Legend of The Five Rings 4e

[Frosty]

Where are the ronin schools? I don't see then in the base book.

[NontheistCleric]

Where are the ronin schools? I don't see then in the base book.

There are some Rank 1 ronin paths on page 234. Higher rank ronin paths exist in the Emerald Empire book.

[Frosty]

There are some Rank 1 ronin paths on page 234. Higher rank ronin paths exist in the Emerald Empire book.

Hmm...no Ronin coutier stuff on that page though.

Which page in the Emerald Empire? I have that book as well and I saw a lot of new mechanics but not Ronin ones (I might have just missed them).

[NontheistCleric]

Oh, sorry, I totally mistyped. It's actually Enemies of the Empire.

Unfortunately ronin courtier schools are a bit scarce, probably because ronin aren't at courst so much. Honestly, though, techniques are less important to courtiers than bushi.

[Frosty]

How do you feel about the Shosuro Actor school? Think it might be more useful than Bayushi Courtier for this campaign?

[NontheistCleric]

Bearon did say there would be opportunities for every kind of character, but that aside, Shosuro Actor would probably be more suited for an undercover character than Bayushi Courtier.

[Frosty]

Do we know if we are using "ancestors" advantages? They seem fun.

[Feathersnow]

I just wanted to check in that I still plan on making a bat bastard Ronin, I've just been distracted.

[Bearon]

huh Interesting. So maho just doesn't work anymore per the agreement? Gotta be honest, I don't remember all the details of the deal Daigotsu made.

Or just the taint part of maho (for example, Summon Oni has the person gain taint every day due to the Oni Mark, which is how I was envisoning her taint to have been gained; would that spell no longer cause taint if the person named didn't want to be tainted?)?

I can figure out 4 points of other disadvantages and shift things around; it would be pretty easy to change it from "evil maho mess-up" to "kolat mess-up". Considering how touchy the Unicorn are about the Kolat, messing up royally when it comes to the Kolat would also be something meriting being booted out on your butt.

It's more that the nature of the taint itself has changed. If it helps, think of it more like you have to hit the spiritual Accept button to the taint's terms and conditions. Once you do, though, it can grow/accrue as it did previously. There's a lot of implications here, many of which benefit the Empire (like Crab needing to rely on jade less when venturing into the Shadowlands), but specific to maho, certain spells that transfer or infect others with taint don't really work anymore on untainted targets. If someone was already tainted, though, they'd be able to be affected by that sort of thing.

All that said, Zaya can still be tainted, though it will have probably happened differently and definitely have a different context, being willingly accepted.

Kolat things would be fine, too!

By the rules as written, ronin must seek out ronin paths in-game to gain techniques at new insight levels. However, they don't need to purchase the Multiple Schools advantage to do so, even though ronin techniques are generally learned from many different places.

Of course, Bearon may choose to run it differently.

Yup, that's about the right of it. Rank ups without techniques to go with them are a bit boring, though, so there will be plenty of different folks around the province that y'all could learn from.

Do we know if we are using "ancestors" advantages? They seem fun.

I had not planned on allowing ancestor advantages.

I just wanted to check in that I still plan on making a bat bastard Ronin, I've just been distracted.

Thanks for the heads up!

[Frosty]

Bayushi Tsuraya (now just Tsuraya): Disgraced courtier who is driven to regain her family honor.

Spoiler: 20 questions

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1. What clan does your character belong to?
Scorpion (formerly)

2. What family does your character belong to?
The Bayushi family (formerly), but her and her all of her immediate family members have essentially been cast out and their name erased from the clan records. This is due to a massive failure (not Tsuraya's) that her parents took responsibility for. The failure was so large that even with her parents committing seppuku, the DISHONOR was not erased. Tsuraya and her siblings were allowed to live on, but stripped of their family name and cast out, but the story is more complicated than that…

3. Is your character a bushi, a shugenja, or a courtier?
Tsuraya is a courtier by training, having trained in a Bayushi dojo for courtiers.

4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
Tsuraya is on the smaller side, with long, silky black hair. Many others have described Tsuraya as having a cute, innocent face. This is in contrast with her very feminine and voluptuous body, equally hidden and highlighted by her carefully selected kimonos. This combination has been very deadly in the courts, where Tsuraya had flourished before the unfortunate event leading to her family being cast out.

5. What is your character's primary motivation?
Tsuraya is DRIVEN to restore her family’s name. At the moment she and her family were cast out, she was taken aside by one of her superiors. She was told how much the contested (formerly Phoenix) means to her clan, and it’s implied that she can find a way to tip the scales so that the Scorpion clan can gain control it, then her family’s honor and name would be restored. After reading the subtext of the conversation, Tsuraya also wonders if the entire dishonoring of her family is an elaborate ruse and misdirection play by her clan, and that perhaps her parents are actually alive and sent elsewhere undercover. Regardless, the courtier is utterly determined to effect a Scorpion takeover of the contested province so she and her family can eventually go back to life as normal.

6. Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
Tsuraya trusts few people completely. Her sister Suki is one of those people. They led different sorts of lives, given that Suki trained as a bushi, but the two have always aided each other when needed. Suki has beaten away physical threats to Tsuraya (such as from bandits), and Tsuraya has sweet-talked people in court to overlook faux-pas from Suki.

