1

Yokaidan: Crossroads

Kiera Schroeder k.schroeder@digipen.edu

GAT212 | Fall 2014

Copyright © 2014 DigiPen (USA) Corporation. All Rights Reserved. 1

1 Image by Kawanabe Kyōsai, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakki_Yagyō.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

World & Story Page 3

Character Creation Page 12

Game Rules Page 25

Econ 101 Page 30

Character Advancement & Reward Page 34

Yokaipedia Page 37

Documentation Page 62

3

WORLD & STORY

OVERVIEW

1. Backstory Page 3

2. Humans and Yokai Page 5

3. Setting Page 5

4. Important Characters Page 7

5. Deat, the Afterlife, and Deification Page 9

6. Adventure Hooks Page 10

1. BACKSTORY

WAKOKU, YAMATO, AND GENERAL YORINAGA

The world, as far as the characters are concerned, is a region on the

southern shore of a small island country called Wakoku. This region, bordered by

the sea and surrounded by tall mountains and thick forests, is cut off from the

rest of the nation. Travel to and from this place, the Yamato province, is

dangerous not only because of its geography, but because of the creatures

lurking there. Yokai - demons, monsters, and spirits - have called the Yamato

region home for centuries. Only in the past hundred or so years have humans

dared to venture down past its snowcapped peaks.

The warrior general who first set foot in the Yamato region, shogun

Yorinaga, brought the military might of his sword-wielding samurai to bear and

paved the way for the settling of the area. With no humans there to oppose him,

and no yokai brave enough to face his bureau of demon-dispelling sorcerers,

Yorinaga had a castle built for him at the foot of the mountains and claimed the

region for his own.

It was a time of great civil unrest in Wakoku - a period of warring states in

the wake of an ailing old emperor’s death. Power had been changing hands for

decades; no man or woman could keep their seat on the throne long enough

to issue a command, let alone re-establish a government. But while the rest of

Wakoku was at war with itself, Yorinaga had a burgeoning kingdom on his

hands. He approached three of his most trusted daimyo and gave each lord a

4

large swath of territory to oversee. Under these daimyo would serve samurai,

who in exchange for their services received small plots of land of their own.

THE DAIMYO AND THEIR DOMAINS

The eastern fief, lying in the shadow of Mt. Ōe, was aptly called Yama-

han, the mountain domain. Yorinaga bestowed the land upon a tightly-wound

man with an extreme distaste for yokai, and the daimyo’s people soon adopted

his opinions. His name was Tomohide.

The middlemost fief, the closest to the sea, was named Umi-han, the

ocean domain. Toramaru, a most anxious daimyo if there ever was one, ruled

with a mostly neutral regard for the supernatural. Despite his best efforts to hide

it, his fear of yokai quickly became known among the samurai serving him. Only

their profound respect for their master keeps Toramaru’s secret under wraps.

The western fief, separated from the others by a river, was known as

Kawa-han, the river domain. Its daimyo, Kagenobu, was loved by those living

under his watchful eye. The people of Kawa-han took his words to heart and

began looking upon yokai with respect. There are rumors among the other

daimyo that Kagenobu is actually a shape-shifting kitsune, but those who think

well of him have no reason to be suspicious.

PRESENT DAY

The shogun, Yorinaga, employs a number of people trained in the art of

onmyodo: yin-yang magic and divination. These practitioners are known as

onmyoji, and their most valuable talent is ridding the land of yokai and other evil

spirits through the use of talismans and other spells. They have been tasked with

ensuring the safety of the castle and the surrounding territories under the

authority of his loyal daimyo. While samurai never needlessly attack yokai,

onmyoji actively seek them out in order to seal them away or destroy them

outright, as per their orders that state that every yokai is a potential threat to the

shogunate and the people of the Yamato region.

The leader of the yokai, Nurarihyon, holds the quiet belief that humans

have grown too complacent in their time in the Yamato region and could stand

to be put in their place. He is very shadowy character even for a yokai, and

nobody knows for certain whether he intends to act on his beliefs, or if he is

content to watch and wait until a more appropriate time arises.

5

2. HUMANS AND YOKAI

Yokai have lived in the Yamato region for as long as any of them can

remember, so many yokai feel justified in attacking humans for encroaching on

their territory. The more passive yokai among them have sought to befriend

humans, to little effect – humans are just as bitter about the sustained presence

of the old Yamato residents as yokai are about the newcomers. As a result,

these optimistic yokai do their best to simply avoid humans, and the more bull-

headed yokai happily go out of their way to harass their new neighbors.

This is not to say that friendships between humans and yokai don’t exist.

There are many tales of yokai teaching humans about things relevant to the

region, such as land cultivation techniques and where to find certain medicinal

herbs. Likewise, humans brought with them novel forms of entertainment that

some yokai secretly adopted. A love of music and sake is a shared trait

between the two races.

Yokai naturally have the ability to hide themselves from view and avoid

detection from humans. Children, in all their innocence, have an easier time

piercing this shroud and seeing the yokai, although they do not necessarily

recognize them as creatures to be feared. Parents do their best to instill caution

(and good behavior) in their children by telling them bedtime stories of yokai

bogeymen who come to snatch away naughty children in the night.

Indeed, the night is a dangerous time to be outside, let alone wandering

darkened streets or lonely forests and mountainsides. The most dangerous yokai

tend to be more active at night. To make matters worse, on summer nights there

takes place the hyakki yagyo, a night parade of demons where yokai take to

the streets and raise hell, forcing humans to stay inside or risk their lives. The

parade is led by none other than Nurarihyon himself.

3. SETTING

At the start of the adventure, the “world” map will be slightly limited; NPCs

such as town guards block the way to the imposing mountain to the north-west,

and no fisherman will lend his boat to players seeking out the island to the south.

Once players have reached a high enough level to prove their mettle, the NPCs

standing in their way will recognize their competence and allow them access to

those areas.

6

Of course, that is not to say the players cannot find some other means of

getting to these places; it is simply very risky to do so. Yokai will find the going

easier than humans, since Mt. Ōe and Onigashima are primarily yokai haunts,

but the creatures lurking there may take issue with yokai who have befriended

humans.

> The Shogun’s Castle: Well-fortified and backed by mountains, this castle

is where the warrior general lives. The average person will have a hard

time getting past the palace guards without an invitation from Yorinaga

himself, and any yokai foolish enough to try to enter in may find

themselves on the receiving end of a high-level onmyoji’s talismans.

> Yama-han, Umi-han, Kawa-han: The three domains under the

jurisdiction of the daimyo. The daimyo all have varying opinions on yokai:

one hates them, the other is supposedly indifferent, and the third is quite

accepting of them. Several small villages make up the populations of

each domain, and a village mayor serves as the spokesmen for his

community. Each shrine usually has its own shrine serving a local deity,

which the resident priestesses tend to.

> Mt. Tengu: The avian Tengu Tribe, led by the Great Tengu, resides in the

tallest mountain directly north of the shogun’s castle. The tengu are

fiercely competitive and will challenge any worthy traveler to battle if

they set foot on their mountain. However, characters who gain a rapport

with the Great Tengu will find the going much easier.

> Mountain range: Those seeking to scale the surrounding mountains must

beware their snow-capped peaks, as the frigid female yokai, yuki-onna,

are said to freeze the careless in their tracks. For this reason in particular,

humans seldom venture there. Yobuko, yokai that enjoy echoing the

human voice, also make their home in the mountains.

> Forests: While all forests are well-known yokai haunts, the eastern forest

known as Jukai (“sea of trees”) is deep, dark, and thought to be

especially dangerous. How fitting, then, that it lies at the foot of Mt. Ōe.

________________________________________________________________________

> Mt. Ōe: The tallest peak for miles and miles around, visible even above

the mountaintops separating its base from the shogun’s land. It is said that

the entrance to the underworld lies somewhere between the crags of this

dark mountain, and that the leader of the yokai, Nurarihyon, makes his

home here as well

7

> Onigashima: This beautiful island is populated mostly by oni, ogre-like

yokai, who are very violent but can be placated when put in the right

mood. There are rumors of precious gold and gemstone deposits on the

island, guarded of course by the oni. The shogun has taken a special

interest in the treasures of Onigashima, but no human who has had the

courage to visit has returned to confirm their existence.

4. IMPORTANT CHARACTERS

THE SHOGUN, YORINAGA

Yorinaga is a hard-headed and intimidating man who is respected by all,

not for his kindness or wisdom, but for his sheer determination to make his way

the only way. “Might makes right” is his motto, and it has served him well for the

thirty-odd years he has ruled the Yamato region. With power decentralized

among his three domains (and with an army of samurai to back him up), no one

has gathered the forces to oppose him - not that anyone has really thought to

do so. He is not a terrible ruler so long as you stay out of his way...and are not a

yokai.

Only characters with great influence stand a chance of having an

audience with Yorinaga – high-ranking samurai or onmyoji, for example. The

average peasant’s pleas have to go through the domain’s daimyo first, who

then relays any relevant information to the shogun.

THE DAIMYO, YORINAGA’S FEUDAL LORDS

When Yorinaga was but a fledgling general at the young age of twenty-

four, his most loyal followers were the men he would later make into lords:

Tomohide, Toramaru, and Kagenobu. Each man was given a domain to

oversee.

Tomohide received the mountain doman, as it sat at the foot of the most

yokai-infested mountain in the region. Hating yokai even more than the shogun

himself, Tomohide was not pleased with this gift, but he accepted the title of

daimyo just the same.

8

Toramaru became lord of the sea domain, a prospect that terrified him;

from his fortress he could see the island of Onigashima just on the horizon, and

every night he dreamed the oni would storm across the sea and tear him to

pieces. He claims to not care one way or another about yokai, but in truth is

actually quite opinionated.

Kagenobu was given the river domain, and so was in a way cut off from

the rest of the region. But this suited his tastes nicely; somewhat of a furtive man,

he enjoyed keeping to himself and held no fear of whatever hid in the nearby

forests. Secretive though he may be, Kagenobu is curiously open about his

respect for the supernatural, a fact the other daimyo are eager to hold against

him.

Characters who are samurai will have an easier time accessing the

daimyo by traveling up through the ranks

THE LEADER OF THE YOKAI, NURARIHYON2

Nurarihyon may look like a wizened old man

with an oblong head, but he is actually a very

clever and resourceful yokai. He is known for

appearing in peoples’ dwellings while the residents

are away and making himself at home, eating their

food and drinking their tea; and because he looks

enough like a human, no one ever suspects he’s

not the owner himself.

The ways of yokai are mysterious, so it is

uncertain what exactly makes Nurarihyon their

leader. Does he secretly command armies like the

shogun? Or does he just sit back and smoke his

pipe all day, a leader only in title? No human of sound mind would brave the

slopes of Mt. Ōe to find out.

