OA Gods and Bloodlines

[Osprey]

Well, the list got pretty extensive, so I deceided to post it in a seperate thread rather than filling up space deep in the middle of the Gods of Aebrynis thread. So here is my list of deities (kami) that I used for my Oriental Birthright campaign, and guidelines for the blood system used there. Note that the deities presented here are only for Nippon, my parallel feudal Japan - one island dwarfed by a much larger mainland (though the Seven Fortunate Gods are still worshipped on the mainland where they originated). There would be other deities and bloodlines elsewhere, though their origin in divine conception remains true throughout the OABR (Oriental Adventures Birthright) setting.

Oriental Birthright

Deities, Spirits, and Bloodlines in Nippon

The deities listed below represent the full spread of kami (spirits) recognized in Nippon. Those kami that receive worship (in the form of prayers, offerings, shrines, and temples) are patrons of some aspect of human existence or the natural world. Even lesser kami, spirits of a tree or stream or village, receive some veneration from the locals in the hope of receiving benevolent blessings and avoiding the kami’s wrath.

This is a historically-derived list that includes native Shinto kami of Japan, and kami imported from popular Chinese religion (the Seven Fortunate Gods). The Buddhist deities are mainly left out, as there are Zen-style contemplative monasteries and mystics in Nippon, but no formal Buddhism as a mainstream religion.

Bloodlines in Oriental Adventures
Divine bloodlines in Nippon are created when a kami and mortal produce offspring (almost always there is only a single child, usually the result of a single liaison rather than a life-long marriage, though lesser kami have been known to take on human form and live a human life). The strength of a newly-created bloodline (minor, major, great, or true) depends upon the divine rank of the immortal parent, and a newly created bloodline has a bloodline score equal to 5 times the parent’s divine rank.
Greater Deity (rank 16-20) = True Bloodline, 80-100.
Intermediate Deity (rank 11-15) = Great Bloodline, 55-75.
Lesser Deity (rank 6-10) = Major Bloodline, 30-50.
Demigod (rank 1-5) = Minor Bloodline, 5-25.
Rank 0 beings cannot normally create a new bloodline by mating with a mortal.

A new bloodline’s derivation is always based on the immortal parent. Once created, a bloodline may be passed on and merged through normal means (as per the Birthright rules). Blood abilities are based on one’s divine ancestor. However, given the great diversity of kami, there are thousands of possible derivations and blood abilities. DM’s are encouraged to work with players in developing blood abilities appropriate to a scion’s divine heritage.

Kami of Nippon
All beings here are listed as follows:
Name (alignment, divine rank): title, portfolio

The Great Kami of Nippon (major deities):

Amaterasu-Omi-No-Kami (LN, rank 20): Queen of all kami, goddess of the sun, rulership, and renewal.

Inari (N, rank 16): Patron of Rice, Fertility and Wealth, Ruler of the Kitsune (were-foxes)

Okuni-Nushi (LN, rank 18): Kami of politics, status, nobility, and healing.

Susano-Wo (LG, rank 18): God of war, courage, lightning, and instruction, Guardian of Yomi (Shinto hell, demon homeland).


The Seven Fortunate Gods (intermediate deities):

Benten (NG, rank 11): Patron goddess of Love, Beauty, the Arts, and Women.

Bishamon (LN, 11): Patron god of Warriors and Strength (and centipedes).

Daikoku (NG, 11): Patron of Farmers, Fields, and Contentedness (rat companion).

Ebisu (N, 11): Patron of Commerce and Merchants.

Fukuroku (N, 11): God of Sorcery and Philosophy (depicted as a Taoist sage), patron of wu-jen and sorcerers.

Hotei (CG, 11): God of Luck, Gambling, and Yakuza.

Jurojin (NG, 11): Patron of Priests and Meditation, rides the Heavenly Crane.


Other kami of Nippon:

Kami of the Five Elements (rank 10) – one patron kami of each element
Fire (CN)
Water (N)
Earth (LN)
Metal (N)
Wood (N)

Hachiman (LG, rank 12): premier Warrior Kami, patron of war, combat, and heroism.
Kenzoku (LG, rank 1-5): Heroic warrior kami who serve Hachiman, they are dedicated foes of oni and araburu-kami (demons of Yomi).

Umi-no-Kami (LN, rank 12): God of the Sea, contests with Ryu-no-Kami for dominion there.
Kaijin (LN, rank 1-5): Premier retainers of Umi-no-Kami, appear as human nobles in fine silks or as sharks. Mortal foes of the Ryujin, may summon sharks as allies.

Ryu-no-Kami (NE, rank 12): Dragon King of the Sea, and piratical rival of Umi-no-Kami.
Ryujin (NE, rank 1-5): rougher counterparts of the Kaijin, and mortal enemies to them. May summon kojin (sahuagin) to aid them, and may take the physical forms of humans or Tun Mi Lung (typhoon dragons).