7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
Tsuraya can be a bit overconfident in her social abilities, not having tasted major defeat yet in her time in the courts. Her physical abilities are also lacking. Her greatest strength include her alluring beauty, and her gift for deception while appearing honest.


8. What does your character think of Bushido?
It is convenient group of lies that holds back the undisciplined behavior of most humans. Duty is the only thing that truly matters. One’s life, reputation, wealth, and even personal relationships can be sacrificed for the sake of mission accomplishment to serve the good of the Emerald Empire. One tenet of bushido in particular baffles Tsuraya even more than the others. The concept of Meyo (honor) has never made sense to her. It never made sense for oneself to be the only judge of whether one is acting correctly or not. It allows for too much room to disobey orders.

9. What is your character's opinion of her clan?
Tsuraya completely agrees with her clan’s tenets. She isn’t even bitter about her family being cast out (possibly for something that wasn’t their fault), although she is driven to reverse that situation.

10. Is your character married?
She was not married. She was never even betrothed. Perhaps the clan found her a better weapon if she were single.

11. Does your character have any prejudices?
None that she’d admit to herself, although she has no respect for anyone that shirks their duty.

12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
Her siblings. They were cast out along with her. Should they need help, she would go assist them unless it would mean impeding her in her mission to help the Scorpion gain control of the contested province. She also recognizes and appreciates the need for strong bonds of friendship, especially since she doesn’t have any official support from her (former) clan now. Therefore, she would do right by anyone she works and travels with, assuming they would do right by her.

13. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things?
One of Tsuraya’s favorite pastimes is going to the theater to enjoy a play. She enjoys the more dramatic kinds of plays, but she can appreciate the other kinds as well. Tsuraya also enjoys practicing her flirting and seduction, as she enjoys the sense of power she gets from having others wrapped around her finger.

Tsuraya dislikes people that are boring. When she speaks with someone, she hopes that even if they won’t be friendly towards her, there will be some interesting secrets for her to learn (and possibly to use against them in the future). She also dislikes physical labor. It makes her sweat too much and she likes to remain smelling clean and fresh.

14. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
Tsuraya tends to caress her sternum when she is idle or lost in thought.

15. What about your character's emotions?
While she no longer wears a Scorpion’s mask, she is good at hiding her emotions. Most of the time, she is in control of herself, although sometimes she will let a bit of frustration show when she fails to make progress towards her goal or task at hand, or when she is confronted by someone for whom bushido and honor actually works well (she just can’t understand it).

16. How would your character handle a subordinate's improper behavior?
Reprimand the first time. After that, she makes the lessons more painful by engineering embarrassing situations designed to showcase what the subordinate did wrong.

17. How would your character's parents describe her?
Her parents would describe her as a dedicated and talented samurai-ko, and someone who is a credit to her family and clan. They may be slightly concerned at how much and how well she has taken to using her beauty as a weapon, but they would still describe her as “successful” because her methods have worked.

18. What is your character's highest ambition?
To restore her name and her family’s name and honor. After that, to be the best courtier she can be, perhaps one day even outperforming the deeds of the legendary Bayushi Kachiko.

19. How religious is your character?
She pays respect to the various Kamis and fortunes as much as the average samurai, but she is not overly concerned with the spiritual world. She knows the Crab will handle the defense against the oni, and the monks and shugenja can answer any spiritual questions she may have.

20. How will your character die?
Either from overconfidence as she overreaches (perhaps a seduction where she hadn’t read the target correctly beforehand) in trying to accomplish her goals, or from an order from the Scorpion clan to get herself killed as part of a maneuver to advance her clan’s goals.

Spoiler: picture of Tsuraya

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My character sheet is here: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2836691
Equipment not done yet. The school may change as well depending on what schools we may learn from at character creation. This version is if both of her school ranks are from Bayushi Courtier.

[NontheistCleric]

Yup, that's about the right of it. Rank ups without techniques to go with them are a bit boring, though, so there will be plenty of different folks around the province that y'all could learn from.

If it's not too much of a spoiler–what kinds of techniques will be available? Something like all the ronin paths, or just some that would make particular sense for the region, or even actual schools we might somehow get the chance to train at?

[Frosty]

is there a limit on pt value of advantages we can have?

[Bearon]

If it's not too much of a spoiler–what kinds of techniques will be available? Something like all the ronin paths, or just some that would make particular sense for the region, or even actual schools we might somehow get the chance to train at?

Pretty much anything, though certain paths or schools will be much easier to access or justify than others. For example, one of the largest ronin presences in the province all come from Nanashi Mura, since it's a relatively short journey away. Thus, it'd be pretty easy to find someone to learn the Eyes of Nanashi path from. Some paths/schools might be difficult to find, others might require favors or influence, and there may even be more supernatural methods of advancement.

is there a limit on pt value of advantages we can have?

Advantages are limited to 15 pts at character creation and Disadvantages are likewise limited to 10 pts.

[Frosty]

Thanks. When are you looking for all the sheets to be done? I think I gave most of my stuff done but I still need to look at how to do the derives calculations and also buy my gear.

