House Rules
New Wu Tan
Meng Tan
Meng Tan -- the Alchemy of Dreams -- is an extremely rare path of magic that only the po jen diviners among hsien study. Embarking on this magical way precludes ever understanding the Nei Tan and regaining the Jade Key. It inspires a spiritual "imbalance" that guides the changeling to what may be an alternative form of redemption. The lore of Meng Tan is exchanged only from po jen to po jen, who are very secretive about their divination arts.
The purpose of Meng Tan is to contact Xi Wang Chi -- called the Dreaming in the West. Through that medium, po jen attempt to glean insight and wisdom regarding the past, present, and future, and ultimately all other things. Most po jen are by their very natures intense daydreamers, which is a trait a would-be apprentice must naturally have before even being considered for the study of Meng Tan. Most po jen are out of touch with reality and many lose their minds. Those that can keep the dimensions of Middle Kingdom and Xi Wang Chi distinct can achieve a synthesis of mind, body, and soul -- but it takes great will and patience. With such a fabled success, the po jen can -- and most do -- enter the Deep Dreaming with a Crystal Key and never return. And perhaps this Crystal Key is as "correct" as the Jade Key!
Any kwannon-jin can take up the role of the po jen if his or her personality fits. Hsien who do so lose the ability to learn Nei Tan and if they have already begun the way of Internal Alchemy, they cannot begin the way of Dreams.
System: The system for Meng Tan is different than most other Wu Tan excepting that it still employs Fortunes and a yugen cost. Cohort and non-Cohort effects are not possible, of course. The dicepool for all Meng Tan I Chih is simply the Meng Tan Trait score. In this it is similar to Nei Tan, except that the character can increase the Meng Tan only when his Chi is imbalanced. His Chi scores must be imbalanced naturally, not altered by magic.
This art's effectiveness is based namely on Banality. Yin and Yang effects do not come into consideration and therefore the hsien's Chi scores do not affect the difficulty of the I Chih. The difficulty for any Meng Tan I Chih is equal to the target's Banality score. When casting a spell on multiple targets, use the highest Banality score present. It's little wonder that most po jen practice Meng Tan in the privacy of their homes or better yet, the inner sanctums of Dragon Nests. Although Banality is a trait that rarely comes up in Year of the Lotus Chronicles, Storytellers should be encouraged to arbitrarily assign Banality scores. If the Storyteller is not familiar with this system, assigning the local Wall rating as difficulty will suffice.
Note that the po jen are not immune to the Mists! Most po jen, even the advanced ones who can resist the power of the Mists at least briefly, understand the nature of the Mists. They utilize the periphery memories of events that transpire between they and Xi Wang Chi in their divinations.
Assume that without the appropriate (Level 3) I Chih, the po jen will suffer the effect of the Mists after the duration of the spell ends. However, most po jen boast Banality scores no higher than 5 (and that's a pretty jaded extreme).
Virtue: Imbalance
Constructive Cohorts: none
Adversary: Meng Tan is its own Adversary
Fortunes: Meditated dreaming, sites of natural beauty, dragon nests, chimerical Wyrdings (and other physical manifestations of the Dreaming)
Yin and Yang Attributes: Unlike the elemental alchemies, Meng Tan comes from the hsien's understanding of the Dreaming and its chaotic, whimsical forces. Due to their unnatural detachment from Xi Wang Chi, Shinma can never wholly excel at this art as they can the elemental powers. The dicepool used is equal solely to the character's score in Meng Tan itself.
Modifiers: All effects of this Wu Tan directly deal with the Dreaming and are therefore dependent the target's Banality score. Besides that unusual factor, almost any Modifier may be employed except Harm. The most common modifiers for Meng Tan are: Continuance, Magnitude of Change, and Magnitude of Form.
* Brightened Visions
The first thing a po jen learns when she begins to dream in earnest is to see the world of dreams while awake. They may perceive and even communicate with the denizens of the Dreaming with ease and gage how close or distant a mortal or other shen is from the blessings of Xi Wang Chi. This is not Enchantment (as if with a faerie's Glamour) per se. It simply gives the po jen awareness of the Near Dreaming and the closer elements of this realm. Whether the denizens of the Near Dreaming are willing to communicate and interact with the po jen is wholly dependent on their whim and abilities (and only a few chimerae have the appropriate Redes).
See the Dreamed Ghosts
This I Chih permits the po jen to sense -- see, hear, and smell -- all nearby chimerae, the "spirits" of the Dreaming. It does not grant the chimerae the ability to affect the po jen or anyone else, though the more intelligent and independent chimerae may realize the po jen's awareness. This I Chih allows the the po jen to focus on any nearby animate chimerae. Continuance and Domain are the only Modifiers necessary.
