic. This benefit can be bought multiple times, but at +1 points cost each time (i.e. 7 points for the second Secret, 8 for the third, etc.). The use of this secret is dependent on the edge being used.
• Cost 6 points: 1 Special Benefit - The edge allows the wielder a special benefit. This is designed between player and GM to ensure balance. For example, being the Imperial High General of the Protectorate means that the Protectorate is yours to command, with all the troops and resources it has.

Credits

This page created by Asklepios.