/L5RG/ Legend of the Five Rings General

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In for Hida wives. They can cook, clean and wrestle you to the ground.

>>50975920
Forever DM here. Fairly often. I like to play up the loss of dignity and degradation angles of the taint. If I have one tainted PC I often give him bits of information that may or may not be real. He might always see a little bit of corruption around him, like spotting a cockroach or maggot out of the corner of his eye.

The best one was when I had a player that viewed the Shadowlands Taint as a source of superpowers. He'd always go on about wanting Night-vision and Super-strength. He eventually did catch the taint and pretty much embraced it. I started fucking with him constantly. I had him sit next to me at the table and would constantly flash stupid images at him on my phone or lean over and whisper something perverse. If I got a reaction, he had to make a willpower check. He quickly realized he made a deal with the devil and tried to get on Jade Tea even though he'd lose his powers. After that he was the Kuni's bitch and eventually requested sepukku when it became too much.

>>50976198
I prefer the kind of Hida wife who can cook, clean, and act so perfect that a Crane would get confused about what clan they're visiting.

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>>50976198
>>50976284
Posting the best Hida Waifu.

I want to run a Winter Court campaign. Where would be a good location for a winter court to be held? The Son of Heaven may make a surprise visit. I was thinking Yasuki Yashiki, the Black Crane Estates. Somewhat off the well-traveled path.

>>50976401
If there's a possibility that the Emperor himself might show up out of the blue, it'd have to be a Southern location near where the actual Imperial Court is that year. Yasuki Yashiki would be a good choice, although any Emperor who just shows up at a non-Kyuden winter court with his whole entourage is either making a serious statement of some kind or doesn't know or care about the consequences it'll.

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Explain this.

>>50976601
Presumably, it has synergy with some kind of "when you take an action, X happens" effect from other cards.

>>50976505

Have you any ideas for said serious statements?

>>50976672
Well, the most obvious would be to admonish the clan he's visiting. The full logistical requirements will leave them absolutely scrambling just to house their guests in appropriate rooms for all the high ranking people showing up. The highest level daimyo present will be giving up their own quarters to the Emperor and there probably aren't enough fancy rooms for all the other daimyo or near-daimyo samurai who came along with him. And then you've got a couple hundred extra high ranking mouths to feed and entertain, along with however many lower ranking servants they brought along, which means supplies need to be diverted so that the surprise host doesn't get shamed. And there's no telling how long he's going to be sticking around for, which means a lot of emergency planning needs to happen to make sure that the right level of supplies are on hand at all times for the next few months at least. Just putting that burden on them for a week or two is enough to say "I think you need to clean up your act".

On the other hand, if he shows up with his own supplies, makes most of his entourage camp outside, and spends a lot of time being friendly with his surprise hosts, that can send a powerful message of praise that will make other clans start working favorable deals towards the host just to fit in with the Emperor.

>>50976624
There were a handful of cards that could only be played after you did "X number of actions from X number of cards with different names."

>>50976299
Anyone care to explain the joke and why he has a crab and unicorn symbol?

>>50977728
He's the Unicorn who married Hida O-Ushi. He's got Crab and Unicorn symbols because he's proven himself loyal to the Crab and the two clans are friendly enough that nobody in the Crab cares that the Champion's husband still openly wears his old clan symbols. Their wedding was a pretty big piece of fiction. Basically, O-Ushi was so adamant against getting married that her older brother arranged a free for all combat tournament, with whoever won marrying her. She entered herself for the right to not get married. A big brawl happens and the last two fighters to fall are O-Ushi and some Crane who really wanted to fuck O-Ushi, leaving the scrawny Yasamura (Who had been entered by his father and was pretty much clueless as to what was going on) standing because nobody paid him any attention during the fight. Her brother had them married right then and there, even though she was knocked out, and when she woke up, she assessed Yasamura (Who was genuinely concerned for her well being and tied to her at the wrist) and decided that he would "make a good little wife." Generally speaking, it was a good deal for everyone involved.

>>50977870
thanks for clearing that up anon

>>50975920

I like to use the Shadowlands stuff indirectly. I don't use oni or goblins much, but I do a lot with tainted spirits and general corruption. My favorite investigation revolved around a Scorpion opium smuggling operation based in a "monastery." Leader of the ring had been exposed to the taint, started lacing the opium with stuff from the Shadowlands to taint other people.

Solving the plot was easy, doing anything about it was hard. Nobody expects evil monks, so attacking the monastery makes it look like they're the bad guys unless they come up with massive evidence. Operation is hugely profitable, so higher Scorpions have an incentive not to discover anything, which keeps the Kuroiban out of it.

Is there an online website or community where you can play l5r rpg? Can you play it in Roll20?

>>50978823
Roll 20 has games. First L5R game I played formed here, played on roll 20.

>>50978858
Is the roll20 community any good?

>>50978823
No more places than any other game. L5R does seem to have a larger "Everyone's a player, nobody's a GM" problem than many games, but games still happen.

>>50979061
Roll20 is a complete crapshoot no matter what you're playing. Caution is advised until you actually make it to the third or fourth session of any Roll20 game you find.

>>50979155
>Roll20 is a complete crapshoot no matter what you're playing. Caution is advised until you actually make it to the third or fourth session of any Roll20 game you find.

What do you mean by caution? Too many magical realms and edge lords? Is getting an roll20 account even worth it then?

>>50979219
Magical realms, edgelords, and flakes are the three big things that might happen.
Three or four sessions in is a good place to start being optimistic about your game, because by then magical realms will be obvious (Or at least completely unnoticeable and irrelevant), edgelords will have outed themselves as such, and flakes will stop showing up.

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I just came here to say OP has great taste

>>50975920
Whats a good clan and bushi school for first time players?

>>50979939
Any really. Bushi schools only differ really in techniques, which are not too hard to wrap your head around. Skills are much more important, and much more universal. That being said, avoid specialists and anything spider clan related. Ronin are doable, but just know you will always be at a disadvantage.

>>50980018
>Recommending Ronin to first time player
>Ever

It is like you want him to hate the game. Also many of the specialist bushi schools are totally good for a first time player if they get they are specialist. A beginner player could play Tsuruchi Archer or Utaku Battlemaiden pretty easily. You are spot on anything Spider related, fuck the Spider.

>>50979155
>>50979248
/g/ question but can a xbox one headset be used on a mac to play on roll20?

>>50980018
>>50980482
>>50980018
Here are some build ideas I have:
1) Akodo Bushi: Classic honor bound samurai/paladin who along with his school skills will have Iaijusu (focus or assessment?) skill and some type high skill (tea ceremony, mediation, poetry or etiquette?)

2) Hida Bushi: Loud and loyal fighter, think Kikuchiyo. Will have Jiujutsu but is grappler or martial arts better?

3) Moto Bushi: A gaijin/barbarian warlord in the mold of Kublai Khan. He'll have the hunting (trail blazer), animal handling (horse), spear (yari) skill and I'm leaning on making him cultured like Kublai Kahn was. Looking to give him some type of high skill, leaning on poetry since Genghis Kahn held writing to very important.

4) Yoritomo Bushi: I would like to make him be a marine so any good skills that'll reflect that? Thinking of making him dual wield a katana and tanto or twin sais. If I take the gaijin gear, would I be able to give him a flintlock pistol?

Since I'm new to the lore, would it be better to first make a Crab or a gaijin clan like Mantis or Unicorn rather than a clan like the Lions who rely more on lore fluff?

>>50980612
>some type high skill (tea ceremony, mediation, poetry or etiquette?)
Etiquette should be considered mandatory for every character unless you're specifically trying to make a character who is really not polite at all. Poetry is a pretty common choice for dipping into art and other such things because it's widely applicable to courtly situations and you don't need special supplies like paint or flowers. Tea Ceremony and Meditation are good for getting Void back, but your success rate will be spotty until you actually get Void 3.

>f I take the gaijin gear, would I be able to give him a flintlock pistol?
Probably not, and I wouldn't recommend doing so. Firearms are really, really illegal outside of specific alternate history settings. Seriously. You will actually be executed for having it.

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>>50980612
Always take an artistic skill of some type, samurai are supposed to be masters of the pen and the sword. Even super pragmatic clans like the Crab will do so, nothing raises morale like a good song or the fact that orders are less likely to be misunderstood when printed with clear calligraphy. Also Courtier and Etiquette should be on every character's sheet.

As for your character ideas.

1. If you want to make a duelist, you'll want both, but raw skill is better early on.

2. There is a whole Hida school about fisticuffs, the Hida Pragmatist. If you want to be a punchy Crab that is the place to go. As for Punchan vs Wrasslin, both are strong, the latter especially if your opponent isn't prepared for it.

3. Be warned, Spears are kinda poopy in 4e. The only spear worth using for a Moto is a Lance and even then you only want to use it on horseback. Otherwise, you'll want your trusty scimitar or a big weapon like a No-Dachi.

