Bite Mark 01.pdf

Quarterly e-publication dedicated to Claw Worlds

Volume I Issue 01 May 2002

Introduction

Welcome to the premier issue of Bite

Mark, the quarterly e-publication for the

Claw Worlds.

Bite Mark intends to fill in the gap

between releases of Ironclaw and

Jadeclaw Supplements. Its format follows

the traditional Sanguine style of general

background, player information, and then

host information. Please bear in mind,

however, that rules discussed in this and

future publications are optional and are

not officially endorsed by Sanguine

Productions Ltd.

We welcome designers and readers alike

to submit their adventures, rules, and

background information. Please check

the Submission Guideline on the last

page. Hopefully, through your support,

Bite Mark will grow to become a full

fledge publication.

Zhongguo Calendar -

Yin-yang li

and are used to determine the

number of each month:

• Principal Term 1 occurs when the

sun's longitude is 330 degrees.

• Principal Term 2 occurs when the

sun's longitude is 0 degrees.

• Principal Term 3 occurs when the

sun's longitude is 30 degrees.

• etc.

• Principal Term 11 occurs when

the sun's longitude is 270 degrees.

• Principal Term 12 occurs when

the sun's longitude is 300 degrees.

• Each month carries the number

of the Principal Term that occurs

in that month.

• In rare cases, a month may con-

tain two Principal Terms; in this

case the months numbers may

have to be shifted. Principal Term

11 (Winter Solstice) must always

fall in the 11th month.

Table of Content

Editor’s Note......................................................1

By Chuan Lin

Edited by Kris Schnee

Jadeclaw Background Information

Zhongguo Calendar -Yin-yang li..........1

The Zhongguo calendar, yin-yang li, is

based on exact astronomical observa-

tions of the longitude of the sun and the

phases of the moon. It is a combined

solar/lunar calendar in that it strives to

have its years coincide with the tropical

year and its months coincide with the

synodic [1] months.

Variant Rules

Variant Races....................................................5

Rules from the Cutting Room Floor

Character Background...............................7

Submission Guideline.............................18

Jadeclaw Adventure:

Gift of the Ancestors................................19

• An ordinary year has 12 months,

and a leap year has 13 months.

• An ordinary year has 353, 354, or

355 days, and a leap year has 383,

384, or 385 days.

Editors : Chuan Lin, Kris Schnee

When determining what a Zhongguoese

year looks like, one must make a num-

ber of astronomical calculations:

1 To determine the dates for the new

moons; a new moon is the com-

pletely black moon (that is, when

the moon is in conjunction with

the sun). The date of a new moon

is the first day of a new month.

2 To determine the dates when the

sun's longitude is a multiple of 30

degrees. (The sun's longitude is 0 at

Vernal Equinox, 90 at Summer

Solstice, 180 at Autumnal Equinox,

and 270 at Winter Solstice.) These

dates are called the Principal Terms

Contributors : Jason Holmgren, Chuan

Lin

such month is the leap month. It carries

the same number as the previous

month, with the additional note that it

is the leap month.

What Years Are Leap Years?

Leap years have 13 months. To deter-

mine if a year is a leap year, calculate the

number of new moons between the

11th month in one year (i.e., the month

containing the Winter Solstice) and the

11th month in the following year. If

there are 13 new moons from the start

of the 11th month in the first year to

the start of the 11th month in the sec-

ond year, a leap month must be inserted.

How Does One Count Years?

Unlike most other calendars, the Zhong-

guo calendar does not count years in an

infinite sequence. Instead years are

grouped in a cycle of 60 years. They are

also used to measure time since the ac-

cession of a king. Within each 60-year

cycle, a year is assigned to a name con-

sisting of two components.

In leap years, at least one month does

not contain a Principal Term. The first

Page 1

The first component is a Celestial Stem

(Table 1). These words have no Cala-

brese equivalent.

