Legend of the Five Rings General: Totally Not Necromancers Edition

I really like lions ancestor worship theme so im pretty happy it made it into core.

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>>53841721
Like a retard I forgot to link the preview in the OP for anyone who hasn't seen it yet: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/6/14/masters-of-war/

Even my GM thinks I'm way out of character when I play a sane Lion.

>>53841869
are you a Matsu?
because then he'd be right

>>53841829
Who is this penis erector?

>>53841901

I do have the Black Sheep disadvantage...

I swear to god if the Crab get trounced in battle by go home cards every single time again I'm going to be so fucking pissed...

>>53842194
Well they're probably more defensively powerful than pure offensively and I figure can maybe negate go home effects when on the back foot or something.

Dragon: [Clothing Optional]

>>53842094
An Ikoma scout. It's card art.

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>>53842586

I wasn't sure I'd be real keen on lion but the spoiler makes them look super fun.

Waiting on Phoenix week before settle on my allegiance.

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>>53842156

How rare are void shugenja? Would having two void shugenja in one party be an odds-defying occurrence?

>>53844241
Incredibly. There generally only a few dozen alive at any given moment. Also watch out a few Void spells are very degenerate in play. I have a Rank 2 Void shugenja in my game and he can basically make any Lore skill roll at 10k10 + four or five raises after throwing about three or four spells. Shit is insane. He doesn't even have to burn a void to get skilled in the Lore as the fucker took Sage.

>>53844241

Extreme rarity, but possibly not odds-defying to have two in one party. They all should know each other, or at least be aware of each other. They're also pretty independent by samurai standards. So having two of them working together for some void-oriented goal isn't that implausible. If they don't have some goal related to their special nature, it'd probably be fate and destiny making them come together. Or it could be both, of course.

>>53844241
For most of the setting, they're very rare and almost all trained by the Phoenix (Because nobody else has the knowhow and the Phoenix usually offer big returns in exchange for the voidy), although around when the Colonies come into play, Void shugenjas start becoming common enough that the Phoenix can't nab them all and the other schools start to develop curriculums for it.
There are no mechanics for this change in the status quo, and non-Isawa trained ishiken still need to hit rank 2 before they can actually learn any void spells.

>>53844336
>>53844438
>>53844845

Bene Gesserit breeding program.

>>53844241
>Would having two void shugenja in one party be an odds-defying occurrence?
Less than some might think, particularly in the modern AEG era, after Phoenix stopped strongarming the other clans into giving up their void shugenja as much / couldn't police the number of void shugenja that were appearing / other clans reached a critical mass of knowledge to teach their own void shugenja from the few they had kept over a thousand years.

Plus, even though there's low chance for shugenja among the total population, they cluster. You'll find abso-fucking-lutely none in just about every dirt farming peasant village or bushi dojo, but when you find a clan shugenja in a clan shugenja library, there's going to be more than just one working alone.

>>53844336
>I have a Rank 2 Void shugenja in my game and he can basically make any Lore skill roll at 10k10 + four or five raises after throwing about three or four spells
... but to do that, he has to blow through 3-4 spell slots. OTOH, a Brotherhood monk can manage 7k6 on all Lore rolls all day erry day. with just 3 Int, Sage, one Fire kiho, and a 7xp ancestor.

So I'm currently writing up an adventure for my group. I'm the forever GM (but it's okay, I actually like it) but this is my first time doing samurai stuff.

So my idea is that through a convoluted series of manipulations, a cabal of Scorpion with little upward mobility manage to put a young inexperienced teen as the daimyo of the Bayushi. The idea is to have an easily manipulated puppet. Except he turns out to be anything but. Yeah, he's still incompetent as shit, but he's that special brand of incompetent where he doesn't know it and refuses to listen to reason. So instead of a puppet they can use to further their own plans, they've placed a stubborn fucking moron who soon proves to be completely fucking insane on the most powerful seat in the Clan. And what's worse, due to their manipulations, the dude actually has backers.

Due to their complex relationship with duty and loyalty to the Clan, even the Scorpions who realize the dude is a fucking assclown can't really do much unless they want to risk a civil war and the Scorpion imploding when the other Great Clans pounce on them. And assassinating the guy is too public and too risky, not to mention that it would most likely lead to the loyalists nailing people to the ghost trees for treason. So the Bayushi relations with the other families decline, the rest of the Empire gets even worse, and shit's looking like it's about to explode.

Basically, the plan by the original conspirators is to invite the party to court and hope this somehow leads to the crazy daimyo either getting killed (or at least put in a situation where they can do it themselves and pass it off that way) or going too far even for his own supporters.

More or less, court shenanigans where the head honcho is fucking nuts, and even the "good guys" want you dead. Probability of duels and straight fighting high as well.

Yay or nay?

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>>53849394
There's a distinct problem here. The Bayushi daimyo is the clan champion. The clan champion has a very simple test to confirm their legitimacy. They pick up the celestial sword of the Scorpion from a room of dozens of exact copies, and they don't die by choosing incorrectly, because the legit champion can see which one is the real sword. When the champion dies, the sword returns to this room, where magic keeps them clean and swaps their positions regularly.

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>>53849394

>Bayushi Joffery in control of the Scorpion

Id like to see that just for the schadenfreude

>>53849532
Cheating. Or there's an exception due to extenuating circumstances. Or something something magic.

>>53849620
Well it's the scorpions we are talking about, so cheating may as well count as legit winning... as long as nobody finds out.

>>53849559
I was actually thinking more along the lines of the Centauri emperor in Babylon 5.

>>53849656
Scorpions trick and deceive everyone, but the truth of the Champion being a lie would bring up questions about what a good, loyal Scorpion would do if ever finding out.

And Scorpion are really good at finding out secrets in their special way.

I used to enjoy L5R fictions, in the Iuchiban era most notably, but I think I stopped caring when they went to the Ivory Kingdoms and !NotKali invaded to get btfo by Daigotsu.
On the gaming side, last I recall is FFG announcing they'll redo it. So how is this "Living Card Game®" sounding to you ? I've never got one, I just heard they're somewhat cheaper than MTG style distribution as all cards are fixed, is that the case ?

>>53854244
Its a complete reset to before the scorpion coup a few minor to moderate changes so far. I figure we are in for Day of Thunder II: The Second Second Thundering but the path there amd where we go after might look very different. I hope they have better long term plans for the Dragon and if they bring the Nothing back it is more well executed than the hot mess of the Hidden Emperor era.

Also hoping for less choose your own tournament win results and more planned "if x faction wins y happens" that players can't fuck with. That shit was part of why the story went off the rails

>>53855507
You didn't like the Nezumi stuff? I mean, it was totally in line with the established setting and was totally not someone just trolling the community by making the dumbest choice he could.

Also, part of the problem was the fact that whoever won or lost, the design teams clearly had their own agenda. Because the Spider and Mantis sure as shit didn't win every event, but they somehow came out on top all the time anyway.

>>53855591
The hidden emperor era, worse than any era after, was a fucking mess. You can argue about story quality dipping down later but at least it didn't later on have to be retconned as the endless series of contradictory events happening due to lack of editorial control being a feature of time itself fraying

>>53855507
>Its a complete reset to before the scorpion coup
Wow, that takes us way back. And yes, as much as I loved some parts of the fluff, some were really badly executed.
Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye on it.

Bampu

>>53851557

But what if every champion till now was a trickster, and the essence of the scorpions chapion it to be one, would't that mean that the truth of the champion would be a lie and vice versa ? What if the champion makes tha blade and the first time they use them they go like "what what the fuck, it wasn't supposed to do that" and jsut try to keep their act together,

>>53855591
>part of the problem was the fact that whoever won or lost, the design teams clearly had their own agenda

Wasn't just that. Like the race for the throne had weird as fuck "if x clan wins, clan which is in y spot on the liat gets dissolved" and the Scorpion players threw it to avoid fucking the Dragon over. And player directed win results. I can't stress that enough since it means you have to bend over backwards to some extent for the writers rather than having a preset if so and so wins, so and so character we have already decided gets a boost. The first tournament for FFG is confirmed to have a story reward, probably for the now vacant Emerald Champion position. Hopefully the actual character who gets it for any given clan is decided beforehand preventing say a Lion who wins demanding their rando Akodo Gunso or Kitsu shugenja they won with being the newly crowned EC.