4. The ever popular Athletics governs climbing, jumping, and swimming so a naval combatant will want it. Basically any peasant weapon with a Katana is the king shit for a Yoritomo, you'll rarely be attacking with your off hand so go for what you think looks cool. Guns are double-extra-heretical in canon Rokugan, you don't want one unless your GM says it is otherwise.

Of those, the Moto would be the one I'd play. That said all are fine for new players. For some people full on immersion is the best way to learn.

>>50980890
>Also Courtier and Etiquette should be on every character's sheet.
I'll be sure to add both to any of my PCs then.

>Spears are kinda poopy in 4e.
That's disappointing, I thought a yuri would have worked as a great weapon on or off the horse. I was even thinking of him emphasizing in throwing so he could throw the yuri at enemies when he isn't using the yuri as a lance.

>Of those, the Moto would be the one I'd play.
Thanks! out of curiosity, what made you pick the Moto Bushi? I admit he's a bit more fleshed out compared to my other PCs. Since he's a gaijin, was thinking of giving him burning red hair.

>>50980612
>>50980890
Fluff wise I'm enjoying the Moto bushi but mechanic wise, what clan/school makes a better commander/general for a player party?

>>50981274
I get what you mean, but spears are crippled by their really crappy damage and mastery abilities. The Mai Chong can passable on a high Strength character, but is pretty much snowflake tier unless you are a Boar. The Lance can be insane in the membrane as a starting Moto PC will be inflicting 7k4 damage while mounted.

I picked the Moto partly because I am an old 'Corn player in the CCG and love the Mongol direction they took from the Hidden Emperor arc onwards. Khan4Life!

Depends on what you mean by commander. The Unicorn have a long tradition of being tacticians, so if you want to make a commander type, take up the Battle skill, bump your Perception, and take the Tactician and Leadership advantages.

The only schools I can think of that have commander/general stuff are Lion Paths and Advanced Schools.

>Depends on what you mean by commander.

Game mechanic-wise, somebody that'll buff the party and protect party members by taunting enemies away to attack him. I play D&D 5e so something similar to Purple Dragon Knight, which is just a revision of 4e's warlord.

>The Lance can be insane in the membrane
Is the lance a spear or pole arm skill?

>>50981708
>buff the party and protect party members by taunting enemies

Buffing is pretty much the realm of shugenja. The Leadership advantage does provide an initiative bonus to an ally once/round and the Guard maneuver let's you add to an allies Armor TN at a cost to your own, but that is about it as far as most buffs. Taunting simply does not exist as a mechanic in L5R.

Lances are under the Spears skill.

>>50980506
If you're going to go completely off topic, at least post a pic, model #, or something for what you're asking.

Also, if you already have it ... try it.

>>50980612
>is grappler or martial arts better?
Grappling ability is king of 1v1, or if the group can tie up other opponents.

>spear (yari)
This is generally considered a poor choice, fwiw. Moto Bushi do help with two-handed weapons, though.

>>50975920
Do all loli demons have incredibly small hands and large feet?

>>50979263
It was just a bit better than Yupiels servant I think, though I liked Yupiels consensual vanilla angle more.

>>50979939
Depends what kind of samurai you wanna play senpai.

Eloquent philosopher? Crane or Pheonix. Brash and honorable warrior? Crab or Lion.

I forget what the others are like and scorpions are the ones everyone expects to be liars and are surprised when they aren't

>>50983909
All the better to penetrate your urethra, fiddle your prostate, and footjob you with, dear

First-time poster in this general.

Just wanted to know; is there a preferred order to reading the official fiction on the provided link?

>>50984062
>Scorpion Coup
>Clan War
>Hidden Emperor
>Gold Edition
>Diamond Edition
>Lotus Edition
>Samurai Edition
>Celestial Edition
>Emperor Edition
>Ivory Edition
>Onyx Edition

The official timeline is as written, but you don't really need to read the Dawn Of The Empire stuff straight off.

I started with Diamond edition and picked up earlier stuff later, but so long as you know the tenets of Bushido, basic etiquette, and how your clan/family behave, you can get by with almost zero historical knowledge.

>>50984129
Thanks, I'll get right on that.

>>50976601
You can use this to delay an important action and force your opponent to play his hand (allowing you to react and change plans if necessary).

>>50984129
Actually stopping at the end of Diamond is the way to go. Everything else is just the "Let's Wank to Daigotsu Show."

>>50984269
I'd say stop after he's killed by Tsudao, but YMMV.

The final notes for Onyx edition, with the true blood daughter of the Emperor and half blood brothers being useless shits, malcontents, etc was kinda cool for a campaign basis.

>>50984297
Iuchiban going full Megatron on the Empire is pretty amusing though. I kinda wished he'd have won against Daigotsue and became the permanent leader of the lost as sub-type within the Shadowlands.

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>>50981274
> he's a gaijin
You better be playing a more tolerant Rokugan... Because canon Rokugan is more xenophobic than Trump.
Like, even their liberal candidates for Emperor support the Kaiu Wall, and as soon as the Shadowlands gets an economy we'll make them pay for building it.

>>50984446
He's a Moto, they pretty much are gaijin as most of them moved into the Empire when Shinjo gave them the Unicorn.

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So I'm a weeb new to these threads. Please don't hurt me.

http://winter-court.com/wc5/index.php

I was wondering, is it worth it to join the new Winter Court 5? I'm okay with the rules of the game and know the setting basics, but I don't really know the nitty gritty of everything.

I'm afraid I might get eaten alive if I join this.

I've also read that the official Winter Court 4 was really corrupt and shady with the GMs. What more of something unofficial?

>>50979248
>Magical realms, edgelords, and flakes are the three big things that might happen.

Add in weeaboo tryhards and you have the quintessential player base for L5R. If you play L5R, your game is not a magical realm, and your party is not an edge lord, a special snowflake, a weeaboo archetype, and an Average Joe, then you are playing it all wrong.

>>50984411
At the time Iuchiban came across as somewhat silly and ineffectual compared to his reputation, and the imagery of the rain of blood suffered for it. It wasn't until they were just about pulling Itchy off stage that they reversed that and wrote some cool stuff for him.

What do you think would best represent what Tetsu-Dou looks like? From the Book of Earth:

"A unique form of heavy armor that is worn almost exclusively by Crab samurai, the tetsu-dou is an innovation created by Kaiu armorsmiths for the purpose of withstanding an oni’s attack. At its core it is simply an altered form of o-yoroi. However, it is crafted entirely out of iron. Instead of the lamellar plates that comprise most Rokugani armor, the tetsu-dou is laminar, made from very thin plates of cast iron that are overlapped to provide layered protection. However, it is the dō that truly sets this armor apart: a hinged cast iron cuirass made from two individual pieces."

Asking for a commission.

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>>50984970

Probably something like this. Within the standard limits of L5R being written by people with only the vaguest understanding of historical tools, of course.

>>50985006
Thanks, mate.

>>50985006
Damn that helmet looks retarded.

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>>50985911
Retardedly awesome helmets are what Japan is all about.

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>>50985988

>>50985006
Why did plate armor only start being incorporated in Japanese breastplates and helmets after the Portuguese showed up?

Were they unable to make plates large enough prior to them arriving? Even your picture shows they used rivets to attach the lower bit.

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>>50985999

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>>50986042
Mobile Samurai Gundam

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>>50986060

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>>50986099

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>>50986116

Look at all my repeating digits.
>>50986099
>>50986060
>>50985999
>>50985988

>>50986035
Smaller plates in a laminar pattern worked out just fine for them before that. Big, solid plates are somewhat better, but I think their manufacturing style was heavily geared towards connecting a lot of small plates and they probably didn't see the effort of switching over as necessary.

>>50986035
It is because japanese were not exactly exemplars of technological progression. And they also had a pretty darn shitty approach towards warfare.

Are the Yoritomo Bushi any good?

>>50987084
Yup. To fight in taverns.
Oh and they're pretty efficient when drunk too.

Typical Mantis.

>>50983583
Can confirm: grappling is OP. Once grappled a guy and threw him so hard that he died and killed another enemey that I threw him into.

>>50987160
God I love Mantis

>>50981543
>>50983583
Would pole arm skill better for Moto bushi? Any pole arms that can be used on horseback?

>>50987160
>>50988007
>>50987084
Are nunchucks any good for Yoritomo? Would twin pair nunchucks work or is a katana and sai/kama combo the way to go?

>>50988238
The funny thing about using a nunchuck as a Yoritomo is that you'll be able to knock a horse off its feet with only a single raise once you hit rank 4.

>>50986669
It was more their steel creation process that limited them. The steel they created from ironsand was non-uniform.

