So I kind of wanted to use Journey to the West as a setting, wanted some advice.
Where should the players start off as?
What races should there be? Classes?
What would be some good quests besides enlightenment?
And just general things people want to add would be nice.
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I can help you with these posts I made in a chinese fantasy thread once.
Nice!
Do you got anything elsr on races? The ghosts being similar to Gothic era sounds neat. Never would have guessed Victorian England and China could be similar.
Got something, but is not good:
5) No Stock Race
DESU this is also the case with pre-Tolkien Western Fantasy. Stock fantasy races such as elf, dwarf and orc as we know it do not exist until Tolkien and D&D popularised them. We don't have similar influential author like Tolkien (actually we do, but his work does not feature multiple races), so Chinese works feature mostly human race.
The only thing that come close is an old Chinese Xianxia RPG Video Game in 1995 called "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", also known as "Chinese Paladin" after its adaption into a TV drama series. While a video game, it is so influential that later Xianxia works heavily borrowed/referenced its setting, so in a way it plays the same role to Xianxia genre as D&D to Fantasy genre.
I should elaborate the setting elsewhere (it is an old game, so my memory become fuzzy already), but here's a quick rundown:
The setting of Chinese Paladin has six...uh, "Races". Taking the Buddhist concept of Six Paths and adding a fantasy spin to it:
A) Gods, inhabiting the "Heavenly Plane" (think Asgard)
B) Immortals, inhabiting the "Immortal Plane" (think Xianxia layer and Alfheim, they are also the closest analogue to elf race)
C) Human, inhabiting the "Human Plane/Material World".
D) Yao Guai/Monsters, inhabiting the "Monster Plane". Monsters are animals and plants that, via enough training/Cultivation, took a more humanoid form. Their appereance can range from larger version of real life animal, monstrous abonimation, werebeast-like, mostly human with animal ears and tail, to completely indistinguishable from human. Generally the more powerful a moster become, the closer it look like a human.
E) Ghost, inhabiting the "Ghost Plane". (Think hell). This is where dead people/monster/immortal end up, their soul cleansed from all memories, and then enter the stream of reincarnation. People that died with extremely strong hatred, or suffered extreme injustice etc, might refuse to reincarnate and become vengful wraith/revenant/undead.
There's also a race (the "Ghost race") that keep the hell/soul reincarnation business running. These are not undead, but living beings.
F) Demon, inhabiting the "Demon Plane". Probably a Muspelheim or WH40K Immaterium equivalent. There's also an Eye of Terror-equivalent in the setting. Demon also regenerate inside demon plane if they are killed (like Warhammer daemons), instead of going through reincarnation like the others.
The human, immortal and monster planes exist in the same world, the heavenly and demon plane are disconnected to the human world and have to enter via special means (Eye of Terror-style), and Ghost plane exist in a parallel world.
Quite similar to Western Fantasy now is it?
However unlike the "Race" in standard fantasy setting, a human can become an immortal with enough training (or "Cultivation"), and theoritically an immortal can ascend to godhood with enough training as well (no one ever achieved this feat as of now, most gods simply born as gods.). Animal/plant can become monster and ascend to demonhood similarly.
There's no Always Chaotic Evil race in the setting of Chinese Paladin (although Gods are generally hostile to the Demons and vice versa). Interrace romance is a major theme of the video game after all. The ability of human to love freely is what that draw many Demons/Gods/Ghost race to their world.
Understand the degree of powerlevels you're dealing with. A mere pet or servant of the gods could stand alone as a BBEG in many fantasy settings. Heaven ain't nothing to fuck with.
So are typical monster fantasy races like ogres, trolls, goblins, and stuff essentially Yao Guai?
Or are they something like Demons? Because Yao Guai from your description seem kind of like beastmen.
To be fair, the Heavenly Grandfather himself was once a mere human being.
Understand the difference between
>Yao
>Gui
>Gwai
>Mo
Yao means "monster" in the broadest sense. But not really, it hard to translate into English. I guess the Fair Folk or Youkai if you're familiar with Japanese could be sorta close in a way.
