Spooky Tranquil Shinomen Mori Edition.
>Topic: How spiritual do your games get?
Do you ever involve shenanigans from Sakkaku or ghosts from Gaki-do? If so are they an important feature of your campaigns.
What are your thoughts on the alternate setting of Togashi's Empire? Do you want a Night Parade of 100 Demons coming into your town and shining their butthole eyes at drunken samurai?
How are your games going and if you're not in one now, what type of game have you always wanted to play in or run with the system/setting?
The Trove (in case you don't have the books)
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/vx477quhxz4vt/Regend5Ling#btf4cvsidtj6ff
Have you made any new homebrew content? Tell us about it. Here are some from previous threads:
https://1d4chan.org/wiki//tg/_Custom_L5R_Minor_Clans
Previous thread
>>48149466
>>48179565
Togashi's Empire is easily my favorite alt-history setting from IH2. I think the Cat Empress plot is one of the coolest tidbits from that section.
I haven't used tricksters or ghosts yet, but I love animal spirits from Chikushudo having fun pretending to be humans in general. You can have a lot of fun with animal archetypes that way.
>>48179642
I'm focusing in on Yumeji as a big element in the campaign I'm running now. Party had their first weird foray into Yume-do last night,. They had a strange conversation with a Blue Lantern spirit that wanted to know why they prevented its assassination attempt on their Aunt, and then they talked to a bird spirit who had choice words for the Kuni shugenja and her make-up choices. They're starting to figure out why people seem to be either insomniacs or narcoleptic.
>>48179642
>I haven't used tricksters or ghosts yet, but I love animal spirits from Chikushudo having fun pretending to be humans in general. You can have a lot of fun with animal archetypes that way.
I've had a very uptight kitsune appear in several points of my games as both a magical fox and Totally A Real Samurai Guys. It is fun
>>48179565
>Togashi's Empire
If you're running more of a wuxia style type of campaign, it's perfect. Otherwise, It's OK.
i got my spine ripped out by a ghost, then i was revived by the tenth kami, and now i'm the envoy of meido and i have to go around telling ghosts to go back to meido
also i'm now effectively immortal but if i die it'll take like a hundred years for me to come back. i also can't reincarnate normally, and if i kill an innocent with my ghost slaying powers i die and they take my place :<
feels bad man
I'm the guy who was advertising a game in the last thread, and boy oh boy do I have some neat players and characters. Which one do you want to hear about first?
>Yojimbo with the scariest voice
>One Eyed Beauty
>Magistrate with a Tsundere Waifu
>The Unluckiest Yogo
The legend of Ikoma Hotsuma continues.
>>48182265
Please tell me you have room for one more player
>>48182130
What. What fucking acid is your GM on?
>>48182265
I want to hear about the married magistrate.
>>48182355
He's not married. She's a former fiancee of his and is now a Sworn Enemy because the guy set up her father for seppuku on orders from the Scorpion Clan.
>>48182348
we were at shiro ichiro in the shrine to the tenth kami and i was fighting some guy who was possessed by a maho-tsukai. we were trying to save the person who was possessed so i had him in a chokehold but then the ghost of the badger clan founder (i can't remember his name) was like 'okay so i should definitely kill him right' and i was like 'noooo' and jumped in the way when he reached in to pull out some organs, so he got my spine and i was dead but then we ended up saving him.
in the meantime the ghost was like 'noooooo what have you done' and then vanished, then ryoshun-kami showed up all 'sup' and the rest of the party was like 'what' and he was all 'yeah i'm the tenth kami check this out' and he revived me, and later on i found out all that envoy of meido junk and now i'm kinda like 'aaaaaaa'
also the spine that was ripped out of me was still there and i didn't want to grab it. i hope nobody else did :< well except for the eta that are supposed to clean that shit up
>>48182130
...
>>48182265
I heard Tsundere waifu?
>>48179565
Mercenary duellists who sometimes go in disguise in order to make another clan look strong incoming
>>48182343
Maybe, I'll post a discord link in a bit.
>>48182355
Well, first off he's not actually married, because he FUCKED IT ALL UP. Dude's really smitten with his betrothed, even though it's a political marriage, and she's pretty into him as well. Daidoji chick, so she's not TOTALLY uptight about the honor shit usually.
The problem is that Mr. Magistrate decides to inform on her father's less than stellar business dealing and may or may not have exaggerated about just how deeply involved her dad was. Waifu's dad commits seppuku and the waifu is understandably pissed as fuck at Mr. Magistrate, breaks off the engagement, and swears to gut him with a spear if she ever sees him again.
So his true love is also his sworn enemy. And she probably still loves him a bit too.
"I don't WANT to kill you in honorable combat or anything... baka."
Otherwise, the character is a pretty standard Soshi Magistrate.
>>48182453
Dammit, I didn't know you were also a ninja!
>>48182478
Who's going to suspect the detective of being the killer? Nobody, that's who.
>>48182478
why do those dragons have landing strips?
>>48182508
Everyone knows that Togashi was secretly an aircraft carrier.
>>48182508
Kantai Collection. It's Soryuu and Hiryuu.
>>48182478
Anyway, here's the discord link: https://discord.gg/yYXEw
I'm considering another player, but for a text based game four is a little tricky to manage.
Who do you guys want to hear about next?
>One Eyed Beauty
>The Yogo Who Likes Bonsai
>Mr. Scary Voice, Yojimbo For Above Yogo
>>48182508
Their names translate to dragons
>>48182508
Because Moto Naleesh is the darling of the court, and some clans found this funny.
>>48182567
They seem mad, bro.
>>48182620
The USS Iowa getting a shipgrill made a lot of non-japanese players butthurt as hell for some reason.
>>48182674
>Battleship
>Long flight deck
>>48182567
>The Yogo Who Likes Bonsai
Go on...
>>48182674
Uh...what game and why?
>>48182742
shipsluts and because reasons
>>48182742
Kantai collection, a game about fantasy ww2 naval shit.
As for why... waifus make mad dolla.
>>48182717
Now to be fair to the Yogo as a family, not ALL of them end up getting cursed mechanically speaking. They're sort of like the fat kids in gym class, nobody wants to get teamed up with them. They seem to attract bad luck, and as part of the character creation process, I had everyone roll on the heritage tables.
Only the Yogo ends up with a dishonorable ancestor, who currently is in a tree somewhere screaming for mercy.
