TEXT: 
  
  
  Tian Shang: All Above Heaven
  Credits
  Game Design: Victor Andrade, Joerg Bours, David Ramirez, Joel T. Clark
  Writers: David Ramirez and Joel T. Clark
  Layout, Logo and Graphic Design: Victor Andrade
  Editing: Albert Lim
  Technical Editing: Ryan Klemm
  Game Design Consultant: Arik Ten Broeke
  Art By: Chistof Grobelski, Frederick David (Kazukishinta)
  In-House Playtesters: Katelyn Wallace, Ryan Scott Carnet, Joel T. Clark, David Ramirez, 
  Victor Andrade, Luis Gallardo, Victor Castillo, Alejandro Moles and Carlos Negrete
  Final Playtesters:
  Lloyd Gyan, Kevin Paul Wickart, Evan Seggebruch, Mikel L. Matthews Jr, Justin 
  Carless, Andrea Wong, Dustin Demmings, and Logan Demmings
  Special Thanks
  David wishes to dedicate this game to: Norman Gan, please watch after us from the 
  godrealm brother.
  Víctor would like to thank: To my Kids Iván and Nicolás, hope someday you open this 
  book, found a small reminder of your father and smile. To my mother who teach me to 
  achieve the impossible, see the invisible and break the unbreakable
  Joerg would like to thank: This has been an interesting journey so far, and i want to thank 
  the most important people. First of all my parents (although they probably will never see 
  this) for being supportive and kind to me, always. My brother for just being there and 
  being awesome.
  Then, of course, to my fellow members of Five Emperors. You guys have been inspiration 
  along the way and easy to work with and this little project would have never gotten to 
  where it is now without you all.
  Last but not least, i also want to do a shout-out to two of my best friends with whom i 
  also have the pleasure to play roleplaying games. Marc, for being like a second brother 
  to me and a constant source of laughter in-game and Gregor for sharing a similar passion 
  into the realms of fantasy and RPGs. You guys rock!
  Thank you!
  Joel would like to thank: My wife; I love you Otter. The team, especially David for 
  giving me the chance to be part of something amazing. All our fantastic playtesters 
  (Especially Mikel, whose web show Confessions of an Improv GM was so instrumental 
  to the design of this game). Stephen Lea Sheppard and Neall Raemonn Price for helping 
  me through a tough time. Brendan Davis for his limitless support and encouragement. 
  Justin Alexander and Alexander Macris for their mind-blowing insights into game design; 
  I wouldn’t be in this hobby without their influence. And finally, all of the wonderful 
  people who penned the Weapons of the Gods and Legends of the Wulin roleplaying 
  games: we are forever in your debt. 
   
  © 08 The Five Emperors 
  (Victor Andrade, Joerg Bours, David Ramirez, Joel T. Clark)
  
  
  Table of Contents
  Act : Ascent
  Introduction: 
  The Infamous Writings of Zhéxiān ...................  1
  Media recommendations and inspirations ...................  5
  Introduction ...................  7
  The Climb ...................  7
  Reading the Dice ...................  9
  The Summit ...................  10
  Round 1 ...................  11
  Round 2 ...................  17
  Sentry Foe Sheet ...................  20
  The Monkey King Awakens ...................  21
  Game Master Rules Reference
  Combat ................... 24
  Sneak Attacks, Holds and Throws ................... 26
  Tactical Movement ................... 28
  Weapons ................... 29
  Awakening Slumbering Chakra ................... 30
  Aura and Health ................... 30
  Being Vanquished and Death ................... 30
  Healing ................... 31
  Imbalances ................... 31
  Aggravation ................... 33
  Example Imbalances ................... 33
  Power Effect Chart ................... 35
  Environmental Destruction Chart ................... 36
  Agility Effect Chart ................... 37
  Endurance Effect Chart ................... 37
  Senses Effect Chart ................... 38
  Sun Wukong Character Sheet ................... 40
  Tripitaka Character Sheet ................... 41
  
  
  The following is a partial manuscript 
  from the incomplete works of Zhéxiān; 
  a vanished Deva scholar. An adventurer, 
  poet, and drunkard, he was exiled to the 
  furthest reaches of space for speaking 
  against Imperial excesses and studying 
  forbidden knowledge.
  One of Zhéxiān’s most bizarre philosophies 
  was the belief that the minds of people 
  from the ancient past or from altogether 
  different universes sometimes traveled 
  across time and space to take possession 
  of some of the heroes of this era. It is 
  believed by academics of esoterica that he 
  wrote this introduction for them.
   
  Welcome oh dear reader, to a cosmos of 
  adventure, wonder, and unspeakable horror: 
  The Galaxy Above Heaven! A universe of 
  heroes and tyrants, where demigods tread 
  among the stars and intrepid mortals can 
  join or defy them… If they dare!
   
  Fueled by the sacred power within all 
  beings, mortal, machine and beast alike 
  shatter their limits for enlightenment and 
  absolute power. In search of self-realization 
  or domain over the galaxy. Their battles 
  rage across the stars; moons splinter 
  and planets crack beneath their mighty 
  weapons and fists. Their deeds echo across 
  eternity, the new gods and demons feared 
  in legend.
   
  Let us now learn the history of All that is 
  Above Heaven.
   
  Tian Shang: All Above Heaven
  
  
  The Most Ancient Past
   
  In the universe of All Above Heaven, 
  the myths and magic of legend are real. 
  Prana, the blood of the soul – the inner 
  power of the gods themselves – flows 
  into all life forms through mystical nodes 
  called Chakra. In ancient times, intrepid 
  mortals forged their bodies and souls 
  into harmony and achieved near-infinite 
  power. These rare beings became legends. 
  Some ascended to the heights of divinity, 
  becoming gods; others succumbed to the 
  depths of wickedness, becoming demons. 
  In the misty past, a mighty band of such 
  masters united. These mythical lords were 
  the first to soar across the stars with their 
  blend of science and magic. They were 
  called the Kaufu.
   
  The Kaufu seeded ten thousand worlds. 
  They manipulated life through their 
  understanding of Prana, genetics, and 
  technology. They adapted life forms for 
  scorching heat, freezing cold, ephemeral 
  clouds and crushing ocean depths.
   
  They warped lesser beings to suit their 
  whims; they crafted workers and warriors, 
  slaves and overlords. They created weird 
  artefacts and engineered baffling life-
  forms, obscuring their ultimate aims; their 
  true goals are lost to history
   
  One day, they vanished; their fate as 
  mysterious as their purpose. Some believe 
  they evolved into a higher state of true 
  godhood. Some that they degenerated into 
  demons or beasts. Perhaps they merely 
  departed from the galaxy to explore the 
  unknown beyond. They left behind only 
  their relics, the ruins of their glorious 
  civilization, and a power vacuum that tore 
  galactic civilization apart.
   
  The Age of Warring Worlds
   
  The disappearance of the Kaufu heralded 
  an era of chaos, darkness, and mad 
  spiritual science. The myriad worlds left in 
  their wake thirsted for galactic supremacy. 
  Worlds drowned in oceans of blood. Gods 
  died, their stars extinguished for all eternity. 
  For ten thousand years, the galaxy burned 
  with the ravages of unending war.
   
  Although few legends survive from that 
  dark and war-torn time, one is too great to 
  ever be forgotten: It tells of an engineered 
  slave who rose against the god-emperors 
  of the universe. The king of all uplifted 
  animals, the scourge of planets, devil-god 
  who single handedly brought the galaxy to 
  its knees:
  The Monkey King.
   
  His cosmic rebellion was stopped only 
  by the intervention of the genetically and 
  spiritually supreme being, the Maitreya.
   
  In the wake of the ape-king’s defeat, 
  the hyper-evolved Deva clan unified 
  the galaxy. Their mastery over Prana, 
  combined with their highly advanced and 
  ordered civilization, brought world after 
  world to heel. Thus, the Glorious Zong 
  Xingxi Empire was born.
   
  Rise of the Zong Xingxi Empire
   
  The glorious, undying Zong Xingxi Empire 
  
  
  has ruled the Galaxy Above Heaven for 
  ten thousand years. May their reign be 
  everlasting.
   
  Within the core worlds their domain is 
  absolute, but their control loosens among 
  the outer reaches. Vassal and independent 
  worlds become more common as one 
  travels outward from the core, and in the 
  lawless rim even openly rebellious worlds 
  may dare to exist.
   
  The Zong Xingxi divide the galaxy into 
  five sectors, reckoned by Imperial Galactic 
  North:
   
  • Azure Dragon in the Eastern sector
  • Vermillion Bird to the South
  • Western White Tiger
  • Northern Black Tortoise
  • And ruling them all, the Central Golden 
  Dragon
   
  Within this golden center the Emprex, 
  Cosmic Axis and Living Embodiment of 
  Galactic Order Itself, is contained on the 
  Celestial Vinaya. The Emprex is the most 
  ancient and powerful among the Deva and 
  widely considered the most Supremely 
  Perfect Being in all existence.
  The inner worlds of the empire are Heaven; 
  a techno-celestial paradise where life is a 
  beautiful dream.
  But there is always a shadow in Heaven, 
  and nightmares lie in wait, hidden behind 
  its dreams.
  The Castes
  By Imperial decree, the sentient beings of 
  the galaxy are classified by caste according 
  to their genetic architecture and control 
  over Prana. It is an inflexible system but 
  not an immutable one: it is possible, if 
  unlikely, for those on the lower rungs to rise 
  to the higher echelons. They can achieve 
  spiritual attunement, and thereby greater 
  raw power, through genetic manipulation, 
  bodily augmentation, or by following the 
  ancient paths of effort and self-perfection.
  The opposite is also true: it is possible 
  to fall from grace and tumble down the 
  celestial hierarchy. Gross violation of 
  Imperial law is sometimes punished by 
  tearing apart a criminal’s very DNA and 
  warping their Chakra through unspeakable 
  arts, reducing them to a mewling shade of 
  their former self. Sometimes accident or 
  perversion leads one hurtling down the 
  demonic hierarchy, rather than the divine. 
  Some insane masters subject themselves 
  to terrifying training, ripping themselves 
  apart to achieve impossible power.
  Deva
  The most divine Deva stand at the pinnacle 
  of the cosmic hierarchy. Once merely 
  mortal, they transcended their simple 
  existence by mastering the secrets of 
  Prana. It was they who civilized the war-
  ravaged Galaxy Above Heaven, and it is 
  they who rule it.
  Asura
  Champions of the Deva, the Asura occupy 
  the second highest rank in their divine 
  hierarchy. Genetically engineered super 
  
  
  soldiers, the Asura are the elite warriors, 
  generals and honor guard of the Deva. It 
  was they who conquered and unified the 
  galaxy for their masters, and it is they who 
  fight to this day at the forefront of every 
  cosmic war. To the endless chagrin of their 
  lords, the Asura hold personal honor and 
  skill in combat as the most essential things 
  in the universe… even above loyalty to 
  their masters.
  Ningen
  The humble commoners of the Galaxy 
  Under 
  Heaven 
  are 
  the 
  unmodified 
  masses of sentient, commonly (but not 
  always) humanoid beings that populate its 
  thousand-thousand worlds. They are the 
  Ningen, an ancient term meaning “Mortal”. 
  The Imperial Natural Histories say that all 
  sapient beings descend or were created 
  from a single Ningen species from a long, 
  lost Prime Planet and that they were seeded 
  across the cosmos by the Kaufu. They were 
  modified to survive in countless different 
  environments and serve different purposes 
  from one species, eventually evolving into 
  their myriad modern forms.
  The most common is the familiar 
  bilateral humanoid, but exotic specimens 
  include aquatic beings, hirsute snowmen, 
  even scale-fleshed lava people. All are 
  considered Ningen. Their bodies, chakra 
  and other characteristics suited to their 
  unique homeworlds.
  Uplifted Animals
  Originally created to serve as slaves, 
  expendable workers, and cannon fodder 
  in the Age of the Warring Worlds, Uplifted 
  Animals are lower life-forms grown 
  sentient and humanoid by Prana-powered 
  gene manipulation. In the current era, they 
  are free folk, but generally unrecognized 
  as true citizens. This means they are not 
  subject to imperial law… But also, not 
  protected by it.
  Preta
  Preta, often called hungry ghosts, subsist 
  in the dregs of society. Preta are not born; 
  they are manufactured from criminals by 
  one of the harshest punishments inflicted 
  by Imperial Law. Their very DNA and 
  Prana are ripped apart, leaving but the pulp 
  of what once was a person.
  This whimpering protoplasm is pressed 
  into a wretched being with only traces of 
  its original identity. Preta are consumed by 
  an overwhelming addiction, usually related 
  to their crimes. Their revolting existence 
  serves as a dire warning to those who 
  would trespass against Imperial Law.
  Rakshasa
  The barbaric Rakshasa inhabit the lawless 
  rim of the galaxy. They are savages who, by 
  punishment or choice, have their DNA and 
  Prana stripped bare while retaining their 
  identities. Ruling the harshest planets, they 
  have mastered the forbidden art of stealing 
  skills and powers from their vanquished 
  foes.  Grotesque monsters, ultimate 
  survivors, genetic pirates, noble savages… 
  The Rakshasa are all these things and 
  more.
  Other Denizens
  The castes are the classifications of sentient 
  beings mandated by Imperial Law, but 
  more, stranger things inhabit the Galaxy 
  Above Heaven. There are monsters, robots, 
  cyborgs, Sentient Objects, AI ghosts, 
  and even weirder beings that defy easy 
  explanation. Even the primal darkness that 
  gnaws the edge of the galaxy shows signs 
  of sentience, though prudent scholars avoid 
  examining that cosmic horror for too long.
  The Vajra Lotus
  There is a legend that a mortal being 
  once shattered the boundaries of caste: 
  the Maitreya. Considered the pinnacle of 
  genetic and spiritual evolution, the Maitreya 
  attained cosmic oneness in an event known 
  as the Nirvana Singularity. 
  Followers of the Maitreya preach that this 
  absolute liberation of physical existence is 
  the ultimate goal of all living things. There 
  
  8
  are several branches of this philosophy, 
  each pursuing their existential goal in 
  different ways.
  One branch is the Vajra Lotus. They quest 
  throughout the galaxy searching for spiritual 
  relics left behind by their holy sage. Using 
  these treasured technologies, they have 
  labored to recreate the Maitreya and his 
  disciples through genetic manipulations 
  and cloning.
  These efforts have borne fruit: the Tulku. 
  These clones of the Maitreya’s closest 
  and most powerful disciples, are created, 
  sustained and reincarnated as the immortal 
  leadership of the Lotus.
  The gene crafting employed by the Vajra 
  Lotus is more subtle and elegant than that 
  used by the empire. It cultivates the natural 
  flow of Prana and the balance of Chakra, 
  as opposed to the forceful, mechanical 
  manipulations of Imperial methods.
  Monks of the Lotus generally reject the 
  trappings of modern civilization and seek 
  to live harmonious and straightforward 
  lives. They mix their genetic science with 
  meditation, martial arts, and the cultivation 
  of humble, austere societies.
  Though they are but a small cult, their 
  influence is rapidly expanding across all 
  strata of society in the cosmos. Could the 
  rumors of a perfect clone of the Maitreya 
  be true?
  Your Journey Begins…
  Distant from the lofty central worlds, 
  we find the White Tiger Sector; known 
  colloquially as the western reaches. Away 
  from the glorious light of the Zong Xingxi 
  empire, this lawless sector is drenched in a 
  darkness and chaos not seen since ancient 
  days. It is packed with savage and untamed 
  worlds; some lush and vibrant, some filled 
  with buried secrets or ancient dreams, all 
  bursting with the possibilities of freedom, 
  glory… and death.
  In this savage and bloody sector, new 
  legend begins: Yours
  Media Recommendations And 
  Inspirations
  Asura’s Wrath
  Capcom
  This video game is probably the closest 
  thing you can find to the pure aesthetic 
  of Tian Shang: A seamless mix between 
  advanced tech and Buddhist imagery, 
  insane planet busting power levels and the 
  dark story of a demi-god seeking revenge 
  and redemption.
  Enslaved: Odyssey To The West
  Namco
  Another great video game with a similar 
  style and theme, this is a retelling of 
  Journey to the West as a space adventure. 
  It has Monkey as a badass fugitive forced 
  to protect Trip a resourceful girl with a lot 
  of gadgets.
  