There are, of course, sycophants among the yokai populace who do their

best to curry favor with their leader, but Nurarihyon is quite impartial and poker-

faced much of the time.

2 Image by Toriyama Seiken, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurarihyon.

9

THE GREAT TENGU

The leader of the Tengu Tribe is far more approachable than Nurarihyon

(though, getting to him without being accosted by the other members of the

tribe is a different story). His sense of personal pride is as great as his nose is long,

yet he is strangely more humble than those below him. Compared to the lesser

tengu, the Great Tengu is very understanding and accepting of humans, even if

at times disdainful of their arrogant ways.

He uses a feathered fan, the hauchiwa, to blow whirlwinds at foes. And he

loves a good challenge! If a yokai or better yet, a feeble human, can manage

to best him in combat, they will have earned the undying respect of an ally for

life.

5. DEATH, THE AFTERLIFE, AND DEIFICATION

When a human or yokai dies, their soul becomes separated from their

body. In most cases the soul will attempt to make its way to the underworld

through the entrance in Mt. Ōe, where the soul is then judged by the lord of the

underworld, King Enma. If the person had lived a virtuous life, they would find

eternal peace in. If they had lived a life of sin, they would be condemned to an

eternity of suffering, either in hell, or wandering the earth in a grotesque new

form. (This is how the yokai like the wanyudo come to be.) Children and those

who had lived morally ambiguous lives would be sent to a limbo-esque plane,

neither suffering nor taking pleasure in their fates.

Not all souls make it to King Enma, however. Humans who die particularly

gruesome or dishonorable deaths may be unable to find rest, and will haunt the

places of their deaths. These spirits are referred to as yuurei, and do not

necessarily cause harm to others. Onryo, on the other hand, are malignant,

grudge-like entities that want nothing more than to see others suffer the way

they suffered, and are not as easily pacified as yuurei. Human souls are also a

favorite snack of many yokai, and barring stealing the soul of a living person

outright, they will prey on the disembodied spirits of those trying to find their way

to the afterlife.

CHARACTER DEATH

If a character dies and makes it to the underworld unscathed, their friends

can embark on a journey through hell to retrieve their soul. The party’s first task

10

would likely be to locate the entrance on Mt. Ōe, and from there, blaze a trail

through the underworld to King Enma’s palace. No living creature, not even

yokai, dares enter his domain, for those who step into the underworld only have

a short time before their life force drains away and they themselves become

nothing more than spirits.

As for King Enma, he does not take kindly to those who would try to “steal”

a soul whose time has come. But he is not unbending, nor does he lack

sympathy; he can be both bargained and reasoned with, and made to change

his mind if the soul’s friends clamor loudly enough. The trials and tribulations of

mortals amuse him as much as they would any immortal being, so appealing to

his ego may have a positive effect as well.

DEIFICATION

A player may elect for a permanent death for their character. Depending

on that character’s exploits (and the player’s desires), that character may be

immortalized by humans and/or yokai as a kami, a divine spirit, and have a

shrine built for them for worship and remembrance.

6. ADVENTURE HOOKS

THE TRUE IDENTITY OF KAGENOBU

The party is approached by an NPC asking them to investigate the

daimyo of Kawa-han, Kagenobu. They suspect he might be a yokai in disguise,

probably a kitsune or tanuki. This NPC can be anyone who would logically have

a reason to be suspicious of Kagenobu: a samurai serving him, a concerned

village mayor, even one of the other daimyo (assuming there is a pre-

established relationship between the daimyo and a party member, for example

one of his samurai). Who is Kagenobu? That is ultimately up for the GM to

decide.

A word of warning: the outcome of this adventure could have serious

repercussions on the party’s future adventures. Assuming the players’ success, it

would permanently expose Kagenobu as 1) a normal human being, in which

case the NPC’s loyalty might be called into question, and the other daimyo

would warm up to Kagenobu more, or 2) a yokai, and the entire Yamamoto

11

region could be thrown into chaos and confusion (depending on how much

pandemonium the players want to deal with).

12

CHARACTER CREATION

OVERVIEW

1. Choose a race Page 12

2. Choose a species (if yokai) Page 13

3. Decide Loyalty and Tolerance Page 14

4. Assign stats Page 15

5. Pick Skills and Powers Page 16

6. Items Page 23

7. Character Examples Page 23

1. CHOOSE A RACE (HUMAN OR YOKAI)

Your character can be a human, or a yokai, a supernatural creature and

wellspring of strange phenomena.

HUMAN

Humans are an industrious lot, good at learning things but without many

outstanding powers. Their ability to adapt to many different situations makes

them very capable; however, previous encounters with yokai proves the race’s

general inability to keep a cool head in the face of the unknown. Human

society is more complex than yokai society, and they tend to place much more

emphasis on social hierarchy.

The default humans in Yokaidan are native residents of Wakoku. There are

vagabonds, peasants, and bandits who will steal from both; merchants, artisans,

and geisha, female entertainers; noble samurai who serve their masters, and

masterless samurai who wander the land of their own accord. Miko are young

women who tend to shrines and the divine beings who frequent them, while

onmyoji, “ying-yang sorcerers,” user their powers of the occult to keep evil at

bay.

Human characters start with 3 Skills and 2 Powers.

13

Note:

Currently there are no rules that support specific play styles for humans (i.e.

“classes”), but players are encouraged to talk with the GM to create more

customized human characters that suit their interests.

In order to maintain the spirit of the RPG, please keep in mind that the

setting is essentially feudal-era Japan and is not intended to support elements

that greatly deviate from that theme.

YOKAI

Yokai are “magical” by nature but tend to have a narrow focus of

practical talents. What they lack in aptitude (by human standards), they make

up for in cunning, physical might, or general unpredictability. Yokai are not

bound by the same codes as humans, but some species have decent morals

and are more interested in causing mischief than harm. By and large yokai care

little for the self-important attitudes of humans and if push comes to shove, they

won’t hesitate to put them in their place, one way or another.

There are many species of yokai, and each is characterized by their

appearance and habits. Although every yokai is an individual with their own

beliefs and motivations, those of the same species always seem to share a few

basic behavioral similarities.

Yokai characters start with 2 Skills and 4 Powers.

Note:

Yokai are mysterious creatures that often defy human understanding. How

long do they live for? Do they ever get sick? How do they reproduce? Is a given

yokai male, female, of no gender, of every gender imaginable? These are all

questions that the individual player may answer, or choose to leave

unanswered.

2. CHOOSE A SPECIES (IF YOKAI)

In game terms, a yokai’s species can be thought of as its class, as it is

meant to define the character and help guide the process of fleshing them out.

Please refer to the Yokaipedia on page 37 to select a species to play as. Bear in

14

mind that not all types of yokai lend themselves well to being playable

characters.

3. DECIDE LOYALTY AND TOLERANCE

Loyalty and Tolerance shape how your character interacts with those of

their own species as well as those on the other side of the fence.

LOYALTY

Loyalty is a defining trait that guides how your character acts with regards

to a certain race, and influences how NPCs treat your character. Generally,

humans are loyal to humans, and yokai are loyal to yokai. But if, for example, a

human NPC comes upon a yokai helping an injured human (thereby

demonstrating loyalty to that race), that NPC would be more apt to treat the

yokai well.

Is your character more comfortable with humans or yokai? Who do they

play nicely with? Both sides? Just one? Neither? By nature, humans and yokai do

not get along - but maybe your character goes against the grain. Interracial

relationships (friendship, familial love, or otherwise) are not unheard of, although

they are looked down on by humans and yokai alike.

Your character may be loyal to everyone, or to no one at all, and the

degree to which they are willing to stand by their comrades may vary – it’s all up

to you.

TOLERANCE

Tolerance works in conjunction with Loyalty; essentially, it represents how

much your character is willing to tolerate the race they are not loyal to. Humans

usually have a low tolerance for yokai, and vice-versa. Those who have had

positive interactions with the other race in the past will likely have higher a

tolerance.

Declaring how tolerant your character is will give your fellow players an

idea of how your character acts among certain company. It will also help the

15

GM shape future encounters with NPCs and enemies whose opinions coincide

and conflict with your character’s.

4. ASSIGN STATS

Your character has six stats: five standard stats and one exclusive to their

race. Aside from health, each stat ranges from 0-100, and the higher the

number, the more capable the character is in that particular field. You have a

total of 300 points to assign to the following five stats, but if you wish, you can

devote a maximum of 50 of those points toward health instead. You are not

obligated to spend all 300 points.

For simplicity’s sake, it is suggested you spend these points in multiples of 5

and 10.

By leveling up, players can increase each stat’s point cap to a maximum

of 125. Please see the “Leveling Up” section on page 34 for more information.

Standard Stats

> Might (MGT): Strength, physical power. Used for stamina and other

physical feats, such as climbing or swimming, and for standard attacks.

> Charisma (CHA): Social skills, magnetism. Used for most social

interactions, including trying to placate or deceive others.

> Wisdom (WIS): Knowledge, intelligence. Used for such things as reading

others’ motivations, and understanding and interpreting new information.

> Reflex (REF): A catch-all stat for things related to speed, including agility,

dexterity, and both physical and mental reflexes. Also used for dodging

during combat.

Race-Exclusive Stats

> Willpower (WIL) [Human]: Inner strength, resolve. A human’s ability to

stand strong in the face of both natural and supernatural forces. Humans

with high willpower are not easily frightened and are less apt to succumb

to yokai trickery.

16

> Spirit (SPI) [Yokai]: Mystic, supernatural energy. All yokai naturally possess

spirit energy, but the degree to which they can successfully manipulate

that energy varies, (but usually increases with time and experience). Spirit

is also a measure of a yokai’s pure power and physical presence – those

with more Spirit are far more intimidating than those with less.

Health

All characters start with 250 HP (children or especially young or weak

yokai may start with less if the player so chooses). Players have the option of

giving their character more health in exchange for stat points, up to a maximum

of +50. So, the most health a character can have is 300 HP.

5. PICK SKILLS AND POWERS

Skills are used in “everyday” situations, outside of combat, whereas

Powers can be used both inside and outside of combat.

SKILLS

Human characters start with 4 Skills.

Yokai characters start with 2 Skills.

This is not a comprehensive list – players can still perform actions that are

not listed, it will simply require the player or the GM to determine which stat to

use when performing it.

Some Skills are specialized, meaning a character can be especially adept

at one aspect of the Skill, but not others.

> Weapon Proficiency: Choose a weapon to be proficient in. Refer

to the weapons list on page 32 for examples.

> Drunken Mastery: Choose an action to be extra adept at while

under the influence. This can be a Skill, a Power, dodging while in

combat, or any other mundane action you can think of.

17

Skill Stat Description

Weapon Proficiency

(specialized)

MGT The ability to use a certain weapon

skillfully.

