Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-Faith and Divine Favor

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Jianghu Setting

Faith and Divine Favor

The Mandate of Heaven is absolute. . . for now.

The current Emperor and his dynasty have the current Mandate of Heaven.  He can trace his lineage to the Celestial Emperor, who rules the Heavenly Bureaucracy.  However, a dynasty can be seen to lose divine favor and be replaced.  Events such as a severe economic downturn, rampant natural catastrophes, foreign invasions, open rebellion, and personal embarrassment are seen as the signs of losing favor.

Confused?  We have a god for that.

The current Faith of the Empire is a mixture of several native and imported religions and philosophies that all interlock fairly effortlessly.  Old deities have been absorbed into the pantheons of newer ones as they are ideologically compatible.  People honor and seek the advice of family ancestors, placate an array of minor deities ruling everyday responsibilities, and attend festivals and holy days at temples to worship the major ones.  Outside the Empire, the mountain people of Tibet share a similar version of faith, while the Mongol tribes practice a shamanic-centered faith that intercedes and communes with the Spirit World.

The sweetest fruit on the tree is the hardest to get at.

Of particular interest in Shang-tu is the legendary presence of the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West and her orchard, where the Peaches of Immortality grow.  The palace is located at the top of Mount Tien, though it can only be reached via the Floating Bridge of Heaven (a rainbow).  All of the pantheon of deities, as well as a select few mortals, visit the orchard to eat the peaches there.  A group of eternally young and beautiful women, the Jade Girls, serve, tend, and protect the orchard.  (They are deadly, yet leave smiles on their victim’s faces.) 

Lineage makes a king, apprenticeship makes a craftsman, battle makes a veteran, but immortality is by faith alone.

A few individuals have achieved a sufficient level of faith that they have been invited to the orchard to become the Immortals and to serve the gods.  Unlike the pantheon, the Immortals still walk the earth and actively enter into the affairs of men.  In their various guises, they may be acting as divine messengers, delivering divine missions, looking for help to right injustices, spreading and promoting virtuous ideals, offering wise advice and pertinent information, and even testing the honor of heroes.  Immortals can appear and disappear seemingly at will and for (as seems to mortals) whimsical reasons.  Serving an Immortal also has the possibility of leading to immortality for the characters too.

These Immortals can be compared to the Eight Immortals of the Tao or the Seven Shinto Gods of Good Fortune.  While they may be appear in different guises, an Immortal usually has one or two distinctive traits.  All of them are often portrayed as being drunk as well.  Here are a couple of examples:

I am not riding backwards.  I have merely lost my way and am attempting to find it.  However, I am in too much of a hurry to stop my travels, so forward I go. (Hic)

Zhang the Traveler: A powerful necromancer, Zhang rides a white donkey, seated backwards.  The donkey can be folded up and then restored with a sprinkle of water and can cover 1000’s miles in a day.  Zhang is usually searching for the Lotus Sutra, a lost book of prayers.  He may enlist others to help him track it down, however Zhang and his companions will only ever find one page at a time.  Strangely, the verses on the page will always relate directly to the companions’ current situation or a future one, and offer guidance and insight.

Blessed am I that such honorable, noble, and virtuous gentlemen have crossed my path when I am in such desperate need.  (Hic)

Li the Beggar: A disreputable-looking character, Li walks with the aid of an iron crutch, a gift from a goddess.  He is a master of medicine.  Li is in possession of the Magic Alms Bowl.  It is never emptied of money, but only a few coins will ever be present.  Li often loses the bowl and may enlist the aid of others to find it, mostly because it tends to cause problems for whoever is keeping it. 

Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-The Everlasting Temple

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Jianghu Setting

The Everlasting Temple

The temple itself was only made of stone.  It was the knowledge within that was everlasting.

The knowledge of martial arts is broken down into many different schools and styles, as well as health and medicinal techniques.  It was not always that way.  Once, all of this knowledge was collected into one style and lifestyle.  It was there at the Everlasting Temple that the Five Elders taught their disciples how to live a long harmonious life and how to defend themselves with the ultimate fighting style. 

As the Manchus took power over the country, the Elders resisted them.  Eventually the Manchus brought the war directly to the temple.  After an inglorious slaughter of their troops, they resorted to hiring dishonorable foreign mercenaries with weapons of cowardly technology, rather than skill and bravery.  As the temple fell at last and all was lost, the Five Elders hastily divided up their knowledge scrolls of martial arts, herbal, alchemy, and medicine amongst themselves and escaped via secret tunnels.  They vowed to spread their knowledge far and wide, in hopes that someday their people would be strong enough to throw off the Manchu rule.  There are, however, persistent rumors that one of the Grandmasters was in fact a traitor and that betrayal was what actually lead to the fall of the temple.