  
  The Monkey King
  Katsuya Terada / Dark Horse Comics
  This savage and erotic retelling of Journey 
  to the West was a great influence in this 
  adventure. The Monkey King in this two-
  volume graphic novel has been described 
  as a sort of Conan, slaying and laying 
  across a disturbing world full of gruesome 
  demons and monsters. It is like Buddhist 
  inspired Heavy Metal!!
  Grant Morrison’s 8 days and Ramayan 
   ad
  Deepak Chopra & Shekhar Kapur / 
  Graphic India.
  These two comic series reimagine the two 
  great Indian classics: The Mahabharata 
  and The Ramayana as Sci-Fi/Mythic epics 
  with genetically engineered demons and 
  demigods using high tech weapons and 
  fighting worlds shattering battles. Both 
  series are a great inspiration for the visuals 
  and concepts of the Tian Shang Universe.
  Orion
  Masamune Shirow / Dark Horse 
  Comics
  Shirow, the master of cyberpunk, brings us 
  to a hyper-advance cosmic empire where 
  science and technology work according 
  to the basics of Shinto and Buddhism. 
  We have Yingerions and Yangerions, and 
  Susano Orbatos the goggle wearing god 
  of storms ducking it out with a human girl 
  hopped up with some heavy magitech, there 
  is even a summoning of Son Wukong.
  Battle Angel Alita and Battle Angel 
  Alita: First Order
  Yukito Kishiro / Kodansha Comics
  This is a masterpiece of cyberpunk manga 
  full of transhuman themes, philosophy, 
  existentialism and insane high-powered 
  cybernetic martial arts battles. The later 
  series even takes the story into a ruthless 
  galaxy filled with post-humans, a great 
  inspiration for Tian Shang.
  The Incal and The Jodoverse
  Alejandro Jodorowsky, Moebius, Many 
  Other Artists / Humanoids
  Strange genius, writer, director and psycho-
  magician Alejandro Jodorowsky, alongside 
  some of the best artists of all times created 
  a cosmic realm, full of weird science, elite 
  meta-warriors, oppressive techno-religions. 
  A mix of action, sci-fi, and philosophy over 
  a vast series of  graphic novels starting with 
  iconic Incal has been a great inspiration for 
  our own mad universe in Tian Shang.
  Saint Legend
  Andy Seto / Comics One
  A Hong Kong Manhua, by Asian superstar 
  Andy Seto and published by the now-
  defunct Comics One, reimagines the Eight 
  Immortals of Chinese lore into techno-
  super martial artist superheroes in modern 
  day Hong Kong. This mix of futurism and 
  mythology is right our cosmic alley.
  Dragonball Super
  Akira Toriyama / Shueisha - Toei 
  Animation
  What can I say about the Dragonball Saga? 
  The whole series (yes, even GT) has been 
  a great inspiration for Tian Shang. But I 
  point out the latest series because it deals 
  with the hierarchy of the multiverse, it has 
  immensely powerful and yet vain and self-
  centered gods interacting with mortals, 
  that surprisingly can surpass and challenge 
  them through training and heart. This is 
  very much in line with the cosmos we 
  created.
  Guardians Of The Galaxy And Thor 
  Ragnarok
  Marvel Movies 
  Of all of the films from the MCU, 
  the Guardians series and Thor’s latest 
  installment present a fun, cosmic, over 
  the top universe full of crazy characters 
  and adventures. Add a coating of Chinese 
  myth and anime action scenes and those 
  stories could be light-hearted Tian Shang 
  campaigns. A group made by a quirky 
  demigod, a berserker, a mortal with 
  divine blood and an uplifted animal and 
  
  0
  plant would fit right in the Galaxy Above 
  Heaven.
  Jodorowsky’s Dune
  We finalize this list by coming back to the 
  great madman Jodo. This is the story of 
  one of the greatest, or at least the craziest 
  movies never made. He mixes his own 
  philosophical beliefs, with insane sci-fi 
  concepts, and working alongside some of 
  the most talented people that ever lived, 
  creating a majestic cosmos, that is beautiful 
  and yet terrifying. We may never see this 
  cosmos in movies, but just as with most of 
  our modern Sci-fi canon, our game, Tian 
  Shang is its descendant.
  Introduction
  Welcome to a grand adventure! In this first 
  leg, you, the Game Master (or GM) will 
  guide one of the Player Characters (or PCs) 
  from the Vajra Lotus’s temple-fortress 
  across the universe to Five Elements 
  Mountain, up its sheer face and to the peak, 
  where they will awaken the slumbering 
  Monkey King. In so doing, you will learn 
  and teach how to play this game.
  This module is written for 2 players (not 
  counting you, the Game Master). 
  Before you begin:
  First, it is a good idea to read through 
  the adventure part of this module, and 
  additionally, pick through the rules 
  reference section. This way you’ll have 
  confidence in your knowledge of the game, 
  which will pay off when you run it.
  You’ll want to have a copy of these rules 
  for the GM to reference during play.
  You’ll need a place to play. A nice table 
  in your home, with some snacks and 
  refreshments, is traditional.
  You need ten-sided dice, called D10s. 
  About ten per player (yourself included!) 
  should suffice.
  Gaming over the ‘net
  In the amazing and technologically 
  connected world in which we live, it is 
  extremely likely that you may choose 
  to run this game over the internet for 
  distant friends. That’s great! The above 
  advice should be taken as suggestions, 
  rather than requirements (except for 
  having friends, of course: that one is a 
  necessity!). As long as you have some 
  way of simulation or approximating 
  any of the elements listed above, you 
  shouldn’t have any worries.
  It is highly recommended that you have 
  both pencils and note paper. Note cards 
  will also come in handy.
  Each player should have a character sheet 
  printed out in advance for their character. 
  You can find the two protagonist’s sheets 
  at the end of this book (p.38) and the 
  Sentry’s Sheet on (p.20)
  It would also be helpful to have something 
  you can use as tokens (pennies, glass 
  beads, poker chips, etc.).
  Finally, and most importantly, you’ll need 
  your friends! Roleplaying games are a 
  social activity by nature. So, grab some 
  friends, some dice and some snacks… and 
  get gaming!
  Even though only you and Tripitaka’s 
  player will be playing initially, its best 
  to have all your players there as well, so 
  that they can learn along with you, offer 
  suggestions, and participate.
  NOTE: the default assumption of the 
  characters Tripitaka and Sun Wukong 
  is that they are male, and the masculine 
  pronoun is used. There’s no reason 
  whatsoever that this needs to be the case; 
  they’re both genetic experiments spawned 
  from forbidden science. They can be either 
  gender, no gender, both genders; whatever 
  your player wants, that’s what they are. 
  
  
  This is true of any player-character in the 
  fantastic Galaxy Above Heaven.
  The Climb
  Give your first player the Tripitaka 
  character sheet handout.
  Read the following aloud (or approximate 
  it with your own description: make it 
  cool!):
  The Vajra Lotus has given you your task: 
  reclaim the lost Nirvana Template from 
  its resting place in the forbidden western 
  sector.
  They send you first to Five Elements Peak: 
  the prison of the terrifying Monkey King. 
  Sealed there by your predecessor, his mind 
  has been reprogrammed to obey anyone 
  with the DNA of the Maitreya: the very 
  DNA from which you were cloned. You will 
  need his power to succeed in your quest.
  In your last moment with them. You hear 
  the hum of their ancient voices, see their 
  sagging, leathery flesh and dark eyes 
  twinkling like oil fires. The starlight of a 
  thousand candles flickers behind them, 
  then stretches out, bleeding into eternity 
  as their sorcery catapults you through the 
  void.
  The teleportation mantra vibrates in your 
  bones, transporting you across the galaxy. 
  Your holy brothers fade like a dream; 
  another world swells to replace them. A 
  world of yellow clouds and black earth. 
  The hum recedes, and you find yourself 
  before a titanic heap of acid-eaten stone 
  that pierces the poisonous sky.
  Your journey begins.
  Explain to the player that the first Scene 
  is called a Montage. It is “zoomed-
  out”, describing their journey up the 
  mountainside.
  To climb the mountain, the player must 
  take an Action.
  Actions allow a character to do things. 
  Some actions are simple or easy enough to 
  We’re looking for the what now-?
  Reclaiming the Nirvana Template is 
  Tripitaka’s ultimate goal. Although for 
  him it’s a religious artifact of enormous 
  significance, you have no idea what it 
  is or what it does.
  Don’t feel bad… Neither does the 
  Vajra Lotus.
  The thing was lost eons ago, before 
  recorded history; it’s a set of supposedly 
  divine principles that chronicles the 
  Maitreya’s ascension to true cosmic 
  enlightenment. The Lotus believe 
  it will guide them on their epoch-
  long quest to recreate the Nirvana 
  Singularity.
  Are they right? Well… Without 
  spoiling the surprise, we will tell you 
  that they’re mostly right. Although 
  they, like poor Tripitaka here, have 
  bitten off a bit more than they can 
  chew.
  be accomplished by simply declaring you 
  do them (walking across a room, opening 
  a door, etc.) but in the case of climbing a 
  mountain or similarly demanding activities, 
  additional effort is necessary.
  Any time a player wants their character to 
  do something difficult, use the following 
  procedure.
  Taking Action: The Effort Pool
  Characters in this game are extremely 
  capable. They hone their minds, souls 
  and bodies into focused harmony. To 
  demonstrate their hyper-competence, they 
  have a trait called Effort, which is drawn 
  from their Effort Pool. This is a pool of 
  dice ten-sided that is rolled and forms a 
  resource which players use to accomplish 
  things.
  
  
  Because of their fantastic capabilities, the 
  Effort Pool will sometimes allow characters 
  to accomplish incredible feats, or take 
  multiple Actions in the blink of an eye.
  This is how to form the Effort Pool:
  1. Have the player pick up one 10-sided die 
  (D10) for each point of their Effort. For 
  Tripitaka, this will be 4 dice.
  2. Have them roll the dice. Each one will 
  have a number between 0-9 on its face-
  up side: this is called its Facing. A higher 
  number is stronger. Read both 10 or 0 as 0, 
  the lowest Facing.
  3. Arrange the dice in order of smallest to 
  largest Facing on the character sheet as 
  indicated, then group dice with the same 
  Facing into Sets, one above the other, as 
  shown:
  Reading the dice:
  Dice are grouped into Sets that share the 
  same Facing. Sets are given a Rank which 
  describes how potent an action they may 
  grant.
  Think of the number of dice, or Rank, as 
  the “tens” and the Facing of the dice as 
  the “ones”. For example, one die with a 
  Facing of 2 is read as 12. A Set of two dice 
  with Facing 3 is read as 23.
  The number of dice in a Set determines its 
  Rank. A Set of two dice, each with Facing 
  4, is a Rank 2 Set with a Facing of 4, or a 
  total of 24.
  Take careful note that a Facing of either 10 
  or 0 is read as 0. For example, a Set of 3 
  dice with a Facing of 0 is 30.
  This part of the game can be tricky to 
  grasp, the first time you encounter it. Once 
  it “clicks” though, you’ll find yourself 
  forming sets like a pro.
  