Swim MGT The ability to swim, even in adverse

conditions.

Endurance MGT The ability to exert oneself for an

extended period of time.

Intimidate MGT Threaten someone into doing what you

tell them – with your fists.

Charm CHA Get on someone’s good side and reap

the benefits.

Bluff CHA Convince someone that what you say is

true.

Intimidate CHA Threaten someone into doing what you

tell them – with your words.

Diplomacy CHA Talk things out. May prevent tense

situations from escalating.

Perception WIS Awareness of one’s surroundings, in a

non-supernatural sense.

Sense Motive WIS The ability to discern someone’s true

intentions.

Knowledge: Yokai WIS Knowledge of various yokai.

Knowledge: Humans WIS Knowledge of humans and their society.

Sleight of Hand REF You are quick with your hands, enabling

you to deceive an onlooker’s eye.

Stealth REF Move quietly to avoid detection.

Quick Reflexes REF You are able to react immediately to

nearly any given situation.

Eagle Eye REF Your aim is impeccable and you have a

keen eye for detail.

Detection WIL/SPI The ability to detect the presence of

natural or supernatural entities.

Commune WIL/SPI Speak with the heart to better

understand the target.

Unbreakable WIL/SPI You show courage when others

succumb to fear. You don’t know the

meaning of the words “give up.”

Drunken Master

(specialized)

WIL/SPI Grants the “Drunken Mastery” Power.

There is something you are especially

good at while drinking.

18

POWERS

Human characters start with 2 Powers.

Yokai characters start with 4 Powers.

Light blue Powers usually can only be used by humans.

Dark blue Powers usually can only be used by yokai.

Purple Powers usually can be used by both humans and yokai.

The “Description” column gives an idea about how the Power is used

outside of combat, but the players are ultimately free to interpret and use them

however they wish.

A (P) under the Power’s name signifies that it is a physical Power and has

a range of 1 region (i.e. the user must be in the same region as the target).

Powers with no symbols have a range of up to 3 regions and are not strictly

defined as either physical or ranged.

A Power that deals “STAT damage” deals damage equal to value of the

user’s stat. A Power that deals “STAT + Fate Die damage” deals damage equal

to the stat plus the result of its associated Fate Die roll.

Saving rolls are written as “STAT checks,” equivalent to a STAT + Fate Die

roll. A saving roll is successful when the result is greater than or equal to the

opponent’s vs check – the defender always has the advantage. Note that a

Power that has the target perform a saving roll cannot be dodged.

POWER DESCRIPTION IN COMBAT

Appeal

WIL/SPI

Appeal to your

opponent’s sensibilities

to avoid becoming a

target yourself.

WIL/SPI vs WIL/SPI check. If

successful, reduce incoming

damage from the target (standard

attacks or Powers) by half, rounded

down, until the user’s next turn.

Calm Mind

WIL

Your will cannot be

shaken by

supernatural forces.

The user cannot receive any new

status effects or Fate Die alterations.

Lasts until the user’s next turn.

Charge

MGT

(P)

A powerful ramming

attack that sends the

target flying.

Deals MGT damage and pushes the

target into an adjacent region of the

user’s choice.

The user takes 10 recoil damage.

19

Critical Strike

MGT

(P)

A delayed strike that

hits the target’s weak

point.

On your next turn, deal MGT + max

Fate Die damage. (No need to roll

the Fate Die.)

Crushing Blow

MGT

(P)

A powerful attack that

not even the toughest

shield can deflect.

Deals MGT + Fate Die damage.

Damage from this attack cannot be

reduced by armor or by Dodging

(but can be negated by a successful

dodge).

Dispel

WIL

Drive away evil forces

that are plaguing you

or your allies.

Any negative DoT or Fate Die effects

are removed from the target.

Drunken

Mastery

(specialized)

WIL/SPI

Under the influence of

alcohol, the user

inexplicably becomes

a master at their art of

choice.

Cannot be used if the user is sober.

The user receives a +40 Bonus to all

checks related to their specialization

until the end of combat. Does not

stack.

The user cannot dodge (unless

specialized) and movement is

reduced to 1 region per Free Action.

Encourage

CHA

Embolden your allies,

even in the face of

danger.

Removes the Fear status effect from

the target.

Flight

SPI

The user takes to the

sky.

The user cannot be hit by standard

attacks or physical Powers.

Flurry

REF

(P)

A flurry of kicks,

punches, or weapon

strikes. Beware the

fatigue that follows!

Deals REF + Fate Die damage. Roll 3

Fate Dice and select one result to

add to REF.

The user cannot use this Power two

turns in a row.

Grapple

MGT

(P)

The user grabs the

target in an attempt to

immobilize them.

MGT vs MGT check. If the user is

successful, the target cannot

perform any actions on their turn

aside from a MGT check to attempt

to break free.

The user must continue to use

Grapple as their Major Action and

succeed the MGT vs MGT check for

every turn they wish to keep the

target grappled.

20

If the target breaks free on their turn,

they do not get a Major Action until

their next turn.

Hex

SPI

The target is enfeebled

by a spiteful curse.

For the target’s next turn, all Fate Die

rolls are d4s.

Illusion

SPI

The user casts an

illusion that may or

may not fool the

target. If the illusion is

physically interacted

with, the spell breaks.

The user decides what the illusion is.

(If an enemy uses Illusion, the GM is

not obligated to state that it is in fact

an illusion.)

A character may roll a WIL/SPI check

vs the user’s SPI check to determine

if it is real or not. A success dispels

the illusion, as does a character

interacting with the illusion.

Jeer

CHA

Heckle the target. CHA vs target’s SPI/WIL check. If

successful, induces Rage in the

target for one turn.

Malaise

SPI

The target falls

mysteriously ill. For

some, this may prove

fatal.

The target takes 10 damage per turn

until knocked unconscious or until

the end of combat. The target takes

a -10 damage penalty to their

standard attack. Does not stack.

The target can attempt a WIL/SPI

check. If they are successful, they do

not suffer the DoT effects.

Mend Wounds

WIS

Heal minor injuries,

through medicine or

supernatural forces.

Heal a target in the same region for

WIL health.

Pacify

CHA

Placate the target with

soothing words.

The target cannot use a standard

attack or an offensive Power on their

next turn.

If the target is under the Rage effect,

the effect disappears.

Possess

SPI

The user possesses the

target and gains

control of their actions.

SPI vs SPI/WIL check. If successful, the

user chooses an action for the target

to immediately take. This includes a

standard attack, using a Power, or

moving.

This does not count as a Major

21

Action for the target.

Rage

WIL/SPI

The user flies into a

blind rage, attacking

anything and

everything that

provokes him.

Until their next turn, if the user is hit by

an attack that deals damage, they

immediately get a free standard

attack against the offender (so long

as they are in the same region).

The user may only move or use a

standard attack while Rage is in

effect.

Raise Dead

SPI

The user summons the

undead to do their

bidding.

A corpse or malignant spirit is

summoned. Its only attack is to deal

SPI damage to one target in its

region. If it takes any damage, it

immediately crumbles/fades away.

Seal

WIL

Seal away a yokai’s

powers through the

use of magic

talismans.

The target yokai cannot use a Power

on their next turn. Cannot be used

against humans.

Slash

MGT

(P)

Slashes at the target

with sharp talons,

claws, or a weapon.

Deals MGT damage. Roll the Fate

Die; on a crit success (highest roll

possible), add that value as bonus

damage.

Soul Steal

SPI

Drains the target’s life

force away.

Deals SPI damage and heals the user

for half that damage, rounding

down.

The target can attempt a WIL/SPI

check. If they are successful, reduce

damage dealt by half, rounding

down. Do not heal.

Spectral

Flame

SPI

The user creates one

or more small, whisp-

like balls of fire.

Creates a single ball of flame that

can be used as a projectile attack at

any time. Launching the flame does

not count as a Major or Minor action.

Deals SPI damage. This attack

cannot be dodged.

Spook

SPI

The target receives a

shock and may or may

not fear the user.

Induces Fear in the target for 1 turn.

The target can attempt a WIL/SPI

check. If they are successful, Spook

fails.

22

Strange

Dance

SPI

The user performs an

uncanny dance that

creates some strange

effects…

Roll your SPI Fate Die and consult the

list for its effect:

1: Take SPI damage.

2: Nothing happens, you just look

silly.

3: Deal SPI damage to a target.

4: Your next Fate Die is a d4.

5: Heal all characters in ysour region

(including you) by 20 health.

6: Induce Fear in a target.

7: Recover SPI health.

8: Your next attack (standard or

Power) deals +30 damage.

9: Bonus Major Action this turn.

10: Move up one turn in the Initiative

order (starting next cycle).

Terrify

SPI

The target is genuinely

terrified of the user

and likely fears for their

life – probably for

good reason.

Roll SPI Fate Die. Induces Fear in the

target for a number of turns equal to

the result.

The target can attempt a WIL/SPI

check. If they are successful, reduce

the number of Fear turns by half,

rounding down.

Transform

SPI

The user transforms into

something, inheriting

its attributes.

SPI + Fate Die. Depending on its

success, the user transforms into the

desired object or person.

The user gains the new form’s

attributes and Powers, but cannot

use their own Powers (besides

Transform) until returning to their

original form.

Ward

WIL

Use magical talisman

or incantation to make

a yokai think twice

about engaging you.

Induces Fear in the target yokai.

Cannot be used against humans.

Whirlwind

SPI

Creates strong gusts of

wind that can blow

people and objects

away.

Pushes the target a maximum of SPI

regions away. The user chooses the

direction.

23

6. ITEMS

Your character can start with a weapon if it suits them. Refer to the

weapons list on page 32 for examples. They may also possess a small item of

their choice (for some yokai, this practically comes standard). Such items

include paper lanterns, umbrellas, musical instruments, a sake gourd, etc.

The clothes on your character’s back (if they have any) or the toughness

of their skin count as armor that reduces damage from incoming standard

attacks and Powers.

Type of Armor Damage

Reduction

Description

Clothes (light) 10 Lightweight, everyday clothing,

including headgear and footwear.

Clothes (heavy) 20 Heavy clothing fit for colder weather, or

made of especially durable material.

Battle armor 30 Leather or metal armor that is strong

enough to repel weak attacks.

7. CHARACTER EXAMPLES

REIKO (HUMAN)

Name: Reiko

Race: Human (priestess)

Loyalty: Human & Yokai

Tolerance: Greatly tolerant of humans, having been raised among them;

relatively tolerant of yokai (has one good yokai friend).

Stats:

Health: 250

MGT: 35

CHA: 60

WIS: 55

REF: 50

WIL: 60

Skills:

- Diplomacy (CHA)

- Quick Reflexes (REF)

- Eagle Eye

24

- Commune (WIL)

Powers:

- Seal

- Ward

Items:

- Ofuda (weapon - talisman)

- Priestess robes (armor – light clothing)

GARABA (YOKAI)

Name: Garaba

Race: Yokai

Species: Oni

Loyalty: Yokai

Tolerance: Very intolerant and suspicious of humans.

