‘Cuarren Fount Wars Unoen Heavin, EHAPTER FOUR: WAYS UNDER HEAVEN Heaven is like an egg, and the earth is like the yolk of the egg. —Chang Heng ‘Thetwilight of the Fourth Age is quite different from the twilight of the Fifth. In the mortal sphere, technalogy and culture are!Very different, and large-scale contact with the West is centuries away. For the Wan Kuei, the differences are ever greater. The Wall between worlds is thinner, the grip of the Demon on a vampire is weaker, and the. Wan Kuei are less.debased overall. All these differences, mundane and supernatural, lead to some new ‘or modified game mechanics. The Traits and systems in this chaprer finction alongside those established in Kindred of the East and in the basic Storyteller game syscem. The texcexplains when these systems replace those in Kindred of the East. New Trajts Thesfellowing few Traits are important for charac ters in the Fourth Age and reflect both supernatural and social changes between the.cras. Some of the Abilities have appeared in other World of Darkness products (such as Vampire: The Dark Agesorthe Vampire Storytellers Companion);but are repeated here because they are indispensable to Blood & Silk. New P’o Natures A yampire's,P’o is alittle less dominant in the Fourth.Age than in the Fifth, but it is also somewhat more sophisticatedy This isa time of rich culture and ticher'contuption, not the raging Armageddon of the twilight of the Fifth” Age. As such, several new P’o Natures arelavailable co.players of Blood & Silk. lf they wish, Storytellers of modern Kindred of the East RR aR aS op aig a a tare throwbacks. The Ancient The Ancientilooks back aldiag the trail plowed by the Wheel of Ages and believes thatin past Ages it wouldn't have suffered the torments it did in Yomi and the ones it continues to suffer after the Second Breath. The Wan Kuci' swiser predecessors (af least before they succumbed to pride) existed more harmoniously. The Ancient P’o thinks the Hun ean never measure up and wants it to simply surrender, s0'as to relieve the P’o from its pain. When in shadow soul, your character shows ‘obsessive concern for everything old and contempt for everything new.a4 Conditions for Takeover: The Ancient can force a shadow soul roll whenever an innovation causes the Wan Kuei pain or some other form of discomfort, Ie may also force a roll whenever the Wan Kuei abuses old things. Tre Bator The Artist tore itself out of Yomi to accomplish a single task, some vision of artistic creation that the Wan, Kei harbored in life but was unable to undertake then. Nothingelse matters tothe Arristbutthat work, Irberates the Hun for succumbing to other concems, whether the distraction is Dharmic progress or some momentary plea- sure. When in shadow soul, your character devores all her attention to the great work; she may sever annoying commitments or simply ignore them. Conditions for Takeover: The Artist attempts to gain control whenever the Wan Kuei turns away from the great work or whenever an opportunity to advance the work in an important way presents itself, The Eco The Echo escaped from Yomi just like every other ‘Wan Kuei P’o, but unilike mostofthe others, it doesn’t feel. worthy to have gained release denied to so many others. Itretains a strong spiritual link to whichever hell used to hol it, Is goal is wo break down the souls resistance and Iureit hacketo Yorn, and its weapon isthe voicesofallwho remain below. The Echo P’o has a mind of its own but chooses not to|use its own voiée; whenever i speaks, it draws on memories of words others said in Yomi or on impressions of what others stll there now say: When in shadow soul, the vampire focuses obsessively on the suffering in Yomi and the unearned release he and other Wan Kuel enjoy, in hopes of shaming, searing or depress- ing himself and his peers ineo a rétun co Yorni ‘Conditions for Takeover: TheEchotriggersshadow soul whenever the Wan Kuei is confronted with evi- dence of lossand death — graveyards and cenotaphs are bad places for these vaitipires. Tue Evnvcn The Eunuch’found confirmation in Yomi of the age-old notion that all endeavor is futile. Everythiig it might make ends up fodder for demons. Evén after its escape, it retains’a sense of moral, intellectual and spiritual impotence — despair" turned to the convic- tion that it shouldnot create anything new. The Eunuch Pro refuses to undertake any enterprise beyond: che basics of survival, instead devoting itself to appropriat= ing the work of others for its own ends.;When in shadow soul, che Wan Kuci abandons’any. original projects of her own and tries toskecome overseer, director or steward of others’ efforts. Conditions for Takeovers The Eunuch can force a shadow soul whenever the Wan Kuei faces sityations thar require him to lead others or when others are acutely, dependent.on hist Biooe & Sux ‘The Sace “The Sage focuses on the aspect of unexpected truth in Yomi. Ie wasn’t quite like whatthe vampire had ever been taught: Nowshat it has returned, how canthe Po rusethe dacripenite folic eT Re SalpeP'o teckienany doctrine that seems more likely to account for the truths of its ‘experience, as ongas i's something the vampire will find uncomfortable and difficult to follow. The P’ listens to ‘whispers carried up from Yomi about teachings no longer known to living people or held only far away, in addition to studying the various schools of thought the vampire ‘encounters in his travels. When in shadow soul, the Wan Kuei temporarily abandons his Dharma and direction in favor of some alternative that requires a dramatic change in behavior Conditions for Takeover: The Sageean force rll for shadow soul when the Wan Kuei finds a weakness in his Dharma — some restriction that works against personal desites or