Help me get some oriental ideas!

[Satsujinki]

Hello guys! Im dming an oriental dnd 5e adventures thanks to the heroes of the orient(dmsguild, check it out, pretty dope) but im at an enpasse. I've got material over a couple of session but i dunno what to do next. I kind of donot want to railroad it, so i was thinking in 2/3 ways out. If any of you knows heroes of thw orient, you know that there is a shadowland that has all sorts of ****ery and stuff going on, pointing them there to do something coukd be good. Or... i dunno... pls halp a master out! :-)

The group will end my adventure at about lvl 5, a group of a shogun noble, a seishin warlock gaijin, a ranger niten and an arcane trickster rogue vanara. They do have a bg with some hooks but... I don't want to go into that yet, it'd finish the whole campaign too easily, don't you think? Example is the warlock and ranger, that were investigating a possible gaijin organizaion that is enstabilishing into the orient, or the shogun who plots to someday overthrow his uncle and take the clan. there are also the shadowlands, whom could spout out some sort of invasion, and maybe they could be enforced to go there?

All in all, i'm in need of what one could call "plot hooks".

[Chugger]

If you want to add an extreme Japanese flavor, besides spreading wasabe all over it (just kidding), you can check out an old DnD "clone" (sort of) that came out about 1980 called "Bushido". As I recall it's just a pamphlet, but I thought it was excellent when I played it long, long ago. And I felt (as if I'm an expert - I'm not) very "Japanese".

Ogre Magi (their "real" name is now in the MM) are Asian. Rakshasa (now very powerful) are Indian, which is more Central Asian - and you are doing Far East. Asian ghosts are funky, and mm undead could be altered to be more like them. I mean, how authentic do you want?

If it's more plot ideas you want, you have to tell us more - or at least you'd have to tell me more. I can't really give you much off the scarce start you set up. And by plot do you mean an overall story or nifty critical points and challenges along the way - both - or something else?

[Satsujinki]

If you want to add an extreme Japanese flavor, besides spreading wasabe all over it (just kidding), you can check out an old DnD "clone" (sort of) that came out about 1980 called "Bushido". As I recall it's just a pamphlet, but I thought it was excellent when I played it long, long ago. And I felt (as if I'm an expert - I'm not) very "Japanese".

Ogre Magi (their "real" name is now in the MM) are Asian. Rakshasa (now very powerful) are Indian, which is more Central Asian - and you are doing Far East. Asian ghosts are funky, and mm undead could be altered to be more like them. I mean, how authentic do you want?

If it's more plot ideas you want, you have to tell us more - or at least you'd have to tell me more. I can't really give you much off the scarce start you set up. And by plot do you mean an overall story or nifty critical points and challenges along the way - both - or something else?

Some nifty points to set up an adventure around it. The world is decided in a jafe empire with minor and great clans under it and a shadowland with distorsion to the hell/jigoku. The emperor has only bailiffs, ni real army, its the clans that have army, so there is a bit of tension. Also the enperor has decided to marry a gaijin, an high elf to be precise, and that caused tension to rise.

[qube]

Perhaps read up on Japanese folklore, to get adventure idea's?

I bought this one (https://www.amazon.com/Yokai-Attack-Japanese-Monster-Survival/dp/480531219X) in Japan, and can really recommend it

or, you know, let them travel form edo to kyoto and encounter ... these (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures_from_Japan)

Though some of them are quite silly. "A monk spirit that spies on people using the toilet" doesn't really scream epic encounter :smallfrown:

[Herobizkit]

Here's a link to the Daily, Monthly, and Yearly events from the 1ed Oriental Handbook. Maybe roll up a year and work from there?

http://jrients.blogspot.ca/2012/04/oa-event-charts.html

[Chugger]

I just went through several lists of Asian mythical creatures and had forgotten how strange they are!

A sentient roll of cotton fabric that attacks people and smothers them? Dang.

Oh wait...rug of smothering!