In Chinese stories, especially Daoism-heavy stories, as you may have noticed, there is energy (aka ‘qi’) in all things, including animals, trees, mountains, etc. Sometimes, that energy takes on sentience and self-awareness, bringing great magical power to these creatures, who are often (but not always) evil. The Kyuubi of Naruto is considered a ‘Yao’, based on the so-called ‘Nine-Tailed Fox Yao’ from Chinese myths; the famous 1987 movie ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ has a ten thousand year old ‘Tree Yao’ as the main antagonist, and all of the various talking/magical animals (mythical or otherwise) in almost all of the stories would be considered ‘Yao’.
This sounds wyrd.
If Yao are animals given sentience from qi, what are Gui, Gwai, and Mo?
Dragons generally aren't considered Yao due to the enormous reverence the Han people have for them. They're divine beings of their own class.
Some animals are inherently magical and gain powers over time, while others need to actively cultivate powers like any other Daoist. Yao are smarter than the average animal and can even learn human languages. They sometimes have what's called a "Core" which is their basic essence to cultivate from. Cultivators have been known to seek out these cores to increase their own power. Cores can also be used to craft magical items. A core is often worth more than a mountain and all the treasures inside. Remember, Yao are not inherently evil. They often just get into shitstorms with humans for very legitimate and not so legitimate reasons.
"Mo" are actual big D Devils and Demons. Beings of extraordinary power, evil, and cruelty. Many times they're actually the manifestation of a Xian's inner evil that sprang free as an independent being. Sometimes they're associates of Mara from Buddhism. Mara is the closest equivalent of Satan in Buddhist mythology. Think of Mo as the things which keep a person from attaining enlightenment like greed or lust. And when it becomes too much they take on a mind of their own.
Ghosts are primarily composed of Yin energy, and people with more Yin energy tend to be unfortunate enough to have lots of encounters with Ghosts and other undead beings.
Saints are sorta like Immortals and do cultivate, but they're not the same. Saints aren't even necessarily gifted with eternal life. They're very close to nature and usually have magic powers.
Boddhisattavas are Buddhist "saints". They are mortals who COULD achieve enlightenment, but have postponed it until all beings have been liberated from samsara. They rank above even the Gods in Chinese culture. And true Buddhas are above even them. THE Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama is the closest entity to Big G God you'll find.
You're weird
Not just animals. Yao come from Trees, Fungus, Rocks, Mountains, Grass, Lakes, everywhere in the natural world. Even a pebble that sat and gathered Chi for 10,000 years can become one.
Gui are actual spoopy ghosts, the lingering souls of dead people who didn't feel like drinking the concoction which erases your memories before you reincarnate. Ghosts say "fuck that noise, Sing Chang is gonna pay for taking my family's farm!".
Gwai literally means "weird" and is tacked on to any strange entity that doesn't really seem to fit in any other category. It can even be tacked on like "Yaogaui".
So stuff like a rock golem or a fungal humanoid can be a Yao?
What are Mo?
And Gwai, they're just random stuff?
Seems like Chinese mythology can have almost anything in it.
Xian, also known as Immortals are those who have ascended to the level of Immortality.
They are immune to heat and cold, untouched by the elements, and can fly, mounting upward with a fluttering motion. They dwell apart from the chaotic world of man, subsist on air and dew, are not anxious like ordinary people, and have the smooth skin and innocent faces of children. The transcendents live an effortless existence that is best described as spontaneous.
Immortality can be attained by a pure lifestyle. Full of breathing exercises, meditation, sexual training, and physical exercise such as Qigong or Tai Chi. It can also be done by the use of potions, pills, minerals, Yao cores, and other means such as devouring a Heavenly Peach (virtually impossible unless your name is Sun Wukong).
The archetypal sage lives high up on a mountaintop and rides dragons up to Heaven. He or she may even have wings. The Japanese even adopted the concept of Xian which they call "Sannin". Immortals are capable of amazing feats like protecting ordinary people from illness and ensuring the harvest is successful. The 8 Immortals are 8 people who represent the different walks of life in Chinese society.
