“First you must choose who you are. Then, you must fight to become it.”

— Master Crane Cloud

Character Creation

Whether you are a humble tea-seller’s son or the last heir of a ruined temple, your journey begins the same: with a single style, a handful of scars, and a reason to fight.

This page gives you everything you need to build your hero, from background to battle stance.

Step 1: Choose an Archetype

Choose an archetype from the following. Archetypes are not character templates, but evocative frameworks to spark players’ imaginations and launch them into martial drama. Pick one that suits your flavor and inspires your choices.

Courtly Duelist

Silk robes. Hidden knives. Perfect stance. Poisoned tea.

You bow deeper than anyone—and strike faster too. Raised on etiquette and edgework, you duel in gardens and courtyards, where style matters more than scars.

Suggested Styles: Fan, Crane, Snake

Suggested Edges: Combat Reflexes, Quick, Social Grace (custom)

Suggested Hindrances: Arrogant, Enemy (court rival), Code of Honor

Doomed Prodigy

You’re the best. Everyone knows it. And that’s the problem.

You mastered five forms by sixteen. Your teachers are in awe—or afraid. But your body is cursed, your blood is wrong, or your name is foretold in ashes. How long do you have?

Suggested Styles: Tiger, Eagle Claw, Crane

Suggested Edges: Trademark Weapon, Martial Artist, Quick

Suggested Hindrances: Death Wish, Illness (Minor or Major), Quirk (foretells own doom)

Hot-Blooded Student

Loyal, impulsive, and totally unprepared for what’s coming.

You punch first, ask questions never, and get thrown out of every temple—except one. You train hard, love harder, and lose often. But you always stand back up.

Suggested Styles: Tiger, Monkey, Drunken

Suggested Edges: Fleet-Footed, Combat Reflexes, Hard to Kill

Suggested Hindrances: Overconfident, Impulsive, Quirk (never backs down)

Itinerant Beggar

They think you smell like rice wine. They never notice the footwork.

You might look drunk, ragged, or foolish—but you hide incredible talent.

Suggested Styles: Drunken, Ox, Fan

Suggested Edges: Brawler, Alertness, Conviction

Suggested Hindrances: Poverty, Habit (alcohol), Delusional (“the crane speaks to me”)

Martial Trickster

You joke, you dodge, you mock. But when it matters—you do not miss.

Your mouth moves faster than your feet, which move faster than your fists. You learned martial arts between noodle bowls and stolen scrolls. Your opponents do not take you seriously—until it is too late.

Suggested Styles: Monkey, Drunken, Fan

Suggested Edges: First Strike, Harder to Hit, Boastful Blow

Suggested Hindrances: Quirk (taunts constantly), Curious, Overconfident

Masked Avenger

Your true face is a secret. Your fists are not.

Someone destroyed your past. You’ve taken a new name—and a mask—to find them. You live in the shadows, and your style was never meant for justice. But here you are.

Suggested Styles: Fan, Snake, Eagle Claw

Suggested Edges: Quick Draw, Assassin’s Blow (custom Edge), Elusive

Suggested Hindrances: Vengeful (Major), Secret, Ruthless

Raging Butcher

You do not know the names of your forms. You just know what works.

Your fists are your philosophy. You punch oxen to keep your form. You never studied from scrolls, but you have trained in blood, sweat, and fire. You are not elegant—but you're still standing.

Suggested Styles: Ox, Mantis, Iron Body

Suggested Edges: Brawler, Bruiser, Hard to Kill

Suggested Hindrances: Vengeful, Stubborn, Poverty

Reformed Assassin

Your past is bloody. Your future is unclear.

You were once the sharpest fang in a forbidden style. You have walked away—mostly. Now you wander the edges of the Jianghu, trying not to kill. Unless it is necessary.

Suggested Styles: Mantis, Snake, Hundred Forms

Suggested Edges: Acrobat, Martial Artist, Danger Sense

Suggested Hindrances: Vow (never kill again), Enemy, Haunted

Retired General

When you speak, everyone listens.

You stepped down due to disgrace, old age, or just choice. Your day may have come and gone but your keen mind is still an asset.

Suggested Styles: Crane, Ox, Hundred Forms

Suggested Edges: Respected Name, Tactician, Combat Reflexes, Martial Artist

Suggested Hindrances: Driven (avenge the fallen), Enemy (the killer’s faction), Outsider

Shadow Agent

You kill only when necessary. It is just that “necessary” happens often.

You serve someone in the dark. A hidden sect, a dead empire, a secret vengeance. You have no name. No face. But your technique is flawless. And your mission? It never ends.

Suggested Styles: Snake, Fan, Mantis

Suggested Edges: Elusive, Danger Sense, Assassin’s Blow (custom)

Suggested Hindrances: Secret, Ruthless, Enemy (former handler)

Shaolin Monk

Disciplined, serene, and ready to explode when injustice rises.

You have burned the past behind you. You walk barefoot across the empire to spread balance, wisdom, and wrath when needed. You will die clean. But not yet.

Suggested Styles: Crane, Iron Body, Mantis

Suggested Edges: Qi Surge, Martial Artist, Strong Willed

Suggested Hindrances: Code of Honor, Pacifist (Minor), Loyal

Sword of the Heart

Love is your greatest weakness. Or is it your strength?

