Feng Shui Archetypes

Archetype Tweaks

By Colin Chapman

Karate Cop

I allow Karate Cops to replace their Unique “Persuasion” schtick with a single Fu schtick if desired. They do keep their +2AV Unique “Acrobat” schtick though.

Worldly Martial Artist

Not every martial artist has led a cloistered, innocent existence. Some grew up on the streets before meeting a strange old oriental guy who lived next door, while others balanced their training with something resembling a normal life, or sneakily left the monastery each evening to party in the nearby town. For a more worldly martial artist, make the following changes:

Attributes: (Fu=7)
Skills: Drive +3 (8), Info/Eastern Philosophy +3 (8), Info/Your Choice +2 (7), Martial Arts +9 (=14); Add 6 skill bonuses.
Schticks: 2 Fu schticks.
Wealth Level: Working stiff.

Transformed Dragons — Schticks

Transformed Dragons are far more likely to develop the following Animal schticks above all others, as these reflect the powers that mythical dragons possessed:

Armor
Flight
Coil
Fortitude
Impervious
Display
Rebuke
Reflect
Wise Fist

Armor and Flight would be those likely to be developed first, and the most extensively.

New Archetypes

Kensai

By Shatter

“I observe your style of swordsmanship is different from mine. I humbly challenge you to a duel to prove my style is superior.”

The word “kensai” means “sword saint”. It is a term used to describe those who have perfected themselves in the art of the sword. Your dedication to the weapon has kept you in training for most of your life, purifying your mind and your body. You have also wandered the countryside, trying to expand your worldly experience, but you have spent the majority of that time getting into duels to prove your prowess with the blade.

You have lost count of the number of duels you have won and you are beginning to feel hollow in your achievements. You have proven that you can best anyone in a contest of steel, but you feel that life should be more than that. Maybe in your battles against injustice, you have inadvertently fought for one of the factions, like the Hand. Maybe you have stumbled onto the secret war in your travels. Maybe your melodramatic hook has fashioned you into a different person, a person willing to die for righteousness.

Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 0 (Fu=8), Mnd 5, Ref 6.; Add 4 points to your primary attributes, with no more than 2 to a single attribute.
Skills: Info/your choice +3 (8); Leadership +2 (7); Martial Arts +9 (=15); Add 4 skill bonuses.
Schticks: 2 Fu schticks or 2 Weapon schticks.
Unique Schtick: Any sword in your hand acts as a signature weapon for damage purposes, but not for breakage. Since you belief in the sword is so strong, you refuse to use any missile weapon (save Loyal Steel and Cutting Wind) of any type. Furthermore, you refuse to use magic weapons, viewing those as tools for the weak and not a true test of a Kensai's skill.
Quick Schtick Pick: Sudden Lightning and Razor Wave, or Symphony of Slaughter and Both Blades Flashing.
Weatlh Level: Poor.
Juncture: 69 or 1850.

BuroMil Ninja

By Colin Chapman

“You'll never see me unless I want you to, and that'll be the last thing you ever see.”

You are an elite operative of the Buro Military, a high-tech spy and assassin equipped with gear the average consumer has never even dreamed of and trained to the highest standards. Your missions are always top secret and your existence strictly classified. The Buro maintains no official record of your command, and the average soldier has no idea you even exist. The Buro refers to you as a “Covert Intrusion Asset,” but you and your kind have always thought of yourself as ninja. Sure, you haven't trained as long as the ninja of old, and you can't really make yourself invisible or do anything mystical, but you have the most advanced arcanowave technology at your disposal to make up for it. Naturally, you are highly-skilled killer, but that's secondary. Your true expertise lies in stealth, deception, and intrusion. You can break into the most secure installations, gather the most sensitive information, and be out again without ever leaving a trace of your presence. You're so good that your missions now involve the secret war. In fact, you hardly ever see your home any more, as most of your time is spent in another juncture. Maybe that's why you changed. It used to be that just doing your job was enough, but now that you've seen what life can be like — is like — elsewhere, you've come to realize just who and what you serve. Now, you no longer believe the lies you were told, and you no longer work to further the power of the Buro. Instead, you're now fighting to make the world a better place.

Attributes: Bod 5, Chi 0 (Mag 5), Mnd 5, Ref 6.; Divide 5 points among your primary attributes. Max For all Attributes is 10.
Skills: Martial Arts +7 (=13); Arcanowave Device +5 (10) Max 13; Guns +3 (9) Max 12; Intrusion +8 (=13); Info/Your Choice +2 (7); Deceit +3 (8) Max 12; Fix-It +3 (8) Max 12; Add 6 skill bonuses.
Schticks: 2 Arcanowave schticks.
Weapons: 6 weapons of appropriate juncture.
Quick Schtick Pick: Neural Stimulator, Transtemporal Vocal Communication Device.
Wealth Level: Working stiff.
Juncture: 2056.