Table 1 - Celestial Stems

1) Jia (yang wood/ strong wood)

6) Ji (yin earth/ weak earth)

The second component is a Terrestrial

Branch (Table 2). These are named after

the Twelve Major Houses who first

gathered to form what would become

known as Zhongguo. Applying the

names of the first twelve houses allows

clear distinction of the Major Houses

from those of latecomers and barbarians.

2) Yi (yin wood/ weak wood)

7) Geng (yang metal/ strong metal)

3) Bing (yang fire/ strong fire)

8) Xin (yin metal/ weak metal)

4) Ding (yin fire/ weak fire)

9) Ren (yang water/ strong water)

5) Wu (yang earth/ strong earth)

10) Gui (yin water/ weak water)

since years are dedicated to the Twelve

Major Houses, months can be relegated

to minor houses, the more common

names for months. During leap years,

leap months are named for barbarians to

represent periodical savage incursions

(See Table 3). [3]

then devised a unified all-purpose calen-

dar that contained information on the

seasons of the year and the phases of the

Moon. The calendar also contained the

Yellow Path or Huang-dao that labeled

each day as being auspicious or unfortu-

nate for the Twelve Major Houses and

for certain actions.

Each of the two components is used

sequentially. Thus, the 1st year of the

60-year cycle becomes Yang Wood Rat

(jia-zi), the 2nd year is Yin Wood Ox

(yi-chou), the 3rd year is Yang Fire Tiger

(bing-yin), etc. When we reach the end

of a component, we start from the be-

ginning: The 10th year is Yin Water

Rooster (gui-you), the 11th year is Yang

Wood Dog (jia-xu), the 12th year is Yin

Wood Boar (yi-hai), and the 13th year is

Yang Fire Rat (bing-zi). Finally, the 60th

year becomes Yin Water Boar (gui-hai).

In Zhongguo, the calendar was a sacred

document, sponsored and promulgated

by the reigning monarch. For more than

two millennia, the Ministry of Celestial

Affairs made astronomical observations,

calculated astronomical events such as

eclipses, prepared astrological predic-

tions, and maintained the calendar. After

all, a successful calendar not only served

practical needs, but also confirmed the

consonance between Heaven and the

Imperial Court, i.e. the Mandate of

Heaven. The ability to cipher the Yellow

Path and to use the calendar to its full

potential is the sign of an erudite.

Years were counted from a succession of

eras established by reigning kings. Al-

though the accession of a king marked a

new era, he could also declare a new era

at various times within his reign. The

introduction of a new era was an at-

tempt to reestablish a broken connec-

tion between Heaven and Earth, as

personified by the king. The splinter

might be revealed by the death of a king,

the occurrence of a natural disaster, or

the failure of the Ministry of Celestial

Affairs to predict a celestial event such

as an eclipse.

The idea of grouping and naming the

60-year cycles began in the year 159

when the Spiritual Hall was completed

in Majing. The Hall was the academy

dedicated to the study of astronomy

and, eventually, the home of celestial

globes and armillary spheres. [2] There,

scholars from the Twelve Major Houses

and the Ministry of Celestial Affairs

came together and discussed the concept

of time measurement. Then they began

to backtrack and declare year 1 when

the Twelve Tribes answered Qiling's call

to form the nation.

Image 1 - Celestial Globe

History of the Calendar

When the Book of the Vanishing Heav-

enly Stem had been compiled and schol-

ars from the Twelve Major Houses

gathered and analyzed each other's astro-

nomic works, they were able to calculate

that there are 365 1/4 days in the solar

year and that each lunation is 29 1/2

days. These scholars, who later formed

the first Ministry of Celestial Affairs,

Traditionally, archaic words are used to

indicate the date and the month. But

when the Zhou Dynasty was formed,

the first Zhou king celebrated the event

by commissioning a Minister of Celestial

Affairs to plot out and reassign the

months according to the States as the

official names for months. Alternatively,

Table 2 - Terrestrial Branch

Sexagenary cycles were used to count

years, months, days, and fractions of a

day using the set of Celestial Stems and

Terrestrial Branches. Use of the sixty-day

cycle is seen in the earliest astronomical

records. Although the day count has

fallen into disuse in everyday life, it is

1) Zi (rat)

5) chen (dragon)

9) shen (monkey)

2) Chou (ox)

6) si (snake)

10) you (rooster)

3) yin (tiger)

7) wu (horse)

11) xu (dog)

4) mao (rabbit)

8) wei (sheep)

12) hai (boar)

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Quarterly e-publication dedicated to Claw Worlds

Volume I Issue 01 May 2002

still tabulated in the royal calendars and

used in the Yellow Path.