Incidentally, the bonsai tree the Yogo takes around with him to keep him occupied when he isn't in court doing court things is from a cutting of that tree. His mask is also cut from a tree trunk, and you can see the rings and the like. It may or may not also be from said tree.
His wife also hates his guts incidentally, probably because she was married to a fucking Yogo.
>>48182742
Kantai Collection. It's about WWII ships fighting things as cute grills. Very popularand has a fuckton of doujins, fanart, and waifusand until recently only had Axis ships in it. Then Iowa dropped, and people went fucking INSANE.
>>48182742
Kantai Collection, a browser game where RNG is God, and there is no canon
Just forget the official stuff and check out the doujins and fanworks
So, what clan is best for someone who has no idea how to play or handle the setting? I take it they can't just play a peasant or something and ignore all that honour stuff.
>>48182852
Crab. Crab kill things on the fucking wall.
>>48182852
>Coming from DnD
Crab - disregard honour, acquire kills.
>I want to learn but don't know everything
Dragon - there'll be some standards apply to you, but occasional mistakes or oddities can be ignored based on your character's background (i.e. Kitsuki investigators use evidence, not testimony)
>A
>I don't want to be constrained by honour, but want to come to understand it
Scorpion - everyone expects you to be a dickass, and provided you don't betray everyone and play ball in court, you should do okay.
>I wanna be a barbarian
Unicorn
>I wanna play my dickass CE rogue in L5R
Seppuku family bushi
>>48182831
>Then Iowa dropped, and people went fucking INSANE.
You got any more butthurt to share? I know it isn't on thread topic but I really want to see. I can post samurai to help balance it out
>>48183042
Sadly not. You can search for it though, shouldn't be hard to find.
>>48182831
So it looks like I'm down to the last two.
>One Eyed Beauty
>Mr. Scary Voice
>>48182852
Are there any rules for heimin characters beyond monks, or (kami forbid!) eta?
The existence of the eta is probably the single greatest justification for the Kolat. The complicity of the Celestial Order in the consignment of eta to their role in society is morally abominable. The Kolat have fucked up in Rokugani history, but so have everyone else, their goals seem ultimately moral.
>>48183448
Scary voice please.
>>48183459
Morality is kinda irrelevant when there are literal descendants of the gods walking among people. This is not an intangible class division, many of the samurai class are literally better than the peasants. Not necessarily smarter, and certainly prone to hubris, but entitled to their positions.
>>48183506
Granted, the upheavals in Heaven since the Mantis was raised to Great Clan put a lot of doubt on "unflinchingly follow the Celestial Order OR ELSE"
>>48183470
Our Friendly Neighborhood Yojimbo is a pretty young guy - he's just out of training really, and he's basically the second most unlucky person in the group judging by backstory.
His brother showed shugenja abilities, and then accidentally had a fire kami nearly kill him, a Pheonix nearby, and burn down a fuckload of grain (and probably a few peasants). Mr. Scary Voice ended up getting his scary voice due to pretty horrible smoke inhalation but hey, at least he wasn't dead!
He's also got a few friends he met during the Topaz, and an ancient blood feud that might spark up again due to his ancestor purposefully dying in a duel to shame a Crane duelist.
On top of having pissed off a crane duelist, he's also got someone else gunning for him, but he's in the dark about it... at least for now.
He's specialized in polearms for that delicious initiative boost which combined with the Bayushi school really makes them good at kicking ass fast.
>>48183542
So that leaves miss one-eye
>>48183536
It's important to remember that mortals are the ones charged with changing destiny. If things are going to change, it will be them to do it, though at great sacrifice. Overthrowing the entire celestial order would probably end up killing most of the best and brightest of the peasants, and leave the least suited to try and run things afterwards. The Yobanjin would have a field day.
>>48183506
The existence of the samurai doesn't bother me nearly as much, because having an upper class composed of people who are objectively better isn't that bad. It'd make things pretty stable actually.
But the eta exist. A group of people consigned to being subhuman without any chance of moving up in the chain of being, at the mercy of any heimin or samurai who cared to be cruel to them without any recourse in the law, either of the land or in heaven. The eta perform functions that are necessary to society, like managing human waste and corpses, services without which disease would run rampant, and while everyone else enjoys the consequences of their actions they spit on them for being impure. It's no wonder some of them turn to blood magic, the Celestial Order is nothing but a punishment for them.
>>48183649
>A group of people consigned to being subhuman without any chance of moving up in the chain of being
If they follow their destiny correctly, they'll be reincarnated to a higher position.
>>48183649
If they're good eta they might become samurai in their next life. Or heimin.
>>48183639
Yep. Her player is sad because apparently, she's the least interesting by description.
To put short, she's... interesting.
She's probably the second youngest member of the party and the last of our 'Let's hit things HARD' people involved in bringing law and order back to the poppy fields. One Eye lost her eye doing something incredibly stupid, and as such uses her mask to help cover it up. She's got a Shosoru blade, a free rank in stealth due to a good heritage roll, and the Dangerous Beauty advantage.
The really interesting combo comes from her other three disadvantages, Insensitive and Touched by the Void. Basically, she'll become dazed if she ever tries to help someone out, as she needs to spend a void point to do it. Ouch. Then there's the fact that despite basically running the fuck away from her crab mom trying to set her up with some nice Hiruma boy she's got the disadvantage 'Fascination: Marriage.'
I have to say, we've got an awful lot of love related problems in this party. Maybe they'll need the opium to chill out.
>>48183735
Whoops, Touched by the Void. Not touch of the void.
>>48183770
Don't worry, GM-sama. Your void can touch me all day.
>>48183675
>>48183661
The soul of an eta may move up in the Celestial Order after their death, but the soul is only one part of what a person is. What is mourned when a person dies in a world with reincarnation? All of the other parts that made a person who they were. The mind and personality of an eta live in misery for all of their existence.
>>48183844
L-lewd
>>48183872
Void is the lewdest element after Air, which acting and seduction runs on.
>>48183989
Air also includes Strength, thus making it the Element of High Impact Sexual Violence.
>>48184015
Wait, no, that's Water. Goddammit I haven't played this in ages. BRB sudokuing.
>>48184028
It is okay anon. We forgive your shame with your death
>>48184141
(while laughing quietly at it in private quarters)
>>48184028
water has the spell that lets you change into animals
i'll let you figure out what you could do with something like that ;)
>>48184187
That also raises some legit questions. Is fucking a sapient but non-human species bestiality? What if it is a horse but that horse has the brain of a samurai? Are we cutting Supergirl and Comet's gordian knot?
