Hee-yo!: Shouts and other uses of Ki. By: Paul W. Will In my AD&D campaign, recently augmentded by the ORIENTAL ADVENTURES BOOK (OAB), I have begun to hear a growing diatribe regarding what the players insists is and oriental-occidental character imbalance. The heart of their greivances seems to be the Ki (or Chi) based abilities of the oriental character classes. These abilities manifest themselves in a variety of ways, some of which I (and my player group) find near inhuman in scope. Such as the Sohei's Berzerk which does not simply give benefit of either an additional attack per round OR a +1 to hit on all normal attacks (as does any Berzerker from the Monster Manual). INstead the berzerkergang grants the sohei: one additional attack per round, +1 AC bonus, +3" movement rate, +1 to hit, +1 on damage, and the ability to deflect normal missiles...all of these for one turn each day! This, complains my player group, is not only borderline on unbelievable, but also highly unbalancing to the game in favor of the oriental character. Granted the oriental lifestyles, beliefs, and legendaria are radically different from those of the westen nam, but when dealing with both oriental and occidental cultures whithin one game it is important to avoid alienating the fans of either group. In an attempt to unigy my own campaign, whilst acknowledging the importance of such purely eastern beliefs/skills as Ki, I developed the system presented in this article. To arrive at this system I disected and delineated all of the powers set forth in the OAB, and added those whid I had become aware of through several years of study of oriental cultures. The rood of my system is in the accumulation of Ki points. Every oriental characer starts out at first level with one Ki point (modified as will be shown later). The character will gaain one additional Ki point for each of his/her levels of experience upon gaining each new level (ie. a first level samurai has one Ki point, upon gaining second level he adds two more points to this; totalling three points...once he attains third level he adds three more points to the score to a total of six points). The number of points gained by an oriental character is varied based on the score of his/her prime requisite, or the character's wisdom is the characer's class has no prime requisite. This modifacation is illustrated in the tavel below. Prime Requisite Ki Point or Wisdom Modifier 8- ........................... -3 9-12 ......................... -2 13-15 ........................ -1 16-17 ........................ 0 18-19 ........................ +1 20+ .......................... +2 In the previous example it the samurai had a wisdom (the samurai class has no prime requisite) of 12 the modifier would be -2, so, at first level he would have 1 + (-2) = -1 Ki points. At second level the two points he would normally get are effectively negated by the -2 penalty, and his Ki points (-1 + 2 + (-2) = -1) would remain at negative one. At third level he would gain one Ki point (-1 + 3 + (-2) = 0) nominally, which would bring him to zero Ki. Upon gaining fourth level he would add two more points ( 0 + 4 + (-2) = 2) to a total of two Ki points. Fifth level would make his Ki total (2 + 5 + (-2) = 5) five. Each time a character makes use of a Ki power, it will cost the character a numver of Ki points equal to his/her level (use the greater level if multi-classed). The chart following this paragraph shows in columns from left to right; the character's level, the total unmodified Ki points possible, the minimum and maximum points that a human character might have at these levels, and the number of uses that the character may put his/her Ki to each day if he/she had the minimum/normal/maximum Ki points for these levels (these last figures are derived from dividing the Ki points by the character's Ki points by his/her level...rounded down). Level Normal Min/Max Uses/day points points 1 +1 -2/+2 0/1/2 2 +3 -3/+5 0/1/2 3 +6 -3/+9 0/2/3 4 +10 -2/+14 0/2/3 5 +15 0/+20 0/3/4 6 +21 +3/+27 0/3/4 7 +28 +7/+35 1/4/5 8 +36 +12/+44 1/4/5 9 +45 +18/+54 2/5/6 10 +55 +25/+65 2/5/6 11 +66 +33/+77 3/6/7 12 +78 +42/+90 3/6/7 13 +91 +52/+104 4/7/8 14 +105 +63/+119 4/7/8 15 +120 +75/+135 5/8/9 16 +136 +88/+152 5/8/9 17 +153 +102/+170 6/9/10 18 +171 +117/+189 6/9/10 19 +190 +133/+209 7/10/11 20 +210 +150/+230 7/10/11 21 +231 +168/+252 8/11/12 22 +253 +187/+285 8/11/12 23 +276 +207/+299 9/12/13 24 +300 +228/+324 9/12/13 25 +325 +250/+350 10/13/14 Finally I redefined most of the Ki in such a way as to vary the duration and effects by level. Each of the descriptions area followed by a list of teh oriental classes that can use the particular Ki power. Battle Cure Duration: 5 rounds +1 round/level Battle Cure allows the user to temporarilly ignore one hir point of damage for each level of experience that the user possesses. When the duration is up the user loses the temporary hit points. The barrle cure is usable by Sohei and Samurai only. Battle Strike Duration: 5 rounds +1 round/level This Ki power allows the character a +1 on damage rolls for every three levels of experience. Usable by Bushi, Kensai, Ninja, Samurai, and Sohei. Lightning Strike Duration: 2 rounds +1 round/level A +1 is gained on initiative for each five levels of experience. Used by Ninja, Sohei, Wu-jen, and Yakuza. Protection from Evil/Good Duration: 5 rounds +1 round/level As per the clerical spell of the same name. Usable by any Oriental character class. Spell Protection Duration: 1 round +1 round/level Grants the user a +1 on all magic saves foer each four levels of experience. Usable by Sukenja and Sohei. Spirit Armor Duration: 5 rounds +1 round/level Allows the user a one place bonus on AC for each four levels of experience. Used bby Bushi, NInja, Wohei, and Yakuza. Strength Duration: 5 rounds +1 round/level As per the Magic-user spell of the same name. Bushi, Kensai, and Samurai may use this power. Weapon Spirit Duration: one strike per level This power allows a +1 to hit per four levels of experience. Bushi, Kensai, Ninja, Samurai, and Sohei may use this power. Wind Foot Duration: 4 rounds/level Wind Foor allows the character to add 2" + 1"/three levels to lhis/her movement rate. This movement bonus may be used in any mode including swimming, moving silently, and climbing. It is usable by Ninja, Sohei, and Yakuza. To make use of any of these avilities the character must spend 5 segments (30 seconds) meditating for each of the powers he/she intends to use. The powers do not maifest themselves until the meditations are ended, so if a character wished to make use of three of his powers simultaniously he would meditate for one and one-half rounds (15 segments) and all of the powers would begin their effects at the end of that time. This set of rules sill serve to vary Ki strength, powers, effects, and uses per day, from character to character, and class to class. It hws worked well in my own campaign, and I hopw you enjoy it in yours.