So while we're on the subject of tournament winnings determining story, was the decision to go "well, fuck the Toturi immediately" a story team decision or a player decision? Because while I wasn't a huge fan of a Lion imperial family, the entire fucking dynasty collapsing almost immediately in order to bring about a fucking retarded storyline was even dumber.

>>53858803
>and the Scorpion players threw it to avoid fucking the Dragon over
The sad part of this is, getting hit by the RFTT "loss" would have been a good thing for the Dragon. Doubly so (triply so) considering the story team never really had a "thing" for the Dragon after 2DoT, and minding the Spider was fucking shite. Better than putting Iweko on the throne, too. So many people looked at it as a finality, when in truth it was being disbanded, but also a massive amount of story time on a platter, then a return to being a great clan. Doing that to the Spider was not the smartest move.

>>53858881
>was the decision to go "well, fuck the Toturi immediately" a story team decision or a player decision?
The story team clearly had something in the wings when the rest of the Toturi siblings died off in short order with no heirs. That was on them.

>>53858891
>considering the story team never really had a "thing" for the Dragon
Well, to be fair, they didn't really have a "thing" for most of the clans. Honestly, how many of them were actually portrayed as actually important to the plot?

>>53858919
You think FFG has realized this and made plans for it or will they be blindsided too?

>>53858919
Not even talking about "important to the plot" - the Dragon struggled to form a clan identity or clan duty that didn't revolve around Togashi's goal of using the entire empire to kick Fu Leng's ass a second time. That was all he did for a thousand years. Once it was done and he was dead, it was really tough to fill those shoes and that purpose with something else. No other clan had that problem, because their duty was more direct, and their Kami either was still sticking around but no biggie (Phoenix), or died long ago.

>>53859106
Take that from the metatextual and make it literal in universe and that in and of itself could have been a good plot to explore honestly. The Dragon quest for identity as a people

Would the Emperor ever hold Imperial Winter Court at one of the Lion strongholds?

>>53859374
Can and has. Every clan has hosted the Emperor at least once, even the Crab though when the Emperor picks them it is usually to soft punish someone be it his court or the Crab themselves

>>53859399

That said, I've been trying to figure out a place that hasn't hosted the Emperor's Imperial Winter Court yet for the next campaign arc.

>>53859368
They did that. It wasn't great.

>>53859446
In the 1000+ years that Rokugan has been around, there has been at least one emperor in each Kyuden. If it's not a kyuden, it's not fit to host an imperial winter court.

>>53859446
Every place that can host an imperial winter court is called a kyuden / palace. Not all kyuden are actually capable, (ie; Kyuden Kitsune) but everywhere that is officially sanctioned for hosting has already done so at some point, unless it was built recently.

I hope they keep the Kolat, The Merchant's Guide to Rokugan is one of my favourite RPG books.

Are only the Emperor's (or Empress's) direct family allowed to keep the family name? Aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. join the cadet or other imperial families?

>>53859692
The current emperor's kids keep the name. When an heir takes the throne, all the others are moved to the Otomo family.

>>53859692
Only the Emperor themselves and the heir designate. Other siblings join one of the others, usually Otomo rarely Seppun and never Miya at least so far.

>>53859847
Otomo Jama was the younger brother and he renounced his name to be an Otomo before his brother was crowned yet.

>>53859462
You would think it could have been decent. Bad writers or bad ideas being pushed by the kotei wins?

>>53860737
>Bad writers or bad ideas being pushed by the kotei wins?
Both, plus the fact that this isn't Legend Of The Dragon Clan to let them focus on it for a length of time that would make it coherent and well fleshed out. The memories of when they sent the monks into the empire, etc. and when watching the Spider (/sucking, because the Spider have plot armour on being naughty) became the official Dragon clan duty are a bit mixed, too.

Heaven's Net was the turning point where I stopped giving a shit what the Dragon did in-story, looking back.

I saw some talk about a high IR campaign in the previous thread and that got me thinking. Would a high IR campaign be too easy for the player characters?

>>53861948
>Would a high IR campaign be too easy for the player characters?
Depends on what you want to do, and whether the GM goes full Dynasty Warriors with hordes of mooks.

>>53861622
Being Dragon Clan is suffering I guess. Good thing I like Crane. At least we get purpose. What do you think FFG might do to keep the Dragon relevant after Togashi is inevitably gone.

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So what's your favorite card previewed for any faction so far? I'm torn between Kakita 'Send Your Whole Army Home, Fampai' Kaezin or the Kitsu Spirit Caller who lets you do literal deck necromancy with putting characters into play for one conflict at no cost and then putting them back into your live draw deck rather than the discard pile again.

>>53862657
Dude forgot to die his beard

Do we know what the deck building rules are yet?

>>53863454
Not too well. 40-45 cards per deck, and we do know the rules about how to use another faction's conflict cards but if there's going to be some special other rules out there I haven't seen anything to that effect.

>>53862437
>Being Dragon Clan is suffering I guess.
Mostly not that bad. L5R has a certain grognardia as the story is a big part of it, and story + time = change. Not always for the subjective better. This was pretty much explained to me outright when I started playing the CCG - and that was near the start of Diamond, when an even older, groggier group was losing members to change. I thought I'd be different.

>>53858803
The Scorpion did not throw the Race. AEG fucked over them by making the last leg a popularity contest worth quadruple the points of any other leg. Since the Spider stood to be "eliminated" by the Dragon winning the playerbase went anti-Spider. Had the last leg been worth "normal" points the Scorpion had it sewed up.

>>53864945
>First Story Prize is Emerald Championship

Going to be a bit hard with it being a 2 clans/1 deck thing.

>>53855507
>I figure we are in for Day of Thunder II: The Second Second Thundering but the path there and where we go after might look very different.
If we get another Hidden Emperor, I hope there's no Honourable Dragon Movement to pull Hitomi back from the edge, and we get a Dragon villain done well.

Has there ever been a villainous Phoenix who wasn't just ARGHBLARGH FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE CORRUPTION MAHOU?

>>53867411
Not a Phoenix Player but my understanding is yes.
Normal insane by powerful Magic are possible.
Both Isawa Sezaru and to a lesser extend Shiba Mirabu had it with the last wish.
Also just normal angry revenge can happen, for example the Crane Shugenja family founder just went around exploding village because he was pissed.
in the 4ed core book, the Shiba guy is also trying to start a war.

On a scale of 1-10, how badly do you thing FFG will fuck up the new RPG?

>>53866689
Nah, since one clan is your primary even if you're running like Lion/unicorn and won it'd be a Lion win

>>53868649
Depends how close they let Fischer get. He's the special dice guy but he's also busy running their entire Star Wars line.

>>53868649

Doesn't FFG own RnK now? It seems like a waste if they just shelve the mechanical system that was, correct me if I'm wrong here, invented for L5R and made L5R.

>>53868649
Honestly, not too bad. L5R has always mostly been a setting and fluff game, with the mechanics hovering around "broken but passable". It'd be hard to introduce something more broken than what already existed, or to fuck up the system much worse than a game in which a majority of weapons, combat skills, school techniques and whatnot are useless.

>>53868649
Depends if they stay on RnK or decide to use special dices.
But I wonder what they'll add to it to justify the new edition, if I remember 4th was mostly about covering any era you wish, and didn't change much from 3rd.

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Storytime!

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FML if a C-c-c-combo breaker happens.

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Thus ends the tale of the 47 Bronin
~fin~

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>sauce: http://ypcomic.com/47bronin/

Emporer Brozekiel the Grudgeless approves of these posts

>>53870567
bro...

Random question: Reading up on duels, and ran across a kind of pointless but dumb fluff thingie. It is stated that duelists will make upward slashes. Now, as far as I know, katana were sheathed edge facing up precisely to facilitate a smoother and more forceful downward stroke of the blade. Do Rokugani samurai carry their swords edge down for some reason, am I misunderstanding how iaijutsu works, or is this just a miss by the designers?

>>53870567
In Brokugan this tale of dudes and broshido apparently goes down in the Crab Clan for some reason. I guess Hiruma seemed the best revenge obsessed family for such a drama to unfold in?