>>48184187
Is that why Unicorn Shugenja specialize in water?
>>48184223
> What if it is a horse but that horse has the brain of a samurai?
Then the horse commits seppuku for failing its rider.
>>48184223
intercourse for any reason other than procreation is dishonorable and so any thoughts to the contrary should not be entertained
>>48184264
It's not honorable, but it is glorious ;)
>>48179565
Our game is heavily influenced by Usagi Yojimbo, so while various yokai appear in the game they aren't central focuses and are always very dangerous.
>>48184264
Any action taken for selfish purposes is dishonorable. Clearly though if you can find an altruistic reason, or even a beneficial one, it can be excused.
>>48184393
If you go by the premise that it's for the other person's pleasure, that makes it altruistic, right?
>>48183735
PUT UP THAT DISCORD
>>48184473
They're full.
>>48184484
Yeah, I'm just starved for l5r
>>48184501
Who isn't?
It's a constant struggle. So much flaking and unreliability makes finding stuff that lasts very challenging.
>>48184509
I run a game so I'm good. I'd actually invite people in here if I could manage one more player and I thought you'd not flake out. Mostly the former but a bit of the latter. If someone drops maybe I'll recruit new blood from in here
Ikko-ikki campaign when
Let's attain the pure land and fuck some samurai shit up
>>48184772
You can't be the player you want to be without having someone else run the game. I've been the person running the game before. It is not what I wish to do now.
>>48184806
Loan Sword Ashigaru when?
>>48184833
And that is why you probably won't find a game.
>>48184918
A player starting a game doesn't work. Going "Hey guys, let's start an L5R game, nose goes not GM." is not how you get to play L5R.
>>48184806
>>48184855
Are there any monk rebellions in canon, incidentally? Just "fuck your sinful shit, we're taking over"?
Rolled 16 (1d60)
>>48184988
Ikoma!
...Ugh. Lion most boring clan.
>>48184987
Not really.
There's the Heresy of the Five Rings, which was almost there when the Five Ringers started getting violent and pushy, but then they were declared a heresy and shamed to death.
>>48185000
I like Lion. You just need to decide if you're going to subvert stereotype or buy in so hard you become a living contrast with other characters.
>>48185837
Huh. How did you get there, Spider image? That was meant to be something else
>>48185860
A likely story.
>>48186372
I assure you, I don't know what you mean.
>>48183459
>Are there any rules for heimin characters beyond monks, or (kami forbid!) eta?
Start with rings at 1, get 8xp for experience. It's in the Void chapter.
>>48183536
OTOH, it's possible/hinted at that should the kolat ever truly succeed, they'll bring about the end of everything.
>>48187430
That means FUUUUUUUUUUUCK THE SPIDERRRRRRRRRR
>>48187511
Sweet Jesus that's harsh. The Monkey Clan founder was a heimin, wasn't he? Their bushi school is downright cheesy nowadays, he came a long way with his starting rings of 1 and 8 experience points.
>>48187592
At least they're not 1E ninja. Jesus fuck, ninja.
>>48187592
>The Monkey Clan founder was a heimin, wasn't he?
He clearly just gathered lots of battlefield exp
>>48187616
Or his samurai sooooouuuuulllll gave him the ability to use ronin rules even though he was a dirty peasant.
>>48187987
If the excuse made is that people lower in the Celestial Order can mistakenly have souls of a higher rank, doesn't that make the treatment of eta even worse?
>>48188125
No, because it's self correcting.
If they were born an eta but were actually supposed to be somewhere higher, then it's either because fate needs it to be that way (Most likely so they don't get noticed by anyone /anything) or because it's some kind of residual kharmic balance that's not harsh enough to be worth getting the paperwork approved by Emma-O.
>>48188161
So if an eta moves up in the world, they were never really an eta at all? In that case, in a sort of timeless zen sense, samurai can choose to live in an era where there are no true Eta whenever they want. Fortune favors the mortals, I guess.
>>48188246
>So if an eta moves up in the world, they were never really an eta at all?
Yes. This is the basic justification for any social mobility, since the system, at the basic level, allows for none at all. Of course, there is mobility here and there, so the best way to combine "No social mobility ever" and "But really, there is some" is to say that you're just correcting mistakes or recognizing something that has always been true.
When an emperor makes a new minor clan, that clan's founder has retroactively always been a member of that clan since the day they were born. It just hasn't been recognized until now.
Sometimes it's just an easy excuse to promote people, other times it's actually true.
Spent some time working on my own set of mass battle rules, as promised a couple threads back. It's not ready to show off yet, but I thought I'd solicit feedback on a feature I was thinking of.
I'm making battle into a mixed trait skill. In the pre-battle preparation stage, which represents the relative positioning and planning of the armies, I'm using intelligence as the trait. For sudden maneuvers and changes of plan, I'm using perception. For non-tactical rallying and rousing speeches, it'll be awareness.
Any thoughts on this? I feel pretty solid on the first two, but I'm considering whether "will" might not be better for the "HOLD THE LINE!" style morale rolls. Whatever decision happens, it ends with one of the Elemental Rings being left out, either Earth or Air respectively.
The most elegant way to handle the individual unit combats would be with some sort of roll and keep based system, but that'd make the theorycrafting harder, so I think I'm going to stick with a contested 3d6 plus modifiers bell curve for fighting soldiers. There will be no base strengths, only advantages. Most of the strategic parts will be mitigating advantages or giving them temporarily. For example, cavalry gain an advantage on open ground, which can be mitigated by the successful general in a battle turn if that's what he uses his success for.
>>48179565
>How are your games going
My current party (an Utaku Mounted Infantry dude, a Soshi (Emerald) Magistrate / party leader, a Fudoist nun, and my Miya Akodo Bushi) is investigating a Spider Clan infiltration/subversion that is centered around arming rebellious lords with blackpowder weapons. The adventure is quite literally a blast because the Utaku guy and the Fudoist chick both have a tendency of blowing shit up and they untied their extraordinary... hmmm... 'aptitude' to maximize the amount of explosions in each session.
