L5R Obsidian and Obsidian gear?

>>51641968
>i wanted an obsidian sword so that time spent in the shadowlands wouldn't melt my sword like jade would.
Do you want insanity and taint? Because that's how you get insanity and taint.

>>51642434
id love insanity and taint, just point me to where it tells me how many seconds i have till i go murder the party in a blind rage over a cookie

>>51642434
>>51644478

of course I'm being whats the word, whatever. i don't really wanna go insane and tainted, i didnt know it tainted you, i knew it made you go a little bonkers after awhile.

First off, L5R isn't the kind of game where you can just get your hands on an obsidian or jade or crystal infused sword. Those things are rare. Really rare. and most of them are sitting in the armories of high ranking daimyo or Imperial scions. If you're going into the shadowlands, a finger of jade to protect yourself from the taint is all you need.
If you somehow got your hands on an obsidian sword, it would not protect you. Obsidian works exactly like jade in terms of *damage*, in that it bypasses supernatural reduction. But it does not protect you from the taint whatsoever, and it itself is prone to becoming tainted and then tainting you further. There is untainted obsidian that won't negatively affect you, but it's hard to tell the difference and it won't stay that way for long if you expose it to the taint.

>>51644703
Also, a finger of jade really is enough for most people going in there. It'll last a week before degrading and that's more time than a person could reasonably stay there anyway.
You can't sleep in the shadowlands, even if you find a safe place (Good fucking luck), fires barely burn at all, and there is absolutely nothing safe to salvage in terms of food or water and no way to purify the unsafe stuff that is available.
Unless you are part of a massive Crab push that can carry its own supplies, you can't carry enough potable water to stick around for long, even if you could protect it from the taint indefinitely.

>>51641968
A "typical" Jade weapon won't rot in the Shadowlands, part of the enchantment that locks it into steel prevents the rot.

Obsidian acts like a lightning rod, drawing the taint to you, so carrying an Obsidian weapon will get you the Taint quicker. Obsidian in general doesn't rot in the Shadowlands.

Crystal has no protective qualities against the Shadowlands Taint, but does provide protection from Lying Darkness if you are playing in an era where it still exists. It also doesn't rot in the Shadowlands.

Cost in koku for weapons made of the sacred substances doesn't exist as they are so rare as to be considered priceless. That is why you can only purchase them with exp, which represents it being tied to you in some way, like an inheritance.

As far as piercing defenses. Jade beats nearly everything. Obsidian penetrates most Shadowlands but is useless against the Lying Darkness. Crystal penetrates the Lying Darkness, messes with ghosts, but is spotty against the Shadowlands.

1e's Book of the Shadowlands, Bearers of Jade, and Way of the Shadow have the best info on all three.

>>51645664
Actually, a "typical" jade weapon either will rot as normal, or will rot very slowly, but won't protect their bearer (Such as the Inquisitor's Strikes made by the Phoenix). Jade weapons that don't rot at all and protect their bearer as normal jade are uniquely rare.

>>51645837
Your point about protection stands but the rest does not.

Inquisitor's Strikes specifically never rot (Complete Exotic Arms Guide pg 9-10 and has never been contradicted in newer sources), which are as close to a typical jade weapon as you can get. There are only four Jade Katana and since they still exist it is safe to say they don't rot. Chikara, the original Ancestral Sword of the Crab, was infused with jade and didn't rot and is the only one I am aware of that provides protection vs the taint as well, but it was an Ancestral Weapon so it is weird like that.

All that is left is mundane stuff like studding a tetsubo with jade, Jade Arrows, and dusting weapons with jade powder, all of which are unenchanted and as such their jade acts normally as protection and rotting.

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>>51646106
>Inquisitor's Strikes specifically never rot (Complete Exotic Arms Guide pg 9-10 and has never been contradicted in newer sources)
Yes it has, and I'm going to trust 4th edition over anything from the d20 version.
It rots slowly, but it does rot.
And yeah, those jade katana are the ones I'm talking about when I say that a weapon that does both is uniquely rare.

>>51646168
And when I say "those" jade katanas, I'm talking about Chikara, Kakko-Fudo, and possibly Kishu and/or Hiko.

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I didn't see an L5R general so I guess this will do.

Never played the game before but it looks like I will be in a week or so. I intend to make a Matsu Berserker and would welcome any advice on how to optimize for maximum ass-whoopin.

In return, have a related picture

>>51649902
Normally for a bushi, Agility>Reflexes>Earth Ring>Void>Strength>Mental stats, but a Matsu berserker wants to be in Full Attack at all times, which means you want to get Perception to increase your Water ring. Consider getting it to 3 for increased speed and 10 more Insight.

Keeping dice is worth 2 to 3 times more than rolling dice, but don't neglect skill ranks. Try to be attacking with at least 6k3. Katanas and tetsubos are the best weapons, but anything that does at least Xk2 is viable, if not optimal.

Honor matters a lot to a Matsu both for roleplaying and for mechanics, so try to keep up with that.

>>51650063
Also, don't neglect Etiquette and an artsy skill or two. Poetry is pretty good for most characters. You can't smash everything you come across.

>>51650063

Kinda weird then that Matsu get +2 strength if it's worthless for fighting.

I was going to use a nodachi, whatever the giant sword is called.

Is there a desired spread so to speak for exp? Between stats and skills I mean.