  
  Skills
  Characters have 7 Skills which govern 
  their raw, natural talents. Every character 
  may use each of these Skills. Most of the 
  time when characters take actions, they 
  will be using these Skills to accomplish 
  their tasks. They are as follows:
  • Power: Raw physical strength.
  • Agility: Balance and speed.
  • Endurance: Stamina and resistance to 
  pain, injury and sickness.
  • Intellect: Genius, quick-thinking, and 
  cleverness.
  • Senses: Observation and attentiveness 
  with the 5 senses.
  • Heart: Empathy, passion, and charm.
  • Spirit: Self-awareness, enlightenment, 
  and discipline.
  In this case, Endurance is tested.
  Selecting Sets to Perform Actions 
  To take an action, a character uses Sets 
  from their Effort Pool. This is done as 
  follows:
   
   
  1. Decide what kind of Action your 
  character is going to take. In this example, 
  we’re scaling a mountain.
  2. Choose a Set from among the dice you 
  rolled to perform the Action.
  3. Remove the dice from your Effort Pool.
  4. Declare the Rank and type of action
  5. The other Effort dice you rolled will stick 
  around to allow you to do other actions. At 
  the end of your turn, discard any remaining 
  unused Effort dice.
  6. When the player chooses a Set for their 
  climbing action, find its Rank in the Effect 
  Chart to determine how well they climb. 
  The full Effect Charts are presented later 
  (p.35), but for now this truncated version 
  will suffice:
  Endurance Effect Chart:
  • Rank 1, 10-19. Mediocre:Withstand 
  hours of strenuous physical activity. 
  Tripitaka ascends to the summit, but he’s 
  exhausted.
  • Rank 2, 20-29. Sufficient: Withstand days 
  of strenuous physical activity. Tripitaka 
  ascends to the summit, mildly weary from 
  his exertion.
  • Rank 3, 30+. Superlative: Endure 
  horrendous physical punishment for days. 
  Tripitaka climbs almost effortlessly to the 
  summit, getting the jump on any foes he 
  encounters.
  After determining how well Tripitaka 
  climbs up, begin the Summit scene.
  The Summit
  In this Scene, Tripitaka is attacked by a 
  machine made from immortal brass and 
  copper, guarding the resting place of the 
  Monkey King.
  This scene begins differently depending on 
  Tripitaka’s level of success in climbing the 
  mountain.
  If he rolled 19 or less, he’s ambushed!
  Read the following out loud:
  Sweat drips into your eyes as you heave 
  yourself up the rocks. Over the rush of 
  blood in your ears, you hear a mechanical 
  whine and the clatter of falling stones. 
  Lightning flashes in the venom-green sky. 
  Barreling towards you is a nightmare of 
  brass and glowing runes: A mechanical 
  Sentry left by the ancients. Before you can 
  get your footing, it strikes!
  If he rolled 20-29, he meets the foe face-
  to-face.
  Read the following out loud:
  Pulling 
  yourself 
  confidently 
  up 
  the 
  mountainside. You find a shelf offering a 
  vantage and survey your surroundings. A 
  quadrupedal Sentry machine crawls down 
  the rocks like a massive bronze spider. Its 
  glowing red eye swivels towards you. You 
  drop into a deep stance and brace for 
  battle!
  If he rolled a miraculous 30+, he gets the 
  jump on his enemy!
  
  
  Read the following out loud:
  You sprint nimbly up the slippery black 
  stone. A sudden movement alerts you 
  to another presence. Taking caution, 
  you crouch under the shade of a rocky 
  overhang. You hear the whine of decaying 
  machinery as the thing clatters overhead. 
  Its flat, bronze head leans above you, 
  scanning with a single glowing eye. It’s 
  a Sentry machine, creaking under the 
  weight of eons. It will find you if you don’t 
  act quickly, but just for this bare second, 
  you’ve caught it by surprise.
  Start of the round:
  Each round of combat is an intense and 
  exciting affair! In addition to using Skills, 
  characters Attack, Defend, and maneuver 
  to Vanquish their foes. Each round consists 
  of the individual turns of each combatant. 
  Play proceeds in the following order:
   
  1. Round Begins
  2. Imbalance Decision
  3. Roll Effort
  4. Initiative Bid
  5. Turns
  6. (Locked)
  7.  End of Round
  Let’s examine each of these steps in turn.
  To begin, explain to the player that this is an 
  Action Scene, where time is slowed down 
  to demonstrate the details of the Action: in 
  this case, fighting!
  Also, if they’re feeling nervous about 
  battling a big scary robot, reassure them 
  that this scene won’t end the game if they 
  get beaten. Tell them that, any time their 
  character may die, you will provide them 
  ample warning.
  Place the Sentry character sheet (p.20) on 
  the table. Then, begin the fight! 
  Round 
  . Round Begins
  Combat only begins when one of the 
  characters present begins to use violence. 
  In this case, the rampaging Sentry is trying 
  to kill Tripitaka. It continues its assault 
  until disabled or destroyed. Unfortunately, 
  it can’t be reasoned with!
  . Imbalance Decision
  Before rolling Effort, combatants must 
  decide on how they are dealing with 
  any lingering injuries. These are called 
  Imbalances and are explained in more 
  detail a little later (p.16).
  For now, the only wounded character is 
  the Sentry. As the GM, you will choose 
  between:
  
  
  The Mechanical Penalty, which reduces its 
  Effort Pool by 1 this round, or
  The Dramatic Penalty, which will cause one 
  of its four limbs or its eye to malfunction 
  this round and be unusable.
  If you are demonstrating this game in 
  person, then this can be represented by 
  writing the Mechanical Penalty on one side 
  of an index or note card, and the Dramatic 
  Penalty on the reverse side. Flip the card 
  to the chosen side, so that everyone can 
  see how it is dealing with its decaying 
  circuitry.
  It is important to note that, although the 
  choice between Dramatic and Mechanical 
  Penalty lasts this entire round, you will 
  make this decision at the start of every 
  round of combat. Next turn you may 
  change your mind and select the opposite 
  Penalty. Do this at the start of every round, 
  for every Imbalance on a character.
  After the Penalty is chosen, proceed to the 
  next step.
  . Roll Effort
  Both Tripitaka and the Sentry roll their 
  Effort and line up their dice for the turn. 
  The Sentry may be rolling 1 less, if the 
  mechanical penalty is chosen.
  . Initiative Bid
  During Action Scenes, there is a fierce 
  competition to act before your foe. By 
  attacking first, a combatant can set the 
  pace of battle, granting them an enormous 
  advantage.
  Characters may bid Sets against one another 
  to determine turn order. Although bidding 
  is not a requirement, going before your foe 
  gives you a sizable edge over them.
  First, any characters controlled by the GM 
  (called Non-Player Characters or NPCs) 
  bid, then player characters (PCs) bid. If 
  this demonstration is in person, an orderly 
  way of bidding is to proceed in a clockwise 
  fashion, but any order you like is fine so 
  long as everyone gets a turn.
  To bid, choose any Set you like from your 
  Effort (or don’t bid, at your option). Higher-
  Ranked Sets go first, with Facings of same-
  Ranked Sets breaking ties. If characters still 
  tie (i.e. both characters have the same Set), 
  both players roll a D10 to break it, with the 
  highest roller going first. Re-roll any ties 
  until a pecking order is established.
  Once everyone places their bid, another 
  round of bidding can take place if anyone 
  wishes to submit a higher bid. This continues 
  until everyone submits their final bid.
  This final bid determines the turn order, 
  with the highest bids going first, and play 
  proceeding in order down to the lowest 
  bid. This is called the Initiative order. This 
  order is recorded by the GM every round.
  Summit
  Slope
  Cave
  Cliff
  
  
  The Sentry always bids its lowest-rank, 
  highest-Facing Set. For Example, if it rolls 
  1,2,2,5, it will bid the 5, making its total 
  15. If it rolls 3,3,6,6, it will bid the set of 
  6’s, for a total of 26.
  Caught by Surprise: If either combatant has 
  caught the other unprepared as described 
  above, then their Initiative is considered 1 
  Rank higher this round (for example, a bid 
  of 13 would be upgraded to a 23)
  . Turns
  Taking Actions (Attacks, Defenses, Skills, 
  Movement):
  Characters may attempt any action that they 
  wish. This could be an Attack, Defense, 
  Skill, or Movement.
  We have previously explained how 
  to perform Skills. Launching Attacks 
  and Defending is covered next. Before 
  explaining the mechanical side of these 
  Actions however, it is important that we 
  take a moment to emphasize the importance 
  of describing your Actions.
  Players should always describe their 
  character’s Actions in the context of 
  the shared mind-space of the game. For 
  example, if Tripitaka wished to Damage 
  the Sentry, his player might describe a kick 
  or punch attack aimed at its damaged eye 
  component.
  Players should avoid simplistic or overtly 
  mechanical 
  descriptions. 
  Although 
  technically sufficient to say: “I attack”, 
  this is dull! Encourage them to describe 
  how they do so (keeping in mind that their 
  characters are hyper-capable Kung-Fu 
  demigods!)
  The level of detail in your descriptions will 
  vary with your tastes as players. Generally, 
  brevity is preferred, with high-impact 
  verbs and nouns used to briefly but vividly 
  describe Actions. This will help the other 
  players visualize the Action, “showing” 
  the fight rather than simply “telling” about 
  it.
  Here’s an example attack description you 
  might use for the Sentry: “The sentry raises 
  its heavy brass claw and brings it crashing 
  down with stone-shattering force!”
  The Battlefield:
  Battles take place on Battlefields. This 
  describes a physical space of up to 110 
  yards, or 100 meters. The terrain and 
  objects on the battlefield are called its 
  Elements. The area is roughly defined by 
  its terrain; when that terrain noticeably 
  changes, a new Battlefield is entered.
  To create a Battlefield, describe it to the 
  player and note any Elements. This creates 
  a shared “mind-space” between you and 
  the player, which can be interacted with 
  by their characters.
  It is helpful to draw the Battlefields with 
  a “box and stick” model, to highlight their 
  relationship to the players.
  The Battlefield in this conflict is a steady 
  stone slope, terminating in a rocky summit. 
  Elements include a bare, sandy circle with 
  a crystal control terminal surrounded by 
  stone pylons 15’ or 4.5 meters tall, loose 
  gravel scattered on the ground, and a brittle 
  limestone shelf supporting a heavy burden 
  of rocks at the peak. Adjacent Battlefields 
  are the sheer cliffside that Tripitaka just 
  scaled, and a nearby cavern that extends 
  a few hundred feet into the stone; entering 
  either places Tripitaka in a dangerous 
  position (either clinging to sheer rock or 
  cornered in a cave!).
  
  
  If Tripitaka goes first:
  Explain to the player that they may 
  describe any action that a highly-trained, 
  agile and physically impressive monk 
  could reasonably attempt. Caution them, 
  however, that this is a confrontation with 
  a dangerous enemy, and they should be 
  thinking tactically to gain the upper hand.
  Specifically, they may move within the 
  battlefield, 
  describing 
  themselves 
  as 
  performing any reasonable acrobatics 
  necessary. They may launch one or more 
  attacks, using the rules described shortly. 
  Alternatively, or in addition, they may use 
  their Skills to interact with the Elements 
  of the Battlefield. For example, they could 
  use their Power Skill to try to tip one of 
  the stone Pylons to smash the Sentry. 
  Reference the Effect Charts, (p.35) and 
  use your good judgement to determine the 
  outcome of such actions.
  The last two actions require the use of 
  Effort dice (as will be shortly explained).
  The Sentry defends against every Attack 
  that it can with its highest Ranked Set.
  If it finds itself on the Defense, it prioritizes 
  its survival over Attacking.
  If the Sentry goes first:
  It Attacks with its highest Ranked Set. It 
  Attacks only once and leaves any remaining 
  dice for Defense. If it is without dice after 
  bidding for Initiative and Attacking, then it 
  is Defenseless until next round.
  Attacking and Defending:
  The Attacker chooses a Set to attack with, 
  just like using a Skill. The bigger the 
  Set, and the higher the Facing, the more 
  powerful the Attack.
  Defending is done in the same manner, 
  choosing a Set to oppose the Attacker’s 
  Set.
  The Sentry defends as described above.
  Reaching into the Tactical 
  Infinity
  You might be faced with a tough 
  question: What happens if the player 
  tries something and there aren’t any 
  rules for it?
  I’ll tell you what happens: something 
  magical. 
  Something 
  fantastic! 
  Something unique to role-playing 
  games.
  The player can reach out, into your 
  descriptions, and into the shared mind-
  space that has been established as the 
  universe of the game, and they can do 
  something.
  What if they want to start a landslide? 
  Or climb on top of the Sentry? Or throw 
  gravel in its eye?
  They can.
  Reaching into the tactical infinity of the 
  in-game universe is not only possible, 
  it is encouraged! Players who are 
  interacting with this universe are truly 
  engaged in the art of roleplay!
  Of course, the rub is you’ve got to 
  model this somehow, which can be 
  tricky. Thankfully, the system of this 
  game is very flexible if you follow a 
  few guidelines:
  Making any significant changes happen 
  generally requires a roll, and
  Beings get a chance to defend 
  themselves from harm, and finally,
  Not everything requires a roll. If you 
  and the player agree that a thing can 
  be done, then don’t worry about rolling 
  for it!
  
  8
  To determine the Damage caused by a 
  strike, subtract the Defending Set from the 
  Attacking Set. Any remaining number is 
  Damage, explained next. For example, if 
  Tripitaka attacked with a Set of 23, and the 
  Sentry Defended with a mere 14, then the 
  attack would deal 9 Damage (23-14=9).
  Reaching into the Tactical 
  Infinity (cont.)
  Attacking and Defending are the basic 
  interactions of this game (it is an 
  action game, after all!). You can get a 
  lot of mileage out of this, for example: 
  If Tripitaka wants to climb on top of 
  the Sentry, this could be modeled as a 
  hold attack (p. 27). Rather than doing 
  Damage, it places him outside of the 
  Sentry’s attack radius on its vulnerable 
  back.
  Or perhaps he wishes to toss gravel 
  in its eye: it could be temporarily 
  blinded, rather than damaged, possibly 
  allowing Tripitaka a chance to escape! 
  This could be modeled with the rules 
  for stealth (p. 39).
  Don’t 
  forget 
  about 
  some 
  other 
  weapons in your arsenal, such as the 
  environmental changes made possible 
  by the Strength Effect Chart. Tripitaka 
  could target the stone shelf Element 
  with a strike: causing enough damage 
  creates a Landslide! The rules for 
  shaping the environment with attacks 
  are detailed on (p. 36).
  In every case, make certain to describe 
  and agree on the in-game effect before 
  the roll, then stand by your word if 
  they succeed.
  If you reward your players for their 
  cleverness and allow them to reach 
  confidently into the tactical infinity, 
  your 
  games 
  will 
  become 
  more 
  enjoyable and engaging for everyone!
  Note that a Defender is not required to 
  devote any dice to resist an incoming 
  Attack. This will result in taking serious 
  consequences, however, as they will take 
  the Attack’s entire Set in Damage.
  Taking Damage:
  A character’s Health Boxes represent their 
  ability to ablate the damage from attacks 
  or other harm. Note that the Sentry and 
  Tripitaka both have several Health Boxes 
  on their character sheet; they’re reasonably 
  tough characters!
  When a character takes Damage, mark the 
  leftmost box with the number of Damage 
  taken.
  Each Health Level can absorb 9 Damage 
  without further ill effect. However, once 
  it absorbs 10 Damage, it is Filled. Two 
  things then occur.
  First, becoming this damaged creates 
  an Imbalance (similar to the Sentry’s 
  Imbalance). This is explained in detail in 
  the next section (p.16).
  Second, the Health Level is marked with 
  an X. It may no longer absorb any Damage 
  until it is healed. Healing is explained on 
  (p. 31).
  Once a health level absorbs 10 Damage, 
  move on to the next level to continue 
  recording. Take note it is possible to fill 
  several Health Levels with Damage from a 
  single powerful Attack. It pays to defend!
  Aura:
  Tripitaka is student of mystical martial 
  arts: as such, he has an additional measure 
  of protection against damaged. He is 
  surrounded by a magical Aura of luck, 
  latent mystic energy, and cosmic destiny. 
  This is called an Aura.
  When he faces damage, he can use this 
  shielding energy to buy off the damage 
  before it is applied to his Health, potentially 
  sparing him from harm.
  
