Pandaren, Chinese-equse culture and mythology

[Spore]

Greetings playground,

my DM wants to start a new campaign in a setting where modern firearms are prevalent (examples are 2w6 plus Dex for a normal gun) and shield technology/SWAT armor overtakes the traditional armor by a long shot. The armor values are consistent but you can overload the shields 1/hour for a scaled down Shield spell (+3 to AC) and this doesn't affect the overall function. Overloading twice however makes the technology fizzle for 4 hours.

We have a Bear or Berserker Barbarian, Vengeance Paladin, Thief Rogue, Light or Life Cleric. The rogue should have some firearms as well as the Cleric. The others are melee. My DM wants to push me into a Pandaren (Con +2/Wis+1, extra HP when not hungry, always proficient with Wisdom saves) Ki Warrior Barbarian [ https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Path_of_the_Ki_Warrior_(5e_Archetype) ] but while I see the synergy and playability I do not want to be the third potential melee character in a world full of rocket launchers and gatling guns.

But I like the idea of a Pandaren in my campaign. Some ideas where a Mystic from the playtest, a Lore Bard (ala Lorewalker Cho if you know him) as well as above class plus Shadow Monk (because Tharan Zhu). Or Lore Bard 1 into Great Old One Warlock 2 into more Bard. When he gleefully says: "These black tendrils of pure darkness? Oh, just a hobby of mine."

To the fluff: The setting distinctively separates "Fantasy China" from "Fantasy Japan" so I would like some Chinese cultural influence that is not a misnamed Samurai, Ninja or some creature from Japanese mythology. I know both cultures influenced each other for quite a bit but I want some stuff from Chinese culture.

I am not struggling with finding a fun class to play for a Pandaren, I struggle with viability (Con/Wis split is not what I need for a melee character nor an int caster) and the combination of fluff and crunch. What would you do?

We play in a modern setting (with highly persecuted magic and some scifi elements due to magitech) but ake China did not have a communist movement and has a emperor ruling.

[NNescio]

Greetings playground,

my DM wants to start a new campaign in a setting where modern firearms are prevalent (examples are 2w6 plus Dex for a normal gun) and shield technology/SWAT armor overtakes the traditional armor by a long shot. The armor values are consistent but you can overload the shields 1/hour for a scaled down Shield spell (+3 to AC) and this doesn't affect the overall function. Overloading twice however makes the technology fizzle for 4 hours.

We have a Bear or Berserker Barbarian, Vengeance Paladin, Thief Rogue, Light or Life Cleric. The rogue should have some firearms as well as the Cleric. The others are melee. My DM wants to push me into a Pandaren (Con +2/Wis+1, extra HP when not hungry, always proficient with Wisdom saves) Ki Warrior Barbarian [ https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Path_of_the_Ki_Warrior_(5e_Archetype) ] but while I see the synergy and playability I do not want to be the third potential melee character in a world full of rocket launchers and gatling guns.

But I like the idea of a Pandaren in my campaign. Some ideas where a Mystic from the playtest, a Lore Bard (ala Lorewalker Cho if you know him) as well as above class plus Shadow Monk (because Tharan Zhu). Or Lore Bard 1 into Great Old One Warlock 2 into more Bard. When he gleefully says: "These black tendrils of pure darkness? Oh, just a hobby of mine."

To the fluff: The setting distinctively separates "Fantasy China" from "Fantasy Japan" so I would like some Chinese cultural influence that is not a misnamed Samurai, Ninja or some creature from Japanese mythology. I know both cultures influenced each other for quite a bit but I want some stuff from Chinese culture.

I am not struggling with finding a fun class to play for a Pandaren, I struggle with viability (Con/Wis split is not what I need for a melee character nor an int caster) and the combination of fluff and crunch. What would you do?

We play in a modern setting (with highly persecuted magic and some scifi elements due to magitech) but ake China did not have a communist movement and has a emperor ruling.

You don't want to be the warrior type?