So goes the legend.  It is also supposed to explain all of the myriad number of fighting styles and health techniques.  There is some truth to the story, but it has been greatly enhanced and expanded upon.  The Everlasting Temple, which was obviously not so everlasting physically, was razed to the ground.  Its actual location has been lost, though many imposter sites are claimed.  There were Grandmasters present there, who did escape with scrolls of their knowledge. 

Any genuine written artifact by the Five Elders would be highly sought after, and there are many lost scrolls referred to in various legends.  If it is complete and can be deciphered, incredible Special Techniques or amazing knowledge could be learned.  Some martial artists in a deep state of mediation at certain holy sites (such as Heaven’s Gate on Mount Tien) have said to have visited the temple in spirit and learned directly from the masters there. 

[The Tibet post I made on Friday was an out-of-order accident that I just noticed today.  I've cleaned up the formatting a bit on it.]

NASCAR-FIX this sport

Since I’ve made so many posts about NASCAR, I feel obligated to write about the current controversy.  In the last race before the Chase, there were three separate “fixing” incidents which teams engaged in to get drivers into the “playoffs.”  Frankly, the particulars don’t really matter.  Any team could have been motivated by the Chase to do it.  I didn’t see the race.  (A Juarez station is still pirating my ABC affiliate, KVIA’s signal, otherwise I would have.)  My dad did see it and apparently the ESPN coverage didn’t talk about any potential fixing or didn’t notice it at the time.  No doubt they were too busy breathlessly hyping up Chase scenarios.

Well, NASCAR did notice.  In a fairly unprecedented action, they penalized one of the drivers who benefited from the fixing (Martin Truex).  Having knocked him out of the Chase, one of the drivers who was hurt by the fix (Ryan Newman) was put back in.  However, two of the other drivers involved in the fixing are still in the Chase (Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer).  Then on Friday, NASCAR suddenly decided to add a 13^th driver to the Chase (Jeff Gordon), just to make it up to the other driver hurt by one of the fixes. 

At last, NASCAR finally has a truly worthy controversy to generate some publicity for the Chase.  Let me post a few stinging quotes from the mainstream sports media.

(Sound of crickets chirping.)

Oh wait, I forgot that football season has started, which has the effect of ending every other sports’ season.  My parents said that the mainstream news has mentioned the story (I haven’t heard it), but the sports media that I’ve seen has either ignored or backpaged it.  I’m not sure if NASCAR is lucky or unfortunate here for the lack of coverage.  On the one hand, it’s a truly sensational scandal that begs coverage and thus, publicity.  On the other, it damages the integrity of a sport, which already is viewed suspiciously on this issue.  We’ll call it a draw.

NASCAR could have done nothing.  All of this fixing was caused by their Chase after all.  The media would have ignored it in short order.  The fans would have eventually said, “Well, that’s just racin’.”  It’s surprising that this hasn’t happened in an obvious fashion before.  Certainly it’s probably happened in a more covert manner.  The very blatant nature of these incidents indicates that the teams thought it was okay to do it.  This notion alone had to provoke a reaction from the ruling body.  Otherwise, incidents like this would continue and might totally unravel the sport’s integrity. 

If it’s resolved that they had to do something, did NASCAR do the right thing?  (Remember, the Chase itself was a reaction to Matt Kenseth’s near winless championship.)  If their goal was to piss everyone off, then “Yes.”    

That Truex was put out of the Chase as punishment seems appropriate. That Newman got in by virtue of that penalty is a somewhat logical consequence.  That Bowyer and Logano, two other drivers involved in the fix, are still in the Chase is questionable.  That an extra slot was added to the Chase to put Gordon in several days later. . . Well, even Jeff was somewhat skeptical in an interview about that decision. 

Two drivers have gotten into the “playoffs” by NASCAR decisions and not by driving their way into it.  Two of the three drivers involved in the fix can still win the championship.  There are nothing but mixed messages here.  NASCAR could have sent a strong message by eliminating all of the implicated drivers, perhaps even banning a whole team, like F1 did in their similar “Crash-gate” scandal. 

