Custom Kuei-jin: Ritual
Some chronicles allow for their players to develop customized powers for their characters. The following is a compilation of player created custom content in OWBN. At this time, custom content that is created and/or used by vampire PC's is required to be listed.
Drawing from the arts of Yang Demon Command and the Rite of Inauspicious Object,
the Heavenly Rite of Zhurong seeks to expand the capabilities of the Divine Devils to greater
degrees. Binding the mightiest of Yomi Wan's minions, those who have fallen from the Celestial
Order, and imprisoning them in order to deny their foe soldiers and power.
System: To start this ritual the Devil Tiger must first find a worthy demon through appropriate
roleplay. Finding a worthy demon requires utilization of the Demonology ability or by contacting
other demons to use them in the hunt. Hunting the demon is a Mental vs 12 traits retest Occult,
upon successfully finding the demon they must then go into battle against it. They then perform
a ritual that takes an hour after the Devil Tiger has found and beaten the demon into
submission. The spirit may be of any order of the Triat, but it must be a corrupted form as those
serving the Celestial Order are immune to this.
DEMON REFERS TO BANES, NOT EARTHBOUND OR
FALLEN.
To bind the demon is a Social Chop vs 15 traits retest Intimidation.
The object the demon is bound into must be suitable to the type of demon, or its purpose must
be suited to it, a demon of war will not abide being bound into an object of peace, unless it can
be - and is - used for violence. The object must also be made of specific materials - for such
things can only be bound in prisons copper, bronze, and jade.
The demon can also only be bound into an object of excellent Craftsmanship (Craftsx4
or better), as nothing else will be suitable for its prison.
This ritual must take place in a Yang Dragon Nest.
This ritual is used to create a 聖功武 Shèng gōng wǔ, (lit. "Divine-made weapon" =
fetishes).
These are prisons first and foremost, and the prisoners want out. Whenever these items
are activated there must be a simple test based on your Hun rating vs 5 traits, on a failure the
demon bound within the item is freed and it is angry. There is no negotiation, it is immediately
combat.
You can only carry as many of these items as half your current P’o rating rounded down.
The power of these items is the true temptation, however, and when it is deactivated the
Kuei-Jin needs to test for Shadow Soul to not be overwhelmed by their P’o to keep the item
active to continue using its power for themselves.
Borrowing from the Bakemono Rite, this is a much less wicked form of application. Utilizing the
stories of Nuwa to fill an empty vessel of clay with the semblance of life, creating loyal soldiers
that are not corruptions of the flesh.
System: The ritualist must first shape an appropriate vessel of clay (Crafts 4 minimum), no other
can shape it for them as they must show the same care as Nuwa. After it is shaped it must be
fired, and a corrupted spirit called to be bound to the vessel. The ritualist must then go to a
Dragon Nest and make a Social Chop vs 15 Socials, retest Rituals with a success binding the
spirit while a failure leaves the spirit unbound and shatters the clay; the spirit will also attack you
immediately. The vessel retains the shape, though altered to look like flesh and fabric, as they
were formed by the ritualist and looks like a living being for all intents and purposes.
In combat, though, they will either warp into a manifestation of their true form or they will fight
while looking human with their body warping to accommodate weaponry. Damage inflicted
against the vessel causes them to crack like porcelain and to bleed muddy ichor.
Spirit Vessels can only bind corrupted spirits who have fallen from their purpose, with the
process slowly cleansing them and working to realign their purpose with Heaven. A Bane will
never be able to be bound to a Spirit vessel, unless that Bane is a Corrupted Wyld or Weaver
spirit. At the end of the term of service set by the Kuei-Jin (no more than 1 year and 1 day) the
spirit is freed and the ritualist must make a similar chop of Socials vs 15 with a Retest of rituals
to see if the spirit has been properly cleansed. If it fails the spirit is still corrupted and can be
rebound to a Spirit Vessel.
You are limited to a number of Spirit Vessels equal to your Occult Rating.
Spirit Vessels have the following stats, able to be modified by the Spirit bound to them.
Physicals: 12
Mentals: 5
Socials: 5
Abilities: Based entirely on the spirit bound to the vessel.
Form abilities: Use Fomori powers as a guideline.
Every 10 points of power a spirit had upon being bound equates to 1 Upgrade Point. Upgrade
points can be spent in the following ways:
Increase Physical, Mental, or Social Traits by 2 for every 1 point spent to a maximum of 14.