Alright, just take cues from Zhuge Liang/Kongming. Very Lore Bard-ish. Throw in some Sun Tzu quotes as well, the real life Kongming was a scholar of the Art of War (and wrote an illuminating book about it, developing certain strategies further), like most of his contemporaries.

In general, to get into the heart and soul of China, so to speak, read Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. There don't call them three out of the Four Great Classical Novels for nothing. There should be English abridged versions hanging around somewhere on the Internet.

There's also the Dream of the Red Chamber, but that's more for soap opera ('though it does give a very accurate portrayal of life in the Qing Dynasty). Personally it's a very, very boring book, but I've heard that English translations are less so and a lot of English-speaking people enjoy reading them, so there's that.

For warrior types you can emulate Zhang Fei or Guan Yu. Zhang Fei was pretty much a Bear totem Barbarian. For the more monkish kinds you can draw influences from more 'modern' martial arts practitioners like Yip Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yip_Man).

[Spore]

You don't want to be the warrior type?

I am not sure if another warrior type fits the party. The DM promised he could make the adventure fit the party but he wants to use some published adventures for the first time. Plus the latter campaign ended because he had to adapt the story to our characters so much. He always blames the system (PF) but our party was very much optimized and thus created the need for OP monsters.

[NNescio]

I am not sure if another warrior type fits the party. The DM promised he could make the adventure fit the party but he wants to use some published adventures for the first time. Plus the latter campaign ended because he had to adapt the story to our characters so much. He always blames the system (PF) but our party was very much optimized and thus created the need for OP monsters.

Zhuge Liang-inspired Lore Bard then. Carry a guqin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guqin) (AKA the Chinese Zither) as your instrument. And this[ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJ7QOu0Z0w) is how you cast Phantasmal Force. Or Cloud of Daggers.

[Spore]

Okay, rough concept:

http://orig09.deviantart.net/3ee3/f/2012/335/3/0/lorewalker_cho_by_duiker-d5mpmij.png

Str10/Dex 14/Con14/Int12/Wis12/Cha14 Lore Bard

Spells

Cantrips: Prestidigitation, Friends (while not the nicest spell in the world, it is still very useful for gathering small bits of info)
1st: Sleep, Unseen Servant, Cure Wounds, Comprehend Languages
2nd: Suggestion, Phantasmal Force

Candidates for Additional Magical Secrets:
Counterspell, Infallible Relay (UA: Modern Magic), Protection from Ballistics (UA: Modern Magic), Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: Key-Ri reach adulthood at the age of 20, and tend to live to see the age of around 250.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Size: Your sixe is Medium.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Bouncy: You have resistance against falling damage, and you always land on your feet.
Inner Peace: You have advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level. This Bonus only applies of you are not hungry.

Tao was a farmer's son but he was never really cut out to continue the ways of his father While he appreciates a good simple life with plenty food he mind often wavered. He liked stories, books and other fantastical stories about the old times. Times in which heroes struck down mighty dragons, in which the gods still walked the earth and times in which there was a certain mystery about knowing things. He also had the gift to manipulate the magic weave which prompted his dad to encourage his magical education. He left his home at the early age of 15 to gain higher education in the larger cities. Studying the great masters of magical and technological knowhow.

Studying a few courses of everything here and there, Tao never really qualified for any of the university's degrees but quickly made a handful of influential friends along the way. He always wanted to see the eastern kingdoms. Their struggle with divided continent between the north ruled by a despot supposedly backed by the Archdevil Asmodeus and the liberal south kingdom where magic users are heavily controlled. Having the option to go as a government official which would mean heavy surveillance or going undercover to find out more about the country, Tao backpacked his way into the city of 'Reign'. He is not a government official but he has to gather information about the land, its conflicts and to find companies worth investing in as well as to close the cultural gap between the east and the west.

Tao has currently set himself up as a bar keep in the slum areas of the city and is hosting the local militia's HQ to support their cause and increase their trust in himself. His presence is well hidden and he can keep a watch on developments via technological means.

