Post/Author/DateTime	Post
madmonk 06-28-07, 01:57 PM	Ok, in this thread hopefully we will discuss about what books to use for an OA game. Introduction: Want to know a little secret? You only need the three core books to play an OA campaign. With just a little flavour change, the fighter can be a samurai, the rogue a ninja and the wizard an onmyoji. HOWEVER! Some books can save you a lot of work and actually give you some help in designing your campaign, be it historical, fantasy-historical, or purely fantastical. Basic Books Apart from the 3 corebooks, you may want the Oriental Adventures book. All in all its the best overall resource for a fantasy asia campaign. Be aware that, like the player's handbook, it has an implied setting (more so than it actually). Be it Chinese, Japanese, Hindi or some others, the OA book is a solid choice. If you play the 3.5 version of D&D, you also MAY need the update to 3.5 that, sadly, is not free. You will need to buy the Dragon Magazine #318, be it physical or electronic, in Paizo's website. The Shugenja and the Wu-Jen updates are found in the Complete Divine and Arcane books respectively. Notice that the Complete Warrior has a Samurai class, but this is NOT an update of the OA samurai (and is a very limited class by the way, my advise is make all the abilities you like into feats for the OA samurai and forget about it). The Complete Adventurer includes a base Ninja class; sadly it lacks two things: versatility (rogues are overall better ninjas than the CV ninja) and the necessary class features to get into some of the Ninja PrCs, both from 3.0 and 3.5 sources. The Complete Divine Book has a Spirit Shaman class, which is NOT an update of the OA Shaman. Don't forget to download the errata for the Greath Throw feat that was missingin the book, and the web enhancement (which is a campaign setting based on India). Having or not the OA book, there are two other D&D books that may interest you. The Expanded Psionics Handbook is a great book: searching inward for power and mastering yourself are concepts really at home in an OA campaign; some of it may need a bit of reflavouring, but that's it. The classes in the XPH can even replace some others, like the shugenja and wu jen, in some campaigns. If you like psionics don't forget to search this very webpage for the Mind's Eye column, which includes the psychic rogue, a nice class for people that want supernatural ninjas. The other book is the Tome of Battle. Most of the book's fluff is clearly drawn from Asian folklore, both old and new, and includes things like legendary weapons, fantastical martial arts and school rivalries. Like the XPH, some of the classes could replace others, like the monk, the sohei or the samurai. Another good adittion for an OA library is the Beyond Monks book by Chainmail Bikini and published by Goodman Games. It has a non-fantastic martial artist base class, specially good if you prefer low-magical campaigns. It also has a lot of combat options (some of them mirroring OA's own martial art system) like feats and prestige classes. It also has the best Drunken Master adaptation to D&D to date (in my opinion). I recommend this book if you plan to make the martial arts a central feature of your campaign. It also includes a new type of Feat, the Ki Feat, that uses the monk's only depletable resource: his stunning attacks. Way before appearing in the Players Handbook 2, Ki Feats appeared right after OA. The author even changed the book a bit to include material previewed for the launching of OA back in the dawn of 3rd edition. Rokugan If you liked OA's implied setting, there is a pletora of books for D20 Rokugan; read the post below (or go to AEG's website) if you want to know about them. There are some books that can be useful for any OA campaign, however. There is the OA companion book, monster book, magic book, the classes (samurai, ninja, shugenja) books and, my favourite one, the martial arts book, among others. Older Editions Oriental Adventures Ok, they are the ones that started it all, and can be bought cheaply in the net. OA default setting, Kara Tur, is a very detailled and culturally-varied one. It has a place for everything. Want muay-thai warriors that can fight like Tony Ja? check. Indian yogis? check. a D&D version of China and Japan? No and no! There are TWO of each, based on both nation's most popular historical periods. And know what? It inspired Rokugan! Books for a Japanese (or Japan-like) campaign Kitsunemori One of the new kids in town for d20 asian-inspired games is Kitsunemori, an electronic book by Dog Soul Publishing. It is a more fantasy book than OA, including the Kitsune race and some racial specific base classes. It has a lot of flavourful crunch (feats, variant classes and magic, monsters), and best of all it works with the 3 core books only, but easely sinergizes with the OA book! It includes refreshing takes on monsters like the Tengu, the Tanuki and of course the Kitsune. Note that it is more inspired in folklore than popular culture, so expect no Naruto from the Kitsune race. If you like