The Storyteller-system was created by Rein Mark*Hagen
Inspirational source: Li-Rong in the Store, Krister Sundelin of Dragonkin, and Magnus Kroon with Balance.
I also wish to thank Darryl Adams for "Dragon - the Redemption", another way of looking at Dragons in the Storyteller-system.
Dedication: This work is dedicated to all the players of Dragon - the Waking Wrath, and all the Martial artists of the world.
Notes: This work is based on the assumption that there is magic in the world. Without magic, dragons are nothing. Without myths and powers we can not see, we have no dreams, and there can be no dragons.
They were walking down a steep hill as the sun was slowly rising in the east, right into their view. It was indeed a magnificent sight, but for the peasants, who had seen it so many times, it was just another sunrise, another morning. This would prove to be something else then any other morning.
Loo-Chang was the first to see it, but as soon as he started moving toward it, the others saw it as well. It was a plate of gold, and it was stuck in the dirt on the side of the hill, just like that. It looked heavy, and in the sunlight from the rising sun, it glistened. It was gold all-right, real gold. Loo-Chang started pulling the plate, trying to free it from the dirt, while Shao-Bailam tried to dig it free at the base. The others just stood by, looking a bit like sheep. Loo-Chang swore and threw himself on his back as his grip failed.
"By my ancestors! Bie-bai-makk! It won't budge!" And then the earth moved. The peasants had felt earthquakes before, but was surprised by the strength and the precision of this one. Only the ground around their feet and a bit up the hill was shaking, not the ground at the foot of the hill. "Yes" a voice answered "I am Bie-bai-makk. Who awakens me?" An eye opened in the side of the hill. A huge, jade-green eye. The gold plate disappeared into the hill's side, and the dragon rose from the mass of dirt and pants. It stood there, on two legs, rising a good twenty feet over the ground, and looked at the peasants. They earthquake stopped. The peasants knew only one thing to do. They ran. Loo-Chang fell to his knees and said a prayer to his protective spirits. The dragon shot forward it's head, with fangs visible, and mouth fully opened. Loo-Chang prepared for the afterlife. But the dragon didn't bite. Loo-Chang looked up, disbelieving. The dragon had its head so close he could smell its breath.
"You are a relative of Loo-Hwing-Tzu, are you not?" The dragon spoke with a voice like thunder.
"Ye...Yes. He is my great-grandfather." Loo-Chang was glad he was sitting down, as he felt all weak. Had he been standing, he would have fallen right now, and looked like a fool.
"I remember him. So, great-grandchild of Loo-Hwing-Tzu, what do you wish of Bie-bai-makk, you family's dragon?"
"My family's dragon?"
"Indeed. Your great-grandfather was a man of courage, and he helped me. In return, I was to watch over his family the next twelve generations, granting any favors they would want." The dragon now made a clicking sound, and Loo-Chang thought of this as a chuckle.
"Well, I am but a simple framer, I have nothing to ask for. Nothing you could help me with."
"In that case, I will go back to sleep until you do. But first, you must sacrifice something to me, or I will forced to kill you because you disturbed my slumber."
"What?"
"That which is most precious to you, but also that which you take for granted."
"What?!"
"Too slow". The dragon's head shot forward again, and this time it cut Loo-Chang in half, the legs slowly falling apart. The dragon chewed the upper body, and swallowed. "Not at all as fast as his great-grandfather" it said to itself, and stretched up its head. It looked around. "I wonder what year this might be. It feels like the year of the rabbit. In that case there will be plenty of food to eat." The dragon chuckled again, and began slithering down the hill.
There was a peasant who was cursed, and he turned into a dragon. A god who lost a bet and turned into a great dragon, and a fish that drank fire and turned into a dragon. All were part of a living system of beings. They were the children of gods, doing what they did best; killing, preying on the good, being slain by heroes, and giving cryptic wisdom to questing wanderers.
Then all that changed. There was a great drowsiness, and the Dragons fell asleep. Now, they are starting to wake up, and all is not as it was. They do not have to follow the orders of gods or spirits anymore, but can follow their own mind, find their own quest. Then there was a war, when dragon turned on dragon, brother killed brother, and the Heavens shook, and the ground trembled. A treaty was called, and the dragon parted their ways.
Some, the greater ones, went back to sleep, while others, the smaller dragons, remained awake, exploring the world. This is the type of character available to the players through this supplement of Dragon - The Waking Wrath called Dragon - The Eastern Harmonies.
In the ancient days, where gods and mortals roamed the earth as equals, all the dragons were awake, and doing the business of gods and spirits. Then a change came, and the dragons fell asleep. Why or how this happened is not known, but the dragons slept for a long time. The more powerful the dragon was, the longer and harder did he sleep. Now, as time passed, some woke up, and found that the gods and demons had left the world, and that they were free. The newly-awakened dragons roamed the earth, and spread terror to the humans in it. And so there were conflicts, and some of the more powerful dragons woke up, called by ancient powers and curses. There was a war, called the War of Progeniture, and dragon fought dragon, and dragon fought man, and man fought man. It was a horrible time. In all this violence, something changed, and went all wrong. Something made the warring parties fall asleep again, and no spell or curse could bring them from their slumber this time. Some dragons did not fall asleep, those who had not been involved in the war all that much. They stayed awake, and discovered why. There is a balance to all things, and if you break that balance, you will lose, and fall asleep. You can not live one life, you must live a thousand different ones to be able to stay awake. Some of the lesser dragons of the war woke up as well, and they were taught this lesson, or went back to sleep after just a short while. The secret of balance keeps the dragons awake.
The dragons who are now awake are generally aware of this game of balance. If a dragon is not aware of this, and is still awake, it is called an "Unaware Awakened". There are also rumors of powers that can keep a dragon awake, even if it ignores the balance of things. Like the dragons in the West, the dragons of the Eastern Court are not at their full power. The powerful ones are asleep, and they will not wake up for several millennia yet. Those who are awake, however, have organized themselves so that they can survive, and a treaty has been called, and a truce of arms signed. The words of a dragon is binding, and so is this truce.
Unlike the dragons in the West, the dragons in Asia are not divided into different camps; they are divided in families. There are two major families, and several smaller ones, and they try to stick together, even though this is not an easy task.
There are certain inherited differences between dragons. These make them what they are, and they control certain aspects of their life. They also tell them where they belong. There are two major families in Asia: the Tatsu, and the Long.
The Japanese dragon, in its full strength, is an impressive sight. It is huge and all-powerful, and inspired awe and fear in all those who see it. They are well-balanced, and they never participated all that much in the War of Progeniture. They stay quiet most of the time, but when they speak, the earth moves according to their wishes. They are the diplomats and the leaders of the formal Eastern Court, an assembly of dragons, called by the Treaty to keep in touch with the western Dragons. Of all dragons it is the calmest, most balanced, and the true ruler of Eastern Dragonkin.
The Chinese dragon is a creature of drives, ambitions, and lusts. It is sometimes hard to see the reason it its actions, but believe me when I tell you that there is a Grand Plan, and a Quest, and each dragon follows this Plan, always. The Long is a creature of many faces, and it sometimes goes a little overboard when trying to be everything at one time. The Long has always liked humans, and have taught this to the Tatsu, up to a point. The Tatsu is a bit stubborn, and not really willing to learn. The Long, however, is intuitive, intelligent, impulsive, and caring. It tries it's best at all times, and sometimes overextends it's boundaries.
The Chinese Dragon has a more female side to it. This is the Long-Feong. They are much like the Long, but they are a bit more passive, more planning, more willing to discuss and dream rather than take action, and make wars.
The Eastern Dragon, like the Western Dragon, may change shape. However, there are certain differences. For instance: The Western dragon must learn how to change shape, while this is natural for the Eastern dragon. The Western dragon can change shape at any time, while the Eastern dragon must plan, and make an effort to shape-shift.
There is always a natural state for the dragon, and this state it can always revert to. It is a bit like the breed-form of the Garou, and in this form, the dragon normally feels most comfortable. The dragon, no matter what form it has, is a magical being. You can clearly see this in the dragonform. A dragon doesn't have to eat, or drink, or breathe, or sleep like mortals do. They are powered by magical currents that flow through the universe.
