Interesting Patronage Project - Kaidan (eastern horror)

[brass]

This patronage project tickles my fancy.

Kaidan

- compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
- Approximately 100 pages (75,000 words)
- Japanese based horror setting
- Three part adventure arc in which traditional PCs travel to the land of Kaidan, escorting a gift, only to find themselves trapped on the island, fleeing from the powers that be.
- In Kaidan the lords of the land are undead, and those who die on the island are quickly reincarnated in an endless cycle from which there is no easy escape
- Kaidan is an isolated and xenophobic land, not used to outsiders
- Kaidan will be designed as an isolated island kingdom, easily dropped into any campaign setting.


http://ritepublishing.com/kaidan.html


Go take a look, I'm in favour of the patronage model for keeping small games companies above water and writting good stuff. It sounds like this could easily by co-opted into a ravenloft campaign.

[The Giamarga]

Original Concept: Michael K. Tumey
Lead Designer and Project Manager: Jonathan McAnulty
Artwork: Mark Hyzer
Cartography: Michael K. Tumey


Does anybody knwo the guys involved? Have they published anything else yet?

[brass]

Jonathan McAnulty (The Secrets of Divine Channeling, Coliseum Morpheuon, Ecology of the Froghemoth).

The Secrets of Divine Channeling got some good reviews, though I haven't read it myself. Also Rite publishing have some good production values for their pdfs.

[MichaelTumey]

Hello, I know this is an old thread, but in case nobody has been following, the first adventure for this project was released on June 1st as a PDF and should be released sometime this month in print by Cubicle 7. The two other adventures in this mini arc will be released in July and August.

The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear, Part 1 is set in Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story, designed for a party of four adventurers of 5th level, for the Pathfinder RPG.

I am Michael Tumey, the concept creator (its my homebrew) and is based on my heritage (I am Japanese American) with my love of D&D/Pathfinder, Oriental Adventures and Ravenloft - and a need to get some of the details done better. We are also creating a number of supplemental books like monster PC races, new classes, faction books all as PDFs with an eye to create a full setting book if enough interest leads us that way. I also have plans for a full 20th level campaign bearing on interest.

So far The Gift has earned five 5 star ratings on Game Knight Reviews and on the Paizo forum.

We are hopeful for the reception for adventures 2 and 3 (Dim Spirit is part 2 and Dark Path is part 3)

As far as who we are Rite Publishing is one of the major 3pp companies creating Pathfinder and other RPG system supplements. Jonathan McAnulty was co-author for Colesium Morpheuon and has many publishing credits to his name with Kobold Quaterly and Open Design Project. Me, I'm a 'nobody' as far as design and publishing, rather I am the concept creator, a secondary role as designer, more the developer really, I am the cartographer (my real skill), I do some of the illustrations, as I do the layout and find spaces that need art to fill and nothing commissioned to put in.

Sorry, for 'necroing' an old thread...

Michael

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Looks great, Michael! Thanks for letting us know it's available!

[HuManBing]

It's always good to see creative minds (authors, artists, designers) on the forums! (And I speak as an avid consumer...)

Welcome to the Fraternity!

[alhoon]

What rules do they use?

[MichaelTumey]

What rules do they use?

As stated, its designed for Pathfinder RPG Since Ravenloft is not OGC, I had to create my own horror rules. So its not Ravenloft. The setting is also Japan-inspired, it is not Japan, rather a cursed archipelago of islands (ready to drop into any campaign world). Like Ravenloft (sort of), I see Kaidan as a demi-planar bubble that coexists with the prime material plane. It has its own rules. You can travel there by ship, though its more difficult to leave - you can still leave by ship. However, one cannot teleport out of Kaidan. There is no plane shifting, no shadow walking, no astral travel. One can go ethereal, however Kaidan is cosmically connected to only two other planes, Yomi (the land of the dead) which is the ethereal plane, but is only connected to Kaidan and no other plane. Jigoku is the "hell" of Kaidan, and actually one of the layers of the Abyss.

I don't use Ravenloft's "Dark Powers" progression of 'gifts', nor any Insanity rules.

What makes Kaidan a dark setting involves PC Death. There is no Raise Dead, Reincarnation, nor Resurrection, at least not be spell. In life each character has a Karma score (probably maintained by the GM) based on Lawful and/or Good acts that denote positive karma (+1 point), while Chaotic and/or evil acts denote negative karma (-1 point) It takes a major deed of law or good to gain positive karma (its much slower than XP accumulation.) At PC Death, one's spirit goes to Yomi (the land of the Dead) for a period of 1 to 7 days. At which point one's accumulated karma score is tallied up. Some spells cast by a Miko (oracle) or Yamabushi (paladin) can grant positive or negative karma points during the burial rites to adjust the destination a spirit finally goes in the reincarnation process.

