D&DG Worshippers 5: Chinese

Shang-Ti, crusher of tortoises

Chinese Worshippers

So we arrive at a mythos I knew nothing about when I got GD&H, but thanks to that and the later D&DG I have developed... well, no real knowledge of the gods involved since then.

I probably picked up more from watching Monkey - that the Eastern pantheon (as it was known in GD&H) is basically a bureaucracy mirroring that of the Imperial Chinese court in the days before the Mongols arrived to teach the emperor a few unpleasant lessons. I have at least read the Penguin Classics translation of The Journey West (which is truly terrible) and Cowboy Bebop sent me off on a bit of a dig into Feng-Shui (nuts but fun) and that's about the extent of it.

The introduction to the mythos lists a few magical items, including a reference to the I-Ching as a tool for controlling matter and motion, and what I think is supposed to be Monkey's staff (all 7t 16cwt 88lbs of it). It also introduces the idea that the head of a church might be simply "gifted" with the powers of a high priest, presumably in the case that the emperor is more of a military man than a holy one.

The method I'm using here to generate the tables based on the deity's own class abilities throws up something new as well: gods without either clerical or druidical worshippers. In all cases except one - Huan-Ti, god of war - the gods in question are in fact demi-gods and we can perhaps handwave this, especially if we assume "demigod" to have the literal Greek sense of having one mortal parent.

In the case of Huan-Ti, I guess we just have to assume that the god of war is not interested in spell-casting and simply does not take on clerics in the normal sense. It seems that the deity is based on the mythological emperor of the same name who supposedly became an immortal after death. If so, it is strange that he is said to wear red +3 platemail as Huan-Ti is the "Yellow Emperor" and strongly associated with the colour (according to Google).

One very notable omission is Monkey himself - Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, Great Sage Equal to All Heaven.

Encounter	Cleric	Druid	Fighter	Ranger	Paladin	Magic-user	Illusionist	Thief	Assassin	Monk	Bard
Shang-ti	1-9				1-100	1-13	1-17				1-30
Chang Kung Ming				1-17					1-18	1-11
Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya			1-21							12-28	31-50
Chih Sung-Tzu	10-22		22-36			14-26
Chung Kuel	23-36	1-21		18-36		27-36	18-30		19-45	29-44	51-70
Fei Lien				37-46				1-17		45-52
Feng Po				47-56				18-34		53-61
Huan-Ti				57-75					46-73	62-80
Kuan Yin	37-53	22-42				37-49					71-100
Lei Kung		43-58	37-52			50-58	31-42
Lu Yueh	54-66		53-69			59-70	43-59	35-66
No Cha		59-73	70-83				60-73	67-100
Shan Hai Ching	67-73		84-100			71-77	74-82
Tou Mu	74-86			76-90		78-81	83-87
Wen Chun				91-100		82-90	88-100
Yen-Wang-Yeh	87-100	74-100				91-100			74-100	81-100