Steampunk Amahara

Steampunk Amahara is an RPG run by Mal. It is about running around in a steampunk world, looking for ancient loot, waking gods, defeating evil, possibly being evil, and such and such so on!

Background

History of Amahara

Mythic Era

Long ago, at the beginning of time, the three creator goddesses summoned life, the universe, and everything into being in a fit of yuri. In the ages thereafter, gods and celestials toyed with the world freely and terrifying beasts struck terror in humans who hid behind fire by night and could scarcely carry on with their lives. The greatest human, Tatehaya, slew the monsters of the realm, accomplished the five impossible requests of Kaguya the Moon Princess and then went on to conquer the world. His final campaign was a war against the homeland of his wife, a war by the humans of the Earth against the celestials who dwelt on the Moon. The war saw him killed, the celestials extinguished, and the world shattered. The great flood washed all trace of civilisation away, leaving humanity a long age of rebuilding. In the end, the great land of Yamato was submerged beneath the seas, leaving only the lands closes to Heaven - Amahara.

Classical Era

During the Classical Era, the religion of Shinto is developed from the superstitions and old shamanism of the Mythic Era. Amahara comes to be ruled by the Apostles, a line of sequentially selected empresses that are supposed to personally enshrine the two founders of Amahara.

Medieval Amahara

The rather backwards and ineffectual classical government is overthrown by warlords. A series of five shogunates rules Amahara from 888 to 1848, interspersed with long periods of fighting.

Yanari Shogunate

The Yanari Shogunate was the fifth and last shogun dynasty to rule Amahara, lasting out the last 200 years or so of the shogunate era.

Bakumatsu

Foreign influences and weakness in the shogunate devolves into a massive civil war, propelling Amahara into the modern world. The current year is 1878

Overview of Amahara

Amahara is a large archipelago about the size and climate of Japan - in short it is mystic Japan. It has just recently gone through the equivalent of the Meiji Restoration.

Religion

The religion of Amahara is Amahara Shinto, an aggressively proselytising form of Shinto believing in a vast pantheon of gods who govern every aspect of the world from weather and earthquakes to steam engines and the fine moving parts of clockwork. The new Dominion of Amahara sees itself as having a responsibility to spread this faith, most commonly by establishing and protecting countless small shrines all over the world and encouraging people to recognize the role of the kami in day to day life. It is inclusive rather than exclusive, which is part of its attraction, readily absorbing local gods, spirits, and folk heroes into the pantheon. It promises spiritual progression through reincarnation (especially after dying well) and does not treat many of the things other religions frown on (like alcohol or casual sex) as misdemeanors. Its main conflict with the Abrahamic faiths is in the doctrine of monotheism, resulting in Christian, Jewish and Muslim clerics dragged through the streets and lynched or beheaded. A recent imperial edict has declared all monotheistic religions illegal.

Amahara Shinto has multiple ranks of clergy based on their role in the service of the gods and attendant level of devotion. The most revered and respected lead highly regimented lives full of taboos, restrictions, vows of devotion, and ritual duties. In theory, their word is law as they speak for the gods themselves. The highest of these is the Dominion's head of state, the Apostle of Amahara, a girl periodically selected in the traditional manner, through the consultation of complex astrological tables and the analysis of shifting geomantic and meteorological patterns.

Mission

• Learn about foreign ways if they are useful.
• Awaken and enshrine spirits and kami in foreign lands.
• Recover artifacts and knowledge for the good of the state and academic progress.
• Do not piss off the foreigners too much.

Character Creation

Classes

Shrine Maiden

The only absolutely critical class for the game to start - there needs to be at least one, but hell, we could have nothing but shrine maidens we you like. Shrine Maidens are always female and start with Shinto Ritual as well as one other art that has Shinto Ritual as a prerequisite.

Ronin

The end of the Yanari Shogunate also ended the distinctions and privileges of the samurai class. Yet, old traditions die hard and the numerous survivors of the Bakumatsu have continued to raise a whole generation in the old ways even if they no longer have much political power. (Note that the class is a game mechanic only - in reality many ronin have become soldiers or policemen.) In any event, they start with Close Combat and Bushido and are liable to be good melee fighters.

Ninja

While Amahara's governments have had to grapple with overabundant samurai at various times in the past, it has rarely found itself with enough ninja for all the dishonourable work that needs to be done in the name of honour.

Soldier

The common soldier hasn't really inherited the prestige of the samurai but they do have the whole Firearms thing going for them.

???

Arts

Each character has 2 class Arts which they start with and may choose y other additional Arts. Unless otherwise specified, having a relevant Art lowers the success threshold to 6 from various unpleasantly high numbers depending on how necessary training, knowledge and experience are for that task. It is hence a pretty good idea to make sure your starting Arts reflect what it is you want to do. Arts also have various other beneficial special effects that are always active.

Example Arts

Animal Friendship

The ability to make friends with animals and other creatures, and failing that to at least quickly make sense of their habits and behaviours. This extends to blatantly magical creatures of course.

Athletics

A general proficiency to jumping, tumbling, climbing, swimming, and running around which adventurers into wild and forgotten lands are wont to often do.

Close Combat

A general proficiency in fighting at close quarters.

