Brass Bricks

Shikigami (20pts)

These are all based on the assumption that Shikigami are minor familiar spirits, capable enough in their limited way, but reliant on a summoner/master for most sort of direction and initiative, and relatively fragile compared to more free-willed spirits. They are definitely not suitable for most sorts of combat, and are better suited as scouts, messengers, and helpers. In most respects, these are very minor spirits, and they are tied both to the material world and to the summoner. More versatile Shikigami (such as Abe no Seimei’s servitor spirit “Mitsumushi”) are certainly possible; this template represents only a very bare-bones sort of Shikigami.

(160pts) “Basic Spirit Template”, modified with the following enhancements and limitations:
+80% Easy Materialization
+30% Unlimited Lifespan
-20% No Possession
-20% No Probability Alteration
-10% No Spirit Travel

(-50pts) Unliving - Destroyed when reduced to 0HT
(-30pts) Dependency - A monthly binding ritual performed by their master
(-40pts) Slave Mentality (only where their master is concerned)
(-15pts) Mage suffers the familiar’s wounds (M105)
(-5pts) Hidebound: -2 to skills requiring invention or creativity
(0pts) Doesn’t Fatigue/No Extra Effort

One of many things I plan on moving from my LJ for posterity.

This is a crosspost from the samurai campaign. I’m posting it here because it’s easier to get to, and some of you might find this amusing. It’s long and won’t make much sense, so skip it if you aren’t interested. In summary, two samurai clans were at war - the Taniguchi were attacking the Uemoto, and the six PC samurai were fighting alongside the Uemoto.
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Ladies and Gents,

I have a question about where to take Samurai in the future. I’ve been playing around with various alternate plot lines, and they keep getting all tangled up. In fact, I’m having trouble settling on a simple “what to do this Saturday” scenario, much less the Big Picture. So, here’s some thoughts:

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Time marches on. Here are the events of the past several months, from March 1550 to June 1550, covering things from a group perspective:

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It is now the middle of June 1550, nearing the full moon.

Just to move things along, we will arbitrarily say that four months have gone by since last we gamed. The village (which is just called East Village) has been heavily overhauled and is back in operation. Most of the buildings are either barracks for laborers or small apartments for families. All told, there are about a hundred people here, either construction workers, fishermen, or support staff.

The following features of the East Village bear closer examination:Read more…

This is a very general map of Nikazanjima, or “Monster Island”, as you guys refer to it… in Japanese, that would be “Yokaishima”. Scary names have the advantage of obscuring the actual name and location of the island, and discouraging the superstitious from even fishing in local waters. Information presented is based on you guys landing in the previous adventure, and circling the island once before landing this time.
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These fine gentlemen are the experts upon which your future grandiose plans rely.
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This timeline deviates from actual history sometime in the 1500’s, due largely to two factors: a weak, inward-looking Europe, and a strong, stable Ming Empire. Europe’s condition is due to the success of the Ottoman Empire against Spain in the Mediterranean, and the effects of a plague sweeping across Europe in 1540’s. In actual history, Spain was able to hold the Ottomans at bay, and the Age of Colonization proceeded apace. Enormous trade networks were established, and the world briefly fell under the guns and influence of Europe. In this timeline, the Age of Colonization got started, but was aborted completely by 1550. This is the state of changes in 1550 (alt):
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After discovering some plot brewing between the Naito Clan and Prince Kadonomaru, the PC were sent to Ningbo in China, to trail the Naito delegation and determine what they were up to. The Naito team, five samurai and a Buddhist monk led by a well-known samurai named Naito Hirokatsu, went to an inn called the “Nine Golden Lanterns”. The PC’s stealthily witnessed the Naito delegation departing frustrated and seemingly empty-handed. When the PC’s went to the inn, they discovered that the object of the Naito quest was in fact a group of Europeans, experts in gunnery and ship design. The PC’s made contact with a Malay interpreter named Nizam. Nizam explained that the Europeans had come to China seeking employment with the Ming. After the Chinese rejected them, the Europeans went on a bender and wound up incarcerated in the local Yamen by the annoyed magistrate. Nizam said that there are four Europeans… three Portuguese and a German:

Capitan Duarte de Silva, ship’s captain, navigator
Don Estevam Batalha, artillerist
Joaquin de Castro, shipwright
Moritz Weisel, warrior

That is where we left off on 8/6/05.

First, the PC must choose a “risk modifier” from –6 (Very
Risky) to +6 (Very Cautious), per CII118. The modifier is first added to the Survival
Roll for each Battle Turn, and the opposite modifier is applied to the Glory
Roll. This roll should be done at the beginning of each Battle Turn to
determine the fate of each player character.

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At the center of the Ouchi Court are the daimyo of the five largest clans, At any given court, each of the Daimyo will have 1d+2 lesser vassals (Daimyo in their own right) or subordinate samurai. These guests are there to back them up in debates, serve as assistants (in the case of samurai) or simply to learn from the experience of the highest levels of power. Aside from the various claimants and petitioners that come to the court, there are the courtiers. These are the people who are permanent fixtures at court; they have no direct authority, but can wield considerable influence on the indecisive, easily distracted Ouchi Yoshitaka. Each of these people will have 1d-2 attendants, flunkies, or other hangers on when court is convened. Courtiers come from a variety of backgrounds: Kuge, Chinese diplomats, religious leaders, favored scholars or artists, or anyone else that has successfully flattered the Ouchi Daimyo long enough to establish themselves.
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GURPS Rules for Cinematic Samurai Slaughter

A staple of samurai fiction, be it cinematic or in ancient chronicles, is the lone samurai hero slaughtering hordes of onrushing rabble, be they peasants, ashigaru, or yakuza mobs. In such a case, the GURPS rules are far too detailed to game out the ensuing melee in a reasonable amount of time. Instead, the following rules should be used to model such fast and furious action. This should only be used for a few extremely skilled combatants (with the cinematic advantages “Weapon Master”) versus a massed rabble of disposable, faceless Scrubs. If there are too many combatants overall, it might be better to use the standard GURPS Mass Combat Resolution rules. In the case of two “Heroes” squaring off, utilize regular combat to properly display the martial prowess of both fighters, and make a more exciting scene.
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Armor Tables - Excel spreadsheet with the various types of armor in the game, converted to GURPS statistics.

Yamaguchi is the capital city of the Ouchi domain, which encompasses several provinces on both Honshu and Kyushu. Read more…

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The player characters in the Warring States Campaign are a motley crew.
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