Every character in an Oriental AD&D adventure must be a member of a class.

A character's class is
analogous to his profession; it provides a niche for the character to operate within. Players have 10 classes to
choose from: barbarian, bushi, kensai, monk, ninja, samurai, shukenja, sohei, wu jen, and yakuza.
Barbarians are hunters, raiders, and nomads. They live by instinct and natural talents, beyond the
bounds of civilization.

Bushi are professional soldiers from alt ranks of society. <>

Kensai are martial artists in the purist sense; their life is devoted to mastering a single weapon and
achieving perfection in its use.

Monks seek to create a perfect union between mind and body through the practice of meditation and
fighting skills.

Ninja are practitioners of ninjutsu, the art of invisibility. They are masters of stealth, disguise,
acrobatics, and assassination. They cannot operate openly, so all ninja must also be bushi, sohei, wu jen, or
yakuza.

Samurai are members of an elite class of warrior nobility. Their prime duty is to be absolutely loyal to
their master (daimyo) and serve him however he commands.

Shukenja are wandering holy men. They act as teachers, advisors, and healers to whomever needs their
aid. They are respected by all for their devotion and magical abilities.

Sohei are warrior priests, though more warrior than priest. They protect monasteries from attacks and
extend the monasteries' political claims. Sohei have limited magical ability.

Wu Jen are sorcerors and magicians.
They usually live as hermits in remote areas, and are greatly feared and respected for their powers.

Yakuza are thugs and extortionists, but they are also peacekeepers and guardians of the common man.
Structured bands of yakuza collect tribute from the local merchants in exchange for protection.
Besides defining a character's profession, class also indicates in a general way the character's social
status. Each of the 10 character classes in the Oriental AD&D game has a basic position in the caste structure,
explained in the separate class descriptions. In other words, a character has a certain status simply for being who
and what he is.

The caste system is not absolutely rigid, however. Characters of exceptional ability can rise above their
caste, gaining power and influence over their "betters:" Likewise, characters of high caste who fall on hard
times may be unable to command the respect that would normally be their due. Player characters will find many
opportunities to reach beyond the artificial limits imposed by society, and so should not feel too restricted by
their position.

Players familiar with the AD&D game should note that there are a few differences between the rules
they are familiar with and the Oriental AD&D rules. The concept of proficiency has been expanded to include
skills beyond weaponry. Most characters also have special ki powers (spirit energy or spirit force) associated
with their class. Many characters place great importance on their family or clan. Finally, honor-a character's
personal honor, the honor of his lord, and the honor of his family-is a vital, if not overriding, concern that
guides many characters' actions.

Characters in an Oriental AD&D adventure need not be humans. Kara-Tur is a land of exotic customs
and exotic creatures. Characters can be members of any one of four races: human, hengeyokai, korobokuru, or
spirit folk.

Hengeyokai are intelligent animals which can assume human form.
Korobokuru are small, hairy men who live in remote wildernesses. They delight in nature, simple art,
and craft.
Spirit folk appear human, but their ancestry includes various spirits of nature. They are closely attuned
to nature and natural forces.

Class and Race Combinations

Table 9: CHARACTER CLASS LIMITS

Character Class	Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Human	Spirit Folk	Alignment
Samurai	6	n	U	12	Any lawful
Shukenja	n	8	U	n	Any good
Sohei	n	n	U	n	Any lawful
Barbarian	10	n	U	n	Any non-law
Kensai	n	6	U	9	Any lawful
Bushi	U	U	U	U	Any
Wu Jen	7	9	U	n	Any non-law
Monk	n	n	17	17	Any lawful
Ninja	n	n	U	n	Any non-good
Yakuza	10	n	U	n	Any lawful

Not all of the classes are available to characters of all four races. Table 9: Character Class Limits shows
which classes and races can be combined, and how far characters of each race can progress in each class. "U"
means a character of the listed race can rise to any level in the listed class. A number means a character of the
listed race can belong to the listed class, but cannot rise higher than the indicated level. For example, a human
can achieve any level as a shukenja, but a hengeyokai can rise only to 8th level as a shukenja. A wish spell can
allow a character to rise one level above his racial maximum. "No" means a character of the listed race cannot
belong to the listed class. Alignment restrictions apply to members of all races.

Note that character races in OA possess no multi-class capability.

The following sub-tables should supplement Table 9: Character Class Limits, on page 11.

The column for Ability Score pertains to the
ability most associated with the class in
question. For barbarians, bushi, kensai, and
samurai, the score refers to Strength; for
shukenja, Wisdom; for wu jen, Intelligence; for
yakuza, Dexterity. Other abilities may also
impact the level limits and are noted when they
apply. Results for multiple ability
requirements are cumulative. That is, a
character must satisfy all the ablity score
requirements of lower levels before
progressing higher.

