Oriental Adventures

In the world of Cobrin'Seil, the world I run and play, and for which I write all my material, Hengeyoukai were the slaves of the empire. Currently, a group of players are doing something to right that, and, if they don't screw up, there will eventually be seven minor clans of Hengeyoukai, accepted into the Great Order.

However, this doesn't necessarily fit into anyone else's particular world. The problem is, that none of these items are generic enough, and it's too much work for me to think up original, completely unconnected stories for each item. As such, I'm going to present them 'as is', and then leave it up to you, the DMs and players, to justify, explain, and insert these items.

I hope these items are of some use to you folk. Enjoy.

Charging: Charging armour, favoured by the Grey Elven dragon-slayers of Corrindale, causes the wearer to deal double damage on a charge.

Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Expeditious Retreat; Market Price: +1 Bonus.

Impact: An Impact weapon is designed to better confer the force being put behind it. A weapon so enhanced, when wielded two-handed, allows its wielder to deal double their strength in damage, rather than one and a half times. Even magical weapons are not, however, designed to take too much strain, and so the maximum base strength bonus a weapon so enhanced can convey before dispersing excess force is +12.

Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Bull's Strength; Market Price: +2 Bonus.

Focus: A focus weapon grants a +10 bonus to its wielder's Iaijutsu Focus checks made with that weapon.

Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Eagle's Splendour; Market Price: +1 Bonus.

Featherlight: A featherlight weapon is considered one size category smaller for the purpose of determining lightness. It is not uncommon to see masters of the Niten style to have a second Featherlight katana.

Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Cat's Grace; Market Price: +1 Bonus.

Kokoro Daishu: Known to the gaijin as the Great Silence of the Heart, this fine Leather Scale armour is designed after the strange equpment owned by the Abilen Lion-clan Iaijutsu Master Mahoshijin. Mahoshijin was rendered mute at a young age by an unfortunate incursion into the shadowlands claiming his tongue, and it was through this that he learned only by listening, could one truly learn. Carrying this philosophy further, if his opponents could not hear him, they could not truly learn of him.

The Kokoro Daishu is a suit of +1 Leather Scale, which can be made, as a standard action, to blot out all sound in a 30-foot area, as the spell silence, focused on the wearer.

Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Silence. Market Price: 25,000 gp; Weight: 17 lb.

Kushi's Shadow: This suit of +1 Silent, Shadowed Studded Leather Armour was most recently worn and owned by the Hengeyokai spy of renown and head of the Mouse Clan, Kuroshiro. Kuroshiro's armour grants its wearer the ability to hide in plain sight, as the Shadowdancer ability.

Caster Level: 6th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Invisibility, Silence; Market Price: 17,500 gp; Weight: 20 lb.

Nikurosei: This katana is almost drab in appearance, at first. Many a samurai has overlooked it, and looked down its wielder, much to their folly. The Nikurosei is blessed by two great samurai, Kurokai Tensei, and Kurona Rurino. Kurokai, the first true hengeyokai samurai, was slain in an unfair duel by the dishonourable Ichiro Shiba, after challenging Shiba for the love of another hengeyokai, known as Shinkai. Kurokai's tears, as he died, flowed down his face and into his own blood as his soul left him. Kurona, Shinkai's later lover, pledged vengeance for Kurokai, and in turn took the path of the Singh Rager, channelling Kurokai's spirit from beyond the grave.

Nikurosei is a self-identifying +2 furious focus katana that can only be wielded by one of lawful good alignment - in the hands of another, it is no more than a masterworked katana, and it furthers insult by bestowing two negative levels onto its wielder until the weapon is put down. These levels can eventually result in actual level loss unless the wielder makes a fortitude saving throw (DC 28). If the wielder fails their saving throw, and still holds the weapon, they receive another two negative levels and the cycle repeats once more.

In the hands of a Hengeyokai, however, this weapon is greater still - it constantly emanates a bless effect, which in turn affects only good allies. Furthermore, anyone wishing to affect the wielder of Nikurosei with a mind-affecting spell or power must make two successful attempts, or fail outright.

Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Emotion, Eagle's Splendour, Bless. Market Price: 72,800 gp; Weight: 10 lb.

Raitenken: This mighty weapon, left behind as a relic of the strategically-minded Lesley Reimer, is an item of no small power. Sages refer to it in hushed tones, as if it is some strange shadow of another weapon, rather than the original. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but it is quite known that the weapon hosts an array of truly potent powers.

Raitenken is a +3 Stunning Katana, and on a strike, the target must make a fortitude saving throw (DC 10) to avoid having their own body's natural energies discharged for 1d20 points of electricity damage. Furthermore, the wielder may cast Lightning Bolt and Blindness once per day as a 5th-level caster.

Caster Level: 20th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Blindness/Deafness, Lightning Bolt. Market Price: 88,800 gp; Weight: 10 lb.

