Ten Lords-a-LeapingThis gift is presented inside a handmade card that has a colored drawing of a red Chinese dragon spiraling around a Christmas tree with a large star on top. On the inside of the card is a note written in a flourish-rich cursive that says: "Keep this coin near at all times. When faced with overwhelming odds, hold it and say, "Bring the fury!"
The coin being referenced is also inside the card; it appears to be an ancient Chinese coin with a dragon on one side and curious runes of an unknown origin on the other. The card is pretty, but not magical, while the coin radiates a mixture of Illusion, Divination, and Summoning magic.
Functions: If the recipient of the dragon's gift says "Bring the Fury!" while holding the coin in combat or otherwise facing danger, as many as ten top Chinese martial artists appear--collectively, the
Lords of Wushu. Some of the Lords are armed with traditional weapons--such as staves, nunchucks, and swords--but others are ready to use their deadliest weapon: Their body and their superior Kung Fu Wushu. After spending a round striking poses, they leap into action, either attacking the foes of the person who summoned them, or setting about helping with stopping whatever disaster in unfolding.
If called to assist in combat, between 1 and 10 Lords appear, their number matching the number of foes faced by the summoner and his or her allies. When they first arrive, all those hostile to the summoner and allies must make Will saves (DC18) or be so startled by the sudden appearance of Chinese men in colorful clothing that they lose all actions for the rest of the round. They must reroll their initiatives on the round that follows (while the summoner and allies retain their already established place in the combat order).
The Lords spend the first round they are present striking dramatic poses and looking about with threatening glares and grunts. On the summoner's initiative, they spring into action with jubilantly savage war cries, each rushing to confront a foe or to perform whatever urgent tasks will help save the summoner, his or her allies, and any innocent bystanders.
The Lords are fearless and loud in their rush into combat, drawing as much attention away from the summoner and his or her allies as they possibly can. Their attack rolls always succeed (except in cases where some magical effect or ability states that an attack fails) and each hit deals 2d6+4 points of fire damage. Further, they always make successful saving throws and combat-related skill checks and have AC/DC ratings of 15. However, each Lord only has 10 hit points, so they either take their foes down quickly, or they go down.
If the Lords are summoned to assist in non-combat situations, they act with complete and total courage and lay down their lives without hesitation if it saves the summoner, his or her friends, and any innocent bystanders. They won't sacrifice themselves needlessly, but if their life can be traded to save others, they never hesitate. After all, they're not real... and they know it. When assisting in non-combat situations, the Lords have whatever skills are needed for the task ahead of them.
The bodies of fallen Lords remain for the duration of combat, but ten rounds after the battle is over or the danger has passed, the bodies dissolve into smoke that quickly dissipates. If someone touches one of the bodies or tries to take its weapons or other equipment, the body and all items burst into flame and vanish, dealing 2d6 points of fire damage to anyone in melee range.
When the owner needs an attractive and lethal date for any purpose, all he or she has to do is focus on the invitation or reservation and his or her companion will appear, dressed appropriately for whatever the event is. The owner of the coin can also summon a date for a friend or close associate instead of for him- or herself.
This magically created companion is a perfect date for the owner (or whoever the companion is there to escort); he can carry on intelligent and informed conversations about any topic. He also has perfect manners and timing when it comes to interacting with other guests at events and subtly always making sure his date is perceived in the best possible light by way of his behavior.
In addition to being great eye candy and perfect socially, the magical companion has the ability to defend the owner and those he or she is friendly with from attacks or other forms of violence. She can only be injured by magic or by enchanted weapons with at least a +2 bonus. She has 100 hit points and has all the class abilities and the attack rolls, saving throws and DC/AC of a 10th-level Monk (fantasy OGL d20 System) or Fast Hero (OGL d20 Modern). The companion is also proficient with all weapons, is an expert in all martial arts and unarmed combat styles, and has a talent for turning just about any item he can place his hands on into a weapon.
The summoned date remains in the company of the person he is escorting for 20 hours, until released, or until destroyed through damage suffered in combat. Each time, the date is a different Lord of Wushu.
The Ten Lords can be summoned once per day while the coin is in the possession of the person it was gifted to. They can only be summoned individually a maximum of ten times during a year during a year lasting from January 1 through December 31.
The person who first received the coin can regift it as a Christmas or birthday present to someone they love, or someone they have stood side-by-side in combat. If it is sold, given with an expectation of reward, or taken under any circumstance other than those described above, it immediately becomes just an odd Chinese coin with no magical qualities.
Trivia: Each of the Ten Lords of Wushu are based on actual martial arts masters that Brigid has met and befriended during her many trips to China and Taiwan. Most have been dead for centuries, but Brigid still summons a magic replica of one of them when she feels like practicing unarmed combat with her human form.
In centuries past, the Lords were far more sedate and deliberate in the way they entered combat. With the arrival of the Hong Kong karate-themed movies in the 1960s and 1970s ("chop-socky flicks"), Brigid recalibrated her creation to mimic the outrageously surreal worlds of those films. She did this because she felt it would be more disorienting to foes in combat with the summoner, but also because she thought the cartoonish behavior was hilarious.
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