The appearance of the dragon: It is hard to truly say what a dragon looks like, because the Eastern dragon is a magical creature, and appears differently to all those who see it. It is normally not as bulky as the Western dragon, and has no wings. One could say that most Eastern dragons look like great snakes who stand on their hind-legs and have an over-sized head. The dragon has two horns, and scaly skin. The color of the scales may be any given one, ranging from gold to oil, from white to black, from red to green of blue. The eyes of the dragon are hard to look into, because of their magical nature. They have the color of broken jade, a light-green tone, with a red undertone. Mortals can't even force themselves to look into the eyes of a dragon, unless it permits them to.
In human form, the dragon can look like anything. Asian, Caucasian, African, Hispanic, it is all the same to the dragon. Age, physical dimensions such as height and weight are just attributes to the dragon. Sex, however, is rather important to it. The dragon is in itself sexless, but the game of balance it plays dictates certain things are best meant for women, and others for men. It is by these criteria that the dragon chooses its gender, in human form. It is chosen according to the task at hand, and how the dragon plans to resolve the problem it is faced with. Clothes are part of the form, and are very much real, connected to the body itself, unless the dragon wants otherwise. This means that there can be trouble in taking clothes off. However, the dragon can change clothing while in human form as a minor change of appearance.
The dragon can also choose the physical appearance of any other creature it desires. A vampire, Garou, Western dragon, snake, pig, horse, or bird, it is all the same. However, the form must be a living thing, like an animal, not a rock, and it can only be of the same sort of creature as the dragon. This means that the dragon can not turn into a plant, but any animal, and not into a rock, but a human. Yes, vampires are not alive, but they look alive, and that is the main point.
Dragons do not breed by physical interaction, since they are gender-less. They can, however, breed new dragons. This can be done by one dragon, by a pair, or more. The dragon uses the power of its pearl to create a new pearl, and then let that power consume another living being. The normal procedure is that a dragon, or several dragons combining their powers, create a new pearl, and feed it to a human, a rabbit, a fish, or a bird, depending on what is at hand. The power of the pearl then takes over the "host", and turns it to a dragon. There are no attributes, memories, or other things retained by the new form from the old one. The change is irreversible, and almost divine in nature. It is unheard of that a dragon could revert back to the creature that it once was, and no dragon ever desires such a thing.
These creatures of magic and myth has been around for a long time, a long time indeed. They are rumored to have existed even before the start of time, but none of the dragons awake today are old enough to say. The oldest dragon awake in Asia at this time has been awake for twelve hundred years, and has seen gods walk the earth before it entered it's first sleep. It states that it was four hundred years old when it fell asleep, and that it was asleep for a total of one millennium, give or take a few decades. This would make it very old indeed, and it still remembers beings, dragons and others, who were a lot older, beings it talked to, "in its youth". No one really knows where they came from, and why the gods decided the world needed dragons, and since the gods that created them are long gone, it will probably remain a mystery for all time to come, as well.
"It is said. It is the law." This is probably the only line that has ever been translated from Dragonspeak into any other language. It is the sum of a long sentence called Truthlaw. This sentence takes over two minutes to say in Dragonspeak, if you talk fast. It expresses the true part of the dragons' way of communicating; without lies.
A dragon of the Eastern Court never lies. It may leave out part of the truth, and may twist the words so that they will seem to have another meaning than they do, but they always speak the truth, essentially. This is very confusing for the dragons when they are in another form than the dragon-form. There are numerous ways to tell the truth in Dragonspeak, making this kind of thing a rather simple procedure, but in human or other speaking form, there is only one truth, and it is hard to bend it. Dragons study this for long periods of time and often learn many languages to find which one is the best suited for telling a "non-truth."
The word of a dragon is binding, and all oaths must be honored, up to a point. A good way to bend this rule is by stating a time. Time is relative, and so are events and functions. A dragon could say that "you will have to wait until I am finished" if you asked it for a favor or called in a debt, so that it could not refuse. "Finished" means in this case with life, and the dragon merely states that once it is dead, it will help you. You may be in for a long wait indeed.
Dragonspeak does not have a formal written language, but the dragons have managed to write Dragonspeak using a combination of symbols from the Chinese alphabet, containing one sign for everything, house, car, drive, walk, live, and so on, and a heavy modification of the Japanese Katakan, a soundbased language. This is a very clumsy way of communicating, as the Dragonspeak is a very subjective language, rather than objective, like ours. This means that all it is good for is writing letters, and signs for other dragons. The Dragonspeak is the same wherever you go; East or West, Tatsu or Long, all the same. A dragon can't lie in writing, either.
After the War of Progeniture, there was a great meeting between all the dragons that were awake and alive. During this meeting there was a treaty called, and it has been honored ever since.
The Treaty in itself is a rather simple piece of praxis, with only two major rules to it. Number One is that no dragon shall by action or by influence harm another dragon. The Second one is that if the first rule is broken, then the Assembly has the right to take the life of the dragon who broke it.
The Treaty speaks of an Assembly. This is a council of sorts, a way for dragons to resolve any and all problems without using violence, since lying is never really an option. The Assembly consists of a number of dragons who wish to be in it. Only the Assembly can choose if a dragon is worthy to be part of it. Right now, and since over two centuries, there are nine dragons in the Assembly. They are not representatives for interests or families, but simply interested in the affairs of their kin. There are six Tatsu, two Long, and one other dragon in the Assembly. The last one is from a lesser family, called Umi-Waraigoe . This family is from the Japanese sea. The Assembly is wise and powerful, and has many different jobs. To enforce the rules of the Treaty is one. Another is to hold a Court.
When the dragons of the lands in West started waking up a few years ago, they sought out the dragons in the East, and found it difficult to communicate with them. There were no organization like the Court, and there was nowhere to send an Ambassador. So, the Assembly formed a formal Court, the Eastern Court, with a Tatsu as high ruler, so that the cousins from West should feel more comfortable. The dragons of Asia, however, do not understand the point of a Court at all, and the thought of a single ruler of all Dragonkin is simple comedy to their ears. It is convenient to have a central organ to communicate West to East and vice versa, but the Court is merely a arrangement for show.
It is hard to deal with all the things of the world. Unlike the dragons in the West, the Eastern dragons have been awake for a long time, and have gotten a fairly good view of the other things inhabiting the earth.
These creatures of the night, who prey on the blood of the living, are no threat to the dragons, as they have no blood to give. In their veins flows magical power, not some liquid. All the same, there are different vampires, and they should be treated differently.
Camarilla: The Camarilla is represented in Asia, and it is not unheard of that a Camarilla-vampire tries to attack a dragon of the Eastern families. They are no threat though, and are regarded as more than mortals, less than dragons.
"I have heard of dragons in the East and the West, but frankly, I can't see any point in a alliance at this time." Saiman Plantegnet, Primogen of Calcutta
Sabbat: These troublemakers are few and far apart in Asia, and they are a relatively new phenomenon to the Assembly. They should be studied for a while longer, and then a policy should be made on how to treat them.
"I have seen dragons, but they are simply a pawn in the game of the Antedeluvians. Once they show their true color, we will strike, and destroy them all." Malcolm Strife, Paladin
Inconnu: The Inconnu has actually sought the Assembly out and made a presentation of themselves. This was nice. If they ask favors, we will grant them, and in return, they will grant ours. An alliance is forming.
"Yes, a stimulating partnership of mutual interest is forming. Funny you should mention it. I was in Japan just the other week and discussed this with the Assembly. They are great beings, and will aid us in many things." Pah Eniotatt, 4tth generation Toreador
Anarchs: There are too few Anarchs in Asia at this time, and the Assembly has not yet formed a firm opinion about them.
"Yeah, I've seen a dragon, right here in LA. It was huge and had great wings. Chinese? How the hell should I know? I didn't talk to he lizard much, I just got my gun, and ran." Boomer, Brujah of Los Angeles
Drukpa: These monks live in Tibet, and they have controlled the Tibetan dragons for centuries. The Assembly has decided that they are no threat, but should be avoided, just in case. The last thing the Dragonkin needs is a conflict between a controlled dragon and a free one right now.
"The Assembly? If we need them, we can control them. But right now, there is no need. Our own dragons are stronger and closer than them." Chiema Leio, 7th generation Drukpa.
The few Garou left in Asia usually stays far away from all of Dragonkin. They fear the wrath they remember since the War. The dragons, however, and intrigued by this dying breed, and the Assembly is seeking a representative to discuss a possible alliance.
"Of all the stories I have heard, my Sept has told me to never repeat this one. It is about dragons who live in the Eastern land, where the Caerns burned in a terrible war. They are dangerous, and I wish I never see one." Severed Fang, Children of Gaia
They are tricky, since they don't live all that long. They change so rapidly, and there is no real organization to cling to. Well, mortals as a whole are regarded as the lowest form of intelligent life, a lot better than pigs and birds, but very much inferior to dragons and others. There are, of course exceptions. New Agers, Mages, and so on, non-Sleepers, are rated a lot higher than a normal Chang.