>>51650161
Oh, it's not worthless, it's just at the bottom of the priority list.
Agility makes it way easier to hit most things you'd want to hit, Reflexes makes it way harder to be hit, Earth makes you less likely to die in 2 hits, and Void is good for everything, but Strength only really adds 1k0 to your already fairly good damage. A katana does 5k2 with 2 strength, so making it 6k2 isn't really worth as much as adding 5-6 to your attack roll average or improving your own Armor TN by 5. Having it at 4 already is fine, just try to avoid bringing it to 5 until you've covered the rest of your bases.

I usually try to get a couple skills to 3 and then bring up my stats to boost the Rings and get Insight, but it's up to you. Seriously start with Agility and Reflexes 3 though. Agility at the very least.

>>51650291

Noted! Thanks for the advice.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages that are really good or really bad to take mechanically?

>>51650330
Crab Hands is pretty good for all bushi, since you can fight with any weapon you happen to have
Large would help you really maximize damage, but is a bit pricey
Leadership is neat, but helps your allies and not you. Cheaper for a Lion.
Sacred Weapon is particularly good for a Matsu, because it counts your Honor as 1 higher while carried, which improves all of your honor keyed Techniques in the long run
Strength of the Earth is really good
Virtuous is good for the same reason

Brash can be pretty bad depending on GM, but it's worth more to a Lion
Low Pain Threshold is pretty bad
Momoku is really bad
Permanent Wound is really, really bad, since that's your Healthy tier filled up permanently
Touched by the Void is really, really bad if dev posts are taken as errata and applied, because it stuns you *before* you get any benefit, which seriously fucks you.

Be aware that being the most honorabru person in the room is often very difficult to maintain, so be careful about how much you invest in having top honor.

>>51650510
Virtuous is good for the same reason as Sacred Weapon, is what I meant to say.

>>51650161
You want your Kenjutsu skill at 3 to start off, and then at 7 as soon as you can without skimping on Earth ring, Agility, etc.

>>51650291
>A katana does 5k2 with 2 strength, so making it 6k2 isn't really worth as much
Rolling more damage dice means more chances for dice to explode. It also means that if you can possibly get past ten rolled, you can start bumping up your kept dice - which is either 'go large or go home' kind of proposition. Matsu/MatsuB start off with 4 Strength.

>>51650510

I was already looking at Strength of Earth, and probably Wary too, Sacred Weapon looked cool as well.

Any auto-include skills? I was going to take defense and the dueling skill as my two free ones.

>>51650587
Etiquette, unless you are going out of your way to play a rude bumpkin. Since this is your first character, I wouldn't recommend it.
Defense is good for if you get the shit kicked out of you and have friends who can help you out. Iaijutsu is also good, since carrying a katana (And you will be carrying a katana, even if you use a no-dachi) implies being able to use it.

>>51650587
>probably Wary too
This is better if your GM is inclined to look at your (dis)advantages and riff, rather than just stick purely to RAW. You'll be raising your Water ring anyway, which means you'll already be good in that area.

Great Destiny and Luck are generally really good choices, though.

>I was going to take defense and the dueling skill as my two free ones.
I'd recommend Athletics as your default 'physical stuff + throwing' skill. Defence and Iaijutsu not so much if you're staying in character for a Matsu - the former is for cowards, the latter for cowards who hide behind the Kakita mon.

>>51650692
Also worth noting that your school skills don't matter so much to Matsu bushi, unless you take Prodigy.

>>51650692
Hey now, the Lion have duelists too. It's honorabru, therefore they participate just as much as everyone else.

>>51650720
>Hey now, the Lion have duelists too
Of course the Lion do. The Matsu just happen to have a fuckhuge feud with the Kakita, and it's not as common for them to pansy up and agree to do things the Crane way.

Which reminds me;
>>51650678
>(And you will be carrying a katana, even if you use a no-dachi)
I love the Ichiro. Totally giving no fucks about insults, duels, carrying a katana, etc - right up to the point where they go for the duellist's jugular.

>>51649902
Dou you want to play a Matsu for some particular reason other than BERSERKER FUCK YEAH?

>>51650678
>>51650692

So we'll go Strength of Earth, Virtuous, Great Destiny for Advantages

Disadvantages will be Lost Love, Bad Fortune, Sworn Enemy and Overconfident.

The rest I can dump into stats and rings?

So, Athletics and Iaijatsu for free. Etiquette at at least 1, Kenjitsu up to 3. Anything else?

>>51650928

Nope, pretty much want to be the slightly crazy always-ready-to-fight character

>>51650941
Some kind of art so you don't look like a tool in formal settings. There's a minor recurring theme of Matsu who practice Ikebana, but you could also do poetry or acting or play an instrument or something like that.
Other than that, Hunting, Lore: Lion Clan, Meditation or Tea Ceremony, and Investigation are worth considering, and then it's basically whatever you think would be good for the character.

>>51650960
Try Himura family Crab bushi R1 -> Crab Berserker R2. They start sturdier and with less excessive strength and don't depend on high Honor.

>>51650678
These are good picks. Here are a few I've seen that tend to get tons of use.

Athletics - Running, Swimming, Climbing, and with mastery the ability to ignore some difficult terrain.

Investigation - Noticing stuff is pretty good.

Kyujutsu - The best ranged skill

Etiquette - The Social Defense skill. Every character should have it.

Meditation or Tea Ceremony - Void Recovery is very nice to have.

An Artistic Skill - Samurai should be masters of the pen and sword. And it gives your character something to do in their off time.

>>51651025
>Some kind of art so you don't look like a tool in formal settings
Kemari is a good compromise.