In the last session, my character rallied a bunch of lesser lords to defeat one of the bigger villains in a pretty darn epic Mass Battle. Even though he was the army general, my character personally took the enemy banner and killed the enemy general (he was a no-name miniboss, but it was still cool) in a duel. Shit was cash, especially when the nun got the 'A Clear Shot' battle event with a disposable rocket launcher - oh man, that poor enemy officer couldn't see it coming!
By the way, we are running a homebrew setting with a continent-spamming Rokugan and ten Great Clans led by the ten Kami, as well as a super-powered Emerald Empire led by the eleventh Kami, the Sun Empress Tsudao. It is... kinda like a long story.
>>48188284
>When an emperor makes a new minor clan, that clan's founder has retroactively always been a member of that clan since the day they were born. It just hasn't been recognized until now.
>Sometimes it's just an easy excuse to promote people, other times it's actually true.
Fucking what? I thought this was one of the only times where social mobility happened without an excuse, because the Emperor said so and it is from he that all status flows.
>>48189941
Is she literally collecting their souls?
To GMs:
How do you feel about Lucky? Should it be banned?
To players not having at lest 1 rank of it: Why not? Perhaps you don't expect to have any important die rolls?
>>48192389
Player here. None of my PC's have Lucky.
I'm of the opinion Lucky shouldn't be banned. I'd rather have it around partly for character concepts and partly because rerolling a roll once doesn't necessarily mean you'll do better on the second one.
Then again I've never played with someone who had more than one rank in Lucky,
>>48192389
I've let my players take it, it has saved their lives a few times. Isn't really all that gamebreaking, though I can see how it might disrupt the tone of a more serious campaign if a samurai is able to duck, dip, dive and dodge away from being cut down.
>>48191557
Yes, the emperor said so, which means it's always been true. Because an Emperor said so.
>>48193455
>I can see how it might disrupt the tone of a more serious campaign if a samurai is able to duck, dip, dive and dodge away from being cut down.
Taking Luck is a rather elaborate way of doing this. At one point, every GM should just accept that Full Defense Stance exists, and "living three feet away from death" is bullshit.
>>48194556
Full Defense stance only works if you've got friends who can actually finish the fight for you. It makes you literally do nothing unless you're a member of certain schools that let you do a very limited number of things.
>>48194579
You can actually "stance dance" around by acting last in one round (using Full Attack to kill someone) and going first in the next (assuming Full Defense for ATN).
Also, you can still perform Free Actions in Full Defense Stance, so if anything, you can crawl out of the fight with Free Moves.
>>48194652
What edition are you talking about right now?
>>48194652
How exactly are you shifting your initiative that drastically? You only roll it once at the start of combat.
>>48194705
Nevermind, I thought that delaying worked differently.
But still, in the round where you're acting last, you're in Full Attack the entire time and the enemies hit you first. You'll probably have some shitty wound penalties for your end-of-round actions. And if there's a lot of dudes beating on you, you might not even get the chance to do that.
>>48194801
In rounds after the first, you chose your stance when your turn comes up.
So, assuming you're above all the enemies in Iniative order, you start in Full Defense on round 1, then on round 2, you delay till after all of them, switch to Full Attack when your turn starts, hit someone, then the round ends. Next round, your turn comes up first and you switch back to Full Defense before anyone else does anything and then you delay your turn next round to repeat this.
It works, but the enemies can safely ignore you on turns where you're defensive.
>>48194901
And you have to go before every enemy in the fight or else they can get you before you can switch back to full defense.
l5rg help my game is turning into a harem anime how do I stop it
>>48194952
Have their parents collectively marry them all off.Pick the marriages based entirely off of what would upset fans of the harem anime the most.
>>48194969
I agree. There is no more satisfying feeling then NTRing your players.
>>48194969
Main boy gets with worst girl.
Best girl gets with a random Moto we've never even heard of before.
Party slut retires and becomes a nun with a vow of chastity.
Supporting male character dies offscreen.
His love interest moves on like it's nothing.
ect.
>>48195027
>Best girl gets with a random Moto we've never even heard of before.
Moto Chaddo at it again.
>>48190576
Why she got a barcode?
>>48196150
It's a netrunner card. The character is a clone, and as we all know, clones are not people. They are property. Also she's a psychic or something.
>>48196150
>he doesn't have a barcode!
>>48179565
I haven't made it through all the 4E books yet but perhaps someone could answer this:
How does the L5R system handle special/hierloom/legendary/etc weapons if at all? Magical or otherwise?
Are there prerolled ones? Is there a creation process?
>>48196896
There's a few clan-specific weapons in the advantages section.
Otherwise there isn't really anything.
>>48196896
Heirloom items that have been in use long enough (Generations, usually) will "Awaken" and basically become magical. The term for these items is nemuranai. There's not really a hard system to create them, just some examples here and there. Usually they're very difficult to damage or break and boost their user's relevant skill. Sometimes they have unique effects if they're really powerful and ancient.
The Inheritance advantage is how you'd get one, with the basic 5 point version in the book being a minor nemuranai (Or just a particularly well made object)
There are also the Sacred clan weapons, which are not strictly magical, but are very special. Made by the best smiths your clan has, using secret techniques and special materials, these things are objectively better than average blades in many ways.
>>48196928
>>48197478
Thank you kind anons.
It seems like most or all of nemurenai are detailed in pre-4th splats. I guess I'll have to get a hold of them and try to adapt.
>>48197818
All of the Book of X books from 4th have a few of them.
How should Shosuro actors be handled in a group? I feel like in a magistrate game that persona thing can be super useful but how would you do it without going "ninja' lol"? Just say you're a normal actor and invent the undercover sting operation? Never break character and only appear as Moto Chad and use your sneaking and lack of honor in secret.
>>48198450
I'd probably go with the second one.
One time I was almost another character's secret creepy stalker whom they had never truly met, but decided not to.
>reading Great Clans
>get to the tale of the phoenix ancestral blade
Shiba is literally Prince Eric isn't he? He married Ariel and lived happily ever after until the shitty sequel a few years later where the first oni kills him.
>>48196150
FFG isn't putting out l5r art yet. That's why.
>>48198450
Invest exp so your persona has the skills it requires - such as basic courtery for a courtier disguise - and then ninja in secret.
>>48198450
Be a known actor, and use your acting skillz and reputation to open doors.
Be your role, and never break cover in front of the group.
Hey we're at the table and we have a question, do Scorpions wear their masks in the bath?
>>48200086
Only if there's a peeping tom.
