>Up at 2AM
>No L5R Thread
Why don't we fix that?
Also does anyone have a resource for quickly making NPCs? I want to have a bandit group but without having to stat out each one by hand.
>0 replies
I want to like L5R so this makes me sad. Have a bump.
It's not popular, I mean it really never was, but as of now it's extremely unpopular despite having IMO the best RPG system out there.
>>47348756
Don't stat them out, just give them dicepools. 4k2 or 4k3 on attacks, damage is probably 5k2 for a katana, there, you're done. They stop fighting when they get a shitload of penalties from getting stabbed.
here's a awesome npc creating resource
>>47349768
Yeah, sadly it doesn't get much of the recognition it deserves. But I have found that the fans of it are very fervent.
>>47349778
Thanks, anon, I'll have a look at it!
>>47348756
>>47349771 This, except maybe give them some character, such as unique features or equipment. Just think about random things they might be carrying etc.
>>47349771
>>47349793
Not bad ideas. Though I don't want to spend too much time on them as they're more or less sub-goon fodder and the detail goes in the 'boss' of the group. Unless that's somehow a bad idea...
I don't suppose anyone has a link to rules?
I briefly played the CCG years ago and I'd like to get into this, but no idea how
>>47349836
the card game is dead. FFG bought the L5R IP and are going to launch a L5R LCG. We don't know if it'll be the same card game or completely different yet. But judging by how long it's taking them to talk about it or launch it, it'll probably be a completely new game.
>>47349836
Here's a link to the RPG, though.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/7zx8k6x1qx78ug7/L5R+-+4th+Ed+-+Player's+handbook.pdf
>>47349814
Well, yeah. If they're just goons, make up a few-sentence story why they are in banditry, to give them some character and make them a little more than "just" goons.
Use the appropriate time for planning them, though, it shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes to create an interesting setup.
>what kind of bandits they are?
>who do they target?
>why do they target the group?
>do they plan to fight and incapacitate the group, or just steal and run away?
These questions are important in that they don't have "shit AI" and just swing sharp iron bar until die, but instead maybe use some dirty tactics and possibly run away if in danger.
>>47349887
You've got a good point, Anon, it's not too much work and it's better for the game.
>>47349877
Thanks anon
>go to FLGS
>ask them if they have any LFR cardgame shit
>a smile of happiness and relief over the owner's face, as he says that he has way too much leftover L5R product.
>Sells me an intro set for 5 bucks
Did I make a mistake, L5RG?
>>47350493
Well unless you have another player, you're kinda fucked, that's just CCGs.
But as to why he's got so much product, it's just popularity. L5R has never been the biggest in it's field, but it's always been good at what it does. So while everyone is playing the bigger name games, Magic, YGO, Pokemon, NetRunner, Force of WIll, etc., L5R was gathering dust.
Anyone have some good Suzume art? Red/brown/black colour themed samurai stuff is hard to come by.
>>47350633
Got an example? I can use the google fu
>>47350709
>>47350773
>>47350843
>>47350860
>>47350773
That samurai is wearing a watch.
Remember when /tg homebrewed a couple of minor clans? Good times.
>>47350895
That was fun. I've been meaning to try it myself, but I don't have a firm enough grasp of mechanical balance.
The idea I had was for a Shrike clan, with a bushi school focused on using acupuncture to strengthen and maintain their own body, and on using their understanding of those same principles to know where best to strike at foes.I was picturing some kind impaling technique that would immobilize or perhaps paralyse an enemy, but I don't have a firm idea of how to crunch it.
>>47350882
Which a Suzume definitely wouldn't do, grubby little pseudo-peasants that they are.
>>47350970
A Suzume would tell a boasting, long-winded story about how he did some favor for some other samurai, who gave him the watch as a gift in thanks, and how that samurai got it from someone else after a thrilling adventure, and how that person had made the watch on commision for someone else who died before they could collect it, and how the person who had died was killed in a duel, and why the other duelist had such a grudge against him-- and by the time the story was over you would be too drunk to care that a Suzume had a watch anymore.
Since it didn't get any replies the last time, I'm going to repost this.
I made a thing by adapting the human version of Mochatchikkan from Way of the Open Hand to 4e and boiling it down the martial art mechanics from 3e into a path. Mochatchikkan is the Nezumi unarmed fighting style, which is occasionally taught to humans. A nezumi that knows it well is a Mocha-mocha. A human that learns it is a Krtich'chifchikkan. The main difference is that humans don't have prehensile tails and can't take advantage of tail based movement or attacks. I tried to make it slightly more powerful than similar martial arts due to the difficulty of even learning it and the mystical abilities it comes with.
Path: Krtich'chifchikkan (Aka "Human-stumbling-about-with-great-skill")
- Replaces: Any Bushi or Monk 2 (or 3?)
- Requirements: Meditation 2, Jijutusu 2, access to a Mocha'mocha capable of teaching, can only be taken with GM permission
- Technique: Casting Down The Stalks
After selecting your stance in a skirmish, you may select Strength or Agility and make a Meditation roll with a TN equal to the selected Trait x 5. If successful, you gain +1 to the selected Trait for a number of rounds equal to its associated Ring. You may only have one of these bonuses at any time, but can cancel a previous bonus at will. This ability can only be used while unarmed. In addition, once per round, you may gain a free raise on an unarmed attack against an enemy you have attacked in the previous round.