[Bearon]

Thanks. When are you looking for all the sheets to be done? I think I gave most of my stuff done but I still need to look at how to do the derives calculations and also buy my gear.

I belive in still waiting on a few shugenja to submit their sheets, but did not have a specific time in mind.

Which calculations specifically?

[Frosty]

I belive in still waiting on a few shugenja to submit their sheets, but did not have a specific time in mind.

Which calculations specifically?

I'm having trouble finding the places on how things are calculated. Like, there needs to be a one-stop reference sheet so I can see how to calculate wound levels, the formula for my TN, how to calculate Insight, where I start on the glory scale, etc.

[NontheistCleric]

I'm having trouble finding the places on how things are calculated. Like, there needs to be a one-stop reference sheet so I can see how to calculate wound levels, the formula for my TN, how to calculate Insight, where I start on the glory scale, etc.

I don't think we need to worry about Glory. It doesn't have much mechanical effect and is determined by the GM anyway.

Armor TN is 5+(Reflexes x 3)+Armor

Wound level calculations are on pages 82-84

Insight calculations are on page 104

[Bearon]

I don't think we need to worry about Glory. It doesn't have much mechanical effect and is determined by the GM anyway.

Just to make it easy, I'll just start off everyone at Glory rank 1.

Armor TN is 5+(Reflexes x 3)+Armor

Close, but should actually be 5 + (Ref x 5) + Armor.

[NontheistCleric]

Oh dear, you're right. Not sure what I was thinking there

[truemane]

Just to make it easy, I'll just start off everyone at Glory rank 1.

Would the Fame Advantage be worth taking? Mechanically, there isn't a ton of play between Glory 1 and 2, and I'm not sure if the campaign will involve Glory that much.

3 Points is pretty steep, but I'm interested in the narrative impact (in addition to Hero of the People).

[Janwin]

Hoo boy, this backstory was a beast to write. But I shifted Zaya from failing the Unicorn due to maho to failing the Unicorn due to Kolat.

Let me know if this one works better for you?

Spoiler: Backstory

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Moto Zaya was raised like many Moto; on the plains of the Unicorn provinces traveling from camp to camp with her family's horses. At a young age, it was noticed that she seemed to take to the teachings of bushido with more interest and more fervor than many of her fellow Moto, and she was accepted into the Utaku Battle Maiden school for further education and training. After her gempukku, she became yoriki to Shinjo Takeda, a Unicorn Clan magistrate, and she served under him for a few years. She seemed to be a rising star, taking on more and more responsibility and it looked like she would soon become a magistrate in her own right, when Shinjo Takeda learned of a potential Kolat plot brewing in the Unicorn village of Obuyaki. Moto Zaya was dispatched to investigate those responsible, and her investigation hardly went to plan, either through incompetence or blindness.

The investigation began much like many do; she traveled to the town wearing the badge of a yoriki of the Unicorn Clan magistrates, and that drew the usual murmurs and attention. The discomfort on the faces of the peasants and even some of the samurai upon seeing her spoke volumes, and Zaya was sure that something untoward was indeed happening in the village. She began asking questions among the population to see what stories might align and where stories might not, in order to determine the most likely places to investigate deeper.

Three days into her investigation, she was jumped by number of Kolat bandits who sought to end her investigation before she discovered too much. While she managed to fight off the bandits, she was wounded in the battle, and she sought out the local priest. Iuchi Sai bound her wounds with the kami, though even with magical intervention, it would still take time to heal fully; and so, she had to shift her investigation into a more passive method for the following week. It was then that a pleasant surprise happened; her parents happened to be passing through the village, and they came to visit her! She hadn't seen them in years due to her training and duties, and it was an absolute joy to see them again. She spent much of the week with her parents, catching up on everything that had gone on in the past years, and since she was in recovery from her wounds it didn't seem to her that she could do much else anyway.

Unfortunately for her, however, the Kolat did not see things the same way. They took advantage of her distraction and convalescent status, and advanced the plans that they had in the village at a rapid pace. Weapons were distributed, peasants were armed and the village was seized in the dead of night. Any samurai who were not in on the plot were killed in their beds or at their watch post by their former compatriots; all except for Moto Zaya, who slept very heavily that night. The reason would become clear in the morning.

She groggily awoke the morning after the village's takeover, her head pounding like she had never experienced before. She hadn't drank that much...why did she feel like she had? As her mind slowly processed her surroundings, she realized that her parents were there, waiting for her, and that they were armed. Her own daisho had been moved across the room; as far from her as it could be.

"Good morning, Zaya, you sleepyhead." her mother quipped, as though the day was like any other and she was simply speaking to her young daughter and chiding her for sleeping in.

"Mother... Father... What is going on? Why are you dressed for war?"

"Because war is upon us, Zaya. And soon, it shall be upon the rest of the Unicorn, and eventually the Empire itself.", replied her father.

"...what? -Why-?"

"Because man should rule themselves, without the interference of the Kami.", her mother replied as though it were a simple, normal fact of reality, and not one of the greatest heresies and treasons one could utter within the Emerald Empire.

