ASIAN ACTION HEROES
DING ON
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [1] 19 DEX 27 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 20 CON 20 13- 17 BODY 14 12- 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 16 EGO 12 12- ECV: 5 12 PRE 2 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 14 COM 2 12- 7 PD 4 Total: 7 PD (0 rPD) 6 ED 2 Total: 6 ED (0 rED) 4 SPD 11 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 7 REC 0 40 END 0 35 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 104 Movement: Running: 6" (12")/12" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 2"/4" Swinging: 4"/4" Cost Powers & Skills Martial Arts: Self-Developed Sword Style Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 5 Charging Slash +1 +0 Weapon +v/5; FMove 5 Chop +1 -2 Weapon +4 DC Strike 5 Flying Dodge -- +4 Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove 4 Slash +2 +0 Weapon +2 DC Strike 5 Spinning Strike +2 -2 Weapon + 4 DC, 1/2 Move Required 0 Weapon Element: Blades 3 Great Strength: +5 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); Only To Resist Disarm/Grab/Takeaway (-1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) 37 Sword Strikes: Multipower, 56-point reserve, all slots OIF (sword of opportunity; -1/2) 3u 1) Rapid Slash: HKA 3d6 (4d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4); OIF (sword of opportunity; -1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 2 2u 2) Whirling Blade: HKA 1d6+1 (1 1/2d6 w/STR), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), OIF (sword of opportunity; -1/2), Can Be Blocked (-1/4), END 2 20 Broken Blade: HKA 1d6+1 (2d6+1 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OIF (attached to wrist by a length of chain; -1/2) 6 Length of Chain: Stretching 2", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OIF (length of chain attached to the wrist; -1/2), Only To Cause Damage (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4) 16 Sword Blocking: Missile Deflection (Thrown Objects); OIF (sword of opportunity; -1/2) plus +4 OCV; OIF (sword of opportunity; -1/2) 9 Great Speed: Running 6", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); Only To Make A Half- Move In Combat (-1) 3 Length Of Chain: Swinging 4", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OIF (length of chain attached to the wrist; -1/2), No Noncombat movement (-1/4) Perks 2 Reputation: One-armed Swordsman/Bandit Killer (A small to medium sized group) 8-, +2/+2d6 Skills 10 +2 with HTH Combat 6 +2 with Self-Developed Sword Style 6 +2 with DCV; Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-1/2), Requires A Minimum Move Of 3" (-1/4) 8 Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Hit Location modifiers with Self-Developed Sword Style 5 Acrobatics 14- 0 AK: Somewhere In China 8- 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 2 KS: Swords And Swordmaking 11- 1 Language: Cantonese (idiomatic; literate) 1 PS: Farmer 8- 2 PS: Swordsmith 11- 1 PS: Waiter 8- 0 TF: Equines 1 Trading 8- 2 Weaponsmith (Muscle-Powered HTH) 12- 1 WF: Blades 186 Total Powers & Skills Cost 290 Total Character Cost 150+ Disadvantages 15 DNPC: Black Head 11- (Normal) 10 Distinctive Features: One Hand/Arm (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 10 Physical Limitation: One Hand (Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hunting Fei Lung/Seeks Revenge (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Law-Abiding (Common, Strong) 0 Reputation: bandit killer, 8- (Known Only To A Small Group) 54 Broken Blade Bonus 290 Total Disadvantage Points
Background/History: Ding On is the son of the swordsman Lai But Fu, also known "Fast Saber in River South," or "The Hundred Catty Blade in River South" (a catty equals 1.1 lbs). While On was still an infant, his entire family was killed by bandits (except for his father), and Lai But Fu escaped, carrying his son on his back.
Joining forces with another swordsman by the name of Fung Man (I'm not sure of this name and am guessing), Lai But Fu battles the leader of the bandits, one Fei Lung ("Flying Dragon"), who, as his name suggests, is thought to be able to fly. Amid cries of "Too slow! Be faster!" Fei Lung kills most of the swordsmen's companions, as well as Lai But Fu, who breaks his Hundred Catty saber in the process. Fung Man recovers both the broken blade and On and escapes into the rain and dark.
Growing up, On became a part of Fung Man's saber-making business, Sharp Manufacturing, learning the art of making sabers, swords, and knives. He also came to the attention of Fung Man's daughter, Sui Ling, a young girl who can't decide who she likes best, On, or his coworker, Iron Head. Arguably not exactly in her right mind, Ling hits on the plan of making On and Iron Head fight over her, at which point she'll get the winner.
At the same time as Ling tries (and fails) to put her plan in motion, a troop of hunters arrive in town. Brutal and barbaric, they kill a strong and powerful Shaolin priest, after he severely beats most of the gang for trying to rape a young woman. Iron Head organizes the rest of the foundry to go and kill the hunters, except for On, who refuses. Their attempted act of revenge is halted by Fung Man, who is incensed at their actions, and beats the ringleaders with a rattan pole as an object lesson. Later, once he has calmed down, Fung Man announces that he will be turning ownership of the Sharp Manufacturing over to On, his most loyal employee.