Table 9a: Korobokuru

Ability  Score	Barbarian	Bushi	Samurai
15	10	U	6
16	10	U	6
17	10	U	6
18	111	U	6
18.50	111	U	6
18.75	111	U	6
18.90	111	U	6
18.99	111	U	6
18.00	111	U	6
19	122	U	75
20	133	U	75
21	154	U	75

1: Dex and Con of 16 also required.
2: Dex or Con of 17 also required.
3: Dex or Con of 18 also required. If
either Dex or Con is 19, the character
can attain 14th level.
4: Dex and Con of 19 also required.
5: Int 15, Wis 15, and Con 15
also required. If Int is 16 or higher,
character can attain 8th level.
 
 

Ability Score	Wu Jen	Yakuza
15	7	10
16	7	10
17	8	10
18	8	116
19	9	116
20	9	116
21	9	116

6: Int and Cha of 16 also required.
If Cha is 17, the character can attain 12th
level.

Table 9b: Hengeyokai

Ability  Score	Bushi	Kensai
15	U	6
16	U	6
17	U	71
18	U	71
18.50	U	82
18.75	U	82
18.90	U	93
18.99	U	93
18.00	U	93
19	U	11
20	U	11
21	U	11

1: Wis 15 and Dex 15 also required.
2: Wis 15 and Dex 16 also required. If
both Wis and Dex are above 17, the
character can attain 10th level.
3: Con 15 also required.
 
 

Ability  Score	Shukenja	Wu Jen
15	8	9
16	8	10
17	9	11
18	10	12
19	113	13
20	113	14
21	124	15

4: Str 15 and Con 18 also required.

Table 9c: Spirit Folk
 

Ability Score	Bushi	Kensai
15	U	9
16	U	9
17	U	10
18	U	10
18.50	U	10
18.75	U	11
18.90	U	11
18.99	U	121
18.00	U	121
19	U	132
20	U	132
21	U	143

1: Wis 16 and Dex 16 also required.
2: Wis 17 and Dex 17 also required.
3: Wis or Dex of 18 also required.
 
 

Ability  Score	Monk	Samurai
15	17	12
16	17	13
14	17	14
18	17	154
18.50	-	154
18.75	-	154
18.90	-	165
18.99	-	165
18.00	-	165
19	17	176
20	17	176
21	17	176

4: Int 15, Wis 15 and Con 17
also required.
5: Int 17, Wis 17, and Con 17
also required.
6: Int, Wis, or Con of 19
required. If two of these abilities are both 19, the
character can attain 18th level.

Racial Ability Score Limits

Table 10: RACIAL ABILITY SCORE LIMITS**

Ability	Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Spirit Folk
Strength*	8/19	12/18.75	6/18.50
Dexterity	6/18	9/18	12/18
Constitution	12/19	12/18	6/14
Intelligence	3/15	12/18	12/18
Wisdom	3/17	12/18	9/18
Charisma	3/16	12/17	14/18

* Samurai, bushi, kensai, barbarian, and sohei characers can have exceptional scores in Strength.

** Minimum/Maximum scores

Non-human characters have limits on their ability scores, both minimums and maximums. In order to be
non-human, a character's ability scores must fall within the acceptable ranges shown on Table 10: Racial Ability
Score Limits. The first number in each pair is the minimum acceptable ability score; the second number is the
maximum. If an ability score rolled for a character does not meet the minimum required by a particular race,
that character cannot be of that race. If a character's ability score is higher than the racial maximum, the player
can voluntarily lower the score.
There are two exceptions to the racial limits: korobokuru and hengeyokai.
In the case of korobokuru, several modifications must be applied to the initial ability scores. Make the
following modifications to the character's ability scores before determining whether the character can be a
korobokuru.
    Strength: + 1
    Constitution: + 1
    Intelligence: -2
If the character's modified ability scores don't meet the minimums required for korobokuru, the character
cannot be a korobokuru and his abilities are changed back to their original scores.
In the case of hengeyokai, their ability scores are modified according to animal type. A hengeyokai
character must satisfy all maximums and minimums before any modifications are made. After choosing an
animal type, it is all right if modifications lower an ability score below the minimum. The modifications cannot,
however, raise an ability score above the maximum.
There is no difference between the limits for male and female characters.

Starting Hit Points

First level characters begin by rolling for their
starting hit points normally. If the die (dice)
roll is less than the amount shown below,
characters begin play with the minimum as
indicated on the table for their class. To
this add (or subtract) any modifiers for Con.