movies like Chinese Ghost Story, Green Snake or Onmyoji I and II, this book has the right flavour for you. Legends of the Samurai A hardcover book detailing a fantasy version of real-world feudal Japan (there is a small suplement for Korea); in fact, it is completely based on it. It is a very good book with lots of flavour and a detailed feat-based martial arts system, but it has the problem of being a closed system: it could be difficult to import/export material from/to other settings or rulesets, although not impossible. Classes and PrC in particular are NOT balanced with normal D&D (too many abilities). I recommend it if you can only afford ONE book and you are primarily interested in a Japanese based campaign. Books for a Chinese (or Chinese-inspired) Campaign Jade & Steel This little (64 pgs?) book is one of the first suplements for the 3rd edition with an oriental focus. It is a very limited resource, having only a few interestingthings like using the D&D cleric and druid for China's most prominent faith's priests and some PrC (3 martial and 3 magic) that would need a bith of rework. Buy this thing if you have the change to spare (it now is very cheap and can be bought electronically). Cathay: Jewel of the East This book is like a cotton candy: incredible fluff but next to zero crunch. The d20 rules are really bad designed (for example, a special attack of a PrC does normal dmg X4... lame), but the fluff is worth the price, believe me. And since it is a fluff book, it can be used for other campaigns easely... you could even steal the ideas behind the mechanics, but you will have to work a bit. Buy this book if you are new to OA or want to add a bit of exotic flavour to an exisiting campaign; it also includes, as part of the Cathayan empire, countries inspired by India and Korea. Not really recommended for history experts or people who prefer crunch over fluff. Next Update: Books for an India setting :D
narukagami 06-28-07, 02:12 PM	Even if you're not willing to play the given campaign setting, d20 Rokugan and it's suppliments have loads of fun and interesting mechanics. From martial arts to new spells, benefits from training at famous dojo, and adventure ideas from all walks of life. The Way of the Daimyo suppliment even has an interesting ruleset for those wishing to play characters that are high ranking people in positions of authority, and a simple mass battle mechanic. There is also the Kara-tur setting. There was an issue of Dragon that I forget the number of that discusses ways to use the content in OA for the setting, and you can buy most of the Kara-tur suppliments in PDF format off (I think) Paizo and Drive-Thru RPG. Historical-wise, I recommend picking up Sengoku. Its not a d20 book and uses a different ruleset, but it has LOTS of info and ideas within. There is also "Secrets of the Samurai" (I think that was what it's called) a d20 book that brings some interesting ideas and mechanics to the table. I don't own Secrets myself, but it seems interesting enough that I might pick it up at some point. Also, you can try the Lord Gwydion approach. Take ANY D&D suppliment and/or adventure and tinker with the monsters, names, and flavor alittle. Alittle buff and polish, and BAM, new OA adventure.
madmonk 06-28-07, 02:48 PM	First Edit to increse the content, more on the way when I have time.
narukagami 06-28-07, 03:29 PM	ToB is great, I love the new mechanics and how it adds a new lair of interesting mechanics to melee combat. However I think it's not entirely derived from Asian martial arts fantasy, there is allot in there that is derived from the Middle East and Europe, too. Kitsunemori One of the new kids in town for d20 asian-inspired games is Kitsunemori, an electronic book by Dog Soul Publishing. It is a more fantasy book than OA, including the Kitsune race and some racial specific base classes. It has a lot of flavourful crunch (feats, variant classes and magic, monsters), and best of all it works with the 3 core books only, but easely sinergizes with the OA book! It includes refreshing takes on monsters like the Tengu, the Tanuki and of course the Kitsune. Note that it is more inspired in folklore than popular culture, so expect no Naruto from the Kitsune race. If you like movies like Chinese Ghost Story, Green Snake or Onmyoji I and II, this book has the right flavour for you. I never heard of this book until now, it sounds awesome. I'll have to check it out. Legends of the Samurai A hardcover book detailing a fantasy version of actual Japan (there is a small suplement for Korea); in fact, it is completely based on it. It is a very good book with lots of flavour and a detailed feat-based martial arts system, but it has the problem of being a closed system: it could be difficult to import/export material from/to other settings or rulesets, although not impossible. I recommend it if you can oly afford ONE book and you are primarily interested in a Japanese based campaign. Hm, the fact it leans towards being a closed system makes me think twice about it. I prefer books with easily exportable mechanics in them.