There are different categories of Immortals such as
>Celestial Immortals
Who live in Heaven and have an official rank as bestowed by the Jade Emperor
>Earth Immortals
Middle tier, and haven't reached Heavenly status yet
>Ghost Immortals
Low level Immortals who have acquired too much Yin energy and have to live in the Underworld or on Earth, for eternity
>Loose Immortals
Former Heavenly Immortals who have fallen, lost their status, or just never received one after ascending
>So stuff like a rock golem or a fungal humanoid can be a Yao?
Golems are Jewish.
But yeah, it could happen. Shit, one Yao was literally the dry skeleton of a dead chick that collected Qi from the atmosphere until becoming an animate being of it's own. There's been Lion-Lynx Yao, Half man Half Bull Yao, fucking Goldfish Yao Demon Kings, all sorts of wild shit. Wind Yao. Sun Wukong himself was technically Yao.
>What are Mo?
See my other post, true Demons in the Western sense
>Gwai
Yep, just weird shit that don't make sense
Why do you think foreigners are called GWAIlo?
So would something like an ogre, goblin, or troll (typical fantasy evil fodder monsters) be a Yao?
Yao or Mo, probably the two combined.
Hell, make a story where several Mo banded together, kidnapped their preferred Yao, and breeded them to create these monsters - so they breed mostly true, so they count as Yao, but the Mo ancestor's evil drives bleed through and try to control them (and in many peices of Chinese mythology, evil also means "socially disruptive", so there's why they don't have functioning societies).
The Eight Immortals are Eight people from across China's social make-up: beggars, nobles, men and women - who all became immortal and are known for celebrating raucously. They are an exception to the 'Celestial Bureaucracy' part of being deities: they hold no official positions. Loose, yet beloved throughout Zhongguo. They're basically a party of adventurers.
>He Xian'gu
The (only?) chick among them. She was born during the Tang Dynasty. As a teenager she dreamed of eating a Mother-of-Pearl and became Immortal. After following these instructions, she took a vow of celibacy. She once got drunk off her ass during Xi Wang Mu's birthday party and vanished for 50 years. They found her on a cloud taking a really long nap.
>Cao Guojiu
Born during the Song Dynasty. A virtuous and noble gentleman-scholar close to the Imperial family. His little brother was a notorious degenerate who abused his social rank. Cao tried to steer him on the path of good, but failed. Eventually he grew weary of all this and lived alone on a mountain. The Immortals Zongli Quan and Lu Dongbin befriended him, and taught him the secrets of Immortals.
>Li Tuegai AKA "Iron-Crutch Li"
Some say he was from the Yuan Dynasty, others say he was from the warring states period. He spent 40 years not eating or sleeping until Lao Tse came to train him. In the meantime, he astral projected his soul to Heaven with Lao Tse. Unfortunately, his pupil cremated his body. So he chose to inhabit the newly dead body of an elderly beggar who starved. Li wields an Iron Crutch with a gourd attached. At night it serves as sleeping chambers, and he freely gives medicine to those in need.
>Lan Caihe
Of ambiguous gender and age, Lan entertains by singing and flute playing. Lan was grabbed by a crane and taken to heaven while drunk and became immortal. Some say Sun Wukong trained Lan.
>Lu Dongbin
A Tang Dynasty poet. He teaches about virtue and the differing types of spirits. He wields a magical sword and a fly swatter.
He once rewarded an honest old woman with a magic well that creates wine. And he once had an affair with a gorgeous courtesan by transforming himself into a handsome youth. But refused to ejaculate inside her. Eventually his friends Iron Crutch Li and He Xiangu thought it would be funny to teach the courtesan how to make him cum. She tickled his balls during sex and Lu Dongbin unloaded all his cum inside her, from which she absorbed his immense Yang energy and became an immortal as well. He attempted to train her to lead a life becoming of a Xian.