Table 3 - Name of Months

Leap Months based on

Barbarian State / Races

For example, the first day of the new

year is commonly referred to as Yang

Wood Rat (jia-zi) Day . And the last day,

the 354th, is called Yang Earth Yin Fire

Snake (wu-ding-si) Day. It is easy to see

why this kind of announcement is used

by the most scholarly and in ceremonies.

During the Xiong Dynasty, a new fea-

ture was incorporated into the calendar

that was easier for commoners to under-

stand. Starting from the new moon

phase to the start of the next new

moon, a meteorological cycle of 24 peri-

ods is calculated. This meteorological

cycle (ershisi-jieqi), helps farmers and

travelers to plan their crops or trips ac-

cordingly. Since this was designed for

the commoners, the description of each

period is succinct and easy to under-

stand (See Table 4).

Month based on State / Minor House

1) Sung / Bear

7) Jin / Phoenix

1) Nine Tribes / Camel

2) Wei / Cat

8) Qin / Porcupine

2) Yindu / Elephant

3) Lu / Crane

9) Yen / Qiling

3) Han-guo / Leopard

4) Zhou / Deer

10) Chu / Swallow

4) Siam / Lynx

5) Cheng / Fox

11) Wu / Tortoise

5) Ala Shan / Wolf

6) Shen / Panda

12) Chi / Weasel

6) Xizang / Yak

months or with two Qin/Porcupine

months in the Zhongguo calendar. This

is the time of the most inauspicious pe-

riod as it represents chaos and usurpa-

tion of order. Spies and security are put

on extra alert during this time to watch

for any rebellion. Some said that it was

during a doubled Qin/Porcupine month

when the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the

Quan Dynasty.

In fact, the exact length of a month in

the Zhongguo calendar is either 30 days

or 29 days--a phenomenon which re-

flects its lunar origin. Also, the meteoro-

logical cycle means essentially a solar

year. The people of Zhongguo thus con-

sider their calendar as yin-yang li, or a

lunar-solar calendar.

What Is the Current Year in the

Zhongguo Calendar?

The current year is 2682 or the 1st Year

of the Great Leap Forward under Zhou

King Ping, in the 42nd year of the 44th

cycle. This is the year of Yin Wood

Snake (yi-si).

The 24 points within the meteorological

cycle are exactly 15 o apart on the eclip-

tic, verified often by using celestial

globes and armillary spheres in the Spiri-

tual Hall. They calculated that it took

about 15.2 days for the Sun to travel

from one of these points to another

(because the ecliptic is a complete circle

of 360 o ), and the Sun needs 365 1/4

days to finish its journey in this cycle.

Ordinary, each of the 12 months of the

year contains two points but, because a

lunar month has only 29 1/2 days and

the two points share about 30.4 days,

there is always the chance that a lunar

month will fail to contain both points,

though the distance between any two

given points is only 15 o . If such an occa-

sion occurs, the intercalation of an extra

month takes place. For instance, one

may find a year with two Jin/Phoenix

Bibliography

http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-

chinese.html

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/

LunarCalendar.htm

Notes

[1] Relating to the conjunction of celestial

bodies, especially the interval between two

successive conjunctions of a planet or the

moon with the sun.

[2] Armillary spheres are metal rings over-

lapping at angles to form an open sphere,

and are used to show astronomical coordi-

nates.

[3] Astute readers may recall that not all

states were formed at the same time when

the Zhou Dynasty began; nor were all mi-

nor houses formalized at the same time.