Stats:

Health: 300

MGT: 100

CHA: 10

WIS: 20

REF: 50

SPI: 60

Skills:

- Unbreakable (SPI)

- Drunken Mastery: Dancing (SPI)

Powers:

- Charge

- Crushing Blow

- Grapple

- Strange Dance

- Drunken Mastery (granted by the Skill)

Items:

- Kanabō (weapon – iron club)

- Loincloth (armor – light clothing)

25

RULES

OVERVIEW

1. Interacting with the World Page 25

2. Roll Difficulty Page 27

3. Combat Page 27

1. INTERACTING WITH THE WORLD

In Yokaidan, each player will use one or several types of dice (d4, d6, d8,

d10, or d12), referred to as Fate Dice, based on the values of their stats. When

using a Skill or certain Powers, the player rolls the Fate Die assigned to the stat in

question, and adds the result (always multiplied by 10) to the stat.

Stat Value Assigned Fate Die*

0-25 d4

26-50 d6

51-75 d8

76-100 d10

101-125** D12 *For d10s, the range is from 1-10 (10-100), meaning a “1” represents 10 and a “0” represents 100.

Remember that the value of a die roll is always multiplied by 10 to get the final number that is

used to determine the success of the roll.

**Please see the “Leveling Up” section on page 34 for information about how to increase a stat’s

point cap.

Skill and Power checks combine Fate Die rolls with a given stat. If you want

to perform an action that is not listed as either a Skill or a Power, it is up to the

GM to determine what stat to use. The GM also has the power to waive a roll

altogether (e.g. “I want to get up on the table and dance.” “Okay. You climb

onto the table and start to dance.”).

26

SKILL CHECKS

A Skill check is performed when you want to use one of your Skills. Each

Skill is based on a stat. Roll the Fate Die tied to that stat, multiply the roll by 10,

and add it to the stat value. The resulting number reflects how successful you

were.

Example:

- Use the Charisma (CHA) Skill “Bluff.”

- The character has a CHA stat of 50. The Fate Die is a d6.

- d6 roll = 3 x 10 = 30

- 50 + 30 = 80

- The result of 80 is compared against a difficulty chart to determine

how successful the attempt was (see the section titled “Roll

Difficulty”). The GM can disregard the chart if he or she feels it

appropriate.

These types of checks will be referred to in this format: STAT + Fate Die

(e.g. CHA + Fate Die).

POWER CHECKS

A Power check is performed when you want to use one of your Powers

out of combat. It is performed in the same way as a Skill check – the stat tied to

the Power (often WIL or SPI) is added to the Fate Die roll.

Example:

- Use the Power “Appeal.”

- The character has a SPI stat of 75. The Fate Die is a d8.

- d8 roll = 6 x 10 = 60

- 75 + 60 = 135

- Out of combat: The result of 135 is compared against a difficulty

chart to determine how much of an effect the Power had (if

any). The GM can disregard the chart if he or she feels it

appropriate.

- In combat: The result of 135 is compared against the human

target’s saving roll, a WIL + Fate Die check. If the target’s

result is less than 135, the target suffers the Power’s full effects

(in this case, having their damage towards the user reduced

until next turn).

27

The rules for performing each individual Power in combat is listed in the “In

Combat” column of the Powers chart on page 18.

2. ROLL DIFFICULTY

The difficulty of performing an action - a Skill, or using a Power outside of

combat – ranges based on context. If the player is trying to climb a tree in the

daytime, the difficulty level would likely be easy. However, if he or she were

trying to climb a tree in the rain, in the dark, the task might be moderate to

challenging.

Refer to the chart below and decide the difficulty of the action in

question. The “Required Result” column shows the suggested value the player

must achieve (adding the rolled Fate Die to their stat) in order to successfully

perform the action.

Difficulty Level Required Result

(STAT + Fate Die)

Natural 10-35

Easy 40-65

Moderate 70-95

Challenging 100 - 155

Extreme 160 - 200

3. COMBAT

Tensions between humans and yokai run high in the world of Yokaidan,

and the two races are more apt to come to blows than try to talk things out.

When a fight breaks out, you’ll want to know how to handle it!

TURN ORDER AND ACTIONS

Initiative is determined by a REF + Fate Die roll. The character with the

highest result goes first, the character with the second-highest result goes

second, etc. This applies to both players and enemies (the GM rolls Initiative for

the latter). E.g. if the enemy gets a 10 and Player A gets an 11, Player A takes

her turn before the enemy.

28

A character’s turn consists of either one Major Action and one Minor

Action, or two Minor Actions.

> Major Actions:

- Standard attack

- Use a Power

- Dodge

> Minor Actions:

- Move

HEALTH

Damage is dealt by standard attacks and some Powers. The result of the

STAT + Fate Die roll is equivalent to the damage a character takes, minus any

armor bonuses from items the target has. That damage is then subtracted from

the character’s total health.

If a character’s health reaches 0, they are knocked unconscious and

cannot perform any actions for the remainder of combat. When combat ends,

they are revived with half their maximum health.

If the players wish for a more gritty or realistic take on things, when a

character’s health reaches 0, they are be considered dead and can only be

revived under certain circumstances (see the “Death, the Afterlife, and

Deification” section on page 9 for information about how to handle character

deaths).

STANDARD ATTACKS AND POWERS

Every character is capable of an unarmed standard attack, defined in

whatever way the player sees fit. Maybe Player A’s character attacks with her

fists, while Player B’s character likes to body slam his enemies. A standard attack

is a Major Action, and is performed with a MGT Fate Die roll.

> Standard unarmed attack: MGT Fate Die

However, a character who has the “Weapon Specialty” Skill and is using

their specialized weapon can add a REF stat as a bonus to the MGT Fate Die roll.

29

The bonus does not apply to unskilled characters; you don’t get points for

waving a sword around if you don’t actually know how to use it!

> Standard weapon attack: MGT Fate Die + REF

Using a Power is a Major Action, and the method for performing individual

Powers varies. Please see the Power list on page 18 for information about using

each Power.

DODGING

Dodging can reduce or completely negate the damage a character

takes from an incoming attack (standard or a Power). Dodging is a Major Action,

and is performed with a REF + Fate Die roll.

If Player A’s dodge result is equal to or greater than the opponent’s

standard attack/Power result, she successfully avoids the attack (and potentially

any extra effects) and takes 0 damage. The defender always wins ties.

If Player A’s dodge result is less than the opponent’s standard

attack/Power result, she takes damage equal to the difference. E.g. if her result

was 50 and the opponent’s was 70, she takes 20 damage.

Some Powers cannot be dodged, but offer the target a saving roll instead.

MOVEMENT

The combat area is usually composed of multiple regions, the number of

which is determined by the GM based on the environment. A single region is

approximately 30 square feet (10 yards), but this number can be flexible.

Movement between adjacent regions costs one Minor action. The

maximum number of regions a character can move per Free Action is half the

character’s REF stat (rounded down, divided by 10).

Example:

- Player A’s REF stat is 70.

- Half of 70 is 35, rounded down to get 30

- 30 ÷ 10 = 3 regions per Free Action.

30

ECON 101

OVERVIEW

1. Currency Page 30

2. Items Page 31

3. Objects of Legend Page 32

1. CURRENCY

HUMAN

Humans use coins as currency. These ovular coins come in two

denominations: oban and koban. Oban are made of gold and are worth quite

a lot, while koban are made of silver and are worth about 1/10th of an oban. To

put this in perspective, a couple koban will pay for a comfortable night at an inn,

a nice meal, or an evening of entertainment. For a single oban, you can rent

the place out for you and your friends.

The en is a circular brass coin that has fallen out of use over the decades.

Now worth very little, handfuls of en are donated to shrines or given to

wandering monks as alms. Because of their lack of value, actually paying

someone for their work in en would be considered an insult.

The five-en piece is distinguishable by a hole in its center, allowing the

coins to be strung together on a string. It is also a play on the word “go-en,” a

term that describes the “mysterious force that binds two people together.” They

are often given as donations at shrines to establish “a good connection with the

deity of the shrine.” The act of giving a five-en piece to another person has

strong, positive implications - even for yokai, who do not otherwise use human

currency.

YOKAI

Yokai do not have an economy like humans do, thus they have no need

for currency. If a yokai wants something, they will find some way of getting it –

31

through deception, thievery, bargaining, or sometimes by simply asking for it –

but there is hardly ever an exchange of money involved.

That’s not to say they haven’t taken an interest in human currency. Many

yokai are out of touch with the human world and are under the assumption that,

because en is money (i.e. was money at one point in history), humans therefore

must value it greatly. So some yokai will hoard piles of en and make a big show

out of how much human money they have. This impresses no one except for

other ignorant yokai.

2. ITEMS

Items can be purchased, bartered for, stolen, found, or given to the

players by NPCs. The players can find merchants in villages or peddling their

wares on the road, and most villages have smiths that forge and sell weapons.

Yokai tend not to hoard as many material possessions as humans do, but that’s

not to say they won’t steal things from them just the same.

GENERAL ITEMS

The list below is not comprehensive, but functions as an outline for the

types of items and services available and their general cost. In most cases the

GM may want to simply handwave the prices. Note that this system has no

weight limit, but given the types of items available and the restriction on

weapons, characters will likely not be carrying many terribly heavy/large objects

in the first place.

Item Price

Clothing (light or heavy) 1~3 koban

Leather armor 1 oban

Metal armor 2 oban

Food & Drink Ranges from several hundred en to 3

koban

Night at an inn 1 koban

Misc. objects (umbrella, lantern, etc) 1~2 koban

Traveling guide/bodyguard 1 oban per day

32

WEAPONS

Any character can have a weapon, but only those with the “Weapon

Proficiency” Skill can reap the benefits of knowing how to use one. Having this

Skill and using the associated weapon in combat allows the player to add their

REF stat as a bonus to the MGT Fate Die roll for a standard attack.

Like items, new weapons can be purchased, found, or stolen from others.*

Weapons do not degrade over time, nor is the system so granular that players

actually run out of talismans or arrows. Combat is only one option players have

in interacting with the world.

The list below is meant to offer suggestions, and is not comprehensive.

Weapon (Translation) Range (Regions)

*Katana (sword) 1

Bō (staff) 1

Kanabō (iron club) 1

Tessen (iron war fan) 1

Hankyu (short bow) 4

Shakujo (iron, ringed monk staff) 1

Ofuda (paper talisman) 3

Hauchiwa (feather fan) 4

*Human characters who are samurai are given a katana as a part of their occupation. If they

lose it, or if it somehow breaks, they cannot purchase a new katana but instead must report to

their daimyo and hope to have a new one forged for them.