When Lu was mortal, he trained under the 8 Immortals. And had a dream where his academic career ended in failure, so he devoted himself to Immortality. Lu is a master of the sexual arts & a ladies man so for this reason, men in struggling relationships try not to invoke him. As a New Immortal he once became angry and diverted the course of s river. He's also the inventor of the 8 Immortals Sword technique.
>Han Xiangzi
A lover of flowers and wine who struggled to convert his disbelieving family into Immortals until he rescued them from an avalanche with his powers. At one point had a romance with a dragon princess.
>Xhang Guo
Wielder of the phoenix feather, and backwards rider of an origami donkey. According to legend, he was born in prehistoric times. Very eccentric and fond of amazing people with his abilities. His delicious wine can heal diseases and wounds. A benevolent being, he has great sympathy for childless couples.
>Zhongli Quan
Born during the Han dynasty and quite a recluse even by Xian standards. Zhongli was once a great general who abandoned military life to save people as an immortal.
The 8 Xian are a heroic bunch who periodically go on adventures together.
I guess. They're really Scandinavian mythical creatures with their own unique origins. I'd class them as Gwai.
What would be a baseline for the Yao to turn into an ogre/goblin/troll like shape though? Sorry if I seem persistent I'm kind of used to D&D's very rigid niches of monsters and heir species.
I mainly just wanted goblins/trolls/ogres as art for them, I always liked visuals.
All you need to do is ask m8
It's not rules, it's story.
Basically, it's the basic plotline of those "monster breeding" hentai, with their terrible rituals and shit (where do you think they got the idea from? Pretty sure my idea shows up at in the legends of at least one area of China).
As I said, a Mo, or group of Mo, perform horrific rituals that twist a Yao, or twist their children, into new creatures. Or a concentration of twisted Qi that effects their descendants (can also happen to humans). Or a deity got really drunk and didn't think things through.
There are no rules, only reasons.
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The distinction between various terms of Chinese mythological creatures isn't as clear-cut as many thought. Many terms are more or less descriptors you used to label someone, and can change depending on which side you're on/social position.
For example, "Fox Yao" "Fox Xian" and "Fox Jing"
all refer to the same creature, in this case a magical supernatural fox.
Many monsters in Journey to the West go by the title "Xian", while Sun Wukong had been called "Yao Monkey" many times.
So Yao (妖) and Xian (仙) are both side of the same coin. If you hate that (supernature) guy, you insult him with Yao. If you like him (or trying to get on his good side/trying to be polite), you call him Xian.
So you can make almost anything if you can explain it?
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The ACTUAL name for the "race" of non-human-natural shit-turned-supernatural, is JING (精). This term is neutral (or slightly negative), and actually refers to the nature of their being instead of their social relation to others like Xian and Yao.
I meant that I like how ogres and stuff look, but you got some damn good art.
Where'd you find those? I especially love that weird twisted baby thing with wings for a head, looks like a Berserk or Dark Souls monster.
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Chinknet. Douban.com
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Bingo. Look at the sheer number of ways that people have become Immortals.
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Ironically, Chinese equivalent of goblin is neither Yao or Mo or Jing, but GUI (鬼), or sometimes Xiao Gui (小鬼) or "Small Gui".
The Chinese character is the same as Japanese Oni, and their appearance also matches with that of the oni. However instead of a Ogre-like brute, Chinese Gui is a (usually hornless) small, goblinoid creature, often has more than one set of eyes.
Pic related. In the painting you can actually see several Gui (Goblins) capturing a Monkey-Jing. Ironically the Gui are the good guy.
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>So stuff like a rock golem or a fungal humanoid can be a Yao?
Sun Wukong is technically a stone golem (He's born out of a stone).
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Before their exposure to Western concept of "Demon", MO (魔) is just as much a title as Xian or Yao.
It is basically the equivalent of "Dark Lord". Anyone can be one regardless of race, you can even self-appoint yourself as one if you so wish.
The most famous example is probably the Cow Demon King (Niu Mo Wang 牛魔王), archrival of Sun Wukong, which is just another monster like everybody else.