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>>53873205
They probably shift the edge before duels, like pic related (just a random image I found on the net).

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>>53873205
Twist the scabbard around in your sash just before you draw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwmPKYPb-lw

Or the guy who wrote that had things confused with the tachi, or simply didn't think about it all.

>>53873355
It makes even less sense when you consider the fact the same section describes Mirumoto dueling. Namely, swords already drawn, arms at your sides, and making an upward slash with your katana while using the wakizashi for defense. The blatant cheating aside (because the Dragon not having to draw has always been a thing) it makes little sense for them to strike as described if their swords are already drawn.

Also, for a setting trying so hard to not be animu, a lot of the dueling fiction sure goes into "dash past each other with the loser falling over seconds later" territory despite that being quite different from a iaijutsu strike.

>>53874154
The Mirumoto start with their swords drawn is only because it's near impossible to draw both swords and strike in one movement. They stick with the same basic motions specifically so that it isn't cheating. They still pull from the side like everyone else.

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>>53874154
>Also, for a setting trying so hard to not be animu, a lot of the dueling fiction sure goes into "dash past each other with the loser falling over seconds later" territory despite that being quite different from a iaijutsu strike.

Well, amine did inherit that from old samurai movies, didn't it?

>>53859382
If it is a Kyuden, then yeah. Those are specifically up to the standard of hosting the Emperor.

>>53877624
Generally yes, but there are a couple Kyuden that are only called that because an emperor decided to honor the family that owns the area. IIRC, one of them owned by a minor clan would barely even qualify as a shiro if it had to stand on its own merits.

>>53877804
It's "Kyuden" Suzume, the Sparrow Clan's only noteworthy holding. For most of its existence, it could be mistaken for a very well fortified stable.

Could someone please help me optimize a social focused shugenja?

>>53878763
Step 1 is be air focused. Step 2 is investing in courtier skills plus a game or something. Step 3 is being the darling of the court, the belle of the ball, what have you.

>>53867411
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Dairya

>>53878858
You missed a step. Take Benten's Blessing and possibly Voice and/or Dangerous Beauty.

>>53869763
>if I remember 4th was mostly about covering any era you wish, and didn't change much from 3rd.
4th is a pretty significant shift from 3rd, insofar as the four editions vary. Page 11 of 4e core lists the details.

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>>53874154
>Also, for a setting trying so hard to not be animu
Bitch, please.

>>53879176
I cannot for the lift of me figure out what is happening with the sword on the left. It seems like he flips it around?

>>53879952
AFAICT, he draws the shorter sword with a backhanded grip, twists it sideways, then cuts along his opponent's chest.

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Goodnight friends. I leave you with the glorious face of our harem protagonist hero to meditate on as you ready for bed

>>53882239
needs more Crab

>>53873205
Actually, you carried your sword with the saya curve facing downward in most circumstances to reduce friction on the edge of the blade as you moved around in daily life.
Unofficially this was also done to make it harder to draw-cut which meant while you were walking around with your sword you were being peaceable and such.

In a lot of old samurai films before shit gets real you see them flip they saya around to curve pointed upwards just before a fight or whole in a tense situation, the samurai equivalent of taking the safety off of your gun and doing a brass check.
Inevitably characters who wear it edge-up ALL the time are shown to be aggressive or violent, as their posture and how they wear their weapon are subtle indications of being willing to kill at any moment.

>>53882239
I wonder if we'll see Akodo Kage.

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>>53883456

Fuck I hope not

If they bring back the Kolat, it would be the worst fucking mistake FFG could make

>>53884335
I hope they bring them back, a human-centric conspiracy is good in the setting.

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>>53884705
>a human-centric conspiracy is good in the setting

Gozoku are a better fit. Bloodspeakers are also better.

Kolat was retarded and didn't fit the setting in any way shape or form.

>>53884778
Gozoku don't have the "fuck the kami" attitude, and the Bloodspeakers are still using Maho, their taint being hold by Iuchiban's Khadi magic, iirc.

Kolat are great and totally fit the setting.

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>>53884816
>Kolat are great and totally fit the setting

I don't agree. Not only was it retarded foreign influence, but as a storyline tool it ruined one of my favorite clans, and proceeded to taint half the setting.

No, kolat is awful. The setting doesn't need anti-god communist jihad conspiracy group

>>53884859
They're from the early tribes of Rokugan, some them went to the Burning Sands with the Ki Rin and established the Qolat there.
I don't see where you get the communist jihad vibe. They're more like bond villains imho.

>>53849394

Just don't have it be the Bayushi daimyo.

That's it. Your entire plot and everything makes perfect sense, fits in the setting, and could actually be super interesting. Could be literally any other Scorpion lord and it'd work without even the slightest tweak or forced-fit. Even local lords are incredibly important in their own district.

Just step it down one notch of scale and the whole idea works perfectly.

Read up on the setting and somehow I'm in love with the crab clan from a lore standpoint. Fuck honor and pretention, hold back the Shadowlands. I'm concerned their playstyle might suck though, so I need to see their cards soon FFG please.

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>>53884911
>They're more like bond villains imho

They would be if they didn't always win\get away with it. Bloodspeakers are more Bond Villains since they never do anything of worth, and serve only to get punched out but the good guys.

I'd like the see a "kolat" type group be more in like with the historical Ikko-Ikki. That would actually work in L5R because it would fit theme and flavor. and it wouldn't be some bastardized arabian bullshit

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>>53884943
>Fuck honor

Please don't perpetuate that stereotype, you wont make any friends.

Understand that Honor and Duty are your creed, and that defending others (even assholes) is your Honor and calling.

Don't perpetuate the "asshole crab" stereotype, please.

>>53884859
>>53884778
>>53884335
>>53884965

>historical anything
>fitting the theme and flavor

Fuck RIGHT off. Tell me, what, exactly, doesn't fit the 'theme and flavor' of L5R about the Kolat?

>>53884965
>They would be if they didn't always win\get away with it.
I won't say that, they appear quite strong, but they had a purge by Toturi (possesed by LD), one by Togashi, one by Shinjo, Moto Chen, Kaelung, internal conflicts with Yasuki Taka and finally the Scorpion raiding the Hidden Temple.

As for the Ikko-Ikki yes, it could be interesting. But again, the Kolat aren't arabian, the splinter sect was funded by Rokugani migrants with the Ki Rin.

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>>53885056
>Tell me, what, exactly, doesn't fit the 'theme and flavor' of L5R about the Kolat?

Its not Asian. If this was a 1st Edition discussion, I would say "they aren't Japanese"

But ultimately, the kolat don't fit a game about fucking SAMURAI

>>53885150

You haven't actually explained anything.

Also, Rokugani Samurai have about as much in common with Japanese Samurai as DnD Bards have in common with Celtic Bards.

Which is to say... they share a name and use similar tools.

>>53885150
Are you retarded ? What's not asian about spies, assassins and conspiracy ?
Are the Scorpion not Asian? The Unicorn?

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>>53885187

Ok maybe the kolat are Mao'ist asian, but its more politics then culture.

>The Unicorn?

Because of the Kolat, the Unicorn as a clan went the furthest fucking downhill of anything in the setting
>1st Ed Unicorn
>Rich because of trade routes
>picked up lots of cool knowledge from the burning sands
>noblesse oblige, genuinly care about everyone in the clan

>Post Shinjo Purge
>Foreign Moto take over
>become warmongers
>Shinjo family gets to clean the stalls. Shinjo Bushi School becomes one of the worst schools in the whole game
>Being foreign is the largest point of culture the clan has

>>53885182
>You haven't actually explained anything.
Am I on trial here? I dislike the Kolat as a hamfisted narrative tool and completely unnecessary anti-god jihad conspiracy. My reasons are because they don't fit the theme of the game (which is about samurai\honor\magic\asian fantasy), and I disagree with the storyteam decision to make 95% of the Unicorn Kolat and then have the clan get gutted and given to the (foreign) Moto to rule.

>>53885328

Anti-theist, anti-establishment conspiracies are about the most Chinese thing in the god damn world, and have been for centuries. Seriously.

Look, we get it. You like(d) the Unicorn (also, listing 'the school mechanically sucked' as an honest-to-god, unironic reason you dislike the Kolat kind of tanks your entire argument) and you were pissed about how that worked out. That's fine. That's a personal beef.