  
  He has 6 points to buy down damage; 
  after that, it’s temporarily exhausted for 
  the remainder of the battle.
  Imbalances:
  Every time a Health Level absorbs its 
  tenth Damage, the injured character must 
  record or increase an Imbalance.
  An Imbalance works exactly like the 
  Sentry’s Imbalance, forcing the injured 
  character to decide between a Mechanical 
  or Dramatic Penalty at the start of every 
  round.
  Because they are often created mid-round, 
  after dice have been rolled, newly created 
  Imbalances begin by imposing their 
  Dramatic Penalty.
  When an Imbalance is increased, it can 
  either increase the severity of an existing 
  Imbalance (increasing the Mechanical 
  Penalty by 1) or create a unique Imbalance, 
  with its own Penalties.
  The 
  Attacking 
  character’s 
  player 
  determines 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  any 
  Imbalances resulting from their 
  Attacks.
  If an Attacker metes out 
  enough 
  Damage 
  and 
  wishes to cause a unique 
  Imbalance, review the 
  example Imbalances (p.33) for some 
  guidance on how to create them.
  As you can tell, burdening characters 
  with multiple Imbalances will force them 
  to choose between severely restricting 
  their possible Actions or taking steep 
  mechanical consequences. They may 
  change their mind on how they deal with 
  Imbalances at the start of every round, as 
  previously explained.
  Healing: 
  Health Boxes and Aura recover once 
  Tripitaka spends a scene recuperating. 
  Imbalances stick around, unfortunately; 
  he better be careful!
  How Many Actions During your Turn?
  During a combatant’s turn, they may 
  perform each of these actions:
  • Attack or perform a skill once with a 
  single die
  • Move around freely within a battlefield, 
  or move to any adjacent one once
  • Defend against any injurious 
  effects (including attacks and 
  environmental 
  dangers) 
  unlimited times per turn
  
  0
  Each of these (aside from moving) requires 
  a Set of at least Rank 1 to perform.
  Bonus Actions:
  However, if they have a Set of 2 or more 
  matching dice (Rank 2 or above), they may 
  perform any of these actions again with 
  that Set. This is called a Bonus Action.
  A character rolling multiple Sets of Rank 
  2+ may perform multiple bonus Actions. 
  This can include launching multiple 
  Attacks!
  . Recovery (Locked)
  This step is covered in round 2!
  . End of Round
  After all combatants have taken their turns, 
  they may still have some unused dice 
  remaining in their Effort Pools. At their 
  option, they may “save” some of these 
  dice for use in a future round.
  Discard unused Effort dice:
  After you are finished saving any dice in 
  Focus slots, discard all remaining Effort 
  dice in preparation for next round.
  What’s Next?
  If both combatants are still standing, 
  proceed to round 2.
  If Tripitaka has been defeated, proceed to 
  the Vanquished! sidebar on (p.21).
  If the Sentry is defeated, proceed to the 
  Awakened! Scene, (p.21).
  Round 
  This round proceeds just as the previous 
  round. However, there are a few new 
  options that you can access. These options 
  are underlined in the turn order below:
  1. Round Begins
  2. Imbalance Decision
  3. Roll Effort
  4. Initiative Bid
  5. Turns
  6. Recovery
  7.  End of Round
  During step 6, each Chakra recovers Prana 
  equal to it’s Recovery Value. This is added 
  to their Pool.
  Take a moment to guide the player through 
  each of these new capabilities, directing 
  their attention to the appropriate part of the 
  character sheet as necessary.
  Because of these new options, you and 
  the player will be making some additional 
  tactical decisions this round. Your new 
  capabilities are detailed below.
  Utilize Techniques and Gupt Kala:
  Technique: the mystical fighting arts the 
  characters have mastered. Gupt Kala, 
  or shadow arts, use the same rules but 
  influence souls and hearts, rather than 
  attacking.
  To do this, move the chosen dice out of the 
  Effort Pool and on to one of the free Focus 
  Slots. Each die requires its own free slot. 
  These are represented on the character 
  sheet as shown below:
  These dice remain on the character sheet 
  until they are used, or until the combat 
  concludes. They retain their Facing and are 
  used exactly like dice in the Effort Pool.
  The Sentry will always move as many 
  dice as it can into its Focus slots, favoring 
  higher Facings.
  Take note that next turn, you will have 
  these Focus dice in addition to the dice 
  rolled in your Effort Pool. They may be 
  used, at your option, until the end of the 
  Scene, when they are discarded.
  Focus
  
  
  They have a few components that describe 
  them:
  Name: This is how the Technique is known. 
  Many names are descriptive, giving the foe 
  some idea of the beating that awaits them.
  Cost: How much mystical power, called 
  Prana, the Technique requires. This is 
  expanded on below.
  Rank/Facing: Describes the Rank and 
  Facing of the Set created by the Technique. 
  These act just like a naturally rolled Set 
  and can be freely paired with other Sets 
  that share their Facing. If the Technique 
  creates a Set of at least rank 2+, it can be 
  used as a bonus Action.
  Power: The unique effects or restrictions 
  of the Technique are described here.
  Tags: Any general effects or restrictions of 
  the Technique are listed under this entry.
  Skill: Techniques may be used to bolster 
  a Skill, rather than perform an attack or 
  defense. This entry describes the skill so 
  boosted
  Any of the Techniques listed may be used 
  by Tripitaka’s player. A Technique will 
  specify whether it can be used as an Attack, 
  Defense, or other Action with its Tags:
  Offensive: Can only be used to attack
  Defensive: May only be used to defend
  Versatile: Choose between attack or 
  defense
  Additional tags you’ll encounter are:
  Shield: Creates a defense that sticks 
  around, defending against any harmful 
  effects or attacks
  Holy:  Infused with the high energy of 
  cosmic oneness, these Techniques increase 
  damage dealt to Unholy beings by +10
  Sustainable: Can be sustained in a Focus 
  Slot, just like a skill (p.19)
  Remember: Techniques may be used as the 
  Skill outlined under the Skill header. 
  Chakra and Prana:
  To use a Technique, the player must pay 
  its cost with Prana. Prana is evolved from 
  Chakra: mystical energy slumbering within 
  the body and spirit.
  Chakra have two stats:
  A Chakra’s Recovery determines how 
  much Prana a Chakra recovers at the end 
  of every round.
  The Chakra’s Pool is the maximum amount 
  of Prana that it can contain. Open Chakra 
  begin a scene with full Prana, while Awoken 
  Chakra begin empty.
  Chakra may be:
  Open: Prana pool begins full and is always 
  accessible. Open Chakra have Recovery 2 
  and Pool 10
  Closed: Cannot be accessed by a 
  character.
  Slumbering: Begin each Scene empty but 
  can be opened with a Spirit Action.
  Tripitaka has 2 Open Chakra, giving him 
  2 pools of 10 Prana each to draw from. In 
  addition, because of his Mastery of Spirit, 
  he adds +1 Rank to his Spirit action to open 
  either of two two Slumbering Chakra. He’s 
  got quite a wellspring of power!
  This is a lot of information to take in, but the 
  bottom line is this: Chakra generate Prana, 
  Prana powers Techniques, Techniques are 
  your magical Kung-Fu powers.
  During the second and subsequent combat 
  rounds, make use of the Sentry’s Cyclopean 
  Beam power to give it an edge in combat. 
  Encourage Tripitaka’s player to use their 
  Techniques to even the odds! This will get 
  them used to using their powers.
  Open Chakra:
  As previously mentioned, any Slumbering 
  
  
  Chakra may be Opened by using a Spirit 
  Action.
  The Set must be Rank 2 or higher
  The Rank of the Spirit action become 
  the Chakra’s Recovery for the rest of the 
  Scene.
  It’s Pool becomes Recovery times 5. For 
  Example, if a Rank 2 Set is used, the 
  Chakra’s Recovery will be 2, and its Pool 
  will be 10.
  The Pool begins empty; at the end of the 
  turn in which it awakens it fills with Prana 
  equal to the Facing of the Set used to open 
  it. Continuing from the last example, if 
  the Facing of the Set used was 7, then the 
  Chakra would fill with 7 Prana at the end 
  of the round. Thereafter, it would recover 
  2 Prana every round.
  Sustain an Action:
  If you want to Sustain an Action between 
  turns (such as maintaining a hold on a foe 
  or holding your breath in the vacuum of 
  space) then you may do so by dedicating 
  a Focus slot to it. Simply mark the slot to 
  signal that it is being used and note the Rank 
  and type of action (you’ll get some use 
  out of that scrap paper we recommended 
  here!)
  As long as the Focus slot remains dedicated, 
  the Action will continue with the same 
  Rank and Facing from round to round.
  Only actions that may reasonably last for 
  more than an instant may be sustained. 
  Attacks and Defenses cannot be sustained.
  Continuing the fight:
  After you have introduced the player to 
  their new options, continue with the second 
  round of the fight!
  The Sentry continues its tactics from round 
  1, summarized below:
  • It always bids its lowest-Ranked, highest-
  Facing Set for Initiative.
  • It attacks Once with its remaining highest-
  Ranked Set.
  • It always supplements this Attack with 
  its Cyclopean Beam Technique when it 
  can afford to do so.
  • It attacks only once, saving any remaining 
  dice for Defense.
  • It stores all the dice it can in its Focus at 
  the end of every round.
  Tripitaka’s Powers:
  Tripitaka’s Palm of the Maitreya Technique 
  is especially dangerous; the sentry’s 
  processor is corrupted by negative Prana, 
  so it takes an additional 10 Damage when 
  struck with this attack. This attack is also 
  ranged, allowing Tripitaka to Attack from 
  a safe distance if he relocates to an adjacent 
  Battlefield.
  His Binding Prayer Strips can end the 
  fight in an interesting way; although they 
  don’t physically Damage the sentry, they 
  can make it behave itself. Although it’s 
  more likely for it to flee in confusion if 
  confronted with a sufficiently powerful 
  Imbalance, it’s your game. If you decide 
  that Tripitaka gets a giant mechanical pet, 
  that’s your call. See the Aggravation rules 
  (p.33) for a full breakdown of how this 
  works.
  Flee:
  A character may use their movement to 
  flee if there is a clear avenue of escape. 
  This allows them to beat a hasty retreat 
  into any adjacent Battlefield.
  Keep in mind, if Tripitaka decides to flee 
  from the Sentry without defeating it, it will 
  pursue him!
  Ending the Fight:
  There are numerous ways this fight can 
  end:
  Tripitaka victorious:
  Either by force or cunning, Tripitaka has 
  overcome the Sentry and awakens the 
  Monkey King. Run the Awakened! Scene 
  next.
  
  
  Sentry
  Corrupted Ancient Golem
  These ancient machines of copper, brass and magic swarm around Five 
  Elements Peak. They guard the resting place of the terrifying Monkey King 
  from all those who would seek to awaken him. Once holy, centuries of neglect 
  have allowed corrupting forces to infest them.
  Effort Pool
  4
  Focus
  1
  Health
  4
  Technique: Cyclopean Beam
  Cost: 5
  Rank: 1
  Facing: 1-4
  Power: This Technique shoots a beam of red plasma from the Sentry’s eye. If 
  the eye is malfunctioning or damaged, it cannot be utilized. Because of its 
  intense heat, it deals +1d10 additional damage.
  Tags: Ranged
  Corroded Circuitry
  (Rank 1 Physical Imbalance)
  This Imbalance represents the eons of deterioration of the Sentry’s circuits. It 
  can be exacerbated by damage. 
  Dramatic Penalty:
  One of the Sentry’s four limbs loses power and goes limp. It must be clum-
  sily dragged.  Alternatively, it’s single eye shorts out and it cannot see or use 
  its Cyclopean Beam attack.
  