>>47351067
Looks really cool. I have no idea if it's too OP or not.
>>47350773
>>47350843
Why are they holding their Katanas so close to the tsuba? Why wouldn't they have one hand high at the tsuba, and one hand low at the bottom?
My 2 months RP hiatus will finally be coming to a end next week as our schedules finally align. Excited to GM this campaign again. Gotta finish out Book of Water with this session and hope we can start on "Book of Air" the week after
Pic is one of the PC's
So I had a fun little conversation about my character and things he's getting up to just the other day.
DM: So did you keep that tanto that was used to kill the Emperor?
Me: Of course, the knife was used to kill my Emperor in front of me because I let my guard down. This is an obsession.
DM: Okay. Take 3 ranks of Unluck.
Me: I hate this. But I will not give it up.
Also interesting thought we once discussed on how to make Minor Clans have less of a shit deal.
As anyone that's looked at a Minor Clan's School can tell you, they're just worse than the Major Clans. Which, when you look at the garbage samurai that come out of the big 7 is just sad.
So the thought goes, why not make the mechanics of a Minor School on power parity with the Major Schools, but only have 3 ranks of Mastery, maybe 4 in the really old clans.
This ties into the lore as well; the Minor Clans haven't been around as long and have far fewer samurai, so their schools have had far less refinement at the highest levels.
This also gives some agency to any PCs that get to a high mastery from those clans in that they have the opportunity to try and advance their school with new techniques.
Thoughts?
>>47351532
There's precedent for it, since even the great clan schools only started with 3 techniques (Evidence shows that it's always 3 for new schools). Even the schools founded by the kami started with 3 ranks and most of the legendary figures from the early empire never got higher than that (Although many of them were insight rank 8-10).
That being said, some of those minor clan schools really are old enough to have rank 5. It only takes a couple hundred years of normal development to get rank 4 and then another couple hundred to get 5, since the schools are all fully developed in every era beyond the first few. And in the more modern eras, which are densely packed with prodigies, special snowflakes, and the occasional training exchange program, it only takes years or maybe decades to completely fill out a school and a handful of paths.
May I use your fan?
Last night the wind borrowed mine,
yet to return it.
Were have you wandered?
Thorns caught in your sleeve say all:
night, a rose, a girl?
If this brush could cut
as well as my rival's sword,
would I have your hand?
/L5rg/, haiku or tanka?
>>47352976
Ask the wind nicely,
for the winds give many things,
like the summer breeze
Wander? No, a dream.
In a realm of such true bliss,
it could not be real
My hand would be yours.
So would the hair on my head,
being brushed and cut.
Playing sadane in L5R is so much fun. I use it on new players a lot. It players get a understanding on the Rokugan culture and etiquette and the RP skills they have.
>>47353565
Good effort, anon, but you're thinking of the wrong kind of brush. Anyway, these aren't really meant to be responded to. It isn't always about a back and forth, sometimes you just want to express some human sentiment in the form of a question. They aren't all even supposed to be addressed to the same person.
So, who's taken a look at L5R's earliest eddition?
PDF related
>>47353648
I know that, but I just felt like stretching the mind a bit. It's good to practice.
>>47350244
best clan
>>47353620
That, or use haiku.
Or, sadane AND haiku!
picture related
>>47353683
Fair enough. The brush response was pretty good, if kind of off the wall. Are you crab-san, by any chance? I feel like there aren't very many haiku folk around here.
>>47353650
Well played
>>47353722
>crab-san
That's crab-senpai to you. Are you my Scorpion friend?
>>47353789
The one and only. Like I said, I'm not sure anyone else does haiku at all.
If you marry into another Clan in Rokugan (and you're a woman), do you change your name? Do you change your loyalty?
>>47353819
It's a pity too. Is there even one other anon who wants to try out some haiku in these threads? It's always more fun if it's more jan just me and Mr. Scorpion here.
Also, this may please you, but I've put both our characters into the campaign I'm running as important NPCs.
>>47353848
Which partner marries into the other's clan is based on status, not gender, and the lower status partner does indeed change their name and their primary loyalty. Residual loyalty to family members from the other clan isn't frowned on, though, especially in the case of marriages designed to strengthen bonds or forge peaces. You WANT to draw both clans closer together in those cases, so cutting off all ties would be counter-productive.
>>47353868
Hah! That's great, what's going on with them?
Oh hi, didn't see you there. Don't mind me, I'm just busy being best clan.
>>47353905
Basically, They're both co-administrators of a decent-sized city, and the PCs are Emerald Magistrates left under their wing. The PCs see them to get their quests/assignments, and I usually have them quip at eachother (usually over a game of go and/or a bit of sake).Also, one of them is secretly Master JadeI'm not telling you which one
>>47354000
Fantastic.
>>47354027
I'm still thinking of a secret I can give to the other. Any recommendations?