Yanagita Kunio 06-28-07, 03:37 PM	Tome of Battle The implicit narrative/origin of the Nine Swords Disciplines is derivative from the making and breaking of the Xiaolin Temple as retold in any number of myths, stories, films, etc, which makes them easy to 'port into a fantasy China setting. The mechanic underpinnings of ToB is much more plastic, though: by adapting descriptions and names, the specific manevers, stances, and disciplines can be used to depict martial arts, ranging from the staid and realistic to the fantastical and "wuxia." Since all ToB classes have access to more than one discipline, there is also the option of mixing and matching specific maneuvers and stances to create a "style" manifest by NPCs and acquirable by PCs within a setting. Depending on choices of manuevers and weapons, ToB classes--or multiclassing between or with ToB classes--are also great for developing the various martial tropes from both "classic" Asian sources and "modern" ones. [With the notable exception of phenomenal archers, natch.] A Crusader, as a generic "devoted warrior," can be adjusted to represent any character trope hinging on toughness, endurance rooted in morale, or just plain "inexhaustible reserves of determination." My first thought is generally of the sohei and the hwarang, though stripped of deific/mystic pinnings the mechanics work just as well for an ardently loyal retainer or just a tough guy who doesn't back down. A Swordsage is mechanically the best representation of "martial artist" as most people conceive of the trope--a largely unarmored combatant who's skill lies in distinctive, and sometimes esoteric, techniques. Depending on how you pick your maneuvers, it can encompass a "feel" anywhere between a Naruto shinobi type, a wuxia hero with a touch of mind-over-body supernaturalness, or an sword-school-trained Edo samurai accustomed to unarmored duels. Warblade fills the other half of the martial-artist trope: the skillful combatant with no mystical underpinnings, just hard-earned, trained-up prowess. It can be used as a skeleton for building almost any "legendary warrior" figure, historical or fictional.
madmonk 06-28-07, 04:38 PM	My mistake, Under Legends of the Samurai I put "actual Japan" instead of "actual (or real world) feudal Japan". It is a good book, but really, its either OA and the PH, or LotS, they are not really compatible. Optionaly you could use it as a setting book, but in that respect it is inferior to Sengoku :) Edit 2: Added some info on the Beyond Monks Section, the Complete X section, and the Psionics section.
Lord Gwydion 06-28-07, 09:15 PM	Hey, whadayaknow, I've got a method named after me now! ;) One more approach to an OA game I've been toying with is to use d20 Modern/d20 Past to run the game. Great for low-magic/high ability settings. And it can be mixed and matched with most other d20 stuff with few problems.
Sleepwalker13666 06-28-07, 09:39 PM	yeah even though I didn't care for the Rokugan setting, Monsters of rokugan was an awesome book, way of the ninja, shugenja, and samurai where a major boon to those classes. two books I was slightly disappointed with was magic of Rokugan, and fortune in the winds.
narukagami 06-28-07, 09:42 PM	"Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts - Monsters from the East" from green ronin. Its got a couple of little goodies, but most of it is just plain silly. (Bamboo elves? :pbbbtt:)
Ranger REG 06-29-07, 02:43 AM	"Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts - Monsters from the East" from green ronin. Its got a couple of little goodies, but most of it is just plain silly. (Bamboo elves? :pbbbtt:) You're right. They should have been bamboo halflings. :evillaugh
Lord Gwydion 06-29-07, 02:52 AM	"Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts - Monsters from the East" from green ronin. Its got a couple of little goodies, but most of it is just plain silly. (Bamboo elves? :pbbbtt:) At least the riding war panda thing was kinda cool (although totally ludicrous).