I mean, you know that the Kolat are deeply mystical, right? They have (had) an entire sect devoted to dream magic, a sect devoted to combatting the Shadowlands, a magical crystal ball, literal magical mind control powers...

Also, you keep using the word 'jihad'. We get it. You know the etymology of 'assassin', and we're all very proud of you, but pretending that that somehow negates every other zealous cult with a counterculture agenda and brainwashing that's ever existed is ludicrous.

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>>53885464
>honest-to-god, unironic reason

One of the interesting things about L5R is that mechanics are built and follow the evolving story. Its why you can't run a Pre-Clan War story using 4th Ed because so many Schools are radically different, some things don't even exist yet. However, I think the 4th Ed history splats give rules changes to reflect the difference. Thats the point I was making - Shinjo Family got pushed to the back of the line (in shame) and as such, everything about them suffered, while the Moto School went from interesting to the clans premier bushi school, and reflected all the changes - and from what I gather, its a pretty good school as well.

>We get it
You dont, your giving me too much credit. Part of my issue with the Kolat was it's "burning sands arabian" nature, and it always came off as very foreign to me. saying "jihad" is basically a reference to that. Even if it has roots in pre-fall "rokugani" it honestly doesn't much matter.

Also, am I wrong, or are the kolat not even against the idea of reincarnation, and therefore, the celestial hierarchy caste system? They seem to be entirely about "no gods, only man (but are fine with kings)." I've never heard of kolat pissed that an entire class of people get treated like literal sub-human scum - but I could be wrong

>That's fine. That's a personal beef

Apparently it isnt. Not liking the kolat is apparently against the rules around here.

You have to understand that I've been bitter about L5R storyline since Hidden Emperor, and thats cool, because I run predominately in Pre-Clan War and I let my players write the history through their actions. I stopped caring about the story\metaplot a loooooong time ago.
FFG rebooting things is a neat event, and I'm just hoping they leave out shit I hate. Like the Kolat, and Toturi becoming Emperor. The Unicorn are likely still fucked, but I've got an open mind on that one.

>>53885328
You're just a bitter Shinjo then. Also, jihad means divine crusade, so you should stop saying they're an anti-god jihad, it only sounds stupid.

They fit the game as much as the Scorpion, the Yasuki merchants, the Daidoji Harriers, or the Ikoma Spymasters.

It's alright to not like things anon, but assume it's because you're a Shinjofag and don't invent things.

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>>53885633
>You're just a bitter Shinjo then.

I disagree with bitter vitriol, the decision to make one of the nicer noblebright clans into 95% backstabbing assholes, only for the clan to get gutted and given to schoolyard bullies.

Its less about being "a bitter shinjo" and more being a bitter fan that hated the black and white instant change from how they were written, to how they became. Its like "merchants guide to rokugan" was the biggest bullshit ever.

>>53885328
>Am I on trial here?
Nope, but if you strongly hate something and want to talk about it online, people might just want to know what's making it such a thing for you. Especially if they don't get it or don't feel as strongly.

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>>53885838

Well I hope I've explained my issues to satisfaction. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, and I haven't been trying to change minds. My whole issue is "I hope FFG leaves the kolat in the trash pile along with the spider clan"

>>53885882
I have to agree on the Unicorn part.
AEG made a complete mockery of the clan known for its "compassion".
On the kolat matter, I like the idea, but the execution was not what I expected.
Still, I think there is some potential, especially as another anon mentioned with the chinese philosophy aspect of it.

>>53885882
Yeah, I understand your issues with the unicorn, as I wasn't one of their fans it never struck me.
I hope for my part that FFG handles the Kolat better this time, but they can leave the spider clan behind, yes.

>>53885679
>Its like "merchants guide to rokugan" was the biggest bullshit ever.
Speaking of, does anyone have a link to a copy?

I just woke up.

There are people who like the kolat? Really? No one I've ever played with has liked them.

>>53887090
No, that was a bad dream. Go back to sleep.

Also, I'm thinking of using L5R as a tool to break the youngest members of my gaming group of their D20-inspired metafuckery and stats obsession. I'm making their characters. The most inexperienced one is getting an Ide courtier built around Sincerity and playing Go. The teenaged edgelord I'm making a Suzume bushi for with a love of compassion and the respect of the common folk. The other two who aren't awful I'm going to work with to make their characters.

What's a good way to immediately show that this is a world that doesn't operate by asshole murderhobo rules?

>>53887445
If they can't ascertain that by reading the book you might have a problem on your hands

>>53887445
Honor doesn't seem to do anything unless you're using that one optional rule or are playing one of the few schools with honor as a power source. You can still be an asshole fairly easily.

>>53887445
Don't give the edgelord the worst bushi school in the whole game.

>>53887859
>You can still be an asshole fairly easily.
Being honourable doesn't prevent you being an asshole, either. Particularly if you're any good at public bragging about how honourable you are and your recent glorious exploits.

>>53887920
I'm pretty sure you lose honor for bragging. Honor is a personal gauge, glory is the public one, and they're pretty much unrelated to each other.

>>53887946
>I'm pretty sure you lose honor for bragging
Nope. Lion do it all the time. It's one of those little twists on expected behaviour that Rokugani samurai do.

>>53887859
>the few schools with honor as a power source. You can still be an asshole fairly easily.
To even the score just houserule that Lion bushi can use their other Honor.

Some people live for their pride, some live for a cause. If you expect to get anywhere, you'll need a mixture of both as your subordinates.

>>53887946
The tenet of Bushido that is "Honor" is better translated as "Pride". Being proud of what you've down and bragging is honorable. Humility as a virtue is a western thing.

>>53887445
>No, that was a bad dream. Go back to sleep.
Thank the various gods

>>53887090
>>53888730
I like them actually.

>>53888981
Why? You realize that if they win then the Nothing consumes reality, right?

>>53889017
I must have missed the part where the kami are protecting reality from the Nothing, my bad.
And mostly because I like the concept of a pro-human conspiracy that isn't tainted.

>>53889292
>I must have missed the part where the kami are protecting reality from the Nothing, my bad.

You did.

Do Battle Maidens have to be female?

>>53890011
Yes

>>53889476
Fuck, I'll read again some books. I guess that makes Jin-Kuen's "new" Kolat more sensible than the traditionalists.
It's kind of ironic, as they even had "white ninjas" to fight the Lying Darkness minions.
I still like them, though. Sorry anon.

>>53890067
I want to be the cool horse guy but I don't want to be a girl.

>>53890521
Moto are also good on horses.

>>53890521
RYW. The female only clubs are a relique from old times, when the game was still ewritten with the lore handling the setting as mostly patriachic.
The equality introduced in later editions killed the latter part, but they never removed the women clubs for obvious reasons.

>>53887876
How is the Sparrow School the worst Bushi school?

>>53887593
They haven't read the book yet. I'm still in the planning stage, as I just announced that I'll be running it in two weeks on Saturday.

>>53890521
Moto and Shinjo both have a slew of rad horse schools. Try Shinjo bushi, be the only one in the group with an active party and horsemanship makes you better at fucking anything via their void shenanigans

>>53893598
Let them read and try to decide characters on their own. See if they learn it on their own. If they both turn in Hida murder hobos let them then use the social rules of the setting to train them like one would a dog.

>>53893581
They hardly get any bonuses to being a bushi from their school techs. It's worse than generic ronin.

>>53893581
Their very first, most basic technique is a complete trap. The bonus you get is one round only, but the penalty is for the whole fight and stacks with itself.
The rest of their techniques aren't great either, and that one that only gives them storytelling bonuses isn't even up to par with similar techniques for similar skills.

>>53894405
To be fair, the Sparrow (and all of the Book of Water section stuff) is optional rules that are to be used with GM approval only. This is how shit an actual Sparrow bushi would be if a great clanner would encounter one.

was considering building a Bayushi junshin for hits and giggles, main idea being a yojimbo for a courtier, acting as his dueling champion, but kept unaware of the more dishonorable actions of his charge, maybe even have the courtier be secretly a shinobi (most likely a Shosuro). Only reason this junshin is allowed to be more active this way of course being his incredibly skill with the sword, and in a duel, plus the fact that he's so honorable it serves a something of a distraction or even a shield for his charge

How would you go about doing this? Advantages, disadvantages, mostly, since he'd have to go for either the Bayushi bushi school, or take Different School and probably go for Kakita or Akodo bushi

>>53889017
It's an inevitable result anyway.