>>47353694
>>47353991
>thread starts out quite well
>"best clan" shitposting begins
here comes the cancer
>>47349768
i agree, l5r 4th is great mecanically
>>47354065
They're actually an animal spirit from Chikushudo that's gotten really good at impersonating a samurai who wandered into the spirit realms and never wandered back out.
They have some degree of taint.
They collect forbidden gaijin relics.
>>47349855
well, its a lcg now, so yes, its gonna be completely different
also, no even, cant send back card for koku to support your clan, etc
>>47351264
i find this haircut extremely ugly, it feels unfinished to me, opinions of course
is that an utaku?
>>47354237
Looking at it, I imagine it's less a deliberate haircut, more burns on the scalp making a permanent bald patch.
>>47354237
Wasn't quite drawn perfectly, but that side of her head is burned, so no hair.
Fuck this game
I ran three sessions of it, and it's already turned into a "let's get the GM to give us a waifu" game.
I just want to run a Kurosawa film, my players want to play samurai romance simulator. And I do not know what to do
>>47354517
I mean, you could disallow the Blissful Betrothal advantage. You could also talk to them like an adult about what you want the tone to be.
>>47354539
I'm a bit worried about doing that, mostly because consensus is against me on the matter, and they're having fun.
>>47354556
Anon, L5R is a drama simulator. They want the game to be about their waifus? Make it about them...about how they avenge the death of their Lost Love.
>>47354617
...ooh, that could work, it fits the theme I'm going for...
>>47354556
You can give them incentives to "earn" their waifus. And you have to make it clear to them that waifus in L5R are not theirs to choose.
Force some / one of them to take "True Love" disadvantage to punch in the fact that blissed bethrothals are relatively rare.
And what kind of characters do they have? If they are mostly Bushi, then give them waifus and send them on missions. Make the waifus send letters and so forth, but let them see them very very rarely.
Just food for thought.
>>47354646
Don't do it anon. Players hate when you kill of their waifu to make dramatic tension.
Instead, use the waifus as damsels in distress. Have bandits/oni/bloodspeakers capture the pure maidens, and have the PCs save them before they get raped/eaten/sacrificed respectively.
>>47354517
pic related may be of help, anon.
>>47354646
Good good.
So my players tend to not want to play this. My online group will only play if I let the one be whatever nonhuman FOTM there is and the other wants to be the bastard love child of a great clan trained in their techniques but a ronin.
The offline group would mostly be fine, but the one wants to play greedy cowards and the other I discount since unless she's center stage she's playing candy crush.
PFfbbbbt...
I miss running this. The second city campaign was fun. I enjoyed the Doji Sabu session, cause it's fun having a villain get away with everything and then arrange a promotion for the party publicly so they cannot maintain honor and act against him.
In short, how to explain this game to help with buy-in?
>>47355137
>My online group will only play if I let the one be whatever nonhuman FOTM there is and the other wants to be the bastard love child of a great clan trained in their techniques but a ronin.
It could work if he's Nezumi (But he probably wants to be Naga instead, which wouldn't work well) and you run a Carpenter Wall campaign, but it sounds like it just won't work out.
I know how that feels.
>>47355218
>people wanting to be any other non-human instead of best-race, Nezumi
Disgusting
What's the best way to make an archer character without making a tsuruchi?
>>47356188
There are a lot of ways to make archers. If you're looking for techniques, in what clan?
>>47356238
Dragon or Scorpion, but I'll take anything that isn't Crane or Lion
>>47356288
There's a zen archer school for monks, isn't there? I think there might also be a Unicorn school for mounted archery, but I'm not positive about that.
>>47356288
The Dragon have a couple of paths at Mirumoto Rank 4, Dragon's Flame (Generic archery, with a fluff focus on defending the Dragon lands) and Dragon's Wind, a horsebow path (That has SAA when mounted and using a bow and can ignore negative terrain while mounted).
There are a lot of archery paths around, but the Scorpion don't actually have any.
Here's all of the archer paths and schools that I could find. Keep in mind that the paths are really just for elites and you can be an archer without having a special Technique for it (And sometimes you couldn't get a special Technique anyway because your clan doesn't have one). You just have to rely on skills and stats.
Crab
-Falcon's Strike [path] (Belongs to Falcon Clan before they join the Crab)
-Hiruma Sniper [path]
Crane
-Asahina Archer [path]
Dragon
-Dragon's Wind [path]
-Dragon's Flame [path]
Lion
-Nothing in particular
Mantis
-Tsuruchi Archer (Belongs to Wasp Clan before they join the Mantis)
-Tsuruchi Master Bowman [path]
-Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter
Phoenix
-Nothing in particular
Scorpion
-Nothing in particular
Unicorn
-Unicorn Yomanri Archer [path]
Imperials
-Nothing in particular
Brotherhood of Shinsei
-Taoist Archer [path]
>>47350493
Yeah dude the CCG is going out.
Sudenly, a bump
haiku, for a dying thread
averting its fate
Question as a bump:
L5R is inherently a week game. Its set in a Japan inspired setting and has samurai, ninjas, and weird magic users.