By letting some the results stand, teams won’t stop fixing, they’ll just try to be more clever about it.  Meanwhile, teams that might be hurt by these tactics can simply lobby NASCAR to be put in the Chase anyway.  If you’re one of the big teams, it’ll probably work.  (The number of teams appears to be completely arbitrary anyway.  Going from 10 to 12 teams, I think was a reaction to Dale Jr. not getting in one year.) 

I’m sure there are any number of rules and enforcement remedies that can and may be applied next season.  But, why?  Just eliminate the Chase.  Most of the fans hate it.  (Though this might be mostly due to a hatred of Jimmie Johnson, who is definitely perceived to have benefited from the format.)  It’s not only this “playoff” format that doesn’t make sense in racing, it creates an environment that promotes these kind of scandals. 

Whatever advantages the Chase offered NASCAR and its teams and its broadcast partners are now tainted.  From here on out fans and teams are going to be vigilant and accusatory of any further suspicious shenanigans.  The Chase was supposed to compete with the NFL.  This scandal hasn’t even caused a ripple of notice compared to the Shield. 

My suggestion, go back to the season-long championship.  Eliminate “participation points” for anyone not finishing in at least the top 20.  Make race wins worth 50% more than second place.  Just these two suggestions alone will at least keep more drivers involved in the championship and should ensure that no lead is really safe.  (Unless someone’s winning a bunch of races, in which case, they deserve to win the championship.)  NASCAR needs to make sure they stop losing fans, especially from this scandal.  Focusing on what fans want is where to start.    

Fantasy Core Playtest 9-15-13

[The Jianghu setting material is again put on temporary hold.]

Same basic premise as the last time for the adventure, but with a more vigorous defense of the dungeon this time.  The fight/resting and heal cycle was much sane this time.  Encounters were more of a swarming type, instead of creatures waiting for the raid, along with reinforcements being brought up immediately.  So the start/stop problem was fixed by better, more intense encounters.  The big set piece encounter worked the way I’d hoped: Evan and Victor were forced to actually use some strategy in order to attack it. 

There were three deaths in the party, but they got better.  I know Old Schoolers would be horrified by that statement since it was involving First Level characters, but I’m okay with it.  Two of the characters were brought back via Paladin healing.  The other one was out of luck, as the Paladin had used up all of his healing for the day, and failed his Stabilizing roll. 

Since the characters had earned XP from the last adventure, I gave Victor the option of using it to allow his Barbarian to survive, which he took.  This system would seem ripe for abuse, but I’ve ruled that changing fate will bring consequences.  Story consequences would be the best option, but in this case it involved a permanent loss of an ability bonus.  With penalties like that, after a couple of near-deaths, your character may be rendered virtually unplayable.

I like the way the Paladin is working out as a Cleric replacement.  Smite isn’t as good as Turing in a game sense, but it’s a lot more satisfying to score maximum damage on undead with a melee hit, even if you have to do it one at a time.  However, the class is pretty ordinary against non-undead monsters, so it evens out.  There should not be any complaints from players about having to play one for party balance sake.  Given the fairly generous healing rules, I think you could get by without one. 

Barbarian Rage and Thief Sneak Attack abilities were used to good effect, if not more than, as I forgot my own rules and the Barbarian scored a couple of max damage hits after a couple of True Strike spells.  (You still have to roll a Natural number to get the Rage trigger even at +20 to hit.)  The Thief also got to pick a lock.  I’m hopeful that a non-combat Stealth check will be rolled at some point. 

A Half-Elf Arcane Ranger was added to the party as a replacement character when the Wizard was abducted.  (Thankfully, he wasn’t killed out of hand when he attempted to talk to the party at their first meeting.  Parley has not been a strong party skill to this point.)  That Crack Shot ability works well, along with the lesser spellcasting ability.  The Wizard proved more useful (after an extremely delayed rescue) when some more spells were mixed into the routine.

This was a fun session, but I’m going to have to make some changes.  The Paladin’s Divine Light ability needs to be an Encounter ability that has to be rolled for to work.  I figured this out when Evan off-handedly thought about doing it every round against a horde of undead.  It’s buried in the description that it only works against a creature once per encounter, but it needs to be made more clear, and it's too powerful to not involve a die roll. 