Tsuki's Brace: This pair of gloves were crafted by the kangaroo hengeyokai Sakumi, for the wolf hengeyokai shaman, Tsuki-Ken. They confer upon an unarmed fighter a magical enhancement of +1 to his attack and damage rolls, and a +5 bonus to opposed grapple checks.

Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Hold Person, Magic Fang. Market Price: 23,000; Weight: 1 lb.

Blade of the Deceiver: Created originally for the since-disgraced samurai Ichiro Shiba, this katana was not in fact his family blade. This blade, when wielded, greatly facilitated his forays into the world of deceit and lies, and after his death, the Scorpion clan went to great lengths to obtain the weapon.

The Blade of the Deceiver is a +2 Vicious Katana that confers a +10 competence bonus on its wielder's Bluff, Sense Motive, Hide, and Move Silently. Furthermore, it constantly affects its wielder with the spell change self, and if the wielder touches the handle of the weapon to his or her temple, they may communicate with any creature within 100 feet as per the spell message.

Caster Level: 7th. Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, message, change self, silent image, pass without trace, hypnotism; Market Price: 42,310; Weight: 15 lb.

Boroka's Serpent: This lance was wielded by the half-orc Unicorn Clan Samurai Boroka Dokan. Boroka was mostly renowned for his valour in combat, but also for his concern for his mount, a horse that a friendly kitsune had awoken. In fact, many of Boroka's allies considered his horse to be smarter than Boroka.

Boroka's Serpent is a +2 Lance that, when used in a mounted charge, confers an additional +4 to hit and +4 to damage. Furthermore, once a day it may be called upon to cast Heal Mount.

Caster Level: 6th. Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Heal Mount, True Strike. Market Price: 33,315 gp; Weight: 15 lb.

Swiftrunner: This +2 Guided Mighty Composite [Str 14] Longbow, crafted by sun elf artisans for the Hengeyoukai master archer Shun Satsu, carries with it a strange arcane property. As well as better guiding its wielder's aim, Swiftrunner heightens the wearer's reaction speed and so ensures they will act first by granting a +4 bonus to initiative. Swiftrunner also enhances the arrows nocked in it, blessing them with holy energy, as per the spell bless weapon.

Swiftrunner is Good-aligned, and bestows two negative levels on all evil creatures that attempt to wield it. These negative levels do not result in actual level loss, but persist until the weapon is no longer wielded.

Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Bless Weapon, Haste, True Strike. Market Price: 32,000; Weight: 3 lb.

Tenshin's Staff: This stick was manufactured for the strange tiefling monk of Shintao, Tenshin. Rumoured to have been taught by a god of war herself, Tenshin reached acclaim primarily through the tales known as the Seven Great Teachings. In these stories, Tenshin travels to each of the seven clans' leaders, and engages them in battles of wits, strength, and cunning, and teaches them something through this.

Tenshin's Staff is a +1 Merciful/+1 Merciful Quarterstaff. However, when wielded by a monk, it allows them to attack using their more favourable base attack bonus, base damage, and attacks per round.

Caster Level: 12th Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Bless Weapon, Cure Light Wounds. Market Price: 36,600; Weight: 1 lb.

Torakai's Banner: Torakai Agashi was one of the lesser generals of the Phoenix clan. With no magical ability, and little leadership capacity, he shouldered the duty of a soldier and did not complain. It was eventually through his intense focus on his ways as a soldier that the young man eventually became the mighty general he was.

Torakai was no great leader; he had no head for strategy, and he lacked for strength in combat. But he was favoured by the elements, and had a strength of spirit that astounded all those around him.

Torakai's Banner is a +2 Naginata. All allies within 50 feet of the wielder of the weapon receive a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls. Furthermore, Torakai's Banner instinctively deflects ranged attacks made against the wielder. All ranged attack rolls made against the caster suffer a 20% miss chance.

Caster Level: 6th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Bless, Entropic Shield. Market Price: 15,110; Weight: 3 lb.

Flower of the Moon: This fine, elegant handflower is composed of a ring and fine-wrought chain that encircles the hand, decorated with silver flowers. It was originally created by the Hengeyoukai Sorceror, Sakumi, who crafted it after Kurona Daidoji implored her for her aid - all based on a dream he had had. After Sakumi half-finished the device and broke to rest, she fell into a deep slumber and awoke to find the handflower completed. She never quite understood what had taken place, but the handflower had properties she could never truly understand. After the founding of the Dragonfly clan, these Moonflowers were duplicated for the clan's less-than-stereotypical samurai and sohei.

The Flower of the Moon allows its wielder to summon into being a war fan of pure cold energy. This war fan deals 1d6 cold damage. Furthermore, if a target is struck multiple times in a row, without a miss, the damage increases by +1d6 each time, to a maximum of 4d6 cold damage. If wielded by a psionic character who spends a power point, they may add their Charisma modifier to their damage.