>>48199330
Speaking of which, when a persona is a samurai, its skills are whatever the selected school's skills are.
I'd recommend allowing a player to switch out one or two of those skills when first creating a persona, to allow for a more specific idea. For example, I had a Shosuro whose first face was "Surprisingly artistic Matsu bushi", so I let them have two artisan skills instead of the default "Any two bugei skills" for that persona. That +10 TN for non-persona skills is prohibitive, especially if the persona *should* be able to do those things as part of its unique flair.
>>48200086
I'd say it depends on the individual Scorpion.
More like
>topic: What changes do you think FFG will make to the game?
>>48200233
Funky dice.
>>48200128
>when a persona is a samurai, its skills are whatever the selected school's skills are
That sounds needlessly restrictive.
>>48200344
At least in 1E (dunno about later editions) you also had to buy skills individually for each persona your actor has, and there is no cross. Your geisha persona may have Tea Ceremony 4 but your nun persona may just have Tea Ceremony 1 or none at all.
So effectively you have to make many characters on the CP budget of a single character.
>>48200221
>>48200096
We're trying to find a scorpion NPC and we're in a bath house. I know the joke is that the ninja is in the rafters but seriously do they wear masks?
>>48200444
To be honest, I don't think it's ever brought up. I'm inclined to say no since I doubt people would want the steam or water to ruin their pretty masks.
>>48200471
>scorpion dude that just wanted a peaceful bath rudely interrupted by a bunch of honorless PCs and covering his bits with one hand and his hand with the other, completely horrified at being caught so naked
Not everyone in the clan can be a Kachiko-tier slut.
>>48200437
In 4e, your persona has 7 skills that it can use with no penalty (Skills outside of those 7 at a 10 TN difficulty increase). If you have the skill yourself, you use your rating as normal. If you do not have the skill, you roll as if you had a single rank in the skill. These phantom skill points function the same way that Crab Hands, Soul of Artistry, Crafty, ect work. They do not count towards Insight and do not function if you aren't "in character" for that persona.
>>48200629
>not going to public baths
>>48200727
In a public bath, they'd definitely keep their mask on. If they've got one that is delicate, then they probably switch it out for a simple cloth one that won't be damaged by getting wet.
>>48200751
You realise Scorpion can go without their mask, right? It's not a permanent fixture on their face. They even give special meaning to not wearing a mask.
>>48200803
And unless they're trying to convey that special meaning while taking a bath in public where any and everyone can just wander in, they're going to keep the mask on.
>>48200803
Also you don't wear a mask in kabuki which they are basically the preeminent artists of. Masks are a most of the time thing not an all the time thing.
>>48200839
It's not a meaning they'll outright tell people, so there shouldn't be an issue with pragmatism overtaking extremely rigid interpretations of their traditions. I think I'll continue to disagree.
Plus, try wearing a mask similar to the heavier Scorpion masks for a full day, let alone months on end. It's going to be uncomfortable, and a bacterial problem the more you breathe/sweat on it.
>>48201635
>The real reason the masks stay on is because they all have horrible facial acne and skin infections from the masks
>>48200340
I hope so. FFG Star Wars is great
>>48204116
I hope not, the only reason funky dice exists is to make money for greedy shareholders.
>>48204250
I used to think so too.
But after years of playing star wars dnd, I sang a different tune playing FFG star wars with its funky dice.
Agree to disagree friend. I just hope FFG doesn't crank the heroic wuxia and drown out the bloody samurai movie aspect of L5R.
>>48194921
It isn't a problem because high Reflexes is the go-to trait in this case (for the Defense roll), thus you will most likely have the highest Initiative too. Or, if you are unsure about it, then take Quick and it will guarantee a highest Initiative over time.
Alternatively, if this is too complicated for you, then go for a crazy-high Water and just play hit-and-run.
Or just go full Grapple and pin your nigga to the ground. Now THAT will break the tone of a serious campaign.
>>48204376
That's why you go Kobo Ichi-kai.
Nothing says serious like a massive dude grabbing someone by the throat, then ripping it out with his bare teeth because he just doesn't give a shit and it was faster than choking him to death.
>>48185860
>that image
So basically, if you pull off a Scorpion's mask, they die?
>>48204587
Untrue.
Ask the scorpion how they survived when Hantei XXXIX told them to get the fuck out.
Oh right, they got enslaved by arabs, nevermind
>>48204376
>>48204389
What are the best schools for wrassling enemies and punching them in the face?
As far as I can tell, the following schools have unarmed and grappling combat bonuses: Hida Pragmatist, Doji Magistrate, Soshi Magistrate, Taoist Swordsman, Ichiro Bushi (Badger Clan), Mantis Brawler, the Ikoma Scrapper Advanced Path, and of course pretty much all of the monks.
Of the bushi and monks respectively, what are the best schools for murdering people from a hugging position? There are a lot of options, and I admit I'm a bit new to optimizing for this system.
>>48204683
I shamefully neglected to mention the alternate paths of Crab Sumai and Bariqu wrestler, both of which offer grappling bonuses. I will prepare my death poem.
>>48204665
>Ask the scorpion how they survived when Hantei XXXIX told them to get the fuck out.
That was Toturi I.
>>48205058
Was it? I distinctly remember the kid getting pissy that Shoju killed his dad and exiled the scorpion for it.
>>48205075
He abolished the Scorpion Clan altogether. It was Toturi I who exiled them for "kidnapping" him.
>>48205133
>hantei kiddy pants
>scoprion killed my dad! NO CLAN FOR THEM EVER EVER EVER!!!
>tons of scorpion now ronin with a legitimate grudge
Thats how insurgencies are created, I guess
And the scorpion kidnapped Toturi? Didn't Toturi give them a pass since Kachiko fought as one of the 7 thunders? I intentionally ignored a lot of the Hidden Emperor saga, so I don't know the details
>>48205133
>>48205177
How did the scorpion get re-established?
>>48205219
They freed the Kami Shinjo during their Burning Sands adventure, and they got the A-OK signal when they returned to Rokugan with her and revealed the Lying Darkness shit that was happening.
>>48205177
>And the scorpion kidnapped Toturi? Didn't Toturi give them a pass since Kachiko fought as one of the 7 thunders?
That's why he exiled them and not abolished the clan again.
>>48205318
Wasn't the akodo family also ended? How did they get their shit together?