That said, what's the most and least weeb characters that can be made?
>>47361978
Most weeb: Rokugani Naruto
Least weeb: Rokugani Solid Snake
>buy the 4e version of the rulebook after seeing it at FLGS
>think it's a cool system not revolving 100% around combat
>hard to find group
>find group forming on roll20, GM mentions he wants to do something different
>figure he means a more social campaign since games like D&D are combat based slogs
>1 person made a non-combatant, several make people somewhere in between, 1 makes a crab, and personally make a scorpion ninja
>turns out he wants to throw us into combat
>railroads through a couple awkward encounters before throwing us into a huge combat without any chance of avoiding it with way too many enemies
>crab is the only one worth a shit in combat
>session end in a shouting match with players telling the DM he has no idea about the lore and how to run L5R since he gave us no clue it was going to be a combat slog
>I'll never be able to play L5R
>>47362522
I'm half considered just to start an L5R group with anons from this thread.
Fuck, I'm certain there are enough people in this thread who'd do a Roll 20 campaign.
>>47362786
I'd be tempted, I can't say I'm experienced in the game or lore at all. I was prepared to give the above mentioned DM another chance, but even I could tell this system was clearly not made to be a D&D combat slog, the combat is just too deadly for that. The guy who made the social class was in no way happy though.
>>47362786
I'd do it In a heart beat.
>>47363178
>>47363323
Neato. Any of you happen to live in North America, hopefully on the east coast, and do any of you have saturday or sunday night off?
>>47363437
Eastern, and Saturdays usually
>>47363437
I'm central but Saturday is probably good as well
>>47363486
>>47363535
great. Any of you wanna volunteer DM, or should I try (and possibly fail) at it?
So what sort of campaigns have you guys played or wanted to play?
>>47363610
I can't say I'd be comfortable with the game enough to run it. My only experience is the unfortunate campaign on roll20 that lasted less than a few hours.
>>47363648
Always wanted to play a campaign where I could play a Nezumi. Nezumi are cuteCUTE!
>>47363660
Meh. I could probably QM
Also, what do you guys think about exchanging skype contact? Would you prefer to communicate in some other way, or does skype work?
>>47363691
I don't mind trading skype info, but I'm not super hype about posting skype on 4chan and leaving it hang around for 2 or so days. If there is a way to PM thru roll20 and trade it'd be a bit better.
>>47363737
just delete the post when you're done, m8
>>47363881
sent my contact request
If any other anons want to get on this action, feel free
>>47363648
My favorite one that I played in was an all scorpion game. Where the entire campaign was trying to kill the yakuza's eldest son, so the youngest son could rule.
But the eldest was so likeable that we never actually did our jobs, to the point that he was in a room, alone, morning his father's death, with weapons along the walls and we still didn't kill him.
Ended up going rogue to protect him...and of course went to the traitor trees.
What is the best Minor Clan and why is itBadger
People who disagree are clearlyhigh on twenty year stale Wasp separatist fumes
>>47364531
TheTortoiseare the best Minor Clan because theybeat the mantis at their own game of being cynical smugglers
People who disagree are clearlycowardly money-grabbing mantis-kikes with nezumi noses
>>47364582
No see the Mantis are pirates who pretend to go legit (and mostly use it to kill competition) while the Tortoise were always best at smuggling.Badger are still best though.
>>47364751
Always makes me happy someone saved those. Running a game for the same group now, our last hurrah in Rokugan for a bit. They're a Yotsu, a Hida, and a Toku shugenja in the City of Lies, caught up in a gang-war between Daigotsu, the Rokugo, and Iuichiban.
The Yotsu suspected that Old Man Jomo was a maho-tsukai after he performed a strange surgery on someone they had to rescue from the Spider. The Toku figured out bad shit was happening after he used one of Jomo's scrolls on "inner alchemy chi control" and made someone's heart explode through their chest.
They actually just raided the Rokugo daimyo's compound last session while he was having team time with Daigotsu and the Obsidian Champion (though only the Yotsu was aware of who they were). They noped the fuck out of there after slashing the Daimyo in the chest and kidnapping him for an Emerald Magistrate who had previously been a captive himself.
The Hida is totally overwhelmed by the bullshit going on and is probably trying to afford to move back to Crab Lands. The Yotsu is sure he's tainted and is thus all in on saving Emperor Torturi when he visits soon. The Toku kidnapped a baby for the mob and is trying to keep his wife happy; because she and Old Man Jomo are shopping buddies.
After running a lot of more lower-leveled sandboxy case stuff, it is fun to just do a linear "shit's fucked Gangs of New Scorpion" stuff. I really expected them to go Spider/Corrupted so we could do cool taint shenanigans, but eh.
>>47364582
My DM once created a whole host of minor clans for the minor clan tourny. We learned something like 10 sessions later the whole reason he went through that effort was for the sole reason of introducing a Herring clan.
Which he later introduced a character named Akashi Herring...Red Herring and man did it work fucking wonders and blow us all away.
It wouldn't have worked if any of us spoke any Japanese, but we didn't so it was really amazing.