Kami-Nari (CN, rank 12): Ruler of the Fujin, Master of the Storm Winds
Fujin (CN, rank 1-5): Kami of the storm winds, manifest as not-too-bright storm giants, often being blown willy-nilly by their own winds. Fujin are generally carefree, playful, and boisterous, good-natured unless angered, and somewhat insensitive to mortals: they find the damage their storms cause to be hilarious.


Kami of Place – these are the most numerous kami, each individual spirit tied to a particular location, event, skill, or landform. While too numerous to list individually, the general types are listed below:

Tenjin (N, rank 6): Patron Kami of Skill. There is a different Tenjin for every known skill, including martial arts. Examples include the Tenjin of Swordsmanship, Tenjin of Painting, Tenjin of Weaponsmiths, etc. The Tenjin have been known to protect and teach talented and devoted practitioners of their art.

Chinjin (LN, rank 1-10): Urban Kami. There is typically one Chinjin per urban district (rank = number of wards in district), so a large city has many chinjin kami. Chinjin promote peace and prosperity in their territory, and serve as patrons of local commerce and relevant skills in their district.

Jigami (Any alignment, rank 1-10): Rural Kami. A Jigami is the patron spirit of a village, farm, or rural area. They protect the inhabitants there, and promote fields and fertility as well.

Mori-no-Kami (Any non-lawful, rank 1-10): Kami of Forests and Foothills. Mori-no-Kami are usually kind, though somewhat rough-mannered and boisterous.

Yama-no-Kami (any non-lawful, rank 1-10): Kami of Mountains. Yama-no-Kami are cold, austere, and remote spirits, and may be helpful, neutral, or wicked in demeanor.

Dosojin (N, rank 1-10): Kami of Roads and Travelers. These kami aid and protect travelers on the roads of Nippon – roadside shrines to the Dosojin are a common sight in Nippon.


Note: Below is this same info in Word format for easier viewing and use.

[Green Knight]

I like it very much. It feels more genuinely OA then just giving the gods of Cerilia new names.

Is the divine rank comparable to that of normal deities? If so, then I must say they seem a bit high - the kami of Painting would be as powerful as the Lesser deities of Cerilia. If its just internal ranking without referance to any outside system, I see no problem at all.

B

[Osprey]

I like it very much. It feels more genuinely OA then just giving the gods of Cerilia new names.

OK, first off, a disclaimer: the entire list IS pretty authentic as far as Japanese folklore is concerned. I didn't make all of this up myself (seeing as how I don't even speak Japanese). I give credit to Paul Hume and Bob Charrette's BUSHIDO RPG (TM 1981). It remains the single greatest source of authentic material on feudal Japan that I've ever found, thanks especially to the authors' insistence on using Japanese names rather than translations for most things. If any DM is interested in running a feudal Japanese-type OA campaign, they would benefit immensely from getting a hold of Bushido. The game is meant to be played within a historical, legendary, or mythical setting as desired, but all within a highly authentic feudal Japan. Can't say enough good stuff about it really, just sorry the game was never picked up or re-published by another company.


Is the divine rank comparable to that of normal deities? If so, then I must say they seem a bit high - the kami of Painting would be as powerful as the Lesser deities of Cerilia. If its just internal ranking without referance to any outside system, I see no problem at all.

Actually I was using the Deities and Demigods divine ranking system here. I don't think the deities of Cerilia were ever actually assigned divine ranks, however. At least not officially. And rank 6 (the rank of all Tenjin) is the minimum rank to be called a Lesser Deity.

The ranking system is in part based on the cultural context, in part on the D&D system, and partly on the bloodline system I made. The Tenjin, at rank 6, are barely Lesser Deities (rank 6-10 = lesser deity) - however, the fact that they are more than demigods (rank 1-5) is significant: it demonstrates the importance of skills in Nippon's culture. A single deity that embodies the perfection of an art: in Nippon, this is an extremely powerful symbol, a god worthy of worship. Many Nipponese dedicate their entire lives to the perfection of a single skill - a very powerful form of worship IMO.


Anyways, all of that aside, I think divine ranks are highly subjective and unless you plan on having pantheons of battling gods in Aebrynis, I wouldn't worry too much about how the OA gods compare to the Cerilian ones in divine rank. And even if you did, consider this: gods of Aebrynis are very localized to that world, as opposed to being more typical multiverse-spanning outsider-types. The gods of Nippon are even more tied to the earthly realm, particularly the Kami of Place. So it could be argued that the Nipponese kami have such power (divine rank) within their own realm (Nippon and its Shadow World equivalent), but most would be significantly weaker outside of it.