>>53896595
Keep wide your jaws, Ammut. The darkness is denied day in and day out whatever face you call the Nothing and so shall the struggle go on evermore.

>>53895471
This mostly takes being a good duelist and your gm being a good sport if the courtier isn't a fellow player. Maybe black sheep I guess?

>>53895471
How ok are you with Intimidation? Saigo's Blades (Book of Air 173) at rank 3 gives Assessment bonuses vs anyone you have previously intimidated, and allows you to fake your duelling stats when checked.

Then you get an appointment to the Emerald Magistrates, take your SAA technique at rank 4, and ask your GM for access to Kenburo's Way (Imperial Histories 123-124) at rank 5. Now you can intimidate someone when entering a duel and prevent their dice from exploding during Assessment & Focus.

If there are any other ranks you don't like of the Bayushi bushi, you might ask about the Fireman Gang Lord ronin rank 2 technique (Strongholds 169), which adds your Intimidation skill rank to all contested social skill rolls. That's a bit more out there, though.

>>53897582
that kind of build could work even better with the Soshi Magistrate (Emerald Empire 171) as the base school for the bonus to intimidation

However, I'm not sure a junshin would go so low as to intimidate so openly

>>53897366

GM is a good sport, though this concept is coming up mostly reactionary to one of the others considering playing a Shosuro Infiltrator, although still unknown if he'll be masquerading as a courtier or bushi when not shinobi-ing around

Are Heavy weapons worth it or should I just be a sword Crab?

>>53898208
For Hida Bushi you 100% want tetsubo (or dai-tsuchi if you're feeling raunchy, never Ono). If you're playing Hiruma, sword is the better choice.

How old is the standard new PC supposed to be? They're meant to be fresh out of the dojo, at least skill wise if anything, right? What's the age range on that?

>>53898581
Gempukku is 16 barring the odd prodigy. Most starting characters don't have to be fresh from that, you do get 20 bonus exp but unless you served a dull life as a ji-samurai city guard or something I think most people with more than a few years of serving their lords might have a bit more.

>>53898620
How hard is 20 experience to get in game?

>>53898662
XP rewards are arbitrary, so it depends on your GM. 4 to 6 XP a week is normal.

>>53897851
>that kind of build could work even better with the Soshi Magistrate
You'd have to ask about transferring Saigo's to the Magistrate; prereq is Bayushi Bushi.

I figure Junshin would avoid verbal intimidation most of the time, but cultivating an oppressive duelling aura would be ok. Especially if you warn your opponent before the duel as part of intimidating them. Even Junshin aren't perfectly honourable, having exceptions and breaking points. Otherwise that AEG Junshin guy would have chosen death rather than working over that innocent samurai when the other Scorpion got tired of their honourable antics, and you should probably start off with Different School: Kakita Bushi and Virtuous.

>>53898256
What's wrong with Ono?

>>53898730
It has less value than the others. Once you hit 10kX, every 2 over you convert to 0k1. This works in reverse too so the damage value of an ono is 0k4, which converts to 8k0 in a sense. Meanwhile, Tetsubo's 3k3 back-converts to 9k0, same with Dai Tsuchi.

Or at least that's the rough principle. If you do the math, the Tetsubo just does more damage basically all the time. Off the top of my head, Ono does (slightly) more damage at +6k0 and +8k0, but any other value Tetsubo wins. So after you take into account your three+ strength, hida bushi bonus, large (you are taking large, aren't you?), potential bonus from kata, other misc bonuses that might add slight boosts to damage, and extra damage from raises, Tetsubo is far and away the better all around pick.

I'm a new player trying to build a Hida Crab and I really can't figure out how to customize it properly, so as to not end up shitty. Which Rings should I emphasize on? Which skills outside of Heavy Weaponry? It feels like most of them could be handy, but I obviously can't get them all.

>>53898873
Out of the box you want:
-Earth 3
-Strength 3
-Agility 3
-Heavy Weapons 3 or 4
If your family is Hida or Hiruma, this will only cost you 29-33 XP.

After that it's up to you to determine a sub-specialization. The easiest route here is to spend 12 XP to get perception 3. Investigation is the most important skill if you go this route, followed by hunting, then battle (battle is usually pretty ass to be completely frank, but your GM might be the type that lets you use it). Always have at least 1 rank of etiquette and courtier, just in case. Having the option for a preform is a good idea, and there are a few that are keyed off of agility instead of awareness. If you go water 3, you can pick up the kata Waves Upon the Breakers from Book of Water (the splatbook, not the chapter). A rank or two in some skullduggery skills helps a lot unless you intend to be very honorable. Stealth is iffy considering Hida's attachment to heavy armor, but slight of hand and forgery are both agility, and Intimidation is Willpower keyed, despite the typo in the rulebook.

After you decide that, you'll want to invest in Earth 4 and Heavy weapons. If you find yourself in a lot of combat do this sooner rather than later. You can grab int to complete the fire ring if you want the insight. Similarly, don't be ashamed to grab courtier 3 and etiquette 3 for their insight as well. Reflexes is useful for a Hida Bushi, so consider it if you'd like a higher initiative or just the +5 ATN. Agi 4 is another big goal of any bushi. Then outside of that, boost the skills you find yourself using more than others.

also: Defense is fucking terrible, don't believe the rulebook.

>>53899071
Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted.

>>53899097
Unless you're a shugenja or in some other non-attacking role, this.

>>53898620
I wish there were more stats for an "average" samurai of every family or clan. Not the average for every school rank like that one book, just a generalized "the usual Samurai of this family will look like this".
Wouldn't even be that hard considering most of the fluff basically says a lot of Clan samurai do their damnedest to be as stereotypical as possible for honor and tradition reasons.

Why do crab clan use spiked clubs?

>>53899623
Is this a bane setup?

>>53899623

Armor piercing against oni and other denizens of Jigoku.

>>53899623
Slashing weapons don't do well against the kind of thick hides and carapaces even minor oni can sport.

How to find game?

>>53900434
Stand on a street corner and boast until someone suitably famous is impressed.

>>53899071
Wish there was one of these for all the schools.

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>>53879952
>>53880310
Through the magic of having an extensive image library, along with me having seen the movie, I've found this through rummaging around.

Are any of the non-attack maneuvers worth it?

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Faggot here.

What exactly is this game? Is it a 1v1 TCG, a tabletop RPG with cards for stats?
I guess my other questions would be where to start, what clan to pick, etc.

I really want to give this game a shot because of how much I enjoy factions and backstabbing. I really, really like backstabbing.

>>53901692
Non-attack ... so ... Guard? It's good if you have a real need to protect someone.

>>53902259
>Is it a 1v1 TCG
Yes.

>a tabletop RPG
Yes.

>>53902259
There's a CCG, no longer in print. Published by AEG.
There's an RPG, no longer in print, but pdf on drivethrough, published by AEG.
There's a LCG coming soon, published by FFG.
And FFG has plans for the RPG that are hopefully a 5th edition on the same rules as the current edition.

>>53902300
I mean knockback and all that other shit.

>>53902314
>>53902338
Jesus christ.

Is the CCG worth playing? What the fuck is an LCG? Do I have to dress up as Nobunaga to play my cards or some shit?

>>53902395
LCG's are basically just CCGs with a non-random distribution model. You know what's in each pack when you buy it, and outside of the core sets the packs contain full playsets of every card. Technically the term LCG (Living Card Game) is trademarked by Fantasy Flight Games so they're the only ones who use the official term but there are a number of other card games that use the same distribution model on the market.

It's a fantastic game, for what it's worth. I've been playing proxied and TTS games of the LCG with a friend of mine and it really is blowing me away. It's a lot different from the CCG but in very good ways -- 20 additional years of communal game design experience makes a big difference.

>>53902352
If your opponent doesn't have SAA then Knockdown is really good. Especially if you're going Heavy Weapons. If you are reasonably sure your opponent doesn't have ranks in Jujitsu then Disarming can be a good way to make them helpless for a bit, though you need to call 3 raises for that. Knockdowns do normal damage and Disarms do 2k1 unless you have a specific kata, so they still do damage even if you fail the contested Strength roll.