>>47349778
Thankyou based senpai-sama.
>>47363660
If you have any questions, just ask in the general. We will always try to answer when possible.
>>47363178
L5R has one of the easiest mechanics to make the combat less deadly. Just put the Earth ring multiplier up to 3 or higher and voila, less deadly combat.
>>47361978
One of my players incarnated Judge Dredd until his hubris got the best of him. Worked like a charm.
>>47364582
I like you. You can stay.
>>47349778
Forgot to say when I read it last night, but that's awesome. Note how the stat and skill distribution isn't complete bullshit. Official L5R mod writers please take note.They won't.
>>47356583
On a similar note I found this handy list a while back.
http://pixel-breath.com/imperial-registry-index-of-all-schools-in-l5r-4e/
>>47363804
Just woke up, I'll leave an email adress to a reply and then delete it.
>>47365438
That sounds amazing
>>47350244
>>47363737
I'll join you guys and see how it goes. I've run it and played it for years and have basically become forever GM with it.
>>47369255
I'll leave my skype name up for a couple hours.masterbrave13
>>47367372
Awesome, m8.
>>47369255
>>47369320
I've already sent the skype request
What's the best way to play a tanky meat-shield in L5R? I'm trying to make my character a Yojimbo for one of the other PCs
>>47369320
[email protected] is my contact email.
Will delete this post in 3 hrs
>>47371355
Daidoji Iron Warrior rank 1 technique gives bonus wounds at each wound rank equal to Honor rank minus 4 and +1k0 to all attacks in the Attack stance.
Other than that, Hida Bushi gets heavy armor stuff at Rank 1 and more reduction at Rank 2.
>>47371391
I've got your email, and I'll send you one later today. You can delete the post now, if you want
You have skype by any chance, tho?
>>47364574
I only JUST realized there is a dead guy falling in front of the crane champion. How the fuck did I miss that?
>>47371452
I believe so, I mainly use team speak.
>>47364751
context?
>>47371355
Pump Earth Ring and Reflexes.
Also, consider getting Jiujutsu for when they disarm you at the door. Some places allow Yojimbo to keep their weapons, but many don't, and Jiujutsu also encompasses improvised weapons for when you need to beat someone to death with whatever comes to hand.
So I am actually going to get to play in a game of L5R which I'm stupidly excited about. Looking for some advice, and hopefully answers to a few questions. Game is being run in 1st edition rule-set as it's what the GM is familiar with (plus he apparently hates where the lore went in later editions, something about stupid spiders) which is fine with us as we know very little of the lore. There are 3 players including myself and we were given a few stipulations. First we had to be O.K. playing brothers. No problems there. Next we had to pick a clan from either Lion, Crane, or Pheonix. We went with Lion. We found out we will be from a vassal family and had to create how our vassal family came to be. Ended up that our ancestor took a spear intended for an Akodo General durring a great battle. plus the lands of our family controls a highly strategic river port near the border of the Crane and Scorpion clans. Eldest brother is playing samurai with focus on being the tactician and a solid duelist. Middle brother will be a shugenja (don't have his info yet). And I'm playing the youngest as the Bard. Think Chaucer from a knights tale. So mostly I've been reading through the main rulebook and the lion clan sourcebook and I'm trying to figure out what Glory actually does. Theres a big chapter about gaining and losing it plus early on it states you need 10 glory to learn your next school rank but doesn't state if you spend it or what. Plus any advice on what kind of things I should look to start with a decent score in would be apreciated.
>>47350149
>>47350773
>>47351264
>>47353991
Can this warrior-princess-thing please end?
>>47374195
I don't think anyone around here can really help you with 1st edition mechanics.
But if glory did what it does now, it's basically a measure of your reputation. I've heard that in old editions it used to also encompass honor (I don't know if that's true or not though), so it might also measure how closely you hedge to proper bushido behavior.
>>47374195
>plus he apparently hates where the lore went in later editions
>something about stupid spiders
kek
.
Now, on to your actual questions.
I'm not too familiar with 1e, so I don't know how glory worked back then. From what I remember, you may be confusing school rank with glory rank. For each 10 points glory you get, your glory rank improves by 1 (each point of glory is 0.1 points of glory rank).
As for what it does, I know that there are some social situations where high glory can help, but besides that IDK.
As for where your character should put his points, I recomend that you have abilities as high as their rings; if you have 3 agility and 2 intelligence, consider boosting intelligence.
For skills, start with the basics. Every samurai should be able to do a few basic things. These include defend himself, know the basics of religion, history, and heraldry, and speak in court without making a fool of himself.
tl;dr: get 2 ranks of Kenjutsu and 1 rank of Lore (heraldry), Lore (history), and Lore (theology). I'd also say to get 1 rank of Etiquette and Courtier, but since you're a social character, these are the main focus of your build. Have about 3-4 Etiquette and 4-6 Courtier. Also make sure your Awareness is at least 3.
Finally, take a few ranks of perform for flavor reasons (you are, after all, a bard), and then spend your leftover points on whatever you want.