>>51651043
>An Artistic Skill - Samurai should be masters of the pen and sword. And it gives your character something to do in their off time.
Tea Ceremony falls under this as something cultured to attempt to master.

Other skills;

Hunting - survival knowledge and sport for more martially minded samurai, this combines well with Kyujutsu.

>>51651136
Perform - drums are a good Lion choice.

Lore: Bushido & Lore: Heraldry - depending on the GM, these can be as important as etiquette.

>>51651030
>Try Himura family Crab bushi R1
Himura family but Hida school. It's been a while.

>>51651089
Go or Shogi would work as well as they are connected to battlefield strategy.

>>51651228
True, but I think people are conflating Akodo Lion with Matsu Lion.

>>51651260
Stereotypes don't have to be universal. There's no reason a Matsu couldn't pick up stuff from the Akodo or Ikoma.

>>51651260
Quite a few Matsu are tacticians as well though. Sometimes it is good to play a little against type.

>>51651333
>>51651351
Stereotypes aren't universal, but we are talking about a setting where what you're going to be is largely determined by your family at age 7, altered somewhat by who you're betrothed to (also likely to happen at a young age), and what clout your family brings to place you in more prestigious positions.

It's ok to not play against type, and even revel in sticking to type. Rokugani samurai not only prefer it, they respect it.

>>51651434
Samurai are supposed to be well rounded, and battlefield strategy is something literally every Lion understands at least a bit. A Lion who plays Go is playing to clan type, if not family type. Your average Matsu berserker still has at least 1 rank in the Battle skill.

>>51651468
The ideal of a samurai is well rounded and pure of honour.

>battlefield strategy is something literally every Lion understands at least a bit
Yes, Battle skill, as you said.

>A true Matsu has no fear of death, and as such the Techniques imparted by their sensei embrace absolute, unwavering commitment to battle. Although this leaves the Matsu vulnerable to an opponent’s attacks, the philosophy behind the Techniques is that an opponent who has been defeated has no opportunity to retaliate. It is for this reason that the legions of the Matsu family are so feared on the battlefield: how can one defeat an enemy who does not care if he lives or dies, so long as you are defeated first?

>The Matsu would never deny the effectiveness of Akodo generals, but the Akodo way is so concerned with exactness and perfection that oftentimes the Matsu bristle and rage, demanding a simple charge in place of elaborate maneuvers. Matsu herself often bristled at Akodo One-Eye’s methods even as she followed him unswervingly, and this same mixture of rivalry and admiration is played out a thousand times in every modern Lion army.

Et cetera.

>>51651564
>The combination of this philosophy with rigid traditionalism makes the Matsu a rather touchy family. They are passionate about everything, hurling themselves into battle or court debate with equal ferocity. A Matsu never walks tentatively into any venture, no matter how long the odds, instead plunging in headlong with teeth bared and swords drawn—or ink-brush in hand, as the case may be. They do nothing lightly or casually or quietly.

Like I said before, there's a minor running theme of Matsu practicing Ikebana. Literally arranging flowers. One playing Go to get a better understanding of their core duty is not a stretch, nor is it playing against type.

>>51651671
>One playing Go to get a better understanding of their core duty is not a stretch, nor is it playing against type.
It's not much of a stretch, but the exacting and precise Matsu with a focus on tactics is twisting their type towards Akodo.

>>51651893
Not really. The Akodo don't have a monopoly on tactical acumen, even within the Lion Clan. There are Matsu and Ikoma generals and officers at all levels. Whenever a Matsu or Ikoma Lord decide they want to have a shitty slapfight war with a neighbor, they don't go running to the Akodo to lead it for them.

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>>51651893
Not really. The Matsu even had a boxable Tactician in the Lotus era.

>>51651929
> the Matsu bristle and rage, demanding a simple charge in place of elaborate maneuvers
Yeah, really. I didn't say they have a monopoly, so pull your head back from trying to paint what I've said as working with absolutes.

>>51652096
A keen mind, but still the guy to whom charging forward to fuck shit up is the mainstay of tactics. That's standard Matsu. All perception and strength, no subtle maneuvering.

>>51652229
There's a difference between having simple tactics and being a complete idiot. The Matsu do not reject Akodo's teachings and they don't reject tactical positions. Playing Go is not an Akodo thing. A Matsu who plays Go is not a wannabe Akodo.

>>51652411
Being uncomplicated and perceptive of what your opponent is attempting, then foiling it with direct attacks is not being a complete idiot, nor is it being particularly tactical.

>>51652498
It's also not the only thing a Matsu is capable of doing.

>>51652526
It is the standard thing they will do.

>>51652570
But it's not the only thing they will do. They are completely capable of doing other things.

>>51652582
They regularly will not consider the other things, in favour of their favourite thing.

>>51641968

Here's a permanent link to the new Discord:

https://discord.gg/nvVX9Wb


Features a bot,
Looking for group section,
Lots of resources,
And morrreeee!

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>>51649902
Just remember that LION STRONGK

LION PRIDE

WORLD WIDE

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>>51650720
>the Lion have duelists too

Yes, they're called 'generals'

Lions duel with armies.

>>51654940
They also accept duels before battle starts, but you're right.

>>51656244
>Kakita beat by a morimoto

PftHahaha

OP here, id like to bump this again. I've been helped a little, but its seems this is more like l5r general now so here ya go.

I'm running a Hiruma Bushi as a not!Ranger driven to defeat the shadowlands. What should my skill/stat focuses be? It seems like the stuff I need is all over the damn place.