Hochiu 06-29-07, 11:09 AM	two books I was slightly disappointed with was magic of Rokugan, and fortune in the winds. I liked Fortunes and Winds as a fluff suppliment, but nothing really for mechanics. It helped put the cosmology in perspective. But one of my favorite OA books is Way of the Daimyo, despite its low use value. I haven't yet had a chance to get Way of the Thief, so I haven't been able to critique it.
The Ubbergeek 07-01-07, 12:20 PM	How about adding fansites and fan-made material?
madmonk 07-01-07, 03:17 PM	I will add the few that are there in a future update... if you know of anything, please post it :)
madmonk 07-04-07, 03:01 PM	New Edit: Added info about older editions OA, more under Legends of the Samurai, and a bit for a Chinese setting.
CaptKillern 07-04-07, 07:26 PM	Ok, Next Update: Books for an India setting :D Ok... I will stay aay from the more obvious ones as everyone probably already knows about them... I recomend Shelzar city of sins. It has a great India type feel to it. The art is very good and the city is well fleshed out. It even has some crunchy bits like a prestige class or two that fit well in the city. One warning though, it is not graphically explicit but it is aimed for a more adult audience. Shelzar is a place of sin as such drugs, and open sexual activity is common if not encouraged. The City itself is easily put anywhere the DM wants so its easy to add to any campaign. The Complete Exotic Arms Guide This is a Rokugan book but has stats for weapons from an India type setting. The Ivory Kingdoms. Not a book you can't do without but a good resource none the less. Nyambe Although it is African adventures, with some work you can use it in an India type setting. I especially love the Monsters and some of the Prestige classes are pretty good as well. The Arms and equipment section is great for low teck tribal type armor and weapons. The book itself is very well done. The art isn't great but isn't horrible either.
CaptKillern 07-04-07, 09:56 PM	Here is the link the Mahasarpa web enhancement for OA. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20011019a
Netherek 07-08-07, 03:23 PM	Conan OGL from Mongoose is a good ruleset that I am adapting OA to. It's very gritty, dark, and very detailed. It's my favorite system thus far.
madmonk 08-02-07, 08:25 AM	don't die on me, thread! (bump)
Hochiu 08-02-07, 09:55 PM	Likewise, you could also look into another WoTC product line, Kamigawa as an acceptable setting and influence for Oriental Adventures. There are a few attempts floating around the boards to making it a viable campaign setting in its own right, but since its all fluff, you have to add your own crunch. Also, "Oriental adventures", being geographically located east from Europe (or Euro-centric styled games, like Greyhawk and Faerun), could also include the Levant, thus making older settings like Al-Quadim and other Arabic-influenced settings viable to be included in an Oriental Adventures library.
Ranger REG 08-03-07, 02:30 AM	Likewise, you could also look into another WoTC product line, Kamigawa as an acceptable setting and influence for Oriental Adventures. There are a few attempts floating around the boards to making it a viable campaign setting in its own right, but since its all fluff, you have to add your own crunch. Nah. Don't want to port M:TG into RPG, nor port D&D into TCG. Also, "Oriental adventures", being geographically located east from Europe (or Euro-centric styled games, like Greyhawk and Faerun), could also include the Levant, thus making older settings like Al-Quadim and other Arabic-influenced settings viable to be included in an Oriental Adventures library. I'd rather have a separate Arabian Adventures for 3e book.
Hochiu 08-03-07, 11:56 AM	Nah. Don't want to port M:TG into RPG, nor port D&D into TCG. Your opinion. At this point, I'd like to see a revitalization to OA, done half way decent. If it takes Kamigawa to do that, then that's fine with me. Think of everything else that was awesome because it came crossed series and franchises... ... Okay, so I'm only thinking of Cobra Commander giving Megatron the tank to transform into, instead of the gun. I'd rather have a separate Arabian Adventures for 3e book. True, but technically, Oriental means anything east of Europe, starting with the Levant and the rest of the Middle East. Why does India have to be the western-most culture that's considered the most westerly "Oriental" culture?
madmonk 08-29-07, 08:50 AM	Ugh... thread
Fallenangel359 08-29-07, 09:43 AM	I personally DM a game in rokugan setting. We have a multi world multi dm setup... fall asleep, wake up in another world. I have rokugan campaign setting, magic of rokugan, creatures of rokugan, secrets of the crane, and... crap I can't remember my 5th book, lol. All together cost 26 dollars.