You fight for someone—gone, forbidden, or betrayed. Your strikes are graceful. Your sorrow is silent. You duel not to win, but to prove the soul still matters.

Suggested Styles: Crane, Snake, Fan

Suggested Edges: Attractive, Martial Artist, Calm Mind

Suggested Hindrances: Vow (to protect or find them), Loyal, Quirk (writes poetry)

Vengeful Orphan

You do not want peace. You want names.

You are a brooding youth whose master or family was murdered. You are now driven by burning purpose.

Suggested Styles: Tiger, Scorpion, Mantis

Suggested Edges: Killer Instinct, Combat Reflexes, Martial Artist

Suggested Hindrances: Driven (avenge the fallen), Enemy (the killer’s faction), Outsider

Wandering Warrior

Silent. Stoic. Your fist speaks louder than you ever will.

You drift from village to village, sleeping under trees, helping when needed, leaving when praised. You carry your master’s final lesson in your heart—and fists that fight for justice.

Suggested Styles: Tiger, Crane, Iron Body

Suggested Edges: Martial Artist, Danger Sense, Trademark Weapon

Suggested Hindrances: Heroic, Loner, Vow (protect the innocent)

Weapons Disciple

You have never met a weapon you did not understand. Not just how it cuts, but how it breathes.

A fan. A chain. A blade as long as a man’s arm. You have made them dance, weep, and kill. Your style is art, your form is legend, and your enemies always remember the sound of your draw. You do not boast. You demonstrate.

Suggested Styles: Hundred Forms, Fan, Crane

Suggested Edges: Trademark Weapon, Combat Acrobat

Suggested Hindrances: Arrogant, Enemy (disgraced rival), Code of Honor (martial)

Wise Old Master

You talk slowly. You hit like thunder.

Your students never listen. Your joints ache. Your tea is never hot enough. But when the bells ring, and blood is in the air, you move like time itself.

Suggested Styles: Crane, Iron Body, Snake

Suggested Edges: Feared Name, Calm Mind, Hard to Kill

Suggested Hindrances: Elderly, Habit (tea and reflection), Vow (teach only the worthy)

Step 2: Assign Traits and Choose Skills

Create your character using the standard SWADE rules. Most skills remain unchanged, but there is one important substitution: the new skill Martial Arts [Style] (Agility), which replaces Fighting for martial artists.

Each character begins with their choice of a single martial style, which governs their combat technique. You only benefit from the Stance and Signature Techniques of one style at a time.

You may learn additional styles through training, quests, or the Dual Stylist Edge.

Step 3: Choose a Martial Style

Pick a martial style. Style descriptions are found on Burning Temple Martial Styles. Each provides:

A Stance Bonus
Three Signature Techniques, unlocked at Novice, Seasoned, and Veteran
Two types of favored Combat Maneuvers
A list of favored weapons
A style-specific Edge (which can only be taken at Seasoned Rank)

Step 4: Define Your Background Path

Roll or choose one entry from each of the following three tables: Origin, First Blood, and Reason to Fight. Each provides a flavorful trait—lightweight and easy to remember.

Path 1: Origin

d6	Origin	Trait
1	Temple Orphan	+1 to Common Knowledge (martial lore)
2	Street Urchin	+1 to Agility Tricks in urban terrain
3	Scholar’s Child	+1 to Smarts when deciphering texts or codes
4	Disgraced Lineage	Start with a Minor Rival; +1 Persuasion when invoking your name
5	Wandering Acrobat	Never treated as untrained for flips, leaps, or balance
6	Secret Heir	Gain Hidden Identity (Hindrance) and a unique heirloom (GM decides)

Path 2: First Blood

d6	First Blood	Trait
1	Betrayed by a Friend	+1 to Notice when reading others
2	Avenged a Stranger	+1 to Spirit rolls to resist fear or guilt
3	Caught Stealing a Technique	+1 to Stealth; gain the Stubborn Hindrance
4	Duel Gone Wrong	+1 to Fighting vs enemies who break honorable codes
5	Spared by a Master	Gain a friendly NPC mentor; +1 to attack rolls that aid others
6	Burned the Scrolls	Gain a Secret Hindrance; +1 to Boast or Taunt

Path 3: Reason to Fight

d6	Purpose	Trait
1	Honor the Fallen	+1 to recover from Shaken while defending others
2	Break the Cycle	+1 to resist social coercion or family obligation
3	Find the Forbidden Sutra	+1 to rolls involving lore, ruins, or hidden knowledge
4	Prove You're Not a Coward	Vow (Minor); +1 to Trait rolls after taking a Wound
5	Protect the Innocent	+1 to rolls when defending or healing a noncombatant
6	Become the Greatest	+1 to Martial Arts vs named foes or public duels

Optional Rule: If a character fulfills the arc of one of their path entries during play, they earn +1 Benny and may gain a free Edge with GM approval.

Step 5: Select Edges and Hindrances

Choose Edges and Hindrances using the core SWADE rules or those listed in for the setting. See Edges and Hindrances.

Step 6: Set Your Rep

As a beginning character, your Honor stat begins at 0. Characters with the Respected Name Edge begin with Honor 1d6.

Five Fists of the Burning Temple Home • Character Creation • Styles • Maneuvers • Edges & Hindrances • Setting Rules • Weapons