True North

No, this is not the Maple Story Logo you philistines.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t happy with my last two posts.

I wrote them on a whim and didn’t give enough attention/love to characters who’ve been bopping around in my head for years.

In that regard this will be a do over. This isn’t to say I’m removing my old posts, I’m just not linking them to True North.

Yay! You get to see the difference between my shlock work and when I actually try.

So, on with the redo.

First of all I’m Canadian and proud of it. Yes, I always say sorry. Of course, I love maple syrup. No, I’m actually ambivalent about Hockey. Yes, Stephen Harper is an anomaly, we’ll soon defeat him with kindness.

As a Canuk I’ve grown up with American superheroes. I would have read Alpha Flight buuut 12 year old Chris didn’t have access to such comics. Captain Canuk was interesting but sadly didn’t make as solid impression as say Superman or Captain America.

So here’s my attempt to even the score in my own, small world. The following posts will cover my Canadian super team, written up in Cortex Plus, for Phantasm. They’re called True North.

Note:  True North is taken from our national Anthem, . . . with glowing hearts, we see thee rise, the true north strong and free. You may have heard a different anthem but that was Rick Mercer punking you.

The Guardians: Sun Wukong (The Monkey King)

This one’s tricky.

Sun Wukong is from the Chinese Classic: Journey to the West. This novel was written by a Buddhist poking fun at Taoisim; as such Wukong, the hero, was written in such a way that he was able to trounce the entire Taoist cosmology single handily and could only be brought in line with an intervention from Buddha himself. He’s incredibly strong, tough, can fly, shape change, duplicate himself and has the 10 Kings of Hell quaking in their boots.

You think Superman is over powered. . .

Still I want  Sun Wukong on this team because he’s an iconic Chinese hero. Every time  DC or Marvel characters fly over to cause mayhem in China I secretly wish to see the Monkey King take them down a notch.

As you can probably guess I loved Journey to the West.

In this write up Sun Wukong is still hella powerful but some of his exploits are considered to be exaggerated.

Even so he may still be too strong for this game, I may tweak his stats before Phantasm, we’ll see.

Affiliations

Solo: D10   Buddy: D6   Team: D8

Distinctions

• The Great Sage Equaling Heaven
• Simian Monk
• Bearer of Wisdom and Folly

Power Sets

Stone Monkey

Enhanced Durability: D10, Enhanced Reflexes: D10, Enhanced Strength: D12, Enhanced Endurance: D12

SFX: 

• Make a Monkey Out of You: Add a D6 and step up the effect die when taunting someone to a Rage.
• Second Wind

Limits:

• Make a Monkey Out Of Me: For 1 PP act out when doing so would be a very bad idea.

Taoist Sage/Bodhisattva

Shape Shifting: D12, Growth: D10, Shrinking: D10, Senses (Golden Eyes See True Form): D12, Somersault Cloud (Flight/Jump): D10, Duplication: D10, Sorcery: D8, As-You-Will Cudgel (Weapon): D12,  Stretching (for Cudgel): D10, Shrinking (For Cudgel): D12

*Duplication allows Monkey to make a 3D8 mob of himself as an ally. None of his duplicates can have any die over a D8.

SFX: 

• Multipower
• From East To West: Halve the experience cost to bring in Heavenly favors, however miss the next scene since you’ll be visiting the Heavens
• True Bodhisattva : Spend 1 PP to completely ignore any one emotional or mental attack as you remember yourself and focus on your Buddha nature. You can only do this once per adventure.

Limits:

• Yes Master: For 1 PP Sun Wukong has no choice but to obey Fei Hung’s orders even if they ruin his fun.
• Monkey Dis: For 1 PP spend the entire fist round of combat doing nothing but dissing your opponent.
• Too Many Monkies: For every round that your Monkey Mob is around your 1’s and 2’s add to the Doom Pool.
• One Seat Cloud: Sun Wukong is unable to take anyone else with him on his Somersault Cloud. He gains 1 PP when being able to do so would have been incredibly handy.
• Cudgel Is Gear: 1 PP if someone steals the Cudgel!

Specialties

Acrobatic: D10, Combat: 10D,  Covert: D8, Crime: D8, Menace: D8, Mystic: D10, Psyche:  D8

Benchmarks

New Quest, New Hero

• 1 XP: Help Wong Fei Hung defeat a miscreant.
• 3 XP: Enable Wong Fei Hung, in a significant way, come to terms with modern life.
• 10 XP: Fess up and tell Wong Fei Hung what you did and make him believe it. Must be done at the appropriate moment OR Give up on the World and take another long nap.

Are You A Monkey or A Man?

• 1 Xp: Save an individual or group of people.
• 3 Xp: Suffer stress in the defense of others.
• 10 XP: Show that thunder God who the true heavenly warrior is.

History

Guiding Xuanzang to the Western Paradise and back was hard work. Sun Wukong had earned his rest so he slept in. . . for thousands of years, straight into modern times.  He awoke to find Guanyin very angry at the state of the world, she sent him post haste to find and serve a worthy hero.

