Vampire: the Middle Kingdom - MrGone's Character Sheets

The Ten Thousand Things
In Kuei-jin games, some amount of crossover is going to happen. It's inevitable. The Middle Kingdom is cosmopolitan, and
it's hard not to step on the toes of other supernatural agencies. (In fact, many Wan Kuei don't even try not to.) While most dealings a
vampire has will be among mortals and her fellow Damned, they'll invariably deal with others, be they import Kindred or firmly
entrenched shen. This interaction with other setting elements is important, as it helps place the Kuei-jin in context by contrast.
The problem with that is I've not gotten around to converting the other original World of Darkness systems to the new rules,
and being that I have need of sleep, food and a life, it'll be a long time before that happens. So what I'll do is offer some quick and dirty
stats for shen and barbarian supernaturals, using the rules set forth here – so all you need to model these creatures in a Vampire: the
Middle Kingdom game is what follows, plus what's in Kindred of the East and the World of Darkness corebook. Great, ain't I?
These conversions aren't accurate or comprehensive, and are provided as approximations only. Extrapolate from what's here,
or discard it in favor of your own conversions. I also recommend source material for those that want to explore these supernatural
factions further,
Stats In Context
It's important to put the quick-and-dirty stats in its proper context, which is admittedly difficult with the limited information
provided. Direction (as defined in this game) is only a concern for orthodox Kuei-jin, but the auspices of the hengeyokai serve a similar
function. Virtues reflect personality qualities, though mages don't have Yin, Yang and Hun in their own game. These are given as a
reference point, and to allow Storytellers to run these characters using the Vampire: the Middle Kingdom system. So a mage with a
high Hun is a virtuous (or at least self-controlled) person, and also has that stat for when she uses magic that duplicates the effect of
Iron Soul (Internalize 4).
Direction: Some shen are given Directions, which roughly correspond to the Wan Kuei's roles and predilections. A
hengeyokai of the North Direction fills the role of lawgiver and traditionalist in the Beast Courts or for her sentai, while a South-facing
hsien may be either a warrior or one that tests the theological traditions she keeps alive. If no Direction is given, the character in
question either has no analogous social role among her people and/or no Divine Mandate.
Virtues: For mortals and most non-Cathayans, Virtues measure a character's moral and mental qualities, though have
additional significance for some. Yin reflects self-control and ability to restrain one's passions, while Yang is one's ability to act when
necessary and stay strong in the face of adversity. The Xiong Ren and Kin-jin are prone to Fire and Wave Nature, and in resisting these
states the Chi Virtues serve the same purpose for them as they do for Hungry Demons.
Everyone has a Hun analogue which represents their moral strength, spiritual cognizance and purpose; a low Hun indicates
someone that has little integrity and is prone to act irresponsibly and/or based on her primal urges. A P'o rating is reserved for
especially monstrous creatures; while a sentient P'o Soul is a burden only the undead and Restless dead must bear, the P'o Virtue for
others reflects a special degree of savagery and power not seen in other creatures; hengeyokai are the only non-Wan Kuei able to tap
that power offensively, with similar results as using Demon Chi.
Unless stated otherwise, non-Cathayans don't have the abilities associated with the Virtues (Lifesight for Yang, heightened
sense for Hun, etc. Exceptions exist, however, and will be noted in the splat's writeup.
Mortals
Every World of Darkness game needs to include mortal characters, and they are especially important in Vampire: the Middle
Kingdom. Mere mortals are all too often overlooked in favor of epic threats, and are only thought about when someone needs to eat or
use some freakish art that might upset the herd. It's sometimes easy to forget how central they are to the setting. People fill all sorts of
roles in a Vampire game: allies, enemies, contacts, food sources, muscle, friends, and much more. However, “extras” that you only
narrate in passing aside, the people of your Middle Kingdom should be every bit as nuanced, fleshed out and interesting your vampire
characters.
The list of sample mortals below is a very tiny and unforgivably inadequate sampling of the people a wu can run into during
the course of the game. It's not difficult at all for Storytellers to populate their setting with other characters. Use the rules in World of
Darkness as a base, allocate dots to taste, pick a Nature and Demeanor (instead of a Virtue and Vice), and determine Virtues (Yin,
Yang and Hun).
Virtues: Hun is a measure of a mortal's moral strength: someone with Hun 1 is a base and wicked person, and Hun 5
represents a moral paragon; 3-4 is the average; for those familiar with Vampire: the Masquerade, Hun is a Humanity analogue fir
mortals, though the scale is obviously different. Chi Virtues reflect personality traits (high Yin and low Yang indicates a conservative
rather than impulsive person), but serves no other special purpose for mortals.
Only a rare few human beings with very low Hun, like serial killers and rapists, ever develop a rudimentary P'o (which only
reflects their monstrous natures: a human P'o has no identity, and offers no Demon Chi, Demon Arts or other benefits.
Combat: Use the rules from the World of Darkness book. No conversion needed here.