Scenarios and Sourcebooks for Tian Xia
This list is inspired by reading Kobold Quarterly #19. Tian Xia looks at least as interesting as the Inner Sea and I think I may want to use it as my next campaign setting. Yet the amount of 1e-3e, 3.5 and PF stuff out there for the region is pretty sprawling, and some of it is kinda old.
I’m going to start out with Lung Wa and its successors (i.e., China), follow up with Minkai/Japan, and then list miscellaneous sourcebooks and adventures. Links are to copies available online (with preference to Paizo, if they have it). No link, unfortunately, means out of print, usually. I’ve restricted myself to historical and fantasy material here.
All of Tian Xia:
1-2e:
Kara-Tur: the Eastern Realms (TSR, oop)
3-3.5:
Beyond Monks (Chainmail Bikini- Martial Arts book, oop)
Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts (Chris Pramas, 3.0, oop, Green Ronin, oop). A bestiary.
A Magical Society: Silk Road
PF:
Monk Archetypes
d20 Modern:
Perils of the Orient (for Thrilling Tales)
Dragon Magazine Articles:
#122 “A Step Beyond Shogun,” “A Step Beyond That”
#133 Shujenka Class
#289 Numerous articles
#318 “Eastern Flavor” Rules update of Oriental Adventures to 3.5
Lung Wa:
1-2e:
Dragonfist (sorta halfway between 2e and 3e)
3-3.5:
Cathay: Jewel of the East (for 7th Sea)
Jade & Steel: Role-playing in Mythic China
True20:
Heroes of the Jade Oath (in Beta)
Other:
Blue Dragon, White Tiger (for Swords of the Middle Kingdom)
Celestial Empire (for BRP)
GURPS China
Jadeclaw
Khitai (for Conan)
Qin: the Warring States
Swords of the Middle Kingdom
Thorns of the Lotus (adventure for Kung Fu)
Weapons of the Gods
1-2e:
Dragons of Weng T’sen (Mayfair, 1983) (6-9), set in 11th century China
Dragon Adventures:
#9 The Golden Bowl of Ashu H’san (2-4)
#17 The Waiting Room of Yeh-Wang-Yeh (5-6)
3-3.5:
Burning Shaolin (Feng Shui/d20) (6-8)
Jade Magi Sewer Crawl (Christopher Colon, MonkeyGod) (4-7)
Minkai:
Note that the majority of the Oriental Adventures materials (in whatever edition) is based on Japanese, not generic East Asian myth and culture.
1-2e:
Oriental Adventures
3-3.5:
Creatures of Rokugan
Kitsunemori (Dog Soul)
Legends of the Samurai (Chris Davis, Charles Rice)
Magic of Rokugan
Oriental Adventures (3.0)
Rokugan (there are quite a few books for this game world, not here listed)
True20:
“Land of the Crane” in True20 Worlds of Adventure
1-2e:
Blood of the Yakuza
Mad Monkey versus the Dragon Claw (6-9)
Night of Seven Swords
Ninja Wars
Ochino: the Spirit Warrior (5-7)
Rage of the Rakasta
Ronin Challenge (5-8) (actually ranges into a pseudo-Tibet)
Swords of the Daimyo
Test of the Samurai (6-9)
Dungeon Adventures:
1-2e:
#5 The Kappa of Pachee Bridge (2-5)
#7 Samurai Steel (3-5)
#8 The Flowers of Flame (5-8)
#10 The Artisan’s Tomb (3-5)
#15 The Dragon’s Gift (2-7)
#27 Bride for a Fox (4-8)
#33 Mad Gyoji (7-10)
3-3.5e:
#89 Honor and Eta (1)
#130 Palace of Plenty (10)
3-3.5:
Lean and Hungry (Chad Brouilliard, Penumbra) (4-6)
PF:
All the Kaidan Books. One is currently free for Halloween!
Other (Mongolia, Tibet, Indochina)
1-2e:
The Golden Khan of Ethengar (Mystara)
Other:
Tibet: the RPG
It is my hope that Legendary V: Eastern and Exotic Weapons could be used as a source for Tian Xia flavoured legendary weapons.
Infernal Romance at Moon Temple is for Arcana Evolved (as is the other Jade Oath stuff, duh - I own a copy of that in Beta, too!). 7-9th level.
Acacia Games is working on the Curse of the Emperor's Stone, which is set in a fantasy version of China, for Pathfinder.
...I'll add more when I come across them.
Zombie Sky Press has a few releases appropriate that should fit right in with Tian Xia
More:
d20 and PF
Shadows of Shinobi
Legends of the Koryo Empire (Korea)
Ronin (d20)
Ultimate Options: Power of the Ninja (PF)
Blood & Fists: Hong Kong Knights
Other
Bushido
Iron Dynasties (steampunk Japan)
Sengoku: Revised
Shinobi
Shukuen (2 ninja adventures)
Quick20: Asiatic Adventures
RuneQuest: Land of the Samurai (and its predecessor Land of Ninja)
Call of Cthulhu: Secrets of Japan
Wu Xing: the Ninja Crusade
Just wondering, but do more people feel since Tian Xia is a Japan analog, does there need to be a Chinese analog?