"Dragons? Good joke, buddy! Get yourself another beer!" Lao Cang, shopkeeper, Hong Kong
Shadow war: We must try not to interfere in their games, as they are trying to stay out of our affairs.
"I have only seen one or two, and they are better left alone." Alar Kibble, Celestial Game
Mummies: They are very few in Asia, and the Assembly has only gathered that there is no need to fear them, and that no conflict is immediately at hand.
"A source of wisdom I have not yet sipped. Maybe I will, next time out of death. Yes, I heard that China is good this time in the century." Caiban Er-ke-takk, Egyptian Priestess of Thoth
Fair folk: They play their games, and never sit down for a real conversation. They are afraid, and try to run. We leave them alone, as they leave us alone.
"(No comment available)"
The dead are important to us, almost as important as the living. We must remember that without them, we would have to seek our heritage in the stars, and that would be bad. We must always care for them, and help them, when they are in need.
"Yes, once or twice I have met them, and they try their best to help us. I hope I can repay the favor someday." Loo-Chang, dead farmer
These mortals know much more about the world than the others. We must try to get together with them and discuss the universe someday. They are smart, even though they are but mortals, and young in their wisdom. Cherish them.
"Ah, a real source of intellect. Not like the books of old. These have the knowledge and the power of the old, because they have seen it first-hand! They are important to us." Soong, Akashic Brotherhood
Well, we treat them with respect, and they will hopefully do the same. They were our allies once, and we hope we can become that again.
"Our cousins of the Eastern Court has a lot to offer. They are not struck by the same loss as we are." Rathcaar, Pride Sinye
Of course, all the rules of the Assembly are just for the Dragonkin, and sometimes, there are conflicts. Below are a few of them described.
Since the creation of the First City, the vampires have tried to control the world. Now, with more and more beings waking up to power, this job is getting more and more difficult. The vampires are resorting to violence to a larger extent than before, and there are wars. The dragons rarely start these actions, but they defend themselves, and retaliate, if given the opportunity. There are no major conflicts as of yet, but the situation is a bit tense.
Humans think they rule the world, and it doesn't matter how you try to show them differently, they still do. The dragons could destroy all of mankind within a decade of war, but they chose not to. The few times that humans see a dragon, and realize what they are, the normal response is either fear or aggression. Numerous attacks have been launched by military organizations and police, trying to destroy what they think is a monster. The air, where the dragons have roamed for millennia, is now full of armed aircrafts, satellites, and passenger-planes, something that makes life difficult for the dragons. In short you can say that fear drives the mortals towards an open war, if they knew what they were fighting, and gentleness drives the dragons away from such a conflict. A dragon would rather retreat from a winning position than kill for no reason. A dilemma is at hand.
Some Mages find that they are the only ones who should enjoy the powers of the Awakening, as of yet. Therefore, there are conflicts between dragons and Mages. Especially the Technocracy have clashed with the dragons on several occasions, but the dragons have always gotten away, or bested their opponents. The dragons are trying to stay away from conflicts as a whole, and with Mages in particular. They do not want a war.
Even though the Assembly forbids it, there are dragons who wants more power, and are willing to kill or hurt another dragon to get it. Conflicts between Eastern dragons are not unheard of, but they are fortunately rare, and often rather quickly resolved. There are better things to worry about than fighting another dragon for power, reasons most dragons of the East.
Unaware awakened: Then there are those who wake up and think that they can still fight wars, those who disregard the balance, and go up against the Assembly, and the Treaty. These are very powerful and dangerous opponents, and it often takes an alliance between dragons to defeat them. They can do a lot of damage for a short period of time, but since they don't know the game of balance, they fall asleep after a short period of time. They are truly dangerous, and you should be aware of the threat they pose.
Dragons of the West are known to be more craving for power than the dragons of the East. Sometimes there are battles between dragons from East and West when they are in the wrong territory, or someone feels threatened by the other's presence. The dragons of the Prides Vermithrax, Rekhem, and Khuril have ventured into Asia and sought conflict over land and power there. They often regard the Eastern dragons as not of the "true" Dragonkin, and that they have a right to eliminate these charlatans. The Eastern dragons respond by staying away, and closing their own ranks, planning for a war they hope will never come. A conflict between the Western Court and the Assembly's dragons is the last thing the world, and the Dragonkin, needs.
Since Dragon - the Eastern Harmonies is written for the Storyteller-system, it is easy to intergrate in the other parts of this system. Interaction between parts of this system is quite easy to imagine, as the Eastern Court is seeking alliances, and such can be temporarily formed to battle a common enemy. Vampires of both Camarilla and Inconnu can join forces with dragons of the East, as can Mages and Garou, and some mortals, to solve a mutual problem, or battle a mutual foe. The options are unlimited as of ways to form this "partnership."
Dragons of Asia is best suited for experienced players who will not go to arms over every problem in their way. This would lead to a rather short career as a dragon, and a long nap to follow. For starters a player should try to play the Tatsu, as it is the most balanced dragon, and them maybe, if they like the concept, they could try another family, or develop the use of the Tatsu. Whomever decides to play a dragon of the Eastern Court is about to have many good hours of constructive role-playing ahead. Enjoy!
A character is not merely numbers on a sheets of paper. If that is so, then there is no fun in role-playing. You might as well be playing poker. No, a character has to have a goal, a drive, a personality, a history, in short, it has to become alive in your mind. To help you with this, you choose a concept; you in a nutshell, as it were. Once this is done, you can proceed to determine how you are. How you act and behave, and such things. This is done by selecting your Nature and Demeanor, you true self, and how you act it. You also belong to a family, and you select which family you belong to at this point; Tatsu, Long, or Long-Feong. A dragon also has a goal for its existence. This is called a Quest and is the driving goal for the character. It might be to bring peace to the world, or to help those in need, but there are an unlimited number of different options. Finally, you write down the name of the dragon, a few usable aliases, your name, and the name of the chronicle you start playing.
You prioritize Physical, Social, and Mental attributes for your human form. Any may be primary, or secondary, or tertiary. You allocate 7/5/3 on this human form, making you a bit better than a normal human. After all, you are not a human.
Once this is done, you spend another 4/2/0 points on your dragon-form. The priority of the groups for the dragon-form does not have to be the same as for the human form. In fact, you may decide to put you human primary as dragon tertiary, to even out the distribution of the points.
Once you have established your attributes, you leap straight into the abilities of the character. You prioritize Talents, Skills, and Knowledges and spend 13/9/5. You must be careful with some abilities, as they have changed a lot over time. Always consult your Storyteller when you are going to get abilities such as Drive, Etiquette, Firearms, Repair, Security, Computer, Finance, Law, and Science. It is fairly obvious which abilities have changed the most over the years you have been asleep.
There is a new skill added to the options of the Eastern dragons: Skyrunning. This is the skill a dragon uses when it wants to fly somewhere. It is described a bit later.
A dragon has five points to allocate among the four available backgrounds: Sleep, Status, Pearl, and Master. No other backgrounds are available. At the Storyteller's discretion other Backgrounds such as Allies, Contacts, Influence, Resources, and Retainers may be bought for Freebie Points later on.
There is also magical skills among the dragons. For the purpose of gaining magical skill, the dragon gets to allocate five points on the different magical arts described later, and four points on the different magical paths, also described later.
Finally, a dragon may increase its balance by allocating four points on Yin or Yang, or divide the points between the two. The effects of this is described later.
The last thing you have to do is finish all the details. First, you have to look at you Yin and Yang, and modify this according to what family you belong to. You also have pools of magical energy. These are called the Static pool, and the Dynamic pool. You have (Yin x 2) points in you Static pool, and (Yang x 2) points in you Dynamic pool.
Finally, you spend 15 Freebie Points wherever you like. The costs are detailed below.
Magical Paths: 7 points/dot
Magical Arts: 5 points/dot
Attributes: 5 points/dot
Abilities: 2 points/dot
Backgrounds: 2 points/dot
Magical Pools: 1/3 point/dot
Yin: 1 point/dot
Yang: 1 points/dot
There are several new traits introduced in this part of the Storyteller-system. They ones concerning the Eastern dragons are explained in more detail here or under "By Jade Lights."