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GUI (鬼) is a more complicated concept, and can be applied to both spooky ghost (undead) and goblins (living? creature). If you want to be specific, Li Gui (厉鬼) refers to the restless spirit of deceased people, while Xiao Gui is goblin.
To reiterate:
Terms that are forms of address/title
>Yao (妖) - Insulting form of address for supernatural beings that you antagonize.
>Xian (仙) - Polite form of address for supernatural beings that you respect.
>Mo (魔) - Title of a "Dark Lord".
Terms that actually constitute a "race":
>Jing (精) - Non-human animals or non-livings that turn supernatural and (sometimes but not always) gained sentience.
> Li Gui (厉鬼) - Restless undead spirit
> Xiao Gui (小鬼) - Goblin
Well that explains why the non-english translation of Journey to the West used words for "sorcerer/magic-user", "shapeshifter/werecreature" and "demon/fiend" pretty much interchangeably regarding supernatural opponents.
How does this relate to gweilo 鬼佬?
Gweilo being slang for 'Westerner'.
Are they seriously calling us whiteys monster-men?
It kinda makes sense I guess
What the shit? Opium's a hell of a drug.
>gweilo
Yes. It doesn't means ghost-man, but something like goblin-man.
It's like Westerners that perceive Asian as having flat face, but in reverse. Just look at how 3D the face of a Xiao Gui in this painting.
>goblin
Well, shit. White people are just a starting source of XP and low-level loot to the Chinaman.
The artist is just salty because chinese women couldn’t resist the BBC (British Birdman Cock)
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Just archived it. Vote anons, this deserves to be voted.
Here's a chocolate geode as a thank you for posting such information on my birthday.
My grandparents were English. While the Dutch, German, and Irish sides were all pretty normal, I can confirm the English were fire breathing bird people.
Do not trust the English if they claim this isn't true. They lie, like all birds lie.
Pic related, my dad Xavier (half English, half Dutch) on the day he won my mother's heart.
So would Da Gui be an oni, or is that only Japanese?
Hmmm, would dragonborn-like people be named "xian long"?
Isn't this the story where the shota priest travels with that monkey chick and he bones her and some other ladies?
Rawr
Races were already mostly covered, so...
>Where should the players start off as?
Immortal wannabes (whether human, animal or inanimate object) wishing to obtain full immortality by whatever method.
>Classes?
All sorts of full spellcasters, though building in fighting buffs is recommended. Every single character worth anything basically knows spells, and ones quite similar to that of DnD, with incantations, hand passes and sometimes material components, albeit more powerful.
>What would be some good quests besides enlightenment?
Frankly I don't think seeking enlightenment was ever a significant feature of "Journey to the West", compared to asskicking and supernatural shenanigans.
"Righteous" parties may suck up to Heaven (meditations and push-ups to cultivate your chi and uplift yourself in non-violent ways make for poor quests) and do its bidding hunting various renegades and rebellious monsters or travel across the world on a quest for that one sage that actually does know a proper immortality method. Those willing to achieve immortality and power by hook or crook may just seek a saint to eat, life-extending items or generally artifacts of power to steal. Of course there is an abundant potential for squabbles between supernaturals who covet the same items or otherwise step on each other's toes. You also have to decide from the start whether there is Buddha, capable of smacking down PCs who have successfully retraced Sun Wukong's career, and thus making any attempts to outright antagonize Heaven ultimately futile, or if deposing the Heavenly Emperor and installing yourself in its place is a viable campaign goal.
Funny enough, that hentai actually was accurate about female demons trying to rape the monk so they could absorb his yang energy
Sauce?
Journey to the West, you uncultured swine.