[Spore]

So apparently my DM thinks bardic magic cannot be learned at (wizard) academies and forces me to change my backstory. I am toying with the thought of being an adopted son of a fisherman along the coastlines of our starting city. A sailor brought the small panda in. The son develops picks up some knowledge of magical lore and finds he is able to manipulate them. He wants to learn more about his talents but the family cannot afford the expensive magical education. Fearing the inquisition might take their adoptive son they send him away on a friend in the city who specializes in keeping people hidden.

The guy gets incarcarated during a inquisition raid and Tao picks up his legacy of keeping people hidden from the superiors. During all that he keeps developing his magical skills without guidance. He has a fondness for interesting stories, basically all that could help him control his magic and learn new ways to use magic.

A few questions here:
1) My DM states that a bard is married to the concept of song and cosmical music and has no place in a modern era.
2) My DM states that a bard's magic is innate and cannot be learned. I disagree and say a bard's magic is innate but it's usage can be learned.
3) My DM does not like me playing a bard and would rather see me playing a wizard: Which I won't do in a world where using magic is persecuted and the character is almost useless without it.

It's called a LORE bard for crying out loud. You LEARN lore, you don't feel it or have an innate understanding of it. Is it really that hard to understand for him? Or am I wrong?

[NNescio]

So apparently my DM thinks bardic magic cannot be learned at (wizard) academies and forces me to change my backstory. I am toying with the thought of being an adopted son of a fisherman along the coastlines of our starting city. A sailor brought the small panda in. The son develops picks up some knowledge of magical lore and finds he is able to manipulate them. He wants to learn more about his talents but the family cannot afford the expensive magical education. Fearing the inquisition might take their adoptive son they send him away on a friend in the city who specializes in keeping people hidden.

The guy gets incarcarated during a inquisition raid and Tao picks up his legacy of keeping people hidden from the superiors. During all that he keeps developing his magical skills without guidance. He has a fondness for interesting stories, basically all that could help him control his magic and learn new ways to use magic.

A few questions here:
1) My DM states that a bard is married to the concept of song and cosmical music and has no place in a modern era.
2) My DM states that a bard's magic is innate and cannot be learned. I disagree and say a bard's magic is innate but it's usage can be learned.
3) My DM does not like me playing a bard and would rather see me playing a wizard: Which I won't do in a world where using magic is persecuted and the character is almost useless without it.

It's called a LORE bard for crying out loud. You LEARN lore, you don't feel it or have an innate understanding of it. Is it really that hard to understand for him? Or am I wrong?

Well, I personally think your DM is wrong and shouldn't be imposing his will on a player's choice of character (this isn't an issue about mechanical balance). He's taking away your agency. That said, sometimes you just have to work with a difficult DM if you want to play with the group (and the DM is otherwise the decent sort).

I have a feeling he's the sort who dislike Bards as a matter of principle, or maybe "arcane magic can only be learned by Wizards" is part of his homebrew campaign setting and he's inflexible about this.

[Spore]

Well, I personally think your DM is wrong and shouldn't be imposing his will on a player's choice of character (this isn't an issue about mechanical balance). He's taking away your agency. That said, sometimes you just have to work with a difficult DM if you want to play with the group (and the DM is otherwise the decent sort).

I have a feeling he's the sort who dislike Bards as a matter of principle, or maybe "arcane magic can only be learned by Wizards" is part of his homebrew campaign setting and he's inflexible about this.

He is taking heavy influence from Shadowrun and Final Fantasy. FF has mixed classes like Red Mages (they have bards but I figure he expects an Eldritch Knight rather than a Bard as a Red Mage) and Shadowrun, while offering a freestyle way to customize your character lacks a bardic type.

But he also stated that he "wants to play D&D, not trick us into playing Shadowrun" which might be prompted by another player who refuses to play Shadowrun and shut down our attempt at making a Shadowrun group because we mostly meet at her home.

Alas, I fell in love with the bard more than I love my wizard concept. Just the fact that I can regularly pick spells from all classes makes it all the more appealing for an indecisive player like me. I will play the bard or I will not play at all. I am not sure about my class choice at all but at least now I have a meta goal: Showing the DM that a bard is all but impossible in this context. Or as he put it: "The class choice is largely irrelevant to the story."