  
  Tripitaka defeated:
  The Sentry gets the better of our intrepid 
  monk. Don’t fret though: Tripitaka’s holy 
  blood awakens the dormant machinery, 
  summoning the Monkey King to his aid. 
  Read the Vanquished! Sidebar next.
  Escape: 
  Although the Sentry fights until it is 
  victorious or destroyed, Tripitaka may 
  find a way to escape. However, he will 
  have to return to awaken the Monkey 
  King. This will allow him a chance to heal, 
  as explained on (p. 31). Ultimately, he 
  must destroy, outmaneuver, or otherwise 
  overcome the Sentry to claim victory.
  Awakened!
  Within a crystal lotus cryo-chamber, Sun 
  Wukong rests imprisoned by ancient 
  techno-sorcery. When anyone with the 
  DNA of Maitreya touches the crystal 
  control panel (or when his blood spills 
  on the ground nearby), the prison lotus is 
  drawn out from deep within the mountain 
  Vanquished!
  Tripitaka has been beaten, but not 
  slain. Hand another player the Sun 
  Wukong character sheet, then read the 
  following aloud:
  “The holy blood of the monk spills 
  onto the stone. Deep within the 
  mountain, ancient alarms whir into 
  cacophonous life. With a deep rumble, 
  the machinery recognizes the blood 
  of the Maitreya and remembers its 
  purpose…”
  Now, run the Awakened! Scene with 
  the following changes:
  Tripitaka 
  begins 
  the 
  Scene 
  unconscious. He will recover his 
  Health and get back on his feet when 
  Wukong awakens, although he must 
  contend with any Imbalances he has 
  received.
  Emphasize to Sun Wukong’s player 
  that his crown is commanding him to 
  save the monk’s life, on pain of death.
  
  
  and shatters, releasing him. He begins to 
  thaw and is active within moments. He 
  begins play with the Imbalance Eternity of 
  Ice.
  Eternity of Ice 
  (Rank 2 spiritual Imbalance)
  A character suffering from this Imbalance 
  is frozen both physically and spiritually. 
  Their limbs are heavy, their flesh brittle: 
  no speed or grace is possible while so 
  enervated.
  Dramatic Penalty: A player must describe 
  their motions as ponderous, heavy and 
  clumsy. Their breath fumes out in a frosty 
  cloud and their flesh cracks and creaks 
  with the ice of centuries.
  Mechanical Penalty: -2 to Effort Pool.
  Read 
  the 
  following 
  (approximately) 
  aloud:
  “From deep within the mountain you hear 
  the grinding of rusted machinery. An alarm 
  of unfathomable antiquity roars into life. 
  Suddenly the stone erupts, and a massive 
  crystal and steel lotus explodes from the 
  lone sandy patch on the mountainside.
  The crystal cracks, and the supine form 
  of a man-sized ape topples out. His fur is 
  matted and frozen; frost rimes his eyes and 
  mouth.
  The alarm blares on and on, and from 
  the many dark places of the peak three 
  more sentries emerge, awakened to force 
  the Monkey King back into his eternal 
  prison.”
  Then, begin the next combat! This one pits 
  the three newly awakened Sentries against 
  Tripitaka and Sun Wukong, still groggy 
  from his centuries of icy slumber.
  New Rules for Battle 
  Wukong introduces a few new elements 
  to the player’s side of the table, which 
  you should briefly highlight with your 
  players.
  First, Wukong has an Imbalance. Before 
  rolling Effort Pools for the start of the 
  battle, make certain to remind Wukong’s 
  player that they must choose between 
  acting out his frozen handicap or rolling 
  two fewer dice!
  Don’t be afraid to utilize the veto power 
  you have over a player’s proposed Actions 
  to give the character’s centuries of frostbite 
  “teeth”!
  Second, Wukong was frozen wielding his 
  legendary weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang. 
  It doesn’t look like much; just a humble 
  heap of strange metal with blocky patches 
  of technology haphazardly cobbled on. 
  But it has tremendous power.
  In the first round, the weapon is too stiff to 
  be used for much more than a heavy club; 
  however, this is still an advantage!
  Weapons have a special power that they 
  bestow on characters similar to Technique. 
  A specified number of times per round, the 
  character may harness this advantage free 
  of any Prana cost. In the case of a Heavy 
  weapon like the Ruyi Jingo Bang, it adds 
  +1d10 (one rolled die) Damage to all of 
  Wukong’s successful attacks.
  
  
  After the first round, the weapon fully 
  reactivates, and all of its special features 
  are accessible.
  Some of these abilities strongly encourage 
  interaction with the tactical infinity 
  (specifically, the staff’s power to extend as 
  far as Wukong can sense opens up a world 
  of creative hijinks).
  Others encourage the use of some not-
  yet introduced rules. Its ability to grow 
  to a massive size is best utilized with a 
  Sustained Power Skill Action (p.36).
  (As you’ll recall, a Sustained Action is 
  similar to the Skill roll that Tripitaka made 
  earlier to climb the mountainside, with a 
  key difference: it utilizes a Focus Slot to 
  remain “on”)
  For example, if Wukong grows his staff 
  to, say, the size of an oil drum, he could 
  lift it and use it as a massive weapon if he 
  utilized his Power Skill. He would need 
  to achieve a minimum of Rank 2 to lift 
  it (remembering that Wukong has Power 
  Mastery and adds +1 Rank to his Power 
  Actions for a total of Rank 3).
  If he uses his Focus slot to Sustain this 
  action, he can keep swinging this gigantic 
  club every time he attacks: this adds +1d10 
  to his damage for every Rank required to 
  lift it!
  Wukong and Tripitaka may sustain any 
  action that they wish, even retaining the 
  bonus from their Mastery, so long as they 
  have an unused Focus Slot (and so long 
  as you deem it reasonable!) to dedicate to 
  the task. Just remember to mark or place 
  a counter on the Focus slot and note the 
  Rank and type of action sustained.
  
  
  What this section is for
   
  This section is for GMs to familiarize 
  themselves with the rules, and to reference 
  to answer rules questions during play. 
  It begins with a detailed breakdown of 
  Combat, including the entire process from 
  start to finish. It then covers rules which 
  are introduced in the adventure but not 
  fully describes, like healing, movement, 
  stealth, and Imbalances. Finally, it provides 
  the Effect Charts for the Power, Agility, 
  Endurance and Senses skills.
  Combat
  Here are some important things to keep in 
  mind  about combat:
  • Combats happen in “slow motion”; time 
  is slowed to a crawl as players push their 
  characters to their limits. 
  • Combats have a consequence for inaction. 
  This might be danger (if you don’t defend 
  yourself from an attack, you’re injured), 
  but might manifest as a lost opportunity 
  (If you don’t grab the Five-Heart Manual 
  before your rival, they’ll get it and you 
  won’t!).
  • They proceed in Rounds. Rounds represent 
  just a few heartbeat’s worth of time. They 
  are highly structured, proceeding in a very 
  strict order outlined below.
  Start of the Round
  When any character decides to use 
  violence, this triggers the start of a round 
  of combat. There’s no “I attack before 
  they know what’s hit them!”; if you try to 
  attack, everybody present gets to join. The 
  process of combat contains all the sneak-
  attacking and similar strategies; you can’t 
  bypass it.
  Characters don’t have to join the fight; 
  they can be spectators. This could leave 
  them defenseless in the face of an attack if 
  somebody wants to draw them in, however, 
  so it isn’t advised!
  We’ll refer to characters participating in 
  the conflict as combatants. When someone 
  launches an attack at someone else, we’ll 
  call them the attacker, and the poor sap 
  getting attacked as the defender.
  . Round Begins
  The inciting event which begins battle 
  is any person deciding to use violence 
  to achieve their goals. Insults, threats, 
  posturing, and similar saber-rattling aren’t 
  enough: Combat only begins when at least 
  one character crosses that line between 
  threat and violence.
  Every character present decides now if 
  they’re going to act. If not, skip them in 
  future steps.
  Below is the full breakdown of how the 
  steps of a round manifest in combat.
  . Imbalance decision
  Next, any combatants with Imbalances 
  have a tough choice to make.
  For each Imbalance, they must decide if 
  they’ll take its Mechanical Penalty (which 
  will reduce one of Effort Pool, Focus 
  Slots, or available Chakra this turn) or its 
  Dramatic Penalty (Which will limit what 
  their actions can do).
  The Imbalance rules are on (p.31): 
  reference those during this step.
  . Roll Effort
  Every combatant rolls and organizes their 
  Effort Pool. There is only one roll per 
  round. The dice are a limited and important 
  tactical resource. There are a few notable 
  things to point out here:
  • Even ambushed or “unaware” characters 
  get to roll. Why? Because they’re badasses 
  and they can react to total surprise with a 
  Gamemaster Rules Reference
  
  8
  nuclear roundhouse kick. Even 1-Effort die 
  wielding schlubs might muster a desperate 
  defense at the last second, so everybody 
  gets to roll
  • Combatants might be rolling less dice 
  because of their Imbalances. Aren’t you 
  glad we made them decide if that happens 
  before they rolled?
  . Initiative Bid
  Starting with the GM and working 
  clockwise, every combatant may submit a 
  bid for Initiative out of their Effort Dice. 
  Players may choose not to bid or replace 
  an old bid with a higher one.
  After everybody has bid, they can change 
  their bid to out-bid one another. This starts 
  with the GM and goes clockwise again. 
  This process continues until everybody has 
  submitted their final bids.
  When you bid again, you replace your 
  initial bid with your new bid. You must bid 
  higher than your previous bid; you can’t 
  submit lower bids.  Only your highest and 
  final bid counts; replaced bids are re-added 
  to your Effort pool (you just swap them 
  with your new bid).
  Characters who do not bid go last. Multiple 
  characters who don’t bid tie in last place.
  Characters that tie roll 1d10 for their 
  action order, re-rolling ties until a winner 
  emerges.
  Once the bidding is complete, all bid dice are 
  spent. Going before a foe is a considerable 
  advantage but must be carefully weighed 
  against the cost of out-bidding them.
  Once the Initiative Order is established, 
  players take their turns in that order this 
  round.
  If the combat continues into future rounds, 
  then new bids will determine the order in 
  which players act in those rounds.
  Changing 
  Initiative: 
  Character 
  can 
  voluntarily lower their Initiative to any 
  number lower than their total. This can be 
  done at the end of any player’s turn, before 
  any other turn begins.
  . Turns
  Characters then act in the order established 
  in the initiative bid.
  During their turn, a character may take all 
  the following actions:
  • A single diceless Rank 0 action: This 
  is commonly used to move (allowing 
  movement between adjacent Battlefields, 
  or some tactical movement within the same 
  Battlefield, like taking cover or clambering 
  up a ladder) or to do something critical but 
  simple, like grab an important item or pull 
  a lever.
  • A single action, including attack, with 
  1 Effort die: This can be used as a weak 
  attack, but might be used for some strategic 
  purpose, such as operating a simple 
  mechanism with Intellect or climbing a 
  steep incline with Agility
  • As many Defenses as they wish with 1 
  or more Effort: Characters may defend as 
  many times as they wish with only 1 die.
  • Any number of Bonus actions they wish, 
  including attack, with a set of at least 
  Rank 2. These actions are only possible 
  with sets of 2 or more matching dice but 
  are otherwise not limited. Characters that 
  can produce a lot of Rank 2+ Sets enjoy a 
  flurry of actions!
  Diceless Rank 0 actions include:
  • Moving with Agility: They can move 
  up to an adjacent Battlefield. See Tactical 
  Movement (p.30)
  • Leveraging Power to move or lift things: 
  They can move up to 50 lbs./25 kilos
  • Any other action covered by Rank-0 in 
  the Skill Effect Charts
  
  
  Attacks, Defense and Damage
  Here’s how to launch an attack, defend 
  yourself when somebody attacks you, and 
  what happens if an attack gets through and 
  causes damage. 
  Attacking
  The attacker selects a Set to attack with. 
  They can bolster this Set with Techniques 
  which have the Offensive or Versatile 
  keywords. Additionally, Weapons can 
  modify attacks.
  Defending
  The defender now chooses how they 
  defend. They can let the attack slam into 
  them if they like, but that’s usually a 
  terrible idea given any other option.
  Generally, they will wish to select a Set 
  of their own to defend against the attack. 
  They can bolster this Set with Techniques 
  which bear the Defensive or Versatile 
  keywords. Keeping in mind, a single die 
  may be used to defend against attacks an 
  unlimited number of times per round.
  Damage
  Subtract the defender’s total Defense 
  (Rank and Facing) from the attacker’s total 
  Attack.
  A 0 or lower result is a successful defense. 
  The attack has been rendered harmless by 
  the defense
  A Positive result is a successful attack and 
  damages the defender.
  Whatever positive result remains is taken 
  by the defender as Damage. They must 
  reduce it to 0 by “buying it down” with 
  either Aura or Health. If they are unable 
  or unwilling to do so, they are Vanquished 
  See the full Aura and Health (p.30) and 
  Imbalances rules (p.31).
  . Recovery
  Characters recover their magical energy, 
  Prana, in this step.
  Every Chakra has a Recovery: this is 
  how many Prana it generates for its Pool. 
  The Pool is the total reservoir of mystical 
  power it offers a character.
  Open Chakra have a Recovery of 2 and a 
  Pool of 10. They begin each scene filled 
  with Prana.
  Newly-Awakened Chakra don’t add any 
  Prana from their Recovery in the round they 
  Awaken. Instead, they add Prana equal to 
  the Facing of the set used to Awaken them. 
  Their Pool is determined by the Rank of 
  the Spirit action that awoke them; see the 
  Awakening Slumbering Chakra section 
  (p.30).
  It’s much easier to spend Prana than to 
  recover it. Characters must shepherd their 
  mystical power carefully, or else they may 
  find themselves tapped out of magical 
  power when they need it the most.
  . End of Round
  The round closes out. This is when any 
  round-long effects expire.
  This is also when combatants can end the 
  combat if they so choose. If, at the end of 
  a round, no character present continues to 
  try using violence, then combat ends.
  Even one remaining violent character 
  can drag everybody into another round of 
  combat. But, if a mutual peace is decided, 
  this is when the fighting ends.
  Sneak Attacks, Holds, Throws
  Here are some additional things which can 
  happen during combat.
  Sneak Attacks
  Senses can be used to hide and launch 
  sneak attacks. 
  Attacking from complete surprise increases 
  your initiative bid by 1 Rank.
  