The reason to use this rewritten history is

simply to pay homage and to glorify how

enlightened the Zhou Dynasty is. Of

course, anyone who publicly denounces

the revision will be accused of treason.

Image 2 - Armillary

Table 4 - 24 Cycles

1) Start of Spring

7) Start of Summer

13) Start of Autumn

19) Start of Winter

2) Rain Water

8) Grain Fills

14) Still Hot

20) Light Snow

3) Excited Insects

9) Grain in Ear

15) White Drew

21) Heavy Snow

4) Vernal Equinox

10) Summer Solstice

16) Autumnal Equinox

22) Winter Solstice

5) Clear and Bright

11) Slight Heat

17) Cold Drew

23) Little Cold

6) Grain Rains

12) Great Heat

18) Frost Descent

24) Severe Cold

Page 3

Variant Races

books by TSR. The unifying characteris-

tics are bare, hairy feet and a predilection

to either staying at home or engaging in

a life of thievery.

•

size (and Body Trait) and greater ability

to withstand hardship. To that end, the

Great Men and Women have the most

general representation of hardiness, the

Extra Hit Point. They are usually more

Spartan in demeanor and behavior, more

human than human as it were – used to

getting their way and always interested

in the bottom line.

By Jason Holmgren

Sanguine Productions Limited

Racial Gifts: Robustness +1 (2 points)

Here are the unofficial Variant Races

suitable for adopting Claw System to

generic genre.

•

Racial Flaws: Corpulent –1 (-1 point)

•

Racial Skills: Camouflage, Craft: Cook-

ing, Observation, and Stealth

•

Racial Weapons: None

Dwarves (2 points)

Characteristically short and stubborn,

Dwarves toil away in mountain fastness-

es, hoarding gold and rarely venturing to

the surface. In combat, they fight as one,

preferring close-quarters combat, as they

are poor with long-distance weapons.

The typical dwarf has a thick Viking-

esque beard and gnarled hands from a

life of physical labor.

•

Racial Habitat: Plains

•

Racial Gifts : Extra Hit Point (4 points)

•

Racial Sense Tests: Smell

•

Racial Flaws : None

•

Racial Skills : Craft (of choice); Hiking;

Resolve, and Tactics

Humans (varies)

Easily the most common fantasy race,

Humans are often the generalist race,

not enjoying any inborn advantages but

likewise free from any inherited biases.

When they put their minds to it, they

can out-do any of the other races in their

fantasy milieu.

•

Racial Weapons : None

•

Racial Habitat : Choose one (Forest,

Mountains, or Plains)

•

Racial Sense Tests : none

High Men / Women (zero points)

These people have magic in their blood.

Perhaps they are descended from Elves,

or maybe another great race such as the

Vinya from Middle Earth Role-Playing.

Unlike other Humans, they tend to be

reclusive, often acting alone rather than

in concert or in society. Their wits are

often keen (Mind Trait of d8 or more),

and it’s no surprise that, combined with

their inborn inclinations and hermit na-

ture, they often become accomplished

wizards.

•

Racial Gifts : Robustness +2 (5 points)

•

Racial Flaws : Poor Vision (-3 points)

The theory presented here is that there’s

more than one human race .

•

Racial Skills: Choose one (Axe or

Mace), Craft: Mining, Resolve, and Tac-

tics

Common Men / Women (zero points)

The most base and numerous of the

Humans, the Common Men and

Women are the closest to historical hu-

mans, with Body Traits in the range of

d6 to d10. Most folk never trespass

more than seven leagues outside their

home town; others are nomads who

wander great distances on a regular basis

on foot, since other transportation is

expensive or even unavailable. Game

Hosts should make more specialized

versions of this type of Human for dif-

ferent locales in their fantasy world. In

particular, the Conan series by Robert E.

Howard has colorful descriptions of

how geography and culture affect people.