The Wizard is going to have to be changed.  He’s too weak in relation to the other characters.  I’m okay to this point with how the Barbarian’s Rage works on a Natural roll (though I suspect it’ll be a problem at higher levels) and with the Paladin Smite (since it only works against certain foes).  So, I don’t want those abilities reduced.  (Especially since they speed up encounters tremendously.)  I’m also trying to avoid the common problem (in my mind at least) of the Wizard being the “Nuke” or “The Win Button.” 

The spellcasting mechanic seems to work, along with allowing a Saving Throw for just about every spell.  What doesn’t work is the damage, which isn’t commiserate with the trouble, especially compared to Rage and Smite.  I really don’t want to re-edit every spell. 

How about this?  For certain combat spells, if the Wizard makes a successful Spellcasting roll, they can roll again on the same spell.  They can continue to roll for times equal to their Int Bonus, as long as they keep making the rolls.  A failed rolled still counts against the spell limit (though the successful rolls still go off), so the Wizard can choose not to not to try multiple rolls.  The effect can then either be multiplied by successes against one target, or spread out against multiple targets.  Also, failure at casting Magic Missile no longer counts as a spell failure, unless it’s a multiplier roll.

I kinda hate to add another potential big hitter to an adventuring group, since that means the foes have to be escalated too.  This kind of problem shouldn’t be cropping up at First Level.  This was one of the reasons why this game is limited to ten levels, so it wouldn’t get out of hand with damage and Hit Point inflation.  On the other hand, I wanted First Level characters to not be helpless.  That’s worked out in spades.           

Sports Journal 9-15-13

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates on finally breaking their 20 consecutive year losing season streak.  After you’ve set that kind of record, what’s the point of extending it?  No, really though, good job guys.  This is a great franchise that hasn’t deserved this kind of ignominy. 

Of course ironically, they achieved this milestone against the Rangers and then went on to sweep them, perhaps out of the division race as well.  I’m seeing lots of fire and passion in Rangers.  Unfortunately, this isn’t translating to winning.  I’ve picked up on one obvious problem that the team has had the last two years.  They need to stop trading for Cubs pitchers during the season. 

I don’t care if they got Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza for two bags of chips, they weren’t worth it.  Sure, I could pick at the Ranger’s lack of hitting, but with the jet stream in right field being dead this year, I have to go with the pitching.  Perhaps I’m arbitrary blaming the Garza acquisition, but I don’t care how good he was, he played for a loser and brought that losing tradition with him. 

Groan!  In the Saturday game, Darvish gets 10 strikeouts and only gives up one run. . . and takes the loss.  His fourth 1-0 loss this season.  Bad enough that they also lost the Friday game to the A’s, where they came back after they were down big, partially because of a bad call by the ump.  (I’m sure instant replay will fix this, and we’ll never complain about a bad call again.)  Frankly, the Rangers only real hope of winning the division was a sweep.  Now they’re going to have to really fight just to hold on to a wild card spot.

Was I reading that pitching match up correctly on the ticker during the game?  Roy Oswalt is starting for the Rockies?  Why on earth are major league teams allowing this guy to pitch for them?  I’d think twice before selling him a ticket to the game, much less paying him to be on the field.  (No, I haven’t forgotten his stint with the Rangers obviously.) 

Okay, the big game on Saturday was actually Alabama versus Texas A&M.  I tried to watch it.  I really did, but it seemed like there was a flag thrown on every other play.  Are the teams playing each other, or ref’s?  I can tell you that ref’s always win and that the fans always lose when that happens.  The worst of it is, it seems like this is every NFL game and every big college game now.  So much for football coverage this week.

Okay, on to the big fight on Saturday night with Mayweather versus Canelo.  I watched this with my game playtesters, Evan and Victor.  It was pure luck, but after our Fantasy Core game and dinner, I was able to find the fight on a Juarez station (over the air) right before it started.  What’s more amazing is that that station does not usually come in well, but it strong and clear for the fight.  That said, I am not a boxing expert, and I’ve just about given up on the sport.  I seem to miss the good fights and walk right into the bad ones.  This fight only solidified that.

Pretty boy Canelo got his immaculate hair messed up during the fight, but his face isn’t just for good looks, it can take a punch, which it did repeatedly.  He was filled with a fiery passion and some wild swings that seldom connected.  Mayweather was lighting-quick on his punches and dodges.  That helped to win him rounds, but they weren’t powerful enough to Canelo down.  There were two moments in the fight where Canelo was used as punching bag, and I thought that the fight was about to be called TKO.  The ref, however, was a better judge of events, and Canelo came out of the barrages swinging. 

