Chinese Mythology

Yen-Wang-Yeh is the god of the dead, chief judge of the Ten Law Courts of the After-world, and king of the Eighteen Hells. When a dead man’s soul reaches the first court of the after-world, Yen-Wang-Yeh determines whether the man should be rewarded, passed directly to the Wheel of Transmigration (reincarnation), or passed onto the lower courts for punishment. In his true form, Yen-Wang-Yeh resembles a yellow-robed warrior with ebony skin.

Yen-Wang-Yeh must personally approve any raise dead, resurrection, or reincarnation spell cast by any worshipper of any god in the Chinese pantheon. Any time such a person casts one of these spells, there is a flat 25% chance he will cancel it. Yen-Wang-Yeh is not well-known for sending omens or portents.

Yen-Wang-Yeh’s avatar is a black-robed man with ebony skin. He can use the number and level of spells appropriate to a ranger of his level, selecting them from the animal and plant spheres.

Int 16 Wis 17 Cha 12

MV 16 SZ 6’ MR 30%

AC -1 HD 17 HP 136

#AT 2 THAC0 5 Dmg ld8/ld8 (sword) +6
Special Att/Def: Yen-Wang-Yeh’s avatars can move silently (100% success), turn invisible at will, and track without error over any terrain up to seven days after his quarry has passed. Anyone touching the avatar’s body must save versus paralyzation or remain motionless for 1d4 rounds.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests devoted to Yen-Wang-Yeh are required to prepare the dead for cremation, preside over funerals, and offer advice to their followers about how best to worship one’s ancestors. Occasionally, they are called upon to track down a rogue undead spirit.

Priests of Yen-Wang-Yeh who have reached 5th level can converse with the spirit of another’s ancestor. They may ask the spirit up to 5 questions which are truthfully answered. A person’s ancestral spirits may be contacted only at their request and with their permission.

Requirements: AB standard; AL any; WP any; AR a; SP all, divination, necromantic, protection, summoning; PW 3) speak with dead; 5) speak with ancestral spirit; 10) raise dead (no chance of cancellation); TU turn.
Fu Hsing (intermediate god)

Fu Hsing is the god of happiness, who sees to it that each man receives his share of joy. Originally, Fu Hsing was a mortal magistrate named Yang Cheng. Yang saved the people from the emperor Wu-ti’s intolerable tax levies in the sixth century AD. In return for his bravery and selflessness, the Jade Emperor made him immortal and assigned him the cheerful task of spreading happiness. Fu Hsing is a small, cheerful man with a ready smile.

If a party answers such a request and helps the person, they are sure to be rewarded. Sometime in the future, at their most desperate hour, Fu Hsing will send his avatar to their aid.

Fu Hsing’s avatar often appears as a grimy old man carrying a beat-up lute and singing a jolly song in a robust voice. He can cast draw upon any school of magic to cast any spell appropriate to his level as a bard.

Int 18 Wis 18 Cha 17

MV 15 SZ 5’ MR 30%

AC 0 HD 18 HP 144

#AT 1 THAC0 3 Dmg 1d4 (dagger)
Special Att/Def: With a single strum of his magical lute, Fu Hsing’s avatar can cast any wizard spell of first through fourth level.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests dedicated to Fu Hsing must spread happiness wherever they go. They can fight only in defense of themselves or another and may never instigate combat. If they encounter a sad person, they must do what they can to cheer him or her. They must also learn to sing jolly songs and play at least one musical instrument. In campaigns that use proficiencies, they are required to select the singing and artistic ability skills. In the latter case, they must choose to be proficient in the playing of musical instruments. They can never sing or play sad songs, however.

