Dharma Reference Chart
Table of Contents
The Five Dharmas
The Howl of the Devil-Tiger (P'o) - The Way of the South, of Fire and of Ghost-Flame.
The Way of the Resplendent Crane (Hun) - The Way of the North, of Water and of Blood.
The Song of the Shadow (Yin) - The Way of the West, of Metal and Bone.
The Path of a Thousand Whispers (Balance) - The Way of the Center, of Earth and of Jade.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon (Yang) - The Way of the East, of Wood and of Flesh.
Dharma Rolls
Auspicious Occasions: (Dharma Virtue) versus P'o rating in a resisted roll contest; difficulty is permanent Willpower rating.
- Virtue wins: Burst of den; gain one Dharma-level.
- P'o wins: Demon rebels; P'o takes over for one scene.
- Neither wins: vampire is discouraged; no change.
Acts of Blindness: (Dharma Virtue) versus P'o rating in a resisted roll contest; difficulty is permanent Willpower rating.
- Virtue wins: Kuei-Jin keeps control; retain current Dharma level.
- P'o wins: Flash of diao; lose one Dharma level.
- Neither wins: vampire may feel remorse, or may not; no change.
| Dharma level | Social Bonus | Virtue Pair Max | Trait Max | Chi Points/Turn | Status | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -4 | 10 | 5 | 1 | chih-meifhin | any |
| 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 1 | disciple | any |
| 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 1 | disciple | any |
| 3 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 1 | disciple | one year |
| 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 2 | jina | five years |
| 5 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 2 | jina | 10 years |
| 6 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 3 | jina/mandarin | 100 years |
| 7 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 4 | mandarin/ancestor | 250 years |
| 8 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 6 | ancestor | 500 years |
| 9 | 5 | 18 | 9 | 8 | bodhisattva | 1,000 years |
| 10 | ? | ? | ? | ? | bodhisattva/arhar | ? |
Dharma Levels and Benefits
Notes: The Dharma Level and Benefits chart shows some of the obvious "perks" of an advanced state of awareness.
- The Dharma Level entry is obvious.
- Social Bonus refers to the Dice Pool bonus for Social rolls against Kuei-Jin of a lower Dharma rating.
- Virtue Pair Maximum: Kuei-Jin of great Dharmic understanding can increase opposed Virtue ratings to high levels. So, a Kuei-jin of Dharma 6 could raise Hun and Po, or Yin and Yang, to 6 each, or 4 and 9, or any other combination totaling 12.
- Trait Maximum: Like Kindred of potent blood, enlightened Kuei-jin can concentrate their Chi to such a degree that they may raise Attributes, Abilities, and Disciplines above 5.
- The Chi Points entry tells you the maximum amount of Chi you can spend per turn.
- The Status entry gives the approximate raning in Kuei-jin its society a vampire of that Dharma level posseses. There are exceptions on both ends of the spectrum - foolish ancestors or exceptionally enlighened jina - but such exceptions are relatively few and far between.
- The Age section reflects the "minimum age requirement" of the level. The break-point, Level Six, signifies the union of Yin and Yang - a balance that takes many years to achieve and many more to master. Note that this is the minimum age requirement to reach that level - many Kuei-jin take much, much longer, if they get there at all.
Auspicious Occasions
- Being taught by a Kuei-jin who has mastered a higher level in your Dharma.
- Being taught by a Kuei-jin who holds a higher rank than yours; but in a different Dharma.
- Receiving instruction from a bodhisattva.
- Receiving instruction from a Yama King or similar powerful spirit.
- Understanding a master's koan.
- Journeying through the spirit worlds (for the first time).
- Understanding a master's koan.
- Doing something within the tenets of your Dharma that costs you something important.^
- Meditating for at least one week with one of the training methods (see that section).
- Coming very near to death (within one Health Level of final destruction).
- Receiving an auspicious omen.^
Acts of Blindness
- Violating some important tenet of your Dharma.^
- Attempting to follow the tenets of your path, but failing in some really costly manner.^
- Acting in an extraordinarily egotistical manner.
- Losing yourself in mortal concerns and neglecting enlightenment.
- Losing yourself to the P'o (even if you belong to the Devil Tiger path).
- Discovering that a Dharma teacher lied to you.
- Being banished by a priest or other person with True Faith.
- Killing an ancestor or bodhisattva.
- Meeting the Little Death.
- Receiving a bad omen.^
^ - See Dharma descriptions for details.