The first trait is that of family. There are three major families from which the player can choose for his/her dragon-character. These are Tatsu, Long, and Long-Feong. The only difference is truly the starting rating in Yin and Yang. A Tatsu begins with the Yin and Yang according to the number of points the player has decided to use on Yin and Yang under the step Advantages. A Long has two points more Yang than the starting rating. The Long-Feong starts the game with two more points Yin than the starting rating. That is, essentially, the only difference between these families.
Then, there is the dragon ability to fly. All Eastern dragons can fly, even though none of the greater families has wings. The dragons of Asia fly by "running on clouds", or in the air. This is a very swift mean of transportation, as there are rarely any obstacles in he sky as there are on the ground. The maneuverability of a Skyrunning dragon is also far superior to that of a dragon with wings. First, there will be a description of the ability Skyrunning, then an update on how to use the aerial combat rules in Dragon - the waking Wrath for a dragon from the Eastern Court.
This is the ability to fly by running in the air. It is not compatible with the skill Flight explained in Dragon - the Waking Wrath. This skill merely demonstrates that a dragon has practiced flying, since all dragons of the Eastern Court can fly, as easily as a human breaths. A dragon can only fly using this skill in dragon-form. A dragon can fly using the Flight-skill in any form that allows flight, such as a bird, or a Western dragon.
* Novice: You can start and land without looking like a fool climbing a staircase.
** Practiced: You can turn and stop without difficulty, and also pinpoint your landings.
*** Competent: You can play tag with any bird, even extremely small ones.
**** Expert: You can follow a storm, and move at its pace
***** Master: Other dragons turn to your for flying-lessons.
Possessed by: Dragon, some Magicians
Specialities: Twists and turns, landings, cloudchasing, sneaking
An Eastern dragon is as quick in the air as a Western dragon, but has greater maneuverability. For initiative, class it as a 1980's fighter aircraft, and in all other instances as a Western dragon. Also remember that an Eastern dragon can not breath fire.
There is a balance to this world, and not even the dragons can deny its importance. In fact, this balance is more important to them than for other beings, at least in this life-time. It is all explained a bit better in the next part, By Jade Lights, but a few things can be said. First of all, there is a duality to life. One dynamic and masculine side called Yang, and one passive, feminine called Yin. Whatever a dragon does, it is done in either of these principles. This effects the balance of the dragon. If the balance is shifted too much in the favor of either one principle, the dragon will fall asleep, and be asleep for a long time, a long time indeed. As previously stated, this is explained in greater detail in the next part of the text.
Magic
The dragons are creatures of magic, and the know how to use these forces of magic. They can learn any form of magic: Thaumaturgy, Telergi, The Mages' magic, Egyptian Mummy magic, Andean Real magic, New Agers Mana-based magic, or the magic of the Dragons of the Western Court.
They also have their own magic. This is composed out of four different Paths, and four different Arts. The Paths dictate in what manner the magic should influence the target, and the Arts what the target can be. This is explained in greater detail in the next part of the text. Magic is powered by two pools of power; a static pool, and one dynamic pool. These pools draws their power from the balance of Yin and Yang, and it might be dangerous to attempt certain forms of magic, as this may shift the balance greatly. This is also explained in By Jade Lights later.
Dragons of the Eastern Court may only choose from four different backgrounds at the beginning of the game. The Storyteller may then allow the player to use Freebie-points to gain other Backgrounds, listed above. The four backgrounds that the dragon can chose are explained below.
Sleep
Your Sleep-rating tells you if you have slept well, in your last sleep, or if you have slept at all. The period of Sleep is very important to the dragons, as it tells them what they did before they went to sleep. The longer the sleep, the more wrong they did back then. It is sometimes hard to remember things done before the Sleep.
- You have slept for a long time in a lake or a mountain somewhere, and you remember nothing about the time before.
* You have slept for a few centuries in a hidden cave, and remember some of the things you did wrong back before the Sleep.
** You have slept for a century, give or take a decade or two, and remember the war, and how you were part of it.
*** You have slept for a few decades, and remember a lot about the time before the last Sleep.
**** You haven't Slept at all in over a millennium, but have spent a lot of time balancing out your shifted Yin and Yang.
***** You haven't Slept at all in over a millennium, and have always been careful with your balance.
Status
This is purely your status among other Eastern dragons. It tells you how known you are, and what you are considered to be.
- You are totally unknown.
* Someone has heard you name spoken about in a good way
** When brought up, some recognize your name
*** You are known, and respected
**** You are considered noble, and other may even look up at you
***** If you were to try to get into the assembly, you'd probably be accepted.
Pearl
The Pearl is the source from which the dragon draws its power. If you have your Pearl or not is crucial for the dragon, for without it, there is no way to breed, unless heavy magic is used.
- You have lost your Pearl eons ago. Face it; it's gone.
* You lost your Pearl a millennium ago. If you went looking, you might find it, with a bit of hard work.
** You lost your Pearl a century or so ago, and you have a pretty fair idea where it might be.
*** You have lost you Pearl, but know where to find it, maybe.
**** You have your Pearl well hidden at your normal resting-place.
***** You have your Pearl with you, carrying it in your stomach, where it is safe.
Master
The master you served under before the War is also important to the dragon. It tells them what they have done to the world, and what sins they have committed. Not knowing who your master was is really bad, because then you can't defend yourself against any accusations put forth by anyone old enough to remember.
- You don't know who you master was, or what you did during your service.
* You don't know what you did, but know that your master was some power-hungry, greedy demon from one of the Hells.
** You master was an active semi-god who sent you everywhere, to do all kinds of things, most of them bad.
*** Your master was a rather passive god, and you only did occasional monstrosities in his service.
**** Your master was a kind goddess, and you never did anything wrong while in her service.
***** You never had a master. You were always free.
If you play a while, you may get experience, and with experience you can improve you powers. Here are the costs for raising different traits for a dragon of the Eastern Court.
Magical Paths: current x 5
Magical Arts: current x 4
New Path: 10 points
New Art: 7 points
Attributes: current x 4
Abilities: current x 2
New Ability: 3 points
Yin, Yang, and Magical Pools can not be improved with experience.
On the character-sheet there is a double circle for noting Yin and Yang. Yin is noted clockwise from the middle of the right track, and Yang is noted counter-clockwise from the same spot. These should be kept track of very closely, and every player playing a dragon of the Eastern Court should keep the balance in mind at all times. All actions the dragon perform effect this balance. It works like this: All the things that the dragons does that are aggressive, dynamic, or over-active gives it Yang, and all passive, mediative things it does gains it Yin. Below is a table with example-action for gaining Yin and Yang. Note that some actions gives a dragon more than one point of Yin or Yang.
Actions that gives the dragon Yin:
Meditating for a month/Healing the wounds of another/Giving up a goal for the good of another being (1 point)
Not resorting to violence where it is a simple option/Putting personal ambition aside to help another (2 points)
Mediating a conflict/Willingly Sleeping for one month/Helping another where there is no hope of repayment (3 points)
Actions that gives the dragon Yang:
Being in a fist-fight/Willful destruction of material goods/Prioritizing your own goal before another's safety (1 point)
Inflicting physical harm on another living being/Failing to aid another when asked/Willful destruction of natural assets (2 points)
Using torture/Abusing another's psyche (stalking, abusing, raping)/Falling in love (3 points)
Killing another living being/Committing suicide (4 points)
So, once you decide what you are going to do, think again, and take into consideration what the effects may be on your balance. The balance may be shifted five points either way without there being any ill-effects. Once this line is crossed, the dragon has (the rating of the minor principle) hours to correct it, or fall asleep. The minor principle is the one that is not dominant, that is called the major principle. Example: Soong has 14 Yin, and 9 Yang, it then spends a month meditating, and gains a point of Yin. This puts it over the limit, and it has 9 (the rating in Yang) hours to correct the balance by loosing Yin, or gaining Yang. The dragon will also fall asleep if the circles come full, and the principles "touch". This will result in that the dragon will fall asleep, no matter how many points it has in either principle.
What happens if you fall asleep? Well, you start loosing Yin and Yang at the rate of one point per century. Once they both have reached zero, the dragon wakes up again.
No sweat, you think, the only thing you have to do is balance your actions so that none of the principles becomes to dominant. That's where you're wrong. You see, you can only have a maximum of 20 Yin and 20 Yang at any given time, and once this maximum is reached, you will fall asleep. Simple as that.