>>51661596
Stealth, Hunting, Lore: Shadowlands, Kyujutsu, Heavy Weapons, Kenjutsu. Agility, Reflexes, Perception, Earth Ring.

>>51661609
That is almost everything, I'd add Investigation, Athletics, and maybe Horsemanship as well.

>>51661759
Investigation and Athletics sure, but Horsemanship is pretty worthless for a Crab. Horses get tainted just as much as anything else and they tend to not tell you about it until they've grown fangs on the back of their neck and are trying to bite your hands off.

>>51661796
The Moto can tell you how much of a bad idea taking a fucking horse into the Shadowlands is.

>>51661759
>>51661609
this is what I figured, and what I actually have (sans heavy weapons). I'm sitting on:

EARTH
Stamina: 2
Willpower: 3

AIR
Reflexes: 3
Awarness: 2

WATER
Strength: 2
Perception: 2

FIRE
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 2

and:

Athletics: 3
Hunting: 2
Kenjutsu: 3 (Katana)
Kyujutsu: 2
Lore - Shadowlands: 2
Stealth: 3 (sneak)
Investigation: 3

I need to know what to increase first. I feel like bumping earth ring to 3 should be my first stop, followed by Fire and Air, and THEN increase skills. But thats like a 36 EXP investment right there.

>>51661825
Definitely get Earth 3 first.

If the game this character is for is not exclusively a shadowlands excursion sort of game, I'd suggest dropping Investigation by one or two points and using the XP to get some more basic skills like etiquette.

>>51661851
>etiquette

He's Anti-social, Aesthetic, and Driven. He's pretty much reliant on the group courtier for anything diplomacy wise. Which is fine, because he seldom communicates in anything other than grunts and two-to-three word sentences.

I guess you could say he's real crabby

>>51654927
tfw no lion gf

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>>51662197

Anyone have a general link (i.e. Mega) to book pdfs for download?

>>51644662
Fasetious.

Otherwise known as a dumbass, dipshit, dumbfuck, retard, or idiot. Just to name a few.

Decided to help you out since thesaurus.com didn't have anything on the word. Not that you have the intelligence to look, as see by the post...

>>51666932
http://www.mediafire.com/folder/c7tfqff9sqp71/L5R

nobanpls

Is this unacceptable art for a character? I feel like Rokugan has had paler characters in official art, and I fluffed it as explaining his pallid completion coming from exposure to the Shadowlands. As for his hair, well, plenty of people in Rokugan have or dye their hair white for no reason.

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>>51672551
This time with the actual fucking picture

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>>51672551
If you're going to troll, can you do it with some finesse?

Okay, /tg/. What would you consider Shiatzu? Artisan? Or Perform?

>>51675222
>Shiatsu is a form of Japanese bodywork based on the theoretical framework of traditional Chinese medicine.
Medicine.

>>51673612
>troll

I forgot to post the image >>51672560

>>51675222
I know who you are.

She didn't tell you to stop, you should have kept pumping

>>51676120
>I forgot to post the image
That would be relevant if I replied before you posted the image.

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>>51676157
And you posted like an hour and half after he posted the image. Methinks it is you who are the troll.

>>51641968
Here's a permanent link to the new Discord:

https://discord.gg/nvVX9Wb


Features a bot,
Looking for group section,
Lots of resources,
And morrreeee!

>>51641968
>L5R
>thinking you're allowed to have anything cool, at all, ever
>Laughing_John_Wick.jpg.gif.7z.bat

>>51644786
>You can't sleep in the shadowlands, even if you find a safe place (Good fucking luck), fires barely burn at all, and there is absolutely nothing safe to salvage in terms of food or water and no way to purify the unsafe stuff that is available.

I mean you say that, but the Crab have set up permanent facilities in the shadowlands.
Because they're the crab and fuck you and your shit.

>>51676468
Shinsei's Last Hope and various nezumi dens are explicitly non-tainted areas. The Hiruma lands had to be burned to a crisp to get rid of the taint and don't have any kami or kansen at all.
The shadowlands proper is not a place an individual or small group of individuals can stay in for long.

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>>51676226
It's a square pic you're trying to fit into a round game, while saying stuff like "plenty of people dye their hair white for no reason".

So you're either trying to find a pic that doesn't fits, or you're too lazy to type "l5r art" into a search engine and pull out something that fits. At the same time, you're showing off how you're too lazy to actually learn the setting.

Deflecting won't change that.

Does anyone have a high res or uncompressed version of the Atlas of Rokugan?

>>51667670
oh look, a faggot

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any old fags or L5R loremasters here?

i have a pressing question:
WHERE the fuck did Cris Dornaus go?

she was a cool artist, not the best, but i liked her style.
she did get overworked by AEG.

just asking.....

>>51683825
I found this abandoned website, last updated in 2001...

http://www.borderzone.com/SkeletnGrl/

>>51683825
>>51684020

She's my favorite L5R artist too.

>>51672551
Samurai are pale because tans are for peasants.

Those few who dye hair white tend to have a specific reason to do so.

If you've spent enough time in the Shadowlands for it to impact your appearance you're probably also Tainted.

>>51683825
>>51684020
>>51684037

she goes by Christina McAllister

she does modern gypsy stuff and coloring books....

she probably smokes more pot than all of /mu/

>>51642434
The best

>>51684103
>If you've spent enough time in the Shadowlands for it to impact your appearance you're probably also Tainted.
100%, you're at least at 2.0 taint, possibly 3.0 for albino pale.

