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One hundred and seven years ago, the lands of Tian Xia were ravaged by the War of Nine Banners. The War was orchestrated by the then-ruler of Kaoling, Warlord Tsusano Yametsu. Yametsu, perhaps the greatest tactician of the age, turned the other major nations of Tian Xia on each other so that his conquests would be quick and easy after the nations had exhausted themselves against one another. For a time, his plan worked and the lands were soaked with blood. In the end, his schemes came to an end when heroes bearing the power of the Eyes of Ihys saw through his schemes with the power of the Eyes and revealed his treachery to the other nations. In the end, the land of Kaoling was devastated by the armies of the Nine Nations and Yametsu was put to death. In the aftermath of the War of Nine Banners, the Nine Nations created a peace treaty known as the White Sakura Accords- so named because of the tree the leaders met under after the war's end to discuss peace- and swore to band together in the name of peace. The most important thing to come out of the Accords was the creation of the Guardian Corps, an international organization sworn to the principles of peace, justice, and unity between and within the nations. The Guardians have performed their duties admirably for the past ninety-nine years and Tian Xia has prospered as a result. Because of this, they are held in high esteem by commoners and nobles alike and to be even considered for candidacy in the order is a tremendous honor. At one time or another, you were offered a place within the order and accepted. You are part of the 78th Regiment, one of the roaming detachments that were created as ranging agents for the Guardian Corps and are en route to Goka's branch via boat to attend the hundredth year celebration of the Corps that will begin in three days time.
Welcome one and all to what is, hopefully, the stepping stone to something awesome. I'll try not to lore dump everything at once and only list things which are immediately relevant. Let's get to it then; there's a lot to go over. If you are familiar with the prophecies of Golarion's apocalypse, some of this might have a little more context.
The entire premise of the campaign is to have an Eastern campaign set in Tian Xia. But this isn't vanilla Tian Xia; this is Tian Xia set two millennia after the fated apocalypse of Golarion was thwarted. The campaign is going to be very anime in concept and eventually go into crazy land with mythic later down the road.
* Golarion as it was is no more. It was broken during the apocalypse known as the Great Sundering two millennia ago. During the Great Sundering, the architect of the apocalypse- Pharasma- was slain by heroes who possessed shards of the primordial god Ihys and the multiverse was spared annihilation. *In the aftermath of the Great Sundering, the gods that were not claimed by the Darkness Beyond bound their essences to the broken shards of Golarion. This created entire new worlds and cosmologies. These worlds are known by their inhabitants as the Spheres. * The Tian Xia Sphere is the one that will be covered in this campaign. That particular world was created when the traditional Tian deities did their part in trying to piece Golarion back together. The entirety of Tian Xia, the surrounding ocean, Sarusan, the Crown of the World, and a large chunk of the Land of the Linnorm Kings are all components of the new Tian Xia Sphere. * The deities of Tian Xia's pantheon, sans the old "primary" gods of Golarion, are the primary gods of this world. The Primal Kami are the equivalent of the world's demigods and lesser deities. * The powers of those who saved what remained of the multiverse occasionally crop up during history. Those who are born with a shard of Ihys within themselves possess what is known as the Eyes of Ihys. The name is not just metaphorical since the power is tied to an eye, which glows when it's power is activated. The Eyes allow one to look forward or backward in time and can allow one to break the bonds of fate. In the two thousand years since the Great Sundering, no one has inherited more than one Eye. * There are nine primary Outer Planes that exist around Tian Xia. * Mundane substances have gained supernatural power in this new world. Salt, for example, can burn fiends much like holy water and can be sprinkled to ward off possession. * Some places were tainted by the Darkness Beyond during the Great Sundering. These areas hold an unfathomable evil that can twist the body and soul. While these areas are rare enough that they can be counted on one hand, they remain as reminders of the apocalypse that nearly destroyed the world. * Resurrection is near-impossible in any of the Sphere. Only the darkest of necromancy or the most powerful of sacred rituals can bring back the dead. * Technology exists in the setting to some extent. A wandering Numerian Technomancer was visiting for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament when the Great Sundering occurred. In the aftermath of the apocalypse, he founded a school for technological research in the Lands of Ice - formerly known as The Crown of the World. Technology has caught on slow and firearms are rare, but it still exists. The Lands of Ice, Hongal, and Kaoling incorporate technology fairly heavily. In the trade city of Goka, technology is nearly ubiquitous and exists alongside the more traditional architecture and technology of the land. * In the aftermath of the Great Sundering, great advances were made in the understanding of Ki and Chakras. This led to the founding of monasteries dedicated to the Twenty-Seven Disciplines, mystical weapon arts that draw on both Ki and one's own martial prowess, and the Akhashic Paths, a rediscovered art that allows one to force their essence through an open chakra to accomplish superhuman feats.
* Gestalt level eight, but with exceptions. One side of the gestalt must be one of the following classes and cannot be multiclassed out of: Monk, Unchained Monk, Legendary Monk, Samurai, Legendary Samurai, Ninja, Kinetic Shinobi, Kineticist, Legendary Kineticist, Gnostic, or one of the Akhashic Mysteries, Heroes of the East, Heroes of the Jade Oath, Path of War, or Spheres of Power/Might classes. Players must pick one of their gestalt side saves; they do not gain both. * Automatic Bonus Progression. You can stack ABP attunement bonuses on any magic weapons and armor that you find. If you gain a companion from a class feature, it gains this at two-thirds of your progression (Limit: one companion). Any weapon and armor attunement bonuses get applied to their natural attacks and natural armor respectively. * Background Skills, but with three extra skill points for them instead of two. If you choose an extra skill point as your Favored Class Bonus, you gain an additional skill point, in addition to your normal skill point, that can only be used on Background Skills. * 16,500 GP. * Hit points are treated as being rolled maximum every level. Selecting HP as a Favored Class Bonus grants two hit points instead of the usual one. * Armor grants half of it's AC bonus in DR. Wearing no armor grants the benefit of your role-based AC bonus (see below). * Wearing no armor grants you an AC bonus determined by the BAB of your "locked" gestalt side and your level. The lower the BAB, the lower the bonus. Link to the rules. * Raise and Resurrect effects are confined to class abilities and rituals. * Everyone gains a Ki Pool equal to 1/4 class level plus their highest mental ability score modifier. Classes with a medium or high BAB progression also gain a Stamina Pool as per Combat Tactics. * Everyone has seven Hero Points from the start of the game. If you receive a fatal blow, you can spend a Hero Point to heal 50% of your max HP and gain a random injury. * If you confirm a critical hit with a natural 20, you inflict a random injury on an enemy. * There are no race restrictions on Favored Class Bonuses and you get one for each side of your gestalt. * Firearms will use the Emerging Guns rule. I would suggest carrying something else quieter for use in some portions of the game. A gunshot in a complex/dungeon/whatever is likely to draw everything to you at once or at least put everything on alert within earshot. * Mythic will be a part of the campaign later on. I will be using the Mythic Fixes to scale it down to less madcap levels. Any of the first party Mythic Paths can be used, plus select Paths from Legendary Games and Lost Spheres. |