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>>50975920
Anyway I can make a good-hearted Scorpion rather than the usual token evil teammate? Using court, stealth and bushi skills to help the downtrodden. Pic related

Would a Mantis work better?

Currently planning to run a small campaign with a few friends, one of which has never played an rpg before. I've never touched the system before this however, and am currently reading through the core book (4e if that matters) for the first time.

Are there any issues/ things I should watch out for or be wary of with the system? Something the game doesn't handle well at all? And I know the setting is incredibly important to the game and am wondering how much I should learn of the setting before prepping for the actual campaign.

>>50989703
You need not to forget that the Scorpion Clan is based on the idae that the Empire needs an ennemy within itself that takes blames and sacrifices itself in order to maintain balance.

"Good" in the sense of defending the little ones and working towards equality is almost absent from L5R. "Good" in a Scorpion way would be a character ready to let go of his honor, status and confort for the sake of stability. Like taking the blame for a murder perpetrated by someone else to prevent two other clans from declaring war on each other.

A "Good" Mantis would be closer to that Zorro comparison, since they all come from minor clans they have better consideration for people of lower status, and they consider honor secondary enough to make their hands dirty in the process.

If you're looking for a more honorable kind of being "Good", look no further than the Unicorn, the universal clan of being nice and honest while remaining brave and honorable. (and a bit weird seriously guys stop eating cow meat that's disguting)

>>50990064

Remember that characters are fragile and plan fights accordingly. Every fight should be meaningful because you can never be sure you'll walk away from it.

>>50990064
For someone who has never played an RPG before, L5R can be a pretty rough start, so you should lean less on the diplomatic side of things in the beginning (all the court and honor talk will confuse them believe me I've been there)

>>50990242
>If you're looking for a more honorable kind of being "Good", look no further than the Unicorn
Who would've thought the Clan based on the

Mongols would be the nice one of the lot. Then again they did promote meritocracy and religious tolerance when they weren't pillaging and conquering.

What about the Lion clan?

Can't a player simply take Hero of the People advantage for any clan and become one?

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>>50992611
Yeah, but the Lion are stereotypically total dickbags to those they deem "lower" than them, as evidenced by the Lion Clan official sport of "Shit on the Minor Clans."

>>50992611
>What about the Lion clan?
They're a good point to start learning about Rokugan from, as you can be a bombastic braggart, ham it up (so long as you don't break the Bushido code), get things wrong, and still be properly Lion. The stereotypical Lion is a completely honourable asshole, whose favourite punchline to jokes is, "and then I killed everyone!"

>CRAB: They are formidable, but they conduct themselves strangely and seemingly without thought for their honor.
>CRANE: Cowards and manipulators who face threats with words rather than steel.
>DRAGON: They are beneath our notice.
>MANTIS: They are insignificant in every regard.
>PHOENIX: [Squandered] with their obsession with peace. Samurai are born for war.
>SCORPION: Their blatant disregard for honor is an offense that cannot be borne.
>UNICORN: Their ways are strange, and therefore inferior.
>MINOR CLANS: The Minor Clans exist only through the generosity of the Emperor and the mercy of the Great Clans. They should always remember this.

Assholes.

>Can't a player simply take Hero of the People advantage for any clan and become one?
Nothing stopping you; it's the difference between the expectations and 'face' of each clan vs the reality of each individual.

>female bushi

lol

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>>50984001
Yupiel is a cooler loli, but the opening bit of Suzaka is funnier.

Also, it gave us this.

>>50976828

I'm leaning more towards the latter, but with elements of the former.

Ok so we know what are the stereotypes and tropes the Clans are...lets talk about their fanbase.

List stereotypes or personality traits you see from clan players from either the role-playing, card game or both.

>>50995166
I've noticed that, between duelmongering Kakita and harriers in general, the Crane attracts a lot of asshole edgelords.

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Thinking about rolling a Akodo bushi with a trained falcon similar to pic related. I want the PC to be able to use the falcon to scout and deliver messages.

Would I be able to use the tactician and leadership advantage and the battle skill to coordinate or capitalize on the falcon's attack?

On that note, Is mass control or skirmish better for the battle skill?

>>50995807
The Skirmish emphasis does literally nothing. Literally. No mechanical effect whatsoever. Don't take it.

>>50995807
>Is mass control or skirmish better for the battle skill?
I meant mass combat

>>50995867
Ok so I should take mass combat instead?

>>50995807
>Would I be able to use the tactician and leadership advantage and the battle skill to coordinate or capitalize on the falcon's attack?
See 321 & 143 Core, but also 121 Book Of Air, and 10 Enemies Of The Empire.
Generally, you're going to use Animal Handling (Falconry) / Awareness.

>RANK 5: Trained animals still in possession of the trainer may be commanded to attack a target of his choosing. The animal will flee for its life if badly wounded regardless of commands issued.

Emphasis is necessary per animal type.

>On that note, Is mass control or skirmish better for the battle skill?
Skirmish emphasis for Battle skill has no rules.

>>50992785
Considering that it's a game about nobility, it itches me a little that people considers lions assholes for acting like that. It's literally how 90% of the characters would actually behave and what they would believe. I know we're less classist today, but still.

Except for the kill and war everything part of course.

>>50996103
>Considering that it's a game about nobility
Not really. The standard PC is of the buke, not the kuge. Even without taking that into account, the Lion are the furthest extreme of stubborn asshole interpretation of honour.

>They have the temperament of angry children and the flexibility of a stone sculpture.
>Small-minded bigots incapable of seeing the reality of the world that surrounds them.
>We all exist under a mandate of peace, yet that is the one Imperial decree the Lion seem to conveniently forget.
>etc.
Every other clan can cede a point long before the Lion even start to think anyone else might be right, especially when interpreting Bushido or a grudge is involved. The Lion have long lists of grudges.

>>50995947
Making a Unicorn >>50980612 and thinking about getting the animal handling skill, what would emphasis with horses contribute that horsemanship won't or can't?

I would rather have the emphasis with dogs so I can get me a Unicorn War Dog

>>50984503

Winter Courts are without a doubt some of the shadiest, most corrupt cliquey shit ever.

These people have been secretly shitting up the game with their ERP for decades now.

You will get eaten alive for the slightest misstep and be outright ignored at best.

>>50997144

It's the difference between riding a horse (horsemanship) and training one (animal handling.) I'd go with the dog emphasis unless you're training your own horses.

>>50997442

I cannot sanction their buffoonery.

>>50992890

Isn't one of the Advanced Schools female only?

>>50975920
Is l5r an easy RPG to get into for tabletop newbies?

>>50984503
>http://winter-court.com/wc5/index.php
Is that an online RPG forum? Are there forums for l5r that isn't Winter Court?

Is this a better option for those looking to play with a group or is roll20 the way to go?

>>50997960
There are, but they're usually small. Maybe a little clique-ish. Most of them definitely know each other in some way, either personally or via other L5R games.

>>50997960

DEAR GOD NO.

It's cliquey and unwelcoming as fuck.

The best way to get into L5R is to find a GM who is welcoming. This can be difficult, because L5R's setting is dense, and there's a lot of cultural baggage.

The problem is finding GMs at all, though.

>>50998233
>>50998255
Well...guess I'm gonna go play on roll20 then

>>50998565

If you find a text game that's recruiting, put it up. There generally aren't very many L5R players on roll20, either.

Last game I was set to join never started after the GM vanished on session 0 day, and then came back two weeks letter with some sort of note about having a breakdown after they got laid off.

>>50998565
I used to GM L5R a lot, but between schedule problems and the crap that is the canon, I've given up on ever doing that again.

Which is doubly sad when I remember all the fun samurai PCs I had the pleasure of GMing.

>>50998673

With the Imperial Histories books, it's never been easier to find the era you like, and tell the canon and story team ERPers in the Winter Court developing it to fuck off.

Schedule problems though. They sure do kill games.

>>50998589
The only l5r game in roll20 is Legend of the Five Rings: Isles of Fortune. Don't know much about the Eternal Danger Islands but I hope it'll be fun.

>>50998255
>>50997442

>cliquey
>unwelcoming as fuck
>shitting up things with politics
>shitting things up with ERP
>eaten alive for a misstep or outright ignored

This is the most accurate summation of what it's like at an actual Winter Court given what we know about Rokugani etiquette and social expectations.

I'm tempted to go just to see how I should act in my session if Winter Court ever happens.

>>50998565
Post in LFG, rather than waiting for a game to start up with open spots.

>>50999636
>Post in LFG, rather than waiting for a game to start up with open spots.

LFG is Looking For Group?

>>50999867
Yes.

If a ship that my PC's are on gets attacked by Mantis clan pirates (or tax collectors as they would put it) and things get violent, if the PC's accuse the clan of dishonourable practices, breaches of etiquette, blatant piracy, etc. How would they react?