Also known as K’uei Hsing, Chung Kuel was a brilliant mortal who finished first in all of his examinations. However, he was so ugly that the Emperor would not affirm his success. When the despondent Chung Kuel threw himself into the sea, a turtle saved his life. The Emperor took this as a divine sign and acknowledged the examination result. Chung Kuel served so efficiently and honestly that Shang-ti granted him immortality, making him assistant to Wen Chang Ti, god of literature. Eventually, as the need for bureaucrats increased, Shang-ti created a ministry to watch over truth and the examination process, placing Chung Kuel in charge of it. In his true form, Chung Kuel is a finely dressed man with a magnificent potbelly, a hairy nose of grotesque proportions, red-rimmed eyes, and a tiny chin completely lost beneath the folds of his bulging cheeks.

Chung Kuel’s avatar resembles the god himself: finely dressed and repulsively ugly. He can draw upon any sphere for his spells. In addition, he may also cast any wizard spell as if it were a priest’s spell of the same level.

Int 20 Wis 20 Cha 0

MV 15 SZ 6’ MR 20%

AC 2 HD 17 HP 136

#AT 1 THAC0 5 Dmg 1d6 +3 (staff) +2
Special Att/Def: Anyone looking at Chung Kuel’s avatar must save versus petrification or look away. He can always detect a lie and his staff, which is a +3 weapon, also acts rod of cancellation.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests dedicated to Chung Kuel must be honest, scholarly and ugly. Their primary duty consists of administering imperial examinations, though they are often employed as investigators in cases of official corruption.

A Celestial Prince, Liu is the god of crops and Superintendent of the Five Cereals: rice, barley, millet, sorghum, and wheat. In addition to supervising the individual deities of each of the five cereals, he is charged with interacting with the gods of rain, hail, insects, and other natural phenomena to ensure an adequate growing season. His is a very difficult job, for he must carefully balance the needs of each of the different cereals, at the same time using diplomacy and other political skills to convince his fellow gods not to send too much or too little rain. Save for his godly bearing and charisma, Liu is a young man who resembles a mortal bureaucrat who might occupy a similar station on earth.

Because he works so hard, Liu is easily affronted if the proper rites are not observed in his honor, which may result in a poor harvest for the offending community. Omens from Liu usually concern the proper time for planting and harvesting, and are associated with the moon, the wind, and the weather.

Liu’s avatar resembles a humble peasant. He can draw upon the all, animal, divination, elemental, healing, plant, and weather spheres for his spells.

Int 17 Wis 17 Cha 18

MV 15 SZ 6’ MR 20%

AC 0 HD 16 HP 128

#AT 1 THAC0 5 Dmg ld8 + 3 (staff) +5
Special Att/Def: Liu’s avatar carries a staff of command +3 and can control plants in a 100’ radius at will.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests dedicated to Liu are expected to work in the fields and to preside over planting and harvesting rites.

As the god of salaries and functionaries, Lu Hsing is often revered by ambitious bureaucrats. He served the founder of the Han dynasty as a loyal and honest administrator. As a result, Shang-ti deified him and gave to him the task of overseeing the fair distribution of rewards in the earthly bureaucracy. Along with Fu Hsing and Shou Hsing, he is one of the three gods worshipped by public servants in order to assure a prosperous career and a happy life. In his true form, he is an immaculately groomed man with a pleasant countenance and a long, silky beard.

However, he detests corruption in any form, so any official committing dishonorable acts for personal gain stands a 10% chance of coming to Lu Hsing’s notice. In such cases, Lu Hsing tries to correct the aberrant behavior through a series of omens. First, the individual’s salary is somehow lost for three weeks in a row. Second, his superior makes a surprise inspection and, no matter what he finds, chastises the bureaucrat for keeping a sloppy office. Third, the bureaucrat receives a visit and stern lecture from Lu Hsing’s avatar. If the individual still does not redress his misdoings, Lu Hsing arranges public exposure of the official’s corruption.

Lu Hsing’s avatar usually takes the form of a well-dressed bureaucrat, often riding a huge stag as a mount. He can draw on any sphere for his spells.

Int 18 Wis 17 Cha 18

MV 15 SZ 6’ MR 20%

AC 2 HD 16 HP 128

#AT 1 THAC0 5 Dmg 1d6 +3 (Flail) +3
Special Att/Def: Lu Hsing’s avatar can only be hit by +2 or better weapons.
Duties of the Priesthood

Lu Hsing is worshipped in the homes of bureaucrats, not in formal temples. Any bureaucrat who sacrifices a small portion of his salary and who works hard may become a priest of Lu Hsing.