>>47374682
In first edition bard is a separate class from samurai. different skill list. and notably you are not going to be able to use a katana as they are reserved for samurai.
>>47373476
It was a campaign set during the Age of Famine, following three up-and-coming samurai military officers who were sent to the most forsaken province which had become a barren wasteland with a polluted river running through it separating it from Scorpion Lands. The party were all Lions, working as go-fers for the angry old General Akodo Bao.
Ikoma Mayu, a tactical genius and master swordsman found a stray ox while they were one their way to collect taxes from the oppressed peasants. He rolled courtier to sway it into joining the causedubbing the thing General Cao. It pulled the wagon with the rice they collected, even though their men wanted to kill it.
This allowed Mayu to have his horse Fumu back, which led to them surviving a bandit encounter when they were outnumbered. Wasn't a happy campaign, but it was a lot of fun.
>>47374905
It's stories like this that has convinced me that L5R is a most underrated RPG. Most people see it and think weeb shite, but the fact is the game is structured so that true weeb shite can't be done if the GM is on top of his game.
Spider kinda ruined that.
>>47375063
The spider is easy to beat by just setting your game before they come out (Or in an indeterminate time period where some later developments have happened/are available, but not the spider) or completely ignoring them.
>>47375142
as it should be
>>47374905
>general Cao
That's brilliant
>>47375798
Meh, Spider aren't THAT bad, especially considering the scorpion exist...
>>47375975
The Scorpion aren't literal heretics with a stated goal of overthrowing the entire country, the wheel of fate, and all that is holy and replacing them with literal satan and/or literal actual hell.
>>47375975
scorpions make good heroes
spidesr makes good villains
>>47376025
>overthrowing the entire country
Meh
>the wheal of fate
Good. Fuck the kami. Kolat did nothing wrong
>making satan emperor
Still not as stupid as the Lion actually following satan when he did become the emperor (in that alternate timeline thing)
>>47376033
this anon gets it.
>>47376084
It's not just the emperor. The spider (Being pawns of Jigoku) literally want Jigoku to take over the entirety of everything, including all of the spirit realms, all waking moments, all dreams, and all afterlives. Every solitary speck of of meido, tengoku, toshigoku, yume-do, ect all overwritten by Jigoku.
Their goal is the thing that Rokugan has been actively fighting since the time of the kami. Letting Jigoku get a foothold in Rokugan without much fuss from the multiple clans that are always violently opposed to such things (Crab, Scorpion, Phoenix, Dragon, at the very least) was the dumbest thing the story team has ever done.
>>47376199
Although the Crab siding with the Shadowlands was a pretty close second, only taking second place because they realized how retarded they were being and fixed it.
>>47376318
All clans have DERP moments.
The spider clan was AEG's derp moment
>>47377119
Which clan has the least derp moments? Dragon? Unicorn?
>>47377189
Probably Crane
>>47377234
I refuse to believe that, out of every clan in Rokugan, it was the CRANE of all people who were the least retarded.
>>47377189
Dragons by virtue of rarely doing anything.
>>47377307
Well, they did gimp their already anemic military pretty badly by shutting down the Harriers, and they wasted a lot of resources and time trying in vain to stave off their angry, warpathing neighbors during many of the alternate timelines.
>>47377346
Or Mantis, but fuck that Mary Sue clan.
>>47377363
The harriers were actually recreated WITH imperial accord thanks to Crane using the Gift of the Emperor they won.
>>47377307
Well it certainly isn't the Lion.
>>47377379
>mantis is the mary sue clan
>no Crane or Lion
shamefur dispray
>>47377472
You say that, and yet, in that alternate history in History of hte Empire, where the second day of thunder didn't work, the Lion willingly followed Fu Leng since he was technically the emperor, even though they knew he was satan.
>>47377234
> Crane
The clan that allied with the yobanjin? No, all the clans have had their moments with the idiot ball.
>>47377472
Or the Phoenix, considering what happens every time they get their hands on anything even remotely corruptive or spiritually dangerous.
>>47377560
Which is distressingly often, since they actively go looking for such things due to their arrogance and supposed superiority.
>>47377550
Oh, lest we forget; Crane, the clan that established a way of smuggling repentant Lost past the Crab, which was later used by the D to bring the Spider into Rokugan.
>>47355320
My Niggazumi.
Also, anyone have any nezumi pictures that aren't ink-eyes from MTG?
>>47378062
http://images.lmgtfy.com/?q=nezumi+l5r
>>47348756
If I was wanted to play this but my players look down upon anything vaguely Weboo
Would it be bad to just re-skin it to basically a song of ice and fire? I mean it's not like the similarities arent there
>>47378353
It would take some work, but it could be done. But just have your players give it a read over. It really is less weeb than you would think. If they like old Kurasawa films then they'll be fine.
>>47378353
They'd wonder about some of the weirdly specific skills (Tea Ceremony comes to mind) and complete lack of handheld shields.
>>47378418
Unfortunately they're of the 'Japan equals anime' generation. But better the my father's generation where Japan equals suicide bombers.
>>47378485
The tea ceremony can be replaced with pretty much any Quasi religious social ritual. From meditating to Drinking.