Would they say the samurai in question were working on their own, and went against the will of the clan? Would that even be an excuse? If the attackers were all killed in the battle would no repercussions or punishments be made?

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>>51001055
They would throw a massive fit, be very angry and arrogant, dismiss everything, contradict themselves a few times and provide nonsensical explanations, then they would try to bribe/intimidate the characters into submission. If the characters go for a counterattack then the Mantis will break quickly but will also become really angsty about it (expect a lasting feud of some sort).

There is no real guideline for dealing with the Mantis. It is either their way or the highway. Keep this in mind, whether the storm, accept the bribe, and everything will be fine.

>>51001055
What status are your PCs?

>>51001760
Sounds biased against the Mantis.

Sorry if it isn't, but there's so much Mantis-hate it's hard to see what's a genuine criticism, what's out-and-out clan hate, and what's an in-joke.

>>51001824
Part of the reason why the Mantis is hated (and have a poor rep in-setting) is their >>51001760
way of handling problems (and how they always get away with it). Be it Yoritomo's retarded gambit at the Second Day of Thunder, the Phoenix vs Mantis war, Kitado's story in general, and some of the Age of Exploration stuff.

Sorry anon, but this isn't bias, this is how the Mantis rolls. Thank you poor writing and all that.

>>51001872
I'll admit I'm fairly new to the setting, having only read the 4th Edition texts about L5R, and am not overly familiar with the metaplot of the trading card game.

I do know that apparently the Mantis have favoritism from the old writers, though. Personally I dislike the Spider more, since I've read more about them and their shenanigans.

Then again, invincible villains or last-second villain victories sit ill with me.

So in my group, we have a dude who always plays That Scorpion. He's a nice guy, and he's not ruining the game or anything, but he always plays the same character, and the character is basically a Lion's caricature of a Scorpion. Always screwing everyone over, being a dick, and pretending he's much smarter than everyone else.

So I got kind of sick of it and decided to make a troll character. But I couldn't just make another asshole character out to screw over party members. So I made Yujiro. Yujiro was a ronin who carried around a bo staff. He didn't even carry a daisho. He had excellent crafting and social skills. He was also the nicest, most humble guy.

Whenever the Scorpion would scheme or deceive, Yujiro would tackle the problem with sincerity and humility. If we needed to gather information, he'd befriend a local family by doing chores. If we needed to get a daimyo to consider our words, he'd craft a masterwork as a gift. If we needed to get someone to do what we wanted, he'd use philosophy and discussions on bushido to get them on our side.

His entire deal was to be an anti-Scorpion, but still do the same exact tasks the Scorpion would normally do. It worked fantastically, mainly because the rest of the party was more than happy to back Yujiro's plans since it didn't involve being horrible dickheads.

Next game, the Scorpion made a Phoenix character.

>>51002075
The Mantis hate is basically two-fold.

The first issue is a really old one. They basically absorbed a bunch of cool diverse minor clans and turned them all into the Mantis, which basically eliminated a lot of their cool stuff to become dickhead pirates. I would also argue it's relatively minor at this point.

The second is that much like the Spiders, they tend to get the bulk of the favoritism from the writers. L5R has always had a bit of a problem with the quality of the writing, but the amount of times other clans will either act like retards or meek cowards to let the Mantis get away with something is staggering. Hell, their entire genesis is basically just Yoritomo blackmailing the rest of the clans by saying if they didn't make the Mantis a Great Clan, he'd ensure the world ended.

But yeah, the Spider are way, way worse. The retardation of having explicitly tainted dudes working for the Empire on an official basis (even if it is overseas) and having Daigotsu's goddamn son lead a Great Clan is fucking dumb.

>>50975920
I bought every 4th edition book the starter kit and even a set of official unicorn clan dice only for the DM to go "Its all to complicated and I dont even know what I would run." and all the other players to goo "This is AWESOME! But all the court stuff is lame and there are so many rules on etiquette and stuff and how would we even explore when it states that no one is allowed to travel? Lets just play DnD again."

Life sucks.

>>51003111
>>51002075
>>51001872
What are the best and worst clans?

Let's hear your reasons be it t worst stories? Terrible characters, annoying fanbase, etc...Lets see if we can guess each other's clan.

>>50979219
>Is getting an roll20 account even worth it then?
Absolutely, because the platform is great. Just recruit away from their forums

>>51004487
I unironically like the Crane even while being the angriest about Ree Soesbee's wanking of them in my group. I enjoy the cultural guardian angle but still having room for hardcore bushi.

Also Phoenix a best because I believe in the Shiba. Dragon are my least favorite, I find they attract players who want to be in setting fedora tippers with their multiple enlightenment paths angle, while forgetting that most still behave like samurai. Just philosophical ones. I don't dislike what's on the page about them, just the interpretation of people I've had to deal with playing them

What edition would you guys recommend to someone trying to start their first campaign in L5R

>>51004487
I like the unicorn because they "cheat" without it feeling cheap. They can eat jerky, aim their arrows, and hug their family. Sure everyone else thinks you're weird but they don't matter because horse archery.

>>51005510
4e.

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>>51005510
Oriental Adventures for D&D 3.0

>>51004487
I like the Crab, not only as a beginning player, but also the concept of the unappreciated but entirely necessary guardian appeals to me. Plus if you really think about it they have a good ass reason to be bitter and not bother with politics.

Also some of their armor looks interesting.

>>51005510
4th is the best. It has some hereditary issues in the system but overall is the best one still.

>>51005681
>I like the unicorn because they "cheat" without it feeling cheap
What do you mean by cheat? I thought scorpions went for the dishonor wins

>>51004487
I actually love Mantis. I see why other people hate them, but I still to much the idea of "peasant style" samurai. I also love Crab and I have been told that I'm quite similar to them, for good or for bad.

While I don't hate them I have grown an unfair distaste for Crane just because the guys (or more precisely, guy) who plays them are always dicks, at least in my group.

I don't know why but I like the Phoenix less each time I read about them.

>>51006848
Not that anon but I believe he is talking about how they do things other clans won't because are against tradition, like aiming. They don't do "bad" things like Scorpion or "peasant" things like Mantis, they just act different, which in a society as racist as the Rokugani might aswell be worst. But they are their own clan and each clan has their own standards of Honor, so they get away with it.

>>51006945
Mantis were fine when they were a minor clan. Trading sort of outside the rules dudes who were strddling the line between peasant and samurai.

>>51004487
Best for me is the Lion. I know they can attract assholes, but at their core I love the idea of boisterous, by the book, holier-than-thou samurai. Plus, they have war-lions, which is just awesome.

Worst is Spider, Mantis, and Scorpion in that order. Spider and Mantis for reasons that have already been stated. Scorpion not because of their concept, but more because they tend to attract the type of player who wants to play against the party rather than for it. A lot of people seem to forget that the Scorpion pride themselves on being so goddamn loyal they would do dishonorable shit for the Empire, and that there have been a ton of virtuous Scorpions.

>>51004487
Spider, because I'm a faggoty edgelord.

Other than that, I like the Crab and Scorpion, because they do the things that need to be done not because its glorious, or will look good (on the contrary when talking about the scorpion) but because no one else is willing to do it, and I can respect that.

>>51003605
You can easily get permission to travel, it's just a matter of finding the right excuse. Hell, there's even a Samurai pilgrimage where you travel as a ronin for a year. And don't forget actual pilgrimages.

>>50997670
There's a few. The thing is that they were created back when the game was very not egalitarian, so now that things are being written and interpreted as more equal, the female only stuff just seems weirdly sexist, since there's literally nothing that is male only.

>>51008340
I tried to explain all that since I read all the books because I fell in love with the game. That aside the big problem was/is the DM who for whatever reason cant come up with a campaign even though he makes new DnD campains left and right.

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>>51004487
The best clan is the Unicorn because what they do wrong is actually feasible or bite them in the back well enough, and what they do right IS right. The Moto is the only debatable content, but even they tend to turn out okayish. The Dragon is a close second.

The absolute worst might be either the Scorpion or the Lion. Both produce vomit-inducing stories from maybe the best potential. The Scorpion might be a little worse-off with being wasted, but I'm really unsure about that.

>>51004487
Best Clans

Unicorn - Mongols are cool. Chags, Chen, and Shono were a badasses. Most of the 'corn players from the CCG days were pretty bro tier. An example of comradery was the "Pretty Moto Princess" hat that went from Kotei to Kotei one year.

Scorpion - Ninjas are cool. Hot chicks are cool. The fanbase was amazing during the Race for the Throne. They organized not only the Scorpion base, but the Dragon base as well. It is an absolute shame AEG shit all over them.

Worst Clan

Spider - Edgelord faggotry at its worst. The Sooper Samurai Sith Code that keeps the taint crazy away is so retarded it hurts. Daigot-Sue is so bad he makes Doji Shizue look reasonable. Executive meddling on their behalf made the Mantis and Lion (the Lion got shit on for winning so much early on their asses still hurt) meddling seem reasonable. The Spider base is almost entirely bandwagoneers, almost none of the old school Shadowlands Horde players joined.