Are there any unofficial spoilers out?
Is the rulebook out?

>>53903438
No and no. Everything that is seen is seen at FFG's will right now.

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I'm thinking of running a game of this, but I'm new to the setting and it's a bit difficult to get a handle on what sort of stuff can go on in the world from a practical viewpoint. I'd like to do a more sandboxy campaign, like maybe have the party be part of a court or something, some place they can more or less stick around in and work their way up the social ladder at their own pace. But the thing is, I'm not sure what kind of opportunities might arise for them, what rewards they might lead to, or how the players would go about discovering those opportunities in the first place.

Has anyone played in that type of game before? Any shared experience will probably help.

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>>53902395
>Do I have to dress up as Nobunaga to play my cards or some shit?

Yes you do.

>>53904397
It isn't an L5R thread till someone posts that image

>>53904358
>sandbox campaign in L5R

You are in for some weird shit, I give you that. Your game will only distantly resemble the official setting after roughly the 4th session if you are lucky, and things will chill out after that. If you have a fluff-nazi at the table who can't let it go then prepare your anus or abandon the ship... or at least have the local mental asylum on fast-dial.

>>53904889
You could always decide to go timeline agnostic.

>>53904358
Good luck on that. If you read the Book of Air their premade setting location is pretty tailor made to your needs as a court setting where they can return year after year and grow their reputations and it does a bit of gm hand holding with advice on basically sandbox improv court stuff.

>>53905731
And by book of Air I mean thr actual book not the core book chapter. The various elemental books put out in late 4e were kind of rocky due to their weird forced theme work split between all arenas of the game but there's still useful stuff to be had

>>53904397
>>53904766
I will never not laugh at The Butter Samurai

>>53905759
I'm a big fan of weeaboo wilma and the mirumoto magic missile

>>53904889
>If you have a fluff-nazi at the table who can't let it go then prepare your anus or abandon the ship... or at least have the local mental asylum on fast-dial.
Do these people really exist? I thought every L5R player ever understood that from whatever point in the timeline the GM chooses to start the game at onward is subject to change.

>>53905799
I can assure you they do, and that it's not limited to timeline changes from game start onward.

>>53904358
I've played an L5R game where the party escorted a cartographer to distant places in the empire, fighting bandits and monsters. Good times.

I've never played the rpg before. Is there any consensus on which edition is ideal for newcomers?

>>53907606
4th

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I gagged.

>>53907861
Wick style gaming, or how to be a bad DM/parent.

>>53908008
That block of text is enough for me to completely disregard any GM-related advice provided by the rulebook.

>>53907861
>>53908008
While it's easy to read it in bad faith, I can see how a campaign where the setting reflects the actions of the players might be fun, progressing from a brighter, more noble veneer, to abuses of Bushido and status as the players stray into darker actions, culminating with rioting amongst the ji-samurai and peasants, etc at the end.

>>53907861
What's the point of being a GM if you aren't going to give people details to the game?

>>53908201
To knock the players off their pedestals.

>>53908101
>not being able to consider the work of multiple writers because of one forgettable sidebar from one writer
Use a trip, m80.

>>53908008
I'm reminded of Wick's Champions campaign where he had a Maxwell Lord type benefactor NPC who was the Secret Archvillian. He basically went verbatim through each players character sheet and bent them over the table.

Got an elderly parent and a secret ID? She finds out about it in the most drama bomb way has a heart attack and dies.

Got a code against killing? You "lose control" and blow up a residential block.

>>53908131
The problem is that the player was railroaded into getting murdered in an alley. The appropriate thing the GM could have done is let the rogue try to fight, run away or even attempt diplomacy. It's unlikely that the rogue would have survived the encounter, but it's just lazy GMing to tell the player "revenge falls, your character dies."
It's one thing to have consequences for decisions that lead to the demise of the character, but at least allow player agency until the bitter end, even if it's not going to turn out well for the player.

>>53908745
>at least allow player agency until the bitter end, even if it's not going to turn out well for the player.
Seems they did that. Story threads were being tied up, and it was revealed that PC was purposefully disappeared in the chaos they helped bring about. That unknown was the bitter end.

>>53908745
The bigger problem is that the two events are completely disconnected.

>>53908552
>forgettable sidebar
I don't think I'll ever forget it.

>>53908131
Having consequences is a great thing, but as a forever-dm, this stinks of dm-fiat and more importantly, the part where the rogue doesn't get any details on his own characters demise is straight up a dick move.
Wick is a showcase of how-not-to dm.

>>53908275
Are these the same retards that think the "gazebo" jokes are funny?

>>53909061
Forgettable in the sense that you'll never be GM and recall that GMing advice in the middle of a game, just to use it.

>>53909177
>Wick is a showcase of how-not-to dm.
That's not Wick.

If you go back to Silence Within Sound, there's some not-terrible advice to consider. I chalk that up to Wick's echo chamber shifting to only people who appreciated what he did as his marriage moved to divorce and beyond.

>>53908974
>Remember that guy you killed like five sessions ago?
>Vaguely. A lot has happened. Why do you ask?
>His buddies pull you into an alley during this confusion.
>I want to fight back at them
>No, you can't
>Can I try to run?
>No
>Can I try talking to them
>No
>Well, this sucks. What happens to my rogue
>You don't know.
>... Really? I think I'll pass on your next game.

>>53908275
That's a last resort to deal with a power gamer. And even then, if it's that much of a problem, just kick them from the game.

How much do the spirits show up in your game?

>Vague consulting the priests, mostly myth and rarely seen.
>Enemies use it and dangerous
>Magic user in the party
>Fox wives and sirens at sea
>Magical journeys to other realms

I prefer more low-fantasy adventures. Just dudes with swords being dicks to each other. No ghosts required.

>>53909390
Yes, if you frame it as if nothing happened in-game to lead up to the point where the campaign ties up, then it will look like shit when a PC dies and there's no context.
Hence;
>bad faith

>>53909727
>I chose not to admonish the action during play and didn't even say anything about it over the next few weeks.
>didn't even say anything about it over the next few weeks
>over the next few weeks
It's hard to find an interpretation that's not a blindside railroad when there is an admission in the fucking text that the GM blindsided then railroaded the player.

>>53909863
It's not that hard; already done in thread. Don't tell. Bring it out through the game.

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>>53909417

They are ubiquitous and tend to make their presence clear. They are also eldritch abominations "who" can't be bothered by the wishes of mortals, and do however they please, for whatever utterly alien and inconceivable reason they find. The best way to avoid them is to appease them with prayers and by sticking to the Celestial Order and maintain harmony. If you are cool, the chances that some spirits will show up and throw a wrench into your life are fairly low. If you are a bad boy then you might wake up one night to the unfortunate scene of a spirit trying to devour your wife (or flatten your castle).

And it isn't like you can fight spirits, because even shugenja has only limited control over them (with all kinds of terrible consequences if they push the envelope), and if you really piss off the spirits, then no army can save your sorry ass.

On the other hand, if you are really up to that, you can kinda bribe the spirits and enlist their help, so that they rape your enemies and not your butt. The price they will demand might be interesting (like, the name of your firstborn son) but chances are high that it will be well worth the result.

Spirits can be dealt with, one way or another, it is just a question of personal taste whether one is willing to strike business with creatures that make the oni pale in comparison.

>>53902395
>Do I have to dress up as Nobunaga to play my cards or some shit
Do you not already?

first time player, what should i focus on to be a good duelist?

>>53912523
Void. Awareness and reflexes matter for the studying your opponent and making that first blow hit but Void determines who hits first and free raises. Also for thw first time you build be a Kakita. I know it is easymodo and you can with skills, traits and advantages make a decent duelist out of almost any school but Kakita give you direct and useful bonuses in the circle

So has anyone ever been forced to commit seppuku or as a gm have that be a logical consequence of actions? I'm struggling with that in a game I run with one character who is skirting the line between effective black sheep and shame needing to be cleansed. The player knows the risks and feels like it might make for good drama, but I'm not sure where the line should be and how to make it clear. Just looking for other people's experiences or input here.