3. OBJECTS OF LEGEND

The players are not likely to come across these items until late in their

adventures. Adventure arcs can be crafted specifically around these items, as

most of them require a test of character simply in order to be used effectively.

THE THREE SACRED TREASURES

A sacred treasure cannot be obtained without passing its associated test

of character, and if the holder fails to live up to the expectations set, the

treasure will lose its divine power.

33

> Kusanagi no Tsurugi: The sword of valor – tests ones courage. A brilliant blade

that instills great courage in wielder. Doubles the results of the MGT Fate Die

when used as a standard attack. The user is immune to the Fear status effect.

> Yata no Kagami: The mirror of wisdom – tests ones judgment. The holder

obtains complete understanding of anything reflected on its surface, including

the thoughts and motives of humans and yokai.

> Yasakani no Magatama: The jewel of benevolence – tests ones morality.

Whoever possesses it will have no evil done to them, so long as they do no evil

themselves. As long the holder does not attack, they will take no damage from

hostile forces.

SEMI-DIVINE OBJECTS

> Dai-tengu no Hachiuwa: “Great Tengu’s feather fan.” Only someone who has

demonstrated much courage, honor, and loyalty could possibly be recognized

and given such a great item from the leader of the tengu himself. Grants the

“Whirlwind” Power, and commands the respect of dai-tengu and ko-tengu alike.

No tengu would think of bringing harm to its wielder.

> Yorimasa no Yumi & Nuegoroshi-ya: Yorimasa’s bow and the nue-killing arrow.

Legend has it that Yorimasa was a samurai who served a daimyo plagued by a

black cloud - a nue in disguise. He felled the nue with a single arrow. Once per

encounter, the holder may choose to fire the Nuegoroshi-ya at a target at any

range. This arrow deals maximum damage (use the maximum possible value for

the MGT Fate Die) and cannot be dodged.

> Tonbogiri: “Dragonfly Cutter.” A spear that can cut anything in two. Said to be

shogun Yorinaga’s weapon of choice, but where does he keep it? When this

weapon is used in a standard attack, its damage cannot be reduced by

dodging.

34

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT

OVERVIEW

1. Leveling Up Page 34

2. Suggested Rewards Page 35

1. LEVELING UP

Leveling up occurs largely at the GM’s discretion, but generally once

every couple of adventures or so. The more the characters interact with other

humans, yokai, and the world around them, the more they grow. The GM may

take key events from an adventure and turn those into leveling points for the

characters; the system is flexible in this regard.

Over the course of those adventures, players are advised to keep track of

events involving their character that particularly interest them – a cool saving roll

to avoid falling off a bridge, an original use of the “Drunken Mastery” Power to

sing an intensely moving song, etc. These important feats in the character’s

recent life can be turned into opportunities to learn new things when leveling up.

Upon leveling up, the player has several options for their character that

draw from the aforementioned “feats.” The GM must approve of the change to

the character before it goes into effect.

> Learn a new Skill (derived from the feat): This may or may not be a Skill

from the Skill list (page 17) – creating new Skills is both acceptable and

encouraged. The character can learn this from having performed the

action, or from having watched someone else (which had some sort of

impact on the character).

- E.g.: New Skill: Balance (REF): The character has an impeccable

sense of balance, even on slippery or unstable surfaces.

> Develop a new Power (derived from the feat): Similar to above, this may

or may not be a Power from the Power list, and creating new Powers that

befit the individual is encouraged. The character can learn this from

watching someone else, or from simply trying something new and

35

different, or from circumstances that surrounded the character at some

point during the adventure.

- E.g.: New Power: Power Ballad (CHA): Sing with so much gusto

(and volume) that all enemies in the same region take 20 damage.

> Adjust stats (derived from the feat): If a player can make a case for their

character having used a certain stat a lot over the course of the

adventures, they can increase that stat by 5 or 10 points. In this way,

players can increase the maximum for any stat to 125 points (using a d12

as the Fate Die).

2. SUGGESTED REWARDS

Over the course of their adventures, the players will encounter people

and places that offer them goodies, from items and money to supportive and

admiring NPCs. The three subsections below offer ideas for rewards players can

earn along the way.

Keep in mind that the world is alive and always keeping an ear out for

exceptional tales of humans and yokai intermingling. Rumors travel fast in both

societies, and the members of those societies will have mixed reactions to the

party’s feats. An NPC acknowledging a player’s accomplishments, for better or

worse, can prompt interesting reactions and can feel like a reward on its own.

MINOR REWARDS

Minor rewards are items characters may receive from NPCs or find on their

adventures. They can be items from the General Items list (page X), old

weapons, or small amounts of money. Depending on the source, that money

may be oban or koban, or a handful of worthless en - consider who is giving the

reward and what resources they have access to.

Yokai and bandits may drop items from the General Items list as well, the

implication being that they stole those items from other people.

36

MAJOR REWARDS

In addition to items from the General Items list, the GM may decide to

have the players level up after an adventure (ideally, every couple of

adventures). This allows characters to learn new Skills, Powers, and adjust their

stats based on the adventures’ events.

When players have reached high enough levels, starting at around level

10, NPCs can allow them access to Mt. Ōe and Onigashima. This locations are

not strictly out-of-bounds until then, but the yokai encountered there should be

extremely dangerous for underleveled characters to engage with.

NOBLE REWARDS

Noble Rewards are the highest level of reward possible. These include the

objects of legend (page 32), and large sums of money only given out by

daimyo or the shogun himself.

Objects of legend, and especially the three sacred treasures, can only be

obtained by a character completing a task that challenges them in some way,

e.g. a cowardly character performs an act of bravery to receive Kusanagi, the

sword of valor.

Large amounts of oban may be given out by the shogun or daimyo for

completing some task asked of the party. These are rare, though, because

players starting at level 1 will likely not have established relationships with NPCs

of high authority for quite a while.

37

YOKAIPEDIA

BEFORE READING

All information is intended as a guideline.

A given yokai’s disposition, stat values, and abilities are all subject to change

based on GM and player desires.

Description: A brief summary of the yokai (habits, personality, etc).

Size: The approximate size of the yokai.

Disposition: The yokai’s general regard for humans.

- Friendly: Enjoys the company of humans.

- Neutral: Does not care one way or the other.

- Hostile: Actively seeks to harm humans.

- Varies: May be friendly, neutral, or hostile, depending on the individual.

Stats: A suggested ratio of stats for the yokai (if used as an NPC or enemy). Note

that the sum of all stat points will not necessarily equal the 300 from character

creation. A lower sum indicates that the species of yokai is generally “weaker”

than other species.

Powers: Provides a basic idea of the Powers the yokai can use.

38

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Amefuri-kozo Page 39

Azuki-Arai Page 40

B Bake-Neko Page 41

D Dai-Tengu Page 42

G Gasha Dokuro Page 43

H Hitotsume-kozo Page 44

K Kamaitachi Page 45

Kappa Page 46

Kitsune Page 47

Ko-Tengu Page 48

N Nekomata Page 49

Nopperabo Page 50

Nue Page 51

Nukekubi Page 52

O Oni Page 53

Onryo Page 54

S Shu no Bon Page 55

T Tanuki Page 56

Tsukumogami Page 57

W Wanyudo Page 58

Y Yobuko Page 59

Yuki-onna Page 60

Z Zashiki-Warashi Page 61

39

AMEFURI-KOZO (RAINFALL BOY)3

An unassuming yokai that takes the form

of a young boy wearing a paper

umbrella on his head. They are thought to

be the servants of the god of rain, as they

are more often seen on rainy nights and

seem have the power to control the

weather to some extent.

Size: Child-size

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Calm Mind

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

3 Image by Toriyama Seiken, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amefurikozō.

20

50 55

25

65

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Amefuri-kozo

40

AZUKI-ARAI (BEAN-WASHER)4

A squat, human-like yokai characterized by its

three-fingered hands and two-toed feet. The

azuki-arai is more often heard than seen as it

washes its tub of beans by the river; although it

likes to sing songs about eating people, this

yokai is in fact quite shy and is quick to

disappear if it hears someone coming.

Size: Slightly smaller than an adult

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Appeal

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

4 Image by Mizuki Shigeru, obtained at http://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/603028401001.

45 45 40

35

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Azuki-arai

41

BAKE-NEKO (TRANSFORMING CAT)5

Cats that live long lives (and grow long

tails) are said to become bake-neko, cat

yokai with the ability to summon flames

and raise the dead. Bake-neko may

attack their owners, but this is not a

characteristic of their species (unlike their

hostile nekomata cousins). They love to

lap up the fish oil used in lamps, so it’s

not an uncommon sight to see bake-

neko standing on their hind legs in order

to reach.

Size: Small, child-size (standing upright)

Disposition: Varies

Powers:

> Flurry

> Raise Dead

> Slash

> Spectral Flame

> Transform

> Strange Dance

Stats:

5 Image by Yosa Buson, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko.

30 35

30

70

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Bake-neko

42

DAI-TENGU (GREATER TENGU, LONG-NOSED TENGU)6

Greater tengu, characterized by

their red skin and long noses.

They bear feathered wings on

their back and are very proficient

with weapons, particularly the

hauchiwa (feathered fan). While

extremely prideful, they are far

wiser than their ko-tengu

counterparts.

Size: Slightly larger than an adult

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Critical Strike

> Flight

> Flurry

> Grapple

> Whirlwind

Stats:

6 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://yokai.com/daitengu/.

60

45

80

50 55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Dai-tengu

43

GASHA DOKURO (GIANT SKELETON, RATTLING SKULL)7

A towering skeleton, or

amalgamation of skeletons,

thought to be born from the

remains of those who fell in battle

or perished in the wild and did

not receive proper burials. The

gasha dokuro have been known

to devour humans whole, so

regard them with extreme

caution.

Size: Giant

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Crushing Blow

> Grapple

> Terrify

> Raise Dead

Stats:

7 Image by Shigeru Mizuki, obtained at

http://seesaawiki.jp/w/ebatan4/d/%A4%AC%A4%B7%A4%E3%A4%C9%A4%AF%A4%ED.

80

15 15

40

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Gasha dokuro

44

HITOTSUME-KOZO (ONE-EYED BOY)8

A childlike yokai similar to the amefuri-

kozo, but with much more of a

mischievous streak. The hitotsume-

kozo adopts the appearance of a

monk, with its bald heads and robes,

but the telltale long tongue and

cycloptic eye sets them very much

apart from humans. They can

sometimes be found carrying plates

of tofu, earning these particular yokai

the name “tofu-kozo” (tofu boy).

Size: Child-size

Disposition: Friendly

Powers:

> Appeal

> Jeer

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

8 Image by “Masami,” obtained at http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~marukoya/art-

suiboku_shikishi_sono1.html.

