L5R First Edition Shugenja questions

[foolishzero]

Hi guys and gals. I'm new to the forum here and after unsuccessfully searching for the answers to my questions, I thought I would just ask and hope for a response.

I'm about to join some friends in a first edition L5R campaign and I've never actually played the game before. Now I skimmed through the books I was given and have a decent understanding of the game, however, I'm completely lost on what is and is not important in character creation. The group I will be playing with is made up of five people including myself and all have made non-shugenja type characters. So our GM asked me to please make one. What I basically want to know is what are the important skills I should be taking? Being a first time L5R player and first time Shugenja, should I focus on a certain clan, school, build, or element to make the learning process easier and more fun?

I've come to the conclusion that Shugenja are not only about magic and I would like to create a character that is good in physical combat and uses the elements to complement that and her allies.

[Saladman]

I'd start by looking at the spell section and making some tentative choices there. That will show you what element you want the most spells from, and help you pick a clan shugenja school. Phoenix are, story-wise, the strongest shugenja, and they're strong contenders mechanically, but they get a free raise to all rituals, where the other schools get a free raise to all spells of one particular element, which means the other clans are worth looking over as well if you like a couple of particular spells. Also, most schools let you pick 3 spells from one specified element, 2 from a second, and 1 from a third. Isawa are the only school who get to pick what the elements are freely, another point in Phoenix's favor but it still pays to look and see if another clan gives what you were going to pick anyway.

Water has The Path to Inner Peace, the only wound-healing spell in the game. For the only shugenja, I highly recommend that spell at least. Both earth and water have a separate spell that heals poison or disease, less urgent but still recommended. But do look at Reversal of Fortunes as well.

Fire is arguably the strongest element, but that's for it's direct damage spells, which doesn't automatically synergize with trying to hang in physical combat. Biting Steel, however, is worth picking up for what you're after.

Air governs illusions, flight, detections, social boosts and later even mind control. I hate to call it the weakest element given the cool spells it's got, but it can be the trickiest to pull off well.

Earth is the ring for anti-Shadowlands spells, but that can be a gamble if you don't know where the campaign is going. I would just straight up ask your GM if he'll tell you out of character how often you may be facing that. Otherwise, it's got a couple of good ritual buffing spells: Immortal Steel takes an hour but is permanent, and Sharing the Strength of Many takes 10 rounds.

In short... I don't know, you'll have to make your own decision. :) Fire is normally the easy choice, but the idea you're asking about can go several ways. Try to avoid doubling up on too many different buffing spells with similar casting times; combat can be quick and deadly at times, and you can't always get as many off as you might in, say, D&D. Do consider taking one damaging spell, to give you the option of hanging back out of melee. Also, especially for the only shugenja, it's nice to be able to whip out a utility spell like Reflective Pool or Ties that Bind, even if it's not used as often as combat spells. I'm not sure how many utilities you can cover after buffs, a heal (or two for disease/poison as well) and a damage though.

Do read Sense, Commune, and Summon (which you get automatically) carefully. Used intelligently, they can help stand in for utility spells and free up your other picks.

You'll likely want one elemental weapon spell, especially if you have a free raise in that element from your school. Get the appropriate weapon skill as high as you can if you do. On a related note, get at least one "hold-out" spell as an innate ability so you're not dependent on the scroll. This may well be your elemental weapon, but Fire from Within is one of several other strong options.

Hopefully someone else may chime in; I'm not sure how strong my min-maxing actually is here. It's been ten years since I've played 1st edition; my last L5R game was 4E. I'm a little surprised (and pleased) I was able to find my old book to refresh my memory.

Though I should say, stepping back from the premise of the question, it's not all about mechanics. If other characters are already genned it's worth thinking about starting from the same clan and even family as another, especially if the other player is the type to play that up. Though I favor teamwork in L5R, the setting sometimes encourages a... choice among competing duties, and it can be useful to have someone to watch your back. Not all groups go there, of course, and it's tricky to pull off well when they do.

More generally, don't build for combat so much you neglect social skills. Etiquette at rank 1 is minimum for a non-loutish character, and higher is better. It's good to have at least one lore skill and some kind of cultured interest as well.