>>51691371

mantisclan.gif

>>51676570
>too lazy to type "l5r art"
L5R art is SHIT beyond a few minor exceptions. At least my picture is of a man wearing practical armor and not rocking out sleeveless with his armpits showing for no fucking reason and a face that looks like a chiapet

Or let's pick option b and go with Fucking Genzoman. Because that would be better.

You can barely tell wirriam is gaijin compared to any rokugani precisely due to the complete innacurracy and shitty nature of the official art.

>>51691715
>Or let's pick option b and go with Fucking Genzoman. Because that would be better.
I like Genzoman because I like tits and women wearing clothes that are clearly enchanted by the perviest air kami summonable.

>>51692212
I like tits too but let's not pretend Genzoman art matches what the fluff says Rokugani clothing looks like

>>51691715
You still sound like a troll, m7, but you're getting better ... is what I'd like to be able to say, at minimum. Oh well. Here's your (you).

>You can barely tell wirriam is gaijin compared to any rokugani precisely due to the complete innacurracy and shitty nature of the official art.
Open your fictionally oriental eyes a bit wider, "Wirriam".

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>>51692236
This.
Here's the sluttiest slut to ever suck an entire court's worth of dick in Rokugan. Notice the complete lack of exposed skin below the neck.

>>51692217

This process seems like it would take a while.

>>51692435
Yep. That's why you have servants or close friends to help you and you keep most of it on until well after the battle is through.
Japanese style armor needs to be thoroughly washed after use because of all the cloth involved. Shit gets grungy after a while.

>>51692422

Her clothes on that pic are just the "tightened up" form of the slutty robes she is portrayed on other pics. You can even see the cleavage, and how only the thick belt keeps the whole thing together. She obviously didn't go around full slut-mode 24/7, that would be quite uncomfortable and physically impractical for her.

>>51692666
Her general description matches that pic perfectly. She wears tight clothes, sometimes with higher than normal sleeves, not revealing ones. Her descriptions even usually point out that she doesn't wear revealing clothes.

>>51692422
>The Rokugani always dress modestly, and it is considered inappropriate and barbaric to show one’s limbs or torso in public. Some clans do violate this rule to a certain degree, such as the Unicorn (many of whom still wear the sleeveless garments they used during their time in the Burning Sands), but even they do not presume to dress immodestly while in court or visiting a daimyo.

>An unmarried woman will wear kimono with very long flowing sleeves, often reaching the knees or even dragging on the floor, whereas a married woman’s sleeves are shorter (but are still considerably longer than a man’s).

>>51692697

Hey, I can remember this description! Isn't it from the Way of the Scorpion and gets contradicted only a few pages later with a short story?

>>51693304
I'm pretty sure it doesn't get contradicted, but there is a description of her in Way of the Scorpion.

>>51693337

Ah, yes it gets contradicted in the very first story in the book, I've just checked that. She literally goes with a striptease for another Scorpion dude.

When were Kakita Artisans broken as all hell? Second Edition?

>>51697630
First edition.
Nothing was good in second edition due to the way rolling and keeping were segregated, and a lot of things were busted to shit in third edition.

>>51697739

Was Second Edition about the Four Winds? First Edition was the Clan War IIRC.

>>51700207
First was Pre-Scorpion Coup to the beginning of the Clan War. Second was Clan War to Spirit Wars. Third was Four Winds to either Lotus or Race for the Throne. Fourth is timeline neutral but launched shortly before the end of the Destroyer War so the "New Taint" wasn't in it at first.

>>51692871

Don't married women wear their hair differently too?

yeah kinda popping in here, i would really like to know more about obsidian jade and crystal?

>>51702981
They're sacred substances that have properties not quite like the real world version of those materials.

Jade is the tears of the Sun, and is inherently pure. It absorbs Taint on behalf of anyone carrying it and bypasses supernatural toughness if applied as a powder or used as a material to make a weapon. Will eventually turn to a useless black sludge after absorbing a lot of Taint.
Obsidian is the blood of the Moon, and hurts supernatural things equally as well as Jade, if not slightly better. However, it is easily Tainted and will actively Taint anyone using it if it is Tainted.
Crystal is an oddball substance, although it is just as sacred as the other two. Many things that are hurt by the other two are also hurt by crystal (But not all) and it can uniquely protect its user from the influence of the Lying Darkness and can easily harm its minions. It does not interact directly with the Taint.

All three are rare, with Jade the most common and most used, Crystal the rarest, and Obsidian the least used due to the potential dangers.

>>51703112
Also, part of the supernatural properties of Jade and Obsidian is that they can be worked into weapons as if they were a metal like steel. Only the best smiths can work with it like that though, and the weapons produced are almost all nearly unique. The only ones that are not unique are some rare arrowheads, the occasional jade studded tetsubo, the wakizashis made by the Phoenix for their best inquisitors, and the black steel blades made by the (ugh) Spider for their worst assholes. There are a handful of really, really magical swords that are made with Jade or obsidian that will never rot or be affected by surrounding spiritual events, but those are all established relics in the hands of really important people.

>>51703169
>Also, part of the supernatural properties of Jade and Obsidian is that they can be worked into weapons as if they were a metal like steel
Sounds like d20 edition leeching in.

>>51703448
No, it's pretty much always been part of the setting. There's no other explanation for how Chikara and the other jade katanas were made. Kaiu literally laid out lengths of jade (Which itself is clearly not something you can do with stone) and worked it into a sword in just a couple days so Hiruma would have something to kill the oni trapped by Kuni.