It was then that Zaya realized that her parents were, in actuality, the leaders of the Kolat plot that she was sent to investigate. How blinded she was by her love for them. How she had allowed them to take advantage of her. How obvious the signs were that she had failed to heed; her parents' servants repeated interruptions while they spent time together, their conveniently timed "arrival", the fact that no bandits had tried to finish her while she was recovering... It all made sense.

And she recoiled from them, still in her bed.

Her mother chided her as she did so. "Oh, sweetheart, don't be so dramatic. We simply follow the path that our ancestors did; well, at least before Shinjo's purges, that is. -This- is truly your destiny."

"No! I serve the magistrates! I serve the Clan, and the Empress!"

Her father frowned. "Well, that was an unfortunate answer. Perhaps you learned too much in your schooling, and we allowed them to indoctrinate you too deeply." He sighed. "Perhaps with time you will learn the truth and change your mind."

With that, her parents left her. Four guards came in and retrieved her weapons and armor, and it became rapidly clear that she was to be a prisoner in the room of the Inn that she had found on her arrival. They did not have the heart to simply kill her as they would any other enemy, but they also could not let her free, and so this limbo became her norm for the following weeks.

Time passed, and the clattering of steel outside spoke to the continued training of the Kolat rebels. Their number grew, but from what Zaya saw and heard, she still couldn't fathom how they hoped to overwhelm the Unicorn Clan, let alone the Empire. Perhaps their only hope was that there were yet more Kolat or Kolat sympathizers who would turn sides when given the chance? Yet impractical or not, they continued to make themselves ready for war.

Fortunately for Zaya, however, while the rebels had stolen her magistrate's seal in order to write fake reports back to Shinjo Takeda, they were unable to perfectly forge her writing, and a trained magistrate is hard to fool. And so, in the third week of her captivity, a shout of alarm went through the village as one of the rebel scouts rode hard back into town. "They are coming! They are coming! Arm yourselves!"

Gradually, the familiar sound of countless hooves charging across the open plains got louder and louder, heralding the arrival of Unicorn Clan bushi coming for war. The battle did not last long; the rebels were both outnumbered in trained samurai and were on the defensive against a Unicorn mounted charge. Those that weren't cut down as the cavalry poured through the streets of the village, were hunted down like dogs as Moto, Shinjo and Iuchi went house to house killing every living soul in the village.

Eventually the clash of steel was heard outside her door, and the thumps of bodies hitting the ground. With a crash, the door was kicked in, and the Moto warrior paused as he saw the unarmed Yoriki in a simple kimono kneeling in the center of the room.

After him, Shinjo Takeda strode into the room. "Moto Zaya, you live. Good, but how?"

Her reply was quiet, the shame thick on her voice. "My parents, Shinjo-sama."

"What was that? Speak up?"

Her voice, louder, she informed him that her parents had kept her alive and prisoner, that they were the leaders of this rebellion and Kolat themselves, and that she had been too blind to see it even presented with ample opportunity to have discovered it and stopped it.

She could have come up with a lie; any of a dozen reasons a rebellion might want to keep a lowly Yoriki alive, but that was not her nature. Her nature was the truth, even if it would bring her shame.

"Shinjo-sama. My daisho was taken; if your men have found it, may I have my wakizashi?" The meaning behind her words was clear; and she sought permission from her superior to cleanse her dishonor.

"We shall discuss that with the office of the magistrates, Moto-san. Get up."

And as ordered, she rose to her feet.

Because she had failed to uncover the truth of the Kolat rebels, because of the grave breach of duty to have allowed her love for her family to blind her to the truth and because of the loss of life on the part of loyal Unicorn bushi in having to attack and purge the town, Moto Zaya was deemed to have failed the Magistrates, her Family and her Clan, and was cast from all three. She had not done enough to merit the rare act of seppuku to cleanse her dishonor, but she had harmed her Clan through her blindness.

And so, she was doomed to continue her life as a dishonored Ronin. And even more, she was doomed to be cursed by the Kami themselves for her failure to properly guard them from the Kolat.

Spoiler: 20 Questions

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20 Questions:

1. What Clan does your character belong to?
Originally, Moto Zaya was a member of the Unicorn clan.

2. What Family does your character belong to?
Born a member of the Moto clan, Zaya had anything but a normal upbringing as far as the other members of the Emerald Empire would be concerned.

3. Is your character a bushi, a shugenja or a courtier?
Bushi, trained in the techniques of the Utaku Battle Maidens. She had also begun to be trained as a clan magistrate prior to her fall from grace, and can conduct herself in courtly settings as a result.

4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
Zaya is an unusually (well, unusually for Rokugan, but not for the Moto) tall woman of bronzed skin tone. Much of her armor adorns the usual furs favored by the Unicorn but disliked by the rest of the samurai of the Emerald Empire. Even with her semi-gaijin appearance, the way she carries herself makes it clear that she is as honorable a samurai as one might even find in the lands of the Crane.

5. What is your character's primary motivation?
Redemption in the eyes of her clan and family, and hopefully an eventual return to her rightful place in the Celestial Order.