goals. Te Viraust ‘The Vitalise wants just one thing: renewed mortal life, The vampire can't quite ger to.it, of course. Even) extreme Yang imbalance orlly makes hersomething that’s: merely lifelike in some regards, The VitalistP’o strives to get as closeias itcan. Itimay seek after whatever life the -vatnpire once had or aspire to greatness ot seek some new social role, depending omits own preferences. When in shadow soul, the vampire turns away from everything ‘connected to Wan Kuei society in aneffort oteenter the mortal world. Conditions for Takeover: The Vitalist reaches fot control: when ithe vampire eonffonts’a situation that reminds her ofher mortal life or that presentsher with the ‘opportunity to continue a mortal, goal she abandoned after death, Tae Warwon ‘The Warrior fought its way out of Yori and contin- ues to survive by fighting. The lesson of the Second Breath is that there's not enough to go around. Anyone (and anything) who gets in the P'o's way, denying it the thingsit needs and wants, brings it chat much closer to aretumn to Yori. The Warrior P’o will allow nothing to standin che way of the vampire’s continued to existence inthe material world. When in shadow soul, the vamn- pire fights)with everyone who seems threatening — regardless of whether that threat is teal and present or merely hypothetical Conditions for Takeover: The Warrior can force a roll for shadow soul when the Wan Kuei declines an ‘opportunity for violent conflict (which isn’t obviously ound 9 failure) in favor of more peaceful means and when he submits or cooperates with a rival.~ = wer (Caaerin Fount Wars Unoen Heaven, New Srjus AxcHery ‘Attacks beyond the range of human throwingrely on the bow. Archery is the skillof maintaining andusing the various styles of bow made in the Middle Kingdom during the Fourth Age. Archery is used in combat just like Firearms. : Novice! You can shoot unmoving targets, usually. oe Practiced: You can take part in a mass battle without bringing too much embarrassment on yourself and can suppott your family through hunting, . Competent: You lead archer units in eee Expert: You advise generals on the effective use of archers. Master: Observers expect you to apotheosize and become the God of Archers. Possessed by: Soldiers, Hunters Specialties: Target Practice, Horseback (see p. 123) Mepjrarjon e’s/possible to calm the inner storms thar disrupe aiind and body and achieve a state of relaxed awareness thar makes many unusual feats possible. Meditation represents the various techniques taught in the Middle Kingdom toward this end —keep in mind that very few characters actually know ‘multiple techniques. Every meditating character must use some technique (man+ Feaeggoge, etc). ‘The charaeter must make an Intelligence + Medita- tion toll, diffienly 7, to eniter a meditative trance- Once there, the character can attempt one of the following actions each hour: ‘* Regain Willpower. Roll{ntelligence + Meditation, Hidhcslers Baelfiocg crt ce poor Willbbper & Solve an dnigind, plese cogetherclites co dmayiterye for evaluate some other mental challenge. Roll Percep- tion + Medication, difficulty 9. Each success lowers the difficulty ofthe character's next Investigation or Enig- mas roll by 1 * Overcome wound penalties) Roll Stamina + Meditation, with a difficulty of 2 + the character's current number of health levels of damage: Each sue- «ess lers the character ignore one level of wound pen- alty forthe rest of the night, A character who gets three successes, for instance, can ignore any penalty of -3.or less; and a -4 penalty acts like a -I penalty. If the character becomes Incapacitated, these benefits no longer apply. A character can attempt this use of mediation only onee per night. Gather strength against the P’o. Roll Wits + Medi tation, difficulty of 1O-Hun. Each successaddsone to the character's dice pool for his next effort to resist fire or shadow soul. A character€an try thisonly once per night, and the benefit docs not carry over after sleep. Any botch on one of these rolls brings the charaéter ‘out of his trance, and’he eannot reenter it forthe rest of the night. Significant physical interference in the first hhouralso breaksthe reance, buethe character canistart the process again. These rules supercede those on pp, 83-84 of Kindged of the Bast. . Novice: You've seen monks pray: . Practiced: You know a handful’ of ‘common prayers and can recite some, useful stories about how the ancients mastered medication. o Competent: You've learned from masters of epicitial discipline. and enjoy a local reputation for spiritual parity. eee Expert: Scholars and potentates consult youforinsightsintothe wisdom oftheages. scene Master: Yes. Possessed by: Monks, Jina, Teachers Specialties: Riddles, Controlling the P’o Phot Operating a boat successfully takes rraining and practice. Different sorts of boats require separate spe- itlizations: rafts and canoes, small sailboats, ocean- going vessels . Novice: You don’t sink your ship very often, . Practiced: Youcan handle yourself safely in mostconditions, and nobody feels che need to abandon ship when you take the wheel. ‘Competent: You know the limitsof your vessel and yourself and deal with adverse, conditions calmly Expert: Patrons offer you large sums of money tolead their maritime expeditions Master: Tales of your prowess mingle with accounts of sea gods Possessed by: Sailors, Traders, Explorers Specialties: Rough Seas, Vessel Types, Nighttime Sailing Rr The poorest people walk. The richest people get carried. Everyone else rides; if they wish (0-0 long distances. This ability covers how to tend for one’s horse as well a5 side it. Ride also serves asa cap on all ‘combat Abilities when engaged in mounted battle (see p- 122 for more).