The first hero he found was an snarky purple Archer who told him to buzz off.

Thinking all the real heroes dead Sun Wukong traveled to the underworld and stumbled across the soul of Wong Fei Hung. Sun Wukong took his spirit back to the land of the living in search for a body. Though sheer fortune the Monkey King found Project Chimera and was able to attach the soul to their clone body and thus Wong Fie Hung was reborn.

Right has Fie Hung was waking up Pigsy called across the cosmos for Wukong’s help so he left Fei Hung in the capable hands of Project Chimera.

When the Guardian’s formed Sun WuKong revealed himself and asked to serve Fie Hung. Wong Fei Hung, having heard tales of the Monkey King, humbly accepted.

A few days later WuKong discovered that Fei Hung had no memory of the afterlife and believed himself to be a mere clone. Realizing the truth might get him into trouble with his new master (WHAT? You knew all this time and never told me?) Sun Wukong has decided to say nothing.

Personality and Appearance

Sun Wukong is impulsive, arrogant and cheeky. He’ll act in an instant to avenge slight or right a  wrong. His overconfidence often gets him into trouble. He has no respect for earthly authorities.

That being said his journey with Xuanzang has left him with a deep respect for human life and a love for mankind. He’s a devout Buhddist; he won’t eat meat, he won’t swear, he’ll avoid killing and follows the eight fold path in his own awkward way.

Wukong is serious about serving Wong Fie Hung.  Partially due to Guanyin’s command, partially due to the turmoil he has caused Fei Hung and partially out of respect for Fei Hung’s discipline and bravery. He’ll obey Fei Hung’s commands, not without complaint but he’ll still obey.

In his default form Wukong is a short Monkey dressed in a tiger skin, carrying a sturdy staff with golden tips. Depending on his expression he can seem a cute or fierce.

Abilities and Resources

Wukong is a primal stone monkey. Even without his powers he’s incredibly strong, tough and fast. He’s also had his fill of the peaches of immortality granting him everlasting life, that is unless violence or misfortune finishes him off.

Wukong is a master Taoist Sage. This gives him the ability to shape change into nearly anything. He uses this ability with viciousness or cunning, whichever suits the situation. He can also pull off a strand of his fur and make a weaker duplicate of himself, even to the point of making a small monkey army.

Wukong is armed with the As-You-Will Cudgel. It’s rumored this weapon was responsible for holding a galaxy in place and is one of the most powerful artifacts in the cosmos. This staff can stretch the length of an entire city or shrink to the size of a pin. Wukong often hides it behind his ear. I’ts impossible to destroy and will shape shift or multiply with Wukong’s magic.

Wukong has connections all over the Heavenly Court. If he runs into a situation he can’t handle he’ll travel to Heaven to enlist the aid of the Zodiac Warriors, Lao Tzu or even the Yellow Emperor.

Despite his connection with Guyanyin Bodhisattvas will not appear at Wukongs’ request. They work in subtler ways and will only appear to those ready to see them.

Party Integration

Wong Fei Hung: He’s brave, honest and strong. One of the Greatest humans you’ve ever met, a worthy master. Though if he ever finds out you forgot to tell him that he’s the real deal he’ll blow a gasket.

Yi the Archer: She’s a nice kid, a little shy though. She laughs at your jokes so you look out for her.

Summoner: A brilliant human woman, she has such amazing tricks! You have a lot of fun with her.

Thunder: He’s a powerful mutant, a great fighter but far too stuffy.

Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: The Guardians

I’ve played Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and find it most awesome. In that regard I’m running a game at Phantasm this year.

Here’s the Pitch:

It happened just before dawn. Few in the Xi’an noticed the hot, static wind that rushed through the streets. The sudden swirling of black clouds. The light rain shower that tickled the streets. But all were shook with the first apocalyptic peal of thunder as the sky opened up and spears unrelenting lightning hammered the city. 

The power grid flickers on the verge of dying, buildings have crumbled, flames lick the alleys, thousands flee and something is rumbling under the pavement threatening to crack the very foundations of this ancient city.

But all is not lost. You are of one the Guardians. Lead by Wong Fie Hung, Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) and Yi the Archer, you are China’s protectors, Earth’s Greatest Heroes. Together you will save X’ian.

It’s an adventure in Modern China with Chinese Superheroes.

I was inspired by the movie Once Upon a Time In China where Jet Li’s Wong Fie Hung  is incredibly heroic. Also I’ve had the theme stuck in my head for quite some time. I thought, what if we could freeze this and take it forward in time to battle Doctor Doom? Well this adventure’s my answer.

I did a quick look up on Marvel’s Chinese Superheroes and the ran across The Collective Man who I don’t really like so I’ll draw up my own heroes.

My goal here then is to make a group of Chinese Heroes who are every bit as epic and heroic as the Avengers. I’m going to borrow from Chinese myth, mix up a few ideas of my own and hopefully come up with something exciting.

I’ll post the characters up here as I write them.

Lemme know what you think.

Chall