Table: Minimum HP by Class

Class of Character	Min. HP
Barbarian	7
Bushi	6
Kensai	6
Monk	5
Ninja*	4
Samurai	6
Shukenja	4
Sohei	6
Wu Jen	4
Yakuza	4

* See ninja options below. Otherwise roll as
indicated for the primary class.

Character Age/Height/Weight

Q: How are height, weight, and starting
age determined for Oriental
characters?

A: Use the tables on pages 13-14 and 102 of
the Dungeon Masters Guide. Korobokuru
use the dwarf tables. Humans and Hengeyokai
use the human tables. Spirit Folk use
the elf tables.
(121.20)

Starting age for 1st level characters can be
determined through the following table.
Players may choose their character's age
(within the ranges allowed) or may roll
randomly. The Dungeon Master's Guide,
pages 12-13, provides greater detail on
character age and aging effects.

Table: Character Starting Age

Class of Character	Human	Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Spirit Folk
Barbarian	14+1d4	22+1d4	-	-
Bushi	15+1d4	22+1d4	25+1d4	30+1d4
Kensai	20+1d4	-	27+2d4	35+3d4
Monk	21+1d4	-	-	35+1d4
Ninja*	+1d4	-	-	-
Samurai	18+1d4	35+3d4	-	35+2d4
Shukenja	18+1d4	-	25+2d4	-
Sohei	17+1d4	-	-	-
Wu Jen	24+2d8	25+3d4	30+1d4	-
Yakuza	18+1d4	22+1d4	-	-

* See ninja options below. Otherwise roll as
indicated for the primary class and add 1d4.

Table: Age Categories
 

Race -->	Human	Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Spirit Folk
Young Adult	14-20	22-46	25-51	30-60
Mature	21-40	47-73	52-78	61-95
Middle Aged	41-60	74-100	79-105	96-126
Old	61-90	101-126	106-131	127-160
Venerable	91-120	127-160	132-170	161-200

Table: Height and Weight
 

Race	Base Height	Addl. Inches
Human	60"	2d10
Korobokuru	42"	1d12
Hengeyokai	60"	2d6
Spirit Folk	55"	1d10

 

Race	Base Weight	Addl. Pounds
Human	140 lb.	6d10
Korobokuru	75 lb.	1d10
Hengeyokai	110 lb.	3d12
Spirit Folk	90 lb.	3d10

Table: Thief Adjustments by Race

Skill	Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Spirit Folk
Pick Pockets	-5%	+10%	+5%
Open Locks	-5%	-	-
Find/Remove Traps	-	-	-
Move Silently	+10%	-	+10%
Hide in Shadows	+5%	-	+10%
Hear Noise	+5%	-	-
Climb Walls	-5%	-	-
Running Broad Jump	-1'	-	-
Standing Broad Jump	-2'	-	-

Table: Thief Adjustments Due To Armor

Skill	Leather Scale	Chain  Mail
Pick Pockets	-35%	-70%
Open Locks	-15%	-55%
Find/Remove Traps	-15%	-55%
Move Silently	-25%	-60%
Hide in Shadows	-25%	-60%
Hear Noise	-15%	-55%
Climb Walls	-35%	-70%

As an option, all the modifiers discussed can
apply not only to monk, ninja and yakuza
characters, but to a barbarian's climb cliffs and trees (climb walls),
hide in natural surroundings (hide in shadows), and
leaping and springing (broad jumping); as well as the
bushi's ability to cut purse strings (pick pockets).

RACE TEMPLATE
1. POSSIBLE CLASSES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
2. ABILITY SCORE RANGE (AT CHARACTER CREATION)
    STRENGTH =
    INTELLIGENCE =
    WISDOM =
    DEXTERITY =
    CONSTITUTION =
    CHARISMA =
    COMELINESS =
    PERCEPTION =

Note: add #s to the url to directly link to the Class Template.
e.g., bushi.htm#s will link directly to the Class Template for the bushi class.

CLASS TEMPLATE

1. SUBCLASS =
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM =
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH =
    INTELLIGENCE =
    WISDOM =
    DEXTERITY =
    CONSTITUTION =
    CHARISMA =
    COMELINESS =
    PERCEPTION =
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES =
6. HIT DIE TYPE =
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE =
8. SPELL ABILITY =
9. ARMOR PERMITTED =
10. SHIELD PERMITTED =
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED =
12. OIL PERMITTED =
13. POISON PERMITTED =
14. ALIGNMENT =
15. STARTING MONEY =
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY =
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
19. STARTING AGE =
20. COMBAT =
21. SAVING THROWS =
22. MAGIC ITEMS =
23. FAMILY =
24. HONOR =
25. SKILLS: x@L1,