>>51658783
i love dragon, hate crane and even i think this is ridiculous. in 4th ed and in setting crane invented the art and spent an insane amount of time and effort mastery the art made for them, by them

>>51661796
also, most animals refuse to even go near the shadowlands. the crab have to specially raise their horses

>>51703561
And the Mirumoto have been their rivals in iaijutsu the entire time.
The Crane do not have a monopoly on dueling and do not automatically win all duels. Literally every clan has duelists and they all utilize them in courts.

>>51661883
remember, even crabs are samurai
crabs are trained in samurai etiquette....they just dont give a shit. if their daimyo tell them to go socialize a little, they should at least not dishonor him/her with total rudeness.

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>>51703527
>There's no other explanation for how Chikara and the other jade katanas were made.
Realise you're talking in absolutes.

>[Chikara] was a long, well made katana, formed from a near magical combination of steel and jade, jade symbols carved into the blade.

>>51703607
Kaiu's forge blazed, as a new katana took shape in the molten steel. {Kuni and Hiruma prep}...
"My work is done." He held forth the katana for the other men to see. It was still dark with the soot of the fire, but as they looked they could see characters of green decorating the blade. The cunning Blacksmith had etched words in jade along the length of the sword, fusing stone and metal together in perfect symmetry.
Literally worked it like metal and fused it with steel. Real jade would not do that no matter how skilled the smith. Supernatural Rokugani jade would, if the smith is good enough. Kaiu is the best smith there ever was, making him more than good enough.

>>51703561
>i love dragon, hate crane and even i think this is ridiculous
Do you you think the Mirumoto duel in Kakita style iaijutsu rather than using Niten, or that every single Kakita trained iaijutsu duellist is simply better than an equivalent Mirumoto? I'm just trying to gauge your own ridiculousness here.

>>51703112
also note that obsidian and weapons made from the substance are known to increase the chance of madness to appear in time

also, ivory is a sacred substance in the colonies used to slay native supernatural beasts

>>51703580
totally true
they still have a major advantage
kakita bushi are mostly built to reckt face at duelling but this come at a disavantage in normal skirmishes, which the mirumoto bushi doesnt have

>>51703637
And then there's the description of Kakko-Fudo, a sword forged by Kaiu and Kuni working together, with both Jade and Obsidian mixed with the steel. And Kishu, a sword that is somehow studded with jade.
Sacred substances in Rokugan do not act like real materials. They can be shaped like metal, merged with metal, or just used as stone. This has been the case since 1e.

>>51703646
kakita bushi has more SR based on being better at duelling, im not going farther than this.

would still play a dragon duellist, more versatile

Most jade and obsidian within Rokugan isn't actually a product of the Sun & Moon directly that fell to the mortal plane - it's something formed within the realm by the kami. Shugenja can recreate the steps required for this to happen, and create exceptionally inert and mundane jade or obsidian.

However. The stuff that comes from Tengoku is special. Among their special properties; jade won't corrupt under the influence of Jigoku, obsidian can drive you mad.

>>51703724
shug can create normal jade? where did you read that?

>>51703710
So then you expect there are no Kakita bushi who aren't autistically focused on duelling, avoiding any path that would reduce their Iaijutsu capabilities, and that no Mirumoto will focus on duelling or take paths that increase their capabilities therein?

>>51703739
No, they can create shit jade that doesn't protect.

>>51703739
The alchemists can create inert, non-supernatural Jade. It has no supernatural properties whatsoever and does not react to the Taint at all. They theorize that it doesn't do anything because it has no divine spark.
There is one high ranking Earth spell that can create functional Jade by consuming a Tainted target, but it all disappears within 24 hours.

>>51703761
>>51703739
>>51703724
There's also always Jade Shot, aka how to insult someone and force a duel to the death

>>51703701
>a sword forged by Kaiu and Kuni working together
Who would expect the greatest scientific mind of Rokugan and a very capable shugenja to create something that conforms to RL smithing? Kaiu's diary is still something for Rokugani to learn from, and it's a millennia later, which means anything he has done is insufficiently understood.

>Sacred substances in Rokugan do not act like real materials
Precisely. The sacred substances. The ones with divine spark.

>>51703710
Their advantage is not actually that great. Given equal skill and stats, the Mirumoto have a much more consistent bonus in their Rank 2 Technique than the Kakita has in their Rank 1 or 3. If the Kakita can actually get their Rank 3 to function, then they get an advantage, but that's not guaranteed.

And with Hojatsu's Legacy, the Mirumoto can shut down any Void expenditure on the Kakita's part with a contested Kenjutsu/Fire roll, and then Swordmaster lets them spend their own Void twice and always get the assessment bonus regardless of the actual roll.

A fight between their best is not a foregone conclusion, nor is a fight between their average duelists. That's why it's a thousand year rivalry and not just one school picking on another.

>>51703824
All natural jade in rokugan has the divine spark. Regular ass jade from a mine could be worked like that. Kaiu was not a special person at the time, he got his smithing materials from the general supplies available, not the best of the best.

The only jade that is mundane and nonreactive is artificial jade, which was a much, much later development from the far side of the empire.

>>51703843
>All natural jade in rokugan has the divine spark
Not all natural jade is equal.

If you were to rework weapons and the skills associated with them to be less retarded in 5e, what would you do?

I'd replace the spear skill pheonix bushi get with polearm, because their fucking lore text says they specialize in the use of polearm reee

>>51703908
The jade used on the frontlines against the shadowlands is pulled from mines all along the Twilight mountains and wherever the Yasuki can swindle it from the rest of the country.
Obsidian, which is sometimes inherently tainted and sometimes not (Because Oontangu bled from both his corrupted hand and uncorrupted belly wound) is also found mostly in mines.