>>53914271
I had a PC commit seppuku because she started a fist fight in front of the Emperor

>>53914271

My first character committed sudoku because the Taint was consuming her. Unfortunately, her lurking Shadowlands Power was immortality, so her sudoku failed spectacularly.

Otherwise, the running opinion around here is that committing sudoku is like admitting that you are too much of a coward/imbecile to fix your problems, so it is only used to show that someone was an utter fuck-up.

Dragon Clan story tomorrow. Who else is hype?

>>53912523
Other people already said it, but Void, followed by Awareness and Reflexes. Easymode is Kakita, or a Shiba who drops Way of the Phoenix on his Focus roll. Mirumoto tech is meh. There are cheesy ronin builds out there, but I'm not going to get into those.

For a character who is going to fight a duel to the death, a Crab Berserker or Mirumoto Taoist is better. One lets you go ham and ensure that at the very least nobody wins, the other lets you grapple with a sword.

>>53916874
The Crab also get the Unbreakable Blade alt path, which isn't amazing, but it can turn an otherwise crippling round one strike into a mild annoyance.

>>53916661
I want to see how they present Yokuni since until we're definitively proven otherwise he's Togashi to me. But for new people that twist might be best saved for a little bit

>>53914271
>So has anyone ever been forced to commit seppuku or as a gm have that be a logical consequence of actions?
I haven't, but we did get an audience with the Voice Of The Emperor, who was a cruel, sadistic asshole. I forget exactly how it happened, but either one of the group threatened seppuku to get us in, or promised seppuku if we couldn't convince the Voice of something. Either way, they were going to off themselves, and apparently the only option was to use a standing favour given to each samurai of the group to save them. If anyone kept theirs, the seppuku would go through. I kept mine.

>>53916661
I really really want to see a civil war in the Dragon between Mirumoto Satsu, who tells Yokuni to fuck off and "disarms" Yakamo Giving Yak a new reason to accept the Claw to win the duel. Yokuni throws a kami level bitch fit about and tries to remove him as Mirumoto daimyo. A significant portion of the clan sticks with him and crazy ensues.

>>53917963
... If Yokuni is Togashi, that sounds utterly retarded.

>>53918012
It works fine as nearly everyone in the Empire, including 99.99% of the Dragon don't know Yokuni is Togashi. As I recall, only Hoshi, the Scorpion Champion (and probably Kachiko), and a few Ise Zumi (like Kokujin and Mitsu) know is true identity.

Togashi is freaking because now shit's gone off the rails of his foresight and for the first time in his existence he has no idea what is going to happen next. He can't just go Full Kami on Satsu because that would reveal himself to Rokugan at large which further muddies his foresight. So now he's stuck fighting a mostly conventional civil war with Satsu.

>>53918097
Nah. Shitting on Togashi's foresight is the opposite of what a story team could pull off well.

>>53916661

Hitomi time?

>>53918668
Can't touch this (because she'll cut your hand off).
>funky bass intensifies

So Oda Nobunaga had an African man as a sworn samurai vassal before the first European travelers ever showed up.

India can get fucked I see. You don't get samurai. Fuck you, India

>>53909390

I've done that kind of stuff to bad players.

>running cthulu
>party is having a blast investigating and coming up with theories
>all except one player who refuses to take the game seriously
>said player, for no reason, decides to take the game hostage and derail all of the progress and effort they have made.
>player doesn't know what a shogoth is and doesn't have any care about finding out, but decides to try and summon one.
>I explain to him the obsurdity of what he is willing to do after all his character has been through.
>other players plead with him not to go through with it
>he straight tells the group that he doesn't give a fuck
>I let him go through with the ritual
>fade to black on his stand alone scene
>he has to sit out now
>continue GMing for the rest of the players
>they finally unravel the mystery, while having to deal with a shogoth running rampant
>the party is curious as to what became of their friend.
>post game light rp they discover his mangled and twisted remains in the local morgue.

>>53914271

I've seen it used when a character fucks up in court. Usually it's a case of a player deciding between being a social pariah or death. Either way it can add a lot to the game and encourage players to treat the setting with some respect.

>>53884943

Crab have their own sense of honor and the clans around them perceive them as having no honor.

Imagine being a veteran of a never ending war against an enemy you can barely comprehend. Every moment of the day you face certain death, most if not all of your closest friends have already died fighting. Surely you will die here or worse you will turn into the monsters youve lost so many to already. Your sons will grow to be men and continue fighting the war that cannot be won.

You haven't had a proper bath or real sleep in months. Seemingly out of nowhere, your lord has summoned you to court to request additional aid and support for the defense of all of rokugon. You make your plea before all the other great clans. No one takes you seriously or cares, some body complains about your kimono not being in vogue. You accidently knock over a tea cup trying to explain your too fucking busy watching your buddies die face down in the fucking mud to keep up with what ever the latest fashion trend is. Suddenly every one acts like the whole god damn world is on fire because you spilt a drop of tea. You think to yourself if this is what "honor is" then I will have no part in it. These people have the worst priorities, none of this shit matters.

>>53922685
>The Severed Hand is the term adopted by those Crab warriors who are forced into the courts due to injuries or other physical problems that render them incapable of further military service.
>[U]sually grizzled veterans, tend to view the courts as a mixture of deadly traps, pointless and puerile ritual, and stultifying boredom; nonetheless, they do their best to represent their clan.

It's easy to portray the Crab as having no use, or appreciation, for anything of Rokugani culture that they cannot use to bludgeon an oni. It's also a tad simplistic.

Yes, they send veterans into court - when their use as bushi reaches an end, but they are still untainted and able to serve. This doesn't mean the Crab lack courtiers. Or that they don't engage with the other clans in arts, sports, etc.

Crab sumai, for instance, are among the best in the empire and well respected.

Crab are intensely devoted to maintaining rock gardens at every barracks along The Wall, though they disdain the wastefulness of maintaining useless plants.

Crab almost unanimously hate reading poetry books favoured by Crane - but compose and appreciate impromptu haiku as much as (if not more than, when Lady Sun shines on Crab lands) anyone.

A Crab warrior who wouldn't be caught passing near a gallery can spend hours contemplating the design of their next tattoo.

>All the clans of Rokugan include artists in their ranks—even the brutal Crab boast playwrights, sculptors, and poets.

>>53922685
>Crab have their own sense of honor and the clans around them perceive them as having no honor.

This is more about the Crab being locked in an eternal existential crisis rather than a problem of Honor.

Imagine that you are fighting some random monsters an daemons, allowing everyone else in the Empire to just forget the whole issue rather than join together and deal with the problem once and for all. Why do you do this? Not because of "duty" or "courage", the Empire could most likely kick the ass of the Shadowlands just fine. You do it because this is literally the only thing you can do. Without fighting the Shadowlands and defending that wall of yours, you are literally useless, even more so than your average Matsu Berserker. Your only worth is to get crushed by an oni or eaten by a bog hag in a war your clan is slowly but surely losing, but that war is the only thing you guys have in the whole world, so you better center every thought, every action around it because otherwise, you have no choice but admit that you are really the dumb thugs the others see you as.

And the worst thing? Despite your big obsession with your sole purpose of existence, you are not even that good with your job.

>>53919961

I wonder if she (and Yakamo) will just as planned get their power gloves again.

Is dual wielding viable?

>>53926121
"No."

-Kakita, The Sword.

>>53926121
Depends on what you're dual wielding, and your school.

Mirumoto Bushi lets you wield katana/wakazashi at no penalty, and gives you an additional buff to ATN equal to insight (bringing the total bonus to 2*insight)

Yoritomo Bushi forgoes all penalties with dual wielding peasant weapons, meaning you can get a neat combination of utility weapons for use here.

Otherwise, there's not much reason to dual wield outside of two knives (but then you have to use knives...). The only bonus for dual wielding is a small ATN bonus and there are a slew of penalties.

>>53926220
How do Mirumoto and Yoritomo compare to other schools?

>>53926121
"Yes"

-Mirumoto Hojatsu, Niten

>>53926571

The Mirumoto Bushi is pretty meh. The Yoritomo Bushi is ok.