Ranger REG 08-30-07, 03:52 AM	Your opinion. At this point, I'd like to see a revitalization to OA, done half way decent. If it takes Kamigawa... Sorry, but I'm backing Kara-Tur. Kamigawa and Rokugan have got to go.
CaptKillern 08-30-07, 04:34 PM	I would be happy with OA in any form. If Its Kamigawa or Rokugan or whatever I am sure I could pirate enough to add to my own game (which is essentially Rokugan and its clans where Wa is in FR, and Kozakura as a seprate Japan-like country which I use rules from Legends of the samurai (toned down a bit). I am sure whatever the setting is there will be enough general rules (be it races, classes, prcs, or feats) that would be easily transferred to another setting.
Ranger REG 08-31-07, 02:32 AM	I would be happy with OA in any form. That's almost like saying "I'm happy with a samurai class in any form, including the Complete Warror version." :D :banghead:
Hochiu 08-31-07, 04:18 PM	Sorry, but I'm backing Kara-Tur. Kamigawa and Rokugan have got to go. Then I'm sorry if you like backing lost causes. :D Edit: I'd be more happy with books almost exclusively dedicated to crunch for an OA world. I always end up making my own fluff.
CaptKillern 08-31-07, 11:25 PM	That's almost like saying "I'm happy with a samurai class in any form, including the Complete Warror version." :D :banghead: Lol... Yes I would rather see crappy stuff that I can manipulate or expand upon then nothing at all.
Ranger REG 09-01-07, 02:50 AM	Then I'm sorry if you like backing lost causes. :D I always root for the underdogs. :cool:
Hochiu 09-01-07, 11:28 AM	I always root for the underdogs. :cool: The Confederates were the underdogs. The Jets are the underdogs. Most mortal investigators in a Call of Cthulhu game are the underdogs. You typically root for the underdogs for the upset when/if they can win. With Kara-Tur, there's no such thing. :smirk: :D
Ranger REG 09-01-07, 04:31 PM	The British were the underdogs in WW II. :P Can't help it. I'm a minority.
Hochiu 09-02-07, 11:18 PM	The British were the underdogs in WW II. :P Can't help it. I'm a minority. Still doesn't translate into how Kara-Tur is an underdog. :D
Ranger REG 09-03-07, 02:18 AM	Still doesn't translate into how Kara-Tur is an underdog. :D Compared to Faerun's popularity among FR gamers, it's a minority.
Zanedor 09-05-07, 12:04 AM	Kitsunemori One of the new kids in town for d20 asian-inspired games is Kitsunemori, an electronic book by Dog Soul Publishing. It is a more fantasy book than OA, including the Kitsune race and some racial specific base classes. It has a lot of flavourful crunch (feats, variant classes and magic, monsters), and best of all it works with the 3 core books only, but easely sinergizes with the OA book! It includes refreshing takes on monsters like the Tengu, the Tanuki and of course the Kitsune. Note that it is more inspired in folklore than popular culture, so expect no Naruto from the Kitsune race. If you like movies like Chinese Ghost Story, Green Snake or Onmyoji I and II, this book has the right flavour for you. (Looks in awe after looking it up:shocked: ) ZOMG!:w00t: This is just what I’ve been looking for to supplement the Japanese inspired continent in my world! Dose anyone know a place in Calgary to get it? (I don’t live in Calgary but it’s the closet major city to me)
NMC 09-09-07, 10:33 AM	The publisher is Dog Soul Publishing; you can check them out online. -Nate
narukagami 09-09-07, 02:56 PM	If you are a fan of or use Rokugan, I STRONGLY recommend the new release "Emerald Empire". Its for the new edition of the Roll and keep system, but is 99% fluff, so none of the (albeit rare) mention of rules will bother d20 players at all. The book is about every aspect of Rokugani life. Law, custom, religion, entertainment, war, court, food, geography, lore, you name it. Its more like a textbook on a made up country than a game book. A must have for anyone that plays Rokugan/L5R, or Rokugan/L5R-influenced games.