  0
  Any attack launched from stealth has a 
  powerful advantage: Defenders cannot use 
  most Techniques to bolster their defense 
  against it. They must rely on defenses from 
  their Effort pool alone.
  Techniques that bolster Senses can be used 
  to defend against surprise attacks. Other 
  prized defenses can defend against them 
  as well; these will describe their defensive 
  capabilities.
  A hidden character will reveal themselves 
  by attacking or performing any conspicuous 
  or noisy action.  Using a Subtle weapon 
  does not forfeit the benefit of Stealth: these 
  weapons are prized by assassins!
  Once revealed, the character is revealed 
  to everyone in the Scene and must take a 
  Senses action again to regain the benefits 
  of being hidden.
  Holds
  Rather than dealing damage, a successful 
  attack may be used to Grab a foe. If the 
  attack overcomes the foe’s defense, 
  record it’s original, unreduced Rank: this 
  determines the difficulty to break the hold. 
  Unlike normal attacks, Holds may be 
  Sustained.
  A held character’s movement is dictated 
  by the holding character. Generally, they 
  are held still or thrown (p.27). They can 
  instead be dragged along as the grappling 
  character moves. It’s also possible to hold 
  a foe’s head under water to drown them, 
  among other creative strategies. 
  Breaking a Hold: The held character must 
  overcome the Rank of the Hold to escape 
  (this is a Power action, so Mastery may 
  apply)
  An attack against either character in a hold 
  that exceeds the hold value may break it 
  and send both characters sprawling, at 
  the attacker’s discretion. This means that 
  a character can smash a friend out of an 
  enemy’s hands, like hitting a baseball from 
  a tee. Their friend would have to contend 
  with the damage from the strike, however!
  If multiple characters grab one another, 
  then only use the highest result rolled 
  for the sustained action. Characters that 
  voluntarily entered the hold may do so at 
  any time, while those who were drug in 
  against their will must break the action as 
  usual.
  Throwing
  When you attack a foe, you may use a 
  Power action to hurl them into nearby 
  scenery (or launch them to the horizon).
  After you declare your attack but before 
  they declare a defense, use a Power action 
  to “empower” the attack. This adds kinetic 
  force to the final strike, but does not 
  otherwise change the attack’s result nor its 
  damage.
  If the foe manages to successfully defend 
  against the empowered attack, the extra 
  kinetic force is wasted. If they are struck, 
  however, it launches them! Furthermore, 
  Grabbed foes may be subject to throwing 
  without defense.
  If the thrown foe is “aimed” towards a 
  target within the same Battlefield,  then:
  They are thrown violently in a direction of 
  your choosing!
  Any impacted structure takes damage as 
  though the empowering Power action were 
  used to break them. This can result in the 
  defender smashing through several weaker 
  objects before colliding with a structure 
  sufficiently tough to halt their momentum! 
  If aimed and thrown for distance (or if no 
  structure is sufficient to halt their progress), 
  the unfortunate defender hurtles toward the 
  horizon, traveling a distance equal to an 
  equivalent Agility action to move!
  When the defender impacts a structure 
  of sufficient resilience to halt their flight, 
  
  
  or when they reach the terminus the their 
  movement, hey take 1d10 damage per 
  Rank of the Power action you used to 
  throw them. This is taken in addition to the 
  damage from the empowered attack!
  Tactical Movement
  Tactical movement happens when you’re 
  measuring every second of your movement; 
  maybe you’re being chased, maybe you’re 
  fighting for your life, maybe the building 
  you’re in is collapsing. In any case, you’ve 
  got to book it! 
  Here’s the process for tactical movement:
  • The GM describes your immediate 
  surroundings, including any foes, obstacles, 
  hazards, or other notable elements you 
  see.
  • 
  They 
  then 
  describe 
  neighboring 
  Battlefields you can perceive.
  • You describe how you’re hiding in, 
  running through, climbing, breaking, or 
  otherwise strategically dealing with your 
  surroundings.
  • The GM describes the outcome of your 
  efforts.
  Because tactical movement generally 
  happens in combat, the speed of the 
  movement is more likely to be measure in 
  terms of Agility actions. 
  Characters using Agility to move tactically  
  bob and weave through the obstacles 
  of battle with grace and panache. They 
  use acrobatics, parkour, sprinting, and 
  other gymnastic movement to overcome 
  obstacles and distance. 
  The Rank of their action determines 
  the grace, speed and distance of their 
  movement:
  0-Normal human movement and agility. 
  Characters can jump half their height 
  vertically or twice their height horizontally 
  without significant effort. You move fast 
  and far enough to maneuver within or 
  across a single Battlefield during your 
  turn, but not both.
  1: 
  Superior 
  human 
  athletics. 
  With 
  significant effort, characters can leap their 
  height vertically or four times their height 
  horizontally. This allows them to bound 
  over significant obstacles. You’re fast 
  enough to move through a Battlefield and 
  within a second during your turn.
  2: Olympian effort. Exceptional characters 
  can leap twice their height vertically or 
  six times their height horizontally. This is 
  enough to scale buildings in a few bounds. 
  You can move through two Battlefields 
  and maneuver within a third with this 
  incredible speed.
  3: Beyond-human athletics. Characters 
  achieving this rank can leap several 
  stories in a bound. This allows them to 
  cleanly traverse most obstacles at a whim. 
  You can move through three Battlefields 
  and maneuver within the fourth with this 
  speed.
  4: Superhuman movement. This rank 
  leaps tall buildings in a single bound. Two 
  Battlefields can be cleared with a leap of 
  this power. You can move through five 
  Battlefields and maneuver within the sixth 
  with this speed.
  5: Titanic stride. This speed allows a 
  character to streak across seven Battlefields 
  in a single instant.
  6+: Journeys of an eyeblink: Characters 
  moving at these velocities completely 
  depart measurement in Battlefields and 
  begin to circumvent entire countries with 
  their movement. They sprint through long 
  journeys in the beat of a butterfly’s wing. 
  Such legendary speed is beyond the scope 
  of this module.
  The places moved through are called 
  Battlefields. They’re described in terms of 
  their Terrain and Elements: Terrain is what 
  
  
  the ground (or equivalent medium moved 
  through) is like, while elements are things 
  present in the area.
  Terrain can affect what movements are 
  easy or even possible. You can’t really 
  run underwater, and you can’t swim up a 
  concrete staircase. In effect, players must 
  describe their movement in terms of the 
  Field’s terrain. Sometimes this is just 
  flavorful, but it’s often tactically important; 
  to give one example, it’s not so difficult to 
  run with a broken arm, but swimming is 
  next to impossible.
  Elements also open up (or limit) strategic 
  possibilities. A massive dead tree would 
  require 
  circumvention 
  (limiting 
  the 
  strategic option to flee) but would make an 
  awesome sledgehammer for a super-strong 
  character (opening up an intimidating 
  weapon option)!
  In both cases, the Tactical Infinity leads 
  the gameplay: this is a place where sound, 
  consistent judgement from the GM is 
  vital.
  GMs, use the Effect Charts (p.35-39), 
  environmental destruction rules (p.36) 
  and other elements of the mechanics that 
  allow you to make game-elements from 
  your descriptions. This turns an interesting 
  description from you into a tactical 
  landscape for the players, creating a rich 
  and satisfying blend of imagination and 
  gameplay.
  Note the hyper-detail at play in tactical 
  movement: 
  players 
  must 
  consider 
  everything in terms of how it affects their 
  movement. This is useful for combat and 
  chase scenes, but as mentioned before is a 
  great way to represent any tense situation. 
  For example, carefully sneaking through 
  an area loaded with foes or monsters would 
  use these rules, even though the character’s 
  pace is much more measured than usual.
  Weapons
  When using a weapon, characters gain 
  a bonus to a single attack representing 
  the unique edge it grants them. These 
  advantages enhance actions, similar to 
  Techniques. However, except for Unarmed 
  strikes, they may not create Bonus actions.
  The advantage offered by a weapon 
  can be accessed freely once per round. 
  Additionally, it can be used to enhance 
  additional actions if Prana is spent at the 
  listed Cost.
  The advantages and the types of weapons 
  which grant them are listed below.
  Balanced: Such as swords; these perfectly 
  honed killing instruments are the kings of 
  weapons, coveted and feared by warriors. 
  Offense (may only boost attack) Rank +1. 
  Cost 6
  Reflexive: Sai, Staff, and shield are used 
  primarily for defense, rather than attack. 
  Defense (may only boost defense)  Rank 
  +1. Cost 4
  Flexible: Chains and other entangling 
  weapons, like nets; used to grab and entrap 
  foes. Grab (may only boost grab) Rank +1. 
  Cost 5
  Reach: Spears and similar strategic 
  weapons, used by skilled combatants to 
  control the flow of battle. Initiative +1d10; 
  evoked once for free, but may be evoked 
  again for cost. Cost 3
  Heavy: Hammers and other massive, blunt 
  objects used to crush bones and pulverize 
  the foe; they are exceedingly easy to use, 
  able to rely on both size and momentum. 
  +1d10 Damage, adds to every attack at no 
  cost. Cost 0
  Ranged: Such as guns or bows, used 
  to strike at a distance. Attack adjacent 
  Battlefield/ any visible target. Cost 0/6
  Subtle: Throwing Needles and other quiet, 
  easily concealed and innocuous weaponry; 
  
  
  they are nearly harmless on their own, but 
  often coated in deadly poison. Remain 
  hidden when attacking. Max damage 1, but 
  may be coated in poison. Cost 0
  Unarmed: Strikes with fists, feet, elbows, 
  even the forehead; the most fundamental 
  weapons, able to attack freely and often in 
  a flurry of blows. May Attack with a set of 
  Rank 1 twice per turn. Cost 4
  Improvised: A suitable substitute for the 
  improvised weapon must be used (such as 
  a parasol for a spear). It gains the abilities 
  of the mimicked weapon but costs either 1 
  Effort Die (of any Facing) or 3 Prana every 
  time it is used.
  Awakening Slumbering Chakra
  Although the full rules for Chakra are 
  beyond the scope of this book, using 
  Chakra in combat is so strategically critical 
  that we detail it here.
  Characters can Awaken their Slumbering 
  Chakra on their turn. This require a Spirit 
  Action of Rank 2 or higher.
  The Rank of the Spirit Action used to 
  Awaken them becomes their temporary 
  Recovery for the rest of the combat. Their 
  Pool becomes their Recovery times 5 (So 
  a Recovery of 2 creates a Pool of 10, a 
  Recovery of 3 becomes a Pool of 15, etc.)
  Chakra Awaken empty, but during the 
  Recovery step, they fill with Prana equal 
  to the Facing of the set used to Awaken 
  them. For example, if you Awakened your 
  Chakra with a total of 26, they would have 
  a Recovery of 2, a Pool of 10, and fill with 
  6 Prana during the Recovery step.
  Aura and Health
  Aura is possessed by characters of 
  Degree 1 or higher. It is a mystic barrier 
  of protective Prana that surrounds these 
  powerful warrior, warping destiny in their 
  favor and warding off harm. As they grow 
  more powerful, their Aura increases in 
  strength as well. Truly epic masters are 
  nearly invincible.
  Defenders may reduce incoming damage 
  with their Aura. For every point of Aura 
  they spend, Damage is reduced by 1.
  Aura doesn’t replenish until characters 
  are able to rest and recuperate from battle. 
  This makes it a resource which must be 
  used frugally.
  Characters also have Health Boxes 
  representing their luck, vitality and general 
  ability to shrug off injury. As they become 
  more powerful, their bodies are battened 
  on Prana, and so they get additional Health 
  Boxes.
  Each Health box contains 10 Health. 
  Health can be spent to reduce incoming 
  damage in exactly the same way as Aura.
  However, whenever a Health Box is 
  depleted of Health, the defender becomes 
  injured; this either creates a Rank 1 Physical 
  Imbalance or increases an existing one by 
  1 Rank.
  The attacker chooses the specifics of the 
  Imbalance, using the Imbalance guidelines. 
  (p.33)
  Being Vanquished and Death
  The standard outcome of losing all 
  your Health is being beaten messily 
  unconscious, to recover at some later time: 
  we call this being Vanquished. Characters 
  might not be satisfied with this outcome; 
  sometimes, they’re out for blood.
  Death is a big deal: It has its own special 
  mechanic., the dreaded Death Token.
  Characters don’t die in most circumstances 
  where they’re injured or beaten. However, 
  when the Death Token is present in a scene, 
  all bets are off. Every danger becomes 
  more dangerous, every risk riskier.
  
  
  To introduce the Death Token, one of the 
  following conditions must be met:
  The GM must, at the beginning of a round, 
  declare that Death is a possibility for the 
  characters.
  One of the Players must declare, on 
  vanquishing an adversary, that they are 
  killing them. This specifically includes 
  vanquishing characters normally, then 
  slaying them later while they’re still 
  helpless and unconscious.
  At any point, a player proposes an action 
  that the GM specifies will kill them (just 
  put that token up there to show them how 
  serious you are!).
  In this way, only through GM warning 
  or player bloodthirst can characters risk 
  permanent death.
  If Death is introduced, then it remains an 
  outcome until the combat ends.  While the 
  Death Token persists, any character that 
  Vanquishes another may kill them.
  Healing
  Characters tend to get battered during 
  fights. Fortunately, because their Health 
  represent the minor Damage, near misses, 
  luck and endurance of a character, they 
  recover quickly.
  When a wounded character spends a scene 
  resting and recuperating, they completely 
  heal all Damage to their health levels.
  Imbalances, however, represent severe 
  injuries and are slow to heal. Healing these 
  deeper wounds, such as Wukong’s Frozen 
  Imbalance, will have to wait until Act 2!
  Imbalances
  Damage to the Aura and Health are small 
  potatoes; scratches and near-misses that 
  recover quickly and have no lingering 
  effects. But when you get really hurt, hurt 
  so bad that you’re left with a lingering 
  wound, that’s something else. That’s an 
  Imbalance.
  Imbalances are wounds that hurt you so 
  bad that your internal alchemy is altered. 
  The mystical meridians of Prana are very 
  real to the characters of this universe, and 
  significant injury to the body and soul 
  warps them. This twisting of their natural 
  flow of life-energy is an Imbalance.
  You might be asking: “Is this a physical or 
  spiritual injury?”
  It’s both. Injuring the body disrupts the 
  interaction of body and soul. Likewise, 
  injuring the soul manifests physically as 
  illnesses of the flesh.
  What qualifies as an Imbalance?
  In short, any physical or spiritual injury that 
  has lingering consequences is represented 
  through an Imbalance
  Broken leg? Imbalance. Obsessed with 
  something? Imbalance. Cursed by a Kappa 
  to carry water on your head or dehydrate 
  into a mummy? Imbalance (also yikes, 
  tough luck)
  Those are some pretty wide parameters. 
  This is intentional, because we want to 
  encourage players and GMs to come up 
  with all variety of horrific consequences.
  How do you get an Imbalance?
  There are broadly two ways to get an injury 
  so bad it becomes an Imbalance
  1.- You spend the last Health from one 
  of your Health boxes, blunting a fatal 
  wound by taking a lesser injury (a Physical 
  Imbalance)
  2.- A skilled speaker or sage unbalances 
  the vital flow of your Prana by sparking a 
  powerful passion or mystical illness within 
  you (a Spiritual or Emotional Imbalance)
  What does an Imbalance do?
  Imbalances limit the capabilities of 
  