>>51703912
I'd make most of the weapon skills have mastery abilities that don't suck ass and are thematic. No more of this "for the first round only" bull. Every weapon gets "can ready as a free action" at 5. Iaijutsu still lets you ready a katana at 3, because that's a canonical use for iaijutsu (In fact, it's the primary reason why the Seppun do it) and makes sense.
Weapons would have more equalized damage outputs so there aren't clearly better ones. At the very least, the mastery abilities of weaker categories should bring them up. Give each category at least one weapon with the Samurai tag except bows. Rapid ranged attacks shouldn't be something every bushi can do.

>>51703933
>Because Oontangu bled from both his corrupted hand and uncorrupted belly wound
That's interesting. Where did you read that?

>>51703989
Bearers of Jade.

"I believe the cursed variety comes from that blood spilled not from Onnotangu's stomach, but from his severed hand. Touched with the cruelty of both Lord Moon and Fu Leng, it can hurt oni and man alike. Though such obsidian still has value for the harm it does to Shadowlands creatures, its touch may destroy a samurai's life, and I advise that it be used only under dire circumstances."

It's just conjecture, but it's coming from one of the foremost experts of the age, and it seems logical given that some obsidian is cursed and some isn't, and there were two separate wounds, one of which is directly associated with the Kami who was questionable even before hitting Jigoku.

>>51704049
>Bearers of Jade.
Ah, of course. It's a great book, but the writing was outsourced. Amazing tone, sketchy details.

>>51704158
No? Chris Hepler and Jennifer Brandes are listed on multiple AEG L5R projects. It's the only book they did as far as I know, but they aren't a 3rd party and the details and stories in Bearers of Jade are repeated constantly in later fluff, as late as 4th edition, and never declared non-canon.

>>51704217
You'll have to point out those out, and detail which came out before BoJ.

BoJ does get retelling in later editions, but toned down when not contradicted, and it doesn't help that the entire book itself is "compiled and presented by Seikansha" - aka, it's literally written by a character in-setting, and thus subjective.

>>51704307
Like I said, it's conjecture from Seikansha, one of the most knowledgeable characters of his time who is still credited as an expert in later materials.

>>51704307
It gets retelling that is word for word the same. Kakita Kanmaru's "Letters From the Wall" are only toned down in the sense that not all of them are present in most later versions of it. Off the top of my head, "The month of dead children" and the story of the Dokufu are repeated exactly.

>>51704370
OTOH, they shy away from BoJ numbers and facts, and it's still a subjective writing on the least favoured of the Kami. Hardly surprising to find that anyone would write, "Hey, you know that guy we haven't liked for over a thousand years? Well, I'm willing to bet he was a shitter before that, too!"

>>51704411
Him being a shitter before that is absolutely canon and is not a fact introduced by BoJ. Hantei wouldn't have fallen to Ningen-do if it wasn't for Fu Leng. Even if he hadn't fallen into Jigoku, he'd still be the most objectionable of the Kami.

>>51704411
BoJ numbers are usually mechanically related to an old edition.
But the numbers are actually pretty much identical when they are used. Thirty men died fighting the recorded Dokufu and one thousand one hundred and ninety human skulls lay in her intestine whether you read Bearers of Jade or Enemies of the Empire.

>>51704448
Doesn't matter how objectionable he might have been prior to falling into Jigoku, just whether he was tainted by Jigoku.

>>51704516
The affect inflicted by cursed obsidian isn't exactly taint, it's more like a direct affliction from Lord Moon and his angry madness. A lot of the people afflicted start acting in thematically similar ways. We're talking about stuff that is spiritually active, was influenced by a pair of gods who both have anger and jealousy issues, and passed through at least two spiritual realms that aren't meant to be passed through.

Fu Leng was the second last to fall, but the first to land, and when the rest of the kami fell, they fell well after the blood of Oontangu had already landed and mixed with the tears of Amaterasu to create humans. It's a mythological origin, not a logical physics based one.

>>51703983
Well archery is an important samurai skill and hachiman, the syncretic god of warriors, was famous for his archery

So, we've got a game coming up and I'm considering making a monk character. I want him to be kind of a spirit exorcist, like someone you call when a ghost is haunting you or when trickster spirits keep fucking with your shit. So, I want him to have good lore skills for identifying that stuff, and I want him to be a decent fighter for when rituals aren't enough. Togashi tattooed monk is the obvious answer for combat monk, but I'm not really going for the whole magic tattoo man aesthetic.

So, what monks are good at fighting? Preferably with either staffs, polearms, or swords.

>>51704621
Sure, but giving it that tag makes almost every bushi a kickass archer in addition to being kickass melee fighters. I feel it should be a separate thing. It also devalues one of the more common fight contributions of Courtiers. It's relatively easy for them to get Reflexes and kyujutsu is an acceptable activity while still being "courtly".

>>51704644
All brotherhood monks are good at fighting with fists and staffs. Polearms are rarer, but doable in the Brotherhood, and the main focus of the (bleh) Spider monks. Monks with swords is not a thing. Kuni Witch Hunters are almost monks with swords but they aren't actually monks, it's just a mechanical thing to represent their style and dedication. Socially speaking, they're weird bushi/specialized lawmen.
If you can drop the monk part, Toritaka bushi are ghosthunters, and there's no reason for their school to not still exist within the Crab Clan after they get assimilated.

