Dear /tg/, please help me come up with some martial schools and societies for a low-fantasy not-China setting.
Have you heard about Legends of the Wulin?
>>46040118
Yes.
Use this
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=maschool
Then apply
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=mamove
Add at your own discretion
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=macontest
>>46040030
could name your own
Wúmíng quán
Literally "nameless fist"
>>46040030
I've got one idea for a martial form and school of thought for an old homebrew you might find interesting.
The core idea was that culturally, educators originally took a dual function in a particular society as literal defenders of their pupils and knowledge in general, and this came about originally from a time in the history of the setting when a very harsh invading force declared that society can only function when everyone functions at their most basic function as laborers and serfs, to the point where there was a great purge of libraries and scholars. Some faithful defenders of the people took up arms against this mindset and declared themselves "Knights of the Bell," devoting themselves to protecting what they saw as the future heritage of their children and society. They defending educators and libraries and generally stood up as advocates of those things. When this time passed and these pious souls faded, the educators themselves took up their mantle, and devoted themselves in part to practicing a few different martial styles focused on defense. Nowadays the practice of scholars also being competent in swordsmanship is more or less a symbolic one, but many still cling to the styles that were borne from it. The most popular style, and the one that was most closely associated with this tradition was a one-handed mace style that essentially focused on disarming and distracting multiple foes for as long as possible while others escaped or called for help. It was, in essence, a final stand fighting style, intended to hold ground.
>>46040340
That actually sounds pretty cool.
>>46040340
>mace style
>used defensively
You're fucked.
Your weapon is hefty and poorly weighted to deflect. You've got to be on the offensive and crush the shit out of your opponents or you'll get poked to death.
>>46040329
There are already lots of 無名 in asian literatel its not original anymore.
The word is just so cool.
>>46040340
there are many defensive forms in Wulin novels , some completely defensive, and its kind of played out at this point.
Also as >>46041117 point out using mace for it is incredibly stupid.
You can always file the serial numbers off factions from wuxia literature and film:
> Beggar's Fraternity
Brotherhood of beggars and their plain-clothes supporters, formed hundreds of years ago to oppose foreign invasion but now a pillar of the martial arts world.
> Yang Family Spear Style
The clan of famous spearmen descending from a great general, whose sons were all great generals too and whose wives, when the men of the clan were captured, all became officers in the army as well and distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
> Sun Moon Holy Cult
Cult of barbarian hillfolk from the Western provinces of the empire, led by a leader with delusions of overthrowing the empire. Don't underestimate him though, he possesses unnatural martial arts powers learned from a legendary fighting manual in his possession.
>>46040030
I have an idea for a style named Three Storms Dance
And by idea, I mean literally just the name and that it's kick heavy
Also, I have no idea what Three Storms Dance would be in mandarin
Google translate says Bao Sen Wu, but I'm pretty sure that's super wrong
>>46041412
暴風三舞 or 三重暴風舞
either one of them looks stupid.
Lose the dance and you will get somewhere.
besides we already have signature thunder-based fighting style like "雷兮天地碎" (Thunder Roar, World broke) or "紫雷七擊" (Seven Purple Thunder strikes)
Oh i wrote all the translation so it will feel weird.
>>46041696
How about Fist of the Three Storms
>>46041857
Then it will be 暴風三拳 or 三重暴風拳
Now you got something.
It can either be a style that involve thundering fist with a heavy punch style
or a final move that gathers 3 sets of storm then unleashes with your fists.
Its at worst a supporting character move or the protagonist's ultimate, well done.
Giant faggot (OP) here. Please review/critique this idea for a fighter's name and backstory:
They call him 40-man Xi Liaogar. People think his name comes from him having the strength of forty men or having defeated forty men in a fight, but those close to him know that the real reason is because he took the blame for a group of forty men back in his home village who were framed for a rebellion or bandit raid or something (haven't decided the crime yet). The magistrate couldn't find it in himself to execute the young man whom he knew was innocent, but the higher ups wanted someone dead for the crime. So, Xi Liaogar was instead forced to take forty beatings, one after the other, and the only reason it didn't kill him was because his body was already really powerful from training (not because of a special move like Iron Shirt).
His primary weapon is a wooden three-section staff with a small hidden blade on one end which can be quickly released via a discreet button. He is loosely affiliated with some clans and a relatively large temple, but is really an independent wanderer at this point.
>>46041117
Bare in mind this is total fantasy, right? The mace in question is literally styled after a bell on a stick, which in the setting is an instrument educators would use to get the attention of their pupils.
You could argue it's weighted differently or something, or use some other kind of weapon for the style if you really cannot handle any level of abstraction.
>>46042703
looks like a guy who will die at chapter 15 to BBEG's henchmen to show how tough the henchmen is and because people are getting bored of this guy.
>>46042925
Mace is the weapon of loser in the Wuxia world.
It have no cool value for being too practical.