Kaidan relies on the Buddhist concept of the Wheel of Life or Sorrowful World cosmology. In Buddhist thought, everyone exists within the Wheel of Life. Though in modern thought these are states of mind, originally these different destinations in the reincarnation process, only though enlightenment can one escape the Wheel of Life and achieve Nirvana. In Kaidan seeking englightenment is considered heresy. The Wheel of Life is cosmically connected to the Kaidan social class system.

The Wheel of Life consists of six 'planes of existence': Heaven (realm of Apathy), Asuruas (realm of Jealousy), Human (realm of Choice), Animal (realm of uncontrolled instincts), Hungry Ghost (realm of greed), and Hell (realm of rage). In Kaidan the social caste system is divided into these 6 cosmic 'planes'. Heaven is represented by the Nobility, Asuras by the Samurai, Human by the Commoners (craftsmen and farmer/fishers), Animal (animal yokai monster races), Hungry Ghost (criminals, merchants and the tainted 'Hinin' caste). One's station in life is based into which caste one is born in, which limits what player classes, starting wealth, etc can have at the start.

At PC Death there is a table that determines which social class one reincarnates to in the next life. Unlike true reincarnation, in Kaidan, should a someone die violently the odds are great (based on karma score and PC Death table roll) that your spirit will attempt to possess another being of appropriate social class, that person will suffer a condition called 'Mind Fever' which means his own spirit and the invading spirit is struggling for control. On a successful reincarnation attempt, if your spirit succeeds the other spirit is driven out - either to attempt to possess another, or becomes a yurei ghostly spirit. You wake up in a new body, with a new personality and levels, but also all or most of your previous life's levels. Essentially you multi-class across multiple lifetimes. This also means that characters are subject to a possessing spirit attack at any time in someone else's reincarnation attempt...

Basically the Kaidan cosmology is an 'engine of evil' that requires the souls of the living and the dead to drive it.

There always the possibilities of other outcomes on the reincarnation table: your reincarnate into a newborn and are now an NPC, you are sentenced to Hell and become an Oni NPC, you become a Yurei ghost and either become an NPC or take on a Ghost template onto your PC, with the possibilities of resting your soul and once again moving along the Wheel of Life in an attempt to possess another.

All the nobility of Kaidan are undead, made so by a divine curse uttered at the founding of the empire that allowed the emperor, his family and grandfather the shogun to rule Kaidan eternally. They only want to maintain the status quo and remain at the top of the caste system. Because they will not die they do not leave the noble caste into the Wheel of Life and prevent all others from reincarnating into it. If a Samurai with enough accumulated Karma to ascend to the noble caste, he automatically becomes a yurei ghost.

In many ways those 'unknowns' of various undead types of Ravenloft exist in Kaidan as well. All undead fall under the Yurei ghost umbrella, though they may come in any form as normal. However, a skeleton might be animated dead, or a powerful ghost in skeletal form - one never automatically knows what one is encountering.

Channel Energy for clerics and paladins have a -1 per hit dice, several other spells are affected as well.

Aside from the fact that Kaidan is a police state ruled by a military dictator and everyone is under surveillance by the Metsuki Imperial Secret Police (inquisitors of Kaidan), constant attacks against humanity by undead and oni demons, Kaidan in most other ways is typical fantasy oriental 3x/Pathfinder game.

Does that answer your question?

Michael

[MichaelTumey]

The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear, Part 1 is intended to be the first of a 3 part mini introductory adventure arc into the setting (5th through 8th levels). The premise is that the adventurers are 'gaijin' outsiders from some typical fantasy European setting (or whatever), but not Kaidanese locals. A gaijin merchant wanting to begin a trade negotiation for one of the noble lords has an expensive arcane gift he wishes to present to this lord, and needs guards to escort him there. (The adventure also provides a number of other hooks to get individuals interesting in going there - like acquiring a katana, obtaining religious documents, etc.)

This makes it easy for those unfamiliar to the setting to get involved with PCs they are familiar visiting a dark exotic place for a short term errand. Of course they don't readily know about the cosmic consequences of Kaidan, and will learn of it, slowly over the course of the adventure as well as the many other dangers and oddities of this oriental setting.

That's all I'll say about it (I said a lot), I hope some of you will become interested and give Kaidan a try. I more wanted to present a more authentically Japanese experience than previous oriental settings and include the horror aspect I love so well.

There are new reincarnation rules, karma, honor, new classes, new archetypes, new feats, new spells, new races, new monsters, so there should be plenty of fluff and crunch to enjoy some oriental horror.