Shou Hsing is the god of longevity and the arbiter of life spans. He possesses a set of tablets upon which he has inscribed the date of everyone’s death. As these dates are written in stone, they are supposedly immutable. However, the god has been known to “juggle the writing” and change the dates favorably for those who treat him especially well.

In his true form, Shou Hsing is an aged man with a pure white beard and eyebrows. He has an enormous, egg-shaped bald head. Shou Hsing usually supports himself with a large, rough stick, and carries a P’an T’ao — one of the peaches of immortality — in his free hand.

Role-playing Notes: Although he has no formal temples, Shou Hsing enjoys being worshipped. Many people maintain a shrine to him in their homes and regularly offer him barley cakes and wine. Members of such households seldom suffer the infirmities of old age, but those who neglect such sacrifices seldom age gracefully. Omens from Shou Hsing include signs of premature aging, such as graying hair, loss of hearing or sight, and unexplained arthritic aches.

Statistics: AL cn; WAL any; AoC long life; SY peach.
Shou Hsing’s Avatar (wizard 16)

Shou Hsing’s avatar is an aged bald man of cheerful disposition. He can draw his spells from the necromancy, invocation/evocation, and enchantment/charm schools of magic.

Int 18 Wis 19 Cha 16

MV 15 SZ 6’ MR 25%

AC 2 HD 16 HP 128

#AT 1 THAC0 5 Dmg 1d6 +5 (staff) +4
Special Att/Def: Shou Hsing’s avatar carries a walking stick that is a +5 magical weapon and also functions as a staff of withering. In addition to the normal powers of such a weapon it can cause any living creature to age 5d10 years instantly. This special power can be used once per day and, although an attack roll is required to hit the target, no saving throw is allowed.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests devoted to Shou Hsing devote themselves to protect and comfort the elderly. They are often called upon to preside over parties thrown to celebrate the 50th, 75th, and 100th birthdays of long-lived individuals.

Kuan Yin is one of the most popular gods of ancient China, for she is the goddess of mercy. She constantly strives to ease suffering of all kinds, and is especially fond of rescuing shipwrecked sailors, curing the diseased, and protecting endangered women and children. Her surname, Sung-Tzu-Niang-Niang (“Lady who brings children"), reflects her place as the goddess of human fertility. In this role, she makes sterile women fertile and brings souls to newborn children. In either aspect, Kuan Yin’s true from is that of a slim young woman dressed in white.

Kuan Yin’s avatar appears as an extremely beautiful slim young woman, often with a lotus blossom in her hair and an infant in her arms. She can call upon the all, animal, charm, healing, and protection spheres for her spells.

Int 18 Wis 19 Cha 19

MV 18 SZ 6’ MR 30%

AC 5 HD 17 HP 136

#AT 1 THAC0 5 Dmg 3d10 +9 (staff) +9
Special Att/Def: Kuan Yin’s avatar cannot be hit by any physical weapon, even magical ones. In combat, she employs a magical quarterstaff + 5 that inflicts stunning damage only. In addition, she has the power to negate one attack against any person per round (she chooses which attack at the end the combat round).
Duties of the Priesthood

In addition to keeping an ample supply of slippers on hand, priests dedicated to Kuan Yin must defend the helpless, minister to the sick, and care for homeless children. They may never kill purposely, and if they kill accidentally they lose all their powers until they have performed a suitable of contrition.

The daughter of Shang-ti, Chih-Nii is the goddess of spinners and weavers. She makes clothes for all the gods of heaven, a task that keeps her so busy that she has had no time to find a husband. Fortunately for Chih-Nii, however, her sister convinced her to take a rest and go to earth.