How to avoid this, seemingly unavoidable thing, then? Well, the only thing you can do to lose Yin or Yang is using magic, or serving. There are ways of using magic so that you remove Yin and Yang, and this is hard. If you can use this method, it is the most reliable. If you can not, then the only thing that can help you is divine influence. You must once again serve under a god, a demon, or a spirit, and as a payment lose points of Yin or Yang. This is humiliating for a dragon, but sometimes it is the only alternative. This can be compared to the services a mummy performs to gain Ba (see WoD: Mummy).
You also use this trait when there is a test for Willpower required. Then you simply use the major principle instead of Willpower. The dragons of the Eastern Court do not get to use Yin or Yang as Willpower-points, but their magic normally compensates for that small inconvenience. They do not gain Yin or Yang from Nature or Demeanor, and things that normally breaks the will of others (Axes of Light, from Telergi) will simply not effect a dragon.
The religion that teaches us all this about balance in all things speak of the Way, the Tao, or Do in Japanese. If one follows the Do, and does only what he/she/it has to, then the balance will take care of itself. Not engaging in an action can never result in a shift of balance. That is all about balance. If there is still a specific problem, ask the Storyteller for a ruling. Otherwise, suggested reading is any Buddhist writing, as it tells you a lot about the balance of all things, and how to use it.
The dragons are creatures of magic. The magic is what powers them, compels them to act, and keeps them alive, and powerful. The dragons not only use magic to stay alive, but also actively. This is done by using magical Paths and Arts.
One can say that the Arts are different glasses of liquids, and the Paths are different ways of dealing with these glasses. A dragon uses combinations of Paths and Arts to accomplish the task it wants done. Below, the different Paths and Arts are described in more detail.
Riddle: Tricks and pranks you play with this Path. Luring, tricking, throwing off balance. Once this is successful, the dragon can control the actions or non-actions of the target. The spells are mostly harmless in themselves, but a clever dragon can do a lot of damage with this Path.
Compose: Modify and join is what you can do with this Path. Creating one thing out of another, or several others, is what this Path does. The spells can be used to do a lot of good, but with an evil mind, it can also cause a lot of pain.
Create: To make something out of nothing is was this Path does. This is a very unbalanced thing to do, and it affects dragons' balance a lot, but it is so powerful it is hard to resist.
Limit: Destroy, wipe from physical existence, or limit in function, that is what this Path does. This is also a very unbalanced thing to do, but not as much as creating from nothingness.
Body: This is the Art of the living flesh. With it, a dragon can influence the matter of a living being, no matter what sort of being it is. With it, the dragon can affect its own body, the body of another, or the bodies of the dead. Plants and animals are also included, but not dead plants (wood, oil, plastic), and not other materials (rocks).
Spirit: The Art of Spirit affects the living spirit of things. All living things are powered and controlled by a spirit. This is the medium the dragon can affect with this Art.
Matter: All material that is not alive can be influenced with this Art just as living matter is influenced by the Body-Art. Rocks, wood, plastic, metal, water, air, earth, and so on, all are influenced by this Art.
Essence: The final Art is the one that influences the core of all things, dead or alive. It affects such things as fire, time, space, and other abstracts through manipulating its forming principles. It is a very potent form of magic, if used intelligently.
Using magic may affect the balance between Yin and Yang of a dragon. Not only may the use of magic be an action that effects the balance (see above) but there are also spells that automatically shifts the balance in favor for one principle. If this is so, then it is noted by the spell, and the player must be aware of this.
From here is where a dragon draws the primary power needed to use the magic. There are two pools; one Dynamic and one Static. The Dynamic is used for active magic, Yang-based magic, while the Static pool is used for passive, Yin-based magic. It says by every spell whether it draws power from the Dynamic or the Static pool. If the pools should become empty, they can be refreshed by shifting the balance. One point added to Yin adds (dragon-form's Charisma + Perception + Stamina) points to the Static pools, as a gained point in Yang adds (dragon-form's Manipulation + Wits + Strength) points to the Dynamic pool. Example: Soong has depleted its Static magic-pool. It decided to refresh it by taking on an extra point of Yin. This adds (Charisma (5) + Perception (4) + Stamina (6)) 15 points to its Static pool, and it is once again in business.
Using these vast powers are relatively easy, technically speaking. All the dragon has to do is think of an effect, find it among the spells (all dragons know all spells), and roll the combination of Path and Art against the difficulty of the spell. Each spell has an effect-level. All dice on the roll that was over the difficulty-number are added, and if the total exceeds the effect level required, the spell takes effect. If the total is not high enough, then the spell fails. If you rolled a botch, then the dragon is in for some tough times.
If you should fail the roll, there is no need to give up hope for you can still succeed. You can simply use points from your pools to even out the effect-level. It says by each spell which pool you can take points from, depending on the nature of the spell. Example: Soong is trying for a difficulty 5, effect-level 40 spell. It rolls three dice, resulting in a 9 a 6, and a 4. The 9 and the 6 are added, resulting in a 15, a lot lower than 40. Soong now has the opportunity to spend (40 - 15) 25 points from the magic pool the spell requires to make it succeed. Soong may be better off practicing a bit before trying to use this spell again.
Below are examples of spells a dragon can use for each Path and Art. They are listed with difficulty-number, required effect-level, pool from where to draw power, and an effect. There are also some example-spells that all dragons should know. They are described like this:
Name: the name of the spell
Path: the Path used for the spell
Art: the Art used for the spell
Difficulty: the difficulty-number
Effect level: the required effect-level
Pool: the pool from which to draw power
Balance-shift: the shift in Yin or Yang, if any
Effect: the effect of the spell.
Body + Riddle
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Dynamic | Make a being stumble |
| 6 | 15 | Dynamic | Make a being fall |
| 8 | 25 | Dynamic | Create an itch |
| 10 | 40 | Dynamic | Create burning pain |
Body + Compose
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Static | Change the color of a being's hair |
| 6 | 15 | Static | Change the eye-color of a being |
| 8 | 25 | Static | Change the shape of a being |
| 10 | 50 | Static | Change the form (exterior and interior) of a being |
Name: Create Wyvern
Path: Compose
Art: Body
Difficulty: 9 (*)
Effect level: 60
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell lets loose the magical energies in a being, transforming it to a Wyvern. A Wyvern is a creature of myth, a pseudo-dragon, and a magical being. The direct effects is that a person turns into a huge lizard, with wings and fiery breath, and 4/2/0 added to the attributes just like any dragon. The person turned into a Wyvern is aware of what is happening, but can't control the body very well. The dragon creating the Wyvern can control it for one Dynamic pool-point per (20 - target's Willpower) rounds (12 rounds/minute). It is easier to transform creatures of greater magical potential into a wyvern. To transform a person who can use magic in any form, the difficulty is only 7. Dragons, fairies, the dead (immaterial spirits, ghosts), and divine creatures can not be transformed. Note: Mummies are alive once they wake up after death. The effect of this spell lasts ((10 - target's original Stamina) + any points spent from the Static pool) minutes.
Body + Create
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Dynamic | Grow hair on a bald |
| 6 | 15 | Dynamic | Increase pace of growth |
| 8 | 30 | Dynamic | Create a new limb (ex: third arm) |
| 10 | 40 | Static | Create an animal |
| 10 | 100 | Either | Create another dragon |
Name: Healing
Path: Create
Art: Body
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 20
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can heal the wounds of itself and any other creature at the pace of one level/round. Physical contact is required. There is a natural defense against these kinds of influences against the body, and the duration of the spell is therefore (5 - target's Stamina (current form)) rounds + 1 round per Static pool-point spent by the dragon. The spell will effect Kindred, dragon, Sleepwalker, Garou, and such, but will not heal aggravated wounds.
Name: Regeneration
Path: Create
Art: Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell regrows lost limbs, and heals aggravated wounds of a dragon or another creature which the dragon is touching. Once placed, all aggravated wounds will heal at a pace of 1 wound per (10 + target's Stamina (current form)) rounds. Limbs will regrow if the target creature rests at a pace of 0.4 inch/(5 - creature Stamina (current form)) days, minimum of one day. Note that this spell can only regrow lost limbs, not grow limb that are unnatural to the being.
Body + Limit
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Static | Cause hair to fall off |
| 6 | 35 | Static | Cause rapid aging |
| 8 | 35 | Dynamic | |
| 10 | 50 | Static | Kill with a word |
Name: Injure from afar
Path: Limit
Art: Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell inflicts physical damage to a target. The range is line of sight, and the effect is immediate. The target sustains rip-like wounds, as if hit by huge claws. The dragon rolls Strength + Brawl against a difficulty of (target Stamina (current form) + 3 (maximum: 10). The number of successes are the number of wounds the target sustains. These wounds are not aggravated to any creature.
