Oriental/Wuxia type campaigns: What is important?

[ES Curse]

Hey guys! I'm hoping to make a Japanese/Chinese inspired world for a campaign I'll start on Roll20 this summer, but I want to see what other people find most important/appealing about this kind of thing so I know what to focus on and develop. All I really have for sure is that Necromancy is very, VERY bad in a society devoted to ancestor worship.

[Yanagi]

Hey guys! I'm hoping to make a Japanese/Chinese inspired world for a campaign I'll start on Roll20 this summer, but I want to see what other people find most important/appealing about this kind of thing so I know what to focus on and develop. All I really have for sure is that Necromancy is very, VERY bad in a society devoted to ancestor worship.

A good place to start would be to read through a description of Wuxia as a set of conventions that structure a plot, and discern how much of that applies to your setting concept. In particular, reading the sections on jianghu. The adventuring party of RPGs and the typical colorful team of xia warriors are super similar. That Wikipedia article also mentions a lot of the classics of the genre.

Same with Japanese fiction: look over jidaigeki and chanbara.

So...here's the thing. You're going to have to narrow your focus before you proceed. "Japanese/Chinese" are two cultures, each with a giant history, and each with an even bigger body of fiction (much of which is "fantasy" in that includes the supernatural). Both Chinese and Japanese history are talked about in terms of large gloss-able chunks, and in setting the tone for a fantasy setting, they're an easy way to figure out the "feel" of the world your adventurers occupy.

For example, both have a Warring States period that features prominently in fiction. Indeed, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, about the Chinese Warring States period, is a cultural mainstay in both cultures and the source of a lot of themes and idioms. The Japanese Sengoku Jidai is practically Jacobian Shakespeare in its depiction in fiction, with all of the charismatic leaders, betrayals, and messy multiple-generation tragedy-and-revenge: it's also the era that brings us the stories of ninjas as super spies (in the form of Hattori Hanzo's exploits).

Another popular in Japanese fiction is the Tokugawa Shogunate, where there's a very strong and cunning central government reining in the regional powers, so there's little warring, but lots of intrigue...but also a whole segment of the military caste that don't have a role in society. There's lots of manga and movies about that last part--Lone Wolf and Cub is a great long-form meditation on samurai in peacetime, and Seven Samurai is an elegant summary of all the melancholy and moral themes that crop up.

Wuxia is now a "feel" that extends beyond an particular era, but much of its "feel" comes from the backdrop of the Qing dynasty, who were seen as interlopers whose rule abused power and allowed corruption to foster: the wuxia hero is generally the underdog punching upwards against abuse of power--a Robin Hood like outlaw, or the martial arts equivalent of the One Good Cop In A Dirty Precinct who can't get promoted. The Qing is a particularly ripe era for wuxia heroes because there's a glut of choices in corrupt, venal powers messing people over: the Chinese government, the various global powers trying to seize parts of China, the Taiping and Nanjing rebels. Another period that features prominently is the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms--the era associated with the Shaolin Temple and its myths.

More simply look at the cyclic understanding of dynastic rule as perceived by the Chinese: pick a point in that cycle, and you have a quick sense of what's happening with the political world, the economy et cetera.

[Knaight]

If you're contemplating a Japanese/Chinese world and mean that in the sense of seeing them as largely similar and not as a deliberate blend of two distinct cultures, the first step in the research needs to be hitting a library and getting some sizeable general history books, followed up by some fiction that provides a bit of insight into everyday life.

For example, both have a Warring States period that features prominently in fiction. Indeed, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, about the Chinese Warring States period, is a cultural mainstay in both cultures and the source of a lot of themes and idioms. The Japanese Sengoku Jidai is practically Jacobian Shakespeare in its depiction in fiction, with all of the charismatic leaders, betrayals, and messy multiple-generation tragedy-and-revenge: it's also the era that brings us the stories of ninjas as super spies (in the form of Hattori Hanzo's exploits).

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is about a warring states period, but when the term Warring States period is used it is often for the gigantic mess immediately prior to the Qin dynasty, and not the gigantic mess immediately after the Han dynasty. That one features a bit less prominently, although it still crops up pretty frequently.

[Yanagi]

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is about a warring states period, but when the term Warring States period is used it is often for the gigantic mess immediately prior to the Qin dynasty, and not the gigantic mess immediately after the Han dynasty. That one features a bit less prominently, although it still crops up pretty frequently.

Thanks for the correction.

[EtuBrutus]

Honor. Chivalry.

[Wulfskadi]

One of the most appealing parts of the warring states era (from an adventuring point of view) was the political chaos.

Towns were ruled by elders, sometimes areas could be pinned down by Daimyos for a while, but overall, there was both very little and very much government.

Very little in the fact that no one owned everything and since japan was an island travelling had never been restricted.

Very much because the few governments that did exist had fortresses and small armies.

This environment allows for large populations of rogue fighters, monsters and bandits to grow, possibly claiming some of the hard to reach mountain territory for their own.

To sum up, in a wuxia campaign, travel can be much more fun because you can keep most of the boring stuff the same (houses, crops, maps) while adding/changing the cool stuff (monsters/armies/fortresses/goegraphy)

[Wulfskadi]

Another, more tangible aspect to a wuxia campaign are the characters. fighters often use significantly different weapons and armor than that of their western equivalents. It is important to remember not to get too hung up on making sure transitioning western'y named powers to an eastern setting. Just do what makes the most sense and be done.

Also magic has a much different place in a wuxia campaign. Wereas a wixard a sorcerer may be intimidating but welcome in a city, most magic is the spawn of demons in japanese/chinese mythology. The exception is monks (clerics really class wise). Holy magic was viewed as a tool to fight and ward against unholy or beast magic. Nonetheless it would be interesting for magic users to try and get around this kind of issue.

Also you have to remember the nature of magic is different. While clerics in western cultures draw power from their deities, many bhuddist priests draw power from their own spiritual enlightenment.
Additionally, spell casters in a classic campaign usually are either utility or destruction casters. Most eastern "demon" magic focuses on charming, changing shape or conjuring servants. Self buff spells or things like a druids ensnare may also make sense, but a wizards fireball is often out of place. Consider altering the spell lists to fit the theme your going for.