So if you were to contemplate an inter-pantheon conflict, then the dynamics of it would be "it's suicidal for the Cerilian or other deities to assault the Nipponese kami in their own realms, but there is little threat of those deities interfering in the lands beyond Nippon." Unless the Nipponese culture and religion starts spreading, of course, in which case the realms of certain kami might expand with them. Seeing as how Shinto priests don't tend to be the missionary type, this would probably happen only if there were a great wave of Nipponese conquest (an ironic reversal of the Mongol invasion?).

Osprey

[Osprey]

The Shadow World of OBR

I've often debated what the Shadow World would be like in an OABR setting. Is it corrupted as in Cerilia? Is it a more neutral spirit world, populated by a balanced mix of benevolent kami, indifferent nature spirits, and demons?

If the Deismaar cataclysm had global effects, then it may be that the corruption of the Shadow World is also a global phenomena, though I'd expect the blighting of the SW in Djapar to begin later. Once the seed was planted, however, the blight could spread and grow for its own reasons.
For instance, the Deismaar "shockwave" through the SW might have blasted open the gates of Yomi (Shinto hell) and stunned its guardians, allowing a horde of demons and evil spirits to escape into the spirit world. Eventually Susano-Wo would have recovered and locked the gates of Yomi once more, but the damage was done. Hachiman and his Kenzoku would be quite busy hunting down all those escaped demons, but they might also find themselves ambushed and overwhelmed more than once. In fact, it may be that many of the Kenzoku were slain in those dark days, allowing the escaped demons time to establish hidden and fortified abodes in the SW, and perhaps to recruit/expand their numbers.
With such a corrupted SW, it is very tempting to use the OA Rokugan idea of the tainted Shadowlands, but transfer them (in part) to the Shadow World of Nippon or even all of Djapar. This allows a host of ready-made mechanics from OA re. Taint, demons/shadow creatures, etc. to be used - though I personally would throw out most of the Rokugan-specific stuff and replace it with more original (or historically-derived) histories, clans, characters, etc.

One main difference would be that the Shadow lands couldn't be an all-pervasive version of the SW, as other non-corrupted spirits would also dwell throughout it. More likely is that the SW is still something of a reflection of the real world, so that there are pockets and realms where demons and corrupted spirits hold sway, while other places still resist that tide. An uncomfortable, impermanent balance, but one where (much like in Cerilia) the taint is always threatening to grow. In the physical world, this would be mirrored by the blighting of nature and people - sickening and dying plants and animals, disease, corruption, insanity, and at its worst, more gross mutations and demonic possession.

Note: I use "demon" and "demonic" in the Japanese sense. In Nippon demons are more like evil spirits, natives of Yomi (a realm I'd place at the far edge of the Shadow World, much like the gods' realms), not Tanar'ri residents of the Abyss.

Anyways, more food for thought in developing an OABR setting.

Osprey

[Green Knight]

Originally posted by Osprey@Jan 12 2005, 06:12 PM
Anyways, all of that aside, I think divine ranks are highly subjective and unless you plan on having pantheons of battling gods in Aebrynis, I wouldn't worry too much about how the OA gods compare to the Cerilian ones in divine rank. And even if you did, consider this: gods of Aebrynis are very localized to that world, as opposed to being more typical multiverse-spanning outsider-types. The gods of Nippon are even more tied to the earthly realm, particularly the Kami of Place. So it could be argued that the Nipponese kami have such power (divine rank) within their own realm (Nippon and its Shadow World equivalent), but most would be significantly weaker outside of it.

So if you were to contemplate an inter-pantheon conflict, then the dynamics of it would be "it's suicidal for the Cerilian or other deities to assault the Nipponese kami in their own realms, but there is little threat of those deities interfering in the lands beyond Nippon." Unless the Nipponese culture and religion starts spreading, of course, in which case the realms of certain kami might expand with them. Seeing as how Shinto priests don't tend to be the missionary type, this would probably happen only if there were a great wave of Nipponese conquest (an ironic reversal of the Mongol invasion?).

Osprey
I like this more and more. It has a nice feel to it overall. I also like you line of thinking when it comes to the relative power of gods/kami. The Kami are powerful in OBA (Oriental Birthright - we should keep that term), but not elsewhere.

I'd love to get my hands on that Bushido game...

B

[Green Knight]

Originally posted by Osprey@Jan 12 2005, 06:48 PM
With such a corrupted SW, it is very tempting to use the OA Rokugan idea of the tainted Shadowlands, but transfer them (in part) to the Shadow World of Nippon or even all of Djapar. This allows a host of ready-made mechanics from OA re. Taint, demons/shadow creatures, etc. to be used - though I personally would throw out most of the Rokugan-specific stuff and replace it with more original (or historically-derived) histories, clans, characters, etc.