Increase two Abilities by 1 for every 1 point spent to a maximum of 5.
Gain 1 Fomori power for every 1 point spent.
This ritual works similarly to the Tapestry power Chi Ward (p135, LotE). It raises or lowers the Wall. The difference is that it can be done by more than one point, in a larger area, and lasts a lot longer.
The ritual requires several components.
A map of the Dragon Nests covering the area that needs to be affected.
A small shrine crafted, one per nest. Made in Sandstone or Regular stone (Sandstone for lowering the Wall and Regular stone for increasing)
A number of Kue Jin assisting in the ritual equal to the levels of adjustment to the wall.
Masonry of Heaven can affect the Wall between the Shadowlands and the Umbra separately. To do so you would only utilize the Dragon Nests on the appropriate lines. Yin nests for Shadow and Yang nests for the Umbra.
The timing is also dependent on when the ritual itself needs to be performed.
Affecting just the Yang Wall would be either increasing the Wall on the new moon, decreasing the Wall on the full moon.
Affecting just the Yin Wall would be either increasing the Wall on the full moon, decreasing the Wall on the New moon.
Affecting both walls, either way would be done on the half moon.
The ritual members must place a shrine in or near each Dragon Nest used. How close they have to be is up to the ST. The shrines are then infused with Chi of the appropriate type. The timing of the placement has to be within the lunar cycle of the ritual but not on the same day.
The ritual leader must know the ritual and those assisting must have the Rites background. Retests with occult or enigmas. The vampire must engage in a Static Willpower Challenge with a difficulty equal to the average of the normal levels of the Wall area covered by the Dragon Nests that have shrines.
If successful, the ritual members spend a chi to power the ritual. It would be all Yang for the Umbral Wall, all Yin for the Shadowlands Wall, or a combination of both for both.
Over the next month, the wall will raise or lower one point. This continues once per lunar month until the number of ritual members has been met. Once completed the increase or decrease of the Wall should equal the number of participants of the ritual.
The effect can be maintained by infusing chi to all of the shrines used on a monthly basis. Otherwise the wall will begin to slowly shift back to original numbers by one point a month. The ritual members may gain notoriety with the various spirit realms depending on the length of time this ritual is maintained and by how much the Wall had been changed.
Borrowing from the Bakemono Rite, this invokes the deity Pangu and can be used on far more
than just humans and using more spirits than just Banes. These can be beasts of war, temple
guardians, or even mounts.
System: The ritualist first determines what they will be creating and find an appropriate animal to
fill their desired role. Once the subject is chosen, and it must be an animal, the ritualist must
prepare the vessel accordingly for the type of being they mean to bind: inflicting pain and
corruption for banes, instilling calmness and unchanging for drones, and evoking chaos and life
for wyldlings. Once all of this has been determined the ritualist must go to a Dragon Nest and
make a static Social Chop against either double the target’s permanent Willpower, retesting
Rituals.
Upon success of being cajoled or forced into this, the spirit is bound to the intended body. The
following creature is not subtle in its appearance, it is a fantastical creature that carries the
physical characteristics one would expect from being bound to a Bane, Drone, or Wyldling by
becoming Fomori, Drone, and Gorgon.
The base states for a being created by Remembering the Dream of Pangu:
Physicals: 9
Mentals: 9
Socials: 9
Abilities: Based entirely on the spirit bound to the vessel.
Form abilities: Use Fomori powers as a guideline. If specifically creating a mount they can freely
cross over into the Yang Realm with their rider.
Every 10 points of power a spirit had upon being bound equates to 1 Upgrade Point. Upgrade
points can be spent in the following ways:
Increase Physical, Mental, or Social Traits by 2 for every 1 point spent to a maximum of 14.
Increase two Abilities by 1 for every 1 point spent to a maximum of 5.
Gain 1 Fomori power for every 1 point spent.
