danielhkwan

I need your help testing optional rules for qi in wuxia stories!

Added 2021-12-05 19:03:34 +0000 UTC

I've been hard at work on the youxia class and have found a publisher and co-author to work on it with me (don't worry, you still get it for free)! One of the challenges has been not only designing the class, but also coming up with gameplay tools to help give D&D adventures align with Chinese martial arts media. D&D's identity is firmly rooted in European mythology, making certain elements difficult to translate into Chinese martial arts stories.

Aside from the way (*barf*) honour is portrayed in D&D, the only overtly "Asian" mechanic is ki. Ki in D&D 5e is referred to as "a mystical energy" that is used for combat actions to fuel monk class features. In The Book of Inner Alchemy adventure I authored for Candlekeep Mysteries, I made a couple of in-world amendments to ki that would bring it closer to the Chinese inspiration (qi), yet fit within the existing world of D&D. Here they are:

De-mystify the concept - In the adventure, players can learn that, "Though commonly thought of by those outside the monastic orders as mystical energy, ki has strong ties to elemental air, for breath is what connects one’s soul to one’s essence (body)."
Give context to non-combat use - "Ki is a vital force present in all living things. Medical techniques and training can be used to control the flow of ki."
Ki is connected to the spiritual potential of all living things - "All living beings are made up of two “lives,” physical and spiritual. When these aspects are in harmony, great power can be attained."

SO WHAT IS QI?

In order to understand why the ki mechanic is inadequate, touching on the concept of qi is important. Qi is a fundamental component of Chinese culture with significance in the realms of spirituality, medicine, martial arts, ethics, and philosophy. Understandings of qi are incredibly nuanced and fluid, having evolved throughout the course of China’s long history. Within the context of wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan genres, qi is portrayed as the vital energy that exists in all things. That means every character has qi. Yes, the monk has special training to do more with it. But other heroes in our story should also be able to interact with their own qi.

SETTING CONSIDERATIONS:

The setting will be very important when designing the rules for qi and how they ultimately interact with the youxia class. . Before diving into the rules, it'll be important to outline one key definition - wuxia - that informed all of my design considerations. The youxia class that I am working on is designed to be used within a wuxia setting - with it's combat and narrative features designed to emulate common tropes within the genre.

So what is wuxia? Literally translating to “martial heroes”, this is a Chinese fiction genre that features protagonists who are regular people that achieve seemingly supernatural fighting abilities through Chinese martial arts training and internal energy training. This genre is often viewed as “low fantasy” as it doesn’t often feature any magic. Given that magic (in the conventional D&D sense) is not featured in traditional wuxia settings, providing players with a tool that can provide combat, healing, and narrative utility is a major priority for me when it comes to designing rules for qi.

Quick setting guidelines:

No divine or arcane magic is present. Power manifests differently in wuxia stories. It comes from within and can be tempered with hard work - resulting in incredible feats that seem magical from a western lens. That means no magic users. Now, if you're playing a xianxia or xuanhuan game, that's a different story (for another post).
While characters are capable of incredible physical feats, the world of the story should still feel deadly.
That said, preferred classes for player characters would be the fighter, monk, rogue, and barbarian. As has been discussed on a previous episode of the Asians Represent Podcast, the monk itself needs a complete overhaul and could really be combined with the fighter. But for the sake of this proposed ruleset, I recommend trying out my proposed qi rules with those 4 classes (with qi and ki being used interchangeably for the 5e monk).

KEY INSPIRATIONS:

Inspiration in D&D 5e: "If you have inspiration, you can expend it when you make an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Spending your inspiration gives you advantage on that roll."

Hero Points are optional rules found in both D&D (though versions of them can be found in other TTRPGs). They are listed in the Dungeon Master's Guide as a tool similar to inspiration, but with different advantages. "Hero points work well in epic fantasy and mythic campaigns in which the characters are meant to be more like superheroes than the average adventurer is.

With this option, a character starts with 5 hero points at 1st level. Each time the character gains a level, he or she loses any unspent hero points and gains a new total equal to 5 + half the character’s level.

A player can spend a hero point whenever he or she makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw. The player can spend the hero point after the roll is made but before any of its results are applied. Spending the hero point allows the player to roll a d6 and add it to the d20, possibly turning a failure into a success. A player can spend only 1 hero point per roll.

In addition, whenever a character fails a death saving throw, the player can spend one hero point to turn the failure into a success."

QI MECHANICS (PROPOSED):

Qi points can be used to aid actions and push characters beyond their natural limits.

The qi point base serves as a combination of a character's CON and WIS modifiers. Qi points can be spent at any time and do not take up an action. In combat, qi points can only be spent to use one of the following actions per turn and can be restored after a long rest.

Here are my proposed qi rules:

1 point - deadly intentions - Re-roll the damage of a single attack (selecting which result you would like).
1 point - heroic luck - Add 1d6 to an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check. Every 5 levels, you may add an additional d6 to the roll and select the highest result (i.e. levels 1-5 = 1d6 per qi point, levels 6-10 = 2d6 per qi point, etc.).
Dig deep - Regain a single use of a class feature that requires a short (2 points) or long (3 points) rest to reset. This cannot be used to restore qi points.
1 point per hit die - still have fight left - Heal in a way similar to a short rest but instead, qi points can be used to expend hit die during the heat of battle as a bonus action. You may not spent more qi points than your hit die maximum. Cannot be done when you are rolling death saves. Utilizing qi to regain hit points during combat does not expend hit dice as a short rest would.
2 points - essence of the world - In collaboration with the DM, a friendly NPC from your character's past joins a narrative scene.
2 points - down, but not out - Instantly stabilize when at zero hit points.
3 points - test your limits - Receive an extra action (move or attack) in combat
4 points - cheat death - Prevent instant death from massive damage (when excess damage beyond that which takes you to zero HP is equal to your maximum HP) and reduce your character to 0 hit points (unconscious).