Name: Place a curse
Path: Limit
Art: Body or Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 60
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell starts a horrible deterioration of the mind and body of a target. The spell may be placed as either a Limit Body-spell, or a Limit Spirit-spell, the effects are the same. The curse will remove one point from each Virtue of the victim per (6 - victim's Stamina) days. Once they all have reached zero, the Willpower, Humanity, Faith, and other such traits will be removed in the same manner. Once they have reached zero, the Social attributes are removed the same way, then the mental, and finally the physical. Once Stamina drops zero, the victim dies. There are amulets, herbal teas and such that might stop this curse, but the only a Healing-spell (Create + Body) will remove the curse completely.
Spirit + Riddle
Name: Cause the Terror
Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell turns the dragon into the most horrible thing the victim can possibly imagine. This is all a hallucination, but the victim will believe it, and suffer from supernatural terror, be it delirium for a Sleeper, Fox-frenzy for a Garou, or Rotschreck for a Vampire. The victim may try to resist this spell by rolling at least three successes with his/her Willpower against a difficulty of 8.
Name: Change emotion
Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 40
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: The change of emotions caused by this spell will result in a reversed emotion to that which the target had before the spell was cast. Anger will turn to kindness, despair to joy, hate to love, and so on, and vice versa. The target may resist the effects of this spell by rolling two or more successes with the difficulty of (dragon's Manipulation (dragon-form)). The reversion is permanent, but the emotion will fade as he original would have.
Name: Words of Command
Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: Once the Words of command are uttered, containing the order to be fulfilled, the target will preform the ordered action to the best of his/her/its abilities. It will think that the order is a desire of its own, and will work hard to fulfill it. The target may try to resist the effects of this spell by rolling a Willpower-roll and scoring at least two successes against a difficulty of 10. This may be attempted once per (10 + caster's (dragon-form) Manipulation) days. The Command may require extended action, and may be an entire quest for the target to fulfill. The caster must be in physical contact with the target, and the target must hear the Words of Command for this spell to work.
Name: Casting the Illusion
Path: Riddle
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: *
Effect level: *
Pool: *
Balance-shift: *
Effect: There are really three spells to this spell. The first is called "Casting the minor illusion", the second "Casting the major illusion", and the third "Casting the perfect illusion" or "Casting the final illusion". The difficulties of the spells are 6 for minor, 8 for mayor, and 10 for perfect illusions. The effect level required is (victim's current Willpower * 10). This makes this spell very simple to use on weak-minded persons. The minor illusions is just a temporary flicker of motion in the corner of an eye, or a small illusion that can just be perceived with one sense; sight, smell, sound, touch, or taste. If the spell succeeds, the victim can still resist the effect of the spell by rolling a number of successes with Wits + Awareness greater than the number of successes the dragon rolled for the use of this spell. The difficulty for this roll is the major principle (Yin or Yang) of the dragon. If this roll succeeds, the spell has no effect. There is no shift in balance for using this spell, and the power can be taken from either pool of power.
The major illusion is a somewhat greater trick to play. It is a larger illusion that can be perceived with three senses, chosen by the caster, and that can be of any nature. The illusion is quite real to the victim, and it can cause damage, by attacking, or any other effect the caster wishes. If the illusion is that of something horrible, like a Crinos-form Garou, or a dragon, it will cause the delirium to kick in. The victim can not resist this effect, if the spell succeeds. There is no shift of balance due to this spell, however, the use might cause a shift. The power for this spell is taken from the Dynamic pool, if necessary.
Finally, the Perfect illusion is just that; perfect. It can be perceived with all senses, natural or magical, and the victim will treat the illusion as real. A bridge can be created with this spell, and the victim will not realize that it is not there before he/she/it hits the ground so far below. The illusion will also add itself to the subconscious of the victim, making him/her/it think that it is the most natural thing in the world that the president should want to visit this day, for example. This illusion can kill a victim with physical violence, while the major illusion can never damage a person more than to Incapacitated. There is a +1 Yang shift of balance due to this spell, and it's power always comes from the Yin-pool. This is strange? Well, the power from the Yin is for the subtle manipulation of hopes and dreams of the victim, while the Yang-shift is for the brutal violation of reality for the victim.
Spirit + Compose
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Either | Wake a normal person from sleep |
| 6 | 30 | Dynamic | Implant a suggestion |
| 8 | 50 | Dynamic | Implant a memory |
| 10 | 50 | Dynamic | Meld minds |
Name: Cause the Passion
Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: With this spell, the dragon may bind a Sleeper to it with the bonds of love. The Sleeper will fall in love with the dragon, and will act and behave as a person very much in love. This will work only as long as the dragon is in human form. The Sleeper will not recognize his/her "loved one" in any form other than that the dragon used when the spell was cast. The Sleeper will give up much to be with the dragon, and will not question the emotion it now has. It will accept the Rape (Limit + Spirit) as an act of love, and not as a rape at all. It will suffer from delirium during the Rape and subconsciously make up an act of love that was perfect. The spell lasts for as long as the Sleeper lives, and as long as he/she does not make a Willpower-roll of three successes against a difficulty of 10. One of these rolls may be made per (5 + dragon's Charisma (dragon-form))days.
Name: Change the Past Event
Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 50
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: By altering an existing memory, the caster can form the past of a person in any way it desires. Only existing memories can be altered, and this includes already implanted memories. The memory may not be of an event more than (caster's current Yang) days ago. The change may be anything from alteration of small details to altering the outcome of some particular situation. The memory will still be intact, and may not be destroyed or created with this spell. Also note that no new things may be added to the memory, such as new characters participating in a event, and none may be deleted. Only alterations in the present memory may be accomplished with this spell. The target may try to resist the a Willpower-roll, scoring more successes than the caster has Yang against a difficulty of the (caster's (dragon-form) Manipulation + Intelligence (maximum: 10)). The caster must see the target to use this spell.
Name: Wake the slumbering cousin
Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 75
Pool: Static
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this powerful spell the dragon can wake up another dragon that has entered Sleep. The awakened dragon will be awake for a period of ((10 - the newly-woken dragon's (Yin + Yang) + points from the caster's Dynamic pool)) minutes. The awakened dragon is free to take any action it pleases, and is not under the control, command, or influence of the caster. But the caster can use other spells to do that...
Name: Shift the Balance of the Way
Path: Compose
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 100
Pool: Opposed*
Balance-shift: +1 Opposed*
Effect: This spell lets a dragon shift the balance between Yin and Yang of another dragon. This is a very difficulty, and dangerous task. The pool from which the power from this spell is taken is always the opposite from that which the dragon wishes to increase, or decrease. For example: if a shift is to be made on Yin, the pool used is always Dynamic, and Yang is always powered by the pool of Static magic. There is also a counter-shift in the balance. The caster will gain a point in the opposite principle it is trying to shift in the target. For example: if the caster wants to increase a target's Yin, the caster will gain a point of Yang. The shift in balance must be mutually agreed upon before this spell can be cast, and the caster must see the target. The balance can be shifted with an increase of either Yin or Yang, or a decrease of Yin or Yang. The balance may never be greater than the minor principle of the caster. Example: Soong, now at a lower level than before, will try to decrease the Yang in Tcha, a fellow dragon. The power for this spell must be taken from Soong's Static pool, and Soong will gain a point of Yin for meddling with the balance. Tcha can get its Yang decreased by a maximum of four, the current Yang of Soong, Soong's mayor principle is currently Yin, 7. The Yin of Soong will increase, and unless Soong is very lucky, the Static pool will have to be refreshed after this spell is cast, resulting in even more Yin. Soong might be in trouble for getting Tcha out of trouble. It is easier to quest for a foreign lord than to use this spell to keep the balance, and that is a fact.
Spirit + Create
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 10 | Dynamic | Talk to a spirit |
| 6 | 20 | Static | Cause emotion |
| 8 | 40 | DynamicCause change in demeanor | |
| 10 | 40 | Dynamic | Cause change in nature |
Name: Refresh the Pool
Path: Create
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 35
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can refresh either the Static or the Dynamic magic pool of another dragon. The dragon refreshes the same pool as it uses to fulfill this spell, or either, if no points from a pool is used. The refreshment equals ((caster's (dragon-form) Charisma + Perception + Stamina)+(target's (dragon-form) Perception))points to the Static pool, or (caster's (dragon-form) Manipulation + Wits + Strength)+(target's (dragon-form) Wits))points to the Dynamic pool. This spell requires that the caster can see the target, and that the target is willing.