30

40 40 35

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Hitotsume-kozo

45

KAMAITACHI (SICKLE WEASEL)9

Kamaitachi are weasel-like yokai with sickles

for limbs, commonly found in groups of three.

Their behavior is curious: one kamaitachi will

knocks its target down, another covers them

in a multitude of cuts, and the third applies

medicine that immediately stops any pain or

bleeding. A kamaitachi’s motives are

mysterious, but on the whole it is not an

especially malevolent yokai.

Size: Small, child-size (standing upright)

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Flight

> Flurry

> Mend Wounds

> Slash

> Whirlwind

Stats:

9 Image by Masasumi Ryūkansaijin, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaitachi.

30

40 45

50 55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Kamaitachi

46

KAPPA (RIVER SPRITE, RIVER IMP)10

The turtle-like kappa are known to attack

humans in or nearby rivers, dragging them to

the bottom and devouring their innards. They

are easily dissuaded from these violent

assaults by their favorite food, cucumbers.

Their fondness for sumo wrestling can land

them in hot water – if a kappa is made to

bow, the water will spill from the dish on its

head, leaving it severely weakened. Despite

their usually violent nature, kappa do have a

strong sense of honor and always carry out

the promises they make, even to humans.

Size: Child-size

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Charge

> Grapple

> Jeer

> Mend Wounds

> Slash

> Spook

Stats:

10 Image by Tatsuya Morino, obtained at http://boingboing.net/2008/10/08/japanese-monsters-

an.html.

60

25

40 40

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Kappa

47

KITSUNE (FOX)11

Kitsune are foxes that can have

anywhere from one to nine tails – for

every 100 years the kitsune has lived, it

gains another tail and grows in power

and wisdom. They are capable of

casting illusions and transforming in

order to fool humans. Kitsune are not

always malicious, but they have a

greater tendency to cause harm than

their fellow shape-shifter, the jolly tanuki.

Size: Adult-size (standing upright)

Disposition: Varies

Powers:

> Appeal

> Hex

> Illusion

> Possess

> Spectral Flame

> Transform

Stats:

11 Image by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, obtained at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsune#mediaviewer/File:Kuniyoshi_Kuzunoha.jpg.

15

80

50 50

65

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Kitsune

48

KO-TENGU (LESSER TENGU, CROW TENGU)12

Lesser tengu, more bird-like in

appearance than their greater

dai-tengu cousins. They are

capable of flight, and are very

skilled in combat – but their

tremendous pride oftentimes

gets the better of them.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Charge

> Flight

> Flurry

> Jeer

> Slash

Stats:

12 Image by Kawanabe Kyōsai, obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengu.

50

30 25

40 40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Ko-tengu

49

NEKOMATA (FORK-TAILED CAT)13

Not to be confused with the bake-neko, the

nekomata is a monstrous two-tailed cat that is far

more willing to attack humans and reanimate

corpses to cause chaos. Like their cousins, nekomata

are normal cats that have lived exceptionally long

lives. They can speak and understand human

languages, and re sometimes seen walking on their

hind legs, wearing towels on their heads.

Size: Small, child-size (standing upright)

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Flurry

> Raise Dead

> Slash

> Spectral Flame

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

13 Artist unknown. Image obtained at http://blogs.c.yimg.jp/res/blog-c3-

71/rakutyu_netsuke/folder/962857/10/45773210/img_2?1321712227.

50

NOPPERABO (FACELESS MONK)14

At first blush the nopperabo looks like

your average human, but upon closer

inspection its featureless face becomes

a dead giveaway for its true nature as a

yokai. Nopperabo seem to enjoy scaring

humans more than anything else, and

rarely if ever cause them actual harm.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Grapple

> Hex

> Illusion

> Spook

Stats:

14 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://yokai.com/nopperabou/.

35

60

50

35

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Nopperabo

51

NUE (CHIMERA, WHITE’S THRUSH)15

The nue is one of the most enigmatic yokai

known to man. It appears as a dark, black

cloud that brings illness to whoever witnesses

it, though some have claimed that its true

form is that of a chimeric beast with the

head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the

legs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Critical Strike

> Flight

> Hex

> Malaise

> Slash

> Terrify

Stats:

15 Image by Tatsuya Morino, obtained at http://www.mcanime.net/group/topic/19654.

65

20

30

60

80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Nue

52

NUKEKUBI (DETACHED NECK)16

Nukekubi are young women suffering from a

curse that grants them the terrifying power to

remove their heads at will (although to avoid

discovery, they usually only do so at night).

They tend to be quite violent and will actively

chase down victims to suck their blood.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Grapple

> Hex

> Soul Steal

> Terrify

Stats:

16 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://yokai.com/nukekubi/.

35

60 55

40

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Nukekubi

53

ONI (OGRE, DEMON)17

Ogre-like humanoids with horns and sharp teeth and claws,

often clad in tiger skins. They wield great iron clubs and

boast tremendous physical strength. While usually quite

violent, oni can be placated by offering them a drink, or

with an impressive dance or musical performance. Humans

who demonstrate great courage may also earn an oni’s

respect.

Size: Larger than an adult

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Charge

> Crushing Blow

> Drunken Mastery

> Grapple

> Jeer

> Rage

Stats:

17 Artist unknown. Image obtained at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni.

100

30

20

40

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Oni

54

ONRYO (GRUDGE, VENGEFUL SPIRIT)18

Onryo are the malevolent spirits of those who

died calamitous deaths and cannot rest in

peace. Their pure hatred for those who

wronged them drives them to blindly attack

anyone and anything they encounter.

! Onryo cannot be damaged from standard

attacks or physical Powers. The best way to

deal with an onryo is to avoid fighting

altogether and find a way to put the spirit to

rest. !

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Hostile

Power:

> Hex

> Malaise

> Possess

> Rage

> Soul Steal

> Terrify

Stats:

18 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://yokai.com/onryou/.

50

20

30

40

80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Onryo

55

SHU NO BON (RED PLATE, RED FACE)19

The horned yokai with the large, red

face and mile-wide smile is known as

shu no bon. Shu no bon have a

penchant for causing mischief,

usually at the cost of their victim’s

health, though on the whole they are

not particularly wicked yokai. An

encounter with a shu no bon in a

bad mood may end with the victim

suffering a mysterious illness that

claims them after several days.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Varies

Powers:

> Charge

> Grapple

> Illusion

> Jeer

> Malaise

> Soul Steal

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

19 Image by Mizuki Shigeru, obtained at http://mizukisan.seesaa.net/article/112305574.htmls.

50 40

35 40

65

0

20

40

60

80

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Shu no bon

56

TANUKI (RACCOON DOG)20

Tanuki are jovial yokai that love nothing

more than playing pranks on humans.

Like kitsune, they are masters at shape-

shifting and frequently use their powers

of deception to cause mischief. Some

think that a tanuki’s ability to transform

comes from the leaf they sometimes

wear on their heads. They also have

comically large testicles.

Size: Adult-size (standing upright)

Disposition: Friendly

Powers:

> Charge

> Drunken Mastery

> Jeer

> Illusion

> Strange Dance

> Transform

Stats:

20 Image obtained at http://www.youkaiwiki.com/entry/2013/06/17/173333.

35

65

35

45

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Tanuki

57

TSUKUMOGAMI (ARTIFACT SPIRIT, HAUNTED OBJECT)21

When an object reaches a hundred years of

age, it is said to gain a spirit and become a

yokai known as a tsukumogami. These yokai

are mostly harmless and like nothing more

than to run around scaring humans.

However, some tsukumogami bear grudges

against the people who so needlessly threw

them away and will take revenge on any

humans they can find.

Common tsukumogami include:

- kasa-bake (haunted umbrella)

- chouchin-bake (haunted lantern)

- biwa bokuboku (enchanted biwa)

- shamisen choro (elder shamisen)

- koto furunushi (ancient koto)

Size: Varies (usually small)

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Hex

> Jeer

> Spook

Stats:

21 Image by “xRukixさん,” obtained at http://seiga.nicovideo.jp/seiga/im1388162.

20 25 20 30

40

0

20

40

60

80

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Tsukumogami

58

WANYUDO (WHEEL MONK)22

Wanyudo are not “naturally-occurring”

yokai; the tortuous form of the

wanyudo is punishment for those who

lived wicked lives and are now

paying for their sins. Wanyudo wander

the roads at night, looking for hapless

people to drag back to hell. It is said

that merely glancing at a one will

cause the wanyudo to rend the

person’s soul from their body.

Size: Size of an ox cart wheel

Disposition: Hostile

Powers:

> Charge

> Flight

> Rage

> Soul Steal

> Spectral Flame

> Terrify

Stats:

22 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://matthewmeyer.net/blog/2009/10/26/a-yokai-a-

day-wanyudo/.

70

20 25

40

65

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Wanyudo

59

YOBUKO (CALLING CHILD)23

A mountain-dwelling yokai thought to be the source

of echoes – it calls back to those who shout out while

wandering the hills. It wears a straw coat to protect

itself from cold breezes. Yobuko are utterly harmless,

but their appearance may startle the unaware.

Size: Slightly larger than a child

Disposition: Neutral

Powers:

> Appeal

> Spook

> Strange Dance

Stats:

23 Image by Shigeru Mizuki, obtained at http://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/603028402001.

40

50

40 35

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Yobuko

60

YUKI-ONNA (SNOW WOMAN)24

These ghostly yokai live only on the

coldest mountain tops, where they lie

in wait for travelers to lose their way

before sucking the souls from their

bodies. There have been cases

where the yuki-onna falls in love with

or takes pity on her would-be victim

and leaves them unscathed, but it

would be unwise to gamble on a

yokai’s compassion.

Size: Adult-size

Disposition: Varies

Powers:

> Flight

> Hex

> Soul Steal

> Terrify

> Whirlwind

Stats:

24 Image by Matthew Meyer, obtained at http://yokai.com/yukionna/.

30

40 40

50

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Yuki-onna

61

ZASHIKI-WARASHI (PARLOR CHILD, HOUSE SPIRIT)25

The zashiki-warashi is a well-intentioned yokai that seeks

out well-maintained homes to live in. The home owners

enjoy good fortune so long as they treat the zashiki-

warashi well and keep their house in good condition; if

they fail to do so, the zashiki-warashi leaves and the

residents suffer a reversal of fortune.

Size: Child-size

Disposition: Friendly

Powers:

> Calm Mind

> Encourage

> Pacify

Stats:

25 Image by Mizuki Shigeru, obtained at

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/bakaaruki/diary/201003140000/.