This Rite allows the Kuei-jin to cleanse an area of corruption or defilement, by means of
auspiciously designed Chi lines, provided the Kuei-jin has had the time to study the location
thoroughly and tend the Dragon Nests and Dragon Lines in such a way as to repel harmful,
defiling beings. The area to be guarded, which must center on a Dragon Nest, and may extend
for a radius of up to the Kuei-jin’s Feng Shui ability rating in miles, must be cleansed and
prepared for at least an hour during the casting of the Rite, with symbols painted around the
inside of the area, and aromatic herbs must be burned. One Chi Trait provides 24 hours of
protection, while a second Chi Trait provides a week, and a third Chi Trait a full month of
protection. This Rite has two effects:
First, while this Rite is active, any Creature of Smoke and Shadow which attempts to
enter the area is barred from doing so, and forcibly expelled from any body they are possessing
at the time. In the event a particularly powerful Daeva manages to overcome this protection and
enter anyway, they still find themselves forced to spend a Willpower Trait every Scene they wish
to remain.
Secondly, the casting of this Rite counts as a cleansing, similar to Feng Shui: Broom of
Heaven and Chi’uh Muh: Purification, save that it is a cleansing of Advanced Level, and may be
able to cleanse corruption or defilement which would be beyond those powers.
Type: Custom Thousand Whispers Rite
Difficulty: Variable (see below)
Time Required: One lunar cycle of preparation, three nights of ritual
Minimum Chi Level: 3
Prerequisites:
Thousand Whispers
Streetwise 3+, Drive 3+, Occult 3+, Crafts Jade 3+, Crafts: (Automotive or Mechanics) 3+
Access to Dragon Lines or a geomantic focal point
At least one pound of refined jade (black, green, or white depending on effect)
Purpose:
This rite binds jade, the essence of the Middle Kingdom, into a heavily modified street racing vehicle, forging a mystical link between the car and the dragon lines. The vehicle becomes a "Dragoncoil Vessel" — a chariot capable of slipping into the Shadowlands, spirit realms, or even across the Gauntlet at appropriate junctions.
When properly activated, the vehicle can:
Travel along the Dragon Lines, treating them as ethereal highways between realms and cities.
Slip partially or fully into the spirit worlds, allowing the rider to navigate alternate realms.
Extend its effect to “chasing” vehicles, potentially dragging enemies, allies, or tailgaters into the spirit world alongside the caster.
Ritual Procedure:
Preparation Phase (One Lunar Cycle):
The Kuei-Jin must craft or rebuild the car using custom parts, each inscribed with Taoist seals or Thousand Whispers glyphs.
Jade must be melted, crushed, and folded into the structure, woven into paint, etched into the undercarriage, embedded in engine housing, or hidden in vents and exhausts.
The car must be tested on mortal streets, drifting and racing under specific celestial alignments to “temper the spiritual alloys.”
During this time, the Kuei-Jin must meditate nightly, rotating through the Personas of Thousand Whispers to attune their soul to multiple forms of insight (Warrior, Priest, Scavenger, Artist, etc.).
Convergence Nights (3 Nights):
Conduct the final rituals at a major Dragon Nest or geomantic crossroad.
Use incense and prayer beads made of chipped jade to offer to the vehicle.
On the third night, the Kuei-Jin drives the car at high speed through a dragon line, activating the rite with a scream of tire and soul.
Ritual Test: [Chi + Occult + Drive] vs a difficulty based on the car’s level of modification and the strength of the dragon line (Base Diff 7).
Success means the car is permanently imbued. Failure means the jade rejects the vehicle and may even explode in a flare of Chi backlash.
Effects and Mechanics (Sample):
Effect
Cost
Description
Spirit Drift
1 Chi
Slip partially into Penumbra, Shadowlands, or a spiritual echo of the mortal realm for up to one scene. Environmental rules apply.
Dragonline Highway
2 Chi
Drive along dragon lines as if they were roads across the spirit world, letting you travel great distances quickly. Speed is limited only by how fast the car can go, sometimes faster.
Tailgate Pull
2 Chi + Willpower
If a pursuing vehicle is within 10 meters, you may drag it into the same realm you’re entering. The driver can resist with a contested Willpower Challenge. They will arrive shaken, and their vehicle may suffer damage.
Elemental Drift (Optional Add-on)
Varies
If using colored jade, additional effects are possible (e.g. green jade for wind bursts, black for shadow phasing, white for chi purification shielding). Storyteller’s discretion.
ntermediate Yang Prana
Cost: 7xp
Invoking Principle of Motion enables you to use the Bomb in all challenges of speed and agility. You may use Xùnsù on any challenge in which you rely upon your own speed, even if your opponent attempts to use strength or stamina. Thus, if you try to use Xùnsù to dodge out of the way of someone grabbing at you, you can still use the Bomb.