6. Who is the person your character trusts the most in the world?
Shinjo Takeda, her direct superior and clan magistrate under whom she served as a yoriki to the Unicorn Clan Magistrates. Though it might seem unusual for a ronin to feel that the person most able to have directly influenced their fall from grace is their most trusted ally, Zaya believes without a doubt that it would have been both inappropriate and dishonorable for Shinjo Takeda to have intervened on her behalf.

7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
Zaya's greatest strength is her greatest weakness: her sense of honor and her devotion to the truth. While most might believe it prudent to bend the truth here and there, particularly to save one's own hide, Zaya has never felt the same and it was by her own word that it came to light the events which led to her being cast from the Unicorn clan.

8. What does your character think of Bushido?
One should always aspire to adhere to the tenets of Bushido as closely as they are able, for they are the guiding principles that govern the samurai and permit their continued station in the Celestial Order over that of the peasants.

9. What is your character's opinion of her clan?
Zaya remains loyal to and devoted to her clan, even if her clan does not currently reciprocate the feeling and loyalty.

10. Is your character married?
Yes. She is married to Moto Nergui, a member of the Moto Vindicators school. Unlike Zaya, her husband was not disgraced and removed from her station and the clan, and as a Moto Vindicator he has been unable to forgive her for her, even accidental, betrayal of the Clan.

11. Does your character have any prejudices?
Like many Unicorn, Zaya is not fond of those of the Lion clan. Her entire childhood taught her of the countless skirmishes and battles the Unicorn and Lion have fought since the return of the Unicorn to the Emerald Empire, and they are viewed as upstarts and braggarts.

12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
Without a direct liege anymore, her greatest loyalty must in turn be to the Emperor. Though realistically, it is toward anyone who will grant her a chance at this point as a ronin.

13. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things?
Favorite things would include horses, practice with the sword, the smell of a dojo, a good story and meditation.
Least favorite things would include criminals, maho-tsukai, the Kolat and dishonorable acts.

14. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
Zaya has a strange habit where she enjoys running her fingers through the pieces of fur attached to her armor. There's something about the feeling of the hairs between her fingers that comforts her.

15. What about your character's emotions?
When someone, particularly a samurai, mistreats another person, Zaya is quick to anger.

16. How would your character handle a subordinate's improper behavior?
When dealing with a subordinate's improper behavior, Zaya is the type to seek to -- quietly, in order to not cause further loss of face for the subordinate -- correct the behavior and prevent it from occuring again.

17. How would your character's parents describe her?
Zaya's parents would certainly describe their pride at her younger years as she seemed to be a star pupil; after all, she was a Moto and accepted into the prestigious Utaku Battle Maiden school. They would have been even more proud when she was accepted as a yoriki to the Unicorn Clan Magistrates.

18. What is your character's highest ambition?
To do what she can to prevent the rampant lawlessness that affects the Emerald Empire and to return to her clan. However, her highest aspiration would be to serve the Emperor as his Emerald Champion and head of his Emerald Magistrates.

19. How religious is your character?
Zaya is no more or less religious than any other samurai; it has never been of extreme importance to her like it is to monks and shugenja, but she also does not discard the importance of the ancestors, kami and spirits.

20. How will your character die?
There are many possible ways that Zaya might die; perhaps one of the many ways a Ronin might end their life, perhaps trying to redeem herself will cause her death, or perhaps she will finally cross one more bandit than she should.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

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Name: Zaya (previously Moto Zaya)
Clan: Ronin (previously Unicorn)
Family: None (previously Moto)
School: Utaku Battle Maiden, Shinjo Magistrate
Insight Rank: 2
Insight: 150
Experience Points: 70
Honor: 6.5, Glory: 1, Status: 0, Shadowland Taint: 0.0, Infamy: 0

Rings and Attributes
Earth: 2 (2 Stamina | 2 Willpower)
Air: 3 (3 Reflexes | 3 Awareness)
Water: 2 (3 Strength | 2 Perception)
Fire: 3 (3 Agility | 3 Intelligence)
Void: 2

Skills:
Battle - Perception - 3k2
Defense - Reflexes - 4k3
Horsemanship 2 - Agility - 5k3
Hunting - Perception -
Kenjutsu 3 - Agility - 5k3
Kyujutsu - Reflexes -
Sincerity - Awareness - 4k3
Etiquette 3 - Awareness - 6k3
Courtier 3 - Awareness - 6k3
Investigation 3 - Perception - 5k2
Lore: Law 3 - Intelligence - 6k3
Meditation - Void - 3k2
Tea Ceremony - Void - 3k2

Masteries:
Courtier: +3 Insight
Etiquette: +3 Insight
Investigation: A second attempt to use the Search Emphasis may be made without an increase in original TN.
Kenjutsu: +1k0 to damage with a sword.

Techniques:
Riding in Harmony
You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to one attack roll per Round. While mounted, you may instead choose to apply this bonus to one damage roll if you choose. You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to the total of all Horsemanship rolls.

Eyes of the Vigilant
When using Investigation to try to locate clues or to test another person's truthfulness, you gain a +1k0 bonus. When tracking known criminals or traitors you gain a +1k0 to Hunting Skill rolls, and when attacking such persons you gain a +1k0 to all Weapon Skill Rolls.