Name: Refresh the Will
Path: Create
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell lets the dragon refresh lost Willpower-points to another creature. This requires that the dragon touches the target and that the target is willing. The amount of points refreshed is equal to the number of successes the target can roll on a Willpower-roll with (11 - original Willpower) as the difficulty.
Spirit + Limit
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Static | Calm emotion |
| 6 | 25 | Static | Cause emotionlessness |
| 8 | 50 | Static | Wipe memory |
| 10 | 60 | Dynamic | Cause insanity |
Name: Deplete the Will
Path: Limit
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 40
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell, in opposite to the Create Spirit-spell Refresh the Will, takes Willpower away from a target. The target must be seen by the caster of this spell. The amount of Willpower lost is equal to the (caster's (current form) Manipulation + Strength) if the dynamic pool is used, (caster's (current form) Charisma + Stamina) if the Static pool is used, or either, if no pool-points are used to power this spell. The target will be aware that its Will is being drained, but can not determine who, what, or why this is done.
Name: Place a curse
Path: Limit
Art: Spirit or Body
Difficulty: 8
Effect level: 60
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell starts a horrible deterioration of the mind and body of a target. The spell may be placed as either a Limit Body-spell, or a Limit Spirit-spell, the effects are the same. The curse will remove one point from each Virtue of the victim per (6 - victim's Stamina) days. Once they all have reached zero, the Willpower, Humanity, Faith, and other such traits will be removed in the same manner. Once they have reached zero, the Social attributes are removed the same way, then the mental, and finally the physical. Once Stamina drops zero, the victim dies. There are amulets, herbal teas and such that might stop this curse, but the only a Healing-spell (Create + Body) will remove the curse completely.
Name: Rape the Sleeper
Path: Limit
Art: Spirit
Difficulty: 9
Effect level: 55
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This spell allows the dragon, in dragon-form, to sexually interact with a female human Sleeper. The interaction is normally perceived by the target as a rape, and will result in the birth of monsters. Once raped, the victim will become pregnant, no matter if this is physically possible at the time, and will give birth to a monster. If the victim is already pregnant, the dragon-embryo will destroy the other embryo or foetus. The dragon-foetus will be born after a period of 12 months, and will be a monster. The form of this monster varies from rape to rape, but the face is always human, and so is the mind, well, almost. The monster may have wings, snake-body, tiger-body, or wyvern-like body. It will almost always live to an extreme age (200+ years), and is very powerful (attributes: 7/5/3).
This is a nasty spell and the dragons who use it normally does it to inflict punishment on a person or a family, or out of vengeance. It is not an accepted way to reproduce among dragons.
Matter + Riddle
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Static | Shut off a machine |
| 6 | 20 | Dynamic | Start machine |
| 8 | 40 | Dynamic | Control machine |
| 10 | 40 | Static | Control objects |
Controlling machines and objects: A machine can only be made to do things it can normally do. For example: a VCR can not shoot lasers, it can only play, pause, wind, and record. An object is anything without the proper motivators to preform it's task. Examples are pens, tables, broken machines, powerless lights, and so on. Here are the actions limited by the design of the object. A pen can not bend or tie a knot on itself under the influence of this spell, but it can write, or stab someone, if properly placed.
Matter + Compose
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Dynamic | Change color of an object |
| 6 | 15 | Dynamic | Change temperature of an object |
| 8 | 30 | Dynamic | Change shape of an object |
| 10 | 50 | Dynamic | Change material of an object |
Matter + Create
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Dynamic | Fix malfunction in a machine |
| 6 | 60 | Dynamic | Create small object (1 ounce or smaller) |
| 8 | 60 | Dynamic | Create object (1 pound or smaller) |
| 10 | 60 | Dynamic | Create large object (greater than 1 pound) |
Matter + Limit
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 15 | Static | Cause malfunction in a machine |
| 6 | 20 | Static | Age material |
| 8 | 50 | Either | Disintergrate small object |
| 10 | 50 | Either | Disintergrate object (1 pound or smaller) |
Essence + Riddle
| Difficulty | |||
| Effect-level | |||
| Pool | |||
| Effect | |||
| 4 | 15 | Either | Create waves in water |
| 6 | 15 | Either | Change wind-direction |
| 8 | 35 | Either | Change weather |
| 10 | 40 | Dynamic | Call a spirit from the Umbra |
Calling spirits from the Umbra: Spirits may be called from anywhere within the Tellurian, but the Umbra is the simplest thing to reach. The spirit still has to pass the Gauntlet.
Name: Voice of the Wind
Path: Riddle
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 25
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this simple spell, the dragon can talk with anyone, anywhere, as long as the dragon, and the other person, are both outside, and the wind is blowing. Spirits of the wind will carry the voice of the dragon over vast distances, and will to so very swiftly. The response will be heard as well. This has been the way the dragons have communicated for as long as anyone can remember, and it is a lot simpler than using a telephone. The dragon only has to know the name of the person it wants to call, and the wind will do the rest, if the person the dragon wishes to call is outside, in the wind. The voice of the dragon can be heard as a sweet whisper on the breeze, or a mighty roar of the storm, depending on the caster of the spell.
Essence + Compose
Name: Shadowcasting
Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 5
Effect level: 20
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: Dragons of Asia do not cast shadows, in any form, unless they are wearing clothes that are real, and not part of the form itself. The clothes will then cast shadows, but the body of the dragon never will. This spell lets the dragon cas a shadow of any shape or size, and let it follow the movements of the dragon, and altering according the angle and strength of the light. This spell is very useful when being indoors, or in close conversation with someone, as they might note that the dragon does not cast a real shadow. The shadow can also do things the body of the dragon does not, such as dancing around the walls and ceiling as the dragon is standing still, or placing the shadow on another person, doing funny tricks, making the target look strange with two shadows with only one source of light available. The uses are only limited by the imagination. No other magic can be used as long as the dragon is Shadowcasting. In other words; there is no multitasking with this spell.
Name: Opening the Gate
Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 90
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: With this spell, the dragon can open a gateway to another part of the Realm, or to another Realm. The Gate will only last for (caster's (dragon-form) Strength + Charisma + Wits) minutes, and is two-way. If the Gate has a destination on the other side of the Gauntlet, the dragon must overcome this obstacle with a roll of Riddle + Occult against the difficulty of the gauntlet in the area. If this succeeds, there will be a great rift in the fabric of reality, and the gate is open. The gate can not be closed, but will fade away, and close itself, after the duration runs out. There is no way to "lock" the gate from either side, and it is clearly visible from both the point of origin, and the destination.
Name: Altering the Ways
Path: Compose
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 10
Effect level: 100*
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: +1 Yang
Effect: This awesome spell lets the dragon alter the flow of time or space. No matter what the change is, it gives a +1 Yang-shift, and is very hard to perform. A small change may have a required effect-level of 100, while great shifts, such as creating a new Realm or making time alter direction may require over 1000 in effect level. Subtle shifts, such as bending space around oneself, will allow rapid travel, near-teleportation, or other dramatic effects. Altering time can be used to heal wounds, use spells, or conduct business simultaneously, in a dramatically increased pace. This power is not to be used every day or so, for then there will be trouble with reality after a while. Paradox may even apply, or the balance will be shifted so dramatically that the dragon will fall asleep for a thousand years, or so.
Essence + Create
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 10 | Dynamic | Recharge empty battery |
| 6 | 20 | Dynamic | Start a fire |
| 8 | 30 | Dynamic | Create powerful storm |
| 10 | 60 | Dynamic | Create a small Node |
Name: The Burning Embrace
Path: Create
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 25
Pool: Dynamic
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell creates a ball of fire the caster may send towards a target within sight. The fire is quite real, and will hurt the target rather badly. The effective range is the Strength of the caster (current form). The damage of the fireball is determined by a roll of the caster's Strength + Occult against a difficulty equal to the target's Stamina. This is the amount of dice rolled to determine the damage towards the target. The difficulty of soaking this damage is (number of dice rolled for damage + 3) against any creature except vampires, and 10 for vampires. It may be soaked as aggravated damage. The wounds sustained by this fireball is aggravated to Vampires, Garou, and Sleepwalkers.