Corradin 09-09-07, 04:18 PM	If you are a fan of or use Rokugan, I STRONGLY recommend the new release "Emerald Empire". A must have for anyone that plays Rokugan/L5R, or Rokugan/L5R-influenced games. I agree 100%. It is a beautiful book with great art and gives a good backdrop to the society and culture. No real rules (except the nps stated in the back) so it works with any game system you want.
narukagami 09-10-07, 10:26 PM	I agree 100%. It is a beautiful book with great art and gives a good backdrop to the society and culture. No real rules (except the nps stated in the back) so it works with any game system you want. Barahime is now my new favorite L5R personality thanks to this book. :P
LadyFaily 09-15-07, 09:33 PM	"Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts - Monsters from the East" from green ronin. Its got a couple of little goodies, but most of it is just plain silly. (Bamboo elves? :pbbbtt:) Frankly, I found the Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts to be a very interesting supplement that I have used many times in my on-going Oriental Adventures game. It's amusing how much tire a horde of Monkey Demons can be for a group of high-level samurai. But as for other sources, I strongly recommend many of the Legend of Five Rings books for those interested in d20 Rokugan. Even if the mechanics are not the same, some of the older books from 1st and 2nd edition has much interesting fluff and information about Rokugan, and the newest book in the series "Emerald Empire" is just amazing with the amount of fluff and details about life in Rokugan. And if you simply wish for inspiration to what sort of adventure you will throw at your first group of samurai in an OA campaign, watch Seven Samurai or Yojimbo by Akira Kurosawa. :)
Pagan priest 09-22-07, 03:52 PM	At least the riding war panda thing was kinda cool (although totally ludicrous). Thanks to my son's taste in movies I have seen Disney's Mulan a few too many times to like riding pandas.
Raven1272 09-28-07, 08:41 PM	Does anyone have any experience with Incarnum and OA? Do they mesh well? At first glance the chakras seem vaguely appropriate but some of the other flavors seem a little off to me (not that I'm an expert by any means). Thoughts? Experiences?
madmonk 10-15-07, 08:33 AM	Yes and no. We have a carp hengeyokai Samurai/Incarnum Blade; the samurai's ancestral daisho goes really well with the Incarnum Blade, in flavour and concept. We also have a shaman with some of the options for clerics, which goes well with the concept of the wheell of reincarnaton. But we haven't used the base classes nor the races, only feats, PrCs, spells, psi powers and items. I was expecting to update this tread with ideas for an indian-flavour campaign, and mentioning incarnum, but I haven't had the time. This week for sure :D
madmonk 11-03-07, 10:06 AM	So waht do you think about including incarnum in OA? I personally think the alignment classes don't fit, the totemist as always can be in... any ideas on a class that used incarnum but without the alignment system?
Ranger REG 11-03-07, 09:06 PM	Thanks to my son's taste in movies I have seen Disney's Mulan a few too many times to like riding pandas. Wait till you see kung-fu pandas, coming to a theater nearest you. ;)
Hochiu 11-04-07, 12:44 AM	Its funny how since Tome of Battle was released the Expanded Psionics Handbook has been more or less ditched and thrown to the wayside for that suppliment. Personally, I think the XPS should be given an honourable mention to anyone's OA library. I know it's been more or less adopted by the regular older forum goers here, but for anyone looking to increase their OA library, it should be thrown out there in this modern thread. Ah, for the days when everyone made their OA builds using the XPS instead of TOB. :D
NorthernOkie 11-05-07, 11:52 PM	I join the ranks of the Kara-Tur underdogs!!!! Is it flawed in places? yes. However, it's still one of the best that I've seen (granted I've not seen Kamiguchi (sp?) and it inspired many of the others. Kara-Tur is THE place for D&D Oriental Adventures! If they'd stayed with even the shadow of its form (like they did with the Greyhawk gods in the OGL) then 3e OA could have been an incredible book. So, basically I just took the 3e OA mechanics (love the "updated" Hengeyokai and the addition of Vanara) and I use the 1e geography! It rocks and I have two current campaign threads (with different players) to prove it's popularity.