•

Racial Weapons : None

•

Racial Habitat: Mountains

•

Racial Sense Tests : Listen

Elves (1 point)

Fair-skinned and fair-haired, Elves are

often portrayed as a mysterious race,

rarely mixing with others. They are usu-

ally one with nature , able to disappear in

thick forests. Also by tradition, they are

unparalleled experts with the bow, and

notoriously difficult to surprise. De-

pending on who you ask, they are either

taller or shorter than humans, but their

ears are always pointed. They are always

of thin or slight build.

•

Racial Gifts : None

•

Racial Flaws : None

•

Racial Skills : Augury; Craft (of choice);

Lore: Magic; Sixth Sense

•

Racial Weapons : None

•

Racial Habitat : Choose one (Forest,

Mountains, or Plains)

•

Racial Sense Tests : none

Lizard People (4 points)

Nasty, hissing brutes, with lanky, steely

limbs and darting snakey tails, the Lizard

People are a fantasy staple from the pulp

era of fantasy writers such as Clark Ash-

ton Smith and Robert E. Howard. The

Lizard People presented here are more

like the snake people of Hyberborea or

Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos. Different

ones might have Prehensile Feet or Poi-

son. Noxious ones like the troglodytes

of Dungeons & Dragons fame could

have a Spray attack.

•

Racial Gifts : Keen Ears (1 point); Keen

Eyes (1 point); Night Vision (1 point)

•

Racial Gifts : None

•

Racial Flaws : None

•

Racial Flaws: Frail (-2 points)

•

Racial Skills : Craft (of choice); Choose

one (Area Knowledge [home town] or

Hiking); Choose one (Observation, Re-

solve, Sixth Sense, or Stealth); Tactics

•

Racial Skills : Bow, Camouflage, Sixth

Sense, and Stealth

•

Racial Weapons : None

•

Racial Habitat : Forest

•

Racial Weapons : None

•

Racial Sense Tests: Spot; Listen

•

Racial Habitat : Choose one (Forest,

Mountains, or Plains)

Halflings / Hobbits (1 point)

A race of barefoot, short, chubby people

who enjoy creature comforts, the race of

hobbit was first introduced in J. R. R.

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, and

(to avoid copyright laws) they were later

renamed Halflings in most fantasy

RPGs, or Kender for the Dragonlance

•

Racial Sense Tests : none

Great Men / Women (4 points)

Some fantasy settings have a breed of

Humans who are a cut above the rank

and file, such as Chronopia’s Firstborn

or Middle-Earth Role-Playing’s Dune-

dain. These folk are noted for their larger

•

Racial Gifts : Claws (1 point); Prehensile

Tail (1 point); Robustness +1 (1 point);

Teeth (1 point)

•

Racial Flaws : None

Page 4

Quarterly e-publication dedicated to Claw Worlds

Volume I Issue 01 May 2002

•

Racial Skills : Choose one (Climbing or

Swimming); Camouflage; Contortionist

and Resolve

are poor suited to long-distance combat.

They prefer to ambush folks using man-

to-man tactics, often overwhelming by

sheer strength of numbers. Since Orcs

come from the harshest, most unforgiv-

ing conditions, the climates of other

races look like idyllic paradises to them,

so it’s no wonder they’re often willing to

fight to the death to obtain them.

•

Racial Skills : Brawling, Intimidation,

Resolve, and Wrestling

•

Racial Weapons : Choose one (Forest,

Mountains, or Plains)

•

Racial Weapons : Claws; Teeth

•

Racial Habitat : Choose one (Forest or

Plains)

•

Racial Habitat : none

•

Racial Sense Tests : Smell

•

Racial Sense Tests : Smell

Trolls (10 points)

The classic monstrous race, Trolls have

rubbery skin, dirty claws, rheumy eyes,

and nasty temperaments. Some legends

give them amazing abilities of regenera-

tion – the Troll presented here just ig-

nores major cuts and gashes by virtue of

its Armor. Other legends say that sun-

light harms them, by burning their skin

or by turning them to stone – these

Trolls just can’t stand the light of the

sun, giving them penalties on everything

they do. Reports of Trolls’ mental capac-

ity vary; sometimes they are little more

than animals in intelligence, other times

they are sophisticated villains master-

minding the capture of princesses or

children.