>>51704689
>Tfw you look desperately for a monk school that uses staffs because staffs are cool
>Tfw they all fucking get unarmed bonuses

I mean, in addition to being wierd/generally sucking.

>>51704689
Hm, alright then. I thought the Kuni were shugenja though, weren't they? Unless you're referring to a different school.

What books are the Kuni witch hunters and Toritaka in, core?

>>51704744
Toritaka are in core, but are down in the section for minor clans as the Falcon.
The entire Falcon Clan joins the Crab peacefully later on, and the Crab do not subjugate them or anything like that. In fact, they actually have joint projects, like the Falcon's Eye (Which is an advance path that can be taken by both the Toritaka Bushi and Hiruma Bushi) and Toritaka Exorcist (Which is an alternate path for shugenja trained in the Kuni Shugenja School). Toritaka bushi isn't explicitly available to the Crab after they join, but it's silly to say that it's completely gone and not even the Toritaka could take it anymore.

The Kuni Witch Hunters are a separate school from the shugenja. They're in the Great Clans book, iirc.

>>51704727
There are 3 water kiho for staffs.

>>51704727
Have you seen what those monks can do with kiho? "generally sucking" isn't something I'd say about people who can shatter you with a light poke.

>>51704813
And you can bisect them with a light breeze.

>>51704794
Still trying to into the logo system, the stat requirements are insane

>>51704827
>the stat requirements are insane
Not really. Add your monk rank and ring. There are schools for reaching higher quickly, and one monk ancestor.

>>51704827
You can certainly try to bisect them, but they could completely interrupt you before you swing, block and disarm you as you swing, immediately counterattack you with an attack that could cripple you in a dozen different ways, and probably a whole bunch of other things aside.

>>51704844
I see, so access to Kiho is based on rank + ring, not just ring?

Is this the same for Shugenja spells?

>>51704879
>Is this the same for Shugenja spells?
No.

>>51704879
No. Brotherhood monks get rank+ring, other monks get rank+ring but pay more, shugenja can get kiho, but they don't add rank *and* pay more.

Spells are entirely based on shugenja school rank, but a shugenja's affinity counts as one rank higher (Meaning they start being able to cast rank 2 spells in that element) and their deficiency counts as one rank lower (Meaning they start unable to cast spells of that element at all)

How is the Matsu Beastmaster as a school? It looks interesting but also sorta 'You don't want to invest in the normal combat stuff'. As you spend actions making your lions attack so you are better off with Reflex for 'Stay alive while lions maul'.

At least, if I'm reading it right. I could be wrong.

>>51704931
It's kinda wonky because the mechanics lobotomize your lions. They can make attacks as Simple Actions when they're wild, but only Complex Actions when they're trained. It's purely a game balance thing, but it's still a little weird.
Problems with the school include some social ones. It's not strictly a secret, but the fact that the Lion clan literally has lion tamers is not advertised, to maintain shock value. And dragging strange and dangerous beasts around with you is going to get a more active response than raised eyebrows from most Rokugani.

>>51704954

Right so 'Talk to the GM about if the school will be remotely usable of if the cats will be in whatever the cat version of a stable all game' is the main concern?

Do the cats hold up as actual combatants? I'm kinda new to the game but am a sucker for animal companions. I was looking at going Reflex/Awareness and being an archer (I won't get SAA attacks but I'll be my actions for Cat Attack most of the time so the archery is mostly for time when melee isn't an option and being very survivable)

>>51704901
Where in the book can I find costs for Kiho anyway?

>>51704954
Nigga if a matsu rolls by with a fucking lion the last thing I'm gonna do don't question him. Because he's a samurai, a matsu, and he has a goddamn lion

>>51704997
Looking at their stats, they seem fairly decent. They might start to fall off at the high ranks, but they do get buffs. I dunno if those buffs are actually good enough, but there they are.

>>51705008
The sidebar on page 231 and then the sidebar on page 266 for non-brotherhood characters.

>>51705008
Nevermind I'm dumb i found it, 231, exp cost = mastery lvl

>>51705024

Fear is one of the great sins, anon.

>>51704901
>other monks get rank+ring but pay more
It was clarified that page 261 is the official stance.

>Non-Brotherhood characters who may be eligible to purchase Kiho (see the sidebar Kiho and Non-Brotherhood Kiho) use only their Ring to determine if they may purchase a Kiho.

>>51702430

I don't think they wear their hair in a 'maiden's foxtail' anymore.

Did they ever release that book they mentioned at the end of book of the void or something? the one that gives other races like nezumi access to schools?

>>51708108
There are a pile of non-human schools around. The Kenku, Naga, Nezumi, Tsuno, and free Ogres all have real schools.

>>51704954
>>51704997
At higher levels you get 2 and then 3 lions, and the ability to order a lion to attack as a simple action. And any lion not attacking is assumed to be guarding you. Combine with level 7 animal handling and you can give them any order non verbally ( attack is nonverbal by default for matsu Tamera)

The lion's themselves are as strongly as a bushi sure, but you can attack two different enemies while also automatically being guarded by the third lion. The action economy gets insane

>>51709378

Ok, cool.

Do you think the idea of going more heavily on Air rather than Fire myself makes sense? Since I've got those lions to attack.

Also lets me grab Iajutsu and social stuff which could be nice.

>>51706175

Do they tie their obi differently as well?

>>51713798
I don't think so. I'm pretty sure men and women wear different obi thicknesses and tie them differently, but I don't think there's a distinct difference between married and unmarried female obi.