Can I have link to Hentai?
no
The Sea-dragon Kings live in gorgeous palaces in the depths of the sea, where they feed on pearls and opals. There are five of these divinities, the chief being in the centre, and the other four occupying the north, the west, the south, and the east. Each is a league in length, and so bulky that in shifting its posture it tosses one mountain against another. It has five feet, one of them being in the middle of its belly, and each foot is armed with five sharp claws. It can reach into the heavens, and stretch itself into all quarters of the sea. It has a glowing armour of yellow scales, a beard under its long snout, a hairy tail, and shaggy legs. Its forehead projects over its blazing eyes, its ears are small and thick, its mouth gaping, its tongue long, and its teeth sharp. Fish are boiled by the blast of its breath, and roasted by the fiery exhalations of its body. When it rises to the surface the whole ocean surges, waterspouts foam, and typhoons rage. When it flies, wingless, through the air, the winds howl, torrents of rain descend, houses are unroofed, the firmament is filled with a din, and whatever lies along its route is swept away with a roar in the hurricane created by the speed of its passage. Though they often take on human form for the sake of mortals who encounter them.
The 5 Dragon Kings of the Sea are all Immortals, and know each other's thoughts & feelings because their minds are linked. They visit the Jade Emperor once per year, but at a time when none of the other Gods dare visit as well. Palaces of the Dragon Kings are populated by their great progeny, servants, allies, and friends.
The Secret Journey by Po-Ju. Fapped my cock off to it. Basically Journey to the West as a harem.
Wang Ze was a general during the Song Dynasty who married a sorceress who was conceived by a woman that burned a magical painting. The wife was taught magic by a Fox Yao and learned to conjure entire armies to fight for her. Three sorcerers joined Wang's rebellion against the corrupt government and they had many adventures battling together. Until Wang started to act like a jerk and the three sorcerers sided with the government, ending the rebellion.
Oni is Japanese-only.
A Da Gui can be technically "Orc/ogre", although there's only one famous Da Gui, known by the name of Zhong Kui (钟馗), who is also a human-turned-god, a goblin hunter (& eater), and all around VERY nice guy.
A cultured ogre...maybe.
Pic related.
Dragon and other mythical beasts/beings that start out magical usually belong to their own race.
Jing (精) and Xian/Yao usually refer to magical beings that have a/upgraded from a mundane counterpart.
Thus a Xian Ren (immortal) is an "upgraded" human.
A Hu Xian is an "upgraded" fox (duh).
>Animal/plant can become monster and ascend to demonhood similarly.
Or immortality, in Sun Wukong's case.
The difference is rather academic. Fundamental nature of Sun Wukong and his fellow disciples do not change whether they are celestial functionaries, man-eating monsters (which all three of them were at some point), or Buddhist monks, though their behavior does, at least to an extent. Sun Wukong is super duper immortal because he used like four separate methods of ensuring immortality (Taoist training, including methods of averting heavenly punishments intended to destroy those seeking immortality, wiping his name out from the records of the dead after beating crap out of servants of Hell, both peaches and elixir of immortality), not because he's fundamentally different from most supernatural people he fights thoughout the book.
Yes, except the priest is not a shota and everyone does their damnedest to keep from laying with the hot demon chicks. Who may or may not be above eating him.
Also, he got Pregnant once. They aborted it.
Gu insects are pretty scary
They're monsters of terrible venom who are created when you stick scorpions, snakes, and other venomous creatures into a small space and let them kill each other until their combined poisons give rise to a new evil creature
While you are at it, you may also want to check up Feng Shen Yan Yi, or Investiture of the Gods, which is less famous but no less classic that Journey to the West.
It is also an early example of how “Layer 5” Gods fuck over immortals at "Layer 4" (pic related at ).
To describe the story in a fantasy-ish way:
> Basically, twelve immortals of the CHAN SECT fucked up during their training, cultivating, causing a calamity that will come in the near future and will cost them their lives/immortality. To avert this, they need to find some scapegoats to take their places (i.e. by killing others). But killing your fellow immortals can't be right, RIGHT?
> Oh, and the heaven is recruiting! Those that are "recruited" will ascend into godhood after their death! Sounds super nice is it? No.