This decision does not sit well with the rest of the employees, and most talk of leaving instead of working for On. On, hearing this, decides to leave himself. Gathering his things, he hears of the fate of his father, and learns from Ling and Fung Man some of how his father was killed and who did it (Ling states that his father was found the next morning hung from his ankles with his skin peeled off). Realizing that he needs to know who he is, as well as who his father was, On takes his father's broken sword from Fung Man and sets off in search of Fei Lung.
Meanwhile Iron Head tries for a second attempt at killing the band of hunters, and gathers the foundry workers together. In addition, Ling, realizing that On has run off, take a horse and rides out after him.
Unfortunately for Ling (and On) she finds not him, but the band of hunters. Hearing her cries for help, On comes to her rescue, but looses his lower right forearm in the process, and ends up falling off a cliff into the darkness below. Iron Head and his men arrive to save Ling, but not in time to rescue On.
On himself is found by a young orphan girl and nursed back to health. Abandoning and burying his father's broken sword, On tries to live peaceful life as a farmer and waiter at local inn, but bandits arrive, burning down the battered home where he lives, slashing Black Head's (the girl who found him) foot, and beating On.
After he recovers, On digs up his father's sword, and using ragged sword manual found in the ruins of the house, On develops his own, unique form of fighting, which he uses to deadly effect when the bandits return a second time. Confident in his martial skill, On takes Black head and leaves the farm, continuing his search for Fei Lung.
Personality/Motivation: On's overwhelming motivation is a search for identity. He wants to know who he is, where he comes from, and who his father was. All he has is his father's sword, and the name of his father's killer: Fei Lung. But for On, this is enough.
For someone so driven, On is also very law-abiding, almost to the point of seeming weak or (at least) non-confrontational. When the bandits kill the Shaolin monk, it is On who drags Iron Head off, telling him that they still have deliveries to make. He won't go with Iron Head to kill the bandits, either. Later, as a cripple, he sees Fei Lung and grabs a club to with which to try and kill him, only to be pushed around by his employer and chased back to work. later on, while examining swords, he is chased off by the shop owner, giving the man dark looks, but saying nothing.
Quote: "I can't hide forever... [when] I don't know where I come from."
Powers/Tactics: On's major ability (and it is a powerful one) is his self-developed sword style. It utilizes rapid and violent circular movements, as well as spinning about in order to gain moment for powerful sword strikes. It is a very acrobatic style, in which On leaps, dodges, and tumbles about while fighting, his sword and body constantly in motions. These effects have been simulated on his character sheet in the following ways:
On has an extra 6" of Running which are only used to determine his ability to make a Half Move. Thus, On can move 6" and attack, but cannot move a full 12" (in a game where most people can only move 6" period, this power simulates his skill at running and fighting at the same time). Technically, he should be allowed to use the full 12" to determine the damage he does from a Charging Slash, but GM's might want to give that to him in order to reflect the power of his fighting style.
Along with his ability to move 6" and attack, several of On's martial arts abilities can be performed at the end of a Full Move (6" in his case). This is to simulate the fact that On never stops while fighting, but is always in motion.
Armed with his father's broken sword, On can deliver rapid-fire strikes to a target, as seen with the Rapid Slash power. The Reduced Penetration limitation is there to simulate separate strikes, and some GM's might want to require individual "To Hit" rolls for each strike (This is an additional -1/4 Limitation). On keeps the sword attached to his wrist by a length of chain (hence the "OIF"), and can whirl the blade about his head, hitting everyone in range. He can also hook the blade around and object and swing from that object, or hurl the blade at an opponent, retrieving the sword with the chain.
Appearance: Ding On is of average height, with short, bristly black hair and brown eyes. He is in excellent shape (even when you consider he's missing his right hand), with a lithe, but well-muscled physique. He normally dresses in a black tunic with dark-colored trousers. The broken blade is carried in his hand, with the chain wrapped around his wrist.
Designer's Notes: Ding On is the main character of Tsui Hark's epic The Blade, which I personally think is one of the best martial arts movies ever made. A remake of the Shaw Brother's classic 1967 film One-Armed Swordsman (starring Jimmy Wang Yu), "The Blade" is visually stunning movie, with incredible sets, rapid-paced action, and some truly bizarre villains. I highly recommend it, although the violence and dark tone of the film may turn some off. Try to watch it all the way through if possible, and barring that, catch the last 15 minutes of the move, specifically On's showdown with Fei Lung, which has to be one of the most insane swordfights ever filmed.
(Ding On created by Tsui Hark ("choy hok"), So Man Sing, and Koan Hui, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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