Name: Drop the Shroud
Path: Create
Art: Essence
Difficulty: 7
Effect level: 30
Pool: Either
Balance-shift: none
Effect: This spell destroys all light within an area. The sources of light are still intact, but the emission of light simply has no effect. The shroud will engulf everything within an area in all direction from the caster, reaching (caster's (dragon-form) Perception) meters. No natural light will work, and powers granting night-vision will not help either. Magical light, and any gift granting magical sight (such as Auspex), will still work. The Shroud will remain in place for (caster's (dragon-form) Charisma) minutes, and even if the caster moves or is killed, the Shroud remains. The caster can still see, although no other dragons can, unless magic is used.
Essence + Limit
| Difficulty | Effect-level | Pool | Effect |
| 4 | 10 | Either | Deplete power of battery |
| 6 | 20 | Either | Put out a fire |
| 8 | 30 | Either | Calm a storm |
| 10 | 60 | Either | Revert to creation-form |
Reverting to creation-form: This turns all liquid substances into water, all solid materials to wood or rock, and all gases to air. It is depleting the essence of the non-living matter, and returning it to the most basic of forms; the form in which it was created.
Dragon that are active in the world need a few extra rules to help the player and Storyteller make out what is possible and what is not for these creatures.
First of all, with the added bonus to the Attributes of a dragon-character, there is no longer a limit of five to any single attribute. Attributes may range from 1 to ten, requiring some special rules. If you do not have WoD: Mummy, where extreme Attributes are explained in details; here is a list.
| Attribute | over five Effect |
| Strength | Vampiric discipline Potence of Strength - 5 |
| Dexterity | Vampiric discipline Celerity of Dexterity - 5 |
| Stamina | Extra health-levels, see Dragon - the Waking Wrath |
| Charisma | Vampiric discipline Dominate of Charisma - 5 |
| Appearance | Vampiric discipline Presence of Appearance - 5 |
| Perception | Vampiric discipline Auspex of Perception - 5 |
Manipulation, Wits, and Intelligence have great effects, but they are explained in WoD: Mummy and will not be summarized here.
Dragons of the Eastern Court can not breath fire, without the use of magic, or changing into a form that can breath fire. Simple as that. Some say that the breath of the Asian dragons stink, or is a magical cloud of dreams, but this may just be a case of bad oral hygiene, or the use of magic.
Dragons of the Eastern Court do, however, have claws. Four on each paw, 16 in all. These are magical weapons, as the dragon is magical in itself. The claws inflict a damage equal to the dragon's Strength + 2. The claws can only be used in dragon-form, and inflict aggravated damage to Vampires, Garou, Sleepwalkers, and so on.
Dragons also have teeth. Well, teeth and teeth. They are fangs, sometimes as great as three feet long, and sharper than the sharpest sword. They inflict a monstrous damage of Strength + 4, usable only in dragon-form, and with an added effect. If the dragon manages to score a hit with three or more successes, the dragon has the option to use it's next action to simply chew the target, or swallow it. No matter what the target may be; this is normally the end of it, more than it can handle. There are tales of people being eaten whole by dragons and living inside it's stomach, feeding on the wisdom of the dragon. But that was a long time ago, way before the War.
No matter how well a dragon uses its magic, and no matter what allies it may have, there is never a guarantee that it will never sustain injuries. There are a few basic facts about injuries to a dragon. First of all; dragons do not sustain aggravated damage. All wounds are treated the same.
Second; if a dragon is put at Incapacitated, and the last damage was not inflicted by another dragon (physical damage only, not magic), a holy person, or a weapon made out of jade, the dragon will fall unconscious, and start to heal, at the rate of one Health-level per (10 - Stamina (dragon-form)) minutes. If this last damage came from the either of the above mentioned sources, the dragon will fall Asleep, and remain Asleep for as long as it takes for it's balance to reset itself. It will then awaken, fully healed, and with only a small scar to remind it of the incident.
There is no way to put a dragon of the Eastern Court into Final Death, although if it is asleep for a few thousand years or so, it is practically the same. It is out of the chronicle, under any normal circumstances.
If a dragon is wounded, it will heal with a pace of one health-level per (10 - Stamina (current form)) hours. If the dragon is resting or meditating, the pace is two levels per (10 - Stamina (current form)) hours.
If a dragon of the Eastern Court gets involved in an aerial combat, it may be in trouble. It has no fiery breath that can protect it, but the use of magic normally compensates for this slight inconvenience. In any case, the Eastern dragon has the same speed as a Western dragon in the air, but a bit better maneuverability. This is reflected in Initiative during Aerial combat. A dragon of the Eastern Court has the same initiative as a 1980's fighter aircraft instead of that of a dragon.
Then there is the dragon ability to change shape at will. The dragon is not bound by a limited number of forms as the Western dragons are, they can chose forms as they please. There is, however, a slight limitation to this power: balance-shift. To be able to handle this concept, there must first be a definition of what sort of changes a dragon can perform.
Minor shift: A minor shift of shape is a shift that is so small that a person would not see it at first glance. This could be the change of an undertone in skin, eye-color, texture of the hair, and so on. Any shift that could be assumed to be natural is classed as a minor shift. A minor shift takes one complete round to preform, and the dragon can preform the shift while doing other things as well.
Major shift: Any shift that is not minor is major. All changes between forms, change of appearance larger than details, and clothing, is a major shift. In the case of inclarity, ask the Storyteller for a ruling. All major changes result in a +1 Yang-shift of balance. All major changes take one full round of concentration.
This is terrible, isn't it. It won't be more than a few changes to go to this party with the Garou and then back to normal before you are all asleep, right? Don't worry, there is a loop-hole to this rule.
The Dragon-form: All changes to or from the dragon-form is not classed as a change at all. Unfortunately, it is a very bad way to change clothes among Sleepers to simply change to dragon-form, and then back to the human form, with new clothes. You know, delirium, and such. Police and military will soon get involved, and others as well. Not good. It is better to find a more private space and then change into dragon. A phone-booth would do nicely, if not for the fact that a dragon is rather huge, sometimes a snake over twenty feet long. No phone-booth will contain that sort of creature. Better find an alley, or use magic. The ladies-room of a hotel can also be used, if the dragon is alone there.
Any change to or from dragon-form will take one round, and the dragon must concentrate on the task at hand. Going to dragon-form is simple, but altering form from the dragon-form to another form, no matter what it is, requires a roll of Stamina (dragon-form) against a difficulty of 5. One of more successes has to be scored. If the change is very "unnatural" for the dragon (Storyteller's call), the difficulty might be higher.
This is a small list of words that might come in handy for a dragon if it wishes to express something in it's native language.
| English | Japanese | Chinese |
| Asia | Ajia | Yazhou |
| Assembly | Kaigoo | Jihui |
| Balance | Turiai | Tianping |
| Body | Karada | Shenti |
| Claws | Zhua | |
| Command | Merei | Mingling |
| Compose | Ketugoosuru | Zuecheng |
| Court | Yuanzi | Yuanzi |
| Create | Soozoosuru | Chuangzao |
| Curse | Zuzhou | |
| Deplete | Hosu ("dry up") | |
| Dragon | Tatsu | Long |
| Emotion | Kanzi | Qingxu |
| Essence | Benzhi | |
| Family | Kazoku | Jiating |
| Flight | Tobu | Feixing |
| Form | Katati | Xingzhuang |
| Gate | Mon | Damen |
| Harmony | Ai | Tiaohe |
| Heal | Zhiyu | |
| Human | Ningen | Rende |
| Illusion | Huanying | |
| Limit | Seigensuru | Xianzhi |
| Magic | Qishu | |
| Magician | Shugenja | Moshushi |
| Master | Zhuren | |
| Matter | Zairyoo | Wuzhi |
| Meditation | Zen | Jihua |
| Orient | Yooyoo | Dongfang |
| Passion | ||
| Reqing | ||
| Path, Way | Do | Tao |
| Pearl | Sinzyu | Zhenzhu |
| Pool | Ike ("pond") | Shuitang |
| Quest | Ninmu | Tansuo |
| Refresh | Mitasu | Tishen |
| Riddle | Nazo | Miyu |
| Shadow | Kage | Yingzi |
| Shape-shift | Kaeru-Katati | Yidong-yangshi |
| Sleep | ||
| Nemuru | ||
| Shuijiao | ||
| Spirit | Yokisho | Jingshen |
| Status | Mibun | |
| Teeth, Fangs | De | Fushu |
| Treaty | Kyootei | |
| Vampire | Shutendoji | |
| Wound | Kizu | Chuangshang |
"Dragon" in North-Vietnamese is "Rong" and in South-Vietnamese "Thin"