And too big to be convient enough to pull out of nowhere.
Its generally used by strong losers who goes down to 1 punch from some master or a group of losers that get beat up by more important character to show how much he grew.
>>46042992
>>46043080
You're thinking about this as if it were a set story, and not an rpg where the story is being built (which I assume is op's intention).
>>46043468
No i am pointing out what the thing in question gives what vibe to the reader.
Thanks to Hong Kong comics reinforcing the stereotypes by this point there's a pretty set impression of a character can do what.
>>46041412
This brings up an interesting point. How do you avoid the Google Translate syndrome for names so they're not just nonsense that sounds kinda cool?
>>46043651
Well I am a Chinese that read a bunch of Wuxia novels in my life.
So that helps a lot.
Still its hard to keep the name cool when you translate it.
>>46040030
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Oh God Spiders
>>46043591
What if the player's only experience with wuxia is the occasional foreign film? Is it possible to capture the flavor without too many restrictive tropes?
>>46043468
>which I assume is op's intention
Yeah, pretty much.
>>46040030
Tee hee. http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=315
>>46043080
>Mace
>Big
>Heavy
I have a sneaking suspicion you don't know what the fuck you're talking about here. You do realize that a tonfa or police baton is technically a mace, right? Even metal flanged maces had hollow cores and weren't particularly heavy at all compared to swords. Sure, they were weighted differently, but they were by no means clumsy weapons.
Hell, pretty much all hand weapons are relatively nimble. They wouldn't have been very effective in a fight at all if they weren't.
>>46043728
"...Surprisingly, women can actually practice Jiu Yang Shen Gong too. Female students can train by inserting a special ping pong-like ball in their vagina. This ball is attached to a rod, and then hung with heavy weights just like a man's penis. While a man can begin studying this qigong at any age, a woman can only practice it before she reaches menopause."
>>46043690
Can non chinese folks write wuxia, or should they avoid it altogether?
>>46043722
"The foreign films" are the most stereotype heavy because they need to keep up with the expectation from a Wuxia film.
That's why sword is still the weapon of choice in most cases, because inscribed Chinese sword is a very eastern thing that everyone will immediately accept, much like how katana is to a Japanaese Samurai film.
Mace is too related to western which is why I don't suggest it.
If you want to use something less vanilla I suggest 判官筆 (Pan Guanbi). Its basically a iron hand that holds a iron pen that is traditionally related to Educator-style fighters.
The other one is a Fan, it can either be Iron-skeleton or wood-skeleton ( for when you want to show a really strong master-level character). Put a poem on it and its perfect.
Also a tradtional educator-related weapon that have a huge eastern feel.
>>46043925
>iron hand
>>46043745
Yes, and those fit to the second critiria: a group of losers that get beat up by more important character.
Mace is just too practical to be used as a cool weapon, especially when there's a lot of similar but cooler weapons already.
Spear is ok because there were still many renown spear-using masters even in near modern time and their influence stayed.
>>46043745
You don't watch alot of wuxia flicks, do you?
>>46043776
Its perfectly fine.
But you should pick 2 path.
either you go more crazy, go full retard western-stereotyped Wuxia.
Write it like you know you are a foreigner with massive stereotype but you don't give fuck, then you can write something interesting.
Or get some guy to translate your styles for you first so they at least looks cool enough then give it a go.
In-between will just give you blend-half ass bull crap.
>>46043776
I don't know, can non Japanese folk write samurai flicks, or should they just avoid it altogether?
>>46040030
Honestly, LoTW's base campaign gives you so many to mess with in its base setting that I really don't see the point in reinventing the wheel. You could literally write entire campaigns around the interactions of maybe 4 or 5 of them.
>>46043949
Joke aside, this is what the traditional Pan Guanbi looks like.
>>46044710
This is a modern take on it.
>>46043776
Fucking yikes.
>>46042703
>Xi Liaogar
>Liaogar
>gar
... Chinese doesn't have a "gar" syllable, the only trailing "r" is the "er" syllable.
>http://www.linguanaut.com/chinese_alphabet.htm
>>46046828
Then how about Liaodu? Is that grammatically proper and right for being a name?
>>46048245
料度... its kinda stupid sounding.
This is the problem of translation, cool sounding Chinese name lose it's touch in English and things sounds fine in English is stupid in Chinese.
>>46048681
What would you suggest then? I'd prefer it be two-syllabled.
>>46043080
>It have no cool value for being too practical.
>implying pic related has no cool value
And either way, while extremely practical weapons are generally considered to be that of weaklings, they can still be used by genuinely strong characters in wuxia. It's just that said characters are usually wise old generals and masters.
>>46048858
first of all 40-man actually makes no sense in Chinese and 40 is a terrible number to use.
I say call him hundred-life Raihan.
>>46049153
>Raihan
That's Chinese? Also what's wrong with 40? Is it one of those luck things?
