# Wu-Jen The people of Soburin were once in touch with the natural world but their highest magical arts were subverted during the Kengen Occupation and militarized for use in the War of Kaiyo. In the absence of proper stewards, dark powers subverted nature and now those who seek an arcane path to better understand the cycle of life must sacrifice themselves to the entities that have seized the machinations behind elemental balance. Though the gifts you receive can force you to change how they go about your life, the blessings granted to you are potent. When selecting this warlock pact, a wu-jen either chooses to worship one patron in particular (maintaining a connection regardless of the season) or to worship the patron of the current season as it changes (in which case the warlock’s patrons and abilities change over time). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. ##### Wu-Jen Taboos You gain proficiency in the Nature skill. Your devotion must be total and complete for your patron(s) to grant you supernatural blessings—you must live your life without breaking these taboos. Many of these forbidden activities may seem insignificant to others but should you violate any of them, you lose the ability to cast spells (and cantrips) and lose any resistances or immunities granted by your pact until after the next dawn or dusk (whichever is further away). You must choose two taboos at 1st level, and one additional taboo every time your proficiency bonus increases. • You cannot eat meat or take a living mount or pet (note that find familiar conjures a spirit that manifests as an animal and is immune to this taboo). • You cannot own more than you can carry, or any exceptionally precious metals like platinum or large gems (excluding those used as spell components). • You must make a daily offering such as food, flowers, or incense worth 1 gp or more to one or more spirits. • You cannot bathe or cut your hair. • You cannot touch a dead body and cannot take items from the dead unless they were willingly bequeathed to you or from the very recently deceased. • You cannot drink alcohol or smoke any substance for pleasure. • You cannot sit or sleep facing a certain direction. Mystic Arcanum Spells. You do not select your own mystic arcanum spells. Summer. 6th—delayed blast fireball; 7th—fire storm; 8th—incendiary cloud; 9th—meteor swarm. Autumn. 6th—circle of death; 7th—finger of death; 8th—mind blank; 9th—storm of vengeance. Winter. 6th—freezing sphere; 7th—wall of ice; 8th—antipathy; 9th—time stop. Spring. 6th—instant summons; 7th—prismatic spray; 8th—earthquake; 9th—prismatic wall. 182 Summer Patron, Natsu Ītā Natsu Ītā is The sunshine and sky consumed. Summer is no more. —Kasen Rekishiya Expanded Spell List Natsu Ītā lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Table: Summer Wu-Jen Expanded Spells Spell Level Spells 1st burning hands, faerie fire 2nd flame blade, scorching ray 3rd fireball, protection from energy 4th fire shield (warm only), wall of fire 5th flame strike, sunbeam Heat of the Sun Starting at 1st level, whenever you use the eldritch blast cantrip you deal 1d12 fire damage instead of 1d10 force damage and the range of the cantrip is reduced to 90 feet. Summer Acclimation Starting at 6th level, you gain resistance to fire. If you already have resistance to fire damage, you ignore an additional 5 points of fire damage after applying resistance. Summer Resilience Starting at 10th level, you gain immunity to cold. Summer Jaunt Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can instantly transport the target through the warped home of Natsu Ītā. The creature disappears and hurtles through the corrupted landscape, scorched by the sun and troubled by what they’ve seen. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not an elemental, it takes 32 (5d12) fire damage and 22 (5d8) necrotic damage as its body yields to your patron’s ruinous powers. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is in tune with your patron and takes the form of a Magma Mephit with an alignment that matches yours. The magma mephit loses its death burst, innate spellcasting, and fire breath abilities. Pact of the Blade. Your weapon could be a scimitar with engravings of flames that dance along the handle and sizzle the air with each swipe. Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows might be a crimson red tome with gold engravings of fire that is always warm to the touch no matter how cold the environment around it is. Autumn Patron, Akinochisō All the blossoms fall, Akinochisō remains. Autumn is no more. —Kasen Rekishiya Expanded Spell List Akinochisō lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Table: Autumn Wu-Jen Expanded Spells Spell Level Spells 1st inflict wounds, thunderwave 2nd gust of wind, protection from poison 3rd bestow curse, protection from energy 4th confusion, phantasmal killer 5th harm, modify memory Winds of the Fall Starting at 1st level, whenever you use the eldritch blast cantrip you deal 1d12 thunder damage instead of 1d10 force damage and the range of the cantrip is reduced to 90 feet. Autumn Acclimation Starting at 6th level, you gain resistance to thunder. If you already have resistance to thunder damage, you ignore an additional 5 points of thunder damage after applying resistance Autumn Resilience Starting at 10th level, you gain immunity to lightning. Autumn Jaunt Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can instantly transport the target through the decaying and fetid abode of Akinochisō. The creature disappears and hurtles across the diseased lands there, withered and beaten by the whipping winds that scour the landscape. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not an elemental, it takes 32 (5d12) thunder damage and 22 (5d8) necrotic damage as its body yields to your patron’s ruinous powers. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is in tune with your patron and takes the form of a Dust 183 Mephⁱt with an alignment that matches yours. The dust mephit loses its death burst, innate spellcasting abilities, and blinding breath abilities. Pact of the Blade. Your weapon could be a whip with a hilt of dead branches, leaving a few fluttering leaves in the air when it strikes. Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows could be an autumn brown tome enwrapped by an intricate copper bricolage, its pages rustling with the secrets of the beyond whenever you read it. Winter Patron, Fuyu-Noyaban Even the cold is frozen inside Fuyu-Noyaban. Winter is no more. —Kasen Rekishiya Expanded Spell List Fuyu-Noyaban lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Table: Winter Wu-Jen Expanded Spells Spell Level Spells 1st false life, fog cloud 2nd blindness/deafness, silence 3rd protection from energy, slow 4th fire shield (cold only), ice storm 5th cone of cold, forbiddance Arctic Chill Starting at 1st level, whenever you use the eldritch blast cantrip you deal 1d12 cold damage instead of 1d10 force damage and the range of the cantrip is reduced to 90 feet. Winter Acclimation Starting at 6th level, you gain resistance to cold damage. If you already have resistance to cold damage, you ignore an additional 5 points of cold damage after applying resistance Winter Resilience Starting at 10th level, you gain immunity to fire. Winter Spell Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can instantly transport the target through the twisted realm where Fuyu- Noyaban dwells. The creature disappears and hurtles through the freezing, torturous landscape, warped by the rapid and disturbing journey. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not an elemental, it takes 32 (5d12) cold damage and 22 (5d8) necrotic damage as its body yields to your patron’s ruinous powers. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is in tune with your patron and takes the form of an Ice Mephit with an alignment that matches yours. The ice mephit loses its death burst, innate spellcasting abilities, and ice breath abilities. Pact of the Blade. Your weapon could be a warhammer with fittings and symbols resembling a fierce snow storm, leaving a tinge of frost whenever it touches the ground. Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows might be a royal blue with silver engravings that swirl like snow, granting you deep insights into the cold truths of reality. 184 Spring Patron, Haru-Oshōhi Chaos and entropy reign with Haru-Oshōhi. Spring has left the world. —Kasen Rekishiya Expanded Spell List Haru-Oshōhi lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Table: Spring Wu-Jen Expanded Spells Spell Level Spells 1st guiding bolt, longstrider 2nd phantasmal force, see invisibility 3rd lightning bolt, protection from energy 4th greater invisibility, polymorph 5th chain lightning, forbiddance Spark of Change Starting at 1st level, whenever you use the eldritch blast cantrip you deal 1d12 lightning damage instead of 1d10 force damage and the range of the cantrip is reduced to 90 feet. Spring Acclimation Starting at 6th level, you gain resistance to lightning. If you already have resistance to lightning damage, you ignore an additional 5 points of lightning damage after applying resistance Spring Resilience Starting at 10th level, you gain immunity to thunder. Spring Retreat Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can instantly transport the target through the maligned and chaotic realm of the powerful Haru-Oshōhi. The creature disappears and hurtles across the entropic plane, seared and jolted by the unending storms that stretch for as far as the eyes can see. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not an elemental, it takes 32 (5d12) lightning damage and 22 (5d8) necrotic damage as its body yields to your patron’s ruinous powers. You can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is in tune with your patron and takes the form of a Steam Mephit with an alignment that matches yours. The steam mephit loses its death burst, innate spellcasting, and steam breath abilities. Pact of the Blade. Your weapon could be a two-headed flail with carvings resembling a fierce lightning storm, crackling with electricity whenever its chains rustle against one another. Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows could be a tattered and worn diary of the wujen of Springs past, the words and meaning changing ever so slightly every time you open it to gradually grant you a more comprehensive understanding of the secrets of nature. Playing a Wu-Jen A wu-jen in Soburin is far different from a run-ofthe- mill nature-based arcane spellcaster (or for that matter, any nature-based magic user). Of all the character options presented in both this chapter and the next, none sum up what Mists of Akuma is really about nearly as well: corruption and despair in a decaying, dying world. Whatever they might have been in the distant past is long behind them and the wu-jen of the present day are not individuals to be taken lightly. They have seen what horrors await the races of Soburin and know (undeniably, in the very core of their being) just how wounded the world is after the horrifying events of the War of Kaiyo. There is no doubt in their minds that the heretical weapons of the foreign armies have rendered an injury that might never heal, and whether hopeless or spiteful the notion that there is no salvation is never far from their thoughts. This does not necessarily mean that a wu-jen must be despondent or melancholy, but they are certainly more disposed to pragmatism and therefore compromise (so long as the ultimate ends serve their goals). It is not uncommon for a wu-jen to display auditory and visual effects reflecting the terrible and despicable pacts they have forged with the entities that have subsumed nature. Sometimes these can be mistaken as manifestations of Haitoku (and very well may overlap if the wu-jen has truly lost themselves to dark, great powers), but sometimes they are more subtle; an umibo wu-jen might find their watery bodies becoming dirtier with each day, and hengeyokai wu-jen might appear to be more feral in their animal forms. How exactly a wu-jen's horrendous sacrifice might make itself known is at the discretion of the GM and the player, but it should be a major part of that character's roleplay—the pact forged with Natsu Ītā, Akinochisō, Fuyu-Noyaban and/or Haru-Oshōhi is not one to be taken lightly.