Ranger REG 11-07-07, 02:12 AM	Its funny how since Tome of Battle was released the Expanded Psionics Handbook has been more or less ditched and thrown to the wayside for that suppliment. Personally, I think the XPS should be given an honourable mention to anyone's OA library. Anyone but my library. Not a fan of using psionics rules in a fantasy game.
HidaAkira 11-07-07, 08:06 AM	Why not? I have heard many people say this, but not one has been able to give a good reason why. Replace the word "magic" with "psionics" or "Force" and it would still be supernatural powers, wouldn't it? A rose by any other name...
Hochiu 11-07-07, 09:24 AM	Eh, for some reason, some people think that Psionics is either too "Futuristic" for them, instead identifying them with a cyberpunk or some other future-style game. To each his own, I guess, but I still think it required a mention, since it was the biggest suppliment to be used in OA before ToB came around.
Ranger REG 11-07-07, 09:29 PM	Why not? I have heard many people say this, but not one has been able to give a good reason why. Replace the word "magic" with "psionics" or "Force" and it would still be supernatural powers, wouldn't it? A rose by any other name... True, but since D&D offers both magic and psionic rules as option, there will be some distinctions if including both in one's campaign. You can add psionic rules add-on to OA campaign. I'd just as likely to ignore it as firearms in my Forgotten Realms. And Hochiu is right. I consider psionics too futuristic for a medieval fantasy game as magic is too fantastic for a futuristic game.
madmonk 11-07-07, 10:28 PM	Its funny how since Tome of Battle was released the Expanded Psionics Handbook has been more or less ditched and thrown to the wayside for that suppliment. Personally, I think the XPS should be given an honourable mention to anyone's OA library. I know it's been more or less adopted by the regular older forum goers here, but for anyone looking to increase their OA library, it should be thrown out there in this modern thread. Ah, for the days when everyone made their OA builds using the XPS instead of TOB. :D Uhmmm... I DID mention it, and before the Tome of Battle :P
HidaAkira 11-08-07, 06:38 AM	True, but since D&D offers both magic and psionic rules as option, there will be some distinctions if including both in one's campaign. You can add psionic rules add-on to OA campaign. I'd just as likely to ignore it as firearms in my Forgotten Realms. And Hochiu is right. I consider psionics too futuristic for a medieval fantasy game as magic is too fantastic for a futuristic game. I still don't see the problem. Is it simply the names? Anyway, the default psionics-magic transparancy (which I don't use in any games) means psionics is magic, simply performed differently with slightly different rules. think of it as the third form of magic - arcane, divine and psionics.
madmonk 11-08-07, 07:48 AM	Neither do I. I have had a many oriental psionic characters like a lama-like (Tibetan) psion, a monk psion, a xeph soulknife/iaijutsu master, a 1/2 giant yamabushi (shaman using the shaman class)... Ans in all cases psionics have given them a more oriental-like flavour. Psionic focus is perfect to represent the concentration of martial artists and ascetics... The only non-psionic class that captures this flavour, at least for me, is the yogi class from the Guide to Rakshasas... And the essentia mechanich from magic of incarnum, but only the essentia :s
Ranger REG 11-10-07, 01:52 AM	I still don't see the problem. Is it simply the names? Meh. To me, it's flavor. That's why I don't use psionics in my D&D games. I have a very different interpretation of ascetics.
narukagami 11-10-07, 02:02 AM	The flaw there, though, is that except the pseudo-scientific names of certain powers, the psionic system better emulates literary and pop culture fantasy magic than the Vancian system ever did.