15

60

50

20

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

MGT CHA WIS REF SPI

PO

INTS

STATS

Zashiki-warashi

62

DOCUMENTATION

OVERVIEW

1. Design Goals Page 62

2. MDE Page 64

3. Intensity Curve Page 67

4. Playtesting Page 69

1. DESIGN GOALS

MAKE A GAME THAT FEATURES YOKAI

To be frank, this entire RPG was the result of a selfish personal wish. I have

always wanted to find a game where I could play as a yokai instead of fighting

them, since they are almost always portrayed as “bad guys” when one of the

key points about yokai is that they are supposedly neither good or bad, they just

are. The stories are always told from the human’s perspective, and the human is

often the victim, which leads to the yokai’s demonization…that’s a bit of a

dramatic way of putting it, and I don’t mean to say that there aren’t inherently

“bad” yokai there in the legends. I just wanted a fresh take on yokai, and since

games where the yokai are playable and not just enemies are a real rarity, I

resolved to turn that desire into my GAT212 project.

The world is one meant to mimic Tokugawa-era Japan (“Wakoku” is an

archaic term for Japan, admittedly far more archaic than anything from the

Tokugawa era, but hopefully my players wouldn’t realize that). At that time,

yokai were thought to be more than just ghost stories – many of them they were

explanations for phenomena the people could not explain. They were not

inherently evil, and in fact some of them were to be respected. This meant to be

reflected in Yokaidan, where there are yokai that range from friendly to hostile,

and the players themselves can play as yokai (and most players probably

wouldn’t think of themselves as evil).

63

TARGET AUDIENCE

Due to aforementioned selfish wish, my target audience was a bit of an

afterthought. First and foremost, I was making the RPG for myself, because I am

interested in yokai. So it would be a game for people who like yokai, by a

person who likes yokai.

But the problem is that the average person doesn’t know much about

yokai, aside from a few snippets they have probably heard about the most

commonly-known ones like the oni, kitsune, and tanuki. So I thought my RPG

could serve as a fun, hopefully painless introduction to yokai, for the average

person (who enjoys tabletop RPGs) who doesn’t know much about them.

Except, how do you get someone who has never heard about yokai

interested in the game in the first place?! For the 1% of the population who know

about and like yokai, they’re already sold. But the other 99% probably don’t

even know enough to care. I think if I were to market Yokaidan, my only option

would be to stick the coolest image of the weirdest yokai imaginable on the

cover page and pray to the RPG gods people find it interesting enough to take

a closer look.

The RPG is also meant for people who have little experience with tabletop

RPGs, as it is nowhere near as complex as RPGs like DnD. The focus is meant to

be on the interaction between humans and yokai, and since there is so much

new terminology being thrown around, I would not want players to get caught

up on learning crazy mechanics on top of it.

APPEALING TO NARRATIVISTS & SIMULATIONISTS

I myself am primarily narrativist, so I originally wanted to gear the RPG

mostly towards fellow narrativists. The use of Japanese terminology (with

translations, of course) is meant to appeal to narrativists, as is my attempt to stick

as close to real life Japanese concepts as possible (go-en, the three sacred

treasures, etc). Intertwining those concepts with gamists things like stats and

abilities is something I enjoy doing, but ultimately the RPG does not cater much

to gamists.

I didn’t think my RPG had many simulationist elements, since I was

deliberately trying to stay away from replicating the historical era the RPG is

based on. Appealing to simulationists in that regard would require a lot of

64

research and fine-tuning, but I also felt like I would be walking on eggshells

because Japan’s is a culture so far removed from my own.

But in talking with classmates during GAT212 lab, I realized that the key

element of my RPG was in fact a simulationist element: the yokai themselves. For

better or worse, I was completely determined to make the yokai feel as

accurate to the legends as possible. Kappa love cucumbers and sumo wrestling,

and can be bested by getting them to bow and spill the water in the dish on

their heads. Cats who live for a long time are said to grow a second (or forked)

tail and become nekomata, capable of bewitching people and controlling the

dead. Happily, these stories could be distilled down to very simple hooks for

character creation and adventure generation. They were part of the reason I

wanted players to both be able to play as yokai and to interact with them as

NPCs/enemies.

2. MDE

MECHANICS

> Play as a human or a yokai

The players can choose whether to play as a human or one of many

species of yokai. I originally had a lot slated for humans, including classes

such as Samurai and Onmyoji, but the focus of the RPG shifted away from

humans (which everyone knows) and more toward yokai (which are very

unfamiliar to most people). The game is meant to explore the relationships

between human and yokai, thus I wanted the average party to consist of

members of both races.

> Loyalty and Tolerance

Gamists no longer care about this pseudo-replacement of Project 2’s

Honor stat, since it has no effect on gameplay itself. Instead, it is a

Narrative element that simply describes how a character interacts with

members of a certain race. The GM is invited to use the loyalty and

tolerance of the players’ characters to craft interesting experiences (e.g.

if there are a lot of human-hating yokai in the party, either bring in a yokai

NPC who likes humans, a human NPC who likes yokai, or a human NPC

who hates yokai and watch the sparks fly).

> Basic stats (Health, MGT, CHA, WIS, REF)

These are tabletop RPG conventions and I needed a familiar starting

65

place, since I wanted my RPG to be approachable to people who had

little experience with them. Admittedly the terminology could be more

thematic, but at least it’s fairly straightforward and easily understood.

> New stats: WIL (Willpower) and SPI (Spirit)

To differentiate humans and yokai, even just on a superficial level, the two

races have the same stat but with a different name (and slightly different

connotations). Both WIL and SPI deal with sort of natural and mystic

elements: for humans, their force of will and ability to stand up to

supernatural powers; for yokai, their ability to manipulate that

supernatural power.

> Fate Dice

In the end I cut the idea of the different races using different

combinations of dice. It was a cool idea that I’m sorry to have to let go,

but it overcomplicated things and was deemed not worth the amount of

time I would have to invest in smoothing everything out.

One Fate Die is assigned to each stat, and the size of that Fate Die (i.e.

number of sides) is based on the value of the stat. So, a character with

lower MGT would roll a lower Fate Die and generally not be as successful

with physical tasks as a character with a higher MGT stat (and thus a

higher Fate Die).

The terminology here I kind of like, but it fits more with my original idea

where a lower stat would have a higher associated Fate Die, to mimic

fate/destiny playing more of a part in determining the outcome of a

certain action. This gave underpowered characters too much potentially

power, and did not reward characters who had higher stats as much.

DYNAMICS

> Unique ability combinations

Parties can (or can not) be composed of many different yokai species

and humans, with varying stats, so the group’s pool of abilities and styles

of approach to different situations should also vary greatly. One

adventuring party may consist of a human samurai, and traditional oni

and tengu, so they will be very physical and combat-ready; another party

might just have a bunch of normal humans and yokai like amefuri-kozo

and tanuki, who are not really fighters at all, and will have to approach

confrontations differently.

66

> Unique personality combinations

I use the term “personality” to encompass loyalty and tolerance. A group

of highly tolerant individuals would get along swimmingly with each

other, but might have a hard time winning the favor of ultra-conservative

NPCs. Less tolerant characters equates to more tension within the party,

but a greater ability to reason with/appeal to a wider variety of NPCs.

> Variation within a species

Yokai (and humans) can select any Powers they want, even if they are

“uncharacteristic” (i.e. not Powers suggested in the Yokaipedia). The

same goes for Skills and the distribution of stats. This means that within a

party, there could be an oni with 0 MGT and an oni with 100 MGT – how

much respect would that first oni get from his brethren if he can’t even lift

a club? What about a tengu with no martial ability? A nukekubi with

martial ability (maybe she holds the sword in her teeth)? I hope players

explore the options available and don’t just stick with a suggested

loadout, since characters can be much more interesting when they

deviate from what’s normally expected.

ENGAGEMENT

> Playing in a fantasy setting

My biggest concern with this is that this particular brand of fantasy

(creatures from Japanese mythology, with some elements of feudal

Japan) might be too unfamiliar for most. Those who are familiar with yokai

might really enjoy this type of RPG, but for those who are not, would they

get as much out of it? (Maybe they wouldn’t even play it in the first

place?) Is the use of Japanese terminology cool and does it help serve

the RPG world, or does it get in the way and confuse the players? I feel

like this is the most polarizing element of the system, and that it is a bit of a

gamble leaning so heavily on history and an established culture and

mythology.

> Engaging with the topic of racism (speciesism?)

I wasn’t sure whether to even use the term “race” to define humans and

yokai, but it helps get across the message I want to deliver - that just

because a certain group is mysterious and difficult to understand does not

mean they should be spurned or otherwise treated poorly. There are a lot

of misunderstandings between humans and yokai in Japanese folklore,

and the same goes for the world in this RPG. Players can sit on either side

of the fence but still get an idea about what the other side is feeling,

because that racial tension permeates the Yamato region.

67

3. INTENSITY CURVE

SAMPLE SESSION

1. Character creation. This is fun, but takes time as there are a lot of options for

yokai species to sift through, and a handful of players that need to make

characters.

2. I create my character quickly, as I have a solid idea of who I want to make,

but my friends are still making theirs (and some people are having trouble

deciding on Powers given the character they want to make). Sandwich time.

3. Character introductions. The party consists of my character, a sake gourd

tsukumogami who hates everyone; a human child who loves everyone; a tanuki

who loves sake (help); and a ko-tengu who loves himself. I anticipate butting

heads with basically all of these characters down the road.

4. We start the adventure!

68

5. We wander a bit, not really knowing what to do and just kind of bantering

amongst ourselves. The GM is letting us get used to each other and fool around

with the system (the little girl tries to playfully Charm the tengu, who kisses his

muscles instead).

6. To get everyone back on track, the plot is introduced: a villager’s house is

haunted and he wants whatever is doing the haunting evicted. My intensity is a

bit higher than everyone else’s since my character, as an old sake gourd, has

been “evicted” and feels more compassion for the yokai/spirit than the human.

At any rate, now we know our goal.

7. It takes us a while to find the house in question – we had to take a circuitous

route to avoid detection from unfriendly humans (despite the girls’ insistence

that “everything’ll be okay”). Trying to sneak like this is exciting in a way, but not

incredibly so. The ko-tengu/player would rather fight their way through the town

than sneak, but no one else is having that.

8. We find the house and investigate it. Slight rise in engagement, since we are

anticipating an encounter.

9. The creature reveals itself! It’s not at all intimidating – in fact, it’s a broom

tsukumogami, someone my character can identify with (so it’s kind of exciting

for me, but less so for the others). If we were to fight it, the battle would probably

be over quickly.

10. Intensity rises a lot for me personally when the ko-tengu threatens it with

violence (I’m of course on my fellow tsukumogami’s side). The girl starts to cry

because she thinks the animated broom is cute and doesn’t want to see it get

hurt.

11. Because my character is a grouch and hyper defensive of his kin, he

Charges at the ko-tengu. The Tanuki has the “Quick Reflexes” Skill and, because

and his player are clowns, grabs my bottomless sake gourd character mid-sprint

and takes a swig.