Initiative:
Base Defense: 20, With Armor: 24 (32)
Armor Name: Riding Armor, Armor: +4 (+12 on Horseback), Reduction: 4, Increases TN of all Agility and Reflexes rolls by +5 unless wearer is on horseback

Damage: 0
Healthy 0-10, Nicked (+0) 11-14, Grazed (+2) 15-18, Hurt (+7) 19-22, Injured (+12) 23-26, Crippled (+17) 27-30, Down (+37) 34-37, Out 38+

Weapons:
Wakizashi – Attack 6k3 – Damage 6k2 – Medium, Samurai - 20' as ranged weapon
Katana – Attack 6k3 – Damage 7k2 – Medium, Samurai
No-dachi - Attack 6k3 - Damage 7k3 - Large

Possessions:
Sturdy Clothing
Traveling Pack (Daisho stand, Ink brush kit, Makeup kit, Parchment and charcoal (10), Spare kimono and sandals, Tea set, Week's rations, Blanket, Bottle of water, Small tent)
Horse (Utaku War Horse)
10 koku

Advantages:
Strength of the Earth (2)

Disadvantages:
Social Disadvantage (-)
Cursed by the Realm: Tengoku (4)
Bitter Betrothal (2)
Can't Lie (2)
Gaijin Name (2)


XP Spending:
Awareness 3 - 12XP
Intelligence 3 - 12XP
Strength 3 - 12XP
Kenjutsu 2 - 2XP
Kenjutsu 3 - 3XP
Etiquette 2 - 2XP
Etiquette 3 - 3XP
Investigation 1 - 1XP
Investigation 2 - 2XP
Investigation 3 - 3XP
Lore: Law 1 - 1XP
Lore: Law 2 - 2XP
Lore: Law 3 - 3XP
Courtier 1 - 1XP
Courtier 2 - 2XP
Courtier 3 - 3XP
Meditation 1 - 1XP
Tea Ceremony 1 - 1XP
Hunting 1 - 1XP
Kyujutsu 1 - 1XP
Strength of the Earth - 2XP

[Frosty]

Is it possible to start the game with the Master of Games path if we start at rank 2? So in my case Tsuraya would be Bayushi Courtier 1//Master of Games 1 This is from the Book of Air.

New Ronin Path:
Master of Games [Courtier]
-----Rank: 2
-----Requires: Courtier 3, Etiquette 3. Must be a resident of Nanashi Mura (in the twelfth century) or belong to a ronin group with similar resources (in other eras).

Technique: Forge Your Own Fate
The Master of Games is adept at turning his own lowly
ronin status to his advantage, luring others into treating
him with complacency. When making a Social Skill Roll
against someone of higher Status, you gain a +2k1 bonus
so long as you maintain a modest and subservient manner
and tone.

You did say that Nanashi Mura is close by. It is possible some of our characters have already made friends there and have done some learning there?

My character sheet is here: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2836691
Equipment not done yet. The school may change as well depending on what schools we may learn from at character creation. This version is if both of her school ranks are from Bayushi Courtier.

[truemane]

Okay, sorry for all the flip-flopping. One of my problems with L5R is that I love all of the various archetypes and tropes of the setting so much that it's hard for me to come down on one single idea. Especially when the mechanics don't cooperate.

But, this is it. Final answer. Ride or die.

TENZIN!

(Former) Mantis. Shugenja. Duelist. Raconteur. Carouser. Poet. Philosopher. Bringer of Storms. Drinker of Sake. Lover of Whoever's within Arm's Reach. Tragic Hero. Doomed Hero. Romantic Hero. Hero of the Common People. (Or so he's told. He'd ever say any of that stuff about himself, of course.)

Spoiler: Concept/Backstory

Show

The child of a powerful Kitsune Shugenja and a high-ranking Yoritomo naval captain, Tenzin was basically the perfect Mantis. Tough, hard-working, loved the sea. Shugenja, duelist, raconteur, he was good at pretty much everything he tried and had a bright future ahead of him. Everything was coming up Tenzin, and all he ever wanted was sail, lead, and bring greater glory to his family.

But ill-omens and ominous portents started befalling those close to him. Sudden bad weather. Angry kami. Streaks of bad luck. When his family's Ancestor spirits grew distant and angry, his mother consulted a Moshi diviner and discovered that Tenzin was the culprit.

Apparently, he is destined to fail in such a spectacular, horrific manner that the shame of the failure has already infected the Yomi realm and the spirits of the Honoured Dead have turned their back on him.

His family tried everything to figure out what the misfortune is, or how to overcome it, or to heal the rift with the spirits. But things kept getting worse.

So Tenzin orchestrated a circumstance were he disobeyed a direct, public order from his father (his mentor, his best friend, his captain, and his liege lord) and so his father had no choice but to order Tenzin to slit his belly. Tenzin refused. And so his father, unwilling to kill his own son, had no choice but to take away his name and cast him from the Mantis.

Tenzin has been wandering Rokugan ever since, living a life as loudly and as fully as he can. Stories of Tenzin crop up all over Rokugan. Stormbringer. Duelist. Poet. Raconteur. Carouser. Defender of the Weak. Tragic, Doomed Hero.

Sometimes he thinks he trying to create a legend so great that maybe it overcomes whatever shameful failure is waiting for him. And sometimes he thinks maybe he's just trying to get himself killed before his failure even happens.