>>48204683
Earth focused monk. Buy the kiho that allows you to remain in full defence while grappling, and free action initiate a grapple after being attacked. If you're good enough, you can end up surrounded by grappled opponents.
>>48205408
The Akodo was abolished by Hantei XXXIX and restored with Toturi's (who was an Akodo) ascension though they didn't get a solid footing until Hitomi (as Lady Moon) gave the Nothing the name Akodo.
The fluff in 4th edition books tends to contradict itself, especially across books. They go back and forth on if there are male Moshi shugenja or not, and I'm trying to figure out which one is the retcon.
Book of fire mentions Moshi Takumi (developed the College of Clarity) as a male shugenja in the Moshi school, but also says that male Moshi shugenja of any type were unknown at the time. So he'd probably be the first. Go back an edition and there's also Moshi Mogai in The Four Winds. Way of the Minor Clans says that men are not encouraged to study spellcraft, but also not barred from it.
On the other hand, Book of Air's magic section says that all Moshi shugejna are women. Probably other references to it in other places that I missed.
So, is it a timeline thing? Or did some authors just not bother to check continuity and make a mistake somewhere?
>>48206362
>there's also Moshi Mogai in The Four Winds
Far as I can tell, gifted with the ability, but shuffled into being a courtier, then lost during the rain of blood.
>>48206362
I would peobably rule that there are male Moshi who are Shugenja, but they're all shipped out to the Kitsune or Yoritomo schools.
>>48206847
Stat block has him with 2 ranks in Moshi Shugenja. I think I like the idea of the men getting trained because shugenja are rare and not training one is sort of blasphemous, but then getting shuffled off to jobs that keep them out of the temple. Send them out as courtiers or send them out with the army so that the women can go be holy in the temple. Probably send them off as ronin if there's even the slightest hint of improper behavior. Probably a case-by-case thing no matter what, just because most Moshi men aren't supposed to be able to talk to the kami at all.
>>48206362
It is a timeline thing. In the current time (Iweko I/II), there are no male Moshi shugenja because they are, like, super-rare. But there -were- male Moshi shugenja in the history of the clan.
Is there any reason that would deny the Emperor being a shugenja?
>>48207861
Or even better, a court shugenja.
Do you use faux japanese to do setting locations? Or do you translate that shit?
>>48208293
It is implied that Hantei XVI (the super-tyrant emperor) was a nascent shugenja who was driven mad by the whispers of the kami.
>>48209215
I used to do *real* Japanese, since I was stationed in Japan for 6 years and I got pretty fluent. I stopped because I shared game stories on the AEG boards and people were shouting at me that using Japanese was playing L5R wrong, since Rokugan "isn't Japan." After I came back to the States and actually got one of those type of people in a game I started at my LGS ("you can't call it that, this isn't supposed to be Japan"), I pretty much gave up on running L5R altogether.
For all that we make fun of wick and his fuckups, and for all that we make fun of AEG and their inability to edit books or outright lie about the book content ("thing listed on back of book is not in the book"), by far the worst part of L5R is the fanbase. Which is true of any non-GW game, I guess.
>>48209542
Shit players infest the hobby no matter which game you play. L5R just gives them an opportunity to express a more finely tuned dimension of their autism. Sorry you don't run stuff any more, but it coulda happened with anything.
>>48204293
the funky dice are actually awful. The yellow dice have a higher weighting towards advantages over green dice, which means that greens can actually be better. Rolling 0 success 8 advantages is typically worse than 1 success 1 advantage, but having shit like that happen is pretty common. Not to mention the rules are janky as fuck, and anyone who wants to do something simple like dual wield pistols (or just use an automatic weapon) starts an arms race because those things multiply your damage, usually for free.
Do any of you lot have Emerald Empire for 3rd edition? Because fuck me is it hard to find on the net.
>>48209692
It could have happened with anything in the same way you could get hit by a car anywhere. L5R is this analogy's equivalent of running around on the interstate. Sure there's shitty people because people are shitty everywhere, but the uniquely terrible garbage in L5R (such as "you can't use real japanese" and/or "I randomly throw japanese words into my sentences") are *in addition to* the usual horseshit bad players bring to a table.
It's really a shame; I'd love to actually play in an L5R game that ran to completion but far too many of the players and GMs have their heads so firmly lodged up their own ass that it's just not worth it.
>>48209542
>using japanese is playing the game wrong
What? There's like, a billion places named in japanese. How could they possibly be so wrong?
>>48209920
>I'd love to actually play in an L5R game that ran to completion
Are you comfortable with homebrew crazyness like pic related?
>>48210756
That looks nuts. How did you get there, design or actual play?
>>48210756
This looks like some sort of result from a Civ game left to play itself.
>>48210756
>Imperial Moto
>Lotus Clan
>Tiger Ikoma and Akodo
I require explanations.
>>48210934
Design. By the way, I'm the anon from >>48189941.
>>48211094
The Fall of the Kami never happened. Amaterasu lost her shit when Onnotangu decided to eat their children, and she introduced poor Lord Moon to the highest levels of domestic abuse as well as rampaged through the spirit realms until almost everything was reduced to ruin.
The Kami never fell but came to Ningen-do through a spirit portal, Fu Leng was never corrupted, and Ryoshun did not die.
>Imperial Moto
Emma-O escaped the destruction and ended up with the Ujik-hai, eating their Lords of Death and doing other... morally questionable things. At one point early in its history, the Emerald Empire decided to conquer the whole continent and they eventually linked up with Emma-O and his private tribe. For their service for the Fortune of Death, the Ujik-hai was turned into the Moto Imperial Family. The Empire needed a fast military force anyway, and the fierce nomad horsemen filled the bill just right.
>Lotus Clan
The clan of Fu Leng. A bunch of assholes, essentially. The Kuni is even more off their meds with such a patron like the Dark Kami, the Okake are warriors eternally enslaved to Fu Leng's will with name magic, the Tosuzu are swindlers and con artists, and the Jusha are a pack of over-ambitious sycophants.
>Tiger Ikoma and Akodo
Akodo was deeply scarred by witnessing Amaterasu's rampage, and developed an acute gynophobia (fear of women). He got his ass bullied around by Matsu so much he eventually had to leave the Lion and found the Tiger. He is plagued by strong&independent women ever since then.
>>48182478
...Huh, that concept reminds me of one a player brought me before real life struck and I had to cancel the game. Glad he found a new game to play in, I liked the concepts he had a lot.