Contributor
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Just wondering, but do more people feel since Tian Xia is a Japan analog, does there need to be a Chinese analog?
Tian Xia is the Golarion version of Asia, including countries resembling China, Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, and others. The Jade Regent Adventure Path takes characters to Minkai, which is the Golarion version of Japan and a relatively tiny portion of Tian Xia.
The events of Master of Devils take place in one of the Successor States of the Golarion China. I'm hoping we see some modules set in the other non-Minkai regions, too.
Just wondering, but do more people feel since Tian Xia is a Japan analog, does there need to be a Chinese analog?Tian Xia is the Golarion version of Asia, including countries resembling China, Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, and others. The Jade Regent Adventure Path takes characters to Minkai, which is the Golarion version of Japan and a relatively tiny portion of Tian Xia.
The events of Master of Devils take place in one of the Successor States of the Golarion China. I'm hoping we see some modules set in the other non-Minkai regions, too.
I agree. Ancient China has never been adequately represented in the d20 lineage - yet.
I think modules in the Successor States is a great direction to go... perhaps through the PFS, initially.
Ok, here's some more for southern Tian Xia:
Dungeon #86, "Rana Mor" (3-10) by Richard Baker, has a Southeast asian/Mesoamerican setting that could be located in Valashmai.
Nagajor, of course, corresponds to a bunch of Naga/slithery adventures:
Dwellers of the Forbidden City (1e), notably, could fit in that region.
Ssethregore (OGL) details a serpentine kingdom for Living Arcanis.
Just wondering, but do more people feel since Tian Xia is a Japan analog, does there need to be a Chinese analog?Tian Xia is the Golarion version of Asia, including countries resembling China, Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, and others. The Jade Regent Adventure Path takes characters to Minkai, which is the Golarion version of Japan and a relatively tiny portion of Tian Xia.
The events of Master of Devils take place in one of the Successor States of the Golarion China. I'm hoping we see some modules set in the other non-Minkai regions, too.
I agree. Ancient China has never been adequately represented in the d20 lineage - yet.
I think modules in the Successor States is a great direction to go... perhaps through the PFS, initially.
Well, the Empire of Xianguo in Jade Oath is the largest of the kingdoms in the setting and is an analogue for ancient China. It is being converted to Pathfinder and should be out soon.
The Complete Ninja's Handbook from AD&D still gets use from time to time.
I would also recommend the "Shadow Warriors" DVD series, starring Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo. Lots of awesome inspiration there.
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There has been a few books with a little stuff in it made for Pathfinder like Purple Ducks Asian Legendary Weapons book. But the big ones I would recommend is Jade Oath by Rite Publishing, even the Arcane Evolved one would be worth picking up. They are making bits and peaces of it for Pathfinder slowly.
It's fairly sneak=secific and more rules than background, but I'm getting a lot of use out of Ultimate Options:: Power of the Ninja. And while it's mostly tightly focused and useful rules, the short descriptions of the nokizaru, rappa, and wolf head are cool enough to build whole adventures around.
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Kaidan has a new book in the series, this one on Yakuza, and, though it is Kaidan, it should be suitable for use in any oriental setting with Japanese elements.
Well, the Empire of Xianguo in Jade Oath is the largest of the kingdoms in the setting and is an analogue for ancient China. It is being converted to Pathfinder and should be out soon.Just wondering, but do more people feel since Tian Xia is a Japan analog, does there need to be a Chinese analog?Tian Xia is the Golarion version of Asia, including countries resembling China, Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, and others. The Jade Regent Adventure Path takes characters to Minkai, which is the Golarion version of Japan and a relatively tiny portion of Tian Xia.
The events of Master of Devils take place in one of the Successor States of the Golarion China. I'm hoping we see some modules set in the other non-Minkai regions, too.
I agree. Ancient China has never been adequately represented in the d20 lineage - yet.
I think modules in the Successor States is a great direction to go... perhaps through the PFS, initially.
Oh good - I have the Beta of the book and am eager to see it finished. I definitely would use it if it was Pathfinderized.
I did some work for Paizo (with Frank Carr) in the creation of a gazatteer and city map design of Kasai, the capital of Minkai for the last part of the Jade Regent AP, and included a ghetto region of the city run by a local crime organization. Rite Publishing's Way of the Yakuza has tools to effectively make this group (gumi) especially provocative and appropriate. I'd almost say the yakuza book was designed especially for use in this last part of the AP.
Note: Frank is the creator of Jade Oath, and I, the creator of Kaidan.
GP
Legend of the Five Rings has an adventure concept called Challenge Focus Strike (CFS). These are short adventure nuggets giving you the setup (Challenge), the initial events / investigation (Focus), and the action / final events (Strike).
Here is a link to a discussion on the Alderac boards about GM inspiration. Scroll down to the third post (first post by Isawa Nazomitsu) - this post has a list of 172 CFS scenarios. Additional posts in this discussion may have other scenario ideas of interest
Here is a link to another discussion on the same boards that has links to PDF compilations of the first 100 CFS scenarios from the first discussion linked to above.
Although these are for the L5R RPG, there is little to no game statistics since these are brief scenarios - they would print out in one page. There will be references to Rokugan, the L5R campaign, but again they will be brief and you should be able to easily put these in a Tian Xia campaign if you like the scenario idea.