Ranger REG 11-10-07, 02:11 AM	The flaw there, though, is that except the pseudo-scientific names of certain powers, the psionic system better emulates literary and pop culture fantasy magic than the Vancian system ever did. True, but from what I hear, 4e is making it less Vancian and more ToB-like. Perhaps there is no need to make a rules-mechanical distinction between a psionic system and a magic system. Then it becomes all about flavor. Do you call it magic or psionic or ascetic/mystic?
KLGChaos 11-10-07, 01:38 PM	I'm actually making my game an amalgam of both Japanese and Chinese cultures, with a little bit of Rokugan influence (which is mostly Japanese in nature) combined with the world of the Jade Empire video game by Bioware (which is definitely tied more to Chinese culture). For those of you looking for good Monk stuff, the Quintessential Monk Handbook has some nice things in there.
madmonk 04-17-08, 08:05 PM	JAde Empire is as cool an RPG as it is short :D
RoyalBlueEyes 04-18-08, 03:40 PM	JAde Empire is as cool an RPG as it is short :D Wouldn't know. Never got past that damned beach with the cannons.:D
narukagami 04-18-08, 04:27 PM	Wouldn't know. Never got past that damned beach with the cannons.:D I got to the imperial city and quit, I just couldn't stomach the completely pointless and inane dialog and side-events any longer. It still had a really interesting setting, despite the poor writing and pacing. :P Side note: With The Forbidden Kingdom opening tonight, who else is looking forward to this board actually seeing some traffic, even if it is just your typical "I saw something cool in a movie and want to emulate it" posts? I wonder how many "crazy chick with white hair" PrCs were gonna see crop up... :P
madmonk 05-07-08, 04:07 PM	you were right Narukagami!
RoyalBlueEyes 05-12-08, 11:27 PM	Side note: With The Forbidden Kingdom opening tonight, who else is looking forward to this board actually seeing some traffic, even if it is just your typical "I saw something cool in a movie and want to emulate it" posts? I wonder how many "crazy chick with white hair" PrCs were gonna see crop up... :P ...Was it just me, or did the movie suck? [let me restate:] ...Was it just me, or did everyone else's significant other talk throughout the entire movie complaining how cliched it was? I thought it was cute.
CaptKillern 05-13-08, 04:01 PM	...Was it just me, or did the movie suck? [let me restate:] ...Was it just me, or did everyone else's significant other talk throughout the entire movie complaining how cliched it was? I thought it was cute. I went opening day, the first showing... It was me a 5 other people in the theater... I liked it, I Didn't think it was the best movie ever but I got my money's worth, and will most likely buy it when it comes to blueray...
PuppyKhan 05-13-08, 06:09 PM	Forbidden Kingdom: The fight scene between Jackie Chan and Jet Li was worth it alone. Overall, I didn't find it too terrible, at least nowhere near as bad as things like Hero or House of Flying Daggers. The white guy going East theme gets old (and this is coming from someone who plays that part in real life) but it was fun listening to all the classic movie references, and makes good fantasy game material. A lot of the movie looked like intentional cliches. The student training before he can complete his quest, the tea house fight, seemed a bit of a tribute to older films sort of plot. Reminded me of Kill Bill but more subtle. BTW - did anyone recognize the movie playin on tv when the kid was in bed? Looked like a whole lot of monkeys... Jade Empire: Beat it twice, once doing Open Palm and once Closed Fist, and halfway through on the Jade Master level. Really like it overall. Great concept, like how they adapted Chinese literary fantasy with all the ghosts and things like fox spirits, and the artistic license seemed to keep with the whole look and feel. I especially liked how you can build experience through something other than killing things. And the John Cleese bit - hysterical! Can't beat something in the game? Stun it, drain energy, and move away from its attack. Things can kill you quick if they keep hitting you, but the best strategy is to outmaneuver everything one way or another.
RoyalBlueEyes 05-13-08, 08:39 PM	A lot of the movie looked like intentional cliches. The student training before he can complete his quest, the tea house fight, seemed a bit of a tribute to older films sort of plot. Reminded me of Kill Bill but more subtle. I hope so, otherwise the moment I buy the dvd, the angry ladyfriend will snatch it and burn it if I'm lucky. Worst boston accents ever, though.