>>48211707
>Kuni not still being Crab
Pig disgusting. Kaiu and Hiruma should have smacked Kuni upside the head until he came to his senses.
Mind giving me some feedback for this?
Path of the Sohei [Monk]
This school is used to represent any sort of warrior monk that would not easily fit into the concepts of the other orders. Eschewing the other gifts of their brothers, these men and women focus on unraveling the mysteries of the Tao through physical acts. Most often temple guardians, or escorts to wandering monks, the Sohei are also fearsome allies on the battlefield.
Sohei characters are much like monks, with a few differences owing to their focus more on the physical realm and the empty void of combat in their search for enlightenment.
>Like Brotherhood monks, they start with 2 in each ring, except for Void which is 3
>Sohei are almost entirely affiliated with Orders, as they rely on the support structure of the brotherhood they have taken up arms for. Choose an order, and gain that order’s benefit and starting honor rank, and follow that Devotion.
>Sohei start the game with 2 kiho they satisfy the requirements for
>Sohei cannot learn kata
>Sohei learn one new kiho per insight rank
>Sohei acquire status and glory like monks, along with starting with the same glory and status as monks
>With a far more martial focus, Sohei starting equipment is as follows: Any one polearm, plain traveling clothing, prayer beads, a scroll satchel with passages from the Tao, Ashigaru armor or a Yumi and 20 arrows, and 2 zeni
>Starting skills for Sohei are as follows: Athletics, Jiujutsu 2, Lore: Theology, Meditation, Polearms, any one Bugei Skill
>>48211969
Techniques:
>Rank 1: Path of the Warrior
Seeking enlightenment in battle and in struggle, the Sohei walks a dangerous path. You gain +1k0 to all Polearm and unarmed attacks as long as you are wearing either no armor, or Ashigaru armor. In addition, you add your school rank times 2 to your Armor TN as long as you are wearing Ashigaru armor or no armor.
>Rank 2: Swift as a Coursing River
He who flows like water survives the battlefield. You may move as if you had additional Water equal to half your Water Ring rounded up, and if you moved this turn you may add your Water Ring to your armor TN as long as you are wearing no armor or Ashigaru armor.
>Rank 3: Force of a Great Typhoon
Swift winds rip all before them in twain. You may attack with a polearm or an unarmed strike with a simple action instead of a complex one.
>Rank 4: Strength of a Raging Fire
Flames consume all before them. You may ignore reduction equal to your fire rank whenever you are attacking with a polearm or an unarmed strike. In addition, while in the full attack stance, you may add your Fire Ring * 2 to your Armor TN as long as you are wearing Ashigaru or no armor
>Rank 5: Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon
In battle, a Sohei is as tranquil as a forest and on fire within, calm despite the rage of war. In the center is victory. You may spend a void point to add +1k1 to any damage roll with unarmed weapons or polearms, and in any turn you spend a void point you may add your Void Rank to the total of any damage or attack rolls.
>>48211886
I dunno if you have noticed, but the Kaiu is an Imperial family.
The Crab had the Yobanjin Tribes to fight instead of the Shadowlands, so Hida was looking for a different kind of guys back then than in the canon.
>>48182567
This is a long shot, but are you still looking for that potential fifth player? If so, the discord link expired, if you post another I'd love to throw my hat in too.
>>48212208
I'm sorry, but 4 is my limit. It's a good number for a variety of reasons with a text based game.
>>48212222
Damn. Ah well, I still have the game I'm running at least. Best of luck, be sure to storytime here if something fun happens.
>>48211985
>A Full Attacking Sohei with 5 Fire is no harder to hit than if he wasn't in the stance
Oh baby. Talk about a fucking scary thing to have charging you.
>>48211707
I need more info. I need all the info. Please do a lore dump.
So I converted the ronin schools from 3e to 4e - the hardest conversion was the ronin duellist, but here you go. Kindly Gm was also righting up a warrior sohei school at the time, so I added it in.
>>48214813
Made some edits, fixed Duellist rank 2.
>>48214994
Will the Sohei school make a man out of me?
>>48215184
That depends.
Did you send a daughter or a son?
>>48211985
>>48211969
This looks sweet. My current campaign involves a lot of warrior monks, so this actually helps me a lot.
Thanks!
>>48215184
If it doesn't, you should commit Sodoku
>>48215184
Only if you see it through to completion.
Hey people who were talking about the banishment of the Scorpion: That was done in Toturi's absence after the Goju kidnaoped him and framed the Scorpion with insanely flimsy evidence. Which as we know is enough for samurai in the absence of any testimony. They were busy being slaves of not-Egypt/fighting against and immortal Arabic Caliph when he was recovered. However by that point he was tainted by the Nothing and quite mad so he never undid their banishment. It took them proudly coming back with Shinjo in tow to undo that.
Also you'd really think that after their banishment and literal magical deity salvation for and by the Unicorn's living goddess (They saved her, she them) they'd be less hard on the Unicorn or something?
>>48218368
I forgot my Unicorn image!
What is the most insulting gift possible?
>>48218548
A katana that you specifically tell them you thought they needed.
Bonus points if they're an Akodo and you include a copy of his writings with the same explanation.
>>48218548
A very elaborate tombstone with the name already filled in.
>>48218621
The katana is too on the nose. The Leadership is perfect though
>>48218548
A suit of armor with an extra backplate attached.
>>48218548
A set - a daisho, some armour, some sturdy clothing, a travelling pack with nothing but spare kimionos and blankets, and an invite to the dojo they were trained in which you requested for a "friend".
>>48218548
A beautiful kimono with the Scorpion clan mon embroidered on it. Doesn't matter if you are Scorpion or not, though obviously it doesn't work if they're Scorpion themselves.
>>48211985
>those rank names
YOU FUCK, it's stuck in my head now.
>>48218548
The same gift they gave you last year, with a single bite taken out of it.
Crab mode: Even if it was made of metal.
>>48218657
It depends on who you're trying to insult. The katana insults the reciever's lord more than the reciever himself.
>>48218368
Fuck Shinjo, she gave the unicorn over to barbarian mongols. Never forgive.
>>48218842
I see /kol/at posters have arrived.
>>48218825
It will also insult most samurai's bloodline, since it implies that their grandfather's katana isn't good enough but they gave it to you anyway.
There's a whole chain of insults in a gifted generic katana of no particular relevance.