One main difference would be that the Shadow lands couldn't be an all-pervasive version of the SW, as other non-corrupted spirits would also dwell throughout it. More likely is that the SW is still something of a reflection of the real world, so that there are pockets and realms where demons and corrupted spirits hold sway, while other places still resist that tide. An uncomfortable, impermanent balance, but one where (much like in Cerilia) the taint is always threatening to grow. In the physical world, this would be mirrored by the blighting of nature and people - sickening and dying plants and animals, disease, corruption, insanity, and at its worst, more gross mutations and demonic possession.
I think this is another excellent idea. The tainted Shadowlands of Rokugan could certainly fit into the Daylight/Shadow duality of Aebrynis-and as you say there are all manner of nice mechanics to use (bar the clans etc.).

B

[Osprey]

I like this more and more. It has a nice feel to it overall. I also like you line of thinking when it comes to the relative power of gods/kami. The Kami are powerful in OBA (Oriental Birthright - we should keep that term), but not elsewhere.

I'd love to get my hands on that Bushido game...

B

Glad you like it. I'm enjoying this Homebrew Forum, as my greatest love in gaming is world design. It challenges me to use every relevant scrap of knowledge I have or can find to put together as authentic a world as possible. I'm a big fan of "realistic fantasy:" an imaginary world that is internally consistent while still retaining a feel of believability to very human players and DM's. And that's one big reason I'm such a Birthright fan. :D

[Green Knight]

Originally posted by Osprey@Jan 12 2005, 09:18 PM
Glad you like it. I'm enjoying this Homebrew Forum, as my greatest love in gaming is world design. It challenges me to use every relevant scrap of knowledge I have or can find to put together as authentic a world as possible. I'm a big fan of "realistic fantasy:" an imaginary world that is internally consistent while still retaining a feel of believability to very human players and DM's. And that's one big reason I'm such a Birthright fan. :D
Well, me too.

To truly enjoy a RPG the setting (no matter how fantastic) must be internally consistent and have a "real world feel" to it. So I always have this urge to explore and explain - and I also enjoy putting it down on paper...I suppose that IS would desing :-D

You don't by any chance have anything on a more china-ish culture as well? I'm thinking about placing the Japan-style setting on the round little continent and the chines on mainland Djapar.

B

[Osprey]

You don't by any chance have anything on a more china-ish culture as well? I'm thinking about placing the Japan-style setting on the round little continent and the chines on mainland Djapar.


Only some names and map locations - I'm much more into Japanese OA than Chinese, to be honest, and making a detailed BR setting for Nippon alone was quite a lot of work. The maps are coming...

My knowledge of and source material for the rest of historical Asia and its folklore is scattered and less coherent. I know many bits and pieces (I've done some study of Chinese folklore and history, and India too), but less in-depth than Japan.

[Valjean]

I have been working on the Birthright OA setting for awhile. I think your ideas are pretty cool.

I hvae taken alittle different approach and made Azari show himself in my background, by having humans discover Socery.

I have started a yahoo group

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Oriental_Birthright/

to try and get our ideas togeather.

:ph34r:

[Raesene Andu]

Originally posted by Valjean@Jan 16 2005, 10:49 AM
I have started a yahoo group

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Oriental_Birthright/

to try and get our ideas togeather.
In the interest of keeping all BR discussion/content in one place, perhaps you would like to post your ideas here on birthright.net?

[Osprey]

I have been working on the Birthright OA setting for awhile. I think your ideas are pretty cool.

Thanks. :) Compliments are a rare nicety here in the forums. For the deity list I give credit to Bushido, I just did a little bit of conversion work and typed it up. The bloodlines as divine heritage through conception is my own idea, though, and one I'm quite happy with - it just fits so nicely into Asian cultures (where most or all Emperors claimed divine lineage), and expands on it to make it a more common aspect of the nobility. Having a history where gods and mortals have trysts and affairs from time to time makes the world a rich mythical setting, a nice compliment to a grittier historical setting I think.


I have taken alittle different approach and made Azari show himself in my background, by having humans discover Sorcery.


Of all the Adurian deities, I think Azrai is the one most suited to be used in other cultures. Being a deity of chaos and deception, it's quite reasonable for him to be a god of many faces. Also, it seems he has no patron tribe of his own early on, so in the early ages he may have traveled further throughout the world looking to seduce followers to him. Perhaps he shadowed the Basarji when they left Aduria for Djapar. ;)

[The incredible, edible Phil]

The main issue I believe that most discussions with OA birthright esque settings is the "lack" of bloodlines. Instead, might I suggest that characters gain regency as per their Glory (introduced in Rokugan) which is supposed to represent the individual's place in the Celestial Order.