<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>World Building Questions</strong></span></span><br/>As for the questions Teisei's origin story triggered – here are a few to keep you thinking:<br/>1.What were her parents up to, and how so skilled if clearly not in a monastery! A mystery abounds there.<br/>2.Is it common for Karmic Ties (such as the instant bond in your story) to occur between people, and if so, is it a function of their own personality and gifts-based instability as in Mercedes Lacky's Valdemar series? Is it instead a past-life recognition of debt, like the Deverry Saga by Katherin Kerr? Is it a burden or gift bestowed by the very power of Axiom itself, as in the Star Wars worlds by George Lucas? And even if -you- the GM know … do the characters??<br/>3.Are the children sent to temple often chosen that way, by the monks themselves? If so are they then taken by force, even if the family would rather not? If such a bond is denied by one or both parties, are there long-ranging consequences?<br/>4.Do your monks marry and have children, or not? I can't quite tell from the stories!<br/><br/>Oh! For how long have things been going poorly? If it is feasible, I'd like her to have at least a dim memories of the good times, before the current ruler.<br/><br/>On your world, I suspect that my character would be related to the Imperial family through the female line? Do they kill off other imperial sons when one inherits, or could her father have been the imperial relation? And do you have rules about how close it could or could not be?<br/><br/>Is this the sort of game where I -must- give her combat abilities? Aside from studying Tai Chi (which she does because it enhances her healing, as it is related to understanding and controlling Chi) I haven't given her any; if you envision the sort of world where combat is common, I'll give her a few more skills due to having a loving and indulgent family. If not, I'll simply try to figure out how her magic might help in combat, like perhaps she can weaken weapons and armor?<br/><br/>Oh, and I had yet another question! Is the armor on my continent the traditional bamboo/lacquered armor of the Japanese? Or metal? And speaking of background questions ...<br/><br/>Can you give maybe a thumbnail sketch of three of four precepts of the monks/monastic/local religion as adapted for this world? I just went to the wikki Buddhism site and it was a bit overwhelming. I wouldn't mind a short list; it needn't be exhaustive! I can keep web searching if you haven't parsed that down to a finite body of knowledge yet.<br/><br/>I am going to write a funeral scene for my character's background story, so I've been going over Feudal Japan and Imperial China burial customs; do you have any particular customs/beliefs you do or do not want? I will be happy, of course, to alter my story if I include anything that doesn't mesh, but if you've a few firm ideas already it will simplify matters to know ahead of time!