I'm kinda new to this. What's the best clan and family I can take if I just want to play your classical samurai from the provinces, the kind of dudes you expect to see in a Kurosawa movie.

I don't feel much attraction by all the fuckery archetypes that most clans seem to introduce (like phoenix being magic, crabs defending the Wall, etc.), I just want to be a historical sengoku jidai samurai dude in a fantasy setting.

>>51009323
Crab + Hida if you want the Kurosawa experience. Just disregard this whole "muh wall" aspect of the Clan. Other than that, Phoenix + Shiba is kinda close so is Dragon + Mirumoto.

>>51009367
Crane + Daidoji can also work. Yeah, they're still Cranes, but the Daidoji have plenty of simple backwater to go around.

>>51009140
>The Dragon is a close second.
I fuckin' love the Dragon, but the fanbase has been behind some of the strongest whitewashing of the clan - Hitomi swerving away from Hidden Emperor, Dragon being replaced by Mantis in Khan's March, etc.

Then there's stuff I hate that you can't exactly blame the fanbase for, but still looked like a poor choice going in - such as picking Iweko as clan emperor candidate.

>>51009323
Lion and Crane are pretty much the standard samurai. If you want to go Minor Clan, Sparrow, Monkey, and Hare would work as well.

>>51009367
>>51009403

After some fast checking I might try Daidoji or Mirumoto. I don't like the whole phoenix deal about peace, kamis bowing to mortals, etc. and I feel the whole crab clan to not be samurai enough for my tastes and the whole wall/monster hunter issue hard to ignore. I may be wrong, but still for my first serious character I prefer to not risk it. Daidoji and Mirumoto both seem to be pretty "normal".

>>51009444
>>51009403
Another question. I've seen that Lions tend to be portrayed as blondes/redheads and cranes with white hair. I don't like it at all to be honest. How common/mandatory is it?

>>51009436
I almost forgot Rich Wulf's soul eating / body hopping Togashi. Fuck that noise, almost as much as Heaven's Net.

>>51009492
If you want to play an everyman or average samurai, go Daidoji or Akodo bushi.

>>51009530
>How common/mandatory is it?
Not at all.

Bleached hair is a result of either bleaching (duh) or extreme shugenja power. Blonde/Red hair is a result of Kitsu bloodline, and they keep a vicelike grip on their bloodline expressors.

>>51009580
Oh, good to know. Google images shows plenty of them, in the case of the crane to the point of making it look like they're mostly white haired (bleaching or natural is not very important to me). And it's also the impression I got from my DM when he was explaining the major families, although this could be a misunderstanding from my part.

>>51009530
All that is hair dye and is far from mandatory. Lady Doji was said to have White Hair so a lot of Cranes dye their hair to try and be like her. The red hair in the Lion clan comes from Kitsu ancestry, which means they have non-human ancestors.

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>>51009647
Ignore the card art, but for the most conservative stuff. Read the rpg books, particularly the older "Way Of [Clan]" books. Otherwise you'd end up believing pic related exists.

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Or this.

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Even this.

>>51009580
Actually, a lot of the blonde is also bleaching/dying.

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>>51009693
>>51009714
>>51009731
Fucking Genzoman...it burns.

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Hopefully Falsy McDragon Teeth doesn't fly with anyone.

This guy is supposed to be the stealthiest and most cunning of Dragons, being tainted by the Lying Darkness. (the original sentient non-existence of anything)

>>51009647
The Crane dye their hair partially to respect one of their earliest heroes, whose hair turned white from the stress of his heroic episode, and partially because they have a tradition of dying their hair white. It's a self-reinforcing tradition.

>>51009763
A lot of it is also just Lion Brand Fun Fur on their helmets.

>>51009794
Like most traditions.
The Kuni literally wear facepaint *because they wear facepaint*. If you ask them why the tradition started, they can't tell you, because they don't know.

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>>51009800

>>51009794
>>51009689
That's cool, I'm fine with the dying being a thing as long as my character can go undyed without giving any explanation to it.

>>51007226
>A lot of people seem to forget that the Scorpion pride themselves on being so goddamn loyal they would do dishonorable shit for the Empire, and that there have been a ton of virtuous Scorpions
Also every iteration of the how to play a Scorpion guide they reprint a version of every edition has some great advice on how to play an asshole Scorpion but still be a good member of a party.

>>51009820
Although the Kuni consider it to be mandatory for both of their Schools as a mark of being a true member, while the Crane hair is just a thing some of them do.

>>51009580
>>51009689
Can I have a redheaded Moto bushi or is it only a Kitsu thing? My PC's history is that he comes from a gaijin ancestor that joined the Moto family through marriage.

>>51010234
It is pretty much a Kitsu thing. Most Moto with gaijin ancestors tend to have Not!Arabic in their blood as they came from the Burning Sands.

>>51010331
>gaijin ancestors tend to have Not!Arabic in their blood as they came from the Burning Sands.
Dang... I was gonna use Merenae ancestry since that's the Mediterranean people I can get to a Marco Polo type.

Merenae traders be traveling in the Burning Sands?

>>51010435
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Merenae

Merenae are wiped out as of tenth century.

Any reason Mantis clan is hated other than being Mary Sues and forcing Fox and Wasp to wear green?

>>51010573
That's basically about it. Other than trying to hold Rokugan hostage so they could be a Great Clan.
Been thinking about replacing that with the Minor Clan Alliance.

>>51010573
No, that pretty much covers it. Although "to wear green" should be "to wear green and act like Yoritomo but with bows or Yoritomo but not in the Yoritomo Shugenja School".
Seriously, pretty much every Mantis is just Yoritomo but X, when they should be distinct.

>>51010573
Turning the hyper-traditional Centipede into semi-naked Yoritomo clones isn't bad enough on its own?

>>51010669
Oh yeah, and the fact that the Yoritomo somehow got four+ full blown schools in all three categories within mere years, when most other families only have one or two schools that they spent centuries working on to reach a similar level of advancement. Yoritomo Bushi excepted because it's just rename of the old Mantis Bushi that they'd been using since their founding as a minor clan.
That's also a problem with all the post-CCG minor clans, including the Wasp. They all grew way too fast. Yoritomo Mantis are the worst though, because they gained so many schools, alternate ranks, and advanced schools in such a short time.

>>51010807
There's at least some justification for that; Rokugan saw some shit around the same time as the Mantis became a great clan, and there would be a whole lot of ronin dispossessed and floating about for the clan to give a home and lord to serve to again.

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>>51009847
You made me do a quick search on Oracle of the Void and going through the all Crane Personality cards I found the following...

5 Non-Human (4 Kenku and a Spirit)
3 Multi (Asahina Dorai's base is Dyed, his Exp version is Not Dyed, Kakita Kaiten base is Not Dyed, his Exp is Dyed, Doji Reju has every flavor, bald, white, black, and helmeted)
196 White
107 Black
9 Bald/Shaven
26 Fully Helmeted (No visible hair)

And one fucking Drow, Doji Midoru base is spooky.

All of the Emperor's siblings have to join one of the Imperial families, correct?

>>51011956
I believe so. After that some might have married out of the Imperial families and into the highest circles of a Great Clan Kami family, most likely the Doji. I recall several times reading that the Doji carry a lot of imperial blood in addition to their Kami's.

>>51011718
I like everything about this card.

>>51011956
Yes. They usually join the Otomo, a few more martial ones join the Seppun, and almost none have ever joined the Miya.

>>51012127
That could also be the Emperor's nieces and nephews marrying in. Also, pretty much every ruling line in every great clan major family has at least a couple kami's blood very, very diluted in there, just because they're the few families that easily qualify as marriage candidates for each other.

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>>51004487
MONKEY CLAN BEST CLAN

OO OO AHH AHH I AM THE LAW, BITCHES

>>51009731
"i'm telling you, two in the pink, one in the stink! Which of us is the woman here!?"

When the PCs all make Kakita Artisans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZPnt4tKGdU

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Is it a bad idea to restrict bushi to males?

>>51013765
Yes, because Rokugani humans are very distantly divine beings and sexual dimorphism is skin deep.

>>50976601
good sacrifice for a demon, BTW...

>>50992673
that pic is so cute....

>>50997916
N O ! ! ! !

i learned this the hard way. L5R is for converting RPG players to a great, non 3.5 way of looking at RPG....

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>>51013765
>>50992890
Why do you insist on shitting up L5R threads with this? Or do you hit every other game's generals with this bullshit?

>>51004487
Spider.

because it was to be clan Sith.

it went bullshit fast.

now best clan is Clan Tetsuo. look it up....