And sometimes he's just enjoying himself as much and as hard as he can while he's waiting.

Spoiler: 20 Questions

Show

1. What clan does your character belong to?
He's a Mantis. And he thinks that, while every Clan probably does a good job doing Being a Samurai in their own way, the Mantis are the ones doing Being Samurai the very, very best. All the honour of a samurai, none of the pretension.

2. What family does your character belong to?
He's formally a Kitsune by birth, but left his mother's homeland at a young age and adopted the ways of the Yoritomo: sailing hard, working hard and playing hard. But he still maintains a Kitsune's spirituality and connection to the natural world.

3. Is your character a bushi, a shugenja, or a courtier?
He's a Shjugenja, but he duels like a Bushi and talks smack like a Courtier. In a land of narrow niches and sharp specialization, he's a bit of a Renaissance Man.

4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
"Unkempt." He's a very handsome man, with the stamp of his family's high nobility clear on his features. But he spends a lot of time sleeping rough, being drunk (or hungover) and is generally a mess. Even when he cleans up he looks rumpled. He has a near magical ability to transform the newest, nicest kimono into a wrinkled mess the moment he puts it on.

5. What is your character's primary motivation?
His deepest, secret wish is to find a way to overcome the curse that divides his ancestors from his family (whether that means getting to go home afterward is secondary). But as that seems impossible, his main motive is to live a life worthy of song and legend until his fate catches up with him, and maybe leave behind a legacy that will outlast whatever shame his fate brings.

6. Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
He once trusted his mother and father more than anyone else. His mother is a powerful Shugenja with a talent for prophecy and his father is a charismatic leader, captain, and mentor. But now, in his new life, he trusts Aoko, a mama-san who owns several small Tea Houses, He helped her out with some local ruffians a year or two ago and the two remain good friends.

7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
His greatest strength is his commitment to justice and compassion. If the Celestial Order decrees that the Strong must hold dominion over the Weak, then there must be both justice and compassion, or else there is only savagery. His greatest weakness is sensual indulgence. Drink, gambling, singing, relations.

8. What does your character think of Bushido?
A necessary evil. If the Strong are to be given absolute authority over the Weak, then that authority must be tempered by a moral authority that is equally absolute, and it must be enforced both externally and internally.

9. What is your character's opinion of his clan?
He loves the Mantis and misses his life with them very much. He loved sailing. He loved the sea. He loved the camaraderie and the fellowship of a kobune crew. He loved the way the Mantis were true samurai who served Bushido, but who also rolled their sleeves up and got stuff done. Being severed from them is still deeply painful. He has, however, really thrown himself into his new life as a wandering legendary tragic hero (poet duelist gadfly malcontent).

10. Is your character married?
He was married. His parents are both quite high status and he was married to a high-ranking courtier. Their marriage was pleasant and low conflict (Tenzin is pretty easy to get along with). But it, of course, was dissolved when Tenzin was ejected from the Mantis. He heard from somewhere that she has had trouble finding a match due to the stain of having been married to him. Having a child to pass on her family name was very important to her, so it makes him sad that because of him, she can't. He would help her if there were some way he could.

11. Does your character have any prejudices?
He is not super big on poncy samurai who think that a bath and a haircut mean they're smarter and better than people who do the work. Samurai rule by right of birth, which which means there's no quality control. Some samurai are great. Others are big dumb idiots. Refusing to account for that is just foolishness. He also looks deeply askance on anyone who mistreats anyone below them in the Celestial Order (although, for all his vaunted morals, he has a real hard time being polite to Eta - they give him the ick).

12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
To Bushido, and to the growing shadow of his own legend. What else does he have left?

13. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things?
He has a lot of favourite things. Drinking. Laughing. Singing. Telling stories. Sailing. Sleeping with women. Sleeping with men. Sleeping. Taking smug jerks down a peg with a single arched eyebrow or perfectly-timed quip. Having cool nicknames that people yell out when he walks into town. Winning duels on windswept beaches in the rain. Normal stuff. His least favourite things include hangovers, studying, and stuffed-shirt jerks who weaponize Bushido against the people it's meant to defend.

14. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
He often rubs his head or cheek or chin as though he's itchy. He strokes his thin beard and moustache when he's thinking. He frequently adjusts his kimono as though it doesn't quite fit right. He often starts sentences with a drawn out "Soooo..." pitched whatever tone the situation demands.

15. What about your character's emotions?
Traditionally, there's no loss of honour for a samurai to show emotion when drunk. Tenzin will take full advantage of this and emote quite openly even if he's only has a little bit to drink. During the day (when it's as shameful to be drunk as it is to show emotion), he tries to keep a hold on things, but he does smile easily, laugh more than he should, and cannot hide his smug .

16. How would your character handle a subordinate's improper behavior?
Tenzin is all about showing compassion and respect to everyone no matter their station, but even beyond the the Celestial Order, the fact is that someone has to be in charge. And that means everyone from soldier to sailor, farmer to imperial messenger, everyone has to do what they're told. And sure, yes, sometimes you have to disobey an order when it's stupid. But most people aren't good at making that distinction (Tenzin thinks he's good at it, but that's just coincidence).