You rise a fair point about the shields. It's amazing how... Well... primitive... the samurai are about warfare actually, even by RPG standards. They're good at swords and that's literally it.
>>47378796
They're also good at spears, polearms, hammers, bows, and weird knives. If you have to use it with both hands or can hide it under your clothes, they can do it.
>>47378136
>http://images.lmgtfy.com/?q=nezumi+l5r
404 error.
>>47378796
And spears. And bows. And tetsubos (maces). And guns. It's like saying knights were only good with swords.
>>47378893
needs javascript. Just google search "nezumi l5r"
>>47364834
The artist makes some thick ass thighs. You or your friend have grade A stylistic tastes.
>>47375063
It can be weeb as shit but everyone needs to be onboard with it. The game itself is like old school weeb, like someone was watching Kurosawa while also reading some early Forgotten Realms fiction or something.
But don't worry,there are no ninjas in Rokugan
>>47377379
> Mantis
> Mary Sue clan
That's not how you spell Powder Blue Pretentious Pricks, Anon.
>>47380048
Welcome to Phoenix lands cousin.
We would like to remind you that there is no Maho in Phoenix lands and that we're not interested in any large black scrolls you may have.
>>47380048
Yes ever forget that (even the developer)
It's not trying to invoke anime or actual history about samurai, it's trying to invoke *old samurai movies*.
>>47380048
>that spoiler
well meme'd
>>47381423
It really feels like someone saw Seven Samurai then read the Icewind Dale trilogy and a book on Japanese myth sometimes. Though it hit peak of that in 2e, after Uikku-san left.
>>47381735
>>47381423
>old samurai movies
ssh you're whistling past the graveyard
Any time the samurai flicks are brought up we get a rousing chorus of "you can't do cinematic action and drama in L5R because the system and meta can't handle it"
Anyone have that picture of different clan's courtiers(shugenjas?) all posing on a bed?
Ok so I really want to GM a L5R campaign but I have no idea what to make it about. Because I so little idea about how to do a political campaign. My main worry though is that my players will just ignore the fluff and go full murderhobo.
>>47382104
It's better to just ignore the fluff. It makes no sense and there's too much of it.
>>47381797
Half the time someone is awake enough to point out that you can, but rank one characters are supposed to be fresh out of gempukku. Or any of the other reasons the argument is shit.
Anyone that wants to be Sanjuro, et al, (skilled, mysterious background, ronin samurai) should play their teen samurai and grow into being ronin, or start at an appropriate rank. That's how to do it by numbers and dice strength.
Or they could do what Sanjuro actually does, and play smart with the crappy hand life has dealt them.
>>47382125
There's a difference between ignoring the metaplot and going full murderhobo. Just doing the latter ignores half the unique part of the game.
>>47350860
Waaaait a minuuute that's just Yukimura from Sengoku Basara minus one spear
>>47379989
It happens more often than you'd think, he's all about silhouette choices.
I've run the group through three/four campaigns, and we're wrapping up our fifth one soon. About half-way through it. We'd be done by now but scheduling conflicts keep on happening.
>>47375063
I've honestly found occasionally going full weeb can be a good thing. The best parts of a year and a half long Crane Clan campaign I ran were the Topaz Championship (hosted by Mr. Referee from Metabots and the DBZ World Tournament Host), and the "beach episode" wherein the young magistrates towards the end of the campaign infiltrated the local geisha house to find out what Pirate King Sanada was plotting.
Which meant the young Chief Magistrate, the Topaz Champion, and the samurai who had learned how to use guns (for the greater good of stopping a Daidoji Harrier remnant group who had aligned with Sanada); were going in full disguise. Like geisha. Because they knew the guy who ran the geisha house.
It was fun to see the usually confident Chief Magistrate get a little bothered that nobody found her attractive, and the Topaz Champion who had just been engaged found herself constantly hit on and propositioned by Mantis. And Gun-Samurai tried to pretend he was an old woman, rather than an 18 year old man.
Because everything else in the campaign was about legacies, and how the police force was unable to do its jobs, and how the Crane like to make everything sound fine because putting to death their black ops group means they were never involved in gaijin powder demolitions. And pretty much everyone got a bad end.
So those little bits of weebish levity can help a lot.
>>47382104
Honestly? A campaign I've wanted to run for a bit but never got around to was using the Naishou Province and making it the Emperor's Summer retreat. Except it is the Iron Chrysanthemum. And this is where his wife slips and falls so he murders the whole household staff.
Start it off with the Emperor as a man soon to crack and the party as samurai trying to influence politics in the region who end up getting caught up in rebellion talks.
Don't worry about anything beyond the borders of the province. When the Emperor leaves after the summer, all anyone hears is rumors and they're all horrifying. And then a rebellion starts to grow, run by the disgraced Daidoji Rin whose daughter Emperor Polpot took to spite him. The Lion outside the region would never tolerate this, but those within the region know it may need to be done. The Phoenix are behind a rebellion, but now it seems the Minor Clans in the province might be Steel Magistrate-aligned.
