“Any fool can swing a blade. The wise one knows when to strike.” — Master Gray Willow

Five Fists of the Burning Temple

A Savage Worlds Supplement of Honor, Style, and Furious Action

There are worlds where the blade rules. There are times when justice wears silk shoes.

And then there is the martial world, the Jianghu—where style is law, honor is currency, and your fists write your legend.

Five Fists of the Burning Temple' is a cinematic martial arts setting for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE), forged in the fire of classic kung fu cinema. Inspired by the whirlwind vengeance tales of the 1970s and the wire-dancing epics of the 1990s, it invites you to step into a world of burning hearts, spinning heel kicks, and bamboo-flavored melodrama.

Think Shaw Brothers. Think Golden Harvest. Think wuxia scrolls fluttering in the wind, or that one perfect slow-motion punch that changes everything.

Here, every duel is sacred. Every insult must be answered. And every martial hero, whether monk, student, assassin, or wanderer, fights not just for victory, but for honor.

What You’ll Need

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
Players ready for cinematic storytelling
A willingness to shout your attacks before using them

The Martial World

Five Fists of the Burning Temple provides a flexible toolkit for play in any of the following genres.

The Jianghu: The Martial World

A mythic version of ancient China where law means little and honor means everything. Secret sects, exiled masters, and wandering swordsmen duel beneath cherry blossoms, in smoky tea houses, or atop mist-shrouded cliffs. This is the world of wuxia, where hearts are noble, grudges are eternal, and every move has a name. Think of classics like Five Deadly Venoms, Master of the Flying Guillotine, or Drunken Master.

Urban Kung Fu

Set your tale in a fictional 1970s Chinatown, a corrupt Hong Kong district, or a grindhouse city block. Rival gangs clash with animal styles. Crooked cops swing batons. Old masters brew tea behind hidden dojos. Think Enter the Dragon, The Big Boss, or Kung Fu Hustle.

Shaolin Vs. The World

Want to fight zombies? Time-traveling ronin? Cyborg luchadores? With a little SWADE kitbashing, you can. This mode embraces genre-mixing martial madness in the style of Shaolin Soccer, or Big Trouble in Little China. Use powers, settings, or companions from any SWADE setting. The fists do not care what genre you are in. They just want to fly.

In this world, your style defines you. Your stance protects you. And your legend? That is up to you.

So tie on your headband. Name your technique. And remember: in the end, the hero is the one who stands.

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