17. How would your character's parents describe him?
His mother would praise his gentle heart and his commitment to a spiritually-focused Bushido, but she would lament how very much of a Yoritomo he became (and how little a Kitsune). His father would refuse to speak about him. The topic is too painful for him.

18. What is your character's highest ambition?
When he dies, to leave behind a legend so great and so inspiring that it somehow repays the Mantis for everything his dark fate will take from them. And maybe (just maybe) be enough to break the curse on him by the Yomi realm and allow him to take his place with his ancestors.

19. How religious is your character?
Very. Between being a Shugenja, being cursed by the realm of Honourable Ancestors, and living his life on the sea, he feels the power of the invisible world very keenly and is always anxious to appease any hostile forces.

20. How will your character die?
Apparently, he is doomed to suffer some manner of enormous misfortune. A misfortune so great that he has been abandoned by all the ancestors of the Mantis. All he can really hope is to get himself killed somehow before he dies.

Spoiler: Sheet

Show

Name: Tenzin

Clan: Mantis
Family: (formerly) Kitsune
School: Yoritomo Shugenja

Insight: 150
Insight Rank: 2
School Rank: 2

Honour: 4.5
Glory: 2
Status: 0

Initiative: 5k3
Armour TN: 20

AIR: 3
EARTH: 2
FIRE: 2
WATER: 3
VOID: 3

SKILLS
Athletics (4k3): 1
Calligraphy (3k2): 1
Knives (3k2): 1
Theology (3k2): 1
Meditation (6k3): 3
Sailing (3k2): 1
Perform* (4k3): 1
*Storytelling

Courtier (6k3): 3
Etiquette (5k3): 2
Iaijutsu (6k3): 3

MASTERIES
Meditation: successful roll recovers 2 Void Points
Courtier: +3 Insight
Iaijutsu: Ready a katana as a free action

ADVANTAGES
Blood of Osano-Wo - 3pt
Fame - 3pt
Hero of the People - 2pt

DISADVANTAGES
Bad Fortune (Lingering Misfortune) - 3pt
Cursed by the Realm (Yomi) - 5pt
Lechery - 2pt

SPELLCASTING
Affinity/Deficiency: Air/Earth
Technique: Child of the Sea. Spend 2 spell slots/Void points to alter wind/weather. Two mile radius. Free Raise "Thunder" spells.
-Degrees of Wind: Still, Breeze, Gusts, Storm
-Degrees of Weather: Calm, Showers, Rain, Storm, Torrential Storm, Hurricane

Spellcasting:
Air: 5k3
Earth: 3k2
Fire: 4k2
Water: 6k3

Water Spells
Path to Inner Peace
Reversal of Fortune
Surging Soul
Silent Waters

Fire Spells
Fury of Osano-Wo
The Fire that Cleanses

Air Spells
Tempest of Air
Benten's Touch

Earth Spells
Jade Strike

Equipment
Robes, Wakizashi, Katana, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 10 koku



Math
Reflexes +1 = 12
Strength +1 = 12
Void +1 = 18
Meditation +2= 5
Courtier +3 = 6
Etiquette +2 = 3
Iaijutsu +3 = 6
_____________________
Total = 52

Blood of Osano-Wo = 3
Fame = 3
Hero of the People = 2
_____________________
Total = 8

Bad Fortune (Lingering Misfortune) = 3
Cursed by the Realms (Yomi) = 5
Lechery = 2
_________________________________
Total = 10

I have a couple of spells to pick, his travelling pack, and a couple of other small things. But he's pretty much ready to rumble.

[NontheistCleric]

Truemane, not to be a killjoy, but I think you're 4 points over budget. We can only get 10 points from disadvantages.

[truemane]

Truemane, not to be a killjoy, but I think you're 4 points over budget. We can only get 10 points from disadvantages.

Yeah, I mentioned that in my notes. If it's going to be an issue, I'll re-arrange some stuff.

[NontheistCleric]

Well, that's on me for not reading properly (again).

In any case, you could take the extra disadvantages without getting any points for them. I think that's legal. I did that for my character, because he already had Dark Secret and Lost Love, but I felt like his obligation was more a 6-point matter than a 3-point one.

Honestly, I've been going back and forth on that decision. Part of me doesn't want to keep Lost Love, because he'd still have 10 extra xp without it... but it is really in keeping with his backstory.

[truemane]

Yeah, I often find it tricky to work within the mechanics of L5R. It's a bit like World of Darkness in that the game, as a whole, is very narrative-forward, but the system is very crunchy and proscriptive and has strong opinions about how you should do things.

I guess you could seed Lost Love into your backstory without it having any mechanical effect. Like a lower-case-L 'lost love.'

It is less fun that way though.

[Frosty]

I hear that L5R 5e is much more narrative focused, but the dice system is much different. I do like the concept of each character having a Strife though.

[NontheistCleric]

Well, I decided to ditch Lost Love. Like truemane says, I can still make it a narrative element without the disadvantage.

[Bearon]

Hey y'all, just poking my head in real quick to let y'all know that tomorrow I'll probably have more time to be able to respond to posts.

Also, thanks for the table!