Author Topic: Creating a Wuxia Setting for D&D games  (Read 2114 times)

Offline Solo

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Creating a Wuxia Setting for D&D games
« on: October 04, 2015, 07:25:33 PM »

    What is Wuxia?

    Chinese martial arts fiction, commonly called wuxia, is a deep and varied field. It rangers from literature to comics, television series, movies, videogames, and opera. It concerns the adventures of wandering martial heroes, analogous to the ronin of feudal Japan, knight-errant of medieval Europe, and wandering gunslingers of the Wild West.

    Heroes may come from all backgrounds, but are typically from the lower classes. (Peasants, low level government functionaries, impoverished nobles, etc.) They hold to a code of chivalry, which requires them to act honorably, right wrongs, fight oppression, and enact retribution. Typical villains are scheming landlords, criminal gangs, and the government. (As a rule, the higher up in the government someone is, the more evil they are, with the exception of the emperor, who, in the Confucian tradition, is regarded as a paternal figure to the country, eternally mislead by wicked ministers.)

    As a result of their values and actions, they often find themselves living on the margins of society: the term jianghu literally translates to "rivers and lakes". It is not uncommon for martial heroes to be Robin Hood-esque outlaws, living in forests to escape the law.

    The rough ways and uncultured attitude of most martial heroes typically put them at odds with the mainstream Confucian establishment of ancient China, which emphasized that a man better himself through study, propriety, reverence of tradition, and obedience to authority. It should, however, be noted that proper fields of study for a Confucian gentleman included archery and chariot driving, which had martial roots, many chose to study martial arts and swordplay. Confucius himself was evidently quite the martial artist, reportedly able to lift open a city gate by himself.

    Martial heroes were often drawn to the Daosist and Buddhists, certain sects of which were famous for their martial arts, such as the Wudang Mountain Daoist sect and the Buddhists of the Shaolin Temple. While often received shelter, aid, and instruction in the martial arts, the Daoist and Buddhists emphasis on peace and nonviolence could easily conflict with the goals of a martial hero, which could at times be very bloody.

    The Martial Code

    Although lacking a formal code, eight common attributes of the martial hero are benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth and desire for glory. It is interesting to note that these mirror the Confucian values of benevolence, kindness, loyalty, courage, and righteousness, except for the emphasis on individuality.) In addition, the code emphasises the need to repay debts after having gained favors from others, and seeking vengeance upon villains, though the latter is controversial as many martial arts were developed by Buddhist and Daoists, and emphasize the need for compassion, forgiveness, and mercy.

    In terms of personal relations, a martial artist owes complete loyalty to his master, and is considered a brother to his fellow disciples and true friends. It is a dark day when these bonds of loyalty are broken from betrayal, and the fallout can be devastating to martial artist and bystanders alike.

    Women

    Feudal Chinese society as a whole was against women leaving the home.  Confucians were not fond of women abandoning their wifely and motherly duties, and Daoists believed that each sex had its own role to fulfil in a harmonious world, with females being soft, gentle, and nurturing. Buddhism was closer to being egalitarian and women were welcome to leave their former lives behind and become nuns. The school of Wing Chun kung fu, to which Ip Man and Bruce Lee belonged,  was said to have been founded by a woman called Yim Wing Chun, who learned martial arts for self defence from the Shaolin Buddhist nun Ng Mui. Women can be found in

    Magic

    While martial arts fiction commonly features superhuman feats, the setting generally relegates magic to the realm of mystics, often the Daoists, who have traditionally been associated with alchemy, divination, and supernatural arts. (Confucians were too rooted in the practicalities of the mundane world, and Buddhists tend to seek enlightenment through meditation and introspection as opposed to magic.) This is not to say that magical characters should not be played, but they should be presented through the lense of martial arts fiction; as a priest, mystic, alchemist, shaman, etc.

    Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King, for example, was a prodigious warrior and sneaky thief, but also knew a great deal of magic. He was capable of creating clones of himself, could fly, knew 72 transformations, and could cast spells to command wind and water, trace protective circles against demons, and paralyze humans, demons, and even gods. He was presumably a multiclass spellcaster, fighter, and rogue. And probably cheated on his character sheet.

    Cultural Information


    There is some terminology that may help convey the setting better, though this is by far an incomplete list.
    • A tael was a Chinese unit of weight and currency. Gold and silver could come in taels, often as boat shaped ingots.
    • The Chinese did invent paper currency in the 7th century, so it is entirely possible that all fiscal transactions will involve banknotes.
    • Wushu literally translates to martial arts. Kung fu is a catch-all term for any skill acquired through training or practice. Quanfa means "principal;s of the fist" and is another term for martial arts and boxing. (The same characters are also used in the name of the Japanese martial art Kempo.)
    [/li][/list]
    Jianghu translates to "rivers and lakes", and refers to the community of wanderers, martial artists, bandits, etc that existed on the outskirts of polite society. Wulin, meaning "martial forest", and specifically denoted martial heroes who lived much like Robin Hood did.[/li]
    [/list]

    Chinese culture was, and still is, rather different from Western cultures.
    • An individual's loyalty was to their family first and foremost. They were to respect their elders at all times, and be a dutiful child to their parents. (As you can imagine, rebelling in order to become a wandering badass held great appeal for many teenagers,)
    • Men and women did not mix much in polite society for fear of impropriety. (Less of a concern in the jianghu.)
    • Daoism and Buddhism were initially different religions with some philosophical similarities, who started sharing more ideas and deitiesas time went on. It became quite common to see Daoists praying at Buddhist temples, and vice versa.
    • Confucianism was traditionally agnostic and only worshipped ancestors. Even then, it is possible that Confucius recommended it as a sign of respect, and not out of belief in the afterlife. They traditionally had a rivalry with the Daoists over how to run the country, but that did not stop them from sharing temples for services as time went on.
    • Confucianism dominated mainstream society. Everyone wanted to study hard and take the imperial exams so they could be placed in a prestigious government job. In some dynasties, the highest scoring participant got to marry into the Imperial family, while the two runners up were rewarded positions in the imperial court.
    • Chinese folk religion takes aspects from Daosim, Buddhism, Confucianism, and local beliefs. It tends to vary widely from place to place, involving local rituals, superstitions, deities, etc.
    • Getting things done in China is often dependent on one's connections. Calling in favors and spreading bribes is a commonly accepted practice in wuxia fiction. For instance, a hero may get better treatment in prison by bribing the warden, learn secrets by reminding an information of a debt, or call on a distant, but powerful, relative to get out of a crime.
    « Last Edit: November 09, 2016, 10:56:13 PM by Solo »
    "I am the Black Mage! I cast the spells that makes the peoples fall down."