While the women were bathing in a stream, a cowherd came along and hid Chih-Nii’s clothes. When he would not return them, Chih-Nii was forced to remain on earth and eventually fell in love with the mischievous cowherd. Unfortunately, the gods soon recalled Chih-Nii. Recovering Chih-Nii’s clothes from their hiding place, the cowherd tried to follow her to heaven, but Shang-ti stopped the mortal on the far side of the Celestial River (the Milky Way). Chih-Nii may now cross the Celestial river to visit her lover only on the seventh day of the seventh month each year, when the magpies gather to make a bridge with their wings.

Role-playing Notes: As the patron of spinners and weavers, Chih-Nii watches over women who earn their living by making clothes. Her main interest, however, is women who have found love late in their lives, and there is a 10% chance she will send her avatar to punish any male who jilts such a woman.

Statistics: AL cg; WAL any; AoC spinning and weaving, love; SY spinning loom.
Chih-Nii’s Avatar (bard 10, priest 10)

Chih-Nii’s avatar is a very shy but beautiful woman. She can draw upon any school of magic for her wizard spells, and upon the all, charm, divination, elemental, healing, protection, and summoning spheres for her priest spells.

Int 16 Wis 12 Cha 18

MV 15 SZ 5’ MR 15%

AC 5 HD 10 HP 80

#AT 1 THAC0 11 Dmg 1d4 (dagger)
Special Att/Def: Any mortal casting a magic spell against Chih-Nii’s avatar loses that spell permanently, and any weapon wielded by a mortal against her loses its magical properties permanently. Anyone hit by her dagger must save versus spells or fall asleep until awakened by another character (this requires one round to do).
Duties of the Priesthood

Clerics of Chih-Nii preside over ceremonies concerning silkworms, sheep, and other textile sources. As a sign of this, they can only wear armor fashioned from hemp or quilted silk. They are also expected to aid and shelter those involved in impossible loves or star-crossed romances.

Although Shang-ti has established an entire Ministry of Thunder, it is dominated by Lei Kung, the Duke of Thunder. In his true form, he is an ugly, blue-skinned brute with wings and claws. He is clad only in a belt and loincloth, with drums hanging from his waist. In his hands he carries a hammer and a chisel.

Although he has several duties, Lei Kung’s favorite is that of vengeful punisher of undetected, wicked deeds. He also hunts down and destroys evil spirits that have dominated human bodies, or humans who have committed crimes not governed by mortal law. Lei Kung treats all of these criminals the same — he uses his chisel to strike them dead.

Another of Lei Kung’s duties is to beat the drums hanging from his belt during storms. He performs this duty while several other deities perform similar tasks required to make rainstorms.

Like Lei Kung himself, the avatar is an ugly, blue-skinned brute with claws, wings, and a set of drums hanging at his belt. He can draw his Druid spells only from the elemental or weather spheres.

Int 15 Wis 14 Cha 17

MV 18 SZ 7’ MR 15%

AC 0 HD 15 HP 120

#AT 2 THAC0 5 Dmg 2d8/2d8 (chisel) +8
Special Att/Def: Lei Kung’s Avatar’s drums act as a horn of blasting when struck. Further, he is immune to damage caused by sound, electric, or water based attacks.
Duties of the Priesthood

Priests dedicated to Lei Kung must dedicate themselves to ferreting out the misdeeds of others, and often assume the role of spy or informer. They are sometimes asked to assist their patron in tracking down a spirit that has assumed the form of a man.

Sung Chiang, also known as No Cha and a thousand other names, was a famous thief living in the twelfth century AD. When the brigand died and went to the first Law Court of the After-world, Yen-Wang-Yeh was astounded at all the crimes Sung Chiang had committed. The Judge asked him if he was sorry for all the things he had done. Sung Chiang said that he was not, for he had done nothing worse than the corrupt bureaucrats ruling his province. His comment caused an investigation and the guilty administrators were brought to justice. In gratitude, Sung Chiang was given divine status — but only after passing through every Law Court in the After-world. In recognition of his occupation, Sung Chiang now has three faces, eight arms, silvery scales for skin, and red eyes that blaze like fire.