>>51013799
Does that mean males get less divinity than females to keep things equal?

>>51013904
It's a legitimate question anon.

>>51014114
No, just like last time you tried to stir shit with this. The divinity is an equalizer.

>>51014114
No, because they never had the inequality to begin with. Humans were formed in full from the mixed blood and tears of Lord Moon and Lady Sun. One sex being better than the other would imply that one of the deities is better than the other, which is untrue in every era, even when the sun and moon get replaced.

>>51014289
ie males get less divine power due to their superior bodies, making things equal

>>51014321
Then why aren't females the same size as males?

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>>51014410
People across Rokugan vary in size with no regard for gender.

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>>51014474

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>>51014494

>>51013765

Yes. As women have a pretty strong history in rokugan of being fantastic bushi.

>>51014526
>playing with a cuck setting

lol

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>>51014585
>"Hey everyone, look at the memetard!"
Togashi Noboru, probably.

>>51014474
Considering that the Japanese (in fact, most asian people) have very little sexual dimorphisim outside of genitals and the classic secondary sexual characteristics (Breasts, facial hair, pelvic bone shape), the art is pretty damn accurate.
All I know is that I want to keep Crab women on the Wall - wider hips (even by a few cm over male average) and a lower center of gravity means they are harder to knock over if they set themselves right.

>>51014963

Even then, it -is- specifically mentioned that the Hida have a large contingent of samurai women who DO primarily function as household governesses who only part-time as bushi, mostly in defensive situations. Because if all the men are busy dying on the wall, someone has to keep the homestead full of future soldiers from falling apart.

>>51014963
>Considering that the Japanese (in fact, most asian people) have very little sexual dimorphisim

Do you honestly believe this?

>>51014996
Most Hida women are of the run-the-house sort. Hida bushi-ko are somewhat rare. Not rare enough to raise eyebrows, but they definitely aren't the majority. Same for the Kaiu. Every Hiruma in their homelands have to be competent soldiers because they live on the wrong side of the wall, Kuni have anyone with the gift in charge of their household regardless of genitals, and Yasuki have a more traditionally Rokugani split thanks to being the "face" of the Crab.

Can I play an Utaku Battle Maiden (male)?

>>51015329
No, but you can play as a Utaku Mounted Infantryman and kick ass with your choice of sword, spear, or polearm.

>>51015043
Hitomi 'J Cups' is an aberration, not a rule, Anon.

>>51009921
Scorpion are nothing but a bunch of faggy edgelords. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a reason for them to be a clan, let alone a Great Clan. It's not like there's ever been flawed human beings who've exploited their position in the Celestial Order to conceal their sins. Additionally, things like reality and the finite resources of the Empire naturally conform to bushido in such a way as to unfailingly support the reign of the Emperor.

But in all seriousness, being a Scorpion shouldn't only be a about "cheating" bushido to smooth things out for the party (or just because you can't stand it). Much like the Crab, the Scorpion have an ugly, grubby, and inglorious job that absolutely must be done. Ferreting out the weakness of other samurai is the first step in compensating for those deficiencies. Being oyabun to a gang of slaving, pimping criminals won't win you reincarnation points, but will let you know when/where Bloodspeakers are sneaking around as you've cornered the market on human sacrifices. So embrace the suck nobly as your Emperor given duty.

>>51016592
When a plot comes to light, look to the Scorpion. They are always involved... Even if their involvement was slipping you the information you needed to take the plot out.
Being a Scorpion means being the most dishonorable, disloyal, dishonest bastard available, because you have your Duty. To see the Empire survive, no matter what.
The first part of your duty is to make sure the clans don't set their eyes on the throne.
The second part is make sure the clans don't fall apart.

>>51017066
On a day by day basis, most Scorpion aren't consistently "being the most dishonorable, disloyal, dishonest bastard available". They have actual work to do which is just as effectively performed honestly, and it keeps everyone else guessing if they can't actually say "It's a day of the week ending in 'y', you're up to something, Scorps."

>>51017066
Part of the mission is to be Rokugan's 7eleven of Faustian bargains, well-known, conveniently located, and open all the time. Feckless bushi are going to sell-out to somebody, best that it is to people who aren't opposed to the Empire. Even if the Scorps can't afford to buy, just knowing what the going rate on particular souls is would give you insight into what's shaking out in the "market". The twirling mustachios are there to distract people from seeing a wholely human, Celestial Order honoring, Emperor obeying Clan of samurai diligently burning up the fuel and Hoovering up the air that would otherwise feed a truly disruptive conflagration.

>>51017726
>Shadow The Scorpion says

>only YOU can prevent clan wars!

>>51017066
See, I think this line of thought is the issue. The lying, dishonest Scorpions are a significant minority. Every section talking about Bushido has mentioned that even the Scorpion generally follow it as closely as they can. They just tend to interpret honor differently, much like the Unicorn or Mantis.

If you were to ask a Scorpion, he wouldn't say all other clans are easily duped fools to be manipulated for his own goals. He would probably say they are useful assets that have weaknesses that can be exploited, and the Scorpion exist to make sure those assets benefit the Empire.

Scorpions on the whole are samurai. They're not goddamn ninjas hiding in plain sight. Remember, Bayushi's great keikaku doori moment was to lose on purpose, costing him face, so that he could do things he could not otherwise have managed. He didn't go on to screw over Akodo for no good reason. He didn't sacrifice honor, he sacrificed glory.

Duty comes before honor, but honor is still preferable to dishonor. If nothing else, acting like a somewhat honorable, upstanding samurai makes it easier for you to accomplish your mission when you do need to betray someone. "I know how to swim" only works if you don't have a municipal pool full of scorpions doing the backstroke.

>>51017935
>Except for that one time when you caused it

>>51018562
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xECUrlnXCqk

Let's speak hypotheticals.

Could a Crab be happy with an Untainted Spider wife?

>>51018562

I blame Uikku's "prophecy".

>>51019492
Real answer: depends on the people involved.

Wishful thinking answer: He'd commit seppuku before going against everything Hida stood for.

>>51020163

Specifically, it's to end a blood feud between a Hida family and a Daigotsu family, by edict of the Empress, because she doesn't need conflicts so close to the Shadowlands.

Setting is currently seventy years after the Destroyer War, by the way.

>>51019492
Of course! He can be happy even with a tainted Spider wife. It is purely a question of the Crab's approach to this whole Shadowlands/Spider ordeal.

I'm excited for a game I'm running on Saturday on Roll20. Got a full group and they're going to be trying to do big great deeds to impress the Governor, so he'll put in a good word for their factions in court. All part of a ploy to get the deceased emperor's daughter uplifted to the throne rather than his son, so that Second City can happen. Modified timeline.

>>50976198
*sweating furiously*

>>50977870
>>50978219
There was also the bit when someone asked Yasamura if he'd be able to kill O-Ushi if she ever fell. He said something like "She'll only fall if I'm already dead." The good little wife is kinda badass.

>>51021122
>No true Crab

>>51020336
In that case, he'd probably do it regardless of personal feelings, particularly if his daimyo agreed to it.

>>51021122
>Implying that tainted people can even legally marry.

It is like you don't even know imperial law and want the Emerald and Jade Magistrates, the Kuni Witch Hunters, the Asako Inquisitors, and the Kuroiban to come and arrest your dumb asses.

>>51025842
It's why I specified Untainted, by the by. A Tainted woman was right out because of how it works.

>>51025842
Hey, that's the Crab's problem. They have done worse, and we all know how it all ended... not exactly with the Crab abolished and all its members burnt on the stake, I can tell you that.

>>51024370
Daimyo did agree with it, since he was equally tired of the blood feud. I'm just asking if there was a particular chance of happiness if she's untainted - not that Rokugani marriages need to be particularly happy in the first place.

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>>51026167
>Hida
>Being tired of killing Shadowlands faggots
>Ever

>>51026293
70 years after Destroyer War, Spider's a Great Clan, not my choice when the Empress wants it. Which means the Daimyo wants it.

Duty before all.

>>51027107

And this is why the Crab are fags. At least the Unicorn attempted a coup when it was obvious shit was getting dumb

>>51027259
Duty before all, traitor-fag.

What are you, a gaijin?

>>51027311
But... isn't allowing shit to hit the fan a violation of Duty all by itself? I mean, if you let your peers fall out of their own failure is still YOU ->letting<- them fall.

"I couldn't do anything because they told me so" is Matsu Tsuko tier cheap excuse, and I guess we all know where it leads.

>>51027448

But at least Tsuko had the guts to gut herself (haha) when she found living up to her sworn Duty to be against what it is best for the Empire, thus freeing the Lion to do what was right.

>>51027448
This maho is weak. That or you're being a Scorpion. Either way go home.

>>51027537
And what's best for the Crab and by extension the Empire is fucking this Spider woman.

Some people don't get what Duty means.