  
  characters. However, they offer the player a 
  choice of two ways that this can manifest:
  The Mechanical Penalty: The more 
  straightforward of the two penalties, this 
  temporarily removes a player’s access to 
  one of their character’s advantages. They 
  might be a(n):
  Effort Penalty: removes Effort dice prior 
  to a roll
  Focus Penalty: Seals a Focus Slot, so that 
  Effort and actions cannot be stored in it 
  (any Effort or actions currently stored are 
  lost)
  Closed Chakra: Closes a Chakra so that it’s 
  Pool and Recovery become 0
  The Dramatic Penalty: The more esoteric 
  of the penalties, this prevents players from 
  describing their actions according to the 
  manifestation of the injury. These can 
  take as many different forms as a sadistic 
  GM can imagine, so a comprehensive list 
  is counterproductive. Some examples are 
  included later (p.33).
  When players choose the Dramatic Penalty, 
  the GM is given special veto power over 
  their actions within the scope of the injury. 
  Guidelines for this are suggested in the 
  Imbalance examples (p.33), but ultimately 
  the GM has the final say over whether any 
  proposed action is possible.
  Whichever penalty is chosen remains until 
  the player’s next turn.
  What determines how an Imbalance 
  manifests?
  The type of penalty is chosen by the 
  creator of the Imbalance. This is the person 
  landing the injurious blow or twisting their 
  victim’s heart or soul.
  In the case of damage from the environment 
  or NPCs this is the GM, but players can 
  let their sadistic side show when their 
  characters put the hurt on a foe.
  There are boundaries to what Imbalances 
  can do:
  • Physical Imbalances created by otherwise 
  mundane wounding must:
  • Target a single limb (arm, leg), hampering 
  movement and motor skill
  • Harm the sense organs (sight, hearing), 
  blinding or deafening the target
  • Injure the head, disorienting and 
  befuddling the mind
  • Injure the torso, hurting the breath and 
  bodily integrity
  How bad is the penalty?
  The Imbalance’s Rank determines how 
  steep of a Mechanical Penalty is taken.
  Effort Penalties remove 1 die per Rank
  Chakra and Focus penalties only seal 
  a Focus/Chakra every two Ranks This 
  means that odd-numbered Ranks (1,3,5) 
  don’t increase Focus or Chakra penalties; 
  only even-numbered ones do (2,4,6).
  Dramatic penalties are all-or-nothing; 
  they never get worse nor better (until the 
  Imbalance is healed). They start severe, 
  so that characters are tempted to take the 
  Mechanical penalties when they’re still 
  minor wounds.
  As those penalties worsen, players are 
  incentivized to take the Dramatic penalties, 
  so they have some chance of mitigating 
  their injuries through clever strategy and 
  action descriptions.
  How do Imbalances become worse?
  Every time a character spends the last 
  Health from a Health box, they either 
  evolve a new Physical Imbalance or worsen 
  an existing one by 1 Rank. The worse you 
  get hurt, the worse your Imbalances get.
  Emotional and Spiritual Imbalances, 
  however, are evolved and worsened 
  
  
  differently. You can’t take physical damage 
  from a well-placed quip.
  ...Well, not normally. But you can if 
  properly Aggravated.
  Aggravation
  Tripitaka’s special Binding Prayer Strip 
  attack creates an Imbalance and then 
  worsens it by building Aggravation. This 
  works as follows:
  A manipulator (Tripitaka in this case) 
  “attacks” with his Spirit skill, targeting the 
  foe.
  They defend with the same skill (Spirit) 
  and only Techniques which boost that skill 
  can be used to bolster their defense.
  As with a normal attack, any positive 
  number remaining creates “damage”
  However, unlike physical attacks, these 
  manipulations injure the soul, not the 
  body: they can’t Vanquish enemies, and 
  foes can’t mitigate them with Health.
  Instead, 
  the 
  damage 
  manifests 
  as 
  Aggravation
  Aggravation is a measure of the disharmony 
  caused in the foe’s body by the emotional 
  manipulation or curse. Aggravation builds 
  with successful attacks and worsens an 
  Imbalance.
  When a manipulator creates Aggravation, 
  it’s “attached” to an Imbalance. This can 
  be:
  • An Imbalance of their own creation.
  • An already-extant Imbalance.
  If they create a new Imbalance, it begins 
  with Aggravation equal to the “damage” 
  dealt (the Spirit “attack” minus defense).
  When Aggravation is between 1-9, the 
  Imbalance is too weak to carry any 
  Penalty: it is Rank 0. Such Imbalances 
  are effectively harmless but can be further 
  inflamed.
  Once Aggravation equals 10 or higher, 
  The Imbalance’s Rank increases by 1. 
  Furthermore, every 10 full Aggravation 
  added increases the Imbalance’s severity 
  by another Rank (So at 20 Aggravation it 
  becomes Rank 2, at 30 Rank 3, etc.)
  Aggravation remains attached to the 
  Imbalance until the end of the scene: then 
  it reduces to 0.
  Example Imbalances
  Because the Mechanical representation of 
  these injuries are covered under Mechanical 
  Penalties, this section describes only the 
  strict Dramatic penalties for these wounds. 
  Note that these are not inclusive limitations; 
  GMs still retain flexible veto power when 
  you choose Dramatic penalties.
  Injured arm: 
  An arm is damaged; maybe the bone is 
  broken, maybe a tendon cut. It might even 
  be completely severed. In any event, it’s 
  useless. This has the following effects:
  • The character cannot use their Power 
  Mastery, if any
  
  
  • They lose free access to their weapons’ 
  benefits. They might still pay its cost to 
  access them
  • The arm can’t be used for anything; no 
  reaching, grabbing, catching, climbing, 
  etc. If you want to open a door, you’ve got 
  to use your good arm
  • If both arms are injured: Tough luck 
  buddy, both of your arms are too damaged 
  to use! This has the following, even more 
  severe effects:
  • The character cannot take Power actions 
  at all
  • They also can’t use weapons
  They can’t use either arm for anything, 
  making 
  even 
  really 
  simple 
  object 
  manipulation nearly impossible (you try 
  eating spaghetti with your feet sometime)
  Injured leg: 
  A leg is hurt; broken, sprained, or otherwise 
  injured into uselessness. This has the 
  following effects:
  • The character cannot use their Agility 
  Mastery
  • The entire Agility chart “shifts up” by 1: 
  Rank 0 actions now require a Rank 1 set, 
  Rank 2 is now 3, etc.
  • This means they must roll any time they 
  wish to move at all
  • The leg can’t be used for anything. It’s 
  dead weight, getting drug around behind 
  them.
  • If both legs are injured: Both of your legs 
  have been disabled by injuries; looks like 
  you’re in a jam! This has the following 
  effects:
  • The character cannot take Agility actions 
  at all. Power may be used to drag yourself 
  along, but it doesn’t work as well (reduce 
  your result by 2 Ranks and compare it to 
  the Agility chart for movement)
  • Defense is penalized by 10; any time you 
  try to defend yourself, reduce your result 
  by 1 Rank
  You can’t move your legs at all; you’re 
  stuck wherever you’ve landed (unless you 
  pull yourself around or find an alternative 
  method of movement)
  Injured Eyes:
  Your eyes have been injured, blinding you. 
  This has the following effects:
  • You can’t see anything! You must rely 
  on your other senses (hearing, touch, 
  orientational awareness, etc.) to interact 
  with and detect things.
  Injured Ears:
  Your ears have been injured, deafening 
  you! This has the following effects:
  • You can’t hear! Although humans are 
  primarily sight-based creatures, we still 
  rely on our hearing for most communication 
  and to give us information about things we 
  can’t see. You have to get by, lacking the 
  awareness usually provided by your ears
  Injured Torso:
  Your torso has been injured. Maybe your 
  lung was punctured, maybe your ribs 
  broken; but somebody but the hurt on you 
  bad. This has the following effects:
  • You’re in such pain that you must use 
  one available arm to clutch your chest or 
  stomach in agony
  • Otherwise, double over in pain so that you 
  can’t move faster than a clumsy stagger 
  
  8
  (unless you use Agility to move faster)
  • Shift the Endurance chart up by 1 Rank; 
  your injuries make any kind of endurance 
  more difficult
  Injured Head:
  You’ve taken a blow to the head. This 
  is disorienting and painful and has the 
  following effects:
  • Shift the Intellect Effect charts up by 1. 
  You’re not dumber, just disoriented and 
  confused
  • This means even remembering recent 
  events or solving simple logic puzzles 
  requires a Rank 1 Intellect action
  • 
  Your 
  disconnection 
  from 
  reality 
  makes using tools (aside form weapons) 
  impossible.
  Effect Charts
  Thess scales describe the effect that Skills 
  have at different ranks. Consult them 
  when a character performs a Skill Action 
  to determine its impact. Additionally, 
  use them as a benchmark for the relative 
  scale of phenomena both supernatural and 
  mundane.
  Characters may naturally achieve any result 
  of Rank 6 or less through a combination of 
  Focused or rolled Effort dice. To achieve 
  Rank 7 effects, a minimum of a Novice-
  level Technique must empower the 
  underlying Action.Rank 8 requires at least 
  Expert. 
  The terrifying powers of Rank 9 and 10 
  may only be achieved with the use of 
  Master and Ultimate Techniques: these 
  dizzying tiers of achievement are beyond 
  the scope of this book.
  If a character could naturally achieve a result 
  of Rank 7+ without the aid of Techniques, 
  then the total result is limited to Rank 6. 
  Achieving greater results requires bending 
  the fabric of space and time to achieve the 
  impossible; they need the mystical force of 
  Prana to allow a mortal being to achieve 
  them.
  These restrictions do not apply to machinery 
  or natural forces which could reasonably 
  achieve the listed effects.
  Power
  The skill of raw physical strength. When 
  characters use their muscles to lift, break, 
  shove or otherwise leverage their sinew-
  studded frame, this is the skill they use. 
  Use Power when:
  • Lifting and throwing heavy objects
  • Improvising heavy weapons
  • Shoving, pulling, dragging, or otherwise 
  moving weighty loads
  Power
  The skill of raw physical strength. When 
  characters use their muscles to lift, break, 
  shove or otherwise leverage their sinew-
  studded frame, this is the skill they use. 
  Use Power when:
  Lifting and throwing heavy objects
  Improvising heavy weapons
  Shoving, pulling, dragging, or otherwise 
  moving weighty loads
  Power Effect Chart
  Rank 0 / Mortal: Unrolled Deadlift about 
  200 lbs./100 kilos, lift an adult human or 
  manhole cover.Punch hard enough to break 
  glass.
  Rank 1 / Capable Mortal: Result 10-19 
  Deadlift about 500 lbs./200 kilos, lift a full 
  drum of oil, or two adult humans Punch 
  hard enough to batter down an oak door.
  Rank 2 / Peak Mortal: Result 20-29. 
  Deadlift about 1000 lbs./450 kilos, lift and 
  throw a grand piano, or a cow. Punch hard 
  enough to crack an oak tree in half.
  Rank 3 / Enhance : Result 30-39, Deadlift a 
  solid ton/ 1000 kilos, lift a motorcycle, or a 
  polar bear. Punch hard enough to put holes 
  in concrete.
  
  
  Rank 4 / Superhuman: Result 40-49 Deadlift 
  about 2 tons/2000 kilos, lift and throw an 
  automobile; knock over an elephant with 
  a standing shove. Punch hard enough to 
  shatter a city street and send it’s shards 
  splashing into the sewer underneath.
  Rank 5 / Titanic: Result 50-59 Deadlift 
  about 23 tons/30,000 kilos, lift a train car. 
  Punch hard enough to warp an I-beam and 
  start a building collapsing.
  Rank 6 / Minor God: Result 60-69 Deadlift 
  about 55 tons/50,000 kilos, lift a tank, or a 
  space shuttle. Punch hard enough to stop a 
  locomotive going full-speed and crumple 
  the engine like a used napkin. 
  Rank 7 / Demigod: Result 70-79 Deadlift 
  about 300 tons/250,000 kilos, lift a barge, 
  or pull a hydroelectric generator out of its 
  moorings. Punch hard enough to reignite 
  a dormant volcano: your fist is natural 
  disaster.
  Rank 8 / Major God: Result 80-89 Deadlift 
  about 650 tons/600,000 kilos, lift and hurl 
  a battleship, or push over a building with 
  your bare hands. Punch hard enough to 
  cause a city-leveling earthquake: you fist 
  is a horseman of the apocalypse.
  Heavy Weapons
  Heavy objects may be lifted and used as 
  crude weapons. Such colossal objects 
  deal 1d10 additional Damage per Rank of 
  Power required to lift them, but only if they 
  successfully strike a foe. The dice are rolled 
  and added to damage from the attack. For 
  example, successfully smashing a foe with 
  a polar bear (Rank 3 to lift) would grant 
  +3d10 Damage!
  For objects requiring Rank 5+ to lift, this 
  damage increases by an additional flat +10 
  per Rank after 4. So a Rank 5 object (like a 
  train car) deals 10+4d10 additional damage 
  when it hit (Ouch!)
  Generally, such improvised weapons 
  are smashed on impact or dropped onto 
  the foe at the attack’s conclusion. If the 
  Power Action used to wield the weapon 
  is Sustained however, then the object may 
  continue to be used as a massive weapon.
  Note that the Attack with the weapon 
  must be made with a different action; you 
  cannot use the same action for more than 
  one purpose.
  Shaping or Breaking the environment
  Power can be used to break, warp, and 
  otherwise re-shape materials into more 
  useful forms. The harder the material, the 
  more strength is required to shape it.
  Alternatively, Power can be used to break 
  things. Because sometimes it’s just more 
  expedient to kick through a concrete wall.
  Attacks aimed at the environment use this 
  chart as well.
  In either case, when players use Power to 
  reshape or break the environment, consult 
  the following chart to determine how hard 
  of a material they can reshape/destroy:
  Environment Destruction Chart
  Rank 0 Break Glass: You can destroy 
  windows and other highly destructible 
  terrain 
  features. 
  Damage 
  the 
  most 
  breakable things.
  Rank 1-2 Break Wood: Totally shatter 
  windows or put cracks into thick, solid oak 
  with your fists. Break the most breakable 
  things and damage hardier things.
  Rank 3-4 Break Concrete: Punch through 
  sturdy wooden walls or put cracks into 
  concrete with your fists. Break sturdy 
  things and damage incredibly sturdy 
  things.
  Rank 5-6 Break Metal: Knock down 
  concrete pillars or dent steel with a kick. 
  Destroy incredibly sturdy things or damage 
  fortified things.
  Rank 7-8 Break Magical Metal: Punch 
  through a steel bulkhead or warp 
  adamant with the force of your blows. 
  