Eventually, as the weight of winning rounds added up, Mayweather just danced around and stayed away from any close contact.  By the end, Canelo, virtually conceding, allowed it to happen.  If you’re going to lose anyway, there’s no point in risking getting knocked out.  It’s not like you’re going to get paid more to lie down on the canvas.  If Canelo could have connected more often, this might have been a different fight, but Mayweather was just too quick.  This was the result most experts were predicting.  I’d say the only surprise was that it wasn’t a unanimous decision by the judges.  I guessing one of them didn’t like Mayweather’s late fight strategy and deducted for it.

On Sunday, the Pirates won an important game for them against the Cubs, who aren’t playing any important games.  The coverage mostly focused on this guy out on the river wearing water-jet shoes.  You’d have to see it to believe it, but it was like guy was hovering over the water on two powerful streams of water coming out of his feet.  Not that it was a bad game, but how can you beat that for attention? 

And I’ve finally learned the origin of the Pirates name for the Pittsburgh team.  I thought it was chosen for the alliteration, but actually it was a pejorative against the team, who had a habit of “pirating” players off of other teams.  So, it’s like the elephant logo on the A’s uniform, an insult taken to heart and now a proud team symbol.  

Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-Tibet

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Jianghu Setting

Tibet

The land that is closest to the gods breeds a holy people.

To the Southwest of the city are tremendous mountain ranges inhabited by another group of barbarians, the country of Tibet.  However, they share roughly the same enlightened Faith of the Empire, and so they are on reasonably cordial terms.  The Tibetans are herders of high-altitude animals and generally lead a hardscrabble existence.  A few migrate into the Empire and work as laborers or warriors.  By contrast, it is also a holy land, populated by devout priests. 

There are many grand temples in the land containing precious holy scripts that inspire pilgrimages from religious scholars from the Empire.  The greatest is the Inconceivable Temple at Samye.  Built in ancient times by a holy man with magic nails, it is continually assailed by demons and requires constant prayers by monks to be maintained.  The Tibetans are also known to bury their kings in a sacred hidden valley with their treasures.  In one ancient tomb are rumored to be theInfallible Sutras for the Future.  It is said that they will be uncovered at the end of the age, to prepare the worthy.

The Mountains mold men into their own image.

The typical Tibetan warrior is quiet, brooding, and powerful.  Their endurance gives them a great advantage in a fight or a long campaign (or hard labor).  Their rough lifestyle and climate limits their numbers.  A 3^rd level warrior is likely a village chief.  Anyone attaining 5^th level probably rules several villages and has the title of King.  Warriors of a higher level are usually only found in ancient legends.

Tibetan Warrior

1^st Level Barbarian (3rd Chief), Hp 13 (27), AC 15 (Fur/leather armor)      

Fort +3 (+4), Ref +0 (+1), Will +0 (+1)

Melee: Axe +2 (+4) to hit 1d8+1, Rage 16, 9 dam

Spear +2 (+4) to hit 1d6+1, Rage 17 (16) x2 dam

Ranged: Short Bow +2 (+3) to hit 1d6

Die Hard for 1 rd

Detection +1 (+2)

Only those atop the Mountain may touch the Heavens.

A Tibetan Shaman is a holy man, dedicated to maintaining the country’s many temples.  They are a monastic order, not warrior one.  Their only martial duty is combating supernatural evil.  Only extraordinary circumstances would cause them to fight another human being.   Their temples are guarded by warrior clans.  The Tibetan Shaman’s enhanced healing abilities make them very valuable to their countrymen.  In spite the country’s small numbers, there are a large number Shaman and many of high level.  The abbots seldom leave their temples, however.  There is one 10^th level Shaman at Samye, the Holy One.  Regarded as a near Immortal, pilgrims come from far and wide hear his wisdom.  Those asking questions of him usually come away with answers to more important questions.    

Tibetan Shaman

1st Level Shaman, Hp 7, AC 13 (Fur armor)

Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +3

Melee and Ranged: Typically do not fight, they are untrained in any case.

Immune to fear and charm effects.

Stealth +2

Detect Undead/Demonic/Celestial 30’ radius

Divine Radiance 1d6 damage to Undead and Demons 30’ radius

Magic Healing: All hp damage, 1 per day (1 x Wis Bonus daily)

Detect Lies, Magic, Poison at Will

Spell Check +2, 2 failures/encounter

DC 13 1^st Level

-Sleep: Puts 4 HD of creatures into magical slumber 1 turn. Fort Sv DC 13

-Charm Person: Makes one person your friend. 1 turn. Will Sv DC 13

-Shield: Invisible disc gives + 4 to AC, blocks magic missiles. Encounter.

