TETSUBO Is Copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 All Rights Reserved
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T E T S U B O TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved Entire contents copyright © Dave Morris & Jamie Thomson 2010 The authors have asserted their moral rights Not for unauthorized distribution TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved TETSUBO by DAVE MORRIS and JAMIE THOMSON With illustrations by Russ Nicholson & Utagawa Kuniyoshi TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved This is a work in progress and therefore incomplete, based on an Oriental supplement that we originally wrote using the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rules. Our intention with Tetsubo now is to convert it to the Fabled Lands RPG (itself a work in progress) and modify the setting to Akatsurai, the easternmost country of the Fabled Lands. As well as fully revising the background, we will reinstate the missing sections (marked here in red) and add a scenario section. The new work will then be released as the FL RPG and the first of twelve planned sourcebooks. And yes, we are hoping to do that this lifetime. Other Tetsubo material can be ordered from Robert Rees here. Dave Morris Jamie Thomson TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved Players’ section TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved * CHARACTER RACES * Like the Old World, Yamato has four potential races to which player-characters could belong. However, Yamatese society is not the multi-racial amalgam found in the West. Most Yamatese people have never laid eyes on a nonhuman, and would not want to. The position of the nonhuman character races in Yamato is something that the GM must give some thought to. Our assumption is that humanity forms the overwhelming dominant really the only - culture. As humans are notoriously intoler- ant even of other humans, this causes difficulties for any nonhuman type who wants to move freely in human society. If a Shikome were spotted skulking about in a city, the passers-by would be sure to point and scream and mill about until a samu- rai came along and proved his bravery by killing the wretch. Shojo are not quite so villified (being less repulsive in their appearance and habits than Shikome), but they generally stick to rural areas and have as little to do with Mankind as possi- ble. A Shikome or Shojo whose beginning career is "Ashigaru", say, will not actually be a foot soldier in a Daimyo's army. Instead, a career for a nonhuman betokens his position in his own culture, or represents in an abstract sense the collection of skills that he has acquired. Within the campaign, nonhuman characters can mix with humans quite freely on the fringes of society - perhaps living with a Shugenja in his forest hermit- age, or fraternising with human Ninja. But a nonhuman player- character will never be able to rise within the ranks of formal human society to become a Hatamoto, a Magistrate or a pupil at a Martial ryu. Nonhumans are quite adequately compensated for this limitation by their superior abilities and magical poten- tial, so there is no need for the GM to be lenient. Kitsune (Fox Folk) are in a different position. They enjoy human company and are able to pass themselves off as humans for indefinite periods. A Kitsune player-character will be able to infiltrate Yamatese society and live as a human for years if he chooses to. Other player-characters may never be aware their companion is a Kitsune - though there should be enough odd goings-on for them to eventually suspect something. In general, if you are going to allow nonhumans in your games then there should be some point to it. Shojo are wasted if just treated as "jolly people", Shikome as "ugly people", etc. The nonhumans of Yamato retain a whiff of mystery from their primeval origins. They are not merely ethnic minorities, but eerie reminders of the still stranger things that lurk in TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved Yamato's wild, forlorn areas or come tapping on the shoji screen by night. Use them weirdly or not at all. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Character Creation Table ---------------------------------------------------------------- MAN SHOJO SHIKOME KITSUNE M D3 +2 D2 +2 D3 +2 D3 +4 WS 2D10 +20 2D10 +10 2D10 +30 2D10 +10 BS 2D10 +20 2D10 +10 2D10 +20 2D10 +10 S D3 +1 D3 D3 +1 D3 T D3 +1 D3 +1 D3 +3 D3 +2 W D3 +4 D3 +6 D3 +2 D3 +2 I 2D10 +20 2D10 +30 2D10 +20 2D10 +40 A 1 1 1 1 Dex 2D10 +20 2D10 +30 2D10 +20 2D10 +30 Ld 2D10 +20 2D10 2D10 +20 2D10 +20 Int 2D10 +20 2D10 +20 2D10 +10 2D10 +40 Cl 2D10 +20 2D10 +40 2D10 +10 2D10 +30 WP 2D10 +20 2D10 +20 2D10 +30 2D10 +20 Fel 2D10 +20 2D10 +40 2D10 +10 2D10 +20 Hn 2D10 +20 2D10 +30 2D10 2D10 +10 K D8 +2 D3 +4 D3 +2 D3 +3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Note that there are two additional characteristics not featured in the standard Warhammer rules. These are Honour and Karma. They are explained later in this chapter. ---------------------------------------------------------------- * HUMANS * The people of Yamato are on the average slightly shorter and stockier than Old Worlders. They tend to lack bodily hair (a hairy Yamatese is always thought of as a bit of a thug) and skin colour is virtually the same as in the Old World but sometimes with a very slight olive hue. Orientals have a subcutaneous fat layer missing in people of the West, which generally gives even the most muscular Yamatese a softer appear- ance than one sees in the scrawny, rugged adventurers of the Old World. Speak Yamatese Night Vision zero TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved Height 5' +D10" (male) 5' +D6" (female) Psychology No special psychology rules Beginning Skills Etiquette Correct behaviour is very important in Yamato. It is a densely populated country, and the people are hot-tempered and con- scious of their status. Thus a rigorous code of conduct is needed to ensure that everyone's honour is observed and remarks do not give offense. All beginning characters who are native to Yamato have the Etiquette skill (see Chapter ) - and, perhaps surprisingly, this applies to nonhumans as well. Etiquette is absolutely essential for day-to-day living in Yamato. An Old Worlder arriving in Yamato can get by for a while without it because the Yamatese know that gajin (foreign devils) have no manners and therefore expect nothing better of them. However, if a player wishes to transplant his OLd World character to the Yamatese setting he is advised to seek out an Etiquette tutor as virtually his first priority. * SHOJO * Shojo are much like humans to look at, but rather shorter and very much fatter. This obesity can be deceptive. Many a fighter has come to grief from having challenged a Shojo, unable to believe that such a rotund, jolly creature could be handy with a sword. Shojo are also instantly distinguishable by their milk-white skin and vivid red hair. In a sense they are the Halflings of Yamato, as they are extremely partial to eating, drinking and having a good time. A Shojo's typical response to urgent business is "It'll keep". They can consume cup after cup of sake without any effect beyond a mild tipsi- ness. They are also able to breathe underwater, as a result of their fabled relationship with the Dragon King of the Sea. Speak Yamatese Height 4' +D6" Beginning Skills Etiquette; Consume Alcohol * SHIKOME * Shikome are the goblin-folk of Yamato. Legend has it that they were once the denizens of the Deep Land - the underworld where TETSUBO is copyright © D J Morris & R J Thomson 2010 all rights reserved Shinto souls went to reside after death. Since the coming of Bukyo to the land, people no longer undergo Shinto burial when they die but now simply return to the cycle of rebirth. As a result, the Deep Land became depopulated and Shikome had to come to the surface world to find employment. This may well be no more than a fable, but it is true to this day that all Shikome hate Bukyo priests, and lose no opportunity to berate, denounce and torment them. Shikome come in a variety of shapes. Often they are essen- tially humanoid but with ugly, wide-lipped mouths, popeyes, pointed ears, hairy limbs, and/or hunchbacked bodies. They are never more than five feet tall. Some people say that Shikome faces resemble that of a particularly ugly old crone - an observation which outrages Shikome because it compares them to humans. They are physically tough and can be skilled fighters. Though inclined to be short-tempered, they are mischievous rather than malicious. A Shikome is best thought of as having the mentality of a spoilt, somewhat unpleasant child. Speak Yamatese Night Vision 40 yards Height 4' +D10" Beginning Skills Etiquette; Shinto Doctrine Psychology Hatred for Bukyo priests * KITSUNE * Kitsune are magical foxes with the ability to assume human form. They have a strong element of the Trickster in their disposi- tion, which sometimes leads them into trouble as they cannot resist getting up to various convoluted schemes and pranks. In most Kitsune this characteristic manifests itself as simple mischievousness, but a few can be quite malicious. Player-character Kitsune are very young - no more than Hundred Year-Old Foxes - so their powers are greatly more restricted than those of the Millenial Foxes, or Kiubi no Kitsune, de- scribed in the Creatures section.