  0
  Destroy fortified things or damage nigh-
  indestructible things.
  For rank 0-4 actions, the amount of 
  material reshaped/broken is up to the size 
  of a person. For every category by which 
  the action exceeds the minimum number, 
  roughly double this amount. For example, 
  a Rank 1-2 action could destroy an entire 
  wall made of glass, while 3-4 could shatter 
  the side of a glass building! 
  Rank 5+ actions begin to divert from 
  this scale because of the inhuman level 
  of kinetic energy carried by an action of 
  this magnitude. Aiming a Rank 5-6 Power 
  action at a structure’s load-bearing points 
  will cause it to begin collapsing, causing 
  a Hazard or a Disaster. Rank 7-8 Power 
  actions aimed at the environment cause 
  Earthquake-scale disasters.
  Agility
  The skills of balance, nimbleness, and 
  speed. When characters need to move fast 
  or far, when they need to tightrope walk 
  across a power line; when they need to 
  dance through a hail of bullets, they use 
  this skill. 
  Use Agility when:
  • Moving tactically
  • Travelling fast
  • Balancing or performing gymnastics
  Agility Effect Chart
  Rank 0 / Mortal: Unrolled Stand on one 
  leg, jog at a moderate pace, dodge a thrown 
  ball.
  Rank 1 / Capable Mortal: Result 10-19 Walk 
  a balance beam, run at about 12 mph/20 kph 
  (as fast as a normal human’s top running 
  speed), dodge thrown punches.
  Rank 2 / Peak Mortal: Result 20-29 Perform 
  complex gymnastics and tumbling, run at 
  28 mph/ 45 kph (the fastest recorded human 
  running speed), dodge sword swings.
  Rank 3 / Enhanced: Result 30-39 Perform 
  jaw-dropping feats of acrobatics, run at 
  60 mph/ 100 kph (as fast as a cheetah at a 
  sprint) Dodge a bullet.
  Rank 4 / Superhuman: Result 40-49 Walk 
  through a rainstorm without touching a 
  drop of water, run 260 mph/ 400 kph (as 
  fast as a modern sports car at top speed), 
  dodge automatic weapon fire from point-
  blank range.
  Rank 5 / Titanic: Result 50-59 Dance 
  through an inferno without catching fire, 
  run at 750 mph/ 1200 kph (the current 
  land speed record), dodge a falling star in 
  midair.
  Rank 6 / Minor God: Result 60-69 Brachiate 
  from clouds, or balance on a surface that 
  cannot support your weight (such as water 
  or a leaf), run fast enough to shatter the 
  sound barrier (exceed Mach-1), dodge a 
  railgun shot.
  Rank 7 / Demigod: Result 70-79 Fly by 
  surfing air currents like a wave, traverse a 
  small country in forty heartbeats (exceed 
  Mach-2), dodge a laser canon’s blast.
  Rank 8 / Major God: Result 80-89 Fly by 
  swimming through the air with perfect 3-
  dimensional movement, outrun the fastest 
  fighter jet (exceed Mach-3), dodge a bolt 
  of lightning.
  Tactical  movement
  Moving vertically and jumping large 
  distances is part and parcel for the kung-fu 
  heroes in this game. When characters need 
  to push themselves to superhuman levels 
  of mobility, this requires an Agility action. 
  This is covered in the Combat section 
  (p.28)
  Endurance
  The skill of resilience, staying power, and 
  toughness. When characters need to push 
  their limits, resist harmful phenomena, or 
  survive inimical circumstances, they use 
  this skill. 
  
  
  Use Endurance when:
  • Withstanding hardships
  • Prolonging strenuous activities
  • Enduring deprivation
  Endurance Effect Chart
  Rank 0 / Mortal: Unrolled Withstand 
  extended exposure to sunlight on a hot 
  day, prolong demanding physical activity 
  for several minutes, endure hunger or thirst 
  for hours.
  Rank 1 / Capable Mortal: Result 10-19 
  Withstand scorching sun or freezing winds, 
  prolong demanding physical activity for 
  hours, endure hunger or thirst for one day.
  Rank 2 / Peak Mortal: Result 20-29 
  Withstand deadly atmospheric heat and 
  cold, prolong strenuous physical activity 
  for days, endure starvation for two weeks 
  and dehydration for four days.
  Rank 3 / Enhanced: Result 30-39 Withstand 
  being set on fire or plunged in freezing 
  water, prolong punishing physical exertion 
  for weeks, endure oxygen deprivation for 
  an hour.
  Rank 4 / Superhuman: Result 40-49 
  Survive being baked or frozen, prolong 
  physical activity that would kill a bull for 
  weeks, endure a vacuum or the crushing 
  depths of the ocean.
  Rank 5 / Titanic: Result 50-59 Survive 
  within a bonfire or immersed in liquid 
  nitrogen, prolong physical exertion equal 
  to a bulldozer for over a month, endure a 
  caustic chemical or acid bath unscathed.
  Rank 6 / Minor God: Result 60-69 Survive 
  wading through molten lava or drifting 
  through the cold vacuum of space, prolong 
  the energy output of a locomotive train 
  for several months, endure any disease no 
  matter how fatal.
  Rank 7 / Demigod: Result 70-79 Survive 
  immersion in molten steel, prolong the 
  equivalent energy output of a jet turbine 
  for a year, absorb the kinetic force of a 
  dynamite explosion by shielding the blast 
  with your body.
  Rank 8 / Major God: Result 80-89 Survive 
  a nuclear meltdown, prolong the equivalent 
  energy output of a power plant for years, 
  endure an atomic explosion.
  Sustaining Actions
  All actions sustained during a scene are 
  typically released when that scene ends. 
  Endurance actions are an exception to this: 
  they can remain longer, as exhibited on the 
  Effect Chart.
  Additionally, a sustained Endurance action 
  may be “dedicated” to prolonging any 
  other sustained action. This requires one 
  Focus slot for the original action, and one 
  for the prolonging Endurance action. 
  So if you desperately need to hold that 
  mountain above your head for a week, 
  you’ll need at least two Focus Slots.
  Senses
  The skill of the five senses, situational 
  awareness and physical subtlety. When 
  characters need to get information about 
  their surroundings, move and hide, or 
  notice minute detail, they use this skill. 
  Use Senses when you must:
  • Hide or sneak
  • Detect anything with the five senses
  • Gather details from your environment
  Senses Effect Chart
  Rank 0 / Mortal: Unrolled Observe any 
  obvious thing with the five senses. Hide in 
  a perfectly concealing spot, like behind a 
  concrete wall or inside a chest
  Rank 1 / Capable Mortal: Result 10-19 
  Notice subtle or hidden details, like the 
  outline of a hidden door or a camouflaged 
  soldier. Hide in a reasonably concealing 
  spot, such as deep shadows or a dense 
  shrub
  
  
  Rank 2 / Peak Mortal: Result 20-29 Notice 
  well-hidden or extremely subtle details: 
  you could uncover a spy’s false identity by 
  observing their body language or smell a 
  poison in cooked food. Hide in a partially 
  concealed spot, such as a dim room with 
  no furniture or sparse vegetation
  Rank 3 / Enhanced: Result 30-39 Use 
  a hyper-elevated sense to substitute for 
  another, such as using echolocation to 
  “see” in complete darkness or scent to 
  sense the emotional state of another 
  through their pheromones. Hide without 
  camouflage by unobtrusively occupying 
  your 
  environment, 
  minimizing 
  your 
  shadow, and angling your body to flow 
  with your surroundings
  Rank 4 / Superhuman: Result 40-49 Push 
  your senses to mind-boggling levels; see 
  the tiniest flea, or to the limit of the horizon 
  with perfect detail; hear every conversation 
  within a city block with absolute clarity; 
  feel the minute imperfections in soil from 
  hundred-year-old tracks. Hide from the 
  mind’s eye; even as the most noticeable 
  detail of your surroundings, the mind 
  refuses to see you unless you draw attention 
  to yourself
  Rank 5 / Titanic: Result 50-59 Push past 
  the membrane of senses to the truth that 
  underlies them; see through solid objects 
  with x-ray vision; “see” the layout and all 
  inhabitants of a complex by feeling the 
  vibrations in its wall; determine the exact 
  chemical composition of anything via 
  smell. Hide by walking behind light and 
  thus becoming invisible, save for a feint 
  blur of motion when you move
  Rank 6 / Minor God: Result 60-69 Detect 
  details as the most sensitive of scientific 
  instruments; you can focus your eyesight 
  as keenly as a telescope or microscope, 
  flawlessly revealing the mysteries of 
  astral and molecular reality. Hide from 
  mechanical detection; x-rays, radar, sonar, 
  thermal imaging, etc.
  Rank 7 / Demigod: Result 70-79 Perceive 
  the rough shape of the fabric of time. In 
  addition to the present, you may perceive 
  any event in the past or near future with the 
  same subatomic scrutiny as the previous 
  rank. Hide from the past, diminishing 
  your importance in memory and historical 
  records so that your identity vanishes from 
  the world’s recollection
  Rank 8 / Major God: Result 80-89 Perceive 
  the fabric of time and reality in great 
  definition; you can perfectly perceive any 
  place, no matter how concealed, on the 
  same planet as you as though you were 
  observing it directly. You could see through 
  the planet’s crust and core to the other side, 
  or backwards in time to witness the past 
  as clearly as the present. Hide from the 
  weft of fate, so that you cannot suffer Zui 
  consequences or be detected by any magic
  Stealth
  A character may hide with a Senses action. 
  They cannot be observed or attacked until 
  they are detected by another character’s 
  Senses action of equal or higher result.
  Characters must have appropriate cover to 
  hide, as specified on the Effect Chart. A 
  character may move within cover but may 
  not leave it without losing its protection.
  From stealth, characters may launch Sneak 
  Attacks, as described in the combat section 
  (p.26)
  Pre-generated Player Characters
  These are the characters that star in this 
  introductory adventure. Everything a 
  player needs to play are on these character 
  sheets, including a brief introduction to 
  each character and an overview of their 
  values and motivation.
  We advise that you review the rules for 
  Effort Pool, Focus, Chakra, Skill Mastery, 
  Health, and Equipment so that you are 
  ready to answer any questions your players 
  may have about their character.
  
  
  Sun Wukong - Strong, Uplifted Animal, Degree 1
  Effort:
  Focus:
  Health:
  Techniques:
  Masteries: Power
  Aura:
  Chakra:
  S
  O
  5
  Imbalances Social:
  Imbalances Spiritual:
  Imbalances Physical:
  An immortal experiment from a terrifying age of genetic manipulation. He shook the 
  pillars of galactic civilization and caused unheard-of catastrophe. He led a violent 
  revolution of “enhanced” animals, nearly overthrowing even the Imperial armada until 
  the intervention of the Maitreya, who sealed him into a cryo-chamber that slowed his 
  powers and attempted to reprogram his volcanic mind. Has his reconditioning changed 
  him enough to offer a true chance of redemption? Or will this failed experiment once 
  again bring havoc to the cosmos?
  Shines of the Monkey:
  Cost: 3  Rank: 1
  Facing: Random
  Power: Roll a d10 to create the Facing. This Technique 
  counters another character’s Skill, attack or defense action. 
  Reduce their action’s total by your result. If it becomes 0 or 
  negative, it is cancelled.
  Skill: Agility  Tags: Versatileii
  Immortal Flesh
  Cost: -  Rank: -
  Facing: -
  Power: At the end of each combat round, roll a d10, regaining 
  Health points equal to the result.
  Fist of the Great Ape
  Cost: 3  Rank: 1
  Facing: 4-7
  Power: If used to break or shape structures, objects or terrain, 
  increase result by 1 Rank
  Skill: Power  Tags: Offensive
  Giant Form
  Cost: 15  Rank: -
  Facing: -
  Power: You transform, growing to the size of a rhinoceros! 
  This grants you +1 rank to both Power and Endurance 
  actions, and may include other actions at the GM’s discretion. 
  Damage from your attacks is increased by +10.
  Tags: Sustainable.
  Weapon: Ruyi Jingu Bang
  Type: Heavy (can transform into any type)
  Powers: Can shift into any type of weapon (Balanced, Reach, 
  Heavy, Subtle, etc.) at the beginning of any round or action. 
  Can be called to its wielder’s hand with a thought. Can shrink 
  down to the size of a toothpick. Can extend to potentially 
  limitless length. Cannot be willed to grow larger than the 
  Monkey King can currently lift.
  Item: The Crown of Command
  This cruel-looking device takes the form of a set of black metal 
  pylons anchored into your skull. It carries several powers and 
  burdens: It cannot be removed without killing you (Thankfully, 
  it is basically indestructible). You are always aware of Tripitaka’s 
  current position and health. If Tripitaka dies, the crown melts 
  down and turns your brain into a radioactive lump of coal. 
  Tripitaka can cause you unendurable pain simply by wishing it 
  so. This immobilizes you and prevents you from taking any 
  action until he deactivates it.
  
  
  Tripitaka - Enlightened, Ningen, Degree 1
  Effort:
  Focus:
  Health:
  Techniques:
  Masteries: Spirit
  Aura:
  Chakra:
  S
  O
  S
  O
  6
  Social:
  Spiritual:
  Physical:
  A clone-monk programmed with a holy mission: to recover the lost texts that 
  reveal the secrets of ancient Enlightened technology. He has been engineered by 
  the sorcerer-scientists of the Vajra Lotus from remaining strands of the 
  Maitreya’s DNA, granting him synthetic holiness. Only time and tribulation will 
  reveal if he can develop his own enlightenment from the artificial template of 
  his soul.
  Maitreya’s Palm
  Cost: 3  Rank: 1
  Facings: 5-9
  Power: Against Unholy beings, artifacts or architecture, 
  increase Damage dealt by 10.
  Skill: Agility.
  Tags: Offensive. Holy. Ranged.
  Ohm Mantra
  Cost: -  Rank: -
  Facings: -
  Power: This powerful Technique grants an additional Focus 
  slot. This slot may only hold Effort dice with a facing of 6. It 
  may not Sustain Actions or otherwise be utilized outside of this 
  limited function.
  Shield of the Lotus
  Cost: 2  Rank: 1
  Facings: 1-5
  Power: Creates a shield which defends against all incoming 
  Attacks and other dangers. If this defense is overcome, the 
  shield bursts and offers no further protection. Lasts until the 
  end of the round.
  Skill: Endurance
  Tags: Defensive. Shield.
  Imbalances
  Gupt Kala: Binding Prayer Strips
  Cost: 5 
  Rank: 1
  Facings: Any
  Power: Spirit Attack. Generates Aggravation towards a 
  Spiritual Imbalance.  Generates and places a holographic 
  Prayer Seal from Prana which adheres to the target. This 
  Imbalance enforces one of the Six Virtues: Generosity, 
  Discipline, Tolerance, Diligence, Contemplation, and Wisdom.
  Unholy beings cannot remove the Seal, but any other being can 
  simply peel it off. Until the Seal is removed, the associated 
  Imbalance cannot naturally heal.
  Tags: Social. Holy. 
  
  
  
  
  Five
  Emperors
  Press
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Deduped  Shit/Tian Shang/Tian Shang - All Above Heaven Act 1.pdf