-Consecrate: Fills a room or a 30' square area in the open (use a common sense measurement given the situation) with positive energy. Undead and demons of less HD than the Shaman flee or cower for 1 turn.

-Neutralize Poison: Detoxifies venom in or on subject.

-Remove Disease: Cures all diseases affecting subject.

-Remove Fear: Suppresses fear in a subject.

5^th Level Shaman may cast these spells once a day (DC 13)

-Break Enchantment: Frees subjects from enchantments, alterations, curses, and petrifaction. This is a ceremony spell, which requires 1 turn to cast. Lost for the day if interrupted.

-Commune: Deity answers one simple question. This is a ceremony spell, which requires 1 turn to cast. Lost for the day if interrupted.

-Dismissal/Exorcism: Forces a demonic creature or possessing spirit to return to its native plane, must have less HD than caster.

-Hallow: Designates location as holy. Keeps out demons and undead for one day. This is a ceremony spell, which requires 1 turn to cast. Lost for the day if interrupted.

Fantasy Core RPG: Jianghu Setting-Mount Tien Temple and Monastery

Fantasy Core RPG

© Jerry Harris 2013

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Jianghu Setting

Mount Tien Temple and Monastery

Silent, brooding power

Great heights overlooking all

My spirit is stilled

The Mount Tien Temple is the most famous temple in the country.  It is a destination spot for religious pilgrims from around the Empire and even outside.  There are hostels all around the base of the mountain to service them, including the Hanging Temple.  

Tibetan and Mongol shamen also venerate the mountain.  Though they do not share the same faith, Mongols are still allowed to visit and worship.  Security is fairly tight in the area, with Imperial troops permanently garrisoned along the roads and around the mountain, further reinforced by the temple monks themselves.

Heaven is in sight

A thousand trials await me

Have courage my soul

Visitors are greeted and challenged by the Stairway to Heaven entrance to the Monastery, 7,200 steps.  

At the top of the stairs are the majestic Stone Sutras.

The temple itself is a large complex, though it follows the general pattern of all temples in the Empire and even the Imperial Palace (though on a much smaller scale).

There is a freestanding wall in front of the main gate called the Feng Shui Wall, which keeps out ghosts.  (Other temples, such as the Emerald Hill Temple, have a pair of bridges to get to the gate, which accomplishes the same goal.)  The front gate is called The Mountain Gate with the Bell and Drum towers just inside.  High walls surround the complex.  They are for defensive purposes as the temple is filled with valuable artifacts inside.  A statue of the Laughing Deity of the Future greets entrants.   

There is a main courtyard (where training and meditation take place) with other main buildings surrounding it.  There are five major halls, all decorated with fine murals.  The Hall of the Heavenly Kings features four deity sculptures whose domains are Protection, Wisdom, Perception, and Wealth.  There is the Grand Hall with the large, main statue of the Deity, and the Immortals Hall, to honor those deified who still walk the earth to help others to achieve immortality.  There is the Sutra Depository with books, scrolls, and scriptures.  The are many rare and ancient texts here, which may be accessed for a donation.  Finally, there are Refectories (dining halls) and the Monk’s dormitories.  At the rear of the complex is the Temple Guardian statue, placed so it can watch over the temple.

The life of a monk is one of constant training, study, and meditation.  It is rumored that some of the monks know a Special Technique called The Dragon, which supposedly was handed down from the little seen Mount Tien guardian dragon himself, Gemma.  (AC 20 for ½ level rds, must rest 1 turn after using the power.)

High above the clouds

There the whole earth below me

Humility found

An even more arduous and dangerous journey awaits those who want to get closer to the heavens.  The faithful must first trek across the Dragon’s Spine Road over the ridge of the mountain.  Continual high winds at altitude make this a treacherous path. 

Then, prayers should be whispered and confidence must be sure, as adherents make their way along the Sky Road that snakes around the peak.

Finally, the petitioner is rewarded by the accomplishment and the view from the top.  The small open pagoda there is called Heaven’s Gate.  

Reportedly, the Floating Bridge to Heaven appears here and can take worthy travelers to the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West and other ethereal destinations.  The Bridge takes the form of a rainbow, so a storm will be necessary for it to appear.