>>51025842
>Implying that tainted people can even legally marry.
They literally can. It's not illegal to be tainted. It's illegal to hide it.

>>51027259
>At least the Unicorn attempted a coup when it was obvious shit was getting dumb.
Shit was getting dumb when the Crab made their break for the throne. Hida himself personally told Hantei his clan would not support a weak emperor, and for hundreds of years the other clans had slowly been deriding the Crab's duty as unnecessary, mocking their insistence the Shadowlands was Rokugan's true threat while sending fewer and fewer resources, eroding other clans' support for the Crab.

Hantei XXXVIII? An idealist who survived three wives (one of which was mother to Daigotsu, yay), his later reign was marked by political apathy in the face of 7 clans who couldn't stop fucking with each other. Hida Kisada hated the man he saw as allowing the Crab to suffer at the whims of the other clans.

>A weak product of a corrupted and dying bloodline. Hantei got his power from the gods, that's true, but how long ago?

Kisada's plan was fucked up, sure, but it was straight forward and would work if not for human failure and betrayal in ways that he wasn't used to. He also hadn't faced quite the same Shadowlands Kuni Yori was bringing to the table - and he still managed to drag himself back from evil mindfuck temptations (so powerful they make nailing your son to a banner seem like a good idea) to try to redeem his clan.

>>51028190
And it is illegal to marry if you are tainted, because the Taint can spread sexually, both to the untainted partner and to any children they have.

Even if it was authorized willfully spreading the taint is considered Third or Fourth Degree of Infection which requires execution of the Tainted individual.

>>51028446
>And it is illegal to marry if you are tainted
I just said it's not, which you ignored.

Again.

It's not illegal to be tainted. It's illegal to lie about it.

>The person was not allowed to marry without informing the prospective spouse and family. Any violation of this protocol was considered a "mental symptom", which was ground for execution.

How is the combat of it?
Is a easy sistem for new players?

>>51029584
It's not bad, but it is somewhat more complicated than many systems. Stances are easy to forget, but they're pretty important, especially when initiative switching effects come into play and you get to stance dance around everyone who goes after you in the initiative order.

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>>50975920
I found a group to play the RPG and I'm going ahead and making a Yoritomo Bushi. Somebody try and stop me...

>>51031357
Make sure you get at least Earth 3, pump Strength, try not to be a faggot, and have fun!

>>51031392
Thanks anon, are Kamas the best weapon for a Yoritomo build? Are they overpowered? Cause I was actually thinking of using a Katana and sometime of knife or twin sais

>>51031913
Katana Main Hand
Nunchaku Off-Hand (for hilarious Tripping at Rank 4)

This is the true way of the Dickhead Pirate.

>>51031913
>Kamas
The plural of a Japanese word is the Japanese word. Same way as sheep, fish, etc.

>>51031392
>>51031979
Thanks for advice! I'm actually looking forward to a nunchuck + katana wielding pirate now.

What would be some good skills/advantages for this build? I want to max this.

First time playing and I feel like I'm going crazy by having all these skills/advantages/disadvantages. Is there a roll of thumb to how many I should have?

>>51033089
Strength of the Earth is always good. Get a rank or two of Lucky as well because it's great and underpriced. You can't go over 15 points for advantages of 10 for disads so keep that in mind. Pick advantages and disads that fit thematically.

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>>50975920
Is this the game I want to play if I want to recreate Thunderbolt Fantasy?

>>51033412
You're looking for Legends of the Wulin, friend. The game even fewer people play than L5R.

I actually really like the Mantis as a Great Clan, but I also recognise the validity of some of the criticisms that people often have, and I've been thinking about ways to re-write them to be more like they should be.

One of the main things I would do is make them a true partnership rather than everybody under the Yoritomo. The Mantis would be ruled by a Governing Counsel composed of the daimyo of each family, with the Clan Champion serving as the chair of the council and rotating through the four seats on a set interval. It draws an obvious parallel to the Phoenix Elemental Council, while also providing an interesting contrast-- particularly in light of the long-standing Mantis-Pheonix bad-blood. The Elemental Council is organised based on magical strength rather than family leadership, and is often dominated by the Isawa, rather than being balanced across the Phoenix, and the Shiba Clan Champion is a servant rather than a true member.

In any case, along with the council, there would be a lot more cross-influence between the families-- more melting pot than Yoritomo-washing.

On the School front, I would also run the Yoritomo Shugenja school as the "Yoritomo" Shugenja school, a school run under Yoritomo auspices but in reality simply somewhere for the Moshi to stick any of their men who end up having the shugenja gift-- since they can't be sun priestesses-- and then also taking any Mantis students who for whatever reason don't want to study with the Kitsune family school.

I also understand the complaints about the number of techniques the mantis have developed, but I think that one is a matter of mechanical necessity and something for GMs to solve if they see it as a problem. 4e is supposed to run every era-- including potential future ones where the Mantis are "old enough" to have five techniques in every school, and as such those techniques need to be in the book. If individual gms want to restrict access to those techniques, that's their business.

>>51033151
Is there a limit to how many skill you can have in the beginning?

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Anyone ever made a Doji Magistrate before? Their school looks interesting and I like the idea behind them as the oldest school in the empire for peacekeeping guards and wardens, but some of their tech seems questionable on a surface read.

>>51033818
>some of their tech seems questionable on a surface read.
How so?

>>51034156
The Air Ring added to ATN thing in rank 1 seems useless even then let alone at higher ranks where attack increases faster than defense by far. Similarly the rank 5 subtracting air ring from each rolled die against you I can't tell if that's OP or weak as fuck since I've never seen someone play one of these guys from rank 1 to 5 and seen how their natural exp spends over that period shake out in the long term.

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>>50976198
posting best Hida waifu

Are there any rules for enchanting objects (so you can make things like the Porcelain Masks or heirloom weapons)? How about Nemuranai (where their kami awaken without being actively enchanted)?

Also, is there any way to make a staff-wielding monk viable? Staves seem flat-out worse than fists if you bother to take Fist of Stone, and you can't use atemi kiho with staves. Seems like using one cuts out a lot of options.

>>51034228
>Air Ring added to ATN thing in rank 1 seems useless
You're probably going to start with Air 3 (Doji of Doji Magistrate school), so you'll start off better than the Mirumoto on ATN bonuses. Seems more like you're expecting massive bonuses that blow you away at rank 1. Some do, others are just quietly reliable ... or shit.

> rank 5 subtracting air ring from each rolled die against you I can't tell if that's OP or weak as fuck
Very dependent on the opponent's Air ring. It works against everyone for the following round, though. High Air and you'll kick ass while not being hit.

>>51033711
I think CC caps at 3? Might be more. Check with your DM.

>>51034228
As >>51034461 points out an IR 1 Doji Doji Magistrate is going to start at Air 3 so will have a ATN of 28 which is a 38% chance of being hit by 6k3 vs the 52% chance at ATN 25 with Reflex 3.

>>51031979
>(for hilarious Tripping at Rank 4)
Would a pole arm or spear be better?

>>50975920
>that image
You dirty bastard, I have to go read it again now.

>>51035423
Nah. Polearms and Spears don't get very good masteries, whereas Staves get the free raise towards Knockdown. Yoritomo R2 gives you 2 free raises for Knockdowns if you move 5ft on your turn so a R4 Yoritomo bushi with 5 ranks in Staves gets 3 free raises on Knockdown if they move 5ft. So just equip a nunchaku, move 5ft, and knock horses down for 1 raise. You might even win the contested Strength roll because Yoritomo normally go hard on Strength because their R5 is stupid good.

>>51035423
>Would a pole arm or spear be better?
Generally, no.

Heavy Weapons = Tetsubo (not as good as a nodachi)
Kenjutsu = Katana or Nodachi
Mounted = Lance
Polearms = Bisento (not as good as a nodachi)

This is pretty much the range of effective weapons available, unless you have techniques or other bonuses for specific weapons / skills.

>>51035765
Would it better if my PC wielded twin nunchucks or like >>51031979 mentioned, Katana and a nunchuck offhand?

Is dual wielding knives like kama and sai even any good? How about paired with a Katana?

>>51035867
Katana + Nunchucks is better than Twin Nunchucks.

You are never going to attack with the nunchucks unless you are tripping as 4k2 (after mastery abilities) is better than 2k2 (again after mastery). Also when striking with the Katana you have the option of spending Void for damage, which literally no other weapon has, so you can spike for 5k3 damage.

Has anyone ever played in a high IR campaign?

I've play D&D for about 5 years and I'm fucking sick of it, is this game easy to get into if you have experience playing D&D? And how is it best to get into it? Join a game and be confused half the time until you get it?

>>51037429
You can play it like D&D, but the intended mindset is completely different, and it's possible to just "not get it" if you aren't aware of that.