> Being used to Taoist hermit lifestyle and generally have no earthly desires, the immortals are uninterested in the recruitment. And they HATE being bossed around by a top god. Many see the godhood as a form of PUNISHMENT/Fate worse than death.
> But the head of Chan sect see this as a golden chance to save his disciples from certain doom. So he...umm, sort of conspired with a mortal representative and fill up the recruitment quota with as many fellow immortals from JIE SECT as possible.
> The immortals are...well, immortal, so they will not die naturally and thus won't ascend to godhood. So what do? Fucking kill them!
> Thus began a layer-wide civil war between immortals from Chan sect and immortals from Jie Sect.
> In the end the heaven acquired some new workforce (gods), the twelve immortals killed enough to avert their doom, and the Jie Sect is all but destroyed.
> The conflict also spill over to the mortal realms, causing the downfall of Shang Dynasty and replacing it with Zhou Dynasty. Some mortals also ascended to godhood due to actively taking part in the conflict.
> So all is well...I guess?
That one is the setting of a specific game, and not applicable to Chinese Mythology in general. That user just write it up as an example of worldbuilding.
There's lots of adventure hooks
>Divine pets and servants wreaking havoc as demon lords
>Wars between martial arts sects
>Avenging the master
>Secret scrolls, pills, cores, and enchanted weaponry falling into the wrong hands
>Gangsters or Pirates bullying townspeople
>Rebellions
>Helping an angry spirit move on or fuck off
>Evil sect spreading forbidden techniques with dreams of domination or immortality
>High born with dreams of adventure runs away from home to join the world of Xia and Xian
>Chaos in heaven causing Chaos on earth
>Journeys through the Underworld
>Protecting a yaoguai from villains who want their core
>Sealing demons
>Journeys to the fantastical islands and underwater kingdoms of the East China and beyond
>Protecting the border from filthy horse barbarians
C'mon, use the imagination
I wonder if Koreans have a mythical tradition as rich as China or Japan
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Basically Exalted.
Actually... Exalted pulls a lot from Chinese mythology.
Exalted is probably the best system to handle the crazy power level of Journey to the West, or the Eight Immortals. Archmage the Ascension might work too with some fluff.
Why do Xia heroes love tsunderes so much?
>5) No Stock Race
>DESU this is also the case with pre-Tolkien Western Fantasy. Stock fantasy races such as elf, dwarf and orc as we know it do not exist until Tolkien and D&D popularized them.
Weren't elves basically a stock race pre-tolkien.
And I don't mean Tolkien elves obviously, but rather the fairyish types of elves.
In fact, do faeries count as a stock race?
Po Ju
Tolkien style elves are a conflation of Celtic Sidhe and Norse Alfar. Before him everyone saw them as Victorian style Tinkerbell fairies. And before that ambiguous nature spirits.
Alright, OP here, thought I might make up some of my own characters and see how they do.
>Immortal
>Fuxiang the Bear Thrower
A powerful wrestler in his hometown, Fuxiang defeated challenger after challenger. However, a man said that one day he'd grow old and weak, so before he did, Fuxiang decided to set out and become an immortal. He asked around and journeyed for some years before he found one living in a home at the top of a mountain.
When he knocked, the immortal rudely told him he wasn't going to teach him how to become immortal. Annoyed, Fuxiang went into the mountains, headlocked a bear, and dragged it back to the immortal's home and threw it into the window. Every night he would do this, until the immortal finally relented and decided to teach him, in return for Fuxiang never revealing the Immortal's location, name, or anything about him.
Pic related is how I imagine him.
Gonna make a Yao, Gwai, Gui, and Mo too.
>Yao
>Lu Diyu
A Yao born from a fungus, Diyu seeks to do what all life does- propagate and reproduce. He spreads his spores about into others, which soon grow and infest them into his servants. A cruel and wicked Yao, Diyu cares little for his slaves and often has them fight each other for his amusement. Though more powerful beings are immune to his spores, ordinary humans are easily turned into fungal monstrosities (something like the Matango)
This guy is meant to be something like a midgame boss for the PCs.
Kawaii