Paranoia, zero trust beyond the party and a few other contacts; plenty of chances for escalation into violence; but plenty of politics too.
>>47377189
Unicorn, I'd say. Most of their derpy shit came later on, and some of their stuff can be pretty cool to work with.
>>47382890
Almost makes me want to GM.
>>47382104
The easiest plot in court is to frame one of your players for something he didn't do.
Never forget that L5R gives more importance to testimony than anything else (as long as there is no Kitsuki around).
>>47382657
Given that Sanada Nobushige, aka Yukimura, was a real person, you shouldn't be surprised that art inspired by the same person would have similarities.
>>47384113
Yeah, but Sanada in Sengoku Basara looks nothing like the real Sanada, and that picture looks a whole lot like Sengoku Basara Sanada
>>47381797
Uhm, but the chorus is right.
>>47385205
The system can handle it. It's just hard to write proper drama for it.
Hell, the deadliness lends itself to drama. A kharmic strike in duels where one dies from it is great tragedy.
>>47385420
I would say the meta is a much bigger problem. The system is OK, but the setting/fluff is horriterrible for real samurai drama - it is more about edgy soap opera drama.
>>47385205
I see you are part of the always wrong clan.
Have you considered changing clans?
>>47385621
Yeah, but soon returned to the Unicorn. Turned out that things will only get worse if you aren't riding a horse.
>>47350940
We already have a lot of bushi schools homebrewed, Shrike kinda sounds like a Shujena school.
Shosuro Actors confuse me. They don't have a katana or wakazashi, are they still classed as Samurai?
>>47386754
Yes.
Remember that literally every samurai (Except for some ronin who lost one or both of theirs or never had it to begin with) has a wakazashi AND a katana (Or even several katanas, since you can receive them as rewards for great service and may end up inheriting multiple or commissioning a new one or whatever), even non-combatants and pacifists. The wakizashi is the universal shorthand for "I'm a samurai", which is why it's carried by everyone. The non-bushi almost always leave their katana at home on a display stand though. It's kind of dumb that the crunch doesn't reflect this, but you absolutely do have both if you're a clan samurai.
The shosuro actors are samurai and do have both, but they don't necessarily carry either around, since they may be disguised as peasants.
>>47386862
Oh, I am kind of new to L5R, I figured that when it never listed the Daisho under the Actors starting stuff, that meant they didn't have one at all. I also found it weird that it suggested having a Bushi as one of the personas when you didn't have a daisho to 'prove' you're a bushi.
>>47386900
Shosuro actor is a very strange school. But if your disguise needs to have the full daisho, you've got it.
Just don't openly carry a katana unless you are pretending to be a bushi. To carry a katana is to imply that you can defend yourself, which means you have to fight your own duels and don't get to sucker people into acting as your yojimbo.
>>47386931
I would also suggest that if you disguise yourself as a bushi, you get a rank in weaponsmith so you can swap out your tsuba and grips to make your daisho look the part. It's not a huge deal, but it's something most players overlook. Don't want to have scorpion motifs on what's supposed to be a Lion's daisho, after all.
>>47386931
I ended up going with Kitsuki Investigator and I'm having fun so far. We have plenty of duelists so at least I can call on people for defense if something goes poorly.
>>47386931
>To carry a katana is to imply that you can defend yourself, which means you have to fight your own duels
This isn't such a big deal, actually, Iaijutsu 5 is good enough for anything that is not a Kakita Bushi. You are going to have high Void and Air either way, so spending 17 XP for Iaijutsu (Focus) 5 is a good investment.
>>47387088
>a good investment of 17 xp into something that isn't your primary skill
Where are you getting all of this xp from?
>>47388220
>into something that isn't your primary skill
Not him, but for a Shosuro Actor, whatever skills your persona needs should be buffed. If you're supposed to be a competent bushi, the faux rank 1 skills you get for your disguise aren't going to cut it (Pun entirely intended) and you'll need to actually get the skills to fit the role.
>>47388220
You don't have to dumb it into the Skill all at once. I won't really take effect until you reach Air 3+ and Void 3+ (since buffing Air and Void is much more important than buffing Iaijutsu).
>>47382104
There's an AP for something called the Topaz Championship which is a good intro for both new GMs and new players, you might try that. Once the Championships over, you can have them all become Emerald Magistrates and essentially make it your typical "Villain is fucking shit up, stop him!" campaign, with the added challenge of political intrigue in addition to normal fighting where necessary.
Bumpybump
https://1d4chan.org/wiki//tg/_Custom_L5R_Minor_Clans
Linked are the homebrewed minor clans \tg made a while back. Some revisions need to be done to the current schools to make them less complex/op. Schools also may be play tested soon.
Also taking suggestions for new clans. There was mention of a Shrike school earlier, and somewhere in older threads there was a bear clan statted.
>>47391730
The schools don't seem TOO OP, especially compared to Major Clan schools.
Yo,how do i get into a game of this?
I really wanna play as a samurai
>>47393045
Game finder thread, roll20, RPOL.net, etc
No different from any other game.
>>47391999
Maybe not OP, but there certainly needs to be some re writing