Minotaurs (7 points)

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was

a half-man, half-bull monster that was

cursed with an appetite for human flesh.

This creature has proven very popular

with fantasy audiences through the ages,

and some authors make these brutes

their own Race. By tradition, the Mino-

taur carries a giant axe and skulks about

in mazes and dark corridors.

•

Racial Gifts : Robustness +1 (2 points);

Tusks (1 point)

•

Racial Flaws : Poor Vision (-3 points)

•

Racial Skills : Camouflage, Herbalism,

Intimidation, and Resolve

•

Racial Weapons : Choose one (Forest,

Mountains, or Plains)

•

Racial Habitat : Tusks

•

Racial Sense Tests : Smell

•

Racial Gifts : Horns (1 point); Robust-

ness +2 (5 points); Strength +2 (5

points)

Ogres (7 points)

When you can’t get a giant … get an

Ogre. Basically large, malformed humans

who feel no pain, the traditional Ogre

should have a low Mind trait (d4 to d6)

and a high Body Trait (d10 or better).

Sometimes they wear arms and armor

like other folks… Other times, they sim-

ply use their bare hands to tear and

shred all who oppose them. An Ogre

makes an excellent right hand man for a

major villain.

•

Racial Flaws : Gluttony (-1 point); Poor

Sight (-3 points)

•

Racial Skills : Axe, Intimidation, Resolve

and Stealth

•

Racial Weapons : Horns

•

Racial Gifts : Armor d6 (7 points);

Strength +2 (5 points); Claws (1 point);

Teeth (1 point)

•

Racial Habitat : Plains

•

Racial Sense Tests : Smell

•

Racial Flaws : Dread of Sunlight (Very

Common; -4 points)

Orcs (zero points)

Where would the Dwarves and Elves be

without their hereditary enemies, the

Orcs? Are they debased humans or a

separate race entirely? The Orcs pre-

sented here have pronounced snouts and

war-worthy tusks. Like Dwarves, they

•

Racial Skills : Resolve, Stealth, and

Wrestling

•

Racial Gifts : Armor d4 (3 points);

Strength +3 (7 points)

•

Racial Weapons : Claws, Teeth

•

Racial Habitat : Mountains

•

Racial Flaws : Poor Vision (-3 points)

•

Racial Sense Tests : Listen; Smell

Relatives are given;

Friends are selected.

Rules from the

Cutting Room Floor:

Character Background

ers on setting up each characters per-

sonal goals.

This optional rule has been modified

after an email conversation with Mat-

thew Huntington. His argument, the

lack of prominence for the career and

the race traits, has made sense to me.

Therefore, emphasis in this article will

be on the Race trait. Too often, it has

been relegated to be the least important

of 6 primary traits (Body, Speed, Mind,

Will, Career, Race). Race trait is com-

monly viewed as the connection one has

to his beastly self. Thus, a d4 bear is less

bearish than a d12 bear. In Jadeclaw, I

want it to be used to determine how

closely a character has ties with his fam-

ily or clan. A d4 bear is not as close to

his clan and ancestral as a d12 bear. El-

ders of the clan/house judges the

younger generation to see who among

them are worthy. The chosen one would

receive additional training, gifts, or even

heirloom. Career trait and skills are nice,

but the true measurement of a characters

devotion to his family is his Race trait.

Lineage

If a player creates a minor house or ma-

jor house race at time of creation, he has

the option to roll on the Ancestor Table

to represent how far can a character

trace back his root. During play, this

character may receive another chance to

roll as a gift or reward from major

NPCs. This indicates that this character

attempts to find more information on

his genealogy. However, each successive

By Chuan Lin

This was cut out early in the develop-

ment of Jadeclaw for being too random

and too many charts. Personally, I like it

for it helps generate ideas for players

who are hard pressed to come up with

character background and to give them a

sense of belonging in the Jadeclaw. This

also allows the Host to work with play-

Page 5

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