Voice of the Dream
With this effect, a po jen can communicate with the chimerae she may perceive with See the Dreamed Ghosts (as above). The chimerae are not bound to reply but no Redes to interact with the mundane world are necessary for the po jen to hear a chimera speak provided See the Dreamed Ghosts is still in effect. Abundance, Continuance, and Domain are the only Modifiers that may be appropriate.
Perceive the Dreamer
The po jen can turn his enlightened gaze on the mundane world and observe how creative and dreamer-innocent a person may or may not be. Knowing a target's Banality can help a character decide whether or not casting a spell on the person is worth the effort. Abundance, Continuance, and Domain are most commonly applied.
** Touch the Dream
The next step of Meng Tan involves more advanced interactions with the Near Dreaming and its denizens. A po jen can exert some control over chimerical spirits. She may also touch the bond to Xi Wang Chi that exists between that mysterious realm and every being on the planet, regardless of how small and stunted the seed of Glamour may be.
Herald the Servant of Xi Wang Chi
The po jen learns how to summon animate chimera. Only pure elements of the Dreaming can be called; faeries and their gallain cousins are immune to this summons. Note that this I Chih does not guarantee that any chimera called will be friendly. And remember, in the Dreaming things are anything but predictable. However, most po jen are willing to risk this to glean greater insight about the Dreaming. Specific chimera may also be called if the hsien has a name, though is often harder (if not downright impossible). The difficulty for this I Chih is an average of the po jen's Banality score and the local Wall rating. Abundance cannot be used with this spell. Continuance forces the chimera to remain in the po jen's area for the set time; Domain extends the range from which the chimera may wander. Magnitude of Change determines how friendly the chimera will be upon arrival. Assume that before using this modifier, the chimera will be indisposed to the hsien, though not hostile. Magnitude of Change at Level 3 is enough to summon a friendly chimera. Add +1 difficulty to the roll to summon a specific chimera by name; the Storyteller will decide if it's available to come. If it has been swept away by Banality or a storm of Wyld energies and flung back into the Deep Dreaming, it obviously cannot come to the hsien. Magnitude of Form is not necessary.
Dismiss the Servant of Xi Wang Chi
The opposite of Herald the Servant of Xi Wang Chi, this I Chih permits a po jen to send any chimera away. Like the above spell, it has no effect on changelings -- only pure animate chimerae. The spell banishes the chimera from the po jen's presence, disabling it from approaching at all. The spell cannot be cast on another; if the po jen wants to protect someone from a chimera, she must remain nearby her ward. Abundance cannot be used with this effect. Continuance determines how long the chimera can be kept away; Domain defines the range of the ward. The higher the Domain level, the further away the chimera is forced to flee. The Magnitude of Change modifier is used but abnormally. In place of the usual levels, add the chimera's Willpower. Thus, non-sentient chimera are automatically dismissed, while a chimera with Willpower 5 adds a Magnitude of Change score of 5 to the modifier levels.
The Gift of Awakening
This I Chih allows a po jen to expand her own awareness of the Near Dreaming (as per Rank 1 I Chih of Meng Tan) to anyone else. The affected target may thereafter perceive but not interact with chimera and other denizens of the Dreaming, as laid out by the parameters of Brightened Visions. With this spell wears off, the Mists take effect. The Gift of Awakening is far more easily cast upon willing targets. Not only must the po jen overcome the target's Banality score but an unwilling target may resist by rolling Willpower (difficulty 8). Abundance may be employed with this I Chih, as can Continuance, Circumstance, and Domain.
*** Walking Through Mystery
At this rank of Meng Tan, the po jen is able to fully interact with the Dreaming. However, these spells cannot be cast upon others. Only the po jen may experience Xi Wang Chi from this rank of Meng Tan on. At this level, the po jen may open the equivalent of raths and enter the Near Dreaming, fully "Enchant" herself, and shrug off the Mists for a period of time. Abundance and Domain cannot be used with any of these effects.
Step Through the Looking Glass
From the point of origin of a Dragon Nest, the po jen may open what the Waigoren call a rath. Simply put, these are the doorways from a freehold or Dragon Nest that permits a changeling to leave the mundane world entirely and walk through the Near Dreaming. It is highly advised that a po jen not wander. Even those who can open and travel Trods (see below) know that the Dreaming is no place to fool around. But simply sitting in the threshold of a rath is enlightenment enough, a po jen discovers. Wandering the Near Dreaming is a sure way to get lost forever; not even the best guide can help a po jen get very far. To do this, the only modifier necessary (and applicable) is equivalent to the Dragon Nest's Wall rating x2.
Child of Xi Wang Chi
The po jen can begin to transmute his internal yugen into the energies of the Dreaming: Glamour. So inspired, the hsien can interact with the world of the Waigoren fae as if he were one of them for the duration of the I Chih. He experiences the Dreaming as if he were fully Enchanted. The most common modifiers employed are Continuance and Circumstance. Magnitude of Change at Level 5 is also a bare necessity (to "change perceptions").