Michael

PS: if there's any interest, Jonathan McAnulty is running 2 Kaidan convention games (twice each) at Origins, under the adventure titles of "The Tolling of Tears" and "The Frozen Wind". The first two four hour sessions are booked, but the second two on Friday evening and Saturday morning have open seats. If anybody is at Origins this year, want to meet the author and play in a Kaidan one off, you should sign up to learn more about the setting...

[The Giamarga]

So now that all 3 parts of the Kaidan adventures are available, did anyone here play it? The reviews sure are promising...

[MichaelTumey]

Anything I could tell you would be biased, being the creator and co-publisher. However, I did playtest all 3 adventures with my gaming group, as did the designer/author and his family, and several of our gold patrons playtested it as well. Aside from the reviewers reading all the material, I don't know anyone who as actually played the adventures from a consumers point of view, and I'd love for somebody to do so and give their own review from actual play.

In the coming months we plan to release a number of supplements from new classes by faction - yakuza, samurai, shinobi, kami and the faith of the wheel, and others. We have 3 player character race books, members of the animal caste - kappa, tengu and henge, and plans for a full monster book. I am currently writing a book of 30 ancestral relics, magic items and weapons based on accumulated honor and level that power up with the wielders, kind of like Weapons of Legacy of 3.5. Once I have enough material to create a full player's guide to Kaidan, I'd like to begin a possible ransom project to create a 1st - 20th adventure path for a party of Kaidanese characters. These are my plans into the next year.

However much of that won't happen unless The Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy is successful. So please play it, and if you like it tell us and help spread the word.

Thanks,

Michael

[MichaelTumey]

Steve Russell of Rite Publishing (my co-publisher on Kaidan) is seen in this U-Tube video in an interview with Atomic Array at Gen Con, discussing among other things - Kaidan. He has the print books in his hands as he gives a quick explanation. Although I have the print books in my hands, its the first time I am able to say, "Look, they exist!" and can be seen in its full color glory.

Steve Russsell Interview at Gen Con

As an aside, Way of the Yakuza, our first faction book for Kaidan has gone to the editor - it contains archetypes for bard, fighter, rogue (2 of them), and Tattoo Wizard. There are new traits, new feats, new spells, and a complete stat block for yakuza gangs, with explanation on building gangs for a stat block, as well as samples. There is an entire yakuza village write up with plot hooks and an included map - almost an adventure itself.

We are starting Way of the Samurai, giving it the same treatment as above, followed by Way of the Shinobi. In the works is also a 30 monster Bestiary for Kaidan called Obake Bestiary. I just finished writing 30 Ancestral Relics, which are magical weapons and items that are similar to Weapons of Legacy from 3.5, but with an honor score requirement and an event trigger.

Kaidan is a fully supported setting with many supplements bringing both feudal Japan and Asian horror into Pathfinder.

Michael

PS: got all excited seeing the video, I had to post it somewhere!

[MichaelTumey]

Trick or Treat!

Today Rite Publishing released a one-shot scenario set in Kaidan, called Frozen Wind, as a FREE PDF download as a Halloween special. This was originally a convention scenario created by Jonathan McAnulty for use at Origins this year.



Frozen Wind

"Winter is not coming, it is here!"
Trekking along the high mountain trail five lonely travelers find themselves in grave danger. Caught in a fierce and unseasonal snowstorm, they must take shelter in Miyamakoori Monastery, a shrine of the yamabushi, located within a crevice near the summit of a mountain. The yamabushi shrine offers the only refuge for travelers along the highland trail. On this night, however, a powerful spirit of Jigoku, and her demonic entourage, has come to settle an old agreement between the abbot and herself. As a cold and unspeakable darkness falls upon the monastery, the travelers must use all the resources at their disposal to survive...

"Frozen Wind" is a one-shot adventure for five characters at 5th level designed for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Author: Jonathan McAnulty
Artist: Michael Tumey
Pages: 29

If you have not checked out any of my Kaidan adventures and supplements for dark Asian horror and authentically Japanese setting, this is your best opportunity, as it costs you nothing.

Michael

[The Giamarga]

The Gift: Curse of the Golden Spear Part 1 PDF (PFRPG) From Rite Publishing is on sale for Black Friday
Instead of $19.99 it's only $1.99 at RPGNow and at paizo...

[MichaelTumey]

Thanks, Giamarga, for pointing that out.

Also look for Way of the Yakuza - a Kaidan supplement for Yakuza clans, archetypes from a blind bard to a tattoo wizard, a yakuza gang stat-block and even an adventure location with map and adventure seeds for $3.49 at the Paizo Store - Way of the Yakuza.

Michael