Endure

Allows long term endurance, and to resist hits. In effect gives 5 additional hit points.

Firearms

This gives familiarity with firearms, allowing you to shoot at difficulty 6 as well as to maintain them.

Stealth

Improves stealth, allowing a character to become all but invisible.

Shinto Ritual

Opens up the Arete stat and gives a solid background of training and knowledge in shinto rites, rituals and ceremonies.

Tracking

Allows a user to follow tracks and trails.

Ritual Magic (req. Shinto Ritual)

Kagura (req. Shinto Ritual and Close Combat and Athletics)

Kagura is the sacred unarmed combat form of the shrine maidens that evolved from the various ceremonial dances and rituals associated with the shinto religion. It is a highly acrobatic, striking martial art with an emphasis on flexibility, acrobatics, kicks and dodging. In the real world, its closest cousin would be capoeira. In addition to enhancing unarmed combat, it can strike immaterial targets.

Spiritualism (req. Shinto Ritual)

This allows the summoning of spirits and the invocation of the kami to assist you. This type of magic still works in the homeland but its usefulness drops rapidly in other areas. In civilised areas, the kami find it difficult to manifest for any length of time if at all. In other places untouched by Amahara Shinto, they may behave in unexpected, even hostile ways and against the traditions and rituals that have long governed the norm of interaction between the worlds of gods and humans. Changing this situation by spreading Amahara Shinto is of course a primary directive of your mission.

Stats

You have z points to design your character. Any excess points can be saved for increase later.

Level 1 - 1 CP
Level 2 - 3 CP
Level 3 - 6 CP
Level 4 - 10 CP
Level 5 - 15 CP
Level 6 - 21 CP
Level 7 - 28 CP
Level 8 - 36 CP
Level 9 - 45 CP
Level 10 - 55 CP

In short, to improve a stat costs (current level + 1)

Base Stats

Strength

A measure of overall physical potency. It is used alone for standing feats of muscle power or endurance and also adds directly to damage and soak. When attacking hand to hand, every point of Strength the attacker has over the defender subtracts one from the defender's Parry.

Dexterity

Dexterity Man, Dexterity Man! Does all the things Dexterity can!

Wits

Mental speed and the ability to carry on thinking under pressure. When attacking hand to hand, every point of Wits the attacker has over the defender subtracts from the defender's Dodge.

Intelligence

Raw smarts. Is used for perception when reflexes don't really matter.

Charisma

A measure of personal presence and the most common stat to which physical beauty is attached as a Speciality.

Resolve

A measure of mental toughness and focus.

Derived Stats

Strength + Dexterity = ??? which is this number indicating your usual abilities in jumping, running and so on and is everyone's defense against gunfire. Having more Strength than the defender in hand to hand also subtracts from their Parry.

Dexterity + Wit gives Init which is added to your usual 1d10. Having more Wits than the defender in hand to hand also subtracts from their Dodge.

Wits + Intelligence doesn't really give a stat but when someone "attacks" a problem with Wits and is already successful, every point of Intelligence over the perpetrator adds threshold success.

Intelligence + Charisma also doesn't give a stat but every point of Intelligence a would-be manipulator has over her mark adds threshold success if the Charisma roll is successful.

Charisma + Resolve = This should totally do something or help in some way!

Resolve + Strength = Double it and that's how many hitpoints you have.

Specialties

You may also buy Specialties, which give you additional dice in specific situations. Specialties are bought as stats and can be customised but as a rule need to be fairly specific. For example, Swording or Parrying are no good, but Kendo works. Dodging is too broad, but Diving for Cover is okay.

Equipment

Weapons

The only ones that matter, obviously.

Tanto

A knife.

Katana

Naginata

Staff

Yumi

Derringer

A derringer is a single-shot pistol that comes in a pair. They fire once each and don't do much damage, but are nevertheless a positive way to begin or end a fight.

Revolver

A revolver normally fires once every other round.

Rifle

A rifle is a slow weapon and typically has an init rating of -2 and takes two rounds after firing in order to load, prime, and be ready to fire again. However, it deals a fuckton of damage if it hits and has, as far as the game is concerned, unlimited range.

Bayonet

This attachment makes a rifle also a very convincing melee weapon and is hence not free. After all, good heroines seldom openly mount a bayonet on the rifle slung to her back. The art of fighting hand-to-hand with a rifle - whether the bayonet is there or not - is a Skill called Jukendo.

Others

Gaijin

Empire of Great Yan

The nearby "Middle Kingdom" is the largest and most populous land empire in the world as well as the source of most overseas influence on Amahara in the classical and medieval eras. Unlike Amahara however, it never gained a lasting warrior tradition nor a particular penchant for religion (though its indigenous beliefs are broadly compatible with shinto principles). It has always been a state centered around civil and financial administration with both faith and military prestige as tertiary priorities. In contrast to Medieval Amahara, its dynastic transitions have tended to be swift, decisive affairs involving only a few sides and given the sheer might of the empire in the past, it hardly ever had outside rivals.

After decades of foreign pressure, the mighty empire has collapsed into the mother of all civil wars which could well dictate the fate of the region if not the world depending on who wins and who is left alive at the end.