Attack rolls made with the war fan are resolved as touch attacks, and the wielder does not apply their strength modifier to damage rolls. Due to the weapon's incorporeal state and lack of significant substance, the blade cannot be used for Expertise, Disarms, Trips, Sundering, or Sneak Attacks, nor does it gain damage from Power Attack or Spirited Charges. However, the weapon is prone to flaring in bursts of intense cold randomly, and as such, can be used to score critical hits.

On the back of the Handflower are two sockets, which were designed to hold single, discrete gems. Changing a socketed gem is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, creeping cold. Market Price: 8,700 gp; Weight: 0 lb.

Miroku's Tessen: This seemingly simple +1 Tessen actually holds within it the seed of a long-dead psychic warrior, master of fighting with the war fan and spiked chain. In fact, a psionic character can reach into the long-dead memories and draw out strength that the first owner lends this weapon.

When a psionic character of the appropriate level expends an appropriate quantity of XP, as per the table, they can draw out a greater enhancement bonus from the weapon's long-atrophied memory. Whenever a new power is awakened, the former powers remain. If the weapon changes hands, it immediately reverts to being a +1 Tessen until restored to the hands of the owner who spent the XP.

Manifester Level: 20th; Prerequisites: Craft Psionic Arms and Armour, Greater Emulation. Market Price: 1,200 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

Shinkai's Pride: This elaborate, beautiful silk kimono was designed for the ringtail Hengeyoukai Shinkai, but not for his personal use, but rather to be considered for the use by the samurai of his clan. The garment is evershifting and somehow, no matter the wearer, always that little bit racy. However, the garment was not designed as armour unto itself, but rather, to be a kind of anti-armour.

The kimono grants the wearer a +4 armour bonus to AC, a +10 competence bonus to Bluff, and allows the wearer to add their charisma bonus as a dodge bonus to their AC. Furthermore, when worn by a character with the Dodge feat, the wearer can add a dodge bonus to their AC equal to their dodge target's armour check penalty, against their dodge target.

Caster Level: 12th; Prerequisites: Craft Psionic Arms and Armour, Animal Affinity, Combat Prescience. Market Price: 47,200 gp; Weight: 0 lb.

Kazeken's Whisper: This suit of studded leather armour was constructed by the Telepath Teto for the love of his life, the ranger Kazeken. With her natural affinity for the element of the wind, Kazeken was a stealthy tracker and hunter. Teto felt a need to expand on this affinity and promote her abilities with a bit of a psionic punch, as well as be able to keep in more constant conversation with the Hengeyoukai.

When worn by a nonpsionic character, this suit of +2 Light Reinforcement Studded Leather armour allows a constant Lesser Mindlink affect with a single psionic target designated by the wearer upon donning the armour. Furthermore, the wearer is able to glide once per day, as the power manifested by a 3rd level psion.

Manifester Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Psionic Arms and Armour, Glide, Lesser Mindlink. Market Price: 16,765 gp; Weight: 11 lb.

Teto's Pants: Little explanation has been given for these strange garments. These psionically powered garments grant a +5 armour bonus to AC, and grant the wearer damage reduction 5/+1, as per Armour of Invulnerability.

Manifester Level: 20th; Prerequisites: Craft Psionic Arms and Armour, Inertial Barrier. Market Price: 64,000 gp; Weight: 0 lb.

Shinkai's Beads: This plain set of prayer beads allows the wearer to change their gender at will, as a full-round action.

Manifester Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Universal Item, Polymorph Self. Market Price: 1,000 gp; Weight: - .

Shinkai's Crystals: These small, intricately-carved crystals each bear a different kanji, giving some hint to their abilities and purpose. Shinkai discovered and had the following crystals rendered for him by his friends and allies (Clix, Teto, and Sakumi particularly).

'Power' - This small ruby functions as a Crystal Capacitor and holds 3 Bonus Power Points.

'Vision' - A target struck by the moon fan when this sapphire is in one of its sockets is surrounded by bright, ghostly blue light.

'Viper' - This emerald confers a +2 resistance bonus to saving throws against poison.

'Anarchy' - This flawed zirconia allows its wearer to power-trigger the power Hop The Fence at will.

'Plumage' - This fine amethyst gemstone allows its wielder to once a day power-trigger the power Animal Affinity (Charisma only) once a day, as a 3rd-level caster.

'Presentation' - This simple bead of glass, when socketed into the Moon Fan, grants the wearer an Unseen Servant's aid when grooming or washing themself.

'Doom' - This polished jet black gemstone bestows a -2 Morale Penalty to opponent's saves, attack rolls, and checks on a critical hit.

Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft Universal Item, Catapsi (Power), Psycholuminescence (Vision), Adapt Body (Viper), Animal Affinity (Plumage), Far Hand (Presentation), Demoralize (Doom). Market Price: 4,000 gp (Power), 4,000 gp (Vision), 2,000 gp (Viper), 1,500 gp (Anarchy), 2,520 (Plumage), 2,800 (Presentation), 2,800 (Doom).; Weight: 0 lb.