You insult him by implying he doesn't already have a good weapon.
You insult his lord by implying he hasn't given him a good weapon.
You insult his parents by implying they gave him a shitty ancestral weapon.
You insult a grandparent for having such a shitty weapon in the first place.
And really, it can just keep going from there in an infinite loop of insults to ancestors and lords and the lords of ancestors.
And even just one of these is enough to call a duel or even a feud. It's a guaranteed way to start a fight. Your reputation might go into the shitter, but hey.
>>48218905
Haha. But seriously, Moto are shit.
>>48218907
Not every samurai has an ancestral blade. Most grandfathers don't have enough swords for all of their grandkids.
>>48219103
It's the idea of it. You might not literally have your grandfather's blade, but the ceremony where they presented it to you made it very clear that it's got the spirit of your grandfather's blade in it. That's why samurai with new forged blades have absolutely no stigma compared to those who truly do have their grandfather's blade. It's a religious concept.
Hey I'm a GM looking for players.
The party, myself included, is pretty new, so no get angry at me pls. We're running a kind of laid back game.
alpharius.omegon1 on Skype if you're at all interested. Saturdays US time zone.
>>48219186
Text or voice?
>>48219205
Text, over maptools.
>>48218782
>>48218683
These are hilarious.
>>48218705
This just makes the gift giver look stupid.
>>48219212
I have to reinstall skype, but I'm interested. Can't stand voice games over the internet.
>>48218368
The Scorpion literally have to be assholes. It's their Duty. If they stop being assholes they fail their promise to Hantei.
>>48219237
Cool i'll be waiting for your contact.
>>48219186
Interested too, will contact later
>>48219186
>The party, myself included, is pretty new, so no get angry at me pls.
Man I've been running L5R since 2010 and basically have to check the honor table at the end of each session to tabulate sins/successes. Don't feel bad for being new, shit is hard sometimes.
>>48219254
Someone hasn't read how to be a Scorpion in WotS or GC.
>>48219186
The game seems more cinematically challenging than mechanically. The hard part is probably going to be more along the lines of getting the flavour out where everyone's happy to be.
>>48219233
It worked for Bayushi Kachiko.
>>48219186
>>48219212
Damn. I'd really like that if I weren't on the other side of the world.
I am trying to parse this image. Are those actual tits built into her armor, making this the least sexy boobplate ever, or am I seeing some kind of optical illusion or other bit of armor kit?
>>48219736
They look like some sort of laminated panel, probably to help provide extra protection against having their lungs punctured?
It all looks to be a part of that layered neck protector, which is extending way further down than I would think it is supposed to.
>>48219736
The thumbnail looks like tits but the full size it's obviously not.
>>48219736
You know he's actually a guy, right?
>>48218548
Several formulas for insulting gifts:
1. You might need this: This gift would either be useful only for dishonorable purposes, or implies that the person is incapable in some sort of shameful way. A real world example would be gifting someone rogaine. A Rokugan example would be giving them a beginner's primer on their subject of study, or just money.
2. Trip down memory lane: A gift that references something shameful or painful in the recipient's past, their's or their family's. Real world example: giving a reformed ex-con a copy of 'Oz' or a "Make Your Own Shiv" kit. Rokugan example: Giving a Crane a map of the Crab's Yasuki territories.
3. You're not worth my attention: A gift with so little effort put into it that it's very clear that you have no desire to even pretend to care. This implies that they are so low status that you don't have to care about their feelings for you. Real world example: Half of an apple, a box of toothpicks. Rokugan example: half an apple, a broken fan.
>>48220080
Always keep in mind that historical and personal significance can override the negative implications.
A broken fan is an insulting gift, but a broken fan that an ancestor (Sender or recipient) or famous person used in a meaningful way is a very, very good gift.
>>48219736
Those are actually protective plates with a function similar to European besegews; when the wearer lifts their arms, they rise and shift into place to provide a (theoretical) defense against attacks to the armpit. If they're single-place construction, they're called "kyubi-no-ita", while if they're constructed of scales (as apparently seen in >>48219736's image), they're called "sendan-no-ita". Both of the ones in the picture are hanging somewhat too far towards the Bayushi's sternum.
The existence of either type is indicative of an older style of armor; both "-no-itas" came into existence alongside the O-Yoroi in the 10th century, and more or less went away once the Haramaki-style armor came around in the 15th century (replaced specifically by a protection called the "gyoyo", which existed with the earlier do-maru style armor but was moved to replace the "-no-itas").
While Rokugan isn't Japan, the source material can still inform.
>>48220221
Oh, in the interests of a complete answer, there's a 3rd kind of "-no-ita" called a "Hato-o-no-ita". It's made of a single plate like the "kyubi-no-ita", but it's much more squared up, with sharper corners, and most importantly is vertically curved in a concave fashion (so the middle is the deepest part of the curve). It's evidently way, WAY more rare than the other two. I couldn't tell you why with 100% confidence, though, and I don't want to speculate on a topic (Japanese metallurgy) that will almost always cause a huge fight. Unfortunately, unless we're going to get into lacing or other practical use details, I know much less about Japanese armor than I do about European stuff.
>>48211707
>>48214247
Same. Gynophobic "plz no bully me Matsu" Akodo sounds hilarious.
Need some ideas fellow Daimyo
I have an upcoming event in my campaign - young ambitious mantis pretty boy whose a smooth talker and an honorable man, is going to be competing with Yoritomo for who gets to marry Moshi Wakiza.
I kind of want this to be less a fighting contest, and more a social one.
Plus, I'd like some ideas on how said character might be able to go about getting Amaterasu to back him against Yoritomo as well.
naturally, once Yoritomo figures out hes lost, it might end up in a fight, but that will result in a dead PC - I figure Yoritomo will vow revenge. Also, your probably saying "isn't Yoritomo this PC's daimyo?" And while you would be right, I run the mantis as being somewhat more fractious and independent than most clans - Yoritomo is hoping to iron hand unify all the competing families within it, and then use that as a means to compell the other minor clans to join him, in his whole "make the mantis great again" campaign
Question
If you were to design a Minor Clan called "The Tiger Clan" - what would its theme be? What would it be like?
>>48221777
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Yotsu_family
>>48214994
>>48214813
>Arigashu
It's Ashigaru, son.
>>48222582
I cannot into spelling a lot of the time
>>48221777
>Tigers.
