Xia: Quality items

Xia: Main Page -> Xia: Quality items

"You believe this sword is mighty? Well, undeniably it is. But it is the man that wields the sword, and this man wishes that he never picked up the damn thing, for all the trouble its given..."

Introduction

Every day equipment is little more than special effects in a wuxia film. It doesn't matter if our hero is using a sword, a three part staff or his bare fists - he still beats his enemies! As a result the Xia roleplaying game doesn't normally bother to take account of ordinary weapons and armour. As far as we're concerned, your choice of weapons is purely a stylistic one, and helps you describe your actions in the way that suits you.

Quality items are a little different. If a Xia is wielding the mastercrafted longsword that has passed through ten generations of his family, and which has a poem to elegant death inscribed on the blade... well it ought to be a but special.

In the game system we treat quality items as kung fu secrets because like other kung fu secrets they are things that you must strive for to attain, and which are the product of excellence. Perhaps you forge a sword and invest your chi into the creation process, or perhaps you use your heaven-granted wealth to pay someone else to do so... regardless these are not just items of property, but rather as much a part of a Xia as his wushu and his inner masteries.

However, more so than any other kung fu secret type, Quality Items are not generic. More so than any other kung fu secret type, Quality Items should not be picked off a shopping list and treated as mere collections of numerical bonuses. Its worth noting that all Quality Items are created equal. A sword forged by a chi-strong smith may be powerful, but it is far from unique as he has made a hundred equally great weapons in his career. In contrast, the Emperor's Ji Yu and the legendary Green Destiny Sword are greater weapons by far. However, for elegance and game balance, all Quality items take up a single Kung Fu Secret, and all cost 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.

This though, just gives you numbers and a rather dry list of powers. This is not enough. Every Quality Item should have a story behind it. There are no simple +1 Swords in this game. Players who don't want to take on this creative task are best off avoiding this aspect of the game altogether.

GMs should beware of players who seek to abuse the system by accumulating a mass of Quality Items 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 Quality Item at a time, and any one defence can only benefit from one Quality Item at a time.

Drawbacks

Destiny Binding

• +0 Points - Fully bound destiny - The item is yours and is bound to you. It will never leave your possession for long, and the GM cannot remove it from your character. Even if the story absolutely demands disarmament (say if your heroes are stripped and thrown into jail) you'll regain it again before your next Conflict. Also, the item cannot be destroyed in any way save for deliberate action on the part of the owning character. No kung fu technique and no magic will ever destroy the item while its owner lives.
• +3 Points - Part bound destiny - The item can be destroyed or stolen from you. If it is taken from you temporarily, you'll always regain it by the end of the game session. If it is destroyed permanently, you gain 1 XP in compensation. The item cannot be destroyed or stolen with just attacks or kung fu though - you'll always need to be defeated first before it can be broken or taken.
• +5 Points - No destiny binding - The item can be destroyed or stolen from you. What is more, you gain no compensation if this happens. The item cannot be destroyed or stolen with just attacks or kung fu though - you'll always need to be defeated first before it can be broken or taken.
• +10 Points - Destined to be lost - The item can be destroyed or stolen from you - in fact, such is the item's independent destiny that no-one can hold onto it for long. When you gain this Quality Item, you gain it only for D6 game sessions - the GM makes the roll secretly and records how long you will have the item. At the end of that time, if it has not been taken from you or destroyed already, it will without fail permanently leave your possession. Also, this item is treated the same as any mundane item when it comes to being destroyed - kung fu that destroys equipment will destroy items of this sort without problem.

Limitations

• +0 Points - No Limits - The item works under all the circumstances that a mundane item of its type would work.
• +3 Points - Narrow Limitation - The item will not function under a certain narrow set of circumstances - for example, armour that cannot resist weapons made of rosewood. This limitation can be discovered by a dedicated scholar.
• +5 Points - Broad Limitation - The item will not function under a broad set of circumstances - for example, a sword that will not strike women. This limitation will likely be well known in the martial arts world.
• +10 Points - Single Purpose - The item will only function under a certain narrow set of circumstances. For example, a bunch of twigs that is just that, but which under moonlight can be used as a powerful sword, but that only harms demons. Anyone who knows of the item will know of its single purpose.

Curses

• +0 Points - No Curses - The item is not cursed.
• +3 Points - Inconvenient Curse - The item has a curse that is inconvenient to the user, but not dangerous. For example, the Beggar Staff might make its owner attract flies and a smell of dung.
• +5 Points - Dangerous Curse - The item has a curse that is actively dangerous to the user. For example, the Green Destiny Sword draws jealous looks and every warrior desires it, seeking to take it from its current owner.
• +10 Points - Tragic Curse - The item has a curse that is so great, that it rewrites its wielder's life as a tragedy. For example, the Iron Demon Mask may be powerful, but it can never be removed and it curses the wearer to cause the deaths of any that he loves, or who love him.

Benefits

Attack and Defence Bonuses

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

Inherent techniques

• Cost 6 points: 1 Kung Fu Secret - The item allows the wielder to use a certain Kung Fu Secret while he is wielding it. This is normally a Wushu Secret or a Magic. This benefit can be bought multiple times, but add +1 to the points cost each time (i.e. 7 points for the 2nd secret, 8 points for the third, etc.). The use of this secret is dependent on the item being used.

• Cost 6 points: 1 Special Benefit - The item allows the wielder a special benefit or power while he is wielding it. This is designed by the GM and player together to make sure it is balanced. For example, the Mandala Sword of Shattered Scales could instantly kill any snake or snake-demon that it strikes.

Credits

This page created by Asklepios.