The weapons you were given on the day you were declared an adult may well be the weapons you carry and use for the rest of your life. Magic weapons are generally unimpressive, lost or missing documentation that would allow them to be activated, or kept by your daimyo because important people want the prestige of powerful / historically important artefacts. Money is virtually irrelevant, because Rokugan really runs on favours. (listed prices are all over the shop) Changing schools is a Big Deal. Etc.

Best way to get into the game is read the Hagakure, then build a Lion clan PC.

http://www.csn.ul.ie/~arise/stuff/hagakure.pdf

>>51034298
>Mary Sue EEEVEEEEL bloodspeaker infiltrates the Crab but the dutiful cock of the Hida proves too much for her and she starts to become truly loyal
>"Nah we're doubling down on the Spider she was merely pretending all along"

I hope FFG are more competent writers.

>>51037619
Chhers boss.

Mechanically how is it? My last attempt to learn a new system was Call of Cthulhu and it was like pulling teeth at first. Also how tied to the setting are the mechanics?

>>51037429
You can go multiple sessions at a time without ever drawing a sword, one of the system's iconic campaign types is the Winter Court, where (in a nutshell) a fuckton of magical politicians sit around and see who can sass each other the hardest without going too far and getting killed for discourteousness. It would work a lot better if the social rules were overhauled.
That's not to stop you playing a Shadowlands game of hunt the oni, in fact the combat in the game is deceptively deep and ludicrously lethal if you fuck up/get unlucky.

>>51036201
>>51033151
>>51033089
Other than luck and strength of the earth, what are some other good advantages for a nunchuck+katana wielding Yoritomo bushi?

I'm eyeing on quick, crab hands and daredevil. Is leadership and tactician any good?

>>51038243
>It would work a lot better if the social rules were overhauled.
But then how can I order a PC's ritual suicide for accidentally forgetting they're not an American action hero and back talking the Emerald Champion?

>>51039615
Crab Hands is probably not worth it. If you're ever without the weapons you trained in, as a Yoritomo it's really easy for you to grab something that would make a decent improvised weapon to use with your jiujutsu. Better to spend your charger points and advantage slots elsewhere.

>>51039813
Thanks! This is what I got so far...

Language (1), Daredevil, Lucky (3), Strength of the Earth. I can't decide on either Quick or Leadership, which one's better?

>>51039813
OTOH, you may find yourself in a contest of skill, needing knowledge of a particular fighting style, or otherwise have reason to use a specific bugei skill in ways where you can't just say 'fuck it, jujutsu!'

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Has any Emperor ever fought on the front linea of a war or eve in the Wall?

>>51040846
The last time an Emperor took to battle with his men was Hantei V who helped fight against the Maw which was the conflict where the Wall itself was built. I forget if Toturi ever directly led his men once he became Emperor, but maybe him as well.

>>51040898
Oh and since Naseru retroactively proclaimed Tsudao as Toturi II she counts.

>>51013765
Yes because, really, does being realistic compensate the shitstorm caused by crybabies? It's a fantasy realm, just ignore the half assed explanations and assume that there's woman bushi because there's woman players.

If you don't have woman players, simply don't have female bushi npcs on-screen and problem solved, de facto there are no female bushi in your rokugan.

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>>51034320
Hate to ask again. About to start a monk campaign and particularly curious about the staves one.

Is having a 2 in Void ok or should I buff it up to 3?

>>51041136
Three is almost mandatory, but you don't have to do it at chargen if there's other stuff you need more.

>>51031357
>>51031392
>>51031913
>>51039813
>>51041312
For a katana nunchuck weilding Yoritomo bushi build, how does this look?
Earth 4, Fire 4, Water 4, Air 2, Void 2
or
Earth 5, Fire 3, Water 3, Air 2, Void 2

>>51041426
>All those crazy-high Rings

Wow. Otherwise, you would be better off with high Air for Initiative and ATN. Waste Fire, you only need Agility from there.

>>51041820
5 and 4 are high? I see tons of NPCs with stats and rings above 6.

>>51041426
The Way of the Mantis means I don't have to raise my Athletics to 3 correct?

>>51041858
Yes, those are generally high exp and some of the best the Empire has to offer any given moment. Your build isn't really that bad but is pretty high for a char gen character. Is that even mathematically feasible with starting exp? Do you just have no skills besides school skills?

>>51034298
The best Hida Waifu was posted in >>50976299

>>51042012
I'm pretty sure you're not even allowed to start with a stat or skill above 4

>>51042012
You could scrap a single ring to 4 if you had a family/school combo in the same ring different attributes and then bought two attributes to 4 (28 if you have a double trait [Kakita going to the Daidoji Iron Warrior School] or 32 if you have both traits in a ring [Bayushi going to the Bayushi Bushi]), buying a your Void to 4 (42 [Requiring a disadvantage] or 24 if you are Togashi Monk or Mirumoto Taoist Swordsmen). Fives are right out by the last section of the spending freebies outright banning anything higher than four.

>>51041939
Yeah, your R1 Tech is better than the Rank 3 Athletics mastery, but if you want to be good at Athletics stuff, like running, climbing, or swimming, you still need to raise the skill.

>>51042012
>Is that even mathematically feasible with starting exp?

It isn't. The best you can do with the standard starting xp is 3 Rings at 3.

>>51034320
There aren't rules for purposefully enchanting objects, but the process is pretty much known. If you're a shugenja, you take a very high quality object and alternate between blessing the shit out of it and putting it through high intensity use until it awakens. Artificially awakening an object does give it a shelf life of the lifespan of its original user (The one who uses it intensely), but it's a pretty dependable process that only takes years instead of decades. Maho is simpler (As always). You make an appropriate thing and tell a kansen to get in there while spilling an appropriate amount of blood.

>>51040846
>>51040898
There was another one, but his involvement wasn't actually a big deal in the grand scheme of things and doesn't get mentioned a lot. He basically decided to take his army and fight the shadowlands (Which had not been particularly active or inactive that decade), went and did it for a while, and then went back home. The Crab got a lot of temporary support and that was the only real effect of him doing that.

Are the quick, tactician or leadership skill worth their price?

>>51043705
Quick and Leadership, very much. Going first is very powerful in L5R combat. Being able to push a character up the initiative order can and will win fights.

Tactician, is kinda meh. If it had a minor out of Mass Combat effect, it would be an okay pic. Unless Mass Combat is a part of your character's main shtick, I'd skip it.

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Honorable samurai, tell me a story about the Lion clan that isn't just another tale of them kicking ass at their favorite game of Kick the Minor Clan.

I mean its that or Job To Establish A Threat as number one

>>51044715

It would help if the Ikoma stopped redacting every story that involves the Lion failing.

>>51040525

Quick.

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>>51044715
There was the time they essentially gave up the shongunate to the Unicorn to get a leg up on Yodotai tactics because of an implied upcoming invasion. Then AEG went lolnope and the Lion got fucked, getting a shitty promo while the Unicorn got an awesome personality that saw lots of play.

Pic related is the Promo.

>>51045095
Lion aren't my favorite clan, but I really wish for once they'd get something nice. Every between Kotei period where they basically wrote new stuff for the next card edition has some cool baseline stuff for them but they never get anything. I guess that winning the first Emperor spot up for grabs used up all their good luck

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So does anyone remember which 4e book had the actually useful ninja tools in it for the Scorpion, like the smoke and incendiary nagateppo and shit? I could have sworn it was in their Great Clans chapter but nope.

One of you mother fuckers need to run, I'm already Dark Heresy.

>>51049934
Imperial Histories?

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>>51050171
Dark Heresy, I'm Emerald Magistrate.

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>>51050222
Emerald Magistrate, begone! This dark heresy is a matter for the Asako Inquisitors!

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>>51050403
Wait, did someone say heresy? This sounds like a job for the Kuroiban!

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>>51050490
Fuck off, Scorpion, this is the jurisdiction of the Kuni Witch Hunters.

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>>51050593
>>51050490
>>51050403
No seriously, step off. This is an Emerald Magistrate matter, our authority supersedes your own. If you have a problem with that, take it up with my boss the greatest duelist in the Empire and second most powerful person in the land.

>>51050222
>>51050403
>>51050490
>>51050593
>>51050656
Last time I checked, y'all niggas got your shit pushed in by maho-tsukai until we saved your silk-wearing asses.

Hare Clan out.

>>51039633
I mean the crunch, not the fluff.
To make a fantastic courtier in 4e you need 3 skills and a single trait, to make a combat master you need 3 skills and 2+ RINGS. It's far too easy to be a casually solid courtier than it is a swordmaster.

>>51040525
1+2+9+2=14
You can't afford either Quick or Leadership on top of all those.

>>51054015
But on the other hand, anyone with a sword can kill a courtier at any time (Although there will be consequences), while a courtier can only talk someone to death if they're in a formal situation.