>>53926571
They're both middle of the pack in terms of general use bushi-ing. A rough tier list is as follows:

Upper Crust (in no particular order):
Akodo Bushi, Matsu Bushi, Daidoji Iron Warrior, Hida Bushi, Toku Bushi.

Still Good (in no particular order):
Hiruma Bushi, Mirumoto Bushi, Yoritomo Bushi, Shiba Bushi, Bayushi Bushi, Moto Bushi, Tsuruchi Archer. Usagi Bushi, Hida Pragmatist,

Less General Use But Still Good (this tier tends to require more XP invested in specific skills to keep up in effectiveness) (in no particular order):
Kakita Bushi, Ichiro Bushi, Morito Bushi, Mantis Brawler, Moto Vindicator, Utaku Heavy Infantry (I think that's the name?)

Try To Avoid These (in no particular order):
Suzume Bushi, Kaiu Engineer, Matsu Beastmaster (because your GM will hate you), Shinjo Bushi

Thats off the top of my head. I probably forgot a few.

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>>53926717
It is more like:

TOP TIER
> Akodo Bushi, Daidoji Iron Warrior, Ikoma Lion's Shadow

GOOD TIER
>Matsu Berserker, Hida Bushi, Toku Bushi

ALMOST TIER
>Shiba Bushi, Tsuruchi Archer, Utaku Battle Maiden, Ihciro Bushi, Hida Pargmatist

OK TIER
>Moto Bushi, Bayushi Bushi, Yoritomo Bushi, Usagi Bushi

MEH TIER
>Hiruma Bushi, Kakita Bushi, Moto Vindicator, Utaku Mounted Infantry

LOW TIER
>Mirumoto Bushi, Heichi Bushi, Morito Bushi

SHIT TIER
>Shinjo Bushi, Seppun Guardsman

BELOW SHIT TIER
>Suzume Bushi

MOST SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE TIER
>Kaiu Engineer, Matsu Beastmaster, Daigotsu Bushi, Toritaka Bushi

>>53926934
Toku Bushi is the best bushi school in the game. Lion's Shadow is a ninja. Hida is better than DIW.

>>53926950
>Toku Bushi is the best bushi school in the game

This is a meme, the Toku Bushi isn't really that good as some people would think. It gives some nice bonuses, but all things considered, its only nominal bonus is a free Strength of the Earth.

>Lion's Shadow is a ninja

You will be surprised, but it is a bushi school.

>Hida is better than DIW.

Nah, Hida Bushi is worse until you take Defender of the Wall and go crazy with Reduction.

>>53927098
>its only nominal bonus is a free Strength of the Earth.
The penalty reduction on the R1 is Willpower + 2*Insight. If you're earth 3 and rank 1, it's a penalty reduction of 5. If you're Earth 3, that means you have 12 additional wounds of no penalty.

Rank 2 gives +1k1 to attacks AND DAMAGE if you're facing more than one opponent (or any opponent of higher insight rank). Not if you're outnumbered, but if there is more than one enemy, which is 99% of combats.

Rank 3 is unconditional melee SAA.

Rank 4 lets you blow a void to force the attacker to drop his highest two damage dice. Importantly, since this is not a basic void action, you can use this as much as you want so long as you have void points. You can easily negate 20+ damage this way.

Rank 5 gives you once per round Luck and adds 2k1 to the second roll at the cost of a single void point.

In summary, you're fucking stupid. Toku Bushi has 4 ranks in a row that could easily be rank 5s in other schools, and it has zero dead ranks, unlike Akodo Bushi and Matsu Bushi's rank 4 abilities being garbage.

>>53927167
Also at Rank 5 and Earth 4, your Rank 1 has boosted to a penalty reduction of 14, giving you 24 more wounds at no penalty, and 8 wounds after that at a mere -1.

>>53926934
>MOST SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE TIER
>Daigotsu Bushi
I do have an unfortunate appreciation for the alternate path chain of Obsidian Magistrate > Daigotsu Scout > Colonial Conqueror.

>>53927167
>Rank 2 gives +1k1 to attacks AND DAMAGE if you're facing more than one opponent
They do actually have to be facing you. As in, you have to fight multiple opponents at once, of lower or equal rank, to get the bonus.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/6/21/the-rising-wave/

Dragon fic is out.

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>>53927607

Well, this is clearly the Shredder.

>>53927167

I agree with Rank 4 and 5 being pretty good. For Rank 1 and 2... I don't know. The free Strength of Earth is cool, obviously, but the other bonuses kinda build on the fact that you are sucking cock anyway, so you might as well suck less. And that's not nice.

You can say that the Toku Buushi is like the Bungee Jumper Bushi School: you take risks, you take hits, and you get bonuses to emerge victorious. In this regard, it suffers from the same problem as the Matsu Berserker: you gotta know when to take the hit and when to face the risks, and know your limits because +1k0 or even +1k1 only does so much. You are still better off than the Shiba Bushi who has to drop the nuke at the exact right moment, but you are still rowing in the same boat.

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>>53927970
Here's a HQ version of his art. Been floating around for a while.

>>53927584
Not sure if your last claim is right.
For sure they don't have to be both condition, one or the other is sufficient.
I believe it is also just facing multiple but that is RAW versus a RAI

is there maybe a fillable pdf for the character sheet? so i can have a digital copy of my character

>>53927970
>my clan champion can't be this jacked
Yokuni and Kisada should hang out and forge an alliance between their clans via their shared interest in lifting heavy things

>>53927607
Was the Dragon low birth rate such a problem in previous lore?

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>>53933937
no

>>53926571
Yoritomo Bushi is powerful at high levels, middling at R2 and R3, and extremely weak at R1 unless you're playing an asshole Yoritomo duelist who only fights people on boats/waist-deep water.

Mirumoto is meh. The R1 only takes off at higher levels, the R2 sucks, R3 is alright, and R4 is situationally good.

>>53933937
No, but they've always been small for a Great Clan, and are always one bad harvest away from starvation due to piss poor farmland and multiple groups that are responsible for feeding themselves and all nearby peasants, but also don't care much for worldly things like "eating" or "trade".
Basically, if the Mirumoto ever stopped working their assess off to administrate their rocky mountains and spoonfeed them when they get too enlightened to chew, the rest of the Dragon Clan would die out in a generation.

>>53929679

Tell me about Yokuni-sama. Why does he wear the mempo?

>>53934878
He's Togashi in disguise. Except I'm not sure why he needs a disguise because he can shapeshift at will.

>>53934878
Nobody cared about who this monk was before he put on the mask

>>53934878
He's a big champion.

>>53929753
>While facing multiple opponents or an enemy with a higher Insight Rank
I think you have a different interpretation of 'facing' to what I would. If you and three other PCs are in a skirmish vs 6 bandits, and only one of them attacks you, I'd say you're facing one bandit until the situation changes.

>>53934458
>No, but they've always been small for a Great Clan
Not that small - they maintain a larger standing army than the Crane or Phoenix, on par with the Scorpion. That puts the heavily militaristic Crab, Lion, and Unicorn above them. No idea about the Mantis.

>>53934907
>Except I'm not sure why he needs a disguise because he can shapeshift at will.
Probably something to do with protecting his power from Ningen-do. Assuming they haven't changed anything about Yokuni.

>>53936516
The Crane and Phoenix maintain very small armies. The Crane are literally the largest great clan with the smallest (Or second smallest) army.

thread is dying.

>>53936556
That's because we're at 320 posts. It was a good thread; it lived a long life.

>>53936553
>Crane literally largest Great Clan

Maybe if you include the peasant population. The Matsu are the largest samurai family only the Hida rival them in size.

>>53936556
Soon the last fate token will be removed and this thread will return to the great wheel and a new tread will be born. Such is the Tao of the Four Chans.

>>53936425
2 Scenarios:
Your useless courtier friend pissed off fthe wrong fellas and 2 of thrm draw swords, are you facing multiple opponents even though your friend is not helping?
2. If one moves towards you in the first round and then moves toward another person, you are still facing him.
For me facing was always more then 1 enemy but I barely speak english so I can understand if I was wrong.
But it doesn't need to fulfil both conditions right?

>>53936531
Point remains; Dragon tend to sit middle of the clans, and their army size fits with this.

>>53937587
>>53936553

Until next winter, /l5rg/.

Good night, Unicorn Clan.