I just translate or paraphrase a martial art's name, or use a nickname, either historical or made-up.
Boxing -> Sweet Science
Muay Thai -> Science of the Eight Limbs
Pankration -> All Powers
Judo -> Path of Least Resistance
Karate -> Empty Hand
Kung Fu -> Excellence Through Hard Work
Tae Kwon Do -> Way of the Trampling Fist
Capoeira -> Game of Liberation (this one is a made-up nickname)
I find it this has the correct balance between fictional freedom, mystique and historical authenticity, it gives me a framework to work with without making things entirely from scratch.
I can use a similar approach to sects and schools. Shaolin is now the Little Forest Temple (this here is technically not a proper translation, but a hanzi by hanzi one).
>>46049086
Yuchi Gong is the most famous user of Jian ever and he is generally portrait as a dumb but royal general in Chinese traditional media.
Hence the Image for it.
Yes there are supposedly strong user of it in Wuxia novels but they are generally there for someone even stronger to beat them up and show how strong they are.
The wise old masters rarely even use weapons in Wuxia let alone something with a image of being clumsy and heavy.
>>46049228
4 have close sound to "death" in Chinese and is generally considered a ill-omen.
Many Chinese apartment don't even have a 4th floor.
No one fighting for their life on a daily bases will use that in a name.
Raihan could either be 雷漢 or 萊漢
(the first one would go perfectly with the Three Storm fist style mentioned above, interesting)
I assume you want the character to be a tough guy so I picked something like this.
>>46049283
So it is one of those luck things. I think I'll stick with forty just because a hundred sounds a little excessive and this setting is only based on China. Maybe I'll put it down to twenty or something. Thank you for your help.
>>46049315
Its not the only reason
Multiple-word number sounds shitty in a title.
You want a rounded up number like ten, a hunderd, a thousand, that can be said in 1 word.
If you see someone with 2-word number in their title you know he is gonna suck.
And the old Chinese texts is very free on the rounding up thing.
So getting the number higher to sound cooler is completely fine.
If you don't like so high a number drop to ten then change it to something like "Ten Bodhisattva".
>>46048681
>This is the problem of translation, cool sounding Chinese name lose it's touch in English and things sounds fine in English is stupid in Chinese.
What if we just decided to name things in English since we are westerners playing with other westerners who most likely also do not speak chink
>>46051197
What if I tell you that in a dinky government flat in Hong Kong there is a group of a Cantonese, a Teochew, a Shanghai native, a Canadian-Chinese, and a British expat that meets every first Friday night every month - and they're currently playing a Legend of Five Rings game?
And that the Canadian-Chinese is the GM?
>>46042703
ahahahaha
2/10 go back to your anime forum RPs
>>46040030
Flowing water crushing hobo hoof school.
Ill let you imagine what its about. You're welcome
>>46040030
Idea coming up.
The order of the seven philosophers is a school of thought that is based on the idea that one can achieve nirvana through learning and teaching. As such, they are often titled as the great librarians, for hosting what may be one of the largest library complexes in the world. They also often serve as court advisors, and hold a substantial amount of influence with the emperor. Though they espouse to that learning and teaching information freely is how one gets to nirvana, most don't listen to it in the first place. Many suppress information and edit valuable historical records to give themselves more personal prestige. As such, it has over the years, slowly become more and more corrupt. Even going so far as to say that knowledge should be hidden from the uneducated masses.
>>46051589
Canadians aren't real, they're just a story made up by losers to explain where their imaginary girlfriends come from.
>>46051589
I kind of like dorky Chinese translations. "Purple Coagulation Man of the Way" is the real life pseudonym of the anoymous author of the Muscle Change Classic, and all of those words sound amazing to me.
Plus you probably have enough context to play with the translations some. Man of the Way can become Daoist to say the same thing more briefly.
>>46040030
And for the meat and bones: GURPS.
Specifically Gurps Martial Arts. Teaches you how to build a Style, including more fantastic and less fantastic ones.
The "Ultimate Style" which is like, bonkers, is Ultimate in the same sense Hokuto Shin Ken is. When mastered, you can do pretty much "ALL THE MARTIAL ARTS". Both in the sense of copying people, and "I have a new technique".
(Although this would mechanically probably devolve to other, "asspull mechanics" that can apply to many situations, it's just the style would justify you being able to do it with one.)
The more normal Martial Arts are you know, more normal. Although all of them also have suggestions for cinematic abilities, too. Exactly how OP you are in that regard if they are allowed totally depends on how many points you have.
A multi hundreds of points monster with a lot of points thrown into these cinematic features will be "motherfucking Wuxia Hero" material. (Although these cinematic deals exist for all styles, not just East Asian ones. You can do 300 stuff as a Spartan Warrior or replicate the feats of Heroic Age Greek Heroes with the cinematic parts of their style. The normal parts mostly revolve around "use shield, stab and throw with spear, wrassle")