True Eye
This I Chih delays the Mists for the po jen. While under this magic's influence, even if the po jen is not under the influence of any other use of Meng Tan, he will not suffer the effects of the Mists. This does not mean the po jen is still "Enchanted" in any way, it simply means he possesses total recall of any and all fey events. Once the duration of the spell ends, however, the Mists come crashing down. Those po jen who wish to ignore the Mists permanently tend to cast this spell for long durations and renew it regularly before it ends. The only modifier needed for this I Chih is Continuance. Circumstance cannot be used.
**** Phantom Jade Tracks
This highly advanced level permits the po jen to travel the Dreaming more extensively. She can even take it back with her into the world of mundane albeit in a limited (but useful) fashion. The hsien can open and travel Trods -- which are simply dragon lines that crisscross Xi Wang Chi. She may also transmute her own yugen into Glamour-like energy and pour it into jade receptacles, creating a unique form of Dross.
The Whiskers of the Wani
This spell permits a po jen to open a fey dragon line that the Waigoren call "Trods". This is almost always from a Dragon Nest (freehold) as point of origin. Few Trods begin anywhere else. Traveling this Trod is almost exactly like traveling a normal dragon line, granting almost instantaneous travel over wide distances. However, most Trods lead to faerie glens and other freeholds. A rare few lead deeper into the Dreaming, but without the Crystal Key, a po jen who wanders that far is doomed to be lost or worse. To do this, the only modifier necessary (and applicable) is equivalent to the Dragon Nest's Wall rating x2. To travel safely, however, a po jen should have a Cosmology/Dreaming Knowledge rating of at least 3.
Misty Pearls
Through a specially prepared receptacle made of jade (but normal jade, not awakened/empowered jade!), a po jen can infuse the empty space with yugen. This energy, however, first undergoes a transmutation in the po jen's system, becoming like Glamour. The result is a form of Dross (or as mages call it, Tass). Any single receptacle can store up to five points of the po jen's yugen. This energy is accessible to the po jen again at any future time, or it may be traded and used by Waigoren fae. Some mages may also make use of it. The main modifier utilized here is a level equal to the number of yugen points that the po jen intends to invest, multiplied by two. Thus, if the hsien wanted to store 3 points of yugen, six levels of modifier would apply. Continuance is the only other modifier applicable. This sort of chaotic energy has a brief lifespan in a container, and only through Continuance of the Righteous Judgment can the receptacle hold the energies for more than a few moments.
***** Birthing Dreams -- the Crystal Key
The ultimate expression of Dream Alchemy is the po jen's ability to change her mind and body themselves into raw dreamstuff that Waigoren call Glamour. The hsien can enter even the Deep Dreaming directly and survive. And they can turn their dreams into actual realities, flooding an area with whimsical musical dreams or summoning a chimerical dragon to beset fey or even real foes.
Upon achieving this level, a crystalline key appears on the po jen's person, just as with the jade key. It is simply a token of mastery and has no other purpose. It looks to be as fragile as glass but it is indestructible, unless of course its owner perishes.
Open the Gates
This is the benefit of earning the Crystal Key. The po jen may at will break past the Wall and all levels of disbelief and enter the Dreaming at any known point. Some of these po jen can even enter Arcadia directly. One way or the other, most who earn the Crystal Key leave the Middle Kingdom and never return. To enter the Dreaming wherever the hsien may be, he must score more successes on a single roll than the local Wall rating. This cannot be cast as a ritual (so escaping from a Technocratic laboratory in this manner would be impossible).
Dreams in Form
This powerful effect allows a po jen to literally create chimera where there were none before. This I Chih gives no influence over the powers of any given chimera, including whether or not the chimera has the ability to affect the physical realm. It will also not affect the general Banality of the area either, and in some places a chimera may be very short-lived indeed. This demanding spell permits the creation of only one chimera at a time, though inanimate and animate chimerae are both possible. Simply put, the po jen generates an idea for a chimera and brings it to life through this magic.
The Modifiers that may be employed include Continuance -- without it, a chimera won't be for long, in fact. Abundance may not be used, though a po jen may find use with Circumstance. Domain defines the range of where the chimera first manifests. Harm cannot be used, of course, even if the po jen is creating a chimerical broad sword. Chimerical creatures and items will inflict their base, normal levels of chimerical damage. Magnitude of Form describes the size of the chimera; Magnitude of Change must be employed at a level of 5. Any special additions, such as a Rede to affect the material realm, are wholly up to the Storyteller -- who is encouraged to be whimsical with these applications, even if it's at the po jen's expense.