12. In the meantime, the ko-tengu chases the broom tsukumogami out of the

house. The girl runs after them and nails a Pacify roll to get the ko-tengu to stop.

She uses her Diplomacy Skill on the broom tsukumogami to convince it to come

live with her and sweep her room for her (nobody knows how this is going to go

over with the character’s parents).

13. The tension has died down (not entirely for my character – he’s good at

holding a grudge) and we find the villager to receive the promised reward of a

few koban. The adventure is essentially over at this point, but our engagement is

69

sustained a bit only in that we’re looking forward to seeing how the broom

tsukumogami situation turns out for the little girl (if it’s ever actually touched on).

4. PLAYTESTING

PLAYTEST 1

Playtester: John Valdez

John is an online friend of several years and a fellow roleplayer. I have

personally only ever roleplayed with him and our circle of friends via written RPs,

never anything tabletop RPG-style with actual stats and other elements to keep

track of.

He has experience with Dungeons and Dragons, and Pathfinder. He is also

part of my target audience, as he is familiar enough with Japanese mythology

and yokai to understand what my RPG is about.

Reading & Interpreting the RPG

I was unable to actually speak with John due to Skype and Steam being

down on my end, but we messaged each other over Steam’s in-browser chat

feature. I shared a version of my “final” document over Google Drive and asked

him to look it over and use it to create a character. He said he would be

reimagining an existing character of his (who happened to be a yokai, a

kitsune), and I was curious to see how they would look both as a tabletop RPG

character, and as a player-created character for my RPG.

After what I can only assume was a cursory look at character creation,

John asked for a blank character sheet. I did not have one, so he was forced to

use a Word document to recreate “Kontaro.” I really should have had one

ready, and will create a template if I have time.

His first comment was about the stats, asking with a ‘tone’ of disbelief

“how do you get CHA 50.” I do not think he was reading the rules closely,

probably skimming in order to quickly get an idea of the character creation

process, and this really tripped him up. I asked what was confusing about it

(since I thought it was obvious – you just give yourself 50 CHA!), and he said that

“if we’re doing DnD tabletop, max CHA at character creation should be 20 at

the most.”

70

His experience with DnD influenced how he approached my RPG, in a

way that was sort of detrimental to him. He did not immediately understand how

the stats worked in this regard, and was probably expecting to start with low

stats that would increase as his character leveled up.

Additionally, he was not quite sure what to make of my REF stat – he

assumed it was “my game’s version of DEX,” and asked if it was “also a reflex

save.” The latter question confused me, because yes, REF is used for dodging

and I thought that also was obvious (it is stated in the combat section of the

rules). He had likely not read that far by that point. I imagine most players would

approach character creation like John, so in order to make the function and

importance of REF immediately understood, I added a few words to the

description of the REF stat stating that it is also used for dodging during combat.

John asked if movement was not based on racial stats. I assumed this was

something that DnD did…I explained that it was tied to the character’s REF stat,

and he did not comment after that. In a way movement is tied to a yokai’s

“racial stats” in that I suggest the REF of each individual species (primarily when

the yokai is an NPC or an enemy), but I wanted to give players more creative

control over their characters, so none of the stats are tied in that way to a

race/species.

He seemed to have moved on to the Yokaipedia after these comments

about stats, and suggested a few tweaks to the kitsune’s example stats: 15 MGT

(down from 20) and 70 CHA (up from 60). I agreed; of all the yokai in the

Yokaipedia, kitsune are the most CHA-based species there is. They are to CHA

what oni are to MGT. My only problem was balancing the rest of the stats, since I

thought they should still have high SPI and quick reflexes…in the end I reduced

MGT to 15, but bumped CHA up to 80 since “being smooth talkers is their ‘thing,’”

and reduced SPI by a fraction just to even things out a bit.

His next comment was simply the caps-locked sentence, “WANYUDO HAS

NO WISDOM.” I found it sort of funny that of all things, this was his observation,

but it did give me pause – wanyudo are not really stupid, they have the

intelligence of a human being since they were once human. I have to think of

the simulationists here! We both agreed to balance his stats out a bit (he had a

bit too much MGT, too, and strength is not something they are known for like oni

are). I brought wanyudo’s suggested MGT down to 70 from 80, and increased

WIS from 15 to 25.

The stats in the Yokaipedia threw John off a bit. He asked if “the yokai

base stats add to the 300 points you get [at character creation],” and I

answered that no, the example stats are more like ratios and actually rarely if

ever add to 300. Since this is something the GM would probably need to know, I

added a sentence or two to the “stats” description on the first Yokaipedia page,

71

stating that a yokai with a low sum for base stats is generally weaker compared

to yokai with a higher stat sum.

Character Creation & Feedback

John then revealed his character. I liked the “flavor” bit at the end.

Name: Kontaro

Species: Kitsune (-not a- crook)

Loyalty: Humans + Yokai

Tolerance: strong tolerence towards humans, stronger tolerence towards yokai

Health: 250

MGT: 20

CHA: 75

WIS: 40

REF: 60

SPT: 65

SKILLS:

- Charm

- Stealth

POWERS:

- Illusion

- Possess

- Soul Steal

- Spectral Flame

ITEMS:

- Robes (light clothing)

- Shakujo (Weapon)

- Fried Tofu crumbs (flavor)

It looked good. Everything was there and the character seemed very

Kontaro-esque, so the transition seemed to have gone well. I followed up with

some general questions (Q&A paraphrased):

Q: You decided not to use the full 300 points – why is this?

A: The stats I gave him seem pretty good as they are, I didn’t feel like I

needed all 300 points.

Great! I never pinned John as a narrativist, so the fact that he didn’t

feel like he needed to use all 300 points to max whatever stats he

could really pleases me. He was thinking of his character first and

foremost, which is what I hope most players would do.

Q: How did you feel about the Skills and Powers selection? Did they leave

you wanting anything in particular? Was anything confusing about the

Power descriptions?

72

A: Not at all. The descriptions explained what they did, and I found Powers

that fit the character I wanted. I feel the selection was well thought

out.

Throughout the whole playtesting session I was afraid John would

be too nice and not question my choices as the RPG’s creator, so I

am not sure if I totally buy his assessment of the clarity of the rules.

On the other hand, he never asked about them (like he did with the

stats), so maybe at least as far as the selection process of Skills and

Powers go, they are easy to understand. Actually using them in-

game is probably another story entirely.

I’m glad he found Skills and Powers that suit his character. It was

easier for me personally to come up with Powers that fit certain

yokai, like kitsune, so this might be why he had an easier time

choosing them. I don’t know about players who want to play non-

aggressive yokai like hitotsume-kozo or yobuko – their options still

seem kind of limited.

Q: To what extend did the example kitsune stats influence the way you

distributed your stat points, if at all?

A: The high CHA was definitely an influence, as was the low MGT. The

lower than usual wisdom is more or less because Kontaro being wise is a

joke.

I’m a little torn on this response, too. In my experience roleplaying

with Kontaro, the character has never displayed exceptional

strength, and high charisma has always been a part of his

character. I thought that that is what John drew on when assigning

stat points, not the suggested species stats. This is one of my

greatest worries regarding the Yokaipedia: players will take it as the

word of god, and refuse to deviate from the written suggestions.

Like, “It says here that oni are incredibly strong, so I’m not allowed

to make a weak oni character.” No, that’s not the case! That would

actually make for an interesting character. More playtesting would

have given me a better idea of how players interact with the

Yokaipedia.

Q: What do you think about the leveling up options? Are they confusing?

Which of the options would you be more apt to choose?

A: It’s a little confusing, mostly because I’m not used to nonclass

progressions, I’m too used to DnD. I could get behind stat adjustment,

probably advancing his CHA/REF based on how often he’d use his

stealth/charm abilities.

73

It seems like he understood how to increase stats when leveling up,

which is good. I figured John was more of a gamist than a narrativist,

which is why I’m not totally surprised that he is less interested in

creating new Skills and Powers, but the case there could also be

that he is totally satisfied with the Skills and Powers Kontaro has and

doesn’t see a need to give him more.

Of course, this is all just based on John’s in-the-moment opinion. If

he were actually playing the game and leveling up, he might do

something different, especially depending on what happened

during the adventure.

Q: Do you think this type of RPG is friendlier to people without previous

tabletop RPG experience?

A: It seems like a good intro game, good for DnD veterans since it’s less

gameplay and more story, so people who prefer roleplay to mechanics

would enjoy this game.

I was hoping for mine to be a decent beginner’s RPG, since it is far

less complex than DnD and the like. But John had a bit of trouble

getting out of the DnD mindset when making the transition to this

one, so would it really be good for DnD vets? In the respect he talks

about, maybe yes (if the players really don’t mind trading hard

mechanics for narrative). It could also be that my RPG, like any

other, is easier to understand once it’s given a little more time and is

read more closely.

Q: If you were to GM, do you think you would be able to come up with

ideas for different adventures/campaigns? Is there enough content for

you to work with?

A: If I spent more time researching and better understood everything,

yeah! There are enough yokai to have plenty of encounters, plus there

are hub NPCs like the shogun to give players big objectives.

Like, you could spend 2-3 sessions doing a big favor for the daimyo, while

the shogun missions could take 2-3 based on how difficult the task is.

If he better understood everything, sure, I could probably explain

some sections better…but “more time researching”? That’s worrying,

but at the same time totally understandable considering the setting.

I’m sure it would benefit the RPG if I were to talk more at length

about what exactly shogun and daimyo do, how they operate

within the world of the RPG, etc. I should have asked John if he felt

like the content was completely unusable without doing research

74

first. If that’s the case, that’s a very bad sign, because my intent was

for it to be usable even without too much historical knowledge.

Q: What are your impressions of the RPG, from the perspective of

someone with knowledge of yokai and Japanese mythology? Was there

anything missing, anything that felt wrong or that you would have liked to

have seen?

A: I think most of the yokai I know are listed, although I thought there

would be bird tengu rather than long-nose tengu.

Q: I’m pretty sure I included them the bird tengu as “ko-tengu”…

A: Kiera ko-tengu looks like a MAN

A: WITH A LONG NOOOOSE

I honestly tried to find a good ko-tengu picture in the kind of style I

was looking for, but I had a hard time finding anything suitable. To

be completely honest, this…26

…is what I would have liked to have used, but it’s rather cute and

doesn’t really fit the style of the RPG (or the traditional depiction of

ko-tengu it uses). If I had had the time to create original art for this

project, the ko-tengu would definitely have looked a lot more bird-

like to better differentiate them from the more humanlike dai-tengu.

26 Image by “weremagnus,” obtained at http://